By Ashley Thompson

 

Tonight's guest judge in Los Angeles is Christina Applegate, along with regulars Nigel Lythgoe and Mary Murphy.

 

Jessica Richness, 18, CA: Her claim to fame is performing in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular at age 11. Considered jazz, her dancing is sexy meets skillful. But maybe a little too sexy in parts. That's ratings, though. She has pretty turns and straight lines but her long hair is distracting. She's so talented, however, that the judges send her straight to Vegas without any discussion. After Jessica leaves the stage Christina is heard saying, "She could win the show".

 

Valerie Rockey, 20, IN: With red tap shoes on her feet, Valerie is feminine with soul and has quick footwork. Even though her ball changes are a bit juvenile, she has great arms for a tapper, which is rare for someone at this level in the competition. Nigel calls her "nice and light" and sends her to choreography. But ultimately it's Vegas where she belongs.

 

Jana "JaJa" (pronounced YaYa) Vankova, Czech Republic: How'd she get here? Phillip Chbeeb. Yes, the animation dancer from previous seasons. She took his class and moved to LA. She is robotic but not totally sharp. Her crumping is impressive albeit choreographed but she blends the two styles seamlessly. It's hard for a girl in these genres but she was good enough to get a standing ovation from the judges and a ticket straight to Vegas.

 

Kyle Taylor, 28, KA: When a contestant says "I've only done this in my living room" you don't expect much. But this popper is actually pretty good! He may not be Fik-Shun, Cyrus or Legacy but he held his own when battling these alumni. The judges send him to choreography but he he takes the opportunity to let his partner shine by excusing himself from the competition. Come back next year, Kyle!

 

Justine Lutz, 19, MN: For a girl who says she has never danced contemporary, she sure does have some gorgeous movements. From her fingertips to her toes her fluidity is flawless and unique. No wonder the judges gave her a ticket straight to Vegas without any discussion!

 

Deise Mendonca, 23, Mauricio Vera, 28, CA: I love nothing more than a ballet. Deise and Mauricio met and fell in love at the Santiago Ballet Company and I hope they stay together forever because they dance so beautifully. It's obvious they can do partner work so it's pointless to send them to choreography. After sending the female judges to tears, they are off to Vegas!

 

Justin Bieber and choreographer Nick Demoura present two more dance crews the Twitter battle (just by using the hashtags provided) with the fan favorite performing on the finale:

• Breaksk8: A skating, breakdancing, gymnastics style of dance straight-out of the Mid-west. You might be able to dance, but can you dance on sk8s? #SYTYCDsk8.

• Academy of Villains: A theatrical California crew This group from California utilizes theatrics within their performance. It's like circus meets dance crew. #SYTYCDvillains.

Hailee Paine, 19, UT: Performing a jazz/funk routine this girl has a big personality. She's sharp, quick and quirky and sent straight to Vegas.

Sebastian Serra, 24, FL: Being cut right before the Green Mile in season 10 must have given Sebastian some extra oomph because he is leaping to new heights. I don't know if they made the right decision last year, but I'm glad they're sending him straight to Vegas this year. He is powerful and strong and hopefully a great partner... because that's what's most important for the boys, as we all well know by now. Hopefully he's used this past year to study other styles to give him a leg up on the competition.

 

Dani Platz, 18, CA: In treatment to recover from an eating disorder and overall disdain for life, Dani is back to dance. Her routine is emotional and Nigel calls it "beautiful" as well as "ugly". But really it's a compliment. Christina wants a Vegas ticket but Nigel and Mary send her to choreography. Luckily she dominates the choreography round and off to Vegas she goes.

 

Marie "Marie Poppins" Bonnevay, 27, CA: A French popper... get it? Marie POPpins?? Dressed in khakis and a flawy top... and it's as interesting as it sounds. Even intriguing enough to get Fik-Shun up on stage to dance with her. I don't know if it was planned but they were so good together! Her style is unusual but so fun to watch so it is no surprise when she's sent to Vegas.

 

There were 14 dancers asked to go to choreography. In total, 18 dancers made it to the callbacks in Los Angeles.

 

Photo courtesy of FOX