Out of thousands who auditioned for So You Think You Can Dance, only 11 were picked to perform for America’s vote. That’s because this season each new dancer will be paired with a returning favorite. Last night they hit the stage for a special introduction to America, and I must say that they all did incredibly well. This is definitely a season packed with incredibly talented dancers.
People Magazine recently spoke with the contestants to get a sense of who they are, how they move and what motivates them as dancers. Here's what they said:
JOSE ‘FULLDECK’ RUIZ
Hometown: Miami, Florida
Experience: With no professional training, the 21-year-old breaker can hang his hopes on natural talent. “The first time I saw b-boy dancing on a video, so I would observe it and basically try and mimic the moves,” he says. The video? Dirty Vegas‘s “Days Go By.” “They had a b-boy and he was on cardboard and he was doing a bunch of footwork and freezes and ever since then I’ve been like ‘Wow,’” Ruiz says.
Why He Moves: “Dancing gave me confidence,” he says. “I was just a shy guy, but dancing changed that about me. It was almost like the one thing that was missing in my life that made me complete.”
JOSE ‘FULLDECK’ RUIZ
Hometown: Miami, Florida
Experience: With no professional training, the 21-year-old breaker can hang his hopes on natural talent. “The first time I saw b-boy dancing on a video, so I would observe it and basically try and mimic the moves,” he says. The video? Dirty Vegas‘s “Days Go By.” “They had a b-boy and he was on cardboard and he was doing a bunch of footwork and freezes and ever since then I’ve been like ‘Wow,’” Ruiz says.
Why He Moves: “Dancing gave me confidence,” he says. “I was just a shy guy, but dancing changed that about me. It was almost like the one thing that was missing in my life that made me complete.”
MELINDA SULLIVAN
Hometown: Culver City, California
Experience: Though she trained in various dance forms for 18 years, tap was the one that spoke to her the loudest. “I got to make a lot of noise,” the 22-year-old says of the time in tap class as a kid. “I liked that I was able to make my own music. When you’re little that’s always fun.”
An Inspiration: “I had watched White Nights, a movie with Gregory Hines and Mikhail Baryshnikov, and I saw how they could just connect through that screen with their art form” she says. “I liked how [Hines] was still true to his art form and brought it into popular culture. After meeting him I realized I wanted to do that.”
KENT BOYD
Hometown: Wapakoneta, Ohio
Experience: The recent high school graduate has spent the last 10 years learning and perfecting his moves — sometimes in a cornfield. “All I wanted to do was dance,” he says. “When I was doing sports or [school] activities I thought I was wasting my time.”
Living the Dream: For this 18-year-old farm boy, the SYTYCD stage once seemed unattainable. “It’s always good to dream, obviously, but it’s so surreal that I’m actually on [the show]” says the competition’s youngest contestant. “I might not have the legs or the turn, but I have that passion. Everyone has that passion, but I have it on a different level. My passion is in a corn field.”
LAUREN FRODERMAN
Hometown: Phoenix, Arizona
Experience: The recent high school graduate has been dancing for 16 years and deferred her acceptance to Loyola Marymount University’s education program to compete this season. “I love teaching, it’s my second passion,” Froderman, 18, says. “One day I will be a teacher.”
New Challenges: While the contemporary jazz dancer is excited to learn different styles with SYTYCD‘s choreographers, she’s really looking forward to working with a partner for the first time. “I’m generally a one person show,” she says. “I like to rely only on myself … but with a partner it will be fun.”
ROBERT ROLDAN
Hometown: Thousand Oaks, California
Experience: After his mom saw him dancing in church, she suggested he take dance class. But “I was more of a sports guy,” Roldan, 19, says. “I was 11 — there was no way.” A year later he found himself in every dance class available — from hip-hop to ballet — because he “was in love with it.”
Why He Moves: Dance has helped Roldan through hardships like his parents’ divorce and his mother being diagnosed with breast cancer. “When I found that passion, it really let me release everything I was going through,” he says. “I got into a dance studio and I felt like everything was gone because I got to release it all into something I love.”
ASHLEY GALVAN
Hometown: Visalia, California
Experience: When her dad suffered a heart attack, Galvan, 19, had a realization: “Life is short and you need to chase your dreams,” she says. After graduating high school, Galvan did just that, moving to Los Angeles to be a principle dancer in the remake of Fame — and she hasn’t looked back.
New Challenges: A lyrical dancer, Galvan is looking forward to taking on ballroom, her boyfriend’s area of expertise. “With ballroom you have to have that chemistry and you’re drawn to the partnership,” she says. Another challenge: hip-hop. “I’m not the best at it,” she says. “But I love it.”
ADECHIKE TORBERT
Hometown: Brooklyn, New York
Experience: The 23-year-old New Yorker comes from a history of performers and studied at the legendary Fame school, La Guardia High School for the Performing Arts. “I would run into people I would see on videos,” he says. “Everything seemed attainable. I was a dreamer but it seemed like anything could be reached.”
Why He Moves: Torbert considers dancing his safe haven because it’s gotten him through personal battles including growing up with an abusive father. “[The studio] was my fairy land. I could dance out every emotion I was feeling,” he says. “I’m so grateful I had that. I would probably be a walking lunatic if I didn’t.”
CRISTINA SANTANA
Hometown: Mexicali, Mexico (now residing in Los Angeles, California)
Experience: She began dancing at seven but didn’t find her true passion until she moved to San Diego to study nutrition at Mesa College, where she found herself on the school’s salsa team. “When I came to U.S. it was hard. I was alone. Another culture. Totally other language,” Santana, 24, says. “I was trying to fix that — to blend in.”
Going It Alone: She auditioned for SYTYCD with her long-time salsa partner from her school’s team, but he wasn’t selected by the judges to be a finalist. “He’s sad, he’s like, ‘Don’t go!’ ” she says. “But we’re very good friends and he’s very supportive.”
BILLY BELL
Hometown: Palm Beach, Florida
Experience: Originally a hip-hop dancer, Bell, 20, faced a harsh reality at a young age. “My arts high school was like, ‘You’re really bad. You only got in because you’re a boy,’” he says of his freshman year. “I needed the training.” So, he took ballet class and continued his dance education at The Julliard School. New Challenges: Though the prestigious academy has trained him well, Bell isn’t without insecurities — like pulling off a quick step. “It’s the kiss of death,” he says of the ballroom challenge. “Everyone who got quick step got eliminated. If I get it, I’m just going to work night and day to perfect it.”
ALEXIE AGDEPPA
Hometown: Rowland Heights, California
Experience: A dancer since she was four, Agdeppa, 26, has done a bit of everything but feels that jazz defines her. “That’s what my personality is,” she says. “I’m a little spunky, a little sharper than contemporary. I’m still very passionate and full and big and turns and jumps.”
Living the Dream: After graduating from UCLA, Agdeppa found herself working at a real estate office and realized then how much she loved dancing. “I couldn’t be behind a desk,” she says. “I knew I had to be performing.”
ALEX WONG
Hometown: Vancouver, British Columbia (now residing in Miami, Florida)
Experience: As the only dancer from a strict discipline — ballet — Wong, 23, knows he’s at a disadvantage in the competition. “I’m out of my genre in every single genre they do,” he says. “But that’s why I’m here.”
Taking a Chance: Wong left his place as a principle soloist with the Miami City Ballet, a stable salary and job security to pursue his dream. “It’s a big risk, but I put my faith in this,” he says. “I auditioned on a whim but I realized I missed the diversity.”
Hometown: Culver City, California
Experience: Though she trained in various dance forms for 18 years, tap was the one that spoke to her the loudest. “I got to make a lot of noise,” the 22-year-old says of the time in tap class as a kid. “I liked that I was able to make my own music. When you’re little that’s always fun.”
An Inspiration: “I had watched White Nights, a movie with Gregory Hines and Mikhail Baryshnikov, and I saw how they could just connect through that screen with their art form” she says. “I liked how [Hines] was still true to his art form and brought it into popular culture. After meeting him I realized I wanted to do that.”
KENT BOYD
Hometown: Wapakoneta, Ohio
Experience: The recent high school graduate has spent the last 10 years learning and perfecting his moves — sometimes in a cornfield. “All I wanted to do was dance,” he says. “When I was doing sports or [school] activities I thought I was wasting my time.”
Living the Dream: For this 18-year-old farm boy, the SYTYCD stage once seemed unattainable. “It’s always good to dream, obviously, but it’s so surreal that I’m actually on [the show]” says the competition’s youngest contestant. “I might not have the legs or the turn, but I have that passion. Everyone has that passion, but I have it on a different level. My passion is in a corn field.”
LAUREN FRODERMAN
Hometown: Phoenix, Arizona
Experience: The recent high school graduate has been dancing for 16 years and deferred her acceptance to Loyola Marymount University’s education program to compete this season. “I love teaching, it’s my second passion,” Froderman, 18, says. “One day I will be a teacher.”
New Challenges: While the contemporary jazz dancer is excited to learn different styles with SYTYCD‘s choreographers, she’s really looking forward to working with a partner for the first time. “I’m generally a one person show,” she says. “I like to rely only on myself … but with a partner it will be fun.”
ROBERT ROLDAN
Hometown: Thousand Oaks, California
Experience: After his mom saw him dancing in church, she suggested he take dance class. But “I was more of a sports guy,” Roldan, 19, says. “I was 11 — there was no way.” A year later he found himself in every dance class available — from hip-hop to ballet — because he “was in love with it.”
Why He Moves: Dance has helped Roldan through hardships like his parents’ divorce and his mother being diagnosed with breast cancer. “When I found that passion, it really let me release everything I was going through,” he says. “I got into a dance studio and I felt like everything was gone because I got to release it all into something I love.”
ASHLEY GALVAN
Hometown: Visalia, California
Experience: When her dad suffered a heart attack, Galvan, 19, had a realization: “Life is short and you need to chase your dreams,” she says. After graduating high school, Galvan did just that, moving to Los Angeles to be a principle dancer in the remake of Fame — and she hasn’t looked back.
New Challenges: A lyrical dancer, Galvan is looking forward to taking on ballroom, her boyfriend’s area of expertise. “With ballroom you have to have that chemistry and you’re drawn to the partnership,” she says. Another challenge: hip-hop. “I’m not the best at it,” she says. “But I love it.”
ADECHIKE TORBERT
Hometown: Brooklyn, New York
Experience: The 23-year-old New Yorker comes from a history of performers and studied at the legendary Fame school, La Guardia High School for the Performing Arts. “I would run into people I would see on videos,” he says. “Everything seemed attainable. I was a dreamer but it seemed like anything could be reached.”
Why He Moves: Torbert considers dancing his safe haven because it’s gotten him through personal battles including growing up with an abusive father. “[The studio] was my fairy land. I could dance out every emotion I was feeling,” he says. “I’m so grateful I had that. I would probably be a walking lunatic if I didn’t.”
CRISTINA SANTANA
Hometown: Mexicali, Mexico (now residing in Los Angeles, California)
Experience: She began dancing at seven but didn’t find her true passion until she moved to San Diego to study nutrition at Mesa College, where she found herself on the school’s salsa team. “When I came to U.S. it was hard. I was alone. Another culture. Totally other language,” Santana, 24, says. “I was trying to fix that — to blend in.”
Going It Alone: She auditioned for SYTYCD with her long-time salsa partner from her school’s team, but he wasn’t selected by the judges to be a finalist. “He’s sad, he’s like, ‘Don’t go!’ ” she says. “But we’re very good friends and he’s very supportive.”
BILLY BELL
Hometown: Palm Beach, Florida
Experience: Originally a hip-hop dancer, Bell, 20, faced a harsh reality at a young age. “My arts high school was like, ‘You’re really bad. You only got in because you’re a boy,’” he says of his freshman year. “I needed the training.” So, he took ballet class and continued his dance education at The Julliard School. New Challenges: Though the prestigious academy has trained him well, Bell isn’t without insecurities — like pulling off a quick step. “It’s the kiss of death,” he says of the ballroom challenge. “Everyone who got quick step got eliminated. If I get it, I’m just going to work night and day to perfect it.”
ALEXIE AGDEPPA
Hometown: Rowland Heights, California
Experience: A dancer since she was four, Agdeppa, 26, has done a bit of everything but feels that jazz defines her. “That’s what my personality is,” she says. “I’m a little spunky, a little sharper than contemporary. I’m still very passionate and full and big and turns and jumps.”
Living the Dream: After graduating from UCLA, Agdeppa found herself working at a real estate office and realized then how much she loved dancing. “I couldn’t be behind a desk,” she says. “I knew I had to be performing.”
ALEX WONG
Hometown: Vancouver, British Columbia (now residing in Miami, Florida)
Experience: As the only dancer from a strict discipline — ballet — Wong, 23, knows he’s at a disadvantage in the competition. “I’m out of my genre in every single genre they do,” he says. “But that’s why I’m here.”
Taking a Chance: Wong left his place as a principle soloist with the Miami City Ballet, a stable salary and job security to pursue his dream. “It’s a big risk, but I put my faith in this,” he says. “I auditioned on a whim but I realized I missed the diversity.”
The real competition starts next Wednesday at 8:00 pm (ET) on FOX when the Top 11 will perform live on stage with the all-stars.
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