Detroit has always been very good to So You Think You Can Dance, and season 12’s showing had everything.
Detroit brought out their very best for week two of So You Think You Can Dance, and showed us some of the best dance talent we’ve seen this season. All told, Detroit contributed 54 dancers to Team Stage, and 60 dancers to Team Street, but here were some of the standouts.
Early Favorites
Christine Shephard
Christine Shephard, right off the bat, is one of the best auditions we have seen so far in season 12. Representing Team Stage, she combined the strength and grace of a proper trained dancer, with the rough and tumble of street dancing. Her dancing was beautiful, but some bits of it were ugly in a way that was beautiful. Paula felt so strongly that she actually said Christine was “#everything.” Christine will definitely be going far, now that she’s got her own hashtag.
Kenya ‘Standing O’ Sutton
All hail the queen: Kenya “Standing O” Sutton is a local street dancing legend known as the Queen of Detroit. The judges loved her confidence, but she backed it up with talent. She brought a sexiness to her style that we haven’t seen before, and will add a whole new side to Team Street. This definitely proves that the new format, allowing untrained street dancers to make it to the live shows, is giving even more super-talented dancers a chance.
Brooke Fong
Jazz dancer Brooke Fong has been dancing since the age of two, and it certainly shows in her technique. Her moves were so crisp, Nigel said she was “sharper than the quills on a porcupine’s ass.” That’s probably a good thing? She showed great musicality, performing to Beyonce’s cover of “Fever.” Her moves were perfectly coordinated with the song’s timeless rhythm, and it helped draw you into her performance. Nigel said she’s raised the standard for dancers this year, and she’s on her way to Vegas.
Mike Manson
Mike Manson introduced himself as “Mike Manson be dancin’,” and that’s exactly what he did. He showcased Detroit’s own Jit style, on which we got a little history lesson, from the original Jitterbugs themselves. The Jit is pretty entertaining, and does incorporate bits of other styles, even the Charleston. Mike impressed the judges, and he be dancin’ his way to Vegas.
Kelsey Rose Young
Kelsey Rose Young might be our new hero. She seemed all meek and mild when she introduced herself to the judges, but then she absolutely SLAYED a tap routine to the girl-power-licious hit “Bang Bang.” She bang-banged those tap shoes into the floor and it was so much fun to watch. It’s always great to see good, contemporary tappers on So You Think You Can Dance, because it’s a style that so often gets ignored. Good on you Kelsey, can’t wait to see you in Vegas!
Gaby Diaz
Gaby Diaz first auditioned in Dallas, but was rejected when her tap routine was too busy, as a result of her nerves. But she took the criticism, learned from it, and came back this week with a whole new routine. Dancing to Dianne Reeves’ “Endangered Species,” she was fun, graceful, and even sexy while tapping. She truly is an endangered species, one that will be relocating to Vegas.
