“SYTYCD” Week 8 Recap: A Tour de Force With T-Pain
It’s been the year of blockbuster tours, from Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour to Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour. But what would tours be without dancers?
This week, the “So You Think You Can Dance” dancers were asked to take their show on the road and take on the challenge of dancing on tour. “International tours are a billion-dollar industry,” said longtime host Cat Deeley. “And while it’s the headliner that makes the headlines, any superstar will tell you that it’s their dancers who keep the energy going in their performances.”
So how did our top 5 fare in their tour de force performance? Let’s find out.
We’ve made it to the top 5, everyone! And these crazy-talented dancers are all one week closer to becoming America’s Favorite Dancer. They’ve taken on music videos, musical theater, movies—and in last night’s episode, they took on tours.
The dancers were joined by two iconic choreographers: Fullout Cortland and Kyle Hanagami. Between them, these choreographers have worked with everyone from SZA to Justin Bieber—which is to say, they’ve worked with everyone. And the dancers also had a shot to work with another incredible artist, T-Pain!
Each dancer was asked to perform both routines. That means two sets of choreography, two sets of rehearsals, and two performances, all in one week. This is the big leagues, folks!
The dancers jumped straight into rehearsals for Fullout’s hip-hop performance and Kyle’s contemporary routine. Fullout picked Mariyah Hawkins for an extra-special front-and-center moment with T-Pain, and the pressure was officially on.
In Kyle’s rehearsal, the pressure was just as intense, and it seemed to get to Madison Rouge Alvarado a little bit, who hurt her hip during a run-through. But she said, “Even if it was hurting, I would not allow it to affect my dancing.” We love the drive, but please, dancers, take care of yourselves. Dancing through the pain is not a flex, we promise.
Finally, it was time for the performances. And lo and behold, T-Pain finally arrived at the “SYTYCD” studios! The dancers performed Fullout’s routine alongside T-Pain and absolutely brought the house down. There was a quick minute for a quick change, and then it was time for Kyle’s routine.
The judges were impressed by both performances and they had feedback for all of the dancers. Madison got a shout-out for dancing on her injured hip (which we have mixed feelings about), and judge Maksim Chmerkovskiy told Dakayla Wilson that she was the absolute standout of the performance. In the end, both Madison and Dakayla were revealed as safe, leaving Easton Magliarditi, Mariyah, and Anthony Curley to dance for their lives and another week in the competition.
Easton’s solo was amazing, as always, and Anthony delivered on a routine that showed the judges his range. But Mariyah struggled again with dancing outside of her comfort zone, and, in the end, the judges chose to send her home. “This has been such a beautiful experience, and I did exactly what I came to do,” she said.
After another elimination, only four dancers remain in the competition. Who do you think will be the last one standing onstage?
