So You Think You Can Dance Tour 2008

Meet This Season's Top 11!

Put on your dancing shoes Austin! The hot summer show “So You Think You Can Dance” hits the stage at The Theatre at the Frank Erwin Center on October 12 for its second annual tour. The tour features an entirely new stage show starring the top 11 dancers from the highly successful fourth season. “So You Think You Can Dance” first premiered in 2005 and has quickly become the most popular dance reality show on television. The energy and enthusiasm of “So You Think You Can Dance” is transformed into an electrifying live tour for audiences all around the nation to enjoy. Providing a high level of entertainment on tour are the top 11 finalists: Joshua, Twitch, Katee, Courtney G, Chelsie, Comfort, Kherington, Gev, Mark, Will, and Jessica.

Winning the title of “America’s Favorite Dancer” is a difficult challenge, but it’s one that this year’s winner, Joshua Allen, took on wholeheartedly. “I was just really shocked. I was waiting for her to say Twitch’s name because I knew a lot of people love Twitch,” Allen told Reality TV World. “It was really just overwhelming and I was really just overjoyed.“ The muscular 19 year-old Texan surprised judges with his grace and precision as a dancer and became an instant frontrunner. When paired with other dancers, Joshua stood out and sometimes outshined his partners with his natural gift for interpretation and control of his body.

Remembered for both his dance style and personal charisma, Stephen “Twitch” Boss lit up the stage on “So You Think You Can Dance” and will undoubtedly shine on tour as well. The 25 year-old freestyle dancer from Alabama amazed judges throughout the season with his quick movements and personal style. In each dance routine, Twitch utilized every muscle in his body and made every performance a show of pure force.

This season’s top female dancer is the compelling Katee Shean, a 20 year-old California native. Dancing since the age of 4, Katee has focused on the style of contemporary dance, but very successfully expanded her repertoire on the show. Her fluidity and grace during each performance made her a favorite among the judges. Katee’s ability to both shine individually and with a partner showcased her strength as a performer.

Another dancer with a promising future is 20 year-old New York Knicks dancer, Courtney Galiano. Dancing since the age of three, Courtney has been perfecting her dance moves by training in lyrical, tap, jazz, ballet, and hip hop. Her precise movements and familiarity with a variety of dance styles made her a favorite to watch each week.

Another talented performer is 18 year-old Utah native Chelsie Hightower. Chelsie has been dancing since she was 9 years-old and categorizes her dance style as Latin. Her quick moving hips, adaptability, and confidence on stage propelled her into the top ten finalists and earned her a spot on this year’s hottest dance tour.

The next dancer in line for the tour is Comfort, a 20 year-old hip-hop and pop and lock dancer from Fort Worth, Texas. Her desire to dance came from her longing to fit in with her brothers and their street dancing friends. In the beginning, Comfort felt out of her element with the more traditional style of dancing, but nonetheless put her whole heart and energy into performing every night. After initially being eliminated from the show, she came back as a replacement for an injured dancer to once again battle it out for the top prize of “America’s Favorite Dancer.”

Another California beauty is Kherington Payne, an 18 year-old contemporary and jazz dancer. Dancing since she first learned how to walk, it seems Kherington has been training for this dance tour her whole life. Her long legs and lean body accentuate her graceful movements and presence on stage.

“So You Think You Can Dance” went international for its next competitor, Gevorg “Gev” Manoukian, a 21 year-old Russian break dancer. Gev began dancing only 5 years ago. He lacks formal training, but makes up the deficit with his raw energy and quick learning skills.

Mark Kanemura joins the tour line-up from Honolulu, Hawaii. The 24 year-old contemporary and modern dancer began his dancing career at the age of 13 and was often times the only male dancer in his class. When asked about his future plans, Mark said “I would love to work with Cirque and also artists that are constantly pushing their art and raising the bar.”

A dancer with great technical skills and knowledge of the art is William Wingfield, a 21 year-old dancer from Nashville, Tennessee. After seeing the movie Dirty Dancing, Will was inspired to make dancing a career and decided to attend a dance institute to further strengthen his skills. In addition to dancing, William’s interests include martial arts, photography, live music, poetry and teaching.

Hailing from Myrtle beach, South Carolina is 23 year-old contemporary dancer Jessica King. Jessica is a Visual Arts major at Coastal Carolina University. After making it to the top 10 spot, Jessica withdrew from the show due to a rib injury but should have a full recovery in time to join the tour.

These phenomenal dancers have proven what they can do on TV, and now it is your turn to see this season’s top 11 dancers live on our stage October 12!