`Meet your Top 10!

The Top 10 have now made it through five gruelling rounds of elimination and have survived various dance styles from dancehall, house, hip-hop, quick step, salsa and mambo.

The dancers range in age from 19 to 28 and represent a variety of dance styles including contemporary, ballroom, tap, ballet and hip-hop, and are representing communities across the country;

They are ecstatic to have made it this far…

AMY Gardner, 21, a contemporary dancer from Calgary, Alta.
“It has been a bit of a rollercoaster so far, but the show has taught me to believe in myself and has helped me have more confidence. I’ve made some great friends and worked with some amazing choreographers and it’s been so much fun. I want to thank my fans and supporters, and no matter what happens, I want to show Canada what unique style and versatility I have as an artist.”

AUSTIN Di Iulio, 20, a contemporary dancer from Mississauga, Ont.
“It’s amazing to have all of my efforts over this past year finally pay off. The experience has been surreal so far and I can’t wait to se what is in store. Much love to all my supporters and fans.”

CODY Bonnell, 19, a hip-Hop dancer from Unionville, Ont.
“I’m very grateful for this opportunity and I am looking forward to the challenges ahead.”

EMANUEL Sandhu, 28, a contemporary/ballet dancer from Vancouver, B.C.
“This journey is sometimes scary but also exciting and I’m grateful that I haven’t had to do it alone. I’m the happiest boy in the world right now. Thank you Canada!”

EVERETT Smith, 25, a tap dancer from Glen Morris, Ont.
“Last year I really wanted to make Top 20 and be a part of the show in Season 1, but I feel I wasn’t ready to believe in myself. This year, I wanted to be real from the beginning and lead with my heart. I want to bring tap back and thank everyone who’s always believed in me. No matter how hard the journey may get, believe in yourself and you can overcome anything that gets in your way.”

JAYME RAE Dailey, 21, a contemporary dancer from Montreal, Que.
“Last season I was sitting at home watching the show and I can’t believe I’m part of it now. This has been a great learning experience and I feel it’s the beginning of something amazing in my life. Most importantly, I feel blessed by all the teachers I’ve had and support from my family. They have given me the tools to be able to make it this far and I hope the journey continues.”

KIM Gingras, 23, a hip-hop dancer from Montreal, Que.
“I’m touched by all of the support I’ve received and I wouldn’t be here without it. I am thankful and blessed to be part of this experience and to have worked with amazing choreographers. Over a few short weeks I’ve had the opportunity to grow and learn as a dancer in such a short amount of time and can’t wait for it to continue.”

MELANIE Mah, 19, a contemporary dancer from Richmond Hill, Ont.
“Wow! I can’t believe I made the Top 10! All I have to say is thanks to everyone who has supported me on my journey so far. This has absolutely been the best experience of my life and I can’t say thank you enough to everyone who has pushed me and believed in me as a dancer.”

TARA-JEAN Popowich, 20, a contemporary dancer from Lethbridge, Alta.
“The experience so far has made my life. I want to thank everyone for their support – especially my hometown. Thanks Lethbridge!”

VINCENT Desjardins, 20, a ballroom dancer from Trois-Rivières, Que.
“When I auditioned my goal was to make Top 20, but making Top 10 is more than I could have hoped for. Thanks to my hometown for all your support!.”

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So You Think You Can Dance Canada Reveals First-Ever Top 20

TORONTO, Oct. 2, 2008 (Canada NewsWire via COMTEX)

After an exhilarating cross-country audition tour and intensive finals in Toronto, CTV announced during tonight’s broadcast the 10 men and 10 women who have danced their way to the top of the inaugural So You Think You Can Dance Canada Top 20. The dancers, who specialize in everything from Ballet, Hip-Hop, Salsa and everything in between, compete for Canada’s votes with the series first-ever Top 20 two-hour performance episode next Wednesday, October 8 at 8 p.m. ET on CTV (visit ctv.ca to confirm local broadcast times). Following the performance episode, viewers will have two hours to vote for their favourite couple. Learn more about the Top 20 in the So You Think You Can Dance Canada Top 20 guide to be published in Metro newspapers across the country on October 8.

“This first-ever group of Top 20 dancers are about to write a new chapter in Canadian television history,” said Susanne Boyce, President, Creative, Content and Channels, CTV Inc. “Their unbelievable natural talent and pure charisma will captivate the country.”

“The men and women in our Top 20 are some of the best dancers I have ever seen,” said Executive Producer Sandra Faire. “This group are not only some of the best dancers Canada has to offer, they are world class. Canada has some of the best choreographers in the world, and when they get their hands on the Top 20, we know viewers will be blown away by their performances.”

The Top 20 will be divided into 10 couples, who will work with top choreographers to learn a new dance routine each week from a wide variety of genres, including Contemporary, Hip-Hop, Broadway, Ballroom, Bollywood and more. The fate of these 20 finalists – one of whom will be named Canada’s Favourite Dancer – will be left up to viewer votes.

On the first live results show, debuting Thursday, October 9 at 7:30 p.m. ET on CTV, the three couples with the fewest number of votes will be announced. Each dancer in those three couples will have one last chance to impress the judges and “dance for their life” with a solo routine of his or her choosing. After all six dancers have performed, the judges will weigh in on the performances before sending one male and one female dancer home.

Starting next Wednesday (Oct. 8) and continuing for the next nine weeks, voting begins as Canadians make their voices heard for their choice of Canada’s Favourite Dancer. Voting will occur following the conclusion of Wednesday’s “performance shows” and is restricted to one, two-hour voting window in each region of broadcast (detailed voting information can be found at dance.ctv.ca).

Already the country’s newest homegrown hit, averaging 1.1 million total viewers to date, So You Think You Can Dance Canada is also ranking No. 1 online. As announced earlier this week by Yahoo! Canada, So You Think You Can Dance Canada is the top-searched new show for the week ending September 26, 2008 and is the seventh top-searched television show overall.

The Top 20 were selected after So You Think You Can Dance Canada’s exhaustive, cross-country search in five cities and the gruelling “Finals” cutdown in Toronto. Ranging in age from 18 to 29, The Top 20 dancers chosen from over 2,500 auditions are students, dance teachers and choreographers, all vying for the coveted title of Canada’s Favourite Dancer.

The Top 20 finalists (in alphabetical order) breaking it down for the first ever So You Think You Can Dance Canada performance episode on Wednesday, October 8 at 8 p.m. ET on CTV are:

ALLIE Bertram (18) is a Ballet dancer from Calgary, AB. She is a graduate of the International School of Ballet, and is excited to represent her style on the show. Allie has just returned from the Boston Ballet and is thrilled to showcase for Canada how much she loves to dance.

ARASSAY Reyes (21) is a Contemporary/Latin dancer from South Surrey, B.C. Born in Havana, Cuba, Reyes has been dancing since she was young and frequently incorporates her Latin flair into her routines. Arassay attended the Cuban National School of the Arts, later earning a spot in the National Contemporary Dance Company of Cuba (Danza Contemporanea de Cuba). Arassay is currently dancing with the Vancouver dance company Grupo America.

BREANNE Wong (25) is a Contemporary dancer from Whitby, ON who began dancing competitively at age 12. Now a dance teacher in Ajax, Breanne is also the co-owner of a dance studio, which she cites as one of her biggest accomplishments.

CAROLINE Torti (23) is a Contemporary dancer born in Kamloops, B.C., who now lives in Oakville, ON. Caroline, who started dancing at age three, has trained in jazz, tap, ballet, modern, lyrical, acrobatics, and hip-hop, but says that contemporary wins out as her favourite style of dance.

DANNY Arbour (26) is a Latin and Ballroom dancer from Montréal, QC. He knows that with his status as a professional ballroom dancer, he needs to impress the judges in all styles of dance that come his way.

DARIO Milard (19) is a Contemporary dancer born in Brooklyn, NY, and raised in St. Hubert, QC. He is a self-taught dancer who believes that his creativity and hard work have gotten him this far. Since taking an interest in dance five years ago, Dario has taken ballet and contemporary lessons at various Montréal-area schools, including Dawson College.

FRANCIS Lafrenière (28) is a Ballroom dancer from St. Bruno, QC. Francis owns his own dance studio and credits his students as his biggest supporters. He competed in the Blackpool Dance Festival in Blackpool, England, and looks forward to showcasing his infamous hip moves in the upcoming season.

IZAAK Smith (19) is a Hip-Hop and Ballet dancer from Prince George, BC. Dancing since the age of seven, Izaak attended North Shore Academy of Dancing and has studied at Judy Russell’s Enchaînement Dance Centre. He is also trained in ballet, contemporary, jazz, modern and musical theatre.

JESSE Catibog (29) is a B-Boy from Toronto, ON. Inspired by his hometown’s multiculturalism and versatility, Jesse honed his skills on the streets of Toronto. Known for his signature dance move, the coffee grinder-torpedo-coin drop-jump-jazz split-chair freeze, Jesse is excited to show Canada his moves.

JOEY Matt (19) is a Contemporary dancer from Calgary, AB. Joey believes that making the Top 20 is one of his greatest accomplishments. The support from his friends and family is what drives Joey to dance like there is no tomorrow and try out new styles of dance.

KAITLYN Fitzgerald (18) is a Contemporary dancer from Loretto, ON. She has been dancing since the age of two, starting out in tap, jazz, lyrical and ballet. Kaitlyn has studied at various schools, including the National Ballet of Canada, and her proudest dance moment came when she participated in the Solo Seal for the Royal Academy of Dance.

KEVIN Mylrea (22) is a Contemporary dancer born in Saskatoon, SK and raised in Westbank, BC. He attended DANZMODE Productions and KC Dance Connection, and says he is proud to see other dancers perform his own choreography. One of Kevin’s biggest accomplishments is working on The Lizzie McGuire Movie with Hilary Duff.

LARA Smythe (25) is a Contemporary/Acro dancer from Toronto, ON who started out as a competitive gymnast and grew up attending Earl Haig’s performing arts program. For the last five years, Lara has been working mainly as a choreographer for acrobatic routines.

LISA Auguste (27) is a Contemporary/Hip-Hop dancer from Rexdale, ON. She is a graduate of Cardinal Carter Academy for the Arts, and the Canadian Aesthetics Academy. While in New York attending a class at the Broadway Dance Centre, Lisa had the opportunity to work with contemporary choreographer Mia Michaels – an idol of many other contestants in the competition.

MILES Faber (21) is a Popper and Boogaloo dancer from Calgary, AB. With no formal training, Miles was first introduced to hip-hop by choreographer Tara Wilson. Miles looks forward to testing himself as he takes on new dance styles and competes to become Canada’s favourite dancer.

NATALLI Reznik (28) is a Hip-Hop/Latin dancer born in Israel and now living in Toronto, ON. Natalli, who began dancing later in life, started with ballet at age 17 and moved into the modern, Latin, and hip-hop styles of dance. Currently studying fashion and visual merchandising at Seneca College, Natalli believes it will be her unique personality that will entice judges and viewers alike.

NICO Archambault (23) is a Contemporary/Hip-Hop dancer from Montréal, QC. He has been studying dance at Cégep du Vieux Montréal (http://www.cvm.qc.ca/), and enjoys rock ‘n’ roll as much as dance. Nico is looking forward to dancing with the rest of the Top 20 competitors and mastering new styles.

ROMINA D’Ugo (22) is a Jazz dancer born and raised in Toronto, ON. She started dancing as a child, taking jazz, tap and ballet. Romina attended the Cardinal Carter Academy for the Arts, majoring in dance, before pursuing a career as an actor, graduating from Sheridan Institute’s Musical Theatre-Performance program. Her true passion, however, lies in salsa dancing.

TAMINA Pollack-Paris (19) is a Hip-Hop dancer born in Toronto, ON. With some training in jazz, ballet, and Irish dance, Tamina attended the Interplay School of Dance. She is currently busy taking classes at Toronto’s OIP Dance Centre and Street Dance Academy.

VINCENT Noiseux (22) is a Contemporary/Hip-Hop dancer from Saint- Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC. He has been dancing since the age of 13, and aspires to dance on tour with Janet Jackson. Vincent is overwhelmed with the amount of talent he has seen thus far in the competition, and looks forward to the weeks ahead.

Learn more about the Top 20 in the Wednesday, October 8 special So You Think You Can Dance Canada Top 20 guide in Metro newspapers across the country, or at dance.CTV.ca, the official online portal for the series and the source for everything SYTYCDC. The site is jam packed with exclusive footage and clips, fans can get up close and personal with their favourite dancers, judges and choreographers by browsing the image galleries, videos, forums, blogs from judges and more.

For those who missed tonight’s episodes and in advance of next week’s first ever So You Think You Can Dance Canada Top 20 performance episode, an encore of this week’s Top 200/The Finals episode will air on MuchMusic Sunday, October 5 from 9-11 p.m. ET. An encore of both performance and results episodes will air Sundays at 9 p.m. back-to-back on MuchMusic beginning October 12 (go to ctv.ca and muchmusic.com to confirm local broadcast times).

Watch Top 200/The Finals highlights, exclusive footage not seen on TV backstage footage, on demand on the CTV Video Player at dance.CTV.ca.

So You Think You Can Dance Canada is based on the Emmy Award-winning smash hit series created by Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe that premiered in 2005. Canada joins the United States, Australia, Norway, Denmark, Greece, Poland, Turkey, Germany, Malaysia, New Zealand, South Africa and Israel as markets with an original So You Think You Can Dance production.

So You Think You Can Dance Canada was created by Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe, and is produced in association with CTV by Danse TV Productions. Sandra Faire and Trisa Dayot are Executive Producers. Ed Robinson is Executive Vice-President, Programming, CTV Inc. Susanne Boyce is President, Creative, Content and Channels, CTV Inc.

The post SYTYCDC’s Top 20! appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.

Leah Miller will host the show. For those who don’t know Leah she is a Much Music host and also has a dance background. According to the ctv.ca website Leah won the title of “Miss Junior Dance of Canada” when she was 13 and danced competitively until the age of 16. Leah also had the privildge of taking dance lessons with choreographer Keith “Tyce” Diorio who is a regular choreographer on So You Think You Can Dance.

As for judges there are 2 permanent judges and then alternating and guest judges.

Judge #1 Tré Armstrong (How She Move)
Judge #2 Jean Marc Genereux (guest choreographer on So You Think You Can Dance US)

Alternating Judge #3 Luther Brown (Hip Hop Choreographer)
Alternating Judge #3 Blake McGrath (was on So You Think You Can Dance Season #1)

Special Guest Judges

Rex Harrington (Ballet dancer)
Paul Becker (film choreographer)
Mary Murphy (SYTYCD judge)

So some great names on the roster – can’t wait to see the Canadian talent!

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