It’s lights, camera, action on Week 7 of this season of “So You Think You Can Dance.” Last week, two more dancers were sent home, narrowing our top 8 down to a top 6, and it’s safe to say the competition is really heating up.
This week, we saw the top 6 dancers take on an all-new challenge: movies. And to make it onto the silver screen, they were joined by two of our all-time fave choreographers. So in case you didn’t catch last night’s episode, here’s everything you missed. And…action!
For their movie-night challenge, the dancers worked with two legendary film choreographers: Chris Scott and Jamal Sims—and were split into two groups to get started. The first group, working with Chris Scott, had Easton Magliarditi, Madison Rouge Alvarado, and Jaylin Sanders. The second group, working with Jamal Sims, had Mariyah Hawkins, Anthony Curley, and Dakayla Wilson. That’s right, the members of our resident showmance, Anthony and Dakayla, had the chance to work together again.
The top 6 got right to work on their mini-movies. Chris’s team started on an In the Heights number, set to the song “When the Sun Goes Down.” And ICYMI, Chris was the choreographer for the In the Heights film, so, naturally, the pressure was really on for this team.
The second group, working with Jamal, started on their Footloose-inspired routine. The twist? Their movie would be Footloose meets Frankenstein, with Anthony performing as Mariyah and Dakayla’s monster/man.
Soon after, the dancers traded the dance studio for the film studio. They were joined by the judges, who caught all the extra-exclusive, behind-the-scenes content, including which dancers were slaying and which were struggling. Jaylin, in particular, seemed to be having a tougher time. “He just doesn’t have a knowledge of his own body yet,” said Allison Holker.
Once it was quiet on set, it was time to hear from the judges. First, they watched Chris’s team on the big screen. And while Jaylin did his best to stand his ground, it seemed he fell behind in comparison to the other two dancers. Madison, on the other hand, was a standout, with the judges giving her acting and character performance high praise.
Next up was the film from Jamal’s team. The judges were especially impressed by Anthony, who was decidedly the star of the show. But after watching their performance, Mariyah was disappointed in her own performance. “I was really proud of the work that I think I put in, and I suppose that I think I’m a bit deflated with the result because it felt so much different than it looks,” she said.
Finally, it was time for the results. The judges picked the three dancers who were voted safe, leaving the other three at risk of being sent home. After much deliberation, Jaylin, Mariyah, and Dakayla were all left at risk of elimination. But luckily, this week, only one dancer would be sent home of the three.
While Jaylin and Mariyah’s sudden-death solos were a bit more subtle, Dakayla did it big, and the judges were impressed. In the end, both she and Mariyah were chosen to dance another week, and Jaylin was sent home. “There’s a lot more up my sleeve that people don’t know I do. This is just the beginning,” he said.
That was a wrap on Week 7. With only five dancers remaining, who do you think will win the title of America’s Favorite Dancer?
