SYTYCD Part 2: International Styles (videos!)

Welcome to Part 2 of my So You Think You Can Dance tour coverage (you can check out Part 1 here). We'll be heading outside of the U.S.A. and into international waters for this entry . . .

I always admire dancers who are willing to learn and master, different styles. The talented dancers of So You Think You Can Dance had to prove that they can dance not only what they've been trained in, but completely new styles — some not even of this country!

During the show, they introduced cultural dances from around the world. Here are some some goofy stills of dancers William Wingfield and Gev Manoukian (the lovely flower in the dress) talking about Russian dance and costume:

For a quick tour around the globe, check out these SYTYCD renditions of international dances:

Russian Trepak Dance from Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker
(Stephen "Twitch" Boss and Joshua Allen)
I liked the fake (I hope it's fake!) competitive theatrics in this performance — and I kept thinking thinking,  "Wow, their thighs must be burning from those squats!"

Brazilian Samba, to "Baila, Baila" by Angela Via
(Joshua Allen and Katee Shean)
I'm not a huge fan of the Samba, but this was cool because Samba differs so much from Joshua and Katee's normal styles (hip-hop and contemporary, respectively)!

From India, Bollywood-style dancing from the film Jhoom Barabar Jhoom with the whole group:
Bollywood dancing is always so fun and high-energy!

The Viennese Waltz, to "The Time of My Life" by David Cook
(Courtney Galiano and Mark Kanemura)
The waltz is my personal favorite — call me a girly sap, but I think it's so beautiful and romantic. I'm a little bummed that Twitch and Kherington didn't perform their version (which, apparently, they DID perform during at least one other stop on the tour!). Plus, by the end of the night, Mark had stolen my heart with his moves. <3

So that's my coverage of the So You Think You Can Dance tour! It was really fun, I saw fans of all ages at the show, and it inspired me (almost) to go back to dance class again. Which dances were your favorites?

— Nancy, STACKS Staffer