So You Think You Can Dance Top 10 Tour Montreal bound...in January

There are not too  many live shows I look  forward to seeing more than the So You Think You Can Dance Tour, which will roll into Montreal for the third successive year on Thursday, January 28. Instead of the Bell Centre, though, they’ll be at the 2,200 seat Theatre St. Denis.

The Top 10 finalists of SYTYCD, the 13-time Primetime Emmy® Award-winning show that sparked America’s fascination with dance, will captivate audiences once again this fall and winter.   Celebrating its momentous 12th season and its exciting new Stage v. Street format, the dancers will make their way across North America performing in 70 cities. The Season 12 tour lineup includes the following Top 10 finalists: Team Stage’s Gaby Diaz, Edson Juarez, Jim Nowakowski, Hailee Payne and Derek Piquette; and Team Street’s Megan “Megz” Alfonso, Eddie “Neptune” Eskridge, Virgil Gadson, Jessica “JJ” Rabone and Jana “Jaja” Vankova. 

Hailee Payne

Of course the show airs Mondays (8:00-10:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed) on FOX and CTV. They are now down to the final six: Hailee, Alfonso, Jim, Gaby, Virgil and Jaja.   The tour kicks off on Tuesday, Oct. 13, at the Verizon Theatre in Grand Prairie, TX and crosses the United States and Canada with 70  stops. The first leg of the tour will wrap on December, 29 at the Taco Bell Arena in Boise, ID. The dancers will then return for the second leg of the tour in Canada in January 2016.

Tickets go on sale to the public beginning Friday, Aug. 28. Visit fox.com/dance for more information.

Virgil

Let me tell you, there is hardly a more electrifying feeling than being in the audience for one of these shows. Consider that only a few months ago these very talented dancers were virtual unknowns. Now they are superstars. The shows I have attended never let me down and I loved watching how wild the spectators went for their favorites. I have also had the good fortune of getting to meet the top 10 in person  for interviews.

The folks at 19 Entertainment and dick clark productions have a real winner on their hands. Sadly for us, So You Think You Can Dance Canada was cancelled by CTV after only four seasons in 2011. Their tours, the  last one at the Bell Centre and prior to that Place des Arts, were pretty exciting as well.

SYTCD   recently received eight 2015 Primetime Emmy® Award nominations, including Outstanding Reality-Competition Program and Outstanding Host In A Reality or Reality-Competition Program (Cat Deeley), in addition to nominations for Outstanding Choreography, Outstanding Hairstyling For A Multi-Camera Series Or Special, Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction For A Variety Series, and Outstanding Makeup For A Multi-Camera Series Or Special (Non-Prosthetic). SYTYCD’s exceptional costume team of Marina Toybina and Grainne O’Sullivan also won an Emmy® Award for Outstanding Costumes for a Variety Program.

“I am thrilled with this season’s new Stage vs. Street format and the brilliant, fresh talent we have discovered,” judge, executive producer and co-creator Nigel Lythgoe said in a statement. “These dancers have inspired the choreographers to create remarkable dance numbers each week, truly showcasing individual talent. I am excited for your favorite dancers to bring their inspiration and routines to even more cities on this year’s nationwide tour.”

Take a look at this video and enjoy!