So You Think You Can Dance Top 20
We’re finally to the top 20 of So You Think You Can Dance 2009. The wait is over. I’ll be updating this page with all the So You Think You Can Dance top 20.
So You Think You Can Dance Season 5 Top 20
SYTYCD Season 5 Girls
Janette Manrara
Kayla Radomski
Paris Torres
Jeanine Mason
Karla Garcia
Caitlin Kinney
Melissa Sandvig (naughty ballerina) (maiden name is Melissa Watson)
Ashley Valerio
Randi Strong-Evans
Asuka Kondoh
SYTYCD Season 5 Boys
Vitolio Jeune
Pono Aweau
Ade Obayomi
Jonathan Platero
Brandon Bryant
Tony Bellissimo
Maksim Kapitannikov
Jason Glover
Phillip Chbeeb
Evan Kasprzak
Not in the So You think You Can Dance top 20
Dianna (sp?)
Brandon Dumlao
Henry Rivera
? asian girl
Alex Wong
4 dancers not named
Deana Brickley
Ryan Kasprzak
Let us know what you think of the SYTYCD Season 5 top 20 in the comments.
UPDATE: I just found an official list and short bio for the top 20 on the SYTYCD fox blog.
Girls
Randi Evans
Dance Specialty: Jazz
Hometown: Orem, UT
Currently Resides: Springville, UT
Age: 23
Evans began dancing at an early age and performed in the closing ceremonies at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games. She currently attends Utah Valley University where she is majoring in elementary education.
Karla Garcia
Dance Specialty: Jazz/Contemporary
Hometown: Oxon Hill, MD
Currently Resides: Brooklyn, NY
Age: 23
Garcia is a graduate of New York University. Her early dance experience included learning traditional Filipino folk dancing. Garcia performed on Broadway in “Hot Feet,” danced in the ensemble of the “Radio City Christmas Spectacular” and went on to tour with “Wicked.” She is a member of “Boogie Bots Crew.”
Caitlin Kinney
Dance Specialty: Contemporary
Hometown: Annapolis, MD
Currently Resides: Annapolis, MD
Age: 21
Kinney graduated from the Baltimore School for the Arts in 2005. She danced at North Carolina Dance Theatre as an apprentice for two years and is an experienced gymnast.
Asuka Kondoh
Dance Specialty: Latin Ballroom
Hometown: San Francisco, CA
Currently Resides: Irvine, CA
Age: 25
Kondoh loves swimming, golf and tennis and has played piano for 13 years. She is a graduate of University of California, Irvine, and has worked as a Latin Ballroom instructor for the last two years.
Janette Manrara
Dance Specialty: Salsa
Hometown: Miami, FL
Currently Resides: Hialeah, FL
Age: 25
Manrara began performing in musical theater at age 12, and started her formal dance training at 19, studying Ballroom, Ballet, Pointe, Jazz and Hip Hop. She currently attends Florida State University.
Jeanine Mason
Dance Specialty: Contemporary
Hometown: Miami, FL
Currently Resides: Pinecrest, FL
Age: 18
A recent graduate of the Ransom Everglades School, Mason plans to attend the University of California, Los Angeles in the fall. She began her dance training in Ballet and Lyrical and then went on to study Jazz, Acrobatics, Hip Hop, Modern and Contemporary.
Kayla Radomski
Dance Specialty: Jazz/Contemporary
Hometown: Aurora, CO
Currently Resides: Aurora, CO
Age: 18
Radomski has been dancing for most of her life, and participating in SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE is one of her most rewarding experiences. She is grateful to her amazing mother who has supported her love of dance for so many years. Radomski also enjoys acting and singing.
Melissa Sandvig
Dance Specialty: Ballet
Hometown: Los Alamitos, CA
Currently Resides: Los Alamitos, CA
Age: 29
Sandvig has been dancing for most of her life. She has danced with the Milwaukee Ballet Company, LA Opera, Long Beach Ballet and Helios Dance Theater. A highlight for Sandvig was performing “Le Coeur Illumine” at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.
Paris Torres
Dance Specialty: Contemporary
Hometown: Issaquah, WA
Currently Resides: Issaquah, WA
Age: 19
Torres is a graduate of Skyline High School. She began dancing when she was 6 years old and now teaches at a studio near her home. She was also a Miss Washington Teen pageant winner, and was a Seattle Storm and Seattle Sonic Jr. dancer from 2000-2003.
Ashley Valerio
Dance Specialty: Contemporary
Hometown: Mesa, AZ
Currently Resides: North Hollywood, CA
Age: 22
Valerio has been dancing for most of her life. She is a graduate of Mountain View High School.
Guys
Kupono Aweau
Dance Specialty: Lyrical/Contemporary
Hometown: Honolulu, HI
Currently Resides: Kailua, HI
Age: 23
Aweau graduated from the Kamehameha Schools and has been dancing since he was 16 years old. He loves his home state of Hawaii, and is an avid collector of home furnishings.
Tony Bellissimo
Dance Specialty: Hip Hop
Hometown: Buffalo, NY
Currently Resides: Buffalo, NY
Age: 20
Bellissimo has been dancing for most of his life. He is a graduate of Frontier High School, and played on the school’s soccer, football and lacrosse teams. He likes to write short stories and poems, and his favorite professional dancer is Barry Lather.
Brandon Bryant
Dance Specialty: Contemporary
Hometown: Miami, FL
Currently Resides: Salt Lake City, UT
Age: 19
Bryant began dancing ballet at age 10. He is a graduate of Coral Reef Senior High School and now attends Miami Dade College. His most memorable dance experience was performing for Madonna at her daughter’s birthday party.
Phillip Chbeeb
Dance Specialty: Popping
Hometown: Houston, TX
Currently Resides: Los Angeles, CA
Age: 20
Chbeeb has had no formal dance training, but began dancing when he was 15 years old. At age 16, he founded the Marvelous Motion Studio in Houston. He is currently an engineering physics major at Loyola Marymount University.
Jason Glover
Dance Specialty: Lyrical/Contemporary
Hometown: Fresno, CA
Currently Resides: Fresno, CA
Age: 21
Glover began dancing at age 12, studying Tap and Hip Hop. He is a graduate of Bullard High School, and his favorite dancer is Michael Jackson. Tapping onstage with Gregory Hines, in one of his last shows, changed Jason’s life.
Vitolio Jeune
Dance Specialty: Contemporary
Hometown: Pétionville, Haiti
Currently Resides: Miami, FL
Age: 26
Jeune began dancing at age 18, and is a graduate of Florida’s New World School of the Arts. He loves motorcycles, and his favorite dancer is Desmond Richardson.
Max Kapitannikov
Dance Specialty: Latin Ballroom
Hometown: Moscow, Russia
Currently Resides: Brooklyn, NY
Age: 26
Kapitannikov has been dancing for as long as he can remember. He comes from a dancing family, and his mother is a ballet teacher. He also enjoys sculpting and playing the guitar. He attended the Manhattan Comprehensive High School.
Evan Kasprzak
Dance Specialty: Broadway
Hometown: West Bloomfield, MI
Currently Resides: West Bloomfield, MI
Age: 21
Kasprzak graduated from Wylie E. Groves High School and currently attends Illinois Wesleyan University. He has been dancing since he was 6 years old, and his most memorable dance experience was performing in a Gregory Hines tribute with Hines’ family in the audience.
Ade Obayomi
Dance Specialty: Contemporary
Hometown: Chandler, AZ
Currently Resides: Orange County, CA
Age: 20
Obayomi has been dancing since he was 6 years old. He is a graduate of Corona Del Sol High School and currently attends Chapman University. A dance highlight for him was performing at Radio City Music Hall.
Jonathan Platero
Dance Specialty: Salsa
Hometown: Sanford, FL
Currently Resides: New York, NY
Age: 21
Platero was a gymnast before he began dancing at age 16. He is a graduate of Seminole High School, was a World Salsa finalist in 2006-2007 and performed as a dancer and acrobat in “High School Musical.”
To be honest, though I expected them to only take one of the Kasprzak brothers, I am still really disappointed at some of the people who got picked over Ryan. I mean, Tony? Really? I thought he was mediocre at best.
I also kind of wish they had shown more of a lot of these people than just HEY NOW THEY’RE IN THE TOP TWENTY.
At this point, the only people I can say I’m pulling for Evan and Phillip (maybe Kupono).
I agree, I think there are definitely a few girls in the top 20 I hadn’t seen before.
I loved Brandon Bryant in his audition and I’m glad he made it through. He may be a little over-hyped, but that is NO reason for Mia to be SO DISRESPECTFUL to him! I’m finding myself REALLY not liking her. I’m proud that Mary and Nigel stood up to all the criticism about him.
I was really rooting for Evan (watched his audition a few times), Asuka, Phillip, and Caitlin. I still wish we could’ve seen what happened to Kelsea Taylor! I have that song stuck in my head now (well BOTH songs I guess) from watching her audition so many times. I hope she comes back next year!
Yes, Melissa was the “naughty ballerina”. I don’t understand why they wouldn’t have shown more of a flashback-type bit along with the comments when they told her (and others that got less screen time) that they were going to the Top 20. I think it puts them at a disadvantage when it comes to voting since there’s so much more of an investment in the people they’ve been showing lots of from the beginning.
I loved Deana Brickley. She was the assistant of my jazz teacher last year, i was hoping she’d fianlly get in. I love You Deana!!!! 🙂
Goodluck to all who are in the top 20!
I want Paris out, and Kelsea in..
I was VERY sad that Ryan didn’t get in. But I know he is happy for his brother. Go Evan!..only cuz I can’t root for Ryan. Is he single? 😉 hehe. Many girls I don’t know in the top 20. I’ll have to go look them all up on youtube to see their auditions and stuff so maybe I can figure out who they all are. Omegosh! Can’t believe the controversy over Brandon. =( was very disappointed in Mia and Lil C. He’ll show them!!
Too bad for Alex’s contract dispute. I think he would have taken Tony’s place. I hope Mia will give Brandon a chance…
I am sad Ricky Sun didn’t make it. I really thought he would make it through with Asuka. It sounds like they are breaking up people who want to be a team in the competition.
I’m so happy for Evan, but i feel so bad for Ryan… They both really deserved it!!! Mia needs to pull the stick out of her butt… It’s getting really agitating and i am sooooo glad that Mary basically told her to shut up tonight about Brandon… He is amazing and there was NO need for mia to take it that far…. bLAH!
I’d take Paula Van Oppen over Paris anyday!!! Can’t believe she got cut! What were the producers thinking?!?! And poor Alex Wong 🙁 I hope he comes back…
Interesting comments. Thanks for sharing and those who clarified some of the dancers who I couldn’t identify. I’ll be posting a few rants of my own very soon.
I feel like they tried really hard to keep the top 20 a relatively level playing field; almost all of the dancers they highlighted last night were cut. I feel like Brandon, Tony, Caitlin, and Evan are the only ones that were mentioned in last night’s episode. Maybe the editors thought those four needed a little help in the popularity department? I don’t know, but if that is their aim, it was very annoying! I don’t like getting attached to people right before I never see them again!
I thought of another Conspiracy Theory. I’ve always felt that Will last year was voted off because people felt that he was a “judges pet.” The judges gave SUCH positive feedback that people got annoyed at Will. What if they were afraid the same thing would happen to Brandon, and Mia decided to play the Bad Guy and get sympathy points for him? It would explain her over-the-top aggression towards him…
Oh, and I just want to say that I’m glad Ashley made it. I have no idea who she is, or how she dances, but she looks adorable.
Stephanie,
You’re genius. I love the conspiracy theory about Brandon Bryant. Whether that was the intent or not, I think you’re right about it ending up a good thing for Brandon.
I also am all for the people we haven’t really seen making it through. Time to do some searches to find some background on them.
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Paula Van Oppen should have made the top 20 no question.
I would have made sure to tune in to see Van Oppen every week. I can’t say I am rooting for any of the top 20 this year. Maybe Kasprzak would be cool.
Dance Star,
I must admit that I don’t really remember Paula Van Oppen. I saw the name, but don’t remember any of her dances. Do you have some videos of her?
THERE IS NO REASON PUALA VAN OPPEN IS NOT IN THE TOP 20! I AM COMPLETELY PISSED ABOUT IT, THE GIRL HAS 60 THOUSAND YOUTUBE VIEWS FOR HER “WITH OR WITHOUT YOU” SOLO…CALL ME CRAZY BUT THE SHOW MUST HAVE SOME SORT OF PROBLEM WITH THE L.A. COMPETITIVE DANCERS. THEY CUT ALL OF THEM WITH THE EXCEPTION OF NATHAN WHO GOT A TICKET FOR NEXT YEAR! PUALA IS GREAT AT ALL STYLES OF DANCE, I WOULD UNDERSTAND IF SHE WASN’T BUT SHE IS. MIA DIDN’T LIKE THE WAY KEHRYINGTON DANCED LAST YEAR EITHER…WHAT IS UP WITH THAT? WE WAIT AND WAIT FOR THESE L.A. DANCERS TO BE ABEL TO GO ON THE SHOW AND THEY ARE BOOTED. I AGREE WITH OTHER POSTS, WE NEVER EVEN SAW PUALA TO A LEAP OR TURN OR ANYTHING THAN THAT STUPID GROUP DANCE! OTHERS SHOULD OF HAD LAST AIR TIME I SERIOUSLY HADN’T SEEN HAVE OF THE TOP 10 GIRLS UNTIL THEY ANNOUNCED THEM!
PISSED,
No need to come here and yell the whole time. Although we can definitely see your emotion on this. Seems like Paula has a number of fans like you. My question for you is which of the girls would you kick off? All of the top 20 girls that I’ve seen (and I’ve seen back footage on the ones that weren’t shown on the show) are pretty incredible dancers as well. With the guys you have a decent argument to replace Tony Bellissimo with someone, but I don’t see that with the girls. Basically, instead of you complaining about Paula it would be someone else complaining about *insert dancer’s name*.
As a side note, I love Kherington last year. She was my favorite for sure.
Seems all over the ‘net, people are pretty upset Paula Van Oppen got cut last night. Anyone whose followed her videos on you tube (see attached) can understand why. She’s consistently won pretty much anything dance since she was a youngster.
Personally, not having her in the top 20 killed this season for me. I was really looking forward to seeing such an incredible dancer continue to grow, and keep inspiring my little dancer at home.
Where IS Dance Precisions this year??? Cutting her was a huge ratings mistake. If Paula can’t make it – then dance isn’t what they’re judging on. How sad is that…
Dance Mom,
Which of the top 10 girls would you want off in order to make room for Paula?
I’m pretty sure every dancer on the show has won competition after competition.
John,
I don’t think that’s a fair question. Considering we only saw what they edited in. IF we had been allowed to see snippets of each of the solos (more than the 2-3 seconds they ran though randomly), this question would be fairly simple.
Given what I saw last night, the sister that made it through (blonde, funky earrings, really surprised look on her face that she was even still there) will do. The judges didn’t even like her solo, but passed her anyway.
My point here is that if they want to inspire dancers, what have they set the bar at? From my perspective it isn’t dance. You can be the grandest dancer out there, and still fail simply for the fact that you hadn’t overcome some obstacle in life, had a parent/sibling/friend die or come up with a life-threatening illness, or were drop-dead gorgeous. Dance won’t get you though this one – it’s definitely a package they’re looking at.
So, what would be Paula’s inspiration to “try again for season 6”? Go to the mall and get a makeover?? That’s still…just sad.
Dance Mom,
This isn’t about fair questions, it’s about interesting questions;-)
It’s funny you chose the sister that made it through, because that’s actually my favorite dancer. So, there you have it. I would have been really upset had she been gone and Paula in her place.
Putting that aside, I think it’s important that they’re not choosing America’s most technical dancer. It’s not America’s best dancer. It’s America’s favorite dancer. So, I think things like back story, looks, and of course their dancing skill and style all contribute to making them the favorite dancer.
Now, you won’t hear any arguments from me that the producers of the show aren’t doing just that: producing the show. At the end of the day, the show is about ratings and producing a compelling product. That’s just the nature of the beast and you have to accept it if you want to be part of it.
Personally, the video I saw of Paula she’s plenty good looking. Remember I think it was Ashley tried out 4 times to be on the show. Paula will have to decide if it’s worth it to her or not. I know I’d like to see her back.
Dear John,
I agree that the show is unfortunately not about the best dancer. But, more about the favorite dancer. The thing that really sucked is that you never did get to see her dance (really dance – not that silkywood thing).
So, how would any of us know if she was to be America’s favorite dancer? They never gave us, America, the opportunity to show what she could do.
As a matter of fact, I found it odd that they showed her in the promos (dancing) and snippets in the show (not dancing). Kind of like they worked really, really hard to make sure that nobody ever saw her actually dance. For the dance community, it was kind of like one big tease, “We’ve got Paula this season!”
That’s what I don’t get. They had her. And, they let her go with no explanation at all. And, left us all hanging in the process.
As a fan of the show, I’m ok with finding the favorite dancer. At least their upfront and honest about that being the goal. They don’t try to claim to find the best or most talented like other reality shows. I could see how dance purists might not like this as much though. Kind of reminds me of the ballroom purists that want a certain technique. I love when they erase the lines and make something amazing.
I do agree that we should get a chance to see more of the dancers. I think the show has a tremendous opportunity to put a ton more footage of the various dancers on their website. Kind of similar to what Survivor and Amazing Race have been doing. Of course, those two shows are on their 15th (or some amazing number) season. Once SYTYCD hits its tenth season they might have gotten around to displaying all the extra dance footage.
I, too, was disappointed in the lack of coverage for certain contestants. I don’t think anyone in the Top 20 should be unfamiliar to us viewers. As I’ve said before, if they cut out the annoying pre-commercial previews and the “non-dancing fluff”, they might have time for more dancing!
We knew both the Kasprzak brothers couldn’t make it (although it is sad). I think they should bring Ryan back to do some choreography. Even if it were just for an “extra piece” (i.e. not something judged) or part of the finale or something. I think he’s a talented choreographer and that would be fun.
I WANT A SYTYCD DVD!!! I want to watch past seasons that I missed before I became a fan. Figure out the music-rights garbage and make these seasons available to the public!
One thing I like about SYTYCD was that is has been less “reality-show-like” than similar shows. There was less focus on the extra fluff, less drama on the show, etc. The judges didn’t seem to just be commenting to be nice or mean, but because they had honest feedback for the contestants. I really hope they stay focused on the dancing and honest feedback this year. I’ll stop watching if there is too much manufactured drama.
I agree with the previews. Although, I think So You Think You Can Dance is one of the better shows for cutting out much of the fluff. That includes a bunch of the crappy dancers.
I’m certain that Ryan will be on the to do some choreography on the show at some point. Although, Nigel made the point that if Ryan was a choreographer, he’d be an employee of Fox and so he’d be unable to audition next year.
I agree with the DVD. Maybe it will happen by the time we reach season 10.