So You Think You Can Dance, an American television dance competition, returned for its ninth season on May 24, 2012, on FOX Television.Premiere Date Announced for 'So You Think You Can Dance' Fox and series creator Nigel Lythgoe have each independently confirmed that the weekly results show, a staple of the series in seasons 2–8, has been cut from the show format and that only one episode will air each week for the show's ninth season.Lythgoe: Fox axes 'So You Think You Can Dance' results show This season has marked three firsts in the series history: this season had two winners (one female and one male), as opposed to the one winner format used in previous seasons,Nigel Lythgoe: So You Think You Can Dance will crown two winners | Toronto Star a contemporary dancer was not amongst the contestants remaining in the competition in the finale, and lastly, a ballet contestant is the winner of the competition.
Auditions Open auditions for this season were held in the following locations:
Air DateAudition VenueCityAudition DateSo You Think You Can Dance - Audition for Season 9Guest judge May 24, 2012 McFarlin Memorial Auditorium Dallas, Texas January 13, 2012 Lil' C Manhattan Center New York City January 23, 2012 Tyce Diorio May 30, 2012 Orpheum Theatre Los Angeles, California March 2, 2012 Jesse Tyler Ferguson June 6, 2012 The Fox TheatreAtlanta, Georgia January 5, 2012 Debbie Allen June 13, 2012 Capitol TheatreSalt Lake City, Utah February 23, 2012Adam Shankman
Las Vegas week The Las Vegas callbacks were held at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. For the first time in nine seasons, contestants were allowed to choose their own groups for the group choreography round, in contrast to previous seasons where the groups were assigned. With cuts made following each round of choreography, thirty-five contestants remained at the close of the week, prior to the selection of the Top 20.
Judges Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy, Adam Shankman, Debbie Allen, Tyce Diorio, Lil' C, Sonya Tayeh*, Jason Gilkison*, Travis Wall*Task/style MusicChoreographer(s)Individual soloMusic chosen by contestantThe contestantHip-HopComfort Fedoke and tWitchBroadway"Must Be the Water"—Marc BroussardTyce DiorioJazz"Freak Out (Gold Chains Panique Mix)"—My Brightest DiamondSonya TayehGroup routinesChosen at random from a selection of songs including "Somebody That I Used to Know"—Gotye and "Glad You Came"—The WantedThe contestantsCha-cha-cha"Let's Get Loud"—Jennifer LopezJason GilkisonContemporary"I Won't Give Up"—Jason MrazTravis WallIndividual soloMusic chosen by contestantThe contestant * Only participated on the judge's panel on the round they choreographed.
Studio Shows
Format changes In January 2012, Fox announced that So You Think You Can Dance would be returning for its ninth season in a format similar to that seen in season one; a single two-hour episode per week, eliminating each week's results show.So You Think You Can Dance Results Show Canceled In an interview shortly thereafter, Lythgoe hinted at a format where each week's episode is ended with the revelation of the bottom three couples (based on the votes from the previous week) but after all contestants had performed the new week's routines, giving the judges an additional routine to take into account when deciding which contestants (from amongst the bottom three couples) to save and which to send home for that week. This contrasts with the season one format where judges would nominate a bottom three couples and home viewers would vote out two contestants, the results being pre-taped and shown at the beginning of the next week's episode. Lythgoe also hinted at which elements of the results show were likely to be carried over into the new format, suggesting the group and guest dance routines would be shown priority over guest musical acts.Interview With Nigel Lythgoe regarding So You Think You Can Dance
These above changes all proved to be in place once the season's performance shows began airing but were also accompanied by a number of other format tweaks. These additional changes most notably include the fact that the season will crown two winners (one female and one male) and that voting for individual contestants (as opposed to couples) began with the first week of the Top 20 competition with 1-855-GO-HIM## for the guys and 1-855-GO-HER## for the girls as opposed to halfway through the performance show phase, as in previous seasons. Additionally there have been tweaks to the format of the "dance for your life" solos, the last chance efforts which contestants are given to impress judges and remain in the competition if the at-home-viewer votes put them in the bottom 6 dancers. In previous seasons, all contestants who were in danger of elimination were automatically assigned to perform such solos but in season 9 the judges, taking into advisement the contestants' previous performances and the advice of the choreographers who have worked with them, will decide each week which (if any) contestants will perform solos. For example, in Week 2, the first week of the competition to feature eliminations (in this case a double elimination), the judges decided which two of the six contestants in danger they wished to save without asking for additional solos. By contrast, in week 3 they decided that Lindsay Arnold and George Lawrence Jr. would be safe without being required to perform a solo but the remaining four dancers were required to perform, with two ultimately eliminated.
The ninth season is also the first in which contestants have been able to exert some control over the styles they dance for their duets; Lythgoe revealed during the week 3 performances that during this season couples are given the ability to pick their styles from the pool of available routines for a given week, with the order of choosing determined by drawing lots. Season 9's Top 14 show also became the first episode in the show's history to feature only one style, the first to feature only one choreographer and the first to feature routines from previous seasons danced by new contestants when it aired as a tribute to long-time contributing choreographer Mia Michaels, with seven of her past contemporary routines danced by season 9 contestants.
Top 20 Contestants
Female Contestants ContestantAgeHome TownDance StyleElimination datePlacement Eliana Girard 21 Palm Beach, Florida Ballet September 18, 2012Winner Tiffany Maher 19 Fort Lauderdale, Florida Jazz September 18, 2012 Runner-up Witney Carson 18 American Fork, Utah Latin Ballroom September 5, 2012 Top 6 Lindsay Arnold 18 Provo, Utah Latin Ballroom August 29, 2012 Top 8 Audrey Case 18 Edmond, Oklahoma Jazz August 22, 2012 Top 10 Amelia Lowe 18 Butler, New Jersey Contemporary August 15, 2012 Top 14 Janelle Issis 24 Vestavia Hills, Alabama Belly Dancing August 15, 2012 Top 14 Amber Jackson 21 Decatur, Georgia Contemporary July 25, 2012 Top 16 Alexa Anderson 19 Chandler, Arizona Contemporary July 18, 2012 Top 20 Janaya French 20 Aurora, Colorado Contemporary July 18, 2012 Top 20
Male Contestants ContestantAgeHome TownDance StyleElimination datePlacement Chehon Wespi-Tschopp 23 Zurich, Switzerland Ballet September 18, 2012 Winner Cyrus "Glitch" Spencer 22 Atlanta, Georgia Animation September 18, 2012 Runner-up Cole Horibe 26 Honolulu, Hawaii Martial Arts Fusion September 5, 2012 Top 6 Will Thomas 19 Troy, Michigan Contemporary August 29, 2012 Top 8 George Lawrence Jr. 19 Atlanta, Georgia Contemporary August 22, 2012 Top 10 Matthew Kazmierczak 21 Peoria, Arizona Contemporary August 15, 2012 Top 14 Dareian Kujawa 20 Saint Paul, Minnesota Contemporary August 15, 2012 Top 14 Brandon Mitchell 27 Wichita, Kansas Stepping July 25, 2012 Top 16 Daniel Baker 24 San Francisco, California (originally from Australia) Ballet July 18, 2012 Top 20 Nick Bloxsom-Carter 20 Thousand Oaks, California Ballroom July 18, 2012 Top 20
Elimination chart Contestants are listed in reverse chronological order of elimination. Haley Reinhart's "Free" is played in the montage of a female contestant's elimination, and Mikey Wax's "Counting On You" is played in the male contestant's. +LegendFemaleMaleBottom 6 contestants Bottom 4 contestants Week:7/187/258/158/228/299/59/18ContestantResultEliana GirardBtm 6WinnerChehon Wespi-TschoppBtm 6Btm 4Tiffany MaherRunner-UpCyrus "Glitch" Spencer Cole HoribeBtm 4 ElimWitney CarsonBtm 6Btm 4Btm 4Will Thomas ElimLindsay ArnoldBtm 6Btm 6George Lawrence Jr.Btm 6Btm 6 ElimAudrey CaseMatthew Kazmierczak ElimAmelia LoweDareian KujawaBtm 6Janelle IssisBrandon Mitchell ElimAmber JacksonDaniel Baker ElimAlexa AndersonNick Bloxsom-CarterJanaya French
Voting will be based on the individual contestants from the start, rather than from Top 10 on.
Performance shows
Unlike previous seasons, each week's Bottom 6 / Bottom 4 contestants are determined by the previous week's voting. The judge's panel still chooses which of these bottom contestants will be eliminated each week until the Top Ten. However, not all contestants who are in danger of elimination will perform final solos by default; the judges will determine each week which contestants will be asked to perform a "dance for your life" solo, if any. As no voting had been conducted previously, no contestants were eliminated for the Week 1 show; as a result, four contestants were eliminated in the Week 2 show, as opposed to the usual two. No voting took place after the Top 6 performance / Top 4 announcement show. The next week's show (the Top 4 performance finale) was followed by voting, the results of which were announced yet one more week later on the season's grande finale.
Meet the Top 20 (June 27, 2012) Judges: Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy, Zooey Deschanel Performances: Contestants Style Music Choreographer(s)Alexa AndersonAmber JacksonGeorge Lawrence Jr.Will ThomasContemporary"We Found Love" (BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge)—Jessie J.Tyce DiorioLindsay ArnoldNick Bloxsom-CarterWitney CarsonCha-cha-cha"Dance Again"—Jennifer Lopez feat. PitbullJason GilkisonDaniel BakerEliana GirardBallet"Romantic Inclinations/Like A Shot/Fury"—P. Mottram, S. Everitt, G. Shadid, T. MarbergerDwight RhodenDesmond RichardsonAudrey CaseTiffany MaherJanelle Issis*Jazz"Sail"—AwolnationSonya TayehJanaya FrenchMatthew KazmierczakDareian KujawaAmelia LoweContemporary"Modern Drift"—EfterklangStacey TookeyCole HoribeBrandon MitchellCyrus SpencerMartial Arts, Stepping, Animation"Resolve"—Nathan LanierChristopher ScottTop 10 female contestantsContemporary"Where the Light Gets In"—SennenTravis WallTop 10 male contestantsJazz"Precognition" (Steed Lord Machine Mix)—Steed LordSonya TayehTop 20Contemporary"Eyes" (Coachella Live 2012 version)—KaskadeMia Michaels*Due to an illness, Janelle was unable to dance in the showcase. She would've danced in the jazz number with Audrey & Tiffany, as well as in the group routines.
Week 1 (July 11, 2012) Judges: Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy, Kenny Ortega Group dance: "Architect of the Mind"—Kerry Muzzey (Modern; Choreographer: Christopher Scott) Performances: