So You Think You Can Dance Australia Auditions

Representing in the Top 100:

Melbourne Hip Hop:
Mac (Vikings)
Sid (Liquid Xpress)
Robotgirl (Hollabak)
Drumstick (Groovedance)

Melbourne Bboys/Bgirls:
Essentz (Sweet Elite/Movement Crew)
Demi (Sweet Elite/Movement Crew)
Carlo (MOBB)
IllFX (Sweet Elite)
Just Dave (Wickid Force)

Interstate Bboys:
Edit (Zou Rock, WA)
Don (SKB, NSW)
Carly (Juse, NSW)
Kamikaze (Juse, NSW)
Olz (SDR, NSW)

MMA:
Stephen Agisilaou
Courtney Walter
JD

Collectively, the scene makes over 15% of the top 100 that we’re aware of so far. Good luck to everyone involved!

Process - Brief Overview

• 1st round - Freestyle round: in groups of 10 people at a time, you have 40-45 seconds to impress the judges with a freestyle to whatever music is played for you
• 2nd round -Prepared Piece: you will invited back to perform a prepared piece around 90 seconds long. This is on a weekday after the weekend auditions. Exceptional performers from this round go straight to Sydney
• 3rd round - Choreography: If the judges didn’t send you to Sydney in the second round but wanted to see more, you will take on some jazz choreography from Matt Lee
• Those that pass the 3rd round will make it through to the top 100 in Sydney

Audtions News:

Other States:

• There were about 200 auditionees at the Adelaide auditions.
• 60 dancers were invited back the following day to dance for places in the top 100 in Sydney.
• Of those 60, 8 made it through to the top 100 in Sydney
• There were over 300 auditionees at the Brisbane auditions
• About 60 dancers received a callback the following days to perform their prepared pieces
• Approximately 350 people registered for the Perth auditions.
• The Sydney auditions have just finished, and more complete news of who made the top 100 is up!
• Essentz (Sweet Elite/Movement Crew) auditioned in Sydney and has also made the top 100.
• From the Interstate Ozbboy scene; Edit (ZouRock, WA), Don (SKB. NSW), Carly and Kamikaze (JUSE, NSW) have all made it through to the top 100.

MELBOURNE AUDITIONS

1st Round

• There were about 250 people on Day 1 of auditions in Melbourne
  • Some of those that made it to the second round on Tuesday include; Jester (MOBB), Bgirl Demolition (Sweet Elite/Movement Crew), Robotgirl (Hollabak), Foxy (On The Spot), Drumstick (Groovedance.com), Just Dave (Wickid Force), and my personal tip to make the top 20, Steven Agisilaou.
• On Day 2, some of those that made it to the second round were: IllFX (Sweet Elite), Essentz (Movement Crew, Sweet Elite), Sid (Liquid Xpress), and Mac (Vikings)

• This round is judged by the producers (Fremantle Media), not the actual judges (Bonnie, Matt, and Jason).
• Hip Hop and Street dancers are expected to do tricks. Bboys will need powermoves to get through this round.
• Contemporary dancers are also expected to have a strong foundation in jumps and turns.
• The music that is randomly played is chosen to cater as best it can to the ten dancers that are in the group

2nd and 3rd Rounds:

Day 1 - Tuesday 30 October

• The qualifiers from Day 1 (Saturday) auditioned on Tuesday. There were 54 auditionees on this day.
• Courtney Walter and Jester were two of about 3 or 4 dancers to go straight through to Sydney from their prepared piece in Round 2.
• 23 Dancers (9 boys, 14 girls) made it through to the end of the final stage of Round 3 (Choreographer), where they took on a Jazz routine from judge Matt Lee.
• About 13 dancers progressed from this round and are through to the top 100 in Sydney.
• Some of those dancers include, Demi (Sweet Elite), Robotgirl (Hollabak), Just Dave (Wickid Force), Drumstick (Groovedance.com), and Steven Agisilaou
• It was a LONG day, starting at 9am and finishing at 10.30pm

Day 2 - Wednesday 31 October

• There were 50 people that made it through the first round of auditions on Sunday and received the callback for Wednesday.
• Mac (Vikings), IllFX (Sweet Elite), and JD were 3 of the 5 dancers to go straight through to Sydney from their audition pieces.
• Sid (LX) passed the 3rd round (choreography) and will join the other 33 dancers from Melbourne in the top 100.
• The intense choreography round for the top 100 in Sydney is set to be shot during the first week of December.

• Almost all of the dancers that make it to the second round will proceed to the third round. Do not expect to get to Sydney straight from Round 2 regardless of how good you are.
• Members of the public ARE ALLOWED to watch the second round of auditions (not the third).

In total, 34 Melbournians made it to the top 100. 8 dancers from Adelaide, and 2 from Tasmania.
Host: Natalie Bassingthwaighte (pictured right)
Judges: Bonnie Lythgoe, Jason Coleman, Matt Lee

Network Ten also issued a media release a few weeks ago announcing the three judges.

‘Bonnie Lythgoe, a British-born dancer, will be joined by Sydney choreographer Jason Coleman, and dancer Matt Lee for the reality show which airs on TEN in February next year.

Bonnie Lythgoe was a producer for series 1 and 2 of SYTYCD [US] and judge for series 1, as well as producer for American Idol [US series 1, 2 and 3].

Jason Coleman is one of the Australian dance community’s most respected stars having choreographed the opening and closing ceremonies for the Sydney Olympic Games and worked with Kylie Minogue, Whitney Houston and Frank Sinatra.

Matt Lee has been a professional dancer all of his adult life, having played Jonno in the Aussie film Bootmen, worked as motion sensor principal on the animated hit film Happy Feet, choreographed music videos and performances for a string of Australian artists including Guy Sebastian and Marica Hines and is currently touring nationally with the musical stage show Miss Saigon.‘