So You Think You Can Dance auditions come to SMU

by Cassandra Robinson of The Daily Campus

The main judges will look at dancers over the weekend.

Clayton Smith/SMU Media Relations

Crowds line up for So You Think You Can Dance auditions at SMU.

Dallas' freezing temperatures didn't hold dancers back from their crucial auditions Friday morning. Ballerinas, break dancers, and poppers began lining up on the steps of SMU's McFarlin Memorial Auditorium at 5 a.m. for Fox's So You Think You Can Dance competition and TV program.

Dancers are proving that they deserve a spot on the show's ninth season through auditions lasting from Friday until Sunday.

Senior SMU Meadows School of the Arts dance major Leah Mitchell hopes to make it to the show's main stage in Los Angeles by using her charisma and technique.

"It doesn't feel like 30 degrees when my body is all fired up for the judges and especially the TV cameras," Mitchell said.

Other dancers came out to the Boulevard to enjoy the experience and pick up some moves from other talented dancers.

Earl Manuel, dancer and model from Buffalo, New York, admitted he's not as strong of a dancer as many of the contestants, but he is determined to try.

"My hopes aren't high, but I'm doing this to show my ambition, and as a tribute to my family," Manuel said.

Producers will be the only people making cuts for Friday's first day of the competition. The main judges from So You Think You Can Dance will then decide who goes to Los Angeles based off the talent they find Saturday and Sunday.