Top 10 Best So You Think You Can Dance Performances

Top 10 best performances on “So You Think You Can Dance”

The lifts! The spins! The shaking of groove things! Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the top 10 best performances on “So You Think You Can Dance”.
For this list, we’ll be looking at (and secretly boogieing along to) the most exciting, moving, and memorable routines from the American televised dance competition. We’ll be focusing on performances by contestants and by returning All-Stars, either in pairs or in groups - so auditions, solos, and guest appearances won’t be featured.

#10: “Hip Hip Chin Chin” (2007)
Lacey Schwimmer & Danny Tidwell

What happens when you put contemporary dancer Danny and swing dancer Lacey together? You get “Dan-cey”, obviously. But more importantly, you get sexy. In this spicy samba number, the couple gives us a lesson in rhythm as they move to the beat. Following the instructions of the song, they twist their hips and do simultaneous body rolls against each other before getting into some fancy footwork with samba steps called “batucadas”. Although Danny holds his own, it’s Lacey who steals the show with her saucy hips and ultra-confident attitude. It’s just hotness all around, but since their choreographer is former contestant and shirtless wonder Dmitry Chaplin, that’s no surprise!

#9: “Dhoom Taana” (2008)
Katee Shean & Joshua Allen

This was the first Bollywood routine featured on the show, so contemporary dancer Katee and hip-hop dancer Joshua weren’t quite sure what to expect. Once they familiarized themselves with this dance style however, which is popular in Indian films, they managed to pull off a number that was both energetic and graceful. Striking lovely poses as they danced, the pair made it look so effortless that it was easy to overlook how athletic the moves actually were. Our legs hurt just watching them repeatedly dropping into and bouncing up from those squats and twirling all over the stage with knee spins. Whew! It’s a lively piece that makes you want to stand up and cheer.

#8: “Hallelujah” (2010)
Alex Wong & Allison Holker

Expertly performed by ballet dancer Alex Wong and Season 2 All-Star Allison Holker, this contemporary piece choreographed by Sonya Tayeh was about the search for salvation and peace. Set to Jeff Buckley’s evocative cover of “Hallelujah,” and lit with rays of turquoise light, it featured elegant synchronized leaps and spins along with a gorgeously undulating développé from Wong. The physical beauty of the dance was enough to get our attention, but the raw emotion was what really gave us the feels. Allison’s spasmodic, struggling movements in Alex’s arms just wrench the heart, and seem to embody much of the pain that comes with being human. Truly a work of art!

#7: “Mercy” (2008)
Stephen “tWitch” Boss & Katee Shean

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned! In this Mia Michaels-choreographed contemporary nicknamed “The Door Dance”, popping pro tWitch plays the aloof man to contemporary dancer Katee’s angry ex-girlfriend. After she kicks his door open, they share a fiery kiss before he tries repeatedly to get rid of her. He pushes her through the door and slams it, then laughs while she struggles against it wildly. The prop is used very effectively, and it’s neat to watch them maintain their connection even as they’re dancing on different sides of it. Well-acted and entertaining, this routine could easily have served as the music video to singer Duffy’s hit song.

#6: “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” (2007)
Neil Haskell & Sabra Johnson

Described by choreographer Mandy Moore as an “80s jazz power lunch”, which is awesome in and of itself, this routine was set to a classic Eurythmics song and performed by contemporary dancers Sabra and Neil. Making excellent use of a table, like Sasha and tWitch did several seasons later with “Misty Blue” (xref), they give us a cool, sexy and agile power struggle. Executing a gymnastics move called a “planche”, Neil hovers intimidatingly over Sabra, but she refuses to take it lying down. Later, she shows off her impressive flexibility with a dramatic high kick, and he does the same with his sharp split jump. If only real business meetings were this dynamic and exciting!

#5: “The Chairman’s Waltz” (2007)
Jaimie Goodwin & Hokuto “Hok” Konishi

Wade Robson, who won the Outstanding Choreography Emmy Award for this jazz piece, called it his version of a ballet. Performed by breakdancer Hok and contemporary dancer Jaimie, it was set to instrumental music from the film “Memoirs of a Geisha” and told the love story of a hummingbird and a flower. Not only was this dance exceptionally beautiful, but it also capitalized on Jaimie and Hok’s individual talents and styles, contrasting her graceful and flowing movements with his more quick and nimble ones. Take a freeze-frame of this unique stunner at almost any point, and you get a pretty picture that lingers in the mind long after the music stops.

#4: “Bleeding Love” (2008)
Chelsie Hightower & Mark Kanemura

Married choreographers Napoleon and Tabitha D’umo, affectionately known as “Nappytabs”, really went after our hearts with lyrical hip-hop in Season 4. First they gave us “No Air”, about a man leaving his lady to go to war, and then they followed it up with this poignant story of a workaholic and his frustrated girlfriend. Played by jazz dancer Mark and Latin ballroom dancer Chelsie, the couple danced in unison until the perfectly-timed sequence where he “controlled” her movements, culminating in the moment where he mimes ripping her heart out. Mark’s coldness was convincing, but it was the pain on Chelsie’s face and the passion in her steps that really gave this routine its emotional power.

#3: “Gravity” (2009)
Kayla Radomski & Kūpono Aweau

A contemporary piece brought to life by lyrical jazz dancer Kūpono and contemporary dancer Kayla, “Gravity” was about the devastating power of addiction. Kūpono, representing the addiction, held Kayla’s helpless addict in his thrall, controlling her body and grabbing her incessantly while she struggled to break free. In a particularly heartbreaking moment, she reached desperately for the sky before he pushed her forcibly back down. He finally released her, but kept his arm outstretched, menacingly anticipating her return. This routine, along with two others from Season 5, won Mia Michaels an Emmy for Outstanding Choreography. Pairing perfectly with the song’s lyrics, it was a haunting number that made a lasting impression on its fans.

#2: “Outta Your Mind” (2010)
Alex Wong & Stephen “tWitch” Boss

Oh, “Nappytabs”! If it weren’t for you, along with ballet dancer Alex and All-Star tWitch, we would never have experienced the sheer joy that is this Emmy-winning hip-hop routine. Alex was nervous about tackling a new style, but he proved that his dancing was on point even when he wasn’t partnered with a ballerina en pointe. Holding his own with hip-hop phenom tWitch, he got down and funky, and it drove the crowd wild. This thing had energy, entertainment value, and swagger to spare. In fact, dancing talk-show host Ellen was such a big fan that she replaced Alex in the finale after an injury sidelined him for the season.
Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

“Fix You” (2010)
Robert Roldan & Allison Holker


“Koop Island Blues” (2009)
Randi Evans & Evan Kasprzak


“Dreaming with a Broken Heart” (2008)
Stephen “tWitch” Boss & Kherington Payne

#1: “Calling You” (2006)
Travis Wall & Heidi Groskreutz

We’ve got two words for you: The Bench. This simple prop, along with the sunflower, will always be special to fans of the show. Set to a melancholy Céline Dion song and choreographed by Mia Michaels, the piece was performed by ballroom dancer Heidi and contemporary dancer Travis, who, in the story, didn’t seem to feel the same way about her as she did about him. Sliding away from her, he rebuffed her flower and left her hanging. Quiet without being lifeless, and emotional without being melodramatic, it was the show’s first couple dance to win an Emmy Award and raised the bar for all future contemporary routines on the stage. A real classic!