SALT LAKE CITY — Our three Utah dancers featured on “So You Think You Can Dance” — Eddie Hoyt, Ezra Sosa and Stephanie Sosa — have now danced their way to the show’s Top 20.
In order to make the Top 20, contestants competed in five rounds of different dance genres. Cuts were made each round, and last week Hoyt, along with Provo siblings Ezra and Stephanie Sosa, successfully completed the hip hop, ballroom and contemporary rounds.
In this week's episode, which aired Monday, the three gave their all to the group round and the solo round. In the group round, the remaining 43 dancers all performed together in a huge number featuring choreography from the previous rounds. The big ensemble piece transitioned between groups of dancers and different genres, showcasing the competitors’ strengths and weaknesses.
When Ezra Sosa was called to face the judges after the group number, he was visibly nervous. Mary Murphy, a ballroom legend, began by telling him that at the beginning of the Sosa siblings’ run on the show, she tended to watch Stephanie Sosa more than him. However, Murphy finished by telling him, “You have really come into your own in my eyes.” Both Sosas were told to go prepare their solos — they’d made it to the next round.
Hoyt’s turn to receive the judges’ feedback was equally nerve-wracking, but he also made it through to the solo round. He was told to be stronger both emotionally and as a dancer. The pressure was on for his solo.
Neither Stephanie nor Ezra Sosa’s solos were shown, but we did catch a glimpse of their fabulous costumes. Ezra Sosa wore black ballroom pants and used an elaborate cape in his performance, and Stephanie Sosa wore a gold fringe outfit that highlighted every move. When Ezra Sosa finished, Nigel Lythgoe, longtime judge and producer for “So You Think You Can Dance,” told him, “Ezra, you’re a star.”
And just like that, both Sosas were in the Top 20.
Hoyt’s solo got off to a rough start when his shoe strap came undone at the beginning. Performing a tap routine with hip hop vibes to a stripped-back song, he failed to wow the judges and left the stage feeling frustrated and disappointed.
However, though the judges made him sweat through a few minutes of criticism, Hoyt was the final male dancer to make the Top 20. Overcome with emotion, Hoyt choked back tears as he told the judges, “You don’t know how much this means to me.”
Keep up with our three Utah dancers on “So You Think You Can Dance,” which airs on Fox Monday nights at 8 p.m.