So You Think You Can Dance, the 11-time Primetime Emmy® Award-winning show that sparked America’s fascination with dance, has hit the road to captivate audiences again this fall with more stops than ever before. Tonight, the So You Think You Can Dance Tour is stopping at New York City’s iconic Beacon Theatre on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.
The So You Think You Can Dance Tour features this season’s most popular routines, as well as original pieces created specifically for the nationwide tour. The tour gives fans around the country the opportunity to experience the action brought into their living rooms each week on the beloved summer series, with a variety of sizzling, one-of-a-kind dance routines they have come to expect from their favorite dancers.
The tour kicked off on Wednesday, Oct. 1, at the Saenger Theatre in New Orleans and is crossing the United States and Canada with more than 70 stops. The first leg of the tour will finish up on Friday, Dec. 19, at the Maverick Center in West Valley City, UT. The dancers will return for the second leg of the tour, starting at the Rabobank Theatre in Bakersfield, CA, on Thursday, Jan. 22.
The Season 11 dancer lineup includes the following Top 10 finalists: Bridget Whitman, Casey Askew, Emilio Dosal, Jacque LeWarne, Jessica Richens, Ricky Ubeda, Rudy Abreu, Tanisha Belnap, Valerie Rockey and Zack Everhart.
We caught up with dancer Casey Askew and alternate Emily James to talk about what it’s like being on tour, their favorite city they’ve performed in so far, and how they’ve grown as a dancer since their first audition. Check out the Q&A below. To see when the So You Think You Can Dance Tour comes to your city, click here.
CS4U: So you guys are currently on tour! How is it being back with everyone from the show?
Emily: “Oh, it’s awesome! It’s really cool being back with everybody in kind of a different atmosphere. There doesn’t seem to be as much stress going around. We’re having a lot of fun being all together touring.”
CS4U: That’s awesome! You perform some of the fan favorite dances on tour. Is there a favorite of yours that didn’t make it into the show?
Emily: “I think one of my favorites I did was my contemporary duet with my partner, Teddy. We were a little bummed we couldn’t do that one on tour. That was definitely one of our favorites from the season.”
Casey: “I feel like all of my favorite dances are on tour.”
CS4U: And how is it performing those fan favorites for your fans in person?
Casey: “It’s really fun because they know all the dances and there are certain ones that they get really excited for. So it’s really fun performing a fan favorite dance because they just get really excited and it pumps us up when we’re on stage.”
CS4U: And what city has been your favorite to visit so far?
Emily: “That’s a tough one! They’ve all been so different but also so great. I think one of my personal favorites was probably St. Louis because we had a day off there so we had a little more time—we didn’t have a day off, but we woke up really early to try and explore the city, and I had never been so it was really fun.”
Casey: “My favorite city…I have a couple. One was Minneapolis. I feel like the audience there was just really in it with us, and they were pumping us up a lot on stage, and that’s actually a big facto. We’re not trying to pit our audiences against each other, but Minneapolis had an amazing crowd and amazing energy, and that just made the energy for all of us performing so much better. I also loved Austin. I think that city is just such a beautiful city. I had never been to Texas, and after going there I want to go back, definitely.”
CS4U: How would you say you’ve changed over your experience from your first audition until now?
Emily: “I think, for me personally, it’s a confidence thing, and just being able to go out on a stage and just give it my all without over-thinking everything. I think I was a little bit timid at my first audition, and if I had to do it all over again I think I would know to go on stage with a bit more confidence in what I’m doing and just kind of own my individual style a little more.”
Casey: “I’m a lot stronger. There’s a lot of partnering because everything is duets with a girl, so you’re constantly lifting. I think I got a lot stronger as partners through the show, so I’m really happy about that.”
CS4U: Could you tell our readers at home why they should go see the show?
Emily: “You should definitely come see the show because it’s a whole new ballgame, the live show compared to on TV. On TV, we kind of had to more perform to the cameras because our audience had to watch us through a TV screen. But being up close and personal to the show, it’s just so cool because you can really feel our energy being thrown out to the audience. It’s a very exciting and entertaining show, and it never stops. There’s always something going on on stage.”
Casey: “Yeah, I would say I feel like people should come to the show because you’re seeing it a completely different way than the live shows. Like Emily said, before we were performing through a TV screen, which a lot of things can get lost through the TV. I feel like when you see it live it’s a completely different thing and I feel that it’s a completely better show than when we were doing it for the cameras just because you have that raw energy of us on the stage that’s a lot more intimate than watching us on TV screens, so that’s why people should come see the live show.”
CS4U: If you could describe the show with one word, what word would you use?
Casey: “I would say “seamless” because there’s a lot of added transitions into the show that make all the pieces flow together so it’s not just like you watch a dance—blackout—and then another dance comes on for no reason. There’s lots of cool transitions between the duets that make the show very seamless.”
CS4U: Thanks so much for talking to us, guys, and we wish you the best of luck on the rest of your tour and your careers!
