So You Think You Can Dance - Auditions

Thursday's premiere of the fifth season of "So You Think You Can Dance" featured mohawk-clad choreographer Sonya Tayeh, a same-sex ballroom dance pair and judge Mary Murphy's token scream.The two-hour Fox reality show included audition footage from New York and Denver. Murphy was joined at the judges' table by returning judge and producer Nigel Lythgoe. Tayeh sat in for the Denver auditions, while guest choreographers Tabitha and Napoleon critiqued the dancers in New York.

The good: Keep an eye on Natalie, the redhead who made it to the Las Vegas round last year but was edged out by her roommate, eventual Top 3 finalist Katee Shean. Natalie impressed the judges this season in Denver and will advance to Vegas again. Luckily, she didn't bring a roomie with her. Denver dancer Brandon had a similar story. Gev Manoukian, the eventual ninth-place finisher, kept him from advancing past Vegas last year. But Brandon's back this season -- bringing judge Mary Murphy to tears -- and will dance in the Vegas round.

The bad: There were no shortage of missteps, but the female singer in Denver who took the stage dressed like a lion wins. Oh yeah, she danced with light sabers, too.The surprising: In Denver, the show saw its first male-male ballroom dance team. To say the least, Misha and Mitchel left the judges confused. "I'm certainly one of those people who likes to see guys be guys and girls be girls on stage," Lythgoe said. Neither dancer advanced: A mid-performance tumble didn't help their case.

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Sonya Tayeh Is the Judge of So You Think You Can Dance

Meet Sonya Tayeh, a choreographer who was a guest judge on the season premiere of So You Think You Can Dance.Sonya Tayeh was a guest judge on tonight’s episode of So You Think You Can Dance. The auditions were held in Brooklyn, New York and Denver, Colorado. Tayeh, who is a contemporary choreographer, joined the judges in Colorado. Sonya seemed to enjoy the judging process and even seemed to have a favorite dancer, Natalie.

We don’t have much of a biography on Sonya, but we do know she is an established choreographer. She is part of the MSA and has quite a extensive list of choreographed credits to her name. She is best known for using Contemporary, Funk, Progressive Contact, Floor Barre, House, and Modern styles of dance in her routines.

So You Think You Can Dance kicked off its fifth season with a two hour premiere. The premiere will continue tomorrow night for another two hour audition session. Cat Deeley is back to host while Nigel Lythgoe and Mary Murphy rejoin the judges’ table.All you fans will be thrilled to know that So You Think You Can Dance has become such a summer hit, the sixth season of SYTYCD will air this fall!

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