“Step up your game!” That’s the challenge thrown down by the judges to the top 16 So You Think You Can Dance contestants as they prepare for the first elimination round this Saturday, 4 September 2010.

SABC1 Mzansi fo sho’s piping-hot realit dance show airs again this Saturday from 6.30pm to 7.30pm, and directly afterwards the lines will be thrown open for viewers to vote for their favourite couples.

Broadcast live from Johannesburg, this Saturday’s show truly marks “crunch time”, as chief judge Harold van Buuren puts it. The three couples receiving the least amount of votes from viewers on the night will then have to individually dance for their lives in front of Harold Van Buuren and fellow judges Didi Moses and David Matamela, who will then select one guy and one girl to leave the show.

Audiences will have to wait for the results show on Wednesday night, 8 September, at 7pm on SABC1 to find out which hopefuls will be the first to go home, as the countdown kicks into gear in the hunt for SA’s favourite dancer.

This Saturday’s show will see each couple drawing a dance genre out of a hat, and then working with a choreographer in a bid to knock the socks off audiences and judges. The styles they’ll be attempting are: the foxtrot, fast hip-hop, kwaito, samba, lyrical contemporary, pantsula, krump and jazz, courtesy of choreographers Supa Zungu, Mark Dooley, Gugu, Rafick Hoosain, Illana Margolis, Lefty Mbenenge and Kay-Roc.

Last Saturday we witnessed the dancers being paired off and assigned a dance style. Some aced it; some were reprimanded by the judges for being too nervous, too stiff, not connecting with their partners…… Many were put on the spot to perform unfamiliar dance genres to prove their versatility and commitment.

Kai and Carl were the judges’ clear favourites on Saturday night, tackling an exquisite contemporary routine choreographed by Kelsey Middleton. “Shoo! It is super! It’s my favourite piece this evening,” exclaimed David, while Didi praised their “beautiful connection” and added: “You guys make me love my job.” Harold reserved his highest praise for Carl – especially, as he said, because it was not his genre yet he stepped out of his comfort zone and was “fabulous”.

This Wednesday’s broadcast on 1 September is a non-elimination round. It also features guest artist Thembi Seete singing her new single, Shake It Up. The guest act during next Wednesday’s results show on 8 September – when the first two dancers will be given the boot – will be hip-hop outfit Young Nations, performing the track GP – The City is Mine.

Harold, in particular, wants the dancers to be “unpredictable and exciting” in their future performances. Will they “step it up” and dazzle this Saturday as they fight for a place in the finale on 16 October, and a shot at the R250 000 grand prize? Tune in to SABC this Saturday at 6.30pm and start flexing those fingers to vote for Mzansi’s favourite dancer.

Voting lines open immediately after the live show on Saturday, and close an hour later at 8.30pm. The SMS voting line is 42282, and viewers will be able to vote for Couple 1, Couple 2 and so on. Voting is limited to 20 votes per mobile phone per week.

All Saturday programmes – apart from the finale on 16 October will be aired on SABC1 from 6.30pm to 7.30pm; The Results Shows are at 7pm on Wednesdays.

The top 16 finalists are:
Ashley Beyers (20) from Johannesburg: Popping, b-boying, house and kwaito.
Bonwa Mbontsi (21) from Pietermaritzburg: Contemporary dance, particularly ballet.
Carl Davids (24) from Johannesburg: Hip-hop, freestyle and lyrical contemporary.
Cleo Notcutt (19) from Cape Town: Mainly hip-hop.
Darren Hammond (18) from Pretoria: Latin American.
Gerbrandt (Gerrie) de Wet (18) from Randfontein: Latin and contemporary.
Jeanette Boipelo Maphafo (23) from Pretoria: Latin dancing.
Jade John (JJ) Heuvel (20) from Cape Town: Hip-hop, but loves “the art of dance as a whole”.
Kabelo (KayB) Mahlala (23) from Johannesburg: “I live, breathe and eat hip-hop.”
Kai Pretorius (19) from Durban: Ballet and contemporary.
Lulu Mlangeni (23) from Soweto: Contemporary, ballet.
Nkateko (Takkies) Maswanganye (19) from Johannesburg: Hip-hop and Spanish.
Shelley Nicole Christians (21) from Cape Town: Hip-hop, but loves all dance genres.
Snenhlanhla Mbatha (18) from Durban: Old-school hip-hop.
Tumie Letsoenyo (27) from Soweto: Kwaito, fusion and hip-hop.
Xolani Mthabela (20) from Kempton Park: Primarily contemporary dance, but enjoys all dance forms.

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