This week, So You Think You Can Dance went live with this season’s Top 10 dancers. Last night, they were paired together for the first performances that would earn them votes from the audience. Before the night could really begin though, the Top 10 opened the show with a gorgeous group number choreographed by Travis Wall.

Once they were paired up, the dancers were tasked with learning two routines – one in the girl’s style, one in the guy’s style. These two routines would be their first chance to impress, Nigel, Mary, and Vanessa, and reappearing after auditions to guest judge again is tWitch.

Jensen and Jay Jay

The first couple paired up last night was Jensen and Jay Jay. To showcase Jensen’s style as a ballroom dancer, they started off with a samba choreographed by Jean-Marc Généreux. Jean-Marc wanted to showcase Jensen as the alpha in this routine, and the judges were impressed by her role as ballroom queen. Jay Jay got plenty of love from the judges after this performance, too (and the nickname “snake hips” from Nigel).

Their next performance was a jazz performance choreographed by Mandy Moore. Jay Jay is jazzy half of this duo, but Mandy wanted to showcase both dancers’ strengths in this routine. The judges loved their performance, but Nigel thought it was lacking some control (tWitch, Mary, and Vanessa fought back on this).

Hannaleigh and Cole

The next power couple introduced was Hannaleigh and Cole. These two were paired with Tyce Diorio for an apocalyptic contemporary routine. Nigel named Hannaleigh the warrior princess of this season, and the other judges followed with a shower of compliments for both halves of this couple.

When they returned to the stage, these two were taking on Paso Doble to showcase his talent as a ballroom dancer. Choreographed by Jean-Marc Généreux as a battle, this routine was an epic performance for both of them. Unfortunately, it seemed like the judges saw their lack of mastery in the Paso Doble under their enthusiastic performance.

Chelsea and Evan

Ray Leeper choreographed the jazz routine that introduced Chelsea and Evan to the live stage. Evan had the task of keeping up with Chelsea for this jazz performance, but you wouldn’t guess that he preferred tap based on the chemistry they had on stage. The judges felt like these two brought it, but it was a little more forced than they would have liked.

The tap shoes came out for their next performance. To highlight Evan’s style, Anthony Morigerato choreographed a modern version of “Singin’ in the Rain.” Chelsea didn’t seem to have mastered tap when she took the stage, but the judges commended her for her bravery in taking to the stage in tap shoes.

Genessy and Slavik

Genessy and Slavik started off their partnership making money moves with a hip hop routine choreographed by Luther Brown. Hip hop (well, animation) is Slavik’s specialty, but both of these dancers owned this routine. The judges gave them a standing ovation for how easy they made it look. They even managed to get Nigel to say “lit.”

Next, they took on contemporary with Talia Favia. Genessy shined during hip hop, and Slavik showed off his improvement in learning choreography. They earned a second standing ovation for this performance. The judges complimented their growth and their chemistry.

Magda and Darius

The last couple revealed last night was Magda and Darius. For their first performance, they were given a contemporary routine with Travis Wall. We can always expect dark, beautiful pieces from Travis Wall, but Magda and Darius brought this piece to another level. Nigel delivered them the ultimate compliment of saying that they would be talking about their performance for many seasons to come.

Magda and Darius’ last performance was also the last performance of the night, so they had to take Val Chmerkovskiy’s cha cha and own the stage. The judges were impressed with their control, their connection, and their technique.

And, with that, our first live look at the Top 10 dancers for this season was over! With only 20 votes to give out each week, who will you vote for? We would love to see all of these dancers every week, but two of them will have to be eliminated next week. The only way to keep them in is to vote! Now, we’ll just have to wait until next week to see the All Star pairings, and the results.

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Veronica Good has been with Showstopper Magazine since 2016. When she isn't keeping you updated on the latest trends, she is at home with her many pets or probably playing The Sims 4. Veronica has a BA in English and an MA in writing from Coastal Carolina University. She is also a writer of fiction and poetry, and her work can be found in Archarios, Tempo, and Scapegoat.