Robert Roldan, above, is a performer on the So You Think You Can Dance national tour. The show stops by Baltimore tomorrow.
There’s no business like show business.
The contestants of So You Think You Can Dance find this out the hard way: dancing in several styles week after week until one of them is voted “America’s favorite dancer.” As much fun as they may have had on the popular FOX television program, they’ll be tested in new ways on this year’s national touring version of the show.
In the 40-city tour, the top seven contestants from the past season as well as a mix of “All-Stars,” popular dancers from previous seasons, will perform dances from the show as well as brand new pieces for the tour. Tomorrow night, they will light up the stage at the 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore.
“We just love going out there and dancing for everyone, giving the crowd an amazing performance,” said contemporary dancer Kent Boyd, 18, of Wapakoneta, Ohio.
“When you get out into an arena of thousands of people and hear screaming at the fact that you’re on stage is the most incredible feeling in the world,” said Robert Roldan, 20, a contemporary dancer from Thousand Oaks, Calif. “I can’t even explain how that rush just happens every single time I’ve stepped on stage so far.”
After a grueling summer on the hit TV series, the two runners-up have been extremely enthusiastic about performing live.
“None of us really got any breaks from the show. But it’s great; it’s what we love to do,” Boyd said. “It’s so amazing to actually realize that there are more people watching this than just your parents.”
Roldan in particular was looking forward to a performance in Baltimore, having lived nearby.
“I lived in Maryland for about a year and a half, actually,” he said. “I was living in Riverdale, which is kind of close to Baltimore.”
Both performers discussed their favorite numbers. For Roldan, it is a contemporary routine to Coldplay’s “Fix You,” with All-Star Allison Holker.
“It’s very special to me, and I’m so glad I can do it on the tour,” Roldan said.
Boyd looked forward to group routines with the other dancers.
“There’s a couple of new ones that I can’t talk about until you see it live, and I don’t want to ruin them,” Boyd said. “Those became some of my favorites. It’s refreshing and new for me.”
Jamie Curtis, director of Marketing and Public Relations at 1st Mariner Arena, expressed her satisfaction working with those putting the tour together.
“We’ve had this show for a number of years,” Curtis said. “They are fantastic to work with.”
She called Baltimore “one of the best stops on … the entire tour of this show,” saying that Baltimore, the metro area and the arena staff all fell in love with So You Think You Can Dance.
“We all love live entertainment, and we love the whole process of getting the show and putting it together and watching it grow,” she said. “Everybody that works at 1st Mariner gets this kick out of seeing people come into the building and just the excitement on everybody’s face.”
The dancers encouraged students to come see the tour in Baltimore.
“Well first off, for any of the guys who go to college, there are five amazing looking females and they’re up on that stage,” Boyd said. “And let me tell you, in some of those numbers they look incredible. So right there, there should be a whole bunch of guys there.”
Roldan also expressed his enthusiasm for the performances on the tour.
“It’s so entertaining, top to bottom, all different styles of dance. [Audiences] can walk away feeling excited,” said Roldan.
Both also pointed out that dance is a powerful art form they feel doesn’t get enough attention.
“I feel like people my age don’t really see this type of art form as much,” Roldan said.
Boyd hopes that those who come to the show “can discover a new passion” by watching the various styles of dance over the course of the night.
More than anything else, the dancers stressed how much the audience will enjoy watching the show.
“All I can tell you is the tour is amazing,” Roldan said. “It’s a lot of fun. There’s a lot of fun stuff that happens on stage.”
The So You Think You Can Dance tour will be Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at 1st Mariner Arena. Tickets start at $37.50.
afreedman@umdbk.com
