These are the new, surprise stars of the pop-culture world.They are young, attractive and hard-bodied. That part isn’t the surprise.They don’t — for now, at least — sing or act or pitch or pass. Still, this summer’s "So You Think You Can Dance" on Fox, has given them a collection of screaming teen fans."It’s all about inspiration, (doing) something positive with our lives," said Ryan Rankine, 20, who reached the final eight before being ousted Thursday. "Our art form we chose is dance."That isn’t the usual teen choice. "I was made fun of a lot, because I was a dancer," said Benji Schwimmer, 22, who’s in the final six. "We were pretty much thrown in lockers, that type of thing." Now they get cheers. Schwimmer said a former bully even sent him an E-mail, apologizing.In its first year, "Dance" was a modest success; for this second year, its Nielsen ratings have increased 19 percent, putting the show into the top five. The finals Aug. 9 and 16 are expected to score big.So far, it’s tough to predict who will be in those finals. The most recent viewers’ votes brought some quick jolts
• Among the men, Rankine — with his intense background in classical and modern dance — was ousted. Travis Wall, 18, was also in the bottom two; Schwimmer and Ivan Koumaev, 18, weren’t.
• Among the women, Allison Holker — a spectacular beauty at 18 — was ousted. Natalie Fotopoulos, 22, was in the bottom two; Heidi Groskreutz, 24, and Donyelle Jones, 27, weren’t.
These people vary sharply in experience and in style. Schwimmer, for instance, grew up around his parents’ dance studio in California. "My training consists of mostly West Coast swing since I was a fetus," he said. Groskreutz is his cousin and knows all about that studio. "That’s where we danced, growing up," she said.
Fotopoulos — whose mother is a dancer in Tampa, Fla. — has been dancing since she was 2. Wall grew up around his mom’s studio in Virginia Beach, Va.Even as a kid, Wall already was dancing in national commercials and competitions. He was in Broadway’s "Music Man" revival, dancing in the chorus and understudying as Winthrop. When he auditioned for "Dance," he was staying with his friends Nick Lazzarini and Melody Lascayanga, last summer’s "Dance" champion and runner-up.Jones, by comparison, had a sort of dance-free childhood. "I started in college when I was 18," she said. "That was when I really got interested in it. … When I first started, I was dancing 15 to 20 hours a week."Rankine grew up in Brooklyn, where his mom has a hair salon. He started dance at 8 and joined Creative Outlook Dance Theatre at 13. He’s gone on to Dance Theatre of Harlem, San Francisco Ballet, Miami City Ballet and more. While Rankine struggled to learn hip-hop, Koumaev — wborn in Russia — grew up dancing that style. For any other style, he said, he has to simply throw himself into it."It’s committing to the steps," Koumaev said. Other dancers also have styles they struggle with. For instance
• Wall fell into the bottom two last week after his quick-step performance. He said he has trouble with "anything ballroom; you name it — fox trot, quick step, salsa."
• Groskreutz had trouble earlier with the Cuban rumba. "It was all drums," she said. "I couldn’t figure out exactly which accents they wanted us to use."
Their styles may vary, but the dancers have a few things in common. All are energetic and exuberant. And many of the guys found that dance wasn’t an easy route to popularity. The exception is Wall. "I was always the popular kid in a small town," Wall said. "I could (do acrobatics) and tumble and they thought that was the coolest thing ever, like putting my head between my butt and stuff."Schwimmer said he, Rankine and Koumaev have swapped stories about meeting bullies."We wanted to punch, (but) we were just, like, pointing our toes, trying to kick someone," Schwimmer said.
The Journal News
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