After nearly 60 million votes cast over the season, So You Think You Can Dance viewers named their lead dancer in the finale of the show’s fourth season. Joshua Allen, a 19 year-old hip hop dancer from Fort Worth, Texas, became one of the first street dancers to win the title. As the top performer, he will receive a $250,000 cash prize and a featured dance role in the upcoming film Step Up 3-D.
Allen was a judge’s favorite from the beginning, lauded for his seemingly effortless ability to inhabit any dance style with little training. He was equally at home in Broadway routines or a Bollywood-infused number paired with Katee Shean, one of the show’s most technically gifted dancers, as he was in his home turf of hip hop.
Allen is also equally comfortable on the sports field as he is in the dance studio. Proof, perhaps, that dancing is just as much about athleticism as it is artistry. He was a varsity running back at Crowley High School and broke records as a freshman in track and field. But, he always harbored dreams of singing and dancing and now it looks like he'll be seeing a lot more of the stage than the track field.
The So You Think You Can Dance Season Four finale show was more akin to a reunion with old faces resurfacing from auditions and seasons past to judges reminiscing about their favorite dances of the season. No fewer than six judges rubbed elbows with each other on the panel: Mia Michaels, Adam Shankman, Debbie Allen, Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy and Lil’ C. The show kicked off with a Shane Sparks work featuring all 20 of the original contestants.
Each judge introduced their favorite dance of the season throughout the night with explanations as individual as the choreographers themselves. Choreographer Lil’ C chose “Bleeding Love” with Mark Kanemura and Chelsie Hightower, and imparted some advice, “Instead of dancing from your heart, you have to dance through your heart.”
Poppers Robert Muraine and Phillip Chbeeb dueled in the show’s first pop battle. Judge Mary Murphy vacated her chair on the panel and lit up the stage with one of her “hot tamale” ballroom numbers. A final montage featured updates about past contestants activities. Who knew Lacey from Season Three had her own clothing line?
As the top female contestant, third-place winner Katee Shean won a cash prize of $50,000. Twitch Boss, a freestyle dancer who had previously worked with Wade Robson on The Wade Robson Project, was the runner up.
All of the top 10 contestants will embark on a national tour of the U.S. beginning this September.
