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‘So You Think You Can Dance’ tour Streetwise style
By John Benson
Something new and something fresh is what hip-hop and contemporary performer Megan “Megz” Alfonso feels she brought to the most recent season of popular FOX-TV reality show “So You Think You Can Dance.” Even though the Long Island-based dancer bowed out in sixth place, she has no regrets.
“I accomplished what I wanted, which was to show the world there’s no giving up who you are as a person and what you love to do,” said Alfonso, calling from Durham, N.C. “I previously auditioned for seasons one, two and five but I finally made it my fourth time.
“I think the reason I made it onto the show was because they actually saw the growth in me and that I had something different.”
It turns out her winning audition was pure happenstance. Currently a member of national professional dancing company Decadancetheatre, Alfonso just happened to be back in New York City when she heard about the “So You Think You Can Dance” tryouts.
Now, the dancer is back on the road only this time it’s for the “So You Think You Can Dance Season 12 Tour,” which includes a Tuesday performance at the State Theatre in Cleveland.
The lineup includes 10 finalists: Team Stage’s Gaby Diaz (this season’s winner), Edson Juarez, Jim Nowakowski, Hailee Payne and Derek Piquette; and Team Street’s Alfonso, Eddie “Neptune” Eskridge, Virgil Gadson, Jessica “JJ” Rabone and Jana “Jaja” Vankova.
The promotional photo for the “So You Think You Can Dance Season 12 Tour” has a decidedly Jets vs. Sharks vibe. That shouldn’t come as a surprise considering this season the show instituted a new format in which dancers were divided into competing groups: Stage and Street.
Invariably, the idea was to create competition between formally trained dancers and their street-wise counterparts.
“I was really shocked how they wanted to take a risk and try something new,” Alfonso said. “It was really bold. They changed the style where it was very street instead of the original idea of the show. It’s just good to show people the differences. For Stage dancers, there are instructors that tell them what to do. It’s hard for them to find what their style is.
“Then for the Street dancers, we develop our own style and culture of hip-hop. So it’s different but it’s good to combine both of them because then we learn from each other.”
There’s no denying the popularity of dance has exploded over the past decade due to various reality television shows. Alfonso is happy because during that time she watched as the hip-hop style evolved from the streets into a highly-respected and cherished dance form.
“I love that it’s getting more respect,” Alfonso said. “It’s something new and fresh.”