From L.A., Phillip went to a performing arts high school and started
working right after graduation on tours and doing Broadway shows in New
York, but he says making the Top 20 eclipses all those other
experiences: "'So You Think You Can Dance' provides an opportunity for
artists to step into their own skins. I can't think of a better way to
grow and define yourself creatively."

Billy Bell, 19

Billy was too busy to watch Seasons 3 and 4 of "So You Think You Can
Dance," but got back into it this past summer: "Jeanine Mason, the
Season 5 winner, is my duet partner. So I was like, 'I have to watch it
now!' I was like, 'I'm sorry I can't take class on Thursdays anymore. I
have to go home and watch TV.'"

Ryan Di Lello, 28

Ryan met his wife Ashleigh (who is also in the Top 20) while dancing:
"We competed against each other while we were dating, so I guess we'll
be doing that again now. I'm really going to have to step up my game,
because she always tended to beat me and my [previous dance] partner. I
need to redeem myself now."

Russell Ferguson, 20

The first krump dancer to make the Top 20, Russell feels he was born to
do this: "When I was little, my mom asked my sisters and my little
brother and I what we wanted to be when we grew up and I automatically
said I wanted to be a dancer and an artist. Ever since then, I never
turned back. At first, it was just watching videos and picking up
movements from there. And then I started going to classes at this local
dance company called Boston City Lights. You know, it was free and that
helped me develop in lots of areas."

Kevin "K"Bez' Hunte, 23

Having lived the life of a dancer for some time now, Kevin really wants
to make the Top 10 and is excited to see how America views him: "I've
been teaching, auditioning, trying to book jobs. You know, that's what
most dancers do. Hopefully, you get a big break like this and hopefully
it takes you somewhere. I can't wait to see who my partner is and what
happens as the weeks go by."

Jakob Karr, 18

Jakob is very close with Season 5 winner, Jeanine Mason, as both she
and he from Florida and danced in several competitions together: "I
would go down to [ Miami] and stay with her and she would come [to
Orlando] and stay with me, and we did an intensive two-week [program]
in New York in 2007 and that's when we really bonded and became best
friends."

Jonathan Legacy Perez, 28

Jonathan's mom and dad started crying when they found out he'd made the
Top 20: "I'm a street dancer. I was raised in Miami and I used to bring
cardboard home and my mom used to throw it away because it was garbage
in the house. So I wasn't really supported in that way. But for my
parents to now see me [do well as a dancer] and love what I do and say,
'Wow, you're actually good!; it's fun."

Peter Sabasino, 22

A tap dancer, Peter hopes to work closely with one of the judges: "I
would really like to see Nigel choreograph a tap routine, because I
know he's a tapper. So, Nigel, if you're [reading] this, let's make it
happen! Get those Capezios out!"

Victor Smalley, 21

Victor is a contemporary dancer, but with an edge: "Basically, I'm
very, like, tribal and powerful and I like a lot of jumps and turns
and, you know, big movements."

Nathan Trasoras, 18

Nathan tried playing several different sports as a kid, but says he was
never very good at any of them. Inspired by his older brother, a
hip-hop and contemporary dancer, he decided to start taking classes
when he was 10. He credits his parents for his success: "In middle
school, kids started making fun of me, so in 7th grade, my parents
moved me to Orange County High School of the Arts. I appreciate my
parents so much. They paid so much money to send me there [despite]
having problems with money ... I'm very emotional right now ... There
have been so many ups and downs in my life and they've always supported
me. I just want to make them proud."

A contemporary dancer and longtime fan of the show, Channing is really
excited to work with new choreographer and show alum, Travis Wall.
However, she hopes to adapt to all the different genres smoothly: "I
feel very comfortable with hip hop. I'm a funky white girl. But the
other styles ... everything is scary."

Ariana Debose, 18

Looks up to one show alum in particular: "Martha Nichols from Season 2
is actually from my studio. I used to dance with her, so I feel like I
kind of dance similarly. Or I did at one time. I've gotten older and
changed a little bit. But she's such a great person, so I hope that
people can see me like that."

Ashleigh Di Lello, 26

The female half of the first married couple to ever make the show's Top
20, she's overcome a lot to get this far: "I became really sick when I
was 13 and went through a four-and-a-half year illness. I almost lost
my life, fought through it. But when I recovered from that, I injured
my back because my body was so weakened. I had to rehab for over a
year. For six years, I was told I wouldn't dance again. But at age 20,
I came back to it. It's a miracle for me to be dancing at all. I'm so
grateful."

Mollee Gray, 18

Though she's an actress and a singer and goes on an average of five
auditions every week, she says Vegas was brutal: "I've never been so
stressed [while] auditioning in my life! The pressure is [intense]."

Karen Hauer, 27

A ballroom dancer, she's a bit frightened by contemporary, but relieved
to know she's been assigned her own style for the first week of
competition: "I'll definitely be on my game. Especially since it's
[ballroom]. There's no wrongdoing. And if there is, you just fake it
till the end!"

Noelle Marsh, 18

She's been taking dance classes since she was three-years-old, but is
intimidated by a couple different genres: "I'm definitely nervous about
Bollywood. I'm not familiar with it at all. And ballroom. I've had no
ballroom training whatsoever, so I'm curious to see how that works
out!"

Pauline is shocked that she's on the show: "It still hasn't clicked. I
auditioned last season, made it to Top 32 but got cut before Top 20.
And I'm surprised to be here now, because I got injured the last day of
Vegas. I was wearing heels, I did a jump, I landed wrong, sprained my
ankle and couldn't do the choreography. When they told me that I'd made
the Top 20, I lost it on stage. I'm so lucky to be here."

Kathryn McCormick, 18

Moved from Georgia to L.A. last Halloween, so she could start
auditioning: "I was scared out of my mind. Who knew that, in a year,
this is where I would be My family is just jumping for joy. They're so
excited and proud."

Bianca Revels, 20

Having tried out for the show twice before and falling just short both
times, Bianca says the challenges of the "So You Think You Can Dance"
audition process were a catalyst for her growth as a dancer: "[Vegas]
really helped my development in the other genres. And mentally, I just
realized I needed to [approach dance] with the thought of having fun
and being myself."

Ellenore Scott, 19

Ellenore has dance in her blood: "I labeled myself as a contemporary
dancer for the show, however [executive producer] Nigel [Lythgoe]
coined the term Lockerina because my father is a pop-and-locker and my
mother is a ballerina, so I fused the two together and made a
ballet/pop-locking solo! So I'm going to try and bring some of that
with me, but I'm mostly contemporary."