Four years ago, "So You Think You Can Dance" producer/judge Nigel Lythgoe created National Dance Day, a holiday recognized by an Official Act of Congress
to promote healthy lifestyles through movement and dance. National
Dance Day takes place on the last Saturday of every July via
flashmob-style dance and fitness events across the country, but the
holiday's main event has to be Nigel's Dizzy Feet Gala.
Paula Abdul and Nigel Lythgoe arrive at the 3rd annual Dizzy Feet Gala [photo: Jesse Grant/WireImage]
Held to benefit the Dizzy Feet Foundation (a non-profit organization established by Nigel, "SYTYCD" judge Adam Shankman, "Dancing With the Stars" judge Carrie Ann Inaba, and actress Katie Holmes to advance dance education
in under-served areas), the gala is always a dream come true for avid
viewers of dance reality shows like myself. Featuring allstar
performances by dancers from programs like "SYTYCD" and "DWTS" —
including reprises of famous routines from episodes past — the gala is
an amazing celebration of not only dance as an art form, but of the many
television shows that have helped introduce that art form to an entire
new mainstream audience. And this year's "Celebration of Dance," held at
the historic Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in downtown Los Angeles, did not disappoint.
"DWTS" was well-represented by a spirited jive by Mark Ballas and Peta Murgatroyd,
but the night really belonged to "SYTYCD," which recently scooped up
seven Emmy nominations. Among the familiar "SYTYCD" faces who wowed the
crowd were Season 3 runner-up Neil Haskell and Season 8 winner Melanie Moore, who performed their famous Mandy Moore-choreographed "Total Eclipse of the Heart;"
Season 2 runner-up-turned-star-choreographer Travis Wall's Shaping
Sound dance company, which featured alums Neil and Melanie, Nick Lazzarini, Allison Holker, Ade Obayomi, Jaime Goodwin, Channing Cookie, Noelle Marsh, and Chantel Aguirre; Season 9 winner Chehon Wespi-Tschopp doing a sexy Twyla Tharp routine with his partner, Marcia Moreno; a high-energy Bollywood number by Alex Wong and Caitlin Kinney; Stephen "Twitch" Boss and Cyrus "Glitch" Spencer reuniting for their famous Christopher Scott duo dance from last year; a fantastic, Spencer Liff-choreographed tribute to Tony-winning theater and film legend Chita Rivera featuring Kayla Radomski, Ryan Ramirez, and Sasha Mallory; a fiery rhumba by ballroom veterans Dmitry Chaplin and Anya Garnis; and an allstar-studded finale by Christopher Scott's LXD.
