Welcome to another round of World Of Dance qualifiers! This never gets old, seriously! First up tonight was an incredible crew, Embodiment The Collective! The men’s powerful performance totally grasped the judges, and it was a strong start to the night. Maybe one of the best crew’s we’ve seen so far?! Their dance to Imagine Dragons’ “Believe” had the judges on their feet, and we’re so excited to see them at the Duels!
Next up were Daniel and Mishella, two 10-year-old ballroom cuties! Daniel has a shocking resemblance to a young Derek Hough — and dances like him at 10 years old. The two have won a number of championships together and totally wowed the audience at the World of Dance qualifiers! The judges loved them too, but wanted them to up the difficulty for the next round! And, of course they pointed out that Daniel and Derek were so similar, except Derek said he wasn’t as good! The pair received a combined 82.7, with a nice 87 from Jennifer Lopez! Yay!
Marissa and the Heartbreakers were ready to slay in their high stiletto heels for a fun routine. Dancing to Kelly Clarkson‘s “Love So Soft” the ladies gave a super sexy performance, inspired by J.Lo, Britney Spears and Janet Jackson. “People don’t understand how hard it is to dance in heels,” J.Lo laughed, adding, “This is really special. Girl power, baby!” She added she wants to see more, and feels they can do even more! Derek had similar sentiments, as did Ne-Yo, who told them not to “overplay” it. The ladies got an 83 from Ne-Yo, and 86 from J.Lo and an 82 from Derek, sending them to the Duels! Woo!
Madison Brown, 12, is a contemporary dancer who gave a tearful pre-audition interview about her struggle to make friends. The stunning dancer thanked her mom, who she said “gave her friends” in supporting her dance career. Okay, we’re obsessed already, this is adorable. With deep lunges and flexible splits, Madison impressed the judges from the start. Her emotion showed through her routine, giving off total Eva Igo vibes. When she announced she was 12, J.Lo told her she had a “womanly” quality about her, but wanted to see more emotion in between moves. Derek and NE-Yo, on the other hand loved her performance! Still, she received amazing scores and totaled an 87, bringing her to he next round!
A foursome called Freshh blew it out of the water with their quick moves and intense footwork. The three guys and one girl gave a great performance, and J.Lo called them the “funkiest” hip-hop group she’s seen, but both Derek and Ne-Yo wanted more personality, even though the dance was above and beyond. The crew got a total of 84, so they’ll have the opportunity to show more of themselves then!
Silver Beat is here to represent Africa with Afrodance, but also make a difference. The lead dancer uses dance as a platform to inspire people, and those who are impoverished in African communities. With intense energy, this group gave us a dance like one we haven’t seen before. While it was a little less difficult than others, and lacked the cleanliness as other crews do. The judges agreed, feeling that there wasn’t a “WOW” moment. Silver Beat received a 78.7, so unfortunately they didn’t make it to the next round. But, we have a feeling we’ll see more of them in the future!
Royal Flux, a dance company based out of California, made it to the Duel round last season, and after being eliminated, they’ve come back with more experience! However, one of the dancers, Audrey, got hurt while rehearsing just three hours before the performance, and they said they couldn’t perform without her. Audrey revealed her foot was fractured, but she was going to do the dance on one foot and try not to put pressure on it, anyway. Audrey was carried out onto the stage and they prepared for their daring performance! “They’re back!” Derek said as he saw them come in. Royal Flux gave a stunning performance, with Audrey going full out on her broken foot — amazing! What a performance! They received an 87, so they’re headed to Duels, and J.Lo thinks they can go even further this time of around! Yay!
World of Dance is not only next Tuesday, due to the July 4th holiday, so tune in on July 11th for the newest round of qualifiers at 10 PM ET!