After two weeks of Qualifiers, season four of “World of Dance” has shown us more than a dozen acts with potential to win the million-dollar grand prize this season. We’ve asked our readers each week which act they thought was the best. And their favorites were jazz dance prodigy Savannah Manzel in week one and ballet duo Styles and Emma in week two. Do they have the makings of world champions? No one from either dance style has gone all the way before. Scroll down for our complete poll results.
The first three seasons of the show were all won by hip-hop acts, albeit with their own unique stylistic and cultural inflections: the French pair Les Twins in season one, the American junior crew The Lab in season two and the Indian team The Kings in season three. And the runners-up were contemporary dancers every time: Eva Igo, Michael Dameski and Unity La,...
The first three seasons of the show were all won by hip-hop acts, albeit with their own unique stylistic and cultural inflections: the French pair Les Twins in season one, the American junior crew The Lab in season two and the Indian team The Kings in season three. And the runners-up were contemporary dancers every time: Eva Igo, Michael Dameski and Unity La,...
- 6/9/2020
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
The end is near! Twelve contestants went into the “World of Dance” Divisional Final, but only four came out. So who will represent the Upper Division, Upper Team Division, Junior Division and Junior Team Division next week in the World Final for a chance at the million-dollar grand prize? Find out below in our live blog with all the minute-by-minute developments as they happen.
The three acts who survived the Cut in each division now face off one last time to decide the division champs. The Upper Team Division has been the most competitive field all season. The hip-hop crews The Kings and The Heima, and the contemporary troupe Unity La have higher season-long averages than any other contestants in any other division. But “World of Dance” fans we’ve polled in our predictions center thought The Kings would have the Divisional Final in the bag. Were they right?
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The three acts who survived the Cut in each division now face off one last time to decide the division champs. The Upper Team Division has been the most competitive field all season. The hip-hop crews The Kings and The Heima, and the contemporary troupe Unity La have higher season-long averages than any other contestants in any other division. But “World of Dance” fans we’ve polled in our predictions center thought The Kings would have the Divisional Final in the bag. Were they right?
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- 4/28/2019
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
“World of Dance” introduced a new twist this year: the Redemption Round. After the head-to-head, single-elimination Duels, the two eliminated acts with the highest scores got to perform again for a chance at one last wild-card slot in the Cut. Well, three of those redeemed acts ended up surviving the Cut, and now they’re on their way to the Divisional Final. Could all three make their way to the World Final? Could one of them even win the million-dollar grand prize? That would be the ultimate redemption.
Contemporary soloist Briar Nolet lost her Upper Division Duel to hip-hop-ballroom duo All Ready. But she won her redemption dance, and then in the Cut she ended up with the highest score in the division (95.3), while All Ready were eliminated. Sweet revenge! Now our readers think Nolet is the favorite to win the Upper Divisional Final too.
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Contemporary soloist Briar Nolet lost her Upper Division Duel to hip-hop-ballroom duo All Ready. But she won her redemption dance, and then in the Cut she ended up with the highest score in the division (95.3), while All Ready were eliminated. Sweet revenge! Now our readers think Nolet is the favorite to win the Upper Divisional Final too.
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- 4/24/2019
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
“World of Dance” concluded the Cut round on Sunday night, April 21, so all that’s left are the Divisional Final and the World Final to crown the third season’s million-dollar champion. The show is down to its top 12 competitors, so who do you think will win it all? You can make your predictions here in our predictions center for who will prevail in each division and who will take the top prize at season’s end.
The Upper Division consists of dancers aged 18 and over with up to four members, and the three acts who made the Cut there are Briar Nolet, Poppin John and Derion and Madison.
The Upper Team Division comprises acts aged 18 and over with more than four members, and the three groups remaining there are The Kings, The Heima and Unity La.
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The Junior Division...
The Upper Division consists of dancers aged 18 and over with up to four members, and the three acts who made the Cut there are Briar Nolet, Poppin John and Derion and Madison.
The Upper Team Division comprises acts aged 18 and over with more than four members, and the three groups remaining there are The Kings, The Heima and Unity La.
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The Junior Division...
- 4/22/2019
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
I’ve had a bone to pick with “World of Dance” judges this season over how they have treated contemporary soloists, withholding big scores from powerful performances. I was especially annoyed during the Duels when contemporary-ballet standout Kayla Mak lost her head-to-head match-up against hip-hop duo Funkanometry. But Mak won the redemption round that night and earned a spot in the Cut. And on Sunday night she made the most of that second chance by acing the Cut and earning a spot in the Divisional Final. Watch her routine above.
Judge Jennifer Lopez did double duty during the Cut as a mentor to the Junior Division contestants. During her one-on-one with Mak she praised the beauty of technique that comes out of Mak’s classical ballet training, but where she often encourages dancers to allow more softness and vulnerability into their routines, she actually encouraged Mak to dance harder and bring more of a no-holds-barred,...
Judge Jennifer Lopez did double duty during the Cut as a mentor to the Junior Division contestants. During her one-on-one with Mak she praised the beauty of technique that comes out of Mak’s classical ballet training, but where she often encourages dancers to allow more softness and vulnerability into their routines, she actually encouraged Mak to dance harder and bring more of a no-holds-barred,...
- 4/22/2019
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
The “World of Dance” judges also served as mentors during The Cut, which concluded on Sunday night, April 21. But I wonder if Jennifer Lopez‘s counseling might have significantly affected the outcome in the Junior Division. Her advice to former front-runner Lauren Yakima might have hurt the young contemporary dancer more than it helped her. Watch Yakima’s routine above.
Yakima got the highest score in the Junior Division during the Qualifiers (95.7), and then she got the highest score again during the Duels (96.0). But Lopez thought her Duels performance needed more of an emotional hook to go along with her intense athletics. She likes routines that tell a story, especially from contemporary dancers, and she wanted Yakima to open up and let herself be more vulnerable on stage.
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The resulting routine, which was dedicated to Yakima’s supportive mother, brought the emotions,...
Yakima got the highest score in the Junior Division during the Qualifiers (95.7), and then she got the highest score again during the Duels (96.0). But Lopez thought her Duels performance needed more of an emotional hook to go along with her intense athletics. She likes routines that tell a story, especially from contemporary dancers, and she wanted Yakima to open up and let herself be more vulnerable on stage.
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The resulting routine, which was dedicated to Yakima’s supportive mother, brought the emotions,...
- 4/22/2019
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
“World of Dance” concluded the Cut round on Sunday night, April 21, with performances from the Upper Team Division and Junior Division that chopped those fields in half — from six contestants to three. So who advanced to the Divisional Final, and who was eliminated? Find out below in our live blog with all the minute-by-minute updates as they happen.
The Upper Team Division consists of dance acts aged 18 and over with more than four members. The teams who made it this far include four hip-hop crews: The Kings, The Heima, Exiles and Fuego Dance Crew. The other two are contemporary teams: Unity La and Radiance. But this division might ultimately turn out to be just a race for second place since The Kings from India received indomitable scores in the Qualifiers and in the Duels, so can anyone hope to catch them? They have set a high bar, not only for their competitors but for themselves,...
The Upper Team Division consists of dance acts aged 18 and over with more than four members. The teams who made it this far include four hip-hop crews: The Kings, The Heima, Exiles and Fuego Dance Crew. The other two are contemporary teams: Unity La and Radiance. But this division might ultimately turn out to be just a race for second place since The Kings from India received indomitable scores in the Qualifiers and in the Duels, so can anyone hope to catch them? They have set a high bar, not only for their competitors but for themselves,...
- 4/21/2019
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
Since “World of Dance” premiered in 2017, some of its biggest breakouts have been contemporary solo dancers like teenager Eva Igo in season one and Aussie Michael Dameski in season two. So why have contemporary soloists struggled so much for recognition in season three? Midway through the season, several such dancers have been eliminated or made it through by the skin of their teeth. Are the judges being too hard on them this year, or does this crop of contenders not measure up to the high standards Igo and Dameski set?
There has been one major exception to the contemporary soloist curse this season: Lauren Yakima, who bears some resemblance to Igo and also shares her heart-on-her-sleeve emotional style. Her Qualifiers and Duels performances were the two highest scoring routines in the Junior Division all season, and deservedly so — her moves would be the envy of Neo in “The Matrix.” But...
There has been one major exception to the contemporary soloist curse this season: Lauren Yakima, who bears some resemblance to Igo and also shares her heart-on-her-sleeve emotional style. Her Qualifiers and Duels performances were the two highest scoring routines in the Junior Division all season, and deservedly so — her moves would be the envy of Neo in “The Matrix.” But...
- 4/3/2019
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
I can usually see where the “World of Dance” judges are coming from even when I don’t agree, but I think they blew a call big time on Sunday night during The Duels 3 when the Junior Division was cut down from 10 performers to 6. Kayla Mak went up against Funkanometry in their head-to-head, single elimination battle. After they both performed, I thought Mak had it in the bag. But the judges picked Funkanometry instead. Watch their Dueling performances above and decide for yourself who should have gone through to the next round.
Kayla Mak combines ballet with contemporary dance, and that unique fusion made her the third highest scoring act in her division during the Qualifiers round, so she got to choose her opponent for the Duels and she settled on the hip-hop duo Funkanometry. That was a risk since Funkanometry did well in the Qualifiers too: they ranked fifth in the division.
Kayla Mak combines ballet with contemporary dance, and that unique fusion made her the third highest scoring act in her division during the Qualifiers round, so she got to choose her opponent for the Duels and she settled on the hip-hop duo Funkanometry. That was a risk since Funkanometry did well in the Qualifiers too: they ranked fifth in the division.
- 4/1/2019
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
The “World of Dance” Duels are winding down. The top six Junior Team and Upper Division contenders have been selected, and tonight’s show picked the top six for the Junior Division. So who made it through to the Cut, and which four acts got the axe. Follow along below with our live blog for all the minute-by-minute developments as they happen.
The Junior Division comprises acts under the age of 18 with up to four members. The top 10 contenders who made it out of the Qualifiers round, listed in order of their qualifying scores, were Lauren Yakima (95.7), Ellie and Ava (92.3), Kayla Mak (90.3), Aydin Eyikan (88.3), Funkanometry (87.3), Julian and Charlize (87.0), Moving 4ward (86.3), The Trilogy (86.3), Audrey and Mia (86.3) and House of Tap (85.7).
Getting a high score in the Qualifiers is an advantage going into the Duels since the high scorers get their choice of opponents for their head-to-head match-ups, but it’s no guarantee of success.
The Junior Division comprises acts under the age of 18 with up to four members. The top 10 contenders who made it out of the Qualifiers round, listed in order of their qualifying scores, were Lauren Yakima (95.7), Ellie and Ava (92.3), Kayla Mak (90.3), Aydin Eyikan (88.3), Funkanometry (87.3), Julian and Charlize (87.0), Moving 4ward (86.3), The Trilogy (86.3), Audrey and Mia (86.3) and House of Tap (85.7).
Getting a high score in the Qualifiers is an advantage going into the Duels since the high scorers get their choice of opponents for their head-to-head match-ups, but it’s no guarantee of success.
- 3/31/2019
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
Many contemporary soloists have competed on “World of Dance” since it premiered in 2017, and lots of hip-hop soloists too. But we don’t see ballet represented as often. During the second week of season three’s Qualifiers, teenager Kayla Mak changed that with a routine that blended ballet with contemporary. The judges admired the way it enhanced a traditional style with nontraditional elements, but was it enough to advance her to the next round, the Duels? Watch her performance above to find out. Read what the judges had to say about her below and let us know if you agree with them.
See‘World of Dance’ Qualifiers 2 recap: Jennifer Lopez and company continue their search for the next world champ
Derek Hough: “I loved that routine. That is a ballet that I would pay money to go see. It just felt fresh. It was so now, but still honoring...
See‘World of Dance’ Qualifiers 2 recap: Jennifer Lopez and company continue their search for the next world champ
Derek Hough: “I loved that routine. That is a ballet that I would pay money to go see. It just felt fresh. It was so now, but still honoring...
- 3/4/2019
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
“World of Dance” premiered its third season on Tuesday, February 26, but the dance competition moved to its regular Sunday night time slot on March 3. So who impressed the judges enough in “Qualifiers 2” to advance to the Duels? Scroll down for our live blog with all the minute-by-minute developments as they happen.
Tuesday’s two-hour season premiere introduced us to new dancers across all four divisions, and the stakes were higher this time around. In previous seasons you needed an average score of 80 from the judges to advance, but now the cutoff is 85, and that high bar already knocked out a few impressive acts that would have made it through in previous years. However, several other vaulted clear over that bar.
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The class of the field in the Upper Division were Jonathan y Jorge, a male salsa duo who scored 88.7 for defying gender expectations,...
Tuesday’s two-hour season premiere introduced us to new dancers across all four divisions, and the stakes were higher this time around. In previous seasons you needed an average score of 80 from the judges to advance, but now the cutoff is 85, and that high bar already knocked out a few impressive acts that would have made it through in previous years. However, several other vaulted clear over that bar.
Sign UPfor Gold Derby’s free newsletter with latest predictions
The class of the field in the Upper Division were Jonathan y Jorge, a male salsa duo who scored 88.7 for defying gender expectations,...
- 3/4/2019
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
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