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Chemistry is important for any duo on “World of Dance,” so it was concerning for the judges that Bailey and Kida hadn’t been dancing together for very long compared to other team acts in the competition. But they still made it through the Qualifiers with flying colors. Did they connect better during the Junior Division Duels, where they faced off against another duo, James and Harris? NBC shared an online preview of their routine above to the song “Isis” by Joyner Lucas. Watch it above.

SEEThe Young Cast (‘World of Dance’ Duels): ‘I didn’t know you had it in you,’ said Jennifer Lopez about the night’s toughest battle [Watch]

“That was sick!” says Derek Hough about their performance. “Just the isolations, every movement just so intentional and executed to perfection … and the small nuances of that were so powerful.” Ne-Yo was just as impressed with their isolations,...

Contemporary dancer Kurtis Sprung comes to “World of Dance” with an impressive resume: he’s got a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance and Choreography, and he danced and choreographed for Cirque du Soleil. But does he have what it takes to win the million-dollar grand prize on the competition series? NBC shared with Gold Derby an exclusive preview of his Qualifiers performance to “Torches” by X Ambassadors. Watch it above.

See‘World of Dance’ recap: ‘The Qualifiers 3’ continued the search for the next million dollar champion [Updating Live Blog]

Derek Hough thought his performance was “really beautiful.” There was a certain “awkward” quality to the way the dancer shifted his momentum in different directions that Hough liked. Hough even pegged right away that Sprung has a circus background due to his “creature-like” movements. But “I wanted to be more drawn in,” said the judge.

Jennifer Lopez was in the same boat: she told Sprung he was “amazing,...

“World of Dance” is “one of the biggest opportunities I’ve ever had,” said 13-year-old Keagan Capps in the third week of Qualifiers on the NBC competition series. She’s from a small town in Oklahoma but the teenage contemporary dancer actually performed to Gabriella‘s cover of The Cranberries‘ “Zombie.” And she’s so damn flexible it was virtually a contortionist act. Watch her performance above.

“Show off!” said Jennifer Lopez as soon as Capps was done with her routine. Derek Hough added, “Sometimes when I see that it looks like Gumby, and it looks uncontrolled, but you had so much control and so much stability in everything that you did. It was so wonderful to watch.” Ne-Yo noted that “when a dancer can do that, they tend to overdo it. It’s like, ‘Look, hey, I’m super-flexible,’ and is that it? Is that all there is?” But...

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,...

Season 4 of NBC’s competition series “World of Dance” premieres on May 26, but while we haven’t met this year’s contestants yet, we can probably make one confident prediction: at least one hip-hop act will be in the finals. Heck, it might even be safe to bet that a hip-hop act will win the whole competition. The show’s first three winners have all been hip-hop performers.

The show’s inaugural season ended with the French duo Les Twins from the Upper Division (age 18 and up with four or fewer members) prevailing. Season two skewed younger with The Lab prevailing for the Junior Team Division (under age 18 with five or more members), but they were a hip-hop crew too. And season three brought another change of pace with the Upper Team Division standouts The Kings taking the grand prize back to their native India — yep, they were a hip-hop crew as well,...

Veteran “So You Think You Can Dance” choreographer Christopher Scott leads the field with three nominations for the 2019 World Choreography Awards for his work on the reality competition show as well as the feature film “Zombies” and the digital short “Funraise the Musical.”

This year’s Choreo nominations, announced Tuesday, also spotlighted the dance work from the episodic TV shows “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “Code Black” and “Disjointed.” Feature film nominees include Justin Peck for the Jennifer Lawrence thriller “Red Sparrow” and Rob Marshall and John DeLuca for “Mary Poppins Returns.”

The awards recognize choreography produced in 2018 in movies, TV, music video and digital media. Winners will be announced on November 11 at a ceremony at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills.

The Next Frontier of Dance Governance Honor will be presented to Glorya Kaufman, for building the awareness of dance around the...

Karen Forcano and Ricardo Vega, also known as Karen y Ricardo, were eliminated from season two of “World of Dance” in an upset last summer, but now they could get their revenge by winning an Emmy. They’re nominated for Best Choreography for three of their routines: “Pegate,” “La Malanga” and “Caminare.” Scroll down to see those three routines at the bottom of this post.

The Latin cabaret duo were the front-runners to win the show right out of the gate. “Pegate” was their Qualifiers performance, and judges Jennifer Lopez, Derek Hough and Ne-Yo were so overwhelmed by it that they leapt out of their seats when it was over. That performance earned them an average score of 99.7 out of 100, which at the time was unprecedented. Then they scored 98.3 for “La Malanga” during the Duels round. And they hit the 99 mark again during the Cut with “Caminare.”

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“World of Dance” ended its third season on Sunday night with a victory by The Kings, arguably the most dominant contestants on the show yet. They got only the second perfect score in the history of the show: 100s across the board from Jennifer Lopez, Ne-Yo and Derek Hough. But those are the only votes that count on this series. Unlike other dance competitions like “So You Think You Can Dance” and “Dancing with the Stars,” “World of Dance” is pre-recorded. Do you think they should go live and give viewers a say next season?

Opening the show to viewer votes might level the playing field. Thus far, hip-hop acts have dominated the show, winning all three seasons so far: Les Twins in season one, The Lab in season two and now The Kings in season three. Meanwhile, contemporary dancers have been runners-up three years running: Eva Igo in season one,...

Half of the “World of Dance” season three finale was dedicated to the battle for the world championship, but the first half of the show was a reunion of sorts. Special performances brought back a few favorites from past seasons including Sean and Kaycee, Ian Eastwood and season two champions The Lab. But I was especially impressed by the returns of season two finalists Michael Dameski and Charity and Andres, who joined forces with judge Derek Hough for a performance that would have been competitive for the win if it had been part of the actual competition. Watch it above.

Dameski was the “World of Dance” runner-up last year (though he would have been my personal pick to win), while Charity and Andres finished just behind him in third place. As far as I’m concerned they’re two of the strongest contemporary acts the show has seen thus far,...

After 12 weeks and 5 rounds of competition, the “World of Dance” season 3 finale took place on Sunday night, May 5, with the million dollar grand prize up for grabs. So who won the World Final, and who fell short? Find out below in our live blog with all the minute-by-minute developments as they happened.

Last week’s Divisional Final decided the four acts that would face off in the finale: The Kings (Upper Team Division), Briar Nolet (Upper Division), VPeepz (Junior Team Division) and Ellie and Ava (Junior Division). But that might not have been all. It was announced during the Divisional Final that the judges would have the option to select one eliminated contestant to send through to the World Final as a wild card pick. That wild card (if there was one) wasn’t revealed during that episode, so fans had to wait until tonight to find out who else made it through.

Derek Hough's been serving as a judge on World of Dance for three seasons, but don't forget that he could also compete on that stage.  Hough shows off his dance skills on the NBC competition show's season three finale this Sunday, alongside season two alums Michael Dameski and Charity & Andres, who placed 2nd and 3rd respectively last season. It's a hell of a performance, featuring all kinds of lifts and spins and dance moves we don't know the names of, but know that we could not even come close to doing. Fellow judges Jennifer Lopez and Ne-Yo definitely seem impressed.  E! News has your exclusive first look at the performance below.  Five acts remain in...

“World of Dance” is about to end its third season, and for the third time in a row there’s a contemporary soloist in the World Final competing for the million dollar grand prize: Upper Division champion Briar Nolet. But so far only hip-hop dancers have ever won the show. Can Nolet succeed where Eva Igo and Michael Dameski failed? Make your predictions here in our predictions center for Sunday night’s grand finale.

Eva Igo became a fan favorite when she competed on the show during its first season. She made it to the World Final, but was narrowly beaten by hip-hop duo Les Twins in a battle that came down to literally one-tenth of a point — so close, yet so far. Igo even tried her luck on the show again in season two, but she was upset midway through the competition, knocked out during the Duels by Avery and Marcus.

If The Kings weren’t the “World of Dance” front-runners before, they certainly are now. Throughout The Duels 4, the show teased a performance that would send the judges into convulsions of joy and get the season’s first perfect 100 score from Ne-Yo. The Kings were the last Duel performance of the night, so by the time they took the stage it was clear it would be them. After all that buildup, was their performance worth the praise? Watch it above, and then vote in our poll at the bottom of this post to let us know.

I was a bit disappointed that the show spilled the beans about those scores. I would rather have been surprised by the routine instead of knowing in advance what level of performance The Kings would deliver. But much to their credit, they lived up to the hype. The Indian hip-hop crew had unparalleled flips...

Aydin Eyikan took a risk on “World of Dance.” Because he scored so well during the Qualifiers, the teenage contemporary dancer had his pick of opponents during the Duels, and he picked another contemporary dance act, the quartet Moving 4ward. Both delivered outstanding performances that improved on their Qualifiers routines, but while Moving 4ward got big scores (deservedly so), Eyikan was scored much more reservedly. I think he deserved better. Watch his performance above to see if you agree with me, and check out what the judges had to say about his performance below.

See‘World of Dance’ recap: The Duels 3 decided who would make the Cut in the Junior Division [Updating Live Blog]

Jennifer Lopez: “Amazing performance for you. It had so much attack and so much fire. It was burning from inside your soul all over that stage. The different things that you do, leaping towards us with your face...

Derek Piquette was one of the “World of Dance” contestants this season I was rooting for the most coming out of the Qualifiers, where he had one of the highest scores in the Upper Division. The “So You Think You Can Dance” alum will soon undergo a double hip replacement, so depending on how that goes this might be his last dance competition at such an elite level. How did he do in round two, the Duels? Watch his performance above to find out.

Because Piquette scored so high during Qualifiers he got to pick his opponent for the Duels, and he took a big risk by choosing the contemporary duo of Derion and Madison. They only scored a point lower than him during Qualifiers, so perhaps he should have tried to pick off a lesser adversary. But there turned out to be a bigger bone of contention in his routine.

Dd Flection are in another world — literally. The “World of Dance” season three hopefuls already won the show in their native Thailand. Now the contemporary pair have their sights set on the Us version, but they’ve got a long way to go before being named the best dancers on the globe for a second time. They may have made it through the Qualifiers with flying colors, but they’re among a highly competitive group of performers in the Upper Division. Who among the 10 acts in this field is the best? Scroll down to vote in our poll at the bottom of this post.

In the last two seasons the Upper Division on “World of Dance” has established itself as a dominant force. In season one the Upper Division champs Les Twins ended up winning the world championship, and in season two Upper Division winner Michael Dameski was a close runner-up.

Remember Ashley and Zack? Derek Hough‘s former colleagues competed on “World of Dance” season two last summer, advancing all the way to the Divisional Final but suffering defeat at the hands of Michael Dameski. Well, Ashley and Zack are back, and they’ve brought backup. Watch their performance from Qualifiers 3 above, and vote in our poll at the bottom of this post to let us know if you thought they were the best of the night.

As an adult duo, Ashley and Zack competed in the Upper Division for acts aged 18 and older with up to four members. But this year they’ve got a lot more than four, so they’re vying for the world title in the Upper Team Division. They and eight fellow contemporary dancers make up Unity La, and they’ve clearly grown since competing on the show last year. Their performance to “Indestructible” by...

If Derek Piquette looked familiar during the Qualifiers 3 on “World of Dance,” that might be because you’ve seen him compete on another dance competition series: “So You Think You Can Dance,” where he made it to the live shows in season 12 (2015), finishing in the top eight. If anything, his dance skills have improved since then, but health problems might mean the end of his competitive dancing career. Watch his performance above, and vote in our poll below to let us know if you think he gave the best performance of the night.

Piquette is a contemporary solo dancer, much like last year’s world finalist Michael Dameski, who came to “World of Dance” by way of the Australian version of “So You Think You Can Dance.” And before that another “Sytycd” alum made it far in the competition: Fik-Shun, who won season 10 of the Fox series but was eliminated...

After two episodes of Qualifiers on “World of Dance” season three the highest scoring act so far was The Kings, a hip-hop troupe from India who received an average of 97.7 from Jennifer Lopez, Derek Hough and Ne-Yo. That was right out of the gate in episode one. Then in episode two the judges gave some more of the season’s best marks to hip-hop acts including Tobias and the EZTwins, Fuego Dance Crew and VPeepz. Those aren’t the only acts the judges have loved, but hip-hop has been disproportionately successful since the show launched in 2017. Are the judges giving other dance styles a fair shake?

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Reacting to “Qualifiers 2,” Gold Derby reader Sam Watson commented, “They really lowball the scores of any dancer(s) who aren’t hip hop. Based on the scores so far and the fact that the...

“World of Dance” begins its third season tonight on NBC — its first spring season following previous editions that took place during the summers of 2017 and 2018. But even after a couple of years of elite international contestants the world doesn’t seem to have run out of talent, as evidenced by this performance by Junior Division soloist Lauren Yakima. Could the contemporary phenom follow in the footsteps of season one finalist Eva Igo or season two finalist Michael Dameski? Watch a sneak peak of her routine above.

Yakima does sure remind me of Igo and Dameski. She has the same acrobatic complexity, the same otherworldly flexibility, the same intensity. And though you don’t see the judges’ critiques in the preview video above, Jennifer Lopez can be heard during the performance admitting that she got “goosies” — that’s goosebumps for the “World of Dance” uninitiated. And Derek Hough looks like he...

First, she stepped up. Now, she’s stepping down. Jenna Dewan will not return as the host of NBC’s World of Dance for its third season, the actress announced Monday on Instagram.

In an emotional post, accompanied by a picture of herself on set, Dewan attempted to reassure fans, explaining, “I won’t be able to stay away for long, and plan to return to mentor contestants as much as possible. It has been an absolute thrill to be a part of this incredible, groundbreaking show from the very beginning, and I am forever grateful to my [NBC] family, [Jennifer Lopez, Derek Hough,...

The Lab won season two of “World of Dance” on September 12 with a performance to John Mayer‘s “Waiting on the World to Change” that was a significant departure from their previous routines. “We definitely wanted to make our last time on stage worth it and give it all,” says team member Kea Peahu about preparing that emotional final piece. After all was said and done and their final scores were coming in, the math was pretty clear: The Lab were about to win the $1 million grand prize. But in the moment Peahu was so excited she “couldn’t even know what two plus two was.” Watch our exclusive video interview with Peahu and her teammate Logan ‘Logistx’ Edra above.

See‘World of Dance’ World Final recap: Did Michael Dameski, S-Rank, Charity and Andres, or The Lab win season 2? [Updating Live Blog]

“We had three days to make the piece,” Edra explains about...

“World of Dance” finalists S-Rank might have realized they were underdogs in the World Final, since their past performances never scored quite as high as the best routines by their rivals Charity and Andres, The Lab and Michael Dameski. But team leader Melvin Timtim didn’t just want to impress the judges with his last performance. He wanted to impress his father. Watch their performance above.

Before their second and final performance of the night to “It’s Goin’ Down” by Yung Joc, Timtim discussed how much S-Rank sacrificed just to be there. Timtim himself got emotional when discussing how he pursued his dance career even though his parents didn’t always approve. But this time Timtim’s father was in the audience. “I want to give a shout-out to my dad,” said Timtim at the end of the routine. “He’s never seen me dance live like this. Thank...

“World of Dance” season two has officially come to an end, and there “Ain’t No Sunshine” when Charity and Andres are gone. The Junior Division champions started the World Final on the right foot even though poor Charity was still dancing on the wrong foot. She was still fighting through a broken toe, which made this routine to Bill Withers‘s “Ain’t No Sunshine” all the more impressive — those pirouettes! Watch it above.

Charity and Andres were mentored by judge Derek Hough during the World Final, and he’s the one who picked “Ain’t No Sunshine” for them, hoping to get them to tap into their emotional energy. He wanted them to surprise him again after they made history earlier in the competition by earning the show’s first (and still only) perfect 100 score. And after they performed their final routine Hough gave them a standing ovation...

“World of Dance” finalist Michael Dameski surprised host and mentor Jenna Dewan during the World Final by telling her that his final performance would be to a remix of “Survivor” by Destiny’s Child. It’s not necessarily what we would have expected from the young contemporary dancer who earlier that evening performed a sensitive number to Ed Sheeran. But Dameski is nothing if not versatile, so after showing the judges his sensitive side he ended his night by going full-on “Mad Max.” Watch him above.

It has been hard for Dameski to be away from his home in Australia, so this song choice was meant to reflect his tenacity in pursuing his dance career in America after success Down Under (he won his country’s version of “So You Think You Can Dance” in 2014). Mission accomplished. He started his performance by turning himself into a human game of pachinko,...

“World of Dance” front-runners The Lab took a big risk during their second and final performance in the World Final. The Junior Team Division winners are a hip-hop crew known for delivering bangers — their first performance of the night was to “Work It” by Missy Elliott — so they took their mentor Ne-Yo and the rest of the judges by surprise by picking a more contemplative song for a more emotionally resonant piece: “Waiting on the World to Change” by John Mayer. It wasn’t your typical showstopper. Watch it above.

After the first round of performances The Lab were on top of the judges’ leaderboard, so it all came down to them at the end of the night. During their mentoring session Ne-Yo let them know tat emotion was going to be the name of the game if their last performance was going to be such a significant artistic departure.

“World of Dance” ended it second season on Wednesday night, September 12, by crowning the winner of the World Final (Spoiler Alert). When all was said and done the young hip-hop crew The Lab edged out Michael Dameski, S-Rank, and Charity and Andres for the million-dollar grand prize. And it’s a testament to the power of second chances. The Lab previously competed on the show in season one, but they were eliminated during the Cut. So which season-two standouts would you most like to see return to the show next year in season three? Vote in our poll at the bottom of this post.

The Lab weren’t the only second-chance contestants this season. S-Rank team members Melvin Timtim and Josh Price competed with different crews in season one, but neither of them made it as far as they did this year. Sean Lew of Sean and Kaycee, who were eliminated in the Divisional Final,...

The following recap, by the very definition of the word “recap,” reveals the winner of NBC’s World of Dance Season 2.

As Season 2 of NBC’s World of Dance came to an end, the feet of the many outweighed the feet of the few (or the one).

Entering the world finale were The Lab (from the Junior Team Division), Michael Dameski (Upper Division), Charity and Andres (Junior Division) and S-Rank (Upper Team Division) — which in TVLine’s pre-finale poll, finished in precisely that order.

Everyone was pretty clean in Round 1 of the double performance night, though I felt like that...

“World of Dance” season two ended on Wednesday night, September 12, with four acts competing in the World Final for the $1 million grand prize. So who prevailed: Upper Division winner Michael Dameski, Upper Team Division winners S-Rank, Junior Division champs Charity and Andres, or Junior Team Division victors The Lab? Find out below in our live blog with all the minute-by-minute developments as they happen.

Australian contemporary dancer Michael Dameski was the only soloist who made this year’s World Final, and he did it by upsetting Latin cabaret sensations Karen y Ricardo during the Divisional Final. But even before “World of Dance” he had experience winning dance competitions. He won his country’s version of “So You Think You Can Dance” in 2014.

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The Lab have also had competitive experience, but they came into this season of “World of Dance” looking for redemption.

“World of Dance” Season 2 comes to an end tonight with the World Final, but who will win the $1 million grand prize? According to our users who have been predicting the season finale, The Lab will have this competition down to a science.

As of this writing, the young hip-hop crew The Lab is our front-runner with leading odds of 5/6 based on the combined forecasts of our users. That would be quite an achievement since they represent the Junior Team Division, and this is the first time there has even been a Junior Team Division on “World of Dance.” Last year there were only three divisions: Upper, Junior and Team.

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This is the second season that The Lab have competed on the show. Last year they were in the Junior Division but were eliminated during The Cut. This year they have...

Michael Dameski is one of the competitors on World of Dance. This 22-year old Australian dancer has quite the impressive portfolio, which also includes singing and acting. While he is from Macedonian descent, he seems to love competing and representing Sydney, Australia on the show. His achievements include Disney’s Newsies the Broadway Musical, P!nk: Beautiful – Dance Version, and So You Think You Can Dance Australia. There’s much more to him than what you see on World of Dance and we gathered the most important facts below. 1. He loves competing on World of Dance Michael Dameski is a proud […]

The post Michael Dameski on World of Dance: 5 fast facts appeared first on Monsters and Critics.

“World of Dance” airs its second season finale tonight, so who will win the World Final? Unlike on similar shows “So You Think You Can Dance” and “Dancing with the Stars,” the results on “World of Dance” are based entirely on the judges’ scores and the viewers don’t have a say. But we asked our readers who they’re rooting for anyway, and they want to see another upset by Aussie contemporary dancer Michael Dameski. Do you agree? Scroll down to see our poll results at the bottom of this post.

It was a surprise that Dameski even made it to the World Final. In the Upper Divisional Final he was up against the Latin cabaret duo Karen y Ricardo, who had averaged higher than 98 for every performance up to that point. But this time around the judges preferred Dameski’s intense ninja-themed solo routine. “I was honestly speechless...

After this week’s Division Finals, NBC’s World of Dance has culled its elite crop to four contenders. For whom will you be rooting to walk away with the $1 million grand prize at the finals airing Wednesday, Sept. 12?

Opening the night, Michael Dameski came out on top in the Upper Division, with an average score of 97.8 (thanks to a perfect 100 from Ne-Yo and a pair of 98s from Derek Hough and guest judge Misty Copeland. Note to self: Find someone who looks at you the way Misty looks at a great dancer.) Placing in the division was Karen y Ricard,...

Going into the “World of Dance’ Divisional Final there seemed to be one safe bet: Karen y Ricardo. The Latin cabaret dancers had been overwhelming the competition all season, scoring a then-unprecedented 99.7 during the Qualifiers, then 98.3 during the Duels, and then 99 during the Cut. No one else in the Upper Division came close to those numbers. So did they live up to their own hype in this last proving ground before the World Final? Watch their routine above and let us know what you thought.

Their performance to “Bemba Colora” by Celia Cruz was no less impressive than their previous work on the show, even demonstrating brand new moves that seemed like they should be physically impossible, like one where Ricardo spun Karen horizontally behind his back — they called that the “chicken roast.” And judges Derek Hough and Ne-Yo gave them standing ovations for the faultless performance.

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S-Rank have been top contenders all season on “World of Dance.” The Upper Team Division hip-hop crew have scored in the 90s with every single performance. They had the second best Qualifiers score in their division. Then they got the highest Duels score. And then they earned the second best Cut score. But they were grouped so closely together with The Ruggeds and Proeotics during the Cut that it looked like the Divisional Final would be a dead heat. So how did S-Rank do with their futuristic routine to “Gas Pedal” by Sage the Gemini? Watch it above.

Guest judge Misty Copeland literally bowed down before them, explaining that the dance “got me feeling everything.” Jennifer Lopez added, “So long as you make it personal and real, we’re all going to feel it. And we all definitely felt that performance.” Derek Hough thought their “musicality is always just top level,...

There was no one competing on “World of Dance” this season more fearsome than Latin cabaret duo Karen y Ricardo in the Upper Division. They steamrolled over everyone in the preceding rounds, so going into the Divisional Final Michael Dameski and Ashley and Zack had their work cut out for them. Dameski knew it was going to take a lot to pull off an upset against the front-runners, so he unleashed his inner ninja. Watch his performance above.

While preparing his routine and previewing it for his mentors Jennifer Lopez and Ciara he was advised to fully commit to the intense emotions of his choreography and really lose himself in the madness of his character, and he did just that. He danced with doubles of himself projected onto the screen behind him and delivered rhythmic and athletic movements that blended his contemporary dance style with an aggressive martial arts feel.

There were 12 contenders going into the “World of Dance” Divisional Final on Wednesday night, September 5, but only four came out. So who advanced to the World Final to compete for the $1 million grand prize? And who left disappointed? Find out below in our live blog with all the minute-by-minute developments as they happen.

For the last two weeks the Cut round narrowed each of the four divisions to their top three contestants. Representing the Upper Division (age 18 and over with up to 4 members) were Ashley and Zack, Karen y Ricardo and Michael Dameski.

The three acts vying for the title in the Upper Team Division (age 18 and over with more than 4 members) were Poreotics, The Ruggeds and S-Rank.

The youngsters battling in the Junior Division (under 18 with up to 4 members) were Charity and Andres, Jaxon Willard and Sean and Kaycee.

And the three teams making up the Junior Team Division...

There are 12 acts left in season two of “World of Dance” going into tonight’s Divisional Finals, but Gold Derby’s users think they already know who’s going to win the whole competition: Latin cabaret phenoms Karen y Ricardo, who get leading odds of 17/10 based on our combined forecasts. Do you agree?

There are four divisions on “World of Dance”: Upper Division (age 18 and over with up to 4 members), Upper Team Division (age 18 and over with more than 4 members), Junior Division (under 18 with up to 4 members) and Junior Team Division (under 18 with more than 4 members). Karen y Ricardo represent the Upper Division, and after three rounds of competition they have the three highest Upper Division scores of the season.

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Before Karen y Ricardo can even think about winning the World Final they’ll have to win the Upper...

Contemporary dancers Ashley and Zack seemed like underdogs on “World of Dance” going into the Cut, where they were vying for one of only three slots in the Upper Division Final. Even their mentor Derek Hough was concerned they’d fall through the cracks. They made it through by the skin of their teeth, but now they’re “super nervous just to go up against Karen and Ricardo, like, for real,” Zack admits. But they’re “excited to be here and excited to show you guys some more dance moves.” Watch their video confessional above.

Ashley and Zack pulled out all the stops physically and emotionally for their routine during the Cut, which was inspired by the death of one of Zack’s close friends. Hough thought the performance was “absolutely stunning” and a “massive breakthrough” for the team. Ne-Yo called it a “prime example of what real emotion looks like.

“I didn’t expect to make it this far, especially as a soloist, just because all of the competitors left in the Cut round were all pairings and I was the only single person standing,” admits Michael Dameski in his online confessional video for “World of Dance” after his performance in the Cut (watch it above).

Despite sticking out as the only individual performer (or perhaps partly because of that), the Australian contemporary dancer has made it through to the Upper Division Final as one of the three very best acts among contestants aged 18 and over with up to four members. He did it with a moving, graceful and physically demanding routine inspired by his grandparents. It scored 93 out of 100 from the judges, and even though that was the first performance judges saw it held up throughout the night as ultimately the second best dance in the Upper Division.

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Contemporary dancer Michael Dameski had to sit in suspense on “World of Dance.” During the Cut he was one of seven acts competing for just three slots in the Upper Division Final. Not only that, he was the only soloist competing against six duos. And if that wasn’t enough pressure, he had to go first, setting a standard and hoping it would hold up through the rest of the round. What did you think of his performance? Watch it above, and vote in our poll at the bottom of this post to let us know if you think he deserves to win the Upper Division.

Dameski was mentored by judge Derek Hough and his sister Julianne Hough before his performance. He told the siblings that his routine was inspired by his grandparents, who have been an important part of his life, but who are back home in Australia and in declining health.

During the Cut on “World of Dance,” high-flying, high-scoring Upper Division duo Karen y Ricardo were mentored by Derek Hough and his sister Julianne Hough. Both mentors were concerned that the competitors were taking a risk by tackling a slower style of dance than they performed in the Qualifiers and the Duels, where they scored 99.7 and 98.3, respectively. Would their moves be a little clunkier? Would it reveal more flaws in their technique?

The show tried to build suspense around their climactic performance, but as soon as they took the stage there was no doubt they would be advancing to the Division Finals. After it was over the judges not only gave a standing ovation, they came flying out of their chairs like they were ejector seats. Watch Karen y Ricardo’s performance above, and read the judges’ comments below.

See‘World of Dance’ The Cut 1 recap: Who gave the best performances in this do-or-die round?...

Season two of “World of Dance” reached another milestone on August 22. After eight weeks of the Qualifiers and four weeks of the Duels the show entered the Cut, when the judges narrowed down the competition even further. There were 30 acts left at this stage of the game, but only a dozen will survive the Cut: the top three per division, who will then advance to the Division Finals. So who stood out tonight? Find out below in our live blog with all the minute-by-minute developments as they happen.

There are seven contestants competing in the Cut for the Upper Division (age 18 and over with up to 4 members): Karen y Ricardo, Michael Dameski, BDash and Konkrete, Ashley and Zack, DNA, Alisa and Joseph and MarInspired.

There are eight troupes in the Upper Team Division (age 18 and over with more than 4 members): S-Rank, Embodiment, Desi Hoppers, The Bradas, Lock n Lol Crew,...

The Duels are over for “World of Dance” season two. That means the remaining competitors are moving on to the Cut starting on Wednesday night, August 22. So who do you think deserves to win the Upper Division? Scroll down to vote in our poll at the bottom of this post.

If it seemed like the Duels were tough, the Cut will be even more grueling. That’s because while the Duels eliminated half of the competitors in single-elimination, head-to-head battles, now the Cut will reduce the remaining competitors by more than half. There are only three available slots for each division in the Division Finals, and there are seven acts in the running for the Upper Division title.

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That includes Latin cabaret duo Karen y Ricardo from Chile. They dominated the first two rounds of the competition with their mind-blowing scores: 99.7 during the Qualifiers,...

“World of Dance” aired its fourth and final episode of The Duels on Wednesday night, August 15. This head-to-head round brought together the top qualifying competitors from all four divisions for a series of single-elimination match-ups that ultimately sent home half of the field. The next round is The Cut, which starts on August 22. So who made The Cut and who got cut? Find out below in our live blog with all of the night’s developments as they happen.

In the first three weeks of The Duels, five Junior Division competitors (under age 18 with up to four members) advanced to The Cut. All of them are American, and four of them are duos: perfect-scoring Charity and Andres, Avery and Marcus, Jonas and Ruby, and Sean and Kaycee. The only soloist to advance so far is contemporary dancer Jaxon Willard, who had one of the highest scores recorded during The Duels so far,...

“World of Dance” aired its second week of Duels on Wednesday night, August 1, and after the end of the first two-hour Duels episode on July 25 we were ready for anything. So which competitors advanced to the next round, and who was knocked out of the competition altogether? Find out below in our live blog with all the minute-by-minute developments as they happen.

So far three acts have moved on to the Cut round in the Upper Division (age 18 and over with up to four members): Karen y Ricardo (who defeated Luka and Jenalyn), BDash and Konkrete (who defeated Pasha and Daniella) and Michael Dameski (who defeated Angyil).

Two Junior Teams also advanced to the next round: Expressenz (who defeated The Untouchables) and The Fabulous Sisters (who defeated Rascals).

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One Upper Team advanced when The Bradas overtook The Jam Project.

The “World of Dance” Duels started on July 25, and the first episode in the round ended with one of the season’s biggest shockers. Eva Igo, the young phenom who returned to the show after finishing as a close runner-up in season one, was knocked out by a couple of first-time competitors, Avery and Marcus. A week later our readers are still torn about the result. In fact, when we polled our readers they were split almost right down the middle.

Just a little over half of our respondents (51%) thought Igo was the rightful winner, but judges Jennifer Lopez, Ne-Yo and Derek Hough all scored Avery and Marcus slightly higher. That said, the other 49% backed the judges’ decision to send the standout newcomers to the next round. Avery and Marcus’s fans sounded off in our comments along with the die-hard Igo supporters. Read what some of them had to say below,...

“I’m honestly so thankful that I get to be on this stage again. I went up against Angyil [in The Duels]. She put up such an awesome fight. I knew she had it in her, and I knew she was going to put up a challenge,” says Australian contemporary dancer Michael Dameski about his latest performance on “World of Dance.” Watch his digital exclusive confessional video above.

Dameski has experience under pressure. He played the title character in “Billy Elliot: The Musical” in Sydney and on Broadway when he was just a teenager. And in 2014 he won the Aussie version of “So You Think You Can Dance.” But even though he’s a seasoned pro he was “overwhelmed with the feeling this time just because going into this round … the pressure was higher. I just really wanted to give it my all because I knew it was a battle round, and I...

Michael Dameski was one of just two Upper Division soloists to advance to the Duels on “World of Dance” this season, so he decided to challenge the other soloist for a head-to-head single-elimination battle. A contemporary dancer who won season four of Australia’s “So You Think You Can Dance” and choreographed his own routine, he was up against the popping skills of hip-hop dancer Angyil, whose entire Duels performance was improvised. So how did he do?

Watch his performance to Ellie Goulding‘s “Hanging On” above, and read what the judges had to say about him below.

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Ne-Yo: “You’re like a damn superhero, bro. No narrative needed with this, man, it was just pure artistic beauty, power and softness at the same time, which is very difficult to do. Great job.”

Jennifer Lopez: “I’m going to...

How did the competitors do in week four of “World of Dance” season two. We’re still in the “Qualifiers” round of the competition, during which the dance acts have to score an average of 80 points or more from judges Jennifer Lopez, Ne-Yo and Derek Hough in order to move on to the next stage. So who advanced in “The Qualifiers 4”? Follow along with our live blog below for all the night’s developments as they happen.

The first three weeks of the season showcased a number of powerhouse performances, but the judges’ panel was tougher than ever last Tuesday night. Scores in the 90s were par for the course in weeks one and two, but only two of the seven performances in “Qualifiers 3” scored that high. Lopez thought “magic happened” during Josh & Taylor‘s hip-hop duo performance; those Junior Division competitors averaged 93.3, the highest score of the night. And...