Our journey starts in Perth where judges Bonnie, Matt and Jason are ready to whittle down the thousands of hopefuls. Contestants have ninety seconds to impress, with three possible outcomes. The best will be given a ticket to Sydney as part of the Top 100. Some will be asked to perform Matt's group choreography, with a select few scoring a ticket. But most will simply be sent home.
Talent appeared thin on the ground before ballroom dancing couple Jemma, 18, and Brendan, 35. Despite the fact the pair have only been dancing together for one week, the judges found the pair to be engaging and fabulous. Both were awarded a ticket to Sydney.
Versatile dancer Lamb entertained with her confident routine, while 'Closer' by Nine Inch Nails destabilised Kelly's chances of showing she could do more than bust out a few sexy moves. The extremely thin Angel's mission to prove that models CAN dance ended up backfiring on her.
A ticket was in order for Stephanie, who performed a gorgeous routine to Desiree's 'Kissing You'. The panel described her as a beautiful girl with strong presence, who danced with feeling. Bonnie was left stunned after Sermsah's assured modern indigenous choreography, stating she'd never seen anything like it before. An equally moved Jason added that his routine touched him, and his inclusion in the Top 100 would bring diversity to the competition.
From Perth to Bris-Vegas! Two thirds of the auditionees here were women, while all of them thought they could dance, the opposite was proving to be true. That was until Camilla took to the floor. In a word? According to Matt: HOT. The judges praised this 24-year-old dancing teacher for her natural, honest dancing style, and the fact her stamina wasn't 100% didn't stop her from scoring that all-important blue ticket.
Can you pop, lock, strobe or tut? The 365 Crew sure could, but only one of these b-boys was getting straight through, Clint. The other two would have ace Matt's choreography to earn their ticket… and they did.
Former aerobics champ Anthony had the judges in agreement about his talent, with Jason commenting that not many dancers were able to combine acrobatics, aerobic strength moves and dance. It was technical, it was beautiful, and it earned him a place in the Top 100.
Rap dancers Ben and Liam offered a surprisingly adept routine despite their comic appearance, while aspiring Broadway dancer Jack had the mix of technique, talent and moves to score a ticket.
Caleb, 15, was too young to sign up for the show (you must be between 18 – 35 years of age) but that didn't stop him from performing for our judges. His astonishingly impressive visual poetry earnt the teen a rare standing ovation. Remember that name Australia – he'll be back!
There wasn't a dry eye in the house when Bessy, 29, told the judges her story of survival, immigrating to Australia from war-torn El Salvador. But it wasn't her story of being a self-taught dancer that won her a ticket to Sydney – it was her passion and talent as a dancer.
Next epsiode: who in Melbourne and Adelaide will make the cut…
click here to see where to watch or .
Ready to Watch So You Think You Can Dance Australia, Season 1, Episode 1?