A pair of Delta dancers are taking on the world…the World of Dance that is.
Emily Sun, 17, from Tsawwassen is part of GRVMNT, a hip-hop group who all dance out of Fresh Groove Productions in Richmond who are competing in the junior division on season 4 of NBC’s World of Dance.
This is the second time that Sun has competed on the show. She was previously on season two with her dance crew Freshh.
Her brother Eric, 13, competed on season three last year with his popping crew Minibots and he is back competing this season on a team called GigaBots, another popping crew from Vancouver. GigaBots are also in the junior division. His episode has yet to air.
Emily’s GRVMNT team was showcased on the season premiere, which aired on May 26th.
“GRVMNT has all been dancing in different groups and we are all different ages,” said Sun. “Our coaches Cesar Tantoco and Mark Dogillo saw each of us in our individual groups and brought us all together…they thought we would be a great match. We have been together since the start of this year, but we have all been dancing at the studio for the past five years.”
To up the ante and add an element of surprise for season 4, World of Dance has implemented a few new twists. To begin the season, contestants are under the impression that they’re performing one final audition for a panel of producers, however, when acts walk onto the dance floor, they realize that the qualifiers have already started and judges Jennifer Lopez, Derek Hough and NE-YO are there to see them perform and determine if they have what it takes to make it to the next round.
The judges each give the acts a yes, no, or callback vote, which gives the acts one last chance to perform and earn a spot in the next round.
Although the judges were impressed with GRVMNT’s performance, it wasn’t quite enough for two yes votes to move them onto the next round, but they decided to give them a callback vote rather than end their competition dreams.
Emily said the callback vote was certainly a surprise.
“We had no idea the judges were going to be there, so walking onto that stage we were all scared a bit, but honestly I think we took it as motivation,” she said. “We had to dance harder and immediately show the judges that we belong on the main stage. I think being able to go to the callback is a second opportunity for us to show what we have and we hope that the judges are able to see that we belong in the competition.”
She said World of Dance is the ultimate competition.
“I have been dancing for many years and we have done many competitions all over the world, but once World of Dance started airing…I was watching season one and it was so inspiring to see how all the dancers connect through one passion and it’s such a great opportunity,” she said. “So when we were given the opportunity to dance on the show it was unbelievable to think that all of the effort that I put in has paid off. It’s a great way to end my dance career. It’s a great last competition for me.”
She said all the teams are like one big family on the show.
“Seeing people from all over the world, the different work ethics, the different styles, it’s so motivating,” she said. “You feed off of the energy. Everyone is super supportive and even though we are competing, it’s like a second family. We all cheer each other on – a very close group.”
World of Dance airs on NBC Tuesday nights at 10 p.m. PT.
