Tadd Gadduang (left) & Marko Germar (right).
The only two Asian-Americans, specifically Filipino American males, to make it to the Top 20 of So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD) Season 8 beat out the other eight chosen male dancers who made it to the live shows and landed themselves in the finale. Marko Germar, a 22-year-old jazz dancer originally from Guam, and Tadd Gadduang, 25, a break dancer from Salt Lake City, have continued to impress the judges and the rest of America week after week.
Marko Germar.
Marko Germar.
Marko Germar is undoubtedly one of America’s favorite dancers as he never found himself in the bottom, up for elimination. That’s not surprising considering his talent and passion we see in his performances. In the first live performance, he and his partner, Melanie Moore, already earned a standing ovation from the judges and the studio audience. Talk about making a good first impression! From the way he dances, you would’ve never guessed he was shot two years ago in 2009 due to a robbery he encountered. The bullet is still in his arm and he has to attend physical therapy three times a week. Instead of giving up because of his injury, he worked even harder to achieve his dream because dance is what he really wants to pursue. He realized that the more he stopped dancing, the more he wanted to dance.
Melanie and Marko doing Lyrical Hip-Hop.
Melanie and Marko doing Contemporary.
Call me a romantic, but my favorite routine from Marko is the Lyrical Hip-Hop number by Tabitha and Napoleon, danced with Melanie in the Top 16 show – you know, the one where they kissed? I also loved his routine with Allison Holker, choreographed by Sonya Tayeh; it was so touching that it brought guest judge Lady Gaga to tears.
Tadd Gadduang.
Tadd Gadduang.
Tadd Gadduang, on the other hand, has a completely different dance background from Marko. His expertise is in break dancing, which means he is used to doing freestyle, not following choreography. He only started dancing when he was fifteen and he was completely self-taught! This competition is especially difficult for a dancer like Tadd who is not technically trained, but Tadd manages to surprise us with his capabilities in every performance whether in the Viennese Waltz, Broadway or African Jazz. Interesting fact: even though he can walk down the stairs upside down with his hands, he can’t ride a bicycle!
Jordan and Tadd doing Viennese Waltz.
Jordan and Tadd doing Hip-Hop.
His Viennese Waltz with Jordan Casanova to the song “Fade Into Me” by David Cook, choreographed by Jean-Marc Genereux, was absolutely breathtaking! The “NappyTabs” number was also very entertaining and as a bonus, we get to see Tadd’s very toned upper body (we know you think he’s cute!)
The Top 4 dancers of Season 8. All photos courtesy of Fox.com.
Watch the 2-hour SYTYCD Season 8 Finale on Fox at 8/7c on Wednesday, August 10 and don’t forget to vote!
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