In the last double-elimination of the season, these two dancers did not make the cut before “So You Think You Can Dance” shifts gears in to the final rounds.

Alexander Fost, a 21-year-old contemporary dancer from Pasadena, California and Ryan Ramirez, a 19-year-old contemporary dancer from Morgan Hill, California were both eliminated last Thursday from the dancing competition.

Now that there are only ten dancers remaining on “Dance,” the finalists will now be paired up with “all-star” dancers, who are experts in a variety of dance styles. Full episodes of “So You Think You Can Dance” are available online at CTV.ca.

Speaking to the media last Friday, the dancers spoke about a variety of subjects, from the most difficult aspects of the competition, to responding to the judge’s comments.

On Nigel telling her she appeared to already be “down and out”

Ryan Ramirez: When he said that I was actually not surprised, but I definitely didn’t feel that way at all… I kind of thought that I might be in the bottom, but I never was down or out about the competition.

I was still excited and still fighting and still pushing, and it’s weird that they felt that way but I never felt that way.  I was still excited to dance.

On the experience of making the top 20:

Ryan: It was everything I thought it would be and more.  I didn’t know that I would learn so much about myself through the experience.  It really pushed me to my limits physically but mostly mentally, I think, just because with the show you go through so much critique and then not sleep and then having to learn so much choreography, and I think I realized that I can push myself more than I thought I could. 

On the hardest styles to perform on the show:

Alexander Fost: Hip hop was hard as well because there’s a certain type of attitude and a style of what we call “swag” that you need to be able to perform it to a certain level, but most importantly I think contemporary was a challenge because, as a ballet dancer, we don’t roll ourselves on the floor.  We don’t go down on the floor. 

It just felt like every time I touched the floor I got a bruise or something because I’m not used to it.  I didn’t know how to really maneuver my body in that way… because I was listed as a contemporary dancer there was high expectations.

On the time he spent studying with Russian dance masters:

Alexander: (It was) very, very, very intense, and with that said this show is very intense, but that opportunity I was received was very intense only because I feel like the European dancers are very different from the American dancers and the way they approach it even more so. 

Almost two years ago is when I got strictly heavily into ballet, and they were competing.  I won competitions and I had traveled and stuff in a matter of months only because of the tremendous amount of training that was given to me.  They just show no mercy.  But it was amazing.  Not only that I feel like they also showed me a sense of elegancy that ballet has that I normally wouldn’t get from training here in the U.S.  So that was great.

On the most difficult part of competing on the show:

Alexander: I think the hardest part in the competition is not just working with a group of people that you’ve never danced with before, not just learning the dance in two days and going live the day after, but I think the hardest part is having to perform it on live television and getting critiqued, and then from there being judged on television. 

Because whether it is a dance competition, it is a popularity contest as well.  Yes it’s very entertaining, but people at home will simply not vote for you because they don’t like your costume or because you said something in the package that they found you to be odd with.  So I think that’s the hardest part. 

You have to just keep remembering how much you love dance and why you keep doing it and that this was just a chance to perform on one of the biggest stages any dancer can perform on, and that’s “So You Think You Can Dance,” the TV show.

Ryan: I think the hardest thing was just being in the public eye so much.  Just because I didn’t realize how much people really analyze your every move on the show.  I just realized that you have to keep your mind focused on why you’re there and not get caught up in what people are saying about you, good or bad, and that you have to keep a level head and just do it because you love dance and want to grow as a dancer. 

About Tyrone Warner

Tyrone Warner has been with CTV.ca since 2005, covering news, entertainment and everything related to CTV. When he’s away from the computer, you can find him writing, recording and performing his own music, running his own record label and dabbling in photography, painting and creative collage. Follow him on Twitter!