Cal State Long Beach dance student Clarice Ordaz advanced to the top 14 finalists on the Fox television show “So You Think You Can Dance.”
In order to compete on prime time television, the group of professional dancers had to make it past several elimination levels. Contestants worked with top choreographers and were judged on multiple styles of dance until they were narrowed down to the 20 best dancers.
The show, which is in its eighth season, puts the dancers through extremely demanding practices and rigorous dance competitions.
Each week, one pair of contestants is eliminated until the last dancer remaining is declared the winner.
Ordaz, a native of Whittier, Calif., tried out for the show last year but didn’t make the cut. She said she has always wanted to compete on the show.
“It’s been my ambition to be a part of the top 20 of ‘So You Think You Can Dance,’ and I am so blessed to have been chosen as a contestant of Season 8,” Ordaz said on her Facebook page.
She said last year’s cut reinforced her determination and enthusiasm to return and perform on a broader scale after having made it past the Los Angeles and Vegas auditions this season.
“I’m ready to bring entertainment mixed with performance and also technique, as well as versatility, while I’m dancing with different partners every week,” Ordaz said in an interview with show officials. “I want to be able to impress the judges and America with my random, spontaneous and brilliant work.”
Ordaz has been dancing since the age of 2 and has primarily excelled at jazz.
Clarice Ordaz’s mom, Carmen Ordaz, claims her daughter’s talent was evident as soon as she was able to walk.
“She would not stop moving around at a very young age, so I enrolled her in dance classes,” Ordaz said.
Ordaz’s love for dance led her to Belinda’s Dance Studio in Downey, Calif. She also trained at Anaheim Ballet and West Coast School of the Arts. She studied a variety of dancing in tap, ballet, jazz, musical theatre, lyrical, contemporary and hip hop.
Now, the 19-year-old is a member of the 49er Dance Team. Head coach Rey Lozano said the thing that sets Ordaz apart is that she is able to interpret the vision the choreographer wishes to communicate really well.
“She has the strength the show has been talking about,” Lozano said. “She is a beast.”
“So You Think You Can Dance” airs Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8 p.m. on Fox.
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