Ashlee Nino and Musa Cooper Eliminated on So You Think You Can Dance  7/17/06

ASHLEE NINO AND MUSA COOPER ARE ELIMINATED ON "SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE"; TOP 10 DANCERS WILL COMPETE ON THE NEXT PERFORMANCE SHOW WEDNESDAY, JULY 19, ON FOX

Dancers’ Fates Now Solely in the Hands of Viewers; Chris Brown to Perform on the Results Show Thursday, July 20

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE boogied past the competition this week, with performances by the Top 6 couples on Wednesday and a special performance by the Pussycat Dolls last night. Compared to its average last summer, the Wed/Thu average of SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE continues to show impressive gains, including: +19% among Adults 18-49; +21% among Adults 18-34; +13% among Teens; and +19% in Total Viewers.

The three couples who received the fewest votes after Wednesday's performance show were Dmitry Chaplin and Ashlee Nino; Travis Wall and Martha Nichols; and Musa Cooper and Natalie Fotopoulos. After each of the six dancers performed a solo routine, the judges eliminated Nino and Cooper from the competition, ending their quest to become America’s favorite dancer. Nino, 21, is a popping specialist from Dallas, TX; and Cooper, 28, is a hip-hop/street funk specialist from Camden, NJ.

The competition on television's hottest show will change next week. The contestants will choose new partners at random, and viewers will vote for their favorite individual dancers, not for couples. In another new twist, only viewers’ votes will determine which guy and which girl are eliminated.

The Top 10 dancers – top five guys Dmitry Chaplin, Ivan Koumaev, Ryan Rankine, Benji Schwimmer and Travis Wall; and top five girls Natalie Fotopoulos, Heidi Groskreutz, Allison Holker, Donyelle Jones and Martha Nichols – will compete on a special two-hour performance show Wednesday, July 19 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT). The following night, Chris Brown will perform, and two more dancers will go home on the live results show Thursday, July 20 (9:00-10:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed) on FOX.

Platinum artist and award-winner Chris Brown is not only a talented vocalist, but a versatile songwriter, dancer and blossoming businessman who has already learned the many intricacies of the music industry. From Tappahannock, VA, population 2,000, Brown got his musical initiation early in life, inspired by his parents’ eclectic taste and the sounds of favorites Michael Jackson, Sam Cooke, Stevie Wonder, Donnie Hathaway, Anita Baker and Aretha Franklin.

By the time he was 13, Brown was known to music producers. His debut CD “Chris Brown” takes listeners on a journey through malls, parties and teen hangouts as Brown covers a variety of subjects, including young love. The album has been certified platinum and has won Brown several awards to date. He is getting ready for his headlining “Up Close and Personal Tour” to begin in August.

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE was created by Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe and comes from 19 Entertainment Ltd. and dick clark productions. It is executive-produced by Simon Fuller, Nigel Lythgoe and Allen Shapiro.

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