Aleksandra Wojda & Ben Susak Eliminated From So You Think You Can Dance  6/30/06

ALEKSANDRA WOJDA AND BEN SUSAK ARE ELIMINATED ON "SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE"

TOP 7 COUPLES WILL COMPETE ON THE NEXT PERFORMANCE SHOW WEDNESDAY, JULY 5, ON FOX

Ne-Yo to Perform on the Results Show Thursday, July 6

The second season of SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE continued to leap ahead this week, with performances by the Top 8 couples on Wednesday and a special performance by Natasha Bedingfield last night. Compared to its average last summer, the Wed/Thu average of SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE shows impressive gains, including +19% among Adults 18-49; +18% among Adults 18-34; +13% among Teens; and +18% in Total Viewers.

The three couples who received the fewest votes after Wednesday's performance show were Ashlee Nino and Ben Susak; Jessica Fernandez and Jaymz Tuaileva; and Aleksandra Wojda and Dmitry Chaplin. After each of the six dancers performed a solo routine, the judges eliminated Wojda and Susak from the competition, ending their quest to become America’s favorite dancer. Wojda, 22, is a contemporary/lyrical/jazz specialist from Willow Springs, IL; and Susak, 18, is a contemporary specialist from Phoenix, AZ.

Having lost their partners to elimination, Chaplin and Nino will pair up for next week’s episodes.

The competition revs up on television's hottest show when the remaining 7 couples (Dmitry Chaplin and Ashlee Nino; Musa Cooper and Natalie Fotopoulos; Ivan Koumaev and Allison Holker; Ryan Rankine and Heidi Groskreutz; Benji Schwimmer and Donyelle Jones; Jaymz Tuaileva and Jessica Fernandez; and Travis Wall and Martha Nichols) compete on a special two-hour performance show Wednesday, July 5 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT). The following night, Ne-Yo will perform, and the judges will send two more dancers home on the live results show Thursday, July 6 (9:00-10:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed) on FOX.

Born into a family of musicians from Arkansas, Shaffer C. Smith, a.k.a. Ne-Yo, was raised in a single parent home. In hopes of greater opportunity, Ne-Yo’s mother relocated the family to Las Vegas, NV, where Ne-Yo would discover his passion.

A master in the art of storytelling, Ne-Yo began writing at an early age. A vivid imagination and creative energy have allowed him to write songs for multi-platinum artists such as Mary J. Blige, B2K, Faith Evans and Musiq. Ne-Yo also wrote Mario’s hit song “Let Me Love You” (which Ne-Yo co-wrote with Scott Storch), which finished out 2004 as the No. 1 most-played song of the year on radio.

Ne-Yo challenges popular music with his writing and vocal talents, expressing creativity through drawings, paintings, martial arts and song. The Def Jam artist recently released his debut album “In My Own Words,” which went platinum this spring. Relying mostly on his in-house crew Compound, Ne-Yo creates both a unique sound and sentiment for his records, infusing pop melodies with rich, soulful production. Songs like the first single, “Stay” (featuring Peedi Crack), exemplify Ne-Yo’s nuanced, layered vocals. In “So Sick,” which went to No. 1, he laments hearing love songs on the radio due to the feelings they conjure. This August, Ne-Yo will be touring with Chris Brown.

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.

-FOX-