Boston native Russell Ferguson competed in the Top 14 on reality show So You Think You Can Dance last night, performing a suave foxtrot with partner Noelle. Bostonist caught up with Russell yesterday in between rehearsals and costume fittings to talk about his experience on the show so far.
We asked how how it felt to be representing Boston on a national stage. He said, "It feels good. It's about time Boston got recognized for its dance talent."
Russell survived a challenge the first week of competition when Noelle injured her knee and he was forced to perform with a stand-in. Although his dancing garnered positive reviews from the judges, he narrowly avoided going home when he was asked to "dance for his life" as one of the bottom two dancers. The decision left him "very confused. I wasn't sure what the reason was. Luckily, I do a lot of underground dance battling, so I'm used to fighting for my life. I'm in that position a lot, so I wasn't nervous." His hard-hitting krump solo (below, starting at :45) impressed the judges, and he's been safe in subsequent weeks.
Since the show throws everything from quickstep to disco at contestants, we wondered if there was an upcoming style Russell was worried about. He replied, "Not really. Since I was a kid, I could take on any dance style. I try not to focus on the style and just think about learning the choreography."
His confidence isn't surprising, since, along with krump, he's trained in ballet, modern dance, and tap. He also lists such diverse dancers as Savion Glover, Gene Kelly, and Michael Jackson as influences--in fact, last night's episode featured footage of a 7-year-old Russell performing at the Hatch Shell to Jackson's Billie Jean.
One thing Russell does admit to being nervous about is doing well with the show's voting audience. He says that no matter how a performance goes, "You don't know what people are looking for and what they're going to like and vote for. It's really all about your popularity, so it's kind of a blind road."
Tune in tonight at eight on Fox to see if Russell survives the week. We're going to assume he does and also tell you to watch the performance show next Tuesday at eight, then vote for him early and often.
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