Jubilation’s take on the TV show So You Think You Can Dance celebrated dance in the Whitworth community Friday, April 13 in the Multi-Purpose Room. This is the fifth year of Whitworth’s SYTYCD.

“So You Think You Can Dance celebrates dance in the community. It show that dance has a presence on campus and shares the joy of dance with the community,” theatre dance minor, SYTYCD competitor and director of this year’s competition Brooke Grissom.

The Multi-Purpose Room was filled to the brim with non-competing dancers, competing dancers and non-dancers alike. There were so many people that many had to stand in the back or sit on the ground in the front to be able to see.

Sena Hughes and Bailey Kasler hosted the performance, filling in transitions between pieces with a variety of dance-related puns involving squares, polka dots, salsa and merengue pie.

There were eight dances performed through the night. After each dance, a panel of three judges provided feedback about the dancer’s performance. The judges were English Department’s John Pell, Dance Minor Faculty Karla Parbon and Campus Event Coordinator Raleigh Addington.

“I loved sitting with a panel of people who enjoyed being able to celebrate dance,” Parbon said.

The end of the night the audience, judges included, voted via cell phone for the winner of the 2015 SYTYCD, who will be performing at Jubilation’s end of the year concert May 3.

Receiving first place was Bethy Mack and Isaac Quezada performing “True Image,” a powerful piece that brought to life the issue of eating disorders and self-image, focusing on Jesus’ role in the healing process.

Other dances included Kari Johnson and Raleigh Addington’s “Uncertainty,” Kaylen Blue’s “Like Real People Do,” Erika Boyd and Heidi Biermann’s “Two Girls in Tap Shoes,” Emily Beloate, Christine Drummond, Emily Gates, Olivia Shaffer, Kolina Chitta and Emily Carney’s “Eyes on Fire,” Brooke Grissom’s “Worthy,” Bailey Vallee and Brooke Grissom’s “Hipster Hip Hop” and an untitled performance by Logan Shenkel and Jennifer Rudsit.

Grissom said she enjoyed watching everyone’s hard work pay off.

“It’s really nerve-wracking performing. You never know how it’s going to be received,” Grissom said.

Many of the performers are Parbon’s students or Jubilation members. Parbon said that she enjoyed watching them challenge themselves and continue their work outside of the classroom.

At the end of the night, during voting, the hosts opened up the dance floor to the audience and performers to dance. This was Parbon’s favorite part.

“So You Think You Can Dance is important because it makes dance accessible to the community, so anyone can enjoy dance,” Parbon said.