'World of Dance': Ballet contenders Styles and Emma reveal that 'Jake and Chau' are their biggest competitors
Styles and Emma, a New York-based dancing duo managed to accomplish the feat of giving Jennifer Lopez the coveted "goosies" just after their qualifiers performance on 'World of Dance'. Over the past few seasons, we have seen J.Lo express her experience of getting "goosies" while watching finale or semi-finale performances, but the ballet dancing duo- Styles and Emma fast-tracked the experience for the judge early on in the competition. The duo's stunning performance left the judges wanting more of it, so it came as no surprise when they were sent to the next round for duels with their fellow participants.
In an exclusive interview with MEA WorldWide (MEAWW), Styles and Emma shared their experience of participating the competition show, who their biggest competitors are and a lot more.
Despite having a full-time job, Styles manages to carve out time for practicing and pursuing his passion for dance. So, we were curious to know what prompted them to compete in 'World of Dance', despite being so pressed for time. The duo describes the show as a "wonderful opportunity", before explaining how they want people to change their perceptions of ballet. Emma says, "We just really wanted to show the world that ballet is just as exciting and beautiful as like hip hop or acrobatics or anything that you normally see on the show. And we wanted to show the world that we can also have fun and add an innovative twist on ballet."
Dancing before seasoned dancers like Jennifer Lopez, Derek Hough, and Ne-Yo can be both exciting and scary. So, we asked Styles and Emma how their experience was being part of the show. Styles described the experience as a "great time". He explained, "I think we both can say we had a really great time. We met a lot of people that I think definitely be friends with for a while. And just the whole experience was really fun and exciting and differently different from what we're used to. And I think it really is going to help us grow as dancers."
One of the biggest changes to the show's format for the ongoing Season 4 includes the judges surprising the contestants during qualifiers. We asked Emma and Styles their thoughts on meeting the judges so early on in the competition. Emma shared how seeing the judges so unexpectedly was her "favorite parts of the show" besides dancing! The dancers who appeared on the current season seem to be very talented and extremely creative. So, we asked Emma and Styles if they watched the other performances and if they perceive any of them as their competitors. The duo paused for a while to think before responding with "Jake and Chau" – Jake (Mcauley) and (A.T.) Chau from San Jose are known for their great chemistry. They explain their pick by pointing out how the other duo too practices the same form of dance like them, and are around the same age too.
Styles and Emma are definitely very strong contenders for the title of 'World's Best Dancer', so what motivates them to win. Styles reveals, "I think what motivates us. Not even so much win I just want us to really show the world that like we've been changed. Ballet is a lot more than meets the eye. It's a lot of hard work. It's a lot of time. It's a lot of training. It's a lot of strength. I think we can really show the world that you can still be a pretty ballerina too, but it's not as easy as you would think it was. I think we just want to do this for ourselves and for our family." Emma adds, "Yeah. I agree with styles. I also think, um, just watching other people that are better than us kind of motivates us. Mmm. Just because when we see people that are better than us, we want to like, kind of, not that we're jealous, but we want to like better ourselves. Yeah. We want to work harder to make sure that we're better than we were yesterday."
'World of Dance' season 4 airs every Tuesday at 10/9c only on NBC.