'SYTYCD' Season 17: Who is Essence Wilmington? Talented dance teacher is also a rapper
Be it contemporary, ballet, hip hop or freestyle, if you're passionate about all things dance, then 'So You Think You Can Dance' is where the magic is at! As per the Season 17 synopsis, "The upcoming season will feature highly skilled dancers between the ages of 18 and 30, showcasing their talents in various dance styles, including contemporary, tap, hip-hop, ballroom, animation, breaking, and more. Those who are selected to move on to the SYTYCD studio will work with world-renowned choreographers and compete each week in a variety of styles, with brand-new twists and turns introduced into the competition."
In the second week of auditions, fans saw the likes of Keaton Kermode, Zyiasia Knighton, Brianna and James T make it to the choreography. Now, with Week 3 underway, it's time to see how makes the cut and whose journey comes to an end.
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Who is Essence Wilmington?
Essence Wilmington is a rapper, dancer, choreographer, actor, model and dance teacher. As per her Facebook page, she teaches children between ages 6 and above at the Roosevelt Center in Davenport, Iowa. Her own passion for dance began at a young age and by age 9, she started training with Imani Dance and Studio for Cultural Arts in Davenport, IA. Wilmington is mainly a hip-hop dancer, but has also studied Ballet and Modern Dance and even won a one-year scholarship from Imani Dance Studio in 2013.
As per her Facebook bio, "Essence was introduced to her first Hip-Hop Dance Convention called “Monsters”, located in Chicago, Illinois where she had the opportunity to take classes by some of the top choreographers in the dance industry. Since then Essence has been a part of many dance conventions that include Buildabeast out of L.A, I-Push out of Kansas, City, and KAOS out of L.A, winning many scholarships and other awards throughout the years. One of Essence’s biggest accomplishments was when she auditioned and was selected to serve as a “Bullskid” for the National Basketball Association’s Chicago Bulls basketball team for the 2013-2014 basketball season. As a Bullskid she performed hip-hop and jazz routines during timeouts, quarter breaks, and halftime at 12 or more home games."
Apart from dance, Wilmington is also a rapper and even has a single titled -- "Lets get it".
'So You Think You Can Dance' Season 17 airs on Wednesdays at 9 pm ET/PT.