How Marko Germar Has Proved Himself on the “SYTYCD” Stage
January 22, 2018

It may be difficult to believe, now that Marko Germar is a “So You Think You Can Dance” favorite, but the beloved all-star almost didn’t make the show. He was cut twice during the preliminary Vegas week in Seasons 5 and 7. But he ultimately gave the opportunity one last shot—and clinched the top 20 in 2011. Now, eight years after his first audition for the show, Germar went on tour as a dance captain with this season’s top 10. Here, he talks to DT about how he fought to become one of the most popular artists in the show’s history.


How he connects to his performance “I consider myself a storyteller above everything else. I love to use art to help other people tap into their emotions and understand what they’re feeling. That’s what I’ve done every season on this show, and what I worked on with my partner, Koine Iwasaki, this season. I helped her dig from personal experiences and find the core emotions that fill the story of the characters we portrayed.”

On dancing in politically charged pieces “The choreographers will tell us the intention of these pieces, and what they want to get across, and we have the burden of interpreting their vision. How people perceive what we do is entirely up to them, but as a dancer it’s nice to be a part of something bigger. We each feel a responsibility to be aware of what is happening in the world and to be honest about it when we dance.”

On proving himself “Every time I auditioned for the show, I was sent to the choreography round to partner multiple dancers before they would send me through to Vegas. Then, when I was in Vegas, the same thing would happen—they kept calling me back to partner other dancers. That week is already so hard, but I didn’t stop working. I think it was one of the reasons they put me through to the top 20. I proved that I would work hard, that I could pick up choreography and that I was a strong partner, which is what this show is all about.”

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