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SCREEN CAPTURE / YOUTUBE
Runnnerup Mariah Russell congratulates Bailey Munoz for winning 'So You Think You Can Dance.' |
For the second year in a row, a Filipino American was named the winner of So You Think You Can Dance.
Bailey Munoz, the b-boy dancer who may have lacked the formal training of the other dancers, showed he could dance any form thrown at him during the show's season.
The diminutive dancer from Las Vegas successfully scored an unprecedented victory for Filipino Americans after Hannahlei Cabanilla, who won the title of America's favorite dancer last year.
“Learning all the [different genres of] of dance is so hard because everything has a certain technique whether it be ballroom, ballet or contemporary. I’m just stepping in that mindset like if I’m learning choreography of contemporary, I have to pretend that I am a contemporary dancer besides just being a B-Boy,” Munoz shared in an earlier interview.The other finalists included Gino Coscolluela, Sophie Pittman and Mariah Russell.
Munoz, also known as Bailrock, is no stranger to the spotlight. When he was nine years old, he made it to the semifinals of America’s Got Talent. According to Las Vegas Weekly, he is one of the youngest members of the breaking group, Rock Steady Crew. And The Asian Journal reports that he has also toured with Bruno Mars, been in a Chris Brown music video and appeared in Dancing with the Stars.
However, he told Dance Plug that he came into So You Think You Can Dance with “zero experience of technical dance.” The show challenges competitors to perform in several different styles of dance.
“As a b-boy, we don’t really do a lot of choreography, so doing choreography and stuff that you’ve never done before was a challenge for me,” Munoz said. “I’m just so grateful that I get to represent hip hop, b-boying, Filipinos, Bay Area, Vegas, my family, just all of it.”
Judge Nigel Lythgoe said last week that he thought Munoz has had the biggest journey of anyone they’ve had on So You Think You Can Dance.
Munoz was born two months premature and is five feet tall. The dancer, who said a lot of people hadn’t believed in him, became a fan favorite as viewers watched him tackle choreographies outside of his own style.
“I was always so small or always looked down upon,” Munoz said in an interview on the show. “But being on [the So You Think You Can Dance] stage, I feel like I’m seven feet tall.”
He told Dance Plug his biggest inspiration is his family.
“For them to support what I love to do and my passion is just such a blessing to me. You know, most Filipino parents would be like […] ‘You’re not a doctor, you’re not good,’” Munoz said. “[Their] support means the world to me. I want to make them proud.”
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