Contestants

Age: 22
Hometown: Antioch, CA
Style: Contemporary
Twitter: D8Ashley

Ashley Rich was a breath of fresh air for the judges when she performed her “Ashley-style”-inspired solo after a round of less-than-stellar auditions in the Bay Area. For the past two years, Ashley has been teaching dance in her hometown of Antioch, CA. She received her own dance training at a local studio from the age of 3 to 18....

Age: 18
Hometown: Moses Lake, WA
Style: Contemporary
Twitter: D8Caitlynn

Caitlynn Lawson Bio

The youngest of all the female contestants this season, Caitlynn Lawson kept a low profile during the auditions rounds of Season 8. But, in the long haul, she is certainly not one to overlook. She’s been dancing at her local studio in Moses Lake, WA since the age of 3 and specializes in jazz and contemporary...

Age: 19
Hometown: Whittier, CA
Style: Jazz
Twitter: D8Clarice

Clarice Ordaz’s solo during Vegas week had the judges scrapping their jaws off the floor. The California native attends California State University, Long Beach, and is known to friends and family as “Reeses.” She’s been training in dance since the age of 2 at Belinda’s Dance School, Anaheim Ballet, and West Coast School of the Arts,...

Age: 30
Hometown: Klaipeda, Lithuania
Style: Ballroom
Twitter: D8Iveta

This shampoo girl turned ballroom extraordinaire moved to the U.S. in 1997 from Klaipeda, Lithuania. She’s been training in ballroom dance since the age of 6, and is the current World Champion in 10 styles of ballroom. While her strengths lie in ballroom and Latin, she is also trained in ballet, jazz, contemporary, and hip hop....

Jordan Casanova
Age: 19
Hometown: Chino Hils, CA
Style: Jazz
Twitter: D8Jordan

Jordan “Jay” Casanova first got our attention with her sizzlin’ hot audition solo in L.A. She’s been training for this moment since the age of 8 in her hometown of Chino Hills, CA, under the tutelage of Donna Shepherd-Wood. In the spring of 2010, she graduated from high school, and has since been teaching dance at her...

Age: 22
Hometown: Dededo, Guam
Style: Jazz/Contemporary
Twitter: D8Marko

Marko Germar Bio

Marko Germar came to us with the most unforgettable story in SYTYCD history. After being held at gunpoint, he has a bullet lodged into one of his shoulders. Yet, watching him dance, one would never guess. He grew up in Guam, where he began his formal dance training, and moved to L.A. in 2008 to pursue a career...

Age: 19
Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA
Style: Contemporary
Twitter: D8Miranda

Miranda Maleski moved from her hometown of Pittsburgh, PA to Los Angeles about a year ago to pursue her number one passion in life — dance. Her love affair with dance began at the age of 3, and since then she has continued her training in contemporary, tap, ballet, jazz, and acrobatics. Always up for a challenge and trying new...

Age: 20
Hometown: Arvada, CO
Style: Jazz
Twitter: D8Missy

"Sex Kitten" Missy Morelli has been living the life of a professional dancer in L.A. for the past two years. A true dancing diva through and through, Missy wouldn’t be caught dead leaving the house without lipstick on. She’s been dancing since the age of 3 and specializes in jazz. Currently, she’s a student at Pasadena City College, but took...

Age: 19
Hometown: Franklin, WI
Style: Tap
Twitter: D8Nick

Nick Young Bio

Nick Young earned the nickname of “Birdseed” after successfully eating an entire bag of birdseed. In addition to not being able to resist a dare, Nick is a divine tapper and has been training since he was 4 years old. He is formally trained in hip hop, jazz, ballet, contemporary, tap, and lyrical. Currently, he teaches and...

Age: 19
Hometown: Miami, FL
Style: Contemporary
Twitter: D8Ricky

Ricky Jaime aspires to one day be a member of a professional ballet company in either California, New York, or Europe. He has been training since the age of 10 in hip hop, contemporary, jazz, modern, and ballet. Recently, he shifted most of his focus to his ballet studies in order to pursue his dreams. He is a good friend of Season 5...

Age: 19
Hometown: Morgan Hills, CA
Style: Contemporary
Twitter: D8Ryan

Ryan Ramirez Bio

Ryan Ramirez’s SYTYCD story is unforgettable. She just barely missed out the chance to compete amongst last season’s Top 11, and is now back to prove that this is where she belongs. The judges were delighted to see her return, stronger and more confident, for the Bay Area auditions. She’s trained in ballet, tap,...

Age: 23
Hometown: Bakersfield, CA
Style: Contemporary
Twitter: D8Sasha

Sasha Mallory Bio

Sasha Mallory comes to us after touring with American Idol celebrity Adam Lambert. Her dance background is mostly classical, having trained with the Royal Academy of Dance, Houston Ballet Academy (now, the Ben Stevenson Academy), Boston Ballet School, and the Alvin Ailey School. She considers her current...

Age: 24
Hometown: St Ann’s, Jamica
Style: Hip Hop/Break Dancing
Twitter: D8Wadi

Wadi “B-Boy Skye” Jones is originally from St. Ann’s, Jamaica and moved to the U.S. in 1988 when he was a wee little thing. He is a self-taught breaker and hip hop dancer, and has been doing it for 14 years. Recently, he began formal training in contemporary and ballet. He struggled a bit through Vegas week, but managed...