SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE Tour 2011
Kicks Off September 17 in Orlando
 
The eighth season of SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE came to an exciting conclusion tonight as Melanie Moore, 19, a Contemporary dancer from Marietta, GA, was named America’s Favorite Dancer and awarded a cash prize of $250,000. She will be featured on the cover of Dance Spirit magazine, and will be recognized as a Gatorade athlete on gatorade.com and in the new G Series FIT print campaign.

Fans are invited to cast their vote for their favorite G Series FIT ad in which Moore will appear. Voting is open now at www.fox.com/dance, and will conclude on August 24. The ad with the most votes will be featured in the November issue of Dance Spirit magazine.

Fellow finalists – Tadd Gadduang, Marko Germar and Sasha Mallory – were eliminated as host Cat Deeley revealed the voting results.

Moore had this to say about winning SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE: “Winning means the world to me. It is such a major stepping stone, and I have learned so much through this experience. I have so much more to learn, and I have decided that I want to go back to school for dance. Winning this competition not only started me on that path, but also made my mom and dad so proud. Thank you to the fans who supported me on this journey. It means so much to me that I was able to move people in the same way that dance moves me.”

In addition to crowning America’s Favorite Dancer, the Season Eight finale of SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE featured performances by this season’s Top 20 dancers. The celebration showcased the favorite routines of judges Nigel Lythgoe and Mary Murphy – as well as those of guest judges Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Robin Antin, Lil’ C, Tyce Diorio and Sonya Tayeh – and a performance by “So You Think You Can Dance” U.K. winner Matt Flint.

This season’s Top 10 dancers will participate in the 32-city SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE Tour 2011. The tour kicks off Saturday, Sept. 17 in Orlando, FL, and tickets are on sale now. Visit www.fox.com/dance for more information.

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE was created by Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe and comes from 19 Entertainment Ltd. and dick clark productions. The series is executive-produced by Fuller, Lythgoe and Barry Adelman. Become a fan of SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE on Facebook at www.facebook.com/soyouthinkyoucandance and follow the series on Twitter at @danceonfox.