Interview with So You Think You Can Dance's Kent Boyd
In the second of three interviews with the Top 3 STYCYD winners from season 7, I spoke with Kent Boyd about how it felt being the fan favorite, the current tour, and how his life has changed since the show.
[Photo courtesy of Mathieu Young/FOX]
How has your life been since the show ended a few months ago? How is good ol' Wapakoneta?
Life in Wapakoneta is crazy! When I got back home after the show ended the city had a welcome home parade and gave me the key to the city. And they changed the city's name for one day to WapaKENTa!
For the first time ever, the finalists were all contemporary dancers. Actually... this season was heavily dominated by contemporary. How did being trained in contemporary better prepare you for the other genres of dance? What do you think made you stand out over the other contestants to make it to the top 3?
Being trained in contemporary really helped me out because the style is based is ballet. And for dance, ballet is the base for everything, so it really helps learning and adapting to the new styles much easier... even though it's sometimes hard to compare ballet to certain styles on the show. For example: Stepping!!! I think what made me stand out was definitely where I came from. Being from a small town made me easy to relate to. Also just being me on the show helped people understand who I was, and everybody knows people are different. That's a tough question.
Hands down, you had some of the most memorable dances from the season, from your contemporary number with Neil to the famous "Prom Dance" with Lauren. Why do you think you ended up a part of so many memorable pieces?
Thank you! I got lucky! Haha, I think everything happens for a reason. And like Cat Deeley says when the right people and the right music and the right choreography meet up it just becomes magical.
What was your favorite dance from the season? What made it so special to you? What was your least favorite?
My favorite dance was the "Prom" dance with Lauren. It was so fun dancing with her and on stage we have such great chemistry. It was just so fun dancing with her and having my idol teach us!! I don't really have a least favorite, but the hardest one was the Step routine with Twitch. It was just a struggle to memorize the stepping and clapping but it was sooo amazing to dance with the best all-star: Twitch.
Having watched the show from start to finish, it's an understatement that you grew throughout the competition. Was there a specific moment that you felt yourself transform into the dancer you are now? If so, what was it?
I really don't believe there was a specific moment in the show where I thought "wow I have really changed or transformed," I think it was just the overall process we went through. It changes you without you even knowing it. And I still don't know how I have changed as a dancer, I'm just extremely proud of myself for doing it!
Which choreographer do you felt pushed you the hardest?
The choreographers that pushed me the most were Mandy Moore and SYTYCD alum Travis Wall. They just wanted me to do the best I could, so they made sure I looked the best in their numbers.
What was it like working with the all stars vs. the other contestants? What did you learn from working with alumni who had been in your shoes just a few years before?
The alumni gave us so much advice and helped us out by supporting us throughout the competition. With the other contestants, we were much closer because we were going through the same thing at the same time. You know, the possibility of being eliminated and going home every week. So having both the alumni and my fellow contestants there for me helped me out so, so much.
I'm assuming by now you've had a chance to watch the episodes. Looking back, what, if anything, would you have done differently?
Great question! Nothing too major, just little slip ups in the routines. That's it. I wouldn't change anything about how I was or acted on the show. Just maybe fixing a leap or turn stuff like that.
Out of all of the judges' praise and criticism, what words have stuck with you the most?
I would have to say when Mia was actually speechless or when Nigel called me the front-runner. Those were the comments that really blew me away! Hearing things like that from such established people is very mind blowing.
What has been the craziest part of this whole experience? Best? Worst?
The best part is making friends. They are really like my family and I will always have them in my life! Also being able to learn from everyone on the SYTYCD faculty was amazing, especially when its someone like me who doesn't get out much. I would have never thought this was possible. The worst part is my sleeping pattern is soooo messed up. And the craziest thing is that it wasn't just my mom watching the show. I think, like, 17.7 million people tuned in the watch the finale which is like, "wow!" And that people in China know my name and where I live! Hah!
How is the tour going? Do you have any funny stories to share?
Tour is a blast! So many funny stories with each other! But I don't think they would make sense if I told you about them you wouldn't think they were funny.
Finally, what are your post-tour post-SYTYCD plans?
I'm leaving good old Wapakoneta and moving out to LA! I'll be appearing on a Disney channel series soon and auditioning for acting jobs on TV while dancing and teaching at conventions and taking classes and trying to start my new career! So excited! Wish me the best of luck, Thank you very much!
