Let's dance: Utah native returns to Fox's hit series 'So You Think You Can Dance'

OREM — The seventh season of Fox's "So You Think You Can Dance" kicked off May 27, promising big changes and a familiar Utah face in a whole new context.

As a member of the all-star cast, Utah native Allison Holker will be one of 12 former contestants returning to partner up with the top contestants each week.

"We're going to have a lot of pressure on us to be the pros," Holker said. "Obviously the new contestants have to deal with being judged and America voting them off, but I think for us it's a completely new type of pressure being added to the show."

The 22-year-old dancer first made an appearance in Season 2 of the show, where she made it to the final eight after her bubbly personality, diverse dance skills and memorable chemistry with partner Ivan Koumaev made Holker a fierce competitor.

"It's weird," she said. "I'm considered the veteran, being from Season 2, and I'm only 22."

Holker was 18 years old and still in high school when she got a call from a former dance teacher urging her to try out for the show. After driving to Los Angeles with her parents and auditioning on a whim, Holker said it seemed unreal seeing herself on "So You Think You Can Dance."

"Watching yourself on TV was kind of a shock," Holker said. "You're like, 'OK, cool I'm watching a home dance video with 500 other million people.' It was a big shocker and none of us really knew how to handle it. It was bigger than any of us expected."

Holker grew up dancing at The Dance Club in Orem, where she said she jumped right into the competition field, traveling and learning from guest choreographers. Her experience, she said, landed her local jobs dancing in the 2002 Olympic opening and closing ceremonies and the "High School Musical" movies.

Allison Thornton, studio manager at The Dance Club, said the studio has been rooting for Holker and followed her closely when she appeared on "So You Think You Can Dance" the first time.

"We knew that she was in consideration, so we were definitely pulling for her to make it," Thornton said, "but they're very hush-hush about what they can say and what they can't, so we didn't know any sooner than anyone else that she made the show. We had everybody voting and really just tried to support her."

Almost four years had passed since being voted off "So You Think You Can Dance" when Holker got a phone call from the show's producer who told her to "cancel anything you have this summer."