Let's dance: 'So You Think You Can Dance' tour is homecoming for 3 Utahns

Dancer Gev Manoukian got into the moves when he was in elementary school.

"I just saw my friends doing some break dancing," said the Centerville resident in an interview with the Deseret News. "I loved what they were doing, and I wanted to be a part of it. So I tried it out."

Recently, Manoukian danced his way into the hearts of reality TV fans across the nation. He was one of the 10 finalists in this season of Fox's "So You Think You Can Dance." That earned him a place on the "Dance" tour, which will make a stop at the E Center Tuesday.

The performers include the show's 10 finalists — winner Joshua Allen, Utahns Manoukian and Chelsie Hightower, Comfort Fedoke, Mark Kanemura, Kherington Payne, Twitch Boss, Courtney Galiano, Katee Shean and Will Wingfield.

In addition, dancers who were eliminated before the Top 10 will also be on the tour. They include Utahn and Odyssey Dance Theatre's Thayne Jasperson, Chelsea Traille and Jessica King.

"I'm so, so, so excited," said Hightower, the Utahn who made it furthest in the televised competition — the top six. "The tour is going to be awesome. We're all really excited for that."

Manoukian, who lives with his aunt and attends the University of Utah, was born in Kazakhstan and moved here when he was 5.

"My father then moved to Jackson Hole, Wyo., and I stayed here," he said. "I got into hip-hop dancing with a little company here when I was a teenager. But then the owner moved to Los Angeles. I stayed in Utah and practiced dancing in my garage."

Throughout the years, Manoukian has done some independent shows, taken on dance jobs and taught dance a bit, he said. "I was not expecting Utah to have such a large dance scene, but it does. And people love dance here."

Early this year, at the prodding of friends, Manoukian auditioned for "So You Think You Can Dance" and made it.

"Being a part of the show was a wake-up call for me," said Manoukian. "I realized that I really wanted to be a part of this show. But I saw all this talent and thought I need to step up my game."

And competing in "So You Think You Can Dance" was tougher than any of the contestants anticipated.