Cole Horibe, a competitor in Season 9 of Fox’s “So You Think You Can Dance,” is going on a national tour as one of the show’s 10 finalists.
The Honolulu native joins the female champion, Eliana Girard; the male champion, Chehon Wespi-Tschopp; Final Four finalists Tiffany Maher and Cyrus Spencer; and Lindsay Arnold, Witney Carson, Audrey Case, George Lawrence II and Will Thomas.
The 30-city tour kicks off on Oct. 23 and ends Dec. 5.
“I continue to be inspired by the ever-evolving, magnificent talent that is out there,” says producer and judge Nigel Lythgoe. “It warms my heart to be able to share our discoveries with the nation. I have every confidence that this year’s Top 10 will blow you away.”
California engagements: Tuesday, Oct. 23, at the San Diego Civic Theatre; Thursday, Oct. 25, at Nokia Theatre, L.A. Live; and Friday, Oct. 26, at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland. All shows start at 7:30 p.m. The tour then goes across the U.S., with two stops in Canada, ending in Hollywood, Fla.
For ticket information, go to http://dance.aeglive.com/.
The 26-year-old Horibe made it to the Top 6 but was eliminated in the Sept. 5 episode after doing a jazz dance with SYTYCD all-star dancer Melanie Moore to Alex Clare’s “Too Close.” Sonya Tayeh was the choreographer. The previous day, he did a duet with Girard.
With the judges having had their say the previous week, the outcome depended on viewers’ votes.
For the final episode on Sept. 18, Horibe and Arnold did the paso doble to E.S. Posthumus’ “Unstoppable,” with Jason Gilkison as choreogapher.
Horibe graduated from the University of Hawaii with a BA in interdisciplinary studies. After dancing for three years in high school, he quit dancing, believing he had relatively little aptitude for it. He continued to train in various martial arts and studied acting — his career aspiration.
He began dancing again 4 1/2 years ago. Having studied martial arts for most of his life, he incorporates a martial arts flavor into his choreography, a dance style that he calls “martial arts fusion.” He is trained in ballet, ballroom, modern, jazz and hip-hop.
Horibe has been a bookkeeper for his father’s hair salon, Hairscapes, for six years, and has been teaching dance for two years. He is also interested in writing.
A long-time fan of SYTYCD, he was most inspired by the Top 20 of Season 2. When he was chosen as a contestant, his reaction was “shock and slight disbelief — like an impossible dream come true.”
When asked what people would be most surprised to learn about him, he says, “I’ve only ever had one girlfriend, which was six years ago, because I believe in the concept of one soul mate for life.”
Horibe is not the only family member who has performed on national television. His sister Cara was a member of the Fanny Pak company on MTV’s “America’s Best Dance Crew.”