16 FINALISTS REVEALED AS THE COMPETITION HEATS UP ON "SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE"

AMERICA BEGINS VOTING FOR FAVORITE CONTESTANTS WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 17 First Two Finalists to be Eliminated Wednesday, August 24, on FOX

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE reached a new level of excitement last night when the Top 16 finalists were revealed. For next week's show, the guys will pick out of a hat the name of their dance partners, while the girls will use the same method to choose the type of dance they will perform with their respective partners. Over the next seven weeks, dances will span many genres, including the tango, fox trot, jive, hip-hop and Apache. The judges will decide which three couples did not perform their dances well enough. Then, each of those six contestants will perform a solo dance using his/her own style and music. After the show, America will vote on who moves forward in the competition Wednesday, Aug. 17 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.

Immediately after the performance show, the phone lines will open and viewers will get a chance to vote for their favorite dancer(s) from the bottom three couples. Fans can use the branded toll-free telephone numbers (1-888-TEMPO-01, -02, etc.) until 12:00 PM ET/PT (11:00 PM CT/MT), subject to time zone restrictions. Results will be announced at the beginning of the following week's performance show.

On Wednesday, Aug. 24 (8:00-9:30 PM ET /PT), the male and female dancers with the fewest votes will be sent home. After the elimination, the Top 14 finalists will put on their dancing shoes and perform for America. The following Wednesdays, Aug. 31 and Sept. 7, will also be 90-minute episodes (8:00-9:30 PM ET/PT), revealing the eliminated contestants and the remaining 12 and 10 finalists, respectively, who move forward. Both episodes will be followed by an encore episode of THE BERNIE MAC SHOW.

Meet the 16 finalists:

Dancers scheduled to perform Wednesday, Aug. 17 (8:00�10:00 PM ET/PT):

Allan Frias, 30, is from San Francisco, CA. He has worked for Dance Mission as a dance instructor for the past 10 years and considers his personal dance style to be hip-hop sophisticated with a dash of soul.

Artem Chigvinsev, 23, is originally from Russia and currently lives in Palo Alto, CA. He has a ballroom dance background and works as an instructor. His favorite professional dancer is Mikhail Baryshnikov and Rudolph Nureyev.

Ashle Dawson, 21, is from Long Beach Island, NJ. She works as a professional dancer/choreographer and directs her own dance company. She considers her personal dance style as contemporary and unique. She is the winner of the International Miss Dance title and hopes to one day choreograph for Missy Elliott.

Blake McGrath, 21, is originally resides in Los Angeles, CA. He has been working professionally as a dancer for the past four years and his most memorable dance experience was touring with Britney Spears on her Onyx Hotel Tour.

Craig DeRosa, 18, currently resides in Mt. Sinai, NY. He has worked as a dance teacher and choreographer at Michelle Ferraro's Dance U.S.A. for the past three years. He considers his personal dance style as contemporary/lyrical and hopes to see dancers get the recognition they deserve.

Destini Rogers, 22, is from Tulsa, OK. She works as a choreographer/teacher at Applause Studios and hopes to one day open her own professional dance company. She enjoys dancing in front of large crowds and used to perform locally with the R&B group Meant 2B.

Jamile McGee, 21, is originally from Ohio. He now resides in Baltimore, MD. He currently works as a dance teacher and considers hip-hop his dance style.

Jonnis, 20, was born in Vancouver, Canada. He now lives in Margate, NJ, and teaches dance at various schools. He began training when he was 5, quit and returned to dancing when he was 10. The youngest of 10 children, he considers tap his strongest dance style but also loves hip-hop.

Kamilah Barrett, 27, is originally from Washington, DC. Her dance style can be categorized as hip-hop with a jazz and salsa fusion. She started dancing at the age of 4, went to Suitland High School of Visual and Performing Arts and studied dance at Towson State University. Barrett also attended Alvin Ailey Intensive Summer Workshops. Her most memorable dance experience was being picked by Prince in 1997 to dance on stage during his concert.

Melissa Vella, 20, is originally from Springfield, PA. She currently works as a dance instructor at McHenry Dance Centre and has studied ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, modern and hip-hop. She considers jazz and hip-hop her personal dance style.

Melody Lacayanga, 22, is from Daly, CA and currently resides in Los Angeles. She used to hate dance class but now loves dancing. She's roommates and best friends with fellow finalist Nick Lazzarini and her personal dance style is lyrical jazz and modern dance.

Michelle Brooke, 27, is from Brooklyn, NY. She is trained in ballet, modern, jazz, hip-hop, lyrical, belly dancing and tap. A dance teacher, she loves her work and hopes to one day create her own form of dance.

Nick Lazzarini, 20, lives in Van Nuys, CA. Nick is a trained dancer in jazz, lyrical, hip-hop, ballet and modern. He spent two years at the Dance Company of San Francisco. His most memorable dance experience was when he toured Europe with the dance company RAW. Lazzarini also toured with "Jump" National Dance Convention throughout the U.S.

Ryan Conferido, 22, is originally from Downey, CA. He has no formal dance training and recently discovered dancing. He considers his personal dance style as an abstract form of hip-hop and enjoys break dancing.

Sandra Colton, 26, lives in Las Vegas, NV. Her past jobs include Laker Girl and dance teacher. She is trained in hip-hop and jazz but considers tap her specialty. She has created an online magazine called "Original Girl" and her favorite dancer is Savion Glover.

Snejana (Snow) Urbin, 25, was born in Siberia and currently resides in NYC. She is trained in ballroom and Latin dance styles. She comes from a family of dancers; her mother and sister have danced professionally.

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE was created by Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe and comes from 19 Entertainment Ltd. and dick clark productions. It is executive-produced by Simon Fuller, Nigel Lythgoe and Allen Shapiro.

About 19 Entertainment
19 Entertainment, which was recently acquired by CKX, Inc. (NASDAQ: CKXE), is recognized as a leading creator, provider and promoter of globally successful, music-based entertainment, or "Entertainment Brands." 19 has attracted a unique collection of expertise in people who work together to integrate and leverage activity across television, music, film, merchandising, music publishing, recording, artist/writer and producer management, sponsorship and promotion. To date, 19 has been involved in the creation of 106 No. 1 singles and 83 No. 1 albums, with an impressive tally of 281 Top 40 albums and 430 Top 40 singles.

About dick clark productions
Founded in 1957, dick clark productions has grown to become a leading independent producer of a wide range of TV programming for broadcast/cable networks, distributors and advertisers. The Company has produced thousands of shows and specials in all genres and for all day parts, including such perennial hits as "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve," "The American Music Awards," the "Golden Globe Awards," the "Bloopers" specials and series, the "Daytime Emmy Awards" and the "Academy of Country Music Awards," among others. The Company also is a leading creator of award-winning communications experiences from live events and meetings to integrated marketing programs for major corporations.