Dancing duo opens doors while bustin' moves

Great Falls Tribune - Great Falls, MT, USA - Louis Escabedo doesn't just think he can dance — he knows he can.

The 21-year-old traveled to Los Angeles earlier this month to compete against 2,500 other hip hop dancers for the Fox reality show, "So You Think You Can Dance?"

He and Box Elder's Ceyara Plante camped out overnight and were the 22nd dancers in line for the open auditions. At 8-years-old, Ceyara was too young to officially try out, but Escabedo wanted to bring her along for the experience.
"It's all about getting her the exposure she needs and putting her in front of the cameras and the right people," Escabedo said.

He recently started teaching break dancing at the North Star Dance Studio in Havre. Through the studio, he met Emmy-nominated choreographer Glenn Douglas Packard and Jimmy Arguello, a 2007 finalist for "So You Think You Can Dance."

The experience motivated Escabedo to give it a shot himself.

He and Ceyara prepared a dance piece together for the competition. But when they arrived, they learned he would be freestyle dancing to several songs instead, which closed the door for Ceyara to strut her stuff for the cameras.

"Louis has everything it takes to be a professional dancer," said instructor Darci Gunderson, who accompanied the dancers to California. "He's got the whole package. He's strong and athletic. And Ceyara would stand out anywhere."

Escabedo didn't make the second-day call backs, but the trip gave him the experience and the drive to try out again next year. He's started taking ballet and jazz classes, in addition to teaching break dancing, to diversify his skills.

He and Ceyara will appear on the show. They were in the front of the crowd that runs toward the camera behind the show host to kick off the footage of the Los Angeles auditions.

The dancers also met with talent managers while in Hollywood, with the goal of making Ceyara's dream of dancing in a Missy Elliott video a reality.