Dance Moms breakout star Maddie Ziegler has signed on to be a judge on Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation. The new season of So You Think You Can Dance will find the 13 year old dance sensation sitting on the judging panel along with Jason Derulo, Paula Abdul, and series creator Nigel Lythgoe.
Fox plans to premiere The Next Generation season on Monday, May 30, 2016 at 8pm ET/PT with the contestants all between the ages of eight and 13. The young dancers will show off their skills in contemporary, tap, hip-hop, ballroom, animation and breaking, and will be teamed up with All-Stars as they attempt to win the America’s Favorite Dancer title. Auditions are currently underway, stopping in Chicago on March 11th and New York on March 18th.
Ziegler’s starred in Dance Moms and is the featured dancer in Sia’s music video trilogy. She’s also performed on Saturday Night Live, the Grammy Awards, Dancing with the Stars, and Jimmy Kimmel Live. And, Ziegler recently wrapped up filming on The Book of Henry directed by Colin Trevorrow and starring Lee Pace and Naomi Watts.
Details on So You Think You Can Dance Season 13: During auditions, the next generation of dancers will compete for a place at “The Academy,” where only the most talented will be selected for the next round of competition. At the end of the round, the best of the best, the Top 10 dancers will be partnered permanently with a SYTYCD All-Star. The competition then moves to the SYTYCD studio, where, with Ziegler and the returning SYTYCD judges watching their every move, the top youngsters will compete each week in a variety of styles, working and performing alongside their All-Stars with world-renowned choreographers. As the competition heats up, contestants will be eliminated until a winner is named on the season finale.
