Being a good dancer takes a lot of talent, but it also requires hours of hard work, dedication, and practice. People who put in the time and effort necessary deserve a lot of credit for their achievements, and shows like NBC’s World of Dance give us the chance to see the best individual and group dancers showing off their skills in front of a live studio audience and three esteemed judges.
Many acts featured on the show tended to focus on hip hop or contemporary dance, leaving little room for more classical dancing styles, but Kayla Mak dared to be different.
Born in February of 2003, this New York State native is of Japanese, Chinese, and Cuban descent and has studied everything from classical ballet to jazz, contemporary, hip hop, and tap.
For her appearance on the third season of World of Dance, Kayla chose to show off her ballet skills in front of the judges – Jennifer Lopez, Ne-Yo, and Derek Hough.
Stepping onto the misty stage, Kayla wowed every single member of the audience with a flawless routine.
Take Me to Church by Hozier was her song of choice as she glided effortlessly across the dance floor, displaying her agility, flexibility, and incredible talent with one amazing move after another.
Her moves are exquisite and elegant in all the right ways, the very embodiment of what ballet is all about.
Anyone watching the show might have worried that ballet just wouldn’t cut it alongside some of the contemporary and hip hop acts, but Kayla proves how beautiful a great ballet performance can be, blending a traditional style of dance with a modern musical score to earn non-stop applause and cheers from the audience.
Her family and friends, watching on from the sidelines, were equally amazed and so proud of her.
When Kayla finally finished dancing, the judges only had nice things to say to her!
Derek started off, saying that someone had asked him whether or not ballet could really compete on World of Dance.
After seeing that, absolutely it can compete on this show!
Derek also complimented Kayla’s “consistent finesse and elegance”, calling her performance “absolutely exquisite”.
Ne-Yo asked what the piece meant to Kayla, with the dancer replying that it was all about “breaking free” and letting her be herself.
Finally, J-Lo complimented Kayla’s grace, saying “it’s so beautiful to watch you”.
The judges couldn’t stop complimenting Kayla, with Derek saying she “takes my breath away” and J-Lo comparing her elegance and movements to a rose petal.
Then, it was time for the judges to cast their votes, ranking Kayla’s performance against the other competitors based on her performance, technique, choreography, creativity, and presentation.
The maximum possible score on the show is 100, and Kayla needed over 93 to advance to the next round.
So did she make it? Well, all you need to do to find out is watch her wonderful performance in the video below.
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