MIDLAND – When she attends her senior prom this weekend, Kelsi Darby won't need to prove her dance skills.
The Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School student already has shown she's talented enough for Fox's “So You Think You Can Dance.”
Darby, a Hermitage resident, advanced in last Thursday's two-hour season opener of the televised dance contest. She was among about 40 dancers picked from a pool of nearly 2,000 contestants auditioning in New York.
Viewers saw Darby punch her ticket to compete in the next round in Las Vegas. Tryouts were held in four other cities, with about 170 dancers chosen for Vegas week, scheduled to begin airing June 20.
“She has a game plan and has her goals set,” Darby's mother, Lori Darby, said.
First comes graduation June 9 from her Midland school, where she danced in stage productions such as “The Nutcracker” and “The King & I.”
“Kelsi is a tremendously gifted dancer, blessed with an athleticism and almost acrobatic quality that truly sets her apart,” Lincoln Park managing director Stephen Catanzarite said. “I'm sure she'll go far.”
During Darby's junior and senior years, she was enrolled in the pre-professional dance program at Point Park University.
Her mom said the family is limited in what it can say publicly -- protocol for reality-television shows that tape months in advance.
Darby, a contemporary dancer versed in all genres, tried out for “So You Think You Can Dance” in January, a month after turning 18, the show's minimum age. Before starting college, Darby will take time off to pursue professional dance opportunities.
“She's giving it a shot,” Lori said. “The entertainment industry is very hard and competitive, but Kelsi's philosophy is, 'Somebody does it-- it might as well be me.'"
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