15 of the best dance routines ever from So You Think You Can Dance

“Turn To Stone” (Melanie & Marko, season 8) – Contemporary,

Choreographer: Travis Wall

We weren’t lying when we said Travis Wall is a fan favorite on SYTYCD. His pieces over the years since he participated on the show have all been so amazing that, also like Mia Michaels, this list could’ve just been all his numbers.

Melanie and Marko were both strong dancers to begin with. In fact, Marko ended up in third place in the finale, and Melanie won the whole season. But when you get them together with Travis Wall, the results were bound to be phenomenal, and they were.

The two dancers play a pair of statues that are apart, but at night, they come alive and start dancing together. The male statue’s goal is for the two of them to become one statue together, so they can be with each other forever. They performed — fittingly — to the song “Turn To Stone” by Ingrid Michaelson, and came out painted from head to toe in white paint, draped in fabric, just like real statues.

The two beautiful contemporary dancers proved that they could be the perfect partners for each other, demonstrating the love and emotion of a couple that’s crazy about one another. The performance ends with the two statues finally coming together with Marko’s arms wrapped around Melanie before they turn back to stone as the sun comes up.

Travis took a risk with this inventive piece, and it paid off. He didn’t win any awards for the number, but it will go down in SYTYCD history as one of the best of the best.