Arts & Entertainment
Northville's Amy Yakima Wins 'So You Think You Can Dance'
Amy Yakima gets the most votes from viewers to end the reality dance show as the female winner.
“Winning the show is a dream come true,” Yakima said, according to FOX. “I never thought I would even make it to Vegas, and I had no idea what a crazy journey this show would take me on!”
>>See what people on Twitter are saying about Yakima in the stream of live tweets above.
The finale revealed the two winners, one male and one female, who had the most votes. Yakima, 19, of Northville and 2011 graduate of Northville High School, won along with Fik-Shun. They receive a cash prize of $125,000 each and will be featured on the cover of Dance Spirit magazine.
"She says it’s really not about the winning; it's being a part of it. She feels she’s a winner already," said Mary Beth Yakima, Amy's mom, before she caught a flight to see her daughter on one of the shows.
Yakima is a "hometown girl" and has no shortage of supporters in Northville. Mary Beth Yakima thanked, on her Facebook page, the loyal family, friends and fans who voted without fail every Tuesday.
Dancing was Yakima's passion at a young age
Dancing has been a part of Yakima's life since she was 3 years old, continuing during school — when she was on Northville High School's dance team — and after. Her mom said she took her to dance class during her work break.
"I would take her for an hour to dance and then take her back to daycare," she said.
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When the family moved to Northville when Yakima was in kindergarten, she continued to attend classes at Noretta Dunworth School of Dance in Dearborn.
So You Think You Can Dance isn't the first opportunity she's had to work with dancers from around the country. Mary Beth Yakima said she traveled last year to 17 cities in the West Coast Dance Explosion as an assistant to a dance instructor.
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"That was a great growth year for her," she said. "I think it was a great experience for her to do that. So when she auditioned for So You Think You Can Dance, it gave her stronger foundation for the show."
Yakima secured her spot in the So You Think You Can Dance 2013 Dance Tour when she made it as one of the show's top 10 contestants. Catch her on the 42-city tour, which kicks off Oct. 1 at the Wharton Center in East Lansing, Mich.
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