This morning I had the pleasure of chatting with Max Kapitannikov, the latest dancer to be eliminated from So You Think You Can Dance. We have to admit, we didn't expect to be interviewing Max this morning. Not only was Max paired with one of the season's front-runners, but he brought his own special ballroom flair to the dance floor and offered some much needed diversity to a contemporary clogged season.

Despite his strong performances and the enchanting characters he helped bring to life, Max suffered from the always difficult (and often deadly) ballroom solo last night. While the judges praised Max for being the hardest worker of the group, they ultimately let Max go in favor of quirky contemporary dancer Kupono. Though we don't agree with the judges decision, we'll have to defer to their expertise.




While I tried not to swoon over his adorable Russian accent, Max and I chatted about his favorite So You Think You Can Dance contestants, how he both agrees and disagrees with Nigel's comment that his ballroom background was a limitation, and his words of wisdom for Kupono now that he's paired with his former-partner Kayla.


Listen to my entire interview with Max, complete with adorable accent:


Here are some of the highlights of our interview:

On His Favorite Former So You Think You Can Dance Contestants: "Dmitryi and some of the ballroom people. Travis Wall."

On the Screaming Fans and Dancing on the Big Stage: "It gave me adrenaline rush, it was very exciting to dance on that stage."

On his Favorite Piece He Did While on SYTYCD:  "Brian Friedman's routine was something very different and something new, I'd say that was my favorite."

On the Choreographer He's Most Bummed to Miss: "Mia Michaels, she made a great impact on my dance career."

On following other SYTYCD'ers to that OTHER Dance Show: "Sure, that could be a possibility. I don't think I got enough exposure to be wanted on a different show."

On His Advice for Kupono: "Keep your frame steady, otherwise she's going to take him for a wild ride."




-- Abbey Simmons, BuddyTV Staff Writer
(Image Courtesy of FOX)