“So You Think You Can Dance” finalist Danny Tidwell died on Friday, according to his brother and fellow dancer Travis Wall. Tidwell was 35 years old.
“Yesterday I lost a brother,” Wall wrote on Instagram on Saturday. “And we all lost a gift. I’m not ready. But I never think I will be. Because I can’t believe this is real. I can’t believe you’re gone. You were more than my brother. You were my inspiration. I idolized you growing up. Wanted to dance just like you. Wanted to be you! I wish I could jump in your arms again like we used to when we were kids and onstage dancing.”
Tidwell was the runner-up in the third season of “So You Think You Can Dance” in 2007, when he was 22. Wall danced in the season prior and was also a finalist.
Debbie Allen, who served as a judge on Tidwell’s season, took to Twitter to pay tribute to the late dancer, calling him a “dancing genius” and a “prince amongst paupers.”
Tidwell was born August 1, 1984 in Norfolk, Virginia, and began dancing as a child, first focusing on jazz before changing to ballet. He had worked at various elite companies, including the American Ballet Theatre, and he also performed the works of renowned choreographers like Allen, William Forsythe and Mia Michaels.
In 2005, he was featured in Dance Magazine’s 25 to Watch and appeared on the cover, as well as in Pointe Magazine’s Top 10 VIP. After his run on “So You Think You Can Dance,” he performed during “American Idol’s” second annual “Idol Gives Back” charity event in 2008, and he also had his Broadway debut in 2009 as a cast member in “Memphis.”
See Wall’s Instagram post below.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B9cL70sBwPH/?utm_source=ig_embed