So You Think You Can Dance Winner Joshua Allen Dies at 36
Former So You Think You Can Dance contestant, Joshua Allen, has passed away at 36 years old.
The entertainment news outlet TMZ first reported his death on Wednesday, October 1, stating that a relative of Allen’s requested “privacy and prayers” during their time of mourning. The specific reason for his passing has not yet been disclosed.
Emmanuel Hurd, a close acquaintance of the deceased dancer, described him to TMZ as “a very honest, real person.”
“He didn’t always conform to what others expected, but that distinctiveness made him a champion,” Hurd shared with the news outlet.
Allen gained significant recognition after securing victory on SYTYCD season 4 in 2008. He triumphed over the runner-up, the late Stephen “tWtich” Boss, who tragically passed away by suicide at 40 in December 2022.
“I enrolled in some modern dance and ballet courses, believing that to enhance my dancing, I needed to explore diverse styles and broaden my understanding of the dance art form,” Allen recounted to Entertainment Weekly in 2008 shortly after his victory. “I aimed to avoid auditioning for the program without any foundational knowledge.”
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His initial audition for the series took place in Dallas, yet “several months” elapsed before Allen relocated to Las Vegas for the live performances. He utilized this period to enroll in “as many classes as I could,” an effort that evidently yielded positive results.
“My technical training wasn't extensive. I typically attended classes during the summer, and during the school year, I’d take classes, run track, and play football,” he further explained. “My intense training was always confined to the summer months. Therefore, it was never a rigorous, year-round regimen.”
Even though he found some of the show’s complex dance routines “challenging” to master, Allen understood the necessity of making them “appear effortless” during his performances.
Allen emphasized in that same conversation that despite their rivalry during their SYTYCD season, no animosity existed between him and Boss.
“We genuinely celebrated each other’s successes,” Allen elaborated. “Among all the contestants, we were two of the most bonded.”
Allison Holker's Tribute to Stephen 'tWitch' Boss During the ‘SYTYCD’ Premiere
Several years prior to his passing, Allen garnered media attention in 2016 due to an arrest for domestic violence concerning a former girlfriend.
Reports emerged in 2017 confirming Allen's sentencing to a year in prison after he entered a plea of no contest to the allegations. Additionally, he was given five years of formal probation and mandated to attend one year of domestic violence counseling, according to Deadline. The presiding judge further instructed Allen to maintain distance from his former partner.
After his triumph on SYTYCD, Allen featured as a dancer in the 2010 film Step Up 3D. He also participated in Oxygen’s Dance Your Ass Off and had a role in the 2011 Footloose remake. His acting endeavors persisted, with appearances in numerous commercials and television series such as Community and American Horror Story, leading up to his demise.
Allen had previously discussed his professional ambitions with EW soon after his SYTYCD success.
“My desire is to become a recording artist. I aspire to choreograph and, ideally, establish my own studio and dance company,” he stated in 2008. “Ultimately, I aim to own my own record label and work as a producer — pursuing those kinds of ventures. Furthermore, I also wish to pursue modeling.”
