<P> The twelfth season of the show divided contestants into two equally sized teams, one representing "stage" dancers and the other "street" styles, with one contestant eliminated from each team weekly until the finale . Auditions began on January 24, 2015 and took place in five major American cities . Season 12 premiered on Monday, June 1 . Tap dancer Gaby Diaz was the winner of the season, becoming the first tap dancer to win So You Think You Can Dance . Animation dancer Jaja Vankova finished as the runner - up . </P> <P> The thirteenth season of the series premiered on May 30, 2016, titled So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation . The season features young dancers between the ages of 8 and 13 (at their date of application). After auditions, during Dance Academy episodes, 10 All - Stars eliminated competitors until each selected one contestant to mentor and partner with in performances during the live episodes . One or more finalists were eliminated each week beginning July 18, 2016 . 13 - year - old dancer Maddie Ziegler observed the Academy episodes and joined the judging panel for the live shows (also observing and commenting on rehearsals), together with continuing judges Abdul, Derulo and Lythgoe, the three of whom conducted the auditions . Leon "Kida" Burns won the top prize of $250,000 . J.T. Church was the runner - up . </P> <P> On January 30, 2017, Fox renewed the series for a fourteenth season, which returned to its former contestant age range of 18 - 30 but keeps the All - Star partnerships . The season premiered on June 12, 2017 . Contemporary dancer Lex Ishimoto was the winner of the season with contemporary dance Koine Iwasaki finishing as the runner - up and female winner, becoming the first Asian - Americans to take the top two positions of So You Think You Can Dance . </P> <P> On September 2, 2009, as prelude to season 6, a special show aired featuring judge picks for the top 15 routines from the first five seasons . At the end of the show, show creator and judge Nigel Lythgoe presented his favorite performance, a contemporary piece choreographed by Tyce Diorio and performed by Melissa Sandvig and Ade Obayomi . </P>

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