World of Dance

male announcer: Since the competition began...

announcer: The best dancers in the world

have pushed themselves to the limit.

announcer: They've made it through the qualifiers.

You're through the next round! Congratulations!

announcer: They survived the duels.

announcer: But tonight...

announcer: The remaining acts will face

their toughest challenge yet:

the cut.

The 15 remaining acts

fight for just two spots

in each of their divisions.

There's no friendships when it comes to the cut round.

You may have to go up against somebody

that you genuinely like, but understanding that

this is for a million dollars.

We have five acts in each of the divisions now.

Only two get to go through.

We're gonna have to say good-bye

to some of our favorite dancers.

Whoo!

announcer: For the first time,

the judges will each mentor one of the divisions.

You gotta finish strong.

announcer: One-on-one.

- That was so beautiful. - Thank you.

announcer: And for this round only,

special guest judge, icon and dance legend

Misty Copeland,

an award-winning performer,

who made history as the first African American

female principal dancer with the prestigious

American Ballet Theatre.

I'm honored to be a part of this show.

I feel like I can relate to a lot of these dancers.

This cut round is going to be extremely brutal.

- I loved it. - Yeah!

announcer: Over the next two weeks,

more than half of the acts will be cut.

It's the most brutal...

I was expecting a little bit more.

I've seen you do better. I expect better.

announcer: And emotional...

You just threw your heart and your soul

all out on the stage.

announcer: ... round of the competition yet.

The cut starts now.

Please welcome your host, Jenna Dewan Tatum.

Misty, welcome to the show.

Thank you.

Oh, it's so nice to have you here.

Thank you for having me.

You know, I couldn't imagine this show,

thinking about credibility of dance

and what this show is

without having Misty Copeland on the show with us.

It is an honor to have you sitting there.

Okay, tonight the acts will continue to compete

within their divisions.

And their score from the judges

will go onto a division leader board.

Only the two acts at the top of each leader board

will move forward to the next round.

This is "World of Dance." The cut starts now.

announcer: Tonight, the Junior Division

is first to face the cut.

Out of the five acts that remain,

only the two highest-scoring acts will survive the cut.

announcer: Judge Jennifer Lopez

is mentoring the Junior Division this round.

For me, it's really exciting

because at that age, you're fearless.

It's about kind of mentoring that spirit in them.

So I really want to help you guys

kind of hone what you're doing,

so you can make it through and get to the next round, okay?

- Yeah. - All right.

announcer: Up first, Diana Pombo.

I definitely didn't expect

to make it through the duels round.

You are just something so incredibly different

and special.

Thank you.

I am going to be competing

against the whole Junior Division,

and I know only two people will make it through.

- How are you? - Hi.

Hi. This is our second hug.

- I know. - Yes, it is.

What are you thinking you wanna do?

Well, the song is about letting it all go,

all your feelings inside just as you're rising up.

Okay, so let's see.

Maybe I can help you a little bit.

Oh.

For my idol giving me tips to make my dance better

is unbelievable.

Cue the music.

I think there's so many beautiful lyrics,

that I want you to be singing

the lyrics to yourself in your head.

With each performance, she shows us a level of depth

that is just not common from an 11-year-old dancer.

She moves me in a way that is unexpected.

That was so beautiful.

- Thank you so much. - That was just so beautiful.

As we get older,

we get even more and more afraid sometimes,

and we have to remind ourself

that there's a little 11-year-old girl in there

that--that's fearless.

I love what you do. It's inspiring.

Seeing JLo get emotional while I'm dancing,

I don't want to let her down.

announcer: First up onstage,

Diana Pombo.

Yes, baby!

That was crazy.

I had the pleasure of mentoring Diana.

You reminded me of the strength that we all have inside us

that we can do it, we can do it, and you did it.

You did a beautiful job.

Thank you. Thank you so much.

You are mature beyond your years

as a performer.

The vulnerability that you have,

it just shines throughout your entire body.

Coming from a classical dancer,

I'm going to give you some tools.

That when you are barefoot,

you have to be even more aware

of the articulation in your feet

and how you approach the floor,

almost like an animal,

so that you're more grounded in that way,

and I feel like that will resonate

in the emotion that you feel.

But I am so incredibly impressed with you,

not even just as a performer,

but as a young woman.

Thank you. I love you so much.

Thank you.

You're coming out here and you're giving us

so much passion, so much love,

so much emotion.

For me, one of the most touching moments,

when you were kinda reaching out,

and I was, like, drawn in, I was like, oh, my gosh.

And we're experiencing the dance with you,

rather than just watching you, so thank you for that.

Thank you.

For me, it's all about what it feels like.

It's all about the story being told,

and the song and the movies married together perfectly.

This is the closest to a perfect performance

I've seen from you.

Oh, thank you.

All right, guys, let's lock in our scores.

All right, let's see your scores, baby.