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 Jennifer Larson
Community Editor
Since she was a young girl, Kourtni Lind has dreamt big.
This past September, the 18-year-old Forest Lake native moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career as a professional dancer.
Today, she’s among the Top 14 finalists on the television show “So You Think You Can Dance” airing on the FOX network.
Kourtni Lind of Forest Lake, right, hopes to climb the ladder even higher at the hit Fox TV show, "So You Think You Can Dance."
Lind says being named “America’s Favorite Dancer” hasn’t even crossed her mind. She’s just hoping to finish in the Top 10, which would mean touring the United States performing live on stages across the nation.
“I can’t even fathom winning,” Lind said, in an exclusive phone interview on Tuesday.
Besides bragging rights, the winner will waltz off with the cash prize of $250,000.
Lind and her partner Matt Dorame have fallen into the bottom three the last two consecutive weeks. The results from the June 26 show came as a shock to her since the couple performed a contemporary dance – a style Lind has formally trained in for several years.
 However, she said the dance they performed was completely different than anything Lind has ever done before. Contemporary dance is such a broad genre, she noted.
“I felt like we were really strong,” Lind said.
Kourtni Lind and her dance partner, Matt Dorame, right, are among the top 14 finalists in the hit TV show, "So You Think You Can Dance."
(Photo Submitted)
She couldn’t disclose what routine they are dancing on Wednesday, July 2 during the taped performance show.
“I will say there is a surprise,” Lind said. “Things get switched up a little bit.”
A fan forum on the “So You Think You Can Dance” web site has tipped off readers that each couple will be performing two different routines. Predictions are that Lind and Dorame will show off their Hip Hop skills as well as dancing the Mambo.
Lind says she was ecstatic to get Dorame as a partner. She said they work well together “because our bodies are so long.”
In the performance round, the Top 20 finalists dance for America’s votes, and each week the six contestants comprising the bottom three couples are given a chance to perform solo routines to encourage viewers to keep them on the show. Then the judges decide the dancers that will go on and which two are eliminated.
Once the series is down to the Top 10 finalists, it’s solely up to America to decide who remains in the competition. Following the performance shows, viewers can vote for their favorite couples.
The live results shows reveal who keeps dancing and who goes home.
With seven couples left, Lind says they’ve grown super close. She added that it’s difficult to even think about who could go home.
“This is a moment that will last in my heart,” Lind said, of her experience. “I really try to soak up as much as I can.”
And her family is enjoying every minute of the opportunity as well. She’s the daughter of Robin Lind, owner of Dance Tech Studios, 79 S. Lake St.
Lind said it’s amazing to have the support of her community. Down at Arts in the Park, there were children wearing T-shirts that said they voted for Lind.
“I have so many people behind me on this and it’s comforting,” she said.
Tune in on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. for the 2-hour performance show, and Thursdays at 8 p.m. for the live elimination.
How to vote: Watch and dial the toll-free telephone number of the contestant(s) for whom you wish to vote. Voting will open at the end of each performance show. Results of the vote will be revealed in the special results shows that will also air on FOX each week.
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