Allison Holker
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Allison Renae Holker (born February 6, 1988) is an American dancer. Holker has worked in film, television, and concert tours. She is known for appearances on the television dance competition ''
So You Think You Can Dance ''So You Think You Can Dance'' is a franchise of reality television shows in which contestants compete in dance. The first series of the franchise, created by '' Idols'' producers Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe, premiered in July 2005 and has ...
'', where she was a contestant in season 2 and as an All-Star in seasons 7–11 and 14.


Early life and education

Holker was born in
Anoka County, Minnesota Anoka County ( ) is the List of counties in Minnesota, fourth-most populous County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 363,887. The county seat and namesak ...
, grew up in
Orem, Utah Orem is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States, in the northern part of the state. It is adjacent to Provo, Utah, Provo, Lindon, Utah, Lindon, and Vineyard, Utah, Vineyard and is approximately south of Salt Lake City. Orem is one of the pri ...
, and graduated from Timpanogos High School in June 2006. She began her dance training at the age of nine when she enrolled as a student at The Dance Club in Orem. While she was in Orem she began to specialize in contemporary, tap,
ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...
, and jazz. She performed in the opening and closing ceremonies of the
2002 Winter Olympics The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Salt Lake 2002 (; Gosiute dialect, Gosiute Shoshoni: ''Tit'-so-pi 2002''; ; Shoshoni language, Shoshoni: ''Soónkahni 2002''), were an international wi ...
. She has won dance titles including her first national competition in Co DANCE in 2004 and as the National Senior Outstanding Dancer at the New York City Dance Alliance in 2005.


Career

Holker performed with
Earth, Wind and Fire Earth, Wind & Fire (abbreviated as EW&F or EWF) is an American band formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1969. Their music spans multiple genres, including jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, Latin and Afro-pop. They are among the best-selling ba ...
at the opening and closing ceremonies at the
Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a Multi-s ...
in 2002, and in the Disney Channel original films ''
High School Musical ''High School Musical'' is a 2006 American Musical film, musical television film produced by and aired on Disney Channel as part of the network's List of Disney Channel original films, slate of original television films. The first installmen ...
'' (2006) and ''
High School Musical 2 ''High School Musical 2'' is a 2007 American Musical film, musical television film directed by Kenny Ortega and written by Peter Barsocchini. The 70th Disney Channel Original Movie (DCOM), it is the sequel to ''High School Musical'' (2006) and ...
'' (2007). On television, she has been seen in various commercials and was a contestant on the second season of ''
So You Think You Can Dance ''So You Think You Can Dance'' is a franchise of reality television shows in which contestants compete in dance. The first series of the franchise, created by '' Idols'' producers Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe, premiered in July 2005 and has ...
'' was in gender the overall quarter-finalist eliminated and as the seventh female contestant, and danced in that season's SYTYCD nationwide tour. She performed with a show called ''Ballroom with a Twist'', choreographed by
Louis Van Amstel Louis van Amstel (born June 23, 1972, in Amsterdam) is a Dutch ballroom dance champion, professional dancer, and choreographer who appears on the American reality television series ''Dancing with the Stars''. Early life Louis van Amstel was bor ...
, and appeared with ''
American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American Music competition, singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle (company), Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It a ...
s
Clay Aiken Clayton Holmes Aiken (''né'' Grissom; born November 30, 1978) is an American singer, television personality, actor and political activist. Aiken finished second place on the second season of ''American Idol'' in 2003, and his debut album, '' Me ...
in his
PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
special ''Tried and True''. Holker was featured in the " Jar of Hearts" music video by
Christina Perri Christina Judith Perri (born August 19, 1986) is an American singer and songwriter. After her debut single "Jar of Hearts" was featured on the television series ''So You Think You Can Dance (U.S. TV series), So You Think You Can Dance'' in 2010, ...
. In September/October 2011 Holker was one of
Demi Lovato Demetria Devonne "Demi" Lovato ( ; born August 20, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. After appearing on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004), she starred in the Disney Channel short series ...
's backup-dancers. Holker has taught at different dance conventions and workshops across the country, also branching out into choreography. Holker was a backup-dancer on '' The X Factor USA'' working together with
Brian Friedman Brian L. Friedman (born May 28, 1977) is an American dancer and choreographer. Friedman has created the choreography for many popular music artists – such as Britney Spears, Cher, Beyoncé Knowles, and Mariah Carey – as well as for music ...
. On April 30, 2013, she performed a dance routine on ''Dancing with the Stars'' with Stephen "tWitch" Boss. They danced to "
Crystallize Crystallization is a process that leads to solids with highly organized atoms or molecules, i.e. a crystal. The ordered nature of a crystalline solid can be contrasted with amorphous solids in which atoms or molecules lack regular organization ...
" which was performed live by
Lindsey Stirling Lindsey Stirling (born September 21, 1986) is an American violinist, songwriter and dancer. She presents choreographed violin performances, in live and music videos found on her official YouTube channel, which she created in 2007. Stirling per ...
.


''Dancing with the Stars''

In August 2014, Holker was announced as one of the 12 professional dancers on the 19th season of ''
Dancing with the Stars ''Strictly Come Dancing (widely known as Dancing with the Stars)'' is an international television franchise based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing,'' itself a successor to the show ''Come Dancing'' (1950–1998) ...
''. The announcement of Holker, a contemporary dancer, as a cast member was met with controversy due to her limited experience with dancing and teaching Latin Ballroom dance. She partnered with ''
Mean Girls ''Mean Girls'' is a 2004 American teen comedy film directed by Mark Waters and written by Tina Fey. It stars Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Tim Meadows, Ana Gasteyer, Amy Poehler, and Fey. The film follows Cady Heron (Lohan), a naïve t ...
'' actor Jonathan Bennett. The couple was eliminated on Week 6, finishing in 9th place. On February 11, 2015, Holker was partnered with R5 singer and actor
Riker Lynch Riker Anthony Lynch (born November 8, 1991) is an American singer and actor. He was previously cast as Jeff, one of the members of the Dalton Academy Warblers singing group, on Fox's television series '' Glee''. He finished in second place on ...
in the show's 20th season. The couple made it to the finals and finished in second place. For season 21 she was paired with singer
Andy Grammer Andrew Charles Grammer (born December 3, 1983) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He has been signed to Mushroom Music Publishing since March 2022. His debut album, '' Andy Grammer'', was released in 2011 and spawned the s ...
. They were eliminated on Week 8 finishing in 7th place. She did not appear in season 22 due to pregnancy. Holker returned for season 23 and was partnered with singer-songwriter
Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds Kenneth Brian Edmonds (born April 10, 1959), better known by his stage name Babyface, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He has written and produced 26 number-one R&B hits and won 13 Grammy Awards. He was ranked number 20 ...
. The couple were eliminated on Week 4 and finished in 11th place.


''Dancing with the Stars'' performances


With celebrity partner: Jonathan Bennett

Season average: 28.7


= Notes

= * 1Score given by guest judge
Kevin Hart Kevin Darnell Hart (born July 6, 1979) is an American comedian and actor. The accolades he has received include the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor and nominations for two Grammy Awards and four Primetime Emmy Awards. After winning se ...
in place of Goodman. * 2The American public scored the dance in place of Goodman with the average score being counted alongside the three other judges. * 3 Only for this week, "Partner Switch-Up" week, Bennett performed with
Peta Murgatroyd Peta Jane Murgatroyd (born 14 July 1986) is an Australian and American professional Latin dancer. She performed in the international tour of the dance production ''Burn the Floor'', including its Broadway run. She is best known for her appearance ...
instead of her while she performed with Antonio Sabàto Jr. * 4Score given by guest judge
Jessie J Jessica Ellen Cornish (born 27 March 1988), known professionally as Jessie J, is an English singer and songwriter. Born and raised in London, she began her career on stage, aged 11, with a role in the West End musical '' Whistle Down the Wind ...
in place of Goodman. * 5Score given by guest judge Pitbull in place of Goodman.


With celebrity partner:

Riker Lynch Riker Anthony Lynch (born November 8, 1991) is an American singer and actor. He was previously cast as Jeff, one of the members of the Dalton Academy Warblers singing group, on Fox's television series '' Glee''. He finished in second place on ...

Season average: 37.3


With celebrity partner:

Andy Grammer Andrew Charles Grammer (born December 3, 1983) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He has been signed to Mushroom Music Publishing since March 2022. His debut album, '' Andy Grammer'', was released in 2011 and spawned the s ...

Season average: 24.5


= Notes

= * 1 Score given by guest judge
Alfonso Ribeiro Alfonso Ribeiro (born September 21, 1971) is an American actor, comedian, singer, and television host. He is best known for his roles as Carlton Banks on the NBC sitcom '' The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'', Alfonso Spears on the sitcom ''Silver Spoo ...
. * 2 Only for this week, "Partner Switch-Up" week, Grammer performed with
Sharna Burgess Sharna May Burgess (born 21 June 1985) is an Australian ballroom dancer who is best known for being a professional partner and troupe member on the ABC series ''Dancing with the Stars''. She is the winner of season 27 of American television sh ...
instead of Holker. Holker performed with Hayes Grier. * 3 Score given by guest judge
Maksim Chmerkovskiy Maksim Aleksandrovich Chmerkovskiy (born January 17, 1980) is an American Latin– ballroom dance champion, choreographer, and instructor. He is widely known as one of the professional dancers on the American television series '' Dancing with t ...
. * 4 Score given by guest judge
Olivia Newton-John Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British and Australian singer and actress. With over 100 million records sold, Newton-John was one of the List of best-selling music artists#100 million to 119 million record ...
.


With celebrity partner:

Babyface Babyface or Baby Face can refer to: Nicknames * Lester Joseph Gillis a.k.a. Baby Face Nelson, an infamous 1930s bank robber * Roosevelt "Baby Face" Willette (1933–1971), an American hard bop and soul-jazz musician * "Baby Face", Jimmy McLarnin ...

''Season average: 26.3''


Personal life

In 2013, Holker and fellow ''So You Think You Can Dance'' all-star,
Stephen "tWitch" Boss Stephen Laurel "tWitch" Boss (September 29, 1982December 13, 2022) was an American freestyle dance, freestyle hip hop dancer, choreographer, actor, television producer, and television personality. In 2008, he finished in second place on the Am ...
, were married at Villa San-Juliette Winery in
Paso Robles, California Paso Robles ( ), officially El Paso de Robles (Spanish for The Pass of Oaks), is a city in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. Located on the Salinas River about north of San Luis Obispo, the city is known for its hot springs, ...
, owned by ''SYTYCD'' producer and judge
Nigel Lythgoe Nigel Lythgoe OBE (; born 9 July 1949) is an English television and film director and producer, television dance competition judge, former dancer in the Young Generation and choreographer. He was the producer of the shows ''Pop Idol'' and ''Ame ...
. The couple had two children together, a son born in 2016 and a daughter born in 2019. Holker also has a daughter (born 2008) with her former fiancé. On December 14, 2022, it was announced that Stephen Boss had died by suicide the day before. In September 2024, Holker confirmed her relationship with Adam Edmunds, a
chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...
at the software development company Entrata.


Filmography


Awards

* 2004: National Senior Performer of the Year from Company Dance * 2005: National Senior Outstanding Dancing for New York City Dance Alliance * 2007: National Senior Dancer of the Year * 2013: Primetime Emmy Award Nomination for Outstanding Choreography


Books

*


References


External links


Allison Holker Fansite
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Holker, Allison 1988 births 21st-century American dancers 21st-century American women Living people American female dancers Dancers from Minnesota Dancers from Utah People from Orem, Utah So You Think You Can Dance (American TV series) contestants