‘So You Think You Can Dance’ All-Star Chelsie Hightower Talks Season 12 Premiere And New Choreography Projects

With the Season 12 premiere of “So You Think You Can Dance” just hours away, former All-Star mentor Chelsie Hightower is just as excited as fans for the new format that pits stage and street dancers against each other. Hightower also revealed she wants to come back to “SYTYCD” once again.

Speaking to International Business Times ahead of her performance at the Dwell on Design 2015 expo, Hightower remembered the competition fondly, saying, “It’s a very rigorous show, but it’s very exciting.” Hightower recalled her stressful days as a contestant learning dances they had little-to-no experience with. “You’re placed in a situation where you’ve never been before, taken out of your comfort zone with millions of eyes watching,” she told IBTimes. But all the pressure was worth it for the once-in-a-lifetime experience.

The dancer scored an Emmy nod for her powerful routine from Tabitha and Napoleon to the tune of “Bleeding Love” back in Season 4. From “SYTYCD,” the classically-trained ballroom dancer spun off into the world of “Dancing with the Stars” for seven seasons.

Ahead of the show's return, Hightower, 25, expressed interest in returning to the stage that launched her career. “Hopefully, in the future,” she said, adding that she has kept busy since her time on “SYTYCD” and “Dancing with the Stars” by taking on more independent choreography projects like her stint at Dwell on Design. “I’m trying to branch out with my choreography."

“SYTYCD” Season 12 promises to shake up the old format by separating the stage-trained dancers from the street-trained ones to face-off against each other as teams. This season will also see big changes at the judge’s table with the addition of former “American Idol” judge Paula Abdul and R&B singer Jason Derulo.

“Should be very interesting and a lot of fun,” said Hightower of the new Season 12 format. In addition to ballroom, Hightower also studied jazz, ballet and hip-hop but says she would be on the stage team with a doubt. She added that she’s a big fan of this season’s two lead mentors, Travis Wall and Twitch.

“It’s always so exciting to see the talent there. There’s so much talent across America. ‘So You think You Can Dance’ brings them onto that stage, discovers them and creates life-long careers for them. It’s a delight to watch.”

Take a look of Chelsie Hightower’s latest performance below before the big “SYTYCD” two hour premiere. Episode 1 of Season 12 airs Monday at 8 p.m. EDT on Fox.