Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss: ‘So You Think You Can’ Act

By Jawn Murray
BV Buzz

Stephen “tWitch” Boss is a Montgomery, Ala-bred dancer who became a household name on the hit Fox reality series ‘So You Think You Can Dance.’

Having first appeared on the show in season three, tWitch was cut from the competition just shy of making the top 20. He returned to the show for season four and danced his way to the finals, where he ended up being the runner-up to the show’s winner, Joshua Allen.

Now the 27-year-old dancer, who currently calls Los Angeles home, is trying his hand at acting, with roles in the forthcoming films ‘Stomp The Yard: Homecoming’ and ‘Step Up 3-D.’

BV Buzz caught up with tWitch in Atlanta, which is where he shot ‘Stomp the Yard: Homecoming.’

You’ve definitely made a name for yourself as a dancer, but how does it feel to be making your acting debut in not one, but two, films?

To make this debut as you say feels somewhat surreal and it’s a bit of a double-edge sword. I’m very, very excited, but at the same time, I’d like it to be the first or second of many. I would really like to make my way into acting while also being proficient in my dancing as well. I believe dancers are amazing actors as well. With that I hope the momentum that I have right now doesn’t come to a cease or slow down. Hopefully, it will just pick up and pick up.

How did the acting opportunities present themselves to you?

I got into acting through dancing. I started off as a young kid on the stage in the theater. I always loved playing characters and not acting like myself. One time I auditioned for ‘The Wiz’ and they accidentally cast me as a dancer. I just went with that and fell in love [with it]. I have always loved the stage and always loved to act. After I got off of the show ‘So You Think You Can Dance,’ I started taking classes with a very good coach of mine, Mary Kegley. She started coaching me, and we started finding auditions for people that needed to dance as well.

Tell me about the process for ‘So You Think You Can Dance?’ How did you end up getting on that show?

The process for ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ is almost like ‘American Idol.’ It’s basically the same makers. You have thousands and thousands of people come to the regional one because they have a couple of different auditions in every city. Then, there’s a Vegas round where they choose the top 20 from there, 10 guys and 10 girls.

On season four, didn’t you pass out rehearsing for the finale?

Both of us passed out. We were on IVs during that finale. It was myself and Joshua Allen. We were both hip-hop dancers, and that was the first time in the history of the show that two African American dancers had ever been in the final four. I was runner-up, but in a way I still won. Hip-hop showed that no matter what category you’re placed in, it’s about movement.

You’ve transitioned well after your season. You’re getting acting work and now you’re on the all-star cast of the current season of ‘So You Think You Can Dance.’ How are the others from your season doing?

There have been particular individuals from each season, but I think my season in particular, everybody hit the ground running. I can seriously name everybody from the top 20 and tell you what they’re doing right now and what they did before they got on the show. I think since reality TV is so huge now, you kind of get a game plan of how it’s gonna be if you’re gonna be on one. You think that the hoopla of the original show you were on is only going to last for so long because another season is coming up in about a year, so you have to think about what you really want to do and how you use the exposure that you’ve had to avenue your way into doing that. I think the people from my season did a wonderful job.

Are there any artists that you would love to dance with?

There are a lot of artists that I would love to dance for. I would love to dance for Omarion and Chris Brown because those two just go real hard. I love to freestyle, and those two, along with Usher, freestyle. The one that I really wanted to dance for was Michael Jackson. I grew up watching Michael, rest his soul. If it’s not dancing for an artist, it’s just bringing back the days of Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire and the Nicholas Brothers.

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‘Step Up 3-D’ hits theaters on Aug. 6 and ‘Stomp the Yard: Homecoming’ will be available starting Sept. 21 in a Blu-ray and DVD combo pack.