Melissa Sandvig is the 29-year-old Cali girl who represented the ballet world like no dancer has done before on SYTYCD. She rocked it out in LOLAstretch gear on live TV for our pal, Candice and she made us fall in love with pointe all over again. Listen in as she talks about her chemistry with Ade and who her ideal dance partner would be. (Psst. He’s a dreamboat!)

Being the beautiful ballerina, which style was the hardest for you?
Every style was out of my comfort zone. Ballroom was especially challenging. The jazz with Sonya was really hard. So was the contemporary movement with Mandy Moore. Since Tyce’s piece incorporated acting and emotion, I connected with that the most. It was my highest point on the show.

What do you love about the two females left standing?
Both Kayla and Jeanine have great personalities. The finale will be interesting. The three of us girls were so different. It was great working with them.

Do you think you showed other ballerinas that it’s ok to get down and dirty?
I tried to! I’ve been in the ballet world for so long. It was really fun to throw away the tutu for a little bit, put a little sass into it and not be scared. It’s pretty amazing to see what you can do outside of your comfort zone.

What advantage do you think your ballet training gave you?
Learning how to do ballet and having that discipline can take you into other styles of dance. Not to mention it gives you better posture, flexibility, and technique in general.

Tell us about your chemistry with Ade.
At the beginning, we didn’t get a lot of press, but we instantly got along. He’s funny and laid back. Our chemistry worked right away. We’re both technical and strong which helped us do those crazy lifts. It was easy to pretend I was in love with him. We complimented each other very well.

What do you think about partnering with Evan? Was height a factor?
Yes, height was a challenge, especially in ballroom. But in the Broadway routine, he was really great to work with. With Brandon too… in the end we just figured it out.

You managed to make it all the way through without having to do a hip hop duet. When you finally did hip hop in the group number, did you think you could have done a duet?
I did. I feared it and took classes before SYTYCD, but as the competition was going, I kinda wanted hip hop just to prove I could do it. Tabitha and Napoleon gave me the confidence to do it, but I never actually got it.

Were there other styles that you feel like you didn’t get to perform?
I wanted to work with Mia on a contemporary piece, but I didn’t get to do that. Hopefully in the future, I’ll be able to do it.

Who’s your ideal dance partner?
In the ballet world, Jose Manuel Carreño, from ABT. He’s beautiful, and has amazing technique. He would be great. But, I don’t know if I’d trade Ade for anyone.

What are you hoping to accomplish next?
I’ve danced in a ballet company already. I’m not sure I’ll go back to ballet, but I would love to go into TV, film, Broadway… Whatever doors open, I’d be happy to try anything right now.

The routine with Tyce was amazing. Which other routines really stood out to you?
The things I thought would be amazing, I got responses from others that were totally different. The rhumba got an amazing response. I got to wear a gorgeous costume!

Loved that hair. What did you feel when you got ballet?
I was so surprised that I pulled pas de deux out of the hat. Contemporary dancers get contemporary, hip hop dancers get hip hop. I was so excited to put on my shoes and do what I do best.

Besides dance, you love…
I’m a huge people person. If I’m not dancing, I’m with my family and my husband, being around people, being outside. If I’m not dancing, I do Pilates. I love exercising and moving my body.

Last words for aspiring next gen ballerinas?
If I made it to the Top 6, so can you. I hope that I inspired other ballet dancers to step outside their comfort zone.

You definitely did. Congratulations and thank you to Melissa. If you like what Melissa wore on SYTYCD, check out www.lolastretch.com to get her look, and then click here to see what Ade had to say this week.