Hollywood singer-actress Vanessa Hudgens was left in awe after watching the performance of Hannahlei Cabanilla, a Filipino-American contestant, in the US television show “So You Think You Can Dance”.
In the August 6 episode of the said show, the top 10 contestants, which Cabanilla is part of, took the stage to perform for the first time.
Cabanilla was paired with 24-year-old ballroom dancer Cole Mills to perform a contemporary dance routine to George Michael’s “They Won’t Go When I Go”.
Afterwards, judges Nigel Lythgoe, Twitch, and Mary Murphy gave positive comments about their performance.
Hudgens, whose mother is a Filipina, gave words of praise to Cabanilla who she called as her “fellow Filipino girl”.
“It was just magical, truly magical. Hannahlei, my fellow Filipino girl, you make me proud. You’re just like a dream. Your lines are just so astonishing, so beautiful,” Hudgens told Cabanilla.
Talking to two dancers as a pair, the High School Musical actress added, “The two of you had some beautiful connections together. Cole, you doing contemporary I really love because it’s really beautiful, it’s so pure and honest.”
Aside from their contemporary dance number, Cabanilla and Mills also performed a Paso Doble dance number.
Cabanilla is an 18-year-old contemporary dancer who was born and raised in Anaheim Hills. She started dancing at the age of two and is currently studying at Claire Trevor School of the Arts wherein she is majoring in Dance.
