Benji Schwimmer
Birth name Benjiman Daniel Schwimmer Born January 18, 1984 (1984-01-18) (age 23) in Newport Beach, CA U.S.A.
Statistics Occupation Dancer Other names Benjelle Gender Male Children None Notable credit(s) Fox SYTYCD (Season 2) Candyman (Music Video) Official website http://benjischwimmer.org

Benjiman "Benji" Daniel Schwimmer (born on January 18, 1984)^[1] is an American professional swing dancer. On August 16, 2006 he was crowned "America's Favorite Dancer", as the winner of the second season of So You Think You Can Dance. Image File history File linksMetadata BenjiSchwimmer. ... is the 18th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_California. ... Location of Newport Beach within Orange County, California. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... For other uses, see United States (disambiguation) and US (disambiguation). ... The second season of So You Think You Can Dance premiered May 25, 2006, with new host Cat Deeley. ... Candyman is a pop song written by Christina Aguilera and Linda Perry for Aguileras third studio album Back to Basics (2006). ... is the 18th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar). ... Wikibooks has more about this subject: Swing Dancing The term swing dance is commonly used to refer either to a group of dances developing in response to swing music in the 1920s, 30s and 40s, or to lindy hop, a popular partner dance today. ... is the 228th day of the year (229th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... So You Think You Can Dance is an American dance reality show and competition that is broadcast on the Fox Network, on Fox Japan, on CTV in Canada, on Living in United Kingdom and Ireland and on Network Ten in Australia. ...

Biography

Schwimmer was born January 18, 1984 in Newport Beach, California, and grew up in a Mormon (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) household in Moreno Valley, California. He is the son of "King of Swing" Buddy Schwimmer, who is famed in the West Coast Swing world.^[2] His mother, Laurie Kauffman and sister, Lacey Schwimmer, are also West Coast Swing dancers. is the 18th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar). ... Location of Newport Beach within Orange County, California. ... According to Latter Day Saint belief, Mormon is the name of the compiler of the book of scripture known as the Book of Mormon. ... The Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the largest attraction in the citys Temple Square. ... Motto: People, Pride, Progress Location in Riverside County and the state of California Coordinates: , Country United States State California Counties Riverside Area  - City  51. ... Buddy Schwimmer is an award-winning West Coast Swing dancer. ... West Coast Swing (WCS) is a partner dance derived from Lindy Hop. ... Lacey-Mae Schwimmer (born June 28, 1988) is an American competitive ballroom dancer, and the winner of multiple youth championship awards. ...

He started competing when he was 5 years old. He attended high school in Moreno Valley and Redlands, but then transferred to independent study because of his parents' travel schedule. He finished his studies early, and then taught dance for one semester at Crafton Hills College in Yucaipa.[1] Redlands is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. ... Located in the city of Yucaipa, California, Crafton Hills College serves more than 5,000 students each semester. ... Yucaipa is a city located in San Bernardino County, California, United States. ...

Benji Schwimmer and his older cousin, Heidi Groskreutz (herself a top-4 finalist on the same season of So You Think You Can Dance), are also U.S.A Open Showcase Swing champions in West Coast Swing style. Schwimmer left the dancing scene at the top of his game to serve a two-year mission for the Mormon Church in the Mexican state of Oaxaca. He has subsequently founded the non-profit charity organization "Dancers Everywhere Making a Needed Difference" (D.E.M.A.N.D.) for helping orphans in southern Mexico and Africa and providing healthcare for dancers with HIV/AIDS, and is a co-owner of 5678 Dance Studio in Redlands, California. Heidi Groskreutz is a ballroom dancer, specializing in the fields of Latin and swing dancing. ... It has been suggested that Senior Missionaries be merged into this article or section. ... The temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints located in Salt Lake City, Utah is the largest attraction in the citys Temple Square. ... Catedral de Santo Domingo The Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca or simply Oaxaca   is one of the 31 states of Mexico, located in the southern part of Mexico, west of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Redlands is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. ...

So You Think You Can Dance 2006

After returning to the United States from Mexico, Schwimmer learned that his fiancee had broken up with him (he stated on the show that he learned this by seeing her wedding invitation, and noting that his picture wasn't on it). To combat the resulting depression, Schwimmer returned to dancing. He was shown a video of the performance of the 2005 winner of So You Think You Can Dance, Nick Lazzarini, and decided that he would himself audition for the 2006 season of the show, along with his cousin and childhood dance partner Heidi Groskreutz, and her former dance partner, Dmitry Chaplin. All three of them made it to the top 20 finalists and then to the top 10. Schwimmer and his first assigned dance partner, Donyelle Jones, successfully competed through the entire first part of the season without either of them being in the bottom three couples, with both making it to the top 4. So You Think You Can Dance is an American dance reality show and competition that is broadcast on the Fox Network, on Fox Japan, on CTV in Canada, on Living in United Kingdom and Ireland and on Network Ten in Australia. ... Nick Lazzarini was the winner of the Fox reality show So You Think You Can Dances 1st season. ... Dmitry Chaplin Dmitry Chaplin (Russian: Дмитрий Александрович Чаплин Dimitry Alexandrovich Chaplin) is an International Latin dancer, best known for being a Top 10 finalist on the TV show So You Think You Can Dance (Season 2). ... Donyelle Jones (b. ...

Schwimmer was named the overall winner on August 16, 2006 in an emotional finale. This was a different kind of title from his earlier swing dance awards, as the televised competition required versatility in several different dance styles, and the final voting was done not by a panel of judges, but by American phone-in voters. According to the show, the finale brought in 16 million votes, with a total of 70 million over the course of the season. During the course of the show, the judges routinely said that while Schwimmer was not necessarily the best technical dancer in styles other than his own, that he was clearly outstanding in terms of performance and entertainment and had an amazing personality. is the 228th day of the year (229th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The prizes for winning the competition included a car, a one-year contract to perform in Celine Dion's Las Vegas show, and $100,000 USD. However, in an interview for Seattle Times, Schwimmer indicated that he had turned down the Dion contract, saying that though it was an honor, it wasn't really his genre of dance, and he did not wish to be tied to Las Vegas for a full year. Céline Marie Claudette Dion Angélil, OC, OQ, (born March 30, 1968) is a Canadian pop singer and occasional songwriter. ... For further information, see Las Vegas metropolitan area and Las Vegas Strip. ...

Current and future projects

• Schwimmer and the rest of the top-10 finalists performed in a North American tour starting in September 2006 (see So You Think You Can Dance (Season 2) for details). Most of the dates sold out within hours (Seattle sold out within 30 minutes, and New York within 11 minutes^[3]).
• In August 2006, in an interview for Entertainment Weekly, Schwimmer revealed that he may be being cast as Fred Astaire in an upcoming motion picture.^[4]. However, during an interview with Regis Philbin, Schwimmer backpedaled a bit and referred to the part as a possibility. In a mySpace blog which is believed to be maintained by Schwimmer, it was stated that the Astaire movie fell through and will not happen after all.
• According to a September 2006 Redlands article, Schwimmer was asked by Regis Philbin to be an alternate host on his program^[5]
• According to the Seattle Times, Schwimmer is writing and co-producing a movie about dancing, in which both he and his cousin Heidi Groskreutz will appear. He is also working on a TV show on the lives of dancers.
• He has signed on to do a TV movie called "For the Love of Dance."[2]
• He and Groskreutz danced on Fox's New Years Eve show[3] and talked about their instructional dance DVD.
• Schwimmer appears in Christina Aguilera's music video "Candyman"
• Guest West Coast Swing choreographer on Season 3 of So You Think You Can Dance (July 11, 2007).

The second season of So You Think You Can Dance premiered May 25, 2006, with new host Cat Deeley. ... Entertainment Weekly (sometimes abbreviated EW) is a magazine published by Time Inc. ... Fred Astaire (May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987), born Frederick Austerlitz in Omaha, Nebraska,[1] was an American film and Broadway stage dancer, choreographer, singer and actor. ... Regis Francis Xavier Philbin (born August 25, 1931) is an Emmy Award-winning American television personality best known for his roles as a talk show host, game show host, singer and presenter at various events. ... Candyman or Candy Man may refer to: Candyman (film), 1992 film by Bernard Rose Candyman (rapper), American rap artist Candyman (song), 1986 song by Siouxsie & the Banshees Candyman (Christina Aguilera song), 2007 song by Christina Aguilera CandyMan, Cuban Reggaeton artist The Candy Man, song from the 1971 film Willy Wonka... So You Think You Can Dance is an American television reality program and dance competition airing on the FOX network. ...

Awards

• 1991 US Open, Young America Div. (ages 6-11), 1st Place, partner Heidi Groskreutz
• 1992 US Open, Young America Div. (ages 6-12), 3rd Place, partner Heidi Groskreutz
• 1993 US Open, Young America Div. (ages 6-12), 4th Place, partner Heidi Groskreutz
• 1994 US Open, Young America Div. (ages 6-12), 2nd Place, partner Heidi Groskreutz
• 1995 US Open, Young America Div. (ages 6-11), 2nd Place, partner Heidi Groskreutz
• 2001 US Open Swing Dance Championship, Showcase Division, 1st Place, partner Heidi Groskreutz Video ^[6]
• 2002 USA Swing Net "Person of the Year"
• 2002 US Open Swing Dance Championship, Showcase Division, 1st Place, partner Heidi Groskreutz^{[7][8] [9]}
• 2005 US Open Swing Dance Championship, Showcase Division, 1st Place, partner Heidi Groskreutz Video^[10]
• 2006 So You Think You Can Dance, 1st Place, "America's Favorite Dancer", after a tally of 16 million votes for the Finale

Heidi Groskreutz is a ballroom dancer, specializing in the fields of Latin and swing dancing. ...

References

• [4] The official website to purchase instructional WCS videos taught by Benji Schwimmer and Heidi Groskreutz.
• Benji Schwimmer photos and video clips Benji Schwimmer photos and video clips from SYTYCD TOUR
• Benji Schwimmer Biographical information and an interview with Benji by USA Swing Net.
• US Open awards
• Video interview and dance clips on Access Hollywood
• "Benji Shows Why He's Your 'Favorite Dancer'", TV Guide "Insider", August 21, 2006
• Benji Schwimmer's Myspace page

Access Hollywood logo used 2001-2005 Access Hollywood is a weekday television entertainment news program covering events and celebrities in the entertainment industry. ... is the 233rd day of the year (234th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Official Website of Benji Schwimmer (Site unavailable as of May 2007)
• "The Benji & Heidi Zone" on the USA Swing Dance Network
• Fan Site: BenjiSchwimmer.com
• Interview: Benji's Spiritual Side
• Video of Benji thanking the Sister Circle for Relentless fanzine