Chigvintsev, Vella booted from ‘Dance’

updated 3:53 p.m. ET Sept. 22, 2005

LOS ANGELES - “So You Think You Can Dance” contestant Artem Chigvintsev, booted off the Fox reality series despite his graceful moves, said he’s trying to keep the outcome in perspective.

“I think overall it was a great experience for me because I was so much on television, so much fans, so much experience being on stage and performing,” he said. “But it’s sad because the competition’s still going on and you have to watch on TV and it’s kind of depressing.”

Chigvintsev, 23, a native of Moscow who lives in Palo Alto, and Melissa Vella were eliminated from the competition Wednesday based on their performance last week.

Chigvintsev performed the fox trot and the cha-cha with fellow contestant Ashle Dawson, while Vella did a hip-hop routine and the pasodoble with Jamile McGee.

Vella, of Springfield, Pa., works as a dance instructor there.

“It was kind of upsetting for me,” Chigvintsev said of the vote. The first dance routine went well but the second drew criticism from the judges, which probably influenced the audience’s decision, he told The Associated Press.

For the most part, Chigvintsev has been a favorite of the panel that includes choreographers. “Your fox trot is the smoothest I’ve seen yet,” judge Brian Friedman told him last week.

The dance contest’s finale is Oct. 5, with the winner receiving $100,000 and an apartment in New York.

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