It's been "amazing" and "unbelievable" - the experience of a lifetime.
For Channing Cooke of Haverhill, appearing on the Fox reality show "So You Think You Can Dance?" has been everything she could ever want, the 18-year-old said in a telephone interview from Los Angeles.
And that's considering she had just come from a grueling, four-hour rehearsal.
"The rehearsals are extremely intense and really hard physically and mentally," Cooke said, speaking from the set. "But having a partner helps — knowing you can't let the other person down also helps."
Cooke will next be seen on the show tonight in a taped performance that begins at 8. Her first live performance will be Tuesday. On that show, judges will decide which two contestants will be going home.
On tonight's show, Cooke will be seen with other contemporary dancers performing an emotional piece about crying.
Cooke did a little crying herself when learning she became one of the show's top 20 finalists two weeks ago.
"I had to get my knees, and everything else, to shop shaking," she said. "Just walking out in front of the judges is hard, it's like judgment day. ... When they finally said the words, 'We are going to take you for the next round,' it is almost like I didn't hear them correctly. I need them to say it one more time."
"Then I just screamed because it's such an amazing feeling," she said. Cooke, a big fan of the show, said she expected to face some interesting challenges and to push herself to the limit in this competition.
"I felt like I could do it," she said. "I could be thrown into these situations and I could adapt. It's just kind of putting yourself out there and seeing if they take you or not."
Cooke said tonight's show has been the highlight of the competition for her so far. She'll be dancing in her own style and genre.
"America can see us in our own element before we are thrown into a different style we are not at all comfortable with," she said.
Another highlight? The photo shoots for the show — with hair, makeup and wardrobe stylists pampering her.
"We were a little spoiled that day in a good way," she said.
As a fan of the show, there was one thing about it Cooke never realized: how much time contestants spend waiting around. She's using all the downtime to her advantage.
"You have to keep your focus and keep your mind on what the ultimate goal is," she said.
Beyond that, Cooke is looking forward to her first live performance. She thanked all her supporters and had only one thing to add at the end of the interview.
"Please vote for me," she said.
