Phillip performed a traditional Russian folk dance and a jive routine with his partner, Jeanine. Nigel said the jive was the best Phillip's been outside of his style.
Top 14 - 07 / 01 / 09
While chained to Jeanine, Phillip performed a Tabitha and Napoleon hip hop routine. The judges said that Phillip did a great job hitting the moves hard.
Top 16 - 06 / 24 / 09
Phillip danced a Broadway routine with Jeanine. The judges were impressed that he nailed a huge leap over a couch, but they want to see a little bit more personality from him.
Top 18 - 06 / 17 / 09
Phillip danced the tango with Jeanine, and although he's a street dancer with no tango experience, Mary gave him an A+ for his attitude.
Top 20 - 06 / 10 / 09
Pop locker Phillip was able to do what he does best in a slow hip hop routine with partner Jeanine. Adam observed that Phillip has grown so much as a dancer already, and that there is no one else like him.
Las Vegas - 6 / 04 / 09
Popper Phillip Chbeeb bounced back from last year's bout with pneumonia and showed that he's a versatile dancer. Adam Shankman appreciated Phillip's love of dance, and tells him that he's in the Top 20. Phillip can't believe it, and busts a move on his way off the stage.
PacMan (I received the name due to my initials being P.A.C.)
Where do you currently live?
Los Angeles, CA
Where were you born?
Tomball, Texas
What is your hometown?
Houston, Texas
How old are you?
20 years old
What is your birth date?
November 30, 1988
Are you in school? If so, which one and how long? Did you graduate?
I'm currently a student at Loyola Marymount University as a Physics/Engineering major.
Are you married?
No
Do you have any children?
No
Do you have a job?
I'm a full time student (except this semester which I'm taking off for the show).
How old were you when you started dancing?
I officially started dancing at around 15 years of age.
Do you have any formal dance training?
I have no formal dance training, but I did have a childhood filled with hobbies/sports and interests that inspired me to understand movement early in life.
If you had to categorize your dance style, what would it be?
I could categorize my dance style as popping or hip-hop, because those are the techniques I use most often, but as I grow and delve into all the other forms of dance, my style has evolved into something more ambiguous. I like to think that I have no limits to what I can create with the skills I attain along my way, whether it be one style or a compilation of many.
What other talents/hobbies do you have?
I tried every hobby I could as a child. I've tried nearly all sports, theater & choir in high school, piano, saxophone, clarinet, video games, Pokemon and sports card collecting, Rubiks cubes, billiards, skateboarding, BMX-ing, home science experiments, cartooning, and creative writing. I had a phase for pretty much everything in my young childhood. I even recorded a few rap songs on my computer...which will be locked away to avoid a rift in the space/time continuum. :)
Who is your favorite professional dancer?
Since there are so many styles of dance, this is definitely a "too many to list" question.
Does anyone in your family dance professionally?
My mother did professional Croatian folk dancing when she was younger. My dad did a few traditional Lebanese dances and some martial arts when he immigrated to the U.S., but I think that may be as close as he got to professional dancing (although he does pull out the robot from time to time. Haha!).
Have you performed in musical theater or in public functions as a dancer?
I've enjoyed performing occasionally in musicals and plays at my high school, as well as busting a few moves at the formal dances. Professionally, I've performed at a couple international cooperate events for companies such as Absolute Vodka in Romania, as well as some local events in both Houston and Los Angeles.
What would you like to see happen to you as a result of the show?
As far as the competition aspect, I just look forward to challenging myself to move outside of my comfort zone and unleash the dragon inside, or maybe the baby hippo...depending on my mood. More generally, I would like to gain perspective on how to truly entertain, gain skills in all styles of dance, and gain motivation to continue to improve myself and my art form.
Where would you like to be in 10 years and what would you like to be doing?
One project I'm attempting is to make an internet series where I create a piece with established professional choreographers in each style, to make a unique hybrid of styles for people on the web to see. As for more long-term goals, I'd love to be an established choreographer working to create dances that merge styles either on a show like "So You Think You Can Dance" or on tour with a dance troupe filled with various specialty dancers. At the same time, I plan to finish my engineering degree and experiment with inventing and other pet business projects in the physics field.
What has been your most memorable dance experience?
Vegas week "So You Think You Can Dance" Season 5...hands down.
What have you learned so far in going through the audition process for this show?
I learned that outcomes are so often out of your hands in life, that when you finally have an opportunity to change your situation in life, you have to pour your blood, sweat, and tears into every second so you never need to ask "what if." In Vegas, I saw the beauty in art forms I've never heard of and pulled a part of me out that I didn't know existed.
What are your favorite dance moments from movies, TV and/or stage?
There have been so many wonderful dance moments being shared to the public between all the dance shows and movies out right now. I couldn't possibly re-tell all of my favorites, but one that comes to mind is in the documentary "The Freshest Kids," when hundreds of armed police officers come to disperse a congregation of b-boys on Venice Beach and a defiant breaker called Crazy Legs beings to taunt the oncoming law enforcement by dancing in front of the crowd.
Which choreographers would you like to work with?
I'd like to always remain a work in progress so I honestly want to seek out creative minds in all fields of dance and learn from them all if possible. In other words, too many to list.
Chbeeb has had no formal dance training, but began dancing when he was 15 years old. At age 16, he founded the Marvelous Motion Studio in Houston. He is currently an engineering physics major at Loyola Marymount University.
