Moses Lake dancer makes TV show’s top 20

A Moses Lake teen is among the top 20 finalists for the “So You Think You Can Dance” television series.

Caitlynn Lawson, 18 and just graduated from Moses Lake High School, is vying for the show’s title of “America’s Favorite Dancer.”

The show – in its eighth season – will broadcast at 8 p.m. Wednesday on Fox. Viewers vote by computer and phone for their favorites.

Lawson has been dancing since she was a tot, said her mom, Vickie Lawson.

“She has wanted to do this since she first watched the show,” Lawson said. “We’re just super proud of her.”

Caitlynn Lawson participated in the state’s Running Start program and received a high school diploma at the same time she received an Associate in Arts degree from Big Bend Community College. She dances and teaches at Today’s Generation Dance Studio in Moses Lake.

She has been accepted to Pepperdine University and intends to study biology this fall with an eye on someday going to medical school – unless, that is, she wins the TV competition, which would include a dance tour later this year.

Vickie Lawson said she’s unsure where her daughter got her dancing ability. “It must be a gift from God because there’s no way it could’ve come from her dad and I.”