DALLAS -- When Nigel Lythgoe brought the So You Think You Can Dance crew to Dallas in January for Season 4 auditions, he wasn't initially blown away by the talent.

"The standings are a little lower than I'd hoped," said the judge and executive producer, who is also one of the honchos of American Idol . Fellow judge Mary Murphy ruled that the dancers were done in by "bad hands" and "lots of booty-shaking."

But that was early in the day. Things must have improved, because three of the top 18 dancers were discovered at the Southern Methodist University tryouts. Meet the rhythmically blessed trio.

Vitals: The 20-year-old calls Lagos, Nigeria, her hometown, but Comfort – named after her grandma – has lived off and on in the Dallas area since she was 8.

First dance steps: "I started hip-hop maybe in my seventh-grade year," says the self-described attention-getter. "I liked being a little tomboy with all the guys, so I could pick up on the guy movements." (Her strategy worked; Mr. Lythgoe has since called her "the best female hip-hop dancer we've had on the program.")

Straight out of the movies: Comfort likes to organize "battles" with other dancers in clubs or a park. "Sometimes the police come, because we get a little too rowdy," she says. "We've had a lot of almost fights."

Career injuries: "Track was my main thing" before dancing, Comfort says. "Being from Africa, everybody's fast." But shin splints and a sprained ankle her freshman year stopped her from running. "After that I said, 'You know what? Let me just see how far this dancing's gonna get me.' " She also dislocated her shoulder while practicing last week, but she "click-clicked" it back into place before the live show.

Biggest 'Dance' challenge so far: "Keeping up with how long everybody else has done it. My training is so much hip-hop and street, and maybe 2 ½ of ballet," she says, the latter of which came at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. "Other people here are like, 'I've been dancing since I was 2.' "

Vitals: The 23-year-old Flower Mound resident, who graduated with a business and marketing degree from the University of Texas, was a Mavs dancer for the 2006-07 season. Her résumé also includes a stint at Eddie Deen's, where she taught line-dancing. "You name it," she says, "I've done it."

First dance steps: "I started when I was 3," says Chelsea, who got most of her training at Top Hat Dance Center in Lewisville. Her past includes recitals aplenty. Even as a tiny performer, "I'd always be up there dancing," she says. "I was never looking off in the wings like some of the other kids."

Mavs mania: She says she auditioned mainly because she'd be able to take free dance classes. "And I was like, 'Awesome. You get to perform and you get paid!' " On the other hand, "I didn't realize how 'local celebrity' it was to be a Mavs dancer. We had to do a calendar – I had no idea!"

Career injuries: None to speak of, "but every muscle is sore. I have a sore toe right now. My arch gets tight, because my foot must always be pointed."

Biggest 'Dance' challenge: "The schedule is insane. I've always been busy, but this is another level." She's been rehearsing three hours a night, "doing everything in my power" to stay on the show. "So when you guys see me on Wednesday night, you can go, 'That girl practiced her butt off.' " (Last week she won raves from all three judges. The ever-boisterous Ms. Murphy even granted Chelsea and partner Thayne Jasperson "two tickets on the hot-tamale train.")

Vitals: The 21-year-old grew up in Gaithersburg, Md., but moved to Dallas during his sophomore year of high school to train at the Top Hat Dance Center. On the show, the SMU dance major is teamed with Comfort. The two impressed the judges last week with their jive, causing Mr. Lythgoe to take back his early assertion that Chris "has got the personality of a tree."

First dance steps: "When I was 4 years old, my mom got me into it," he says. "Some of her friends were like, 'He should dance.' I guess they saw me at a wedding kind of moving around and stuff."

Audition day: Chris was scheduled to perform at a spring show the night of the Dance auditions. "I got there at 6 a.m. and didn't audition until 7:15 that night," he recalls. His other show started at 8. Luckily, the judges put him on through to Vegas rather than having him stick around for the choreography challenge. If that hadn't happened, "I would have had to drop out of the competition."

Career injuries: "I have hamstring issues, always. And as you get older – I'm not even that old! – your body goes through it all."

Biggest 'Dance' challenge: "Vegas was very mentally crazy with long nights, especially when we had to do a group dance," he says. "And you don't know what the judges are thinking, so it's a mind game, for sure."