SO You Think You Can Dance is one of America’s most popular reality competition shows.
Serge Onik, 33, is most famously know for being a contestant on Season 11 but it was announced on August 24, 2021, that he tragically passed away.
Who was Serge Onik?
Onik was a known competitor and choreographer in the entertainment industry.
Outside of competing on So You Think You Can Dance, Onik was known for assisting professional with choreography on Dancing With the Stars and even helped U.S. Olympic figure skaters with their routines and training.
Onik was also an instructor at the Broadway Dance Center in New York City prior to his death and most recently appeared as a dancer in, In the Heights which was released in June 2021.
“It’s such a privilege to be part of a movie that represents the cultures and peoples and dance genre that basically raised me and I owe my whole everything to working with this choreo team aka the dream team,” Onik had previously said about his role in the Lin-Manuel Miranda musical.
“I mean it’s for literally 2 seconds but I’ve never been more honored to be part of a project.”
Onik has also appeared in Marvel’s Agent Carter, Bones, and Jane the Virgin.
What was Serge Onik’s cause of death?
Onik’s passing was confirmed in a statement by Jim Keith, the president of The Movement Talent Agency.
“He was an amazing dancer with a huge heart and he touched the lives of everyone who met him,” Keith said. “He will be truly missed. This is a sad day for us at the agency and for the dance community as a whole. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his friends and family at this time. “
While his death has been confirmed, a cause has yet to be revealed.
Since the news has been announced, many people have taken to social media to express their sympathy for the late dancer.
Kristyn Burtt, a TV host, added in: “Serge Onik was not only beloved for his talents on season 11 of So You Think You Can Dance, but he was also a great friend who always showed up with a warm smile and a big hug. The dance industry lost such a bright light.”
Ballroom dancer Elena Grinenko said: “RIP @sergeonik. We going to miss you. I’m so sad that world lost such an amazing person like you.”
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Where is Serge Onik from?
While Onik has had much success in the United States, he was not born there.
Onik was actually born in Kharkov, Ukraine.
When he was only three years old, Onik and his family moved to the United States where he spent his childhood training as a ballroom dancer.
It is unknown if Okin ever applied to become a U.S. citizen.