Ukrainian Light Balance Dancers Are Tearing Up America. Again

There's something to be proud of.

What happened?

On May 28, season 14 of America's Got Talent — the most popular TV show in the US — premiered. Among the participants of the new season were representatives of Ukraine — dancers from Light Balance Kids, who went to compete for a prize of one million dollars.

Their first performance during the judges' auditions was more than a success, getting not only all four judges but also the audience in the hall on their feet.

"Because only four of you came out at first, I thought there were only four people on stage and the rest were 'computer-generated.' That's how perfect you were: I thought you weren't real," — said actress Gabrielle Union, a member of the jury.

Having received four unanimous 'yeses,' the Ukrainian dancers were given the opportunity to travel to Las Vegas for the final qualifying round before the live shows. There they managed to ignite the stage so well that first Simon Cowell (creator of the Got Talent franchise and one of the most influential people in the world according to Time magazine) paid them a generous compliment, telling the young Ukrainian dancers that they "could become stars"

Then the guest 5th judge presented them with the golden buzzer — actress Ellie Kemper from Bridesmaids pressed the golden button, allowing Light Balance Kids to advance directly to the live shows without the final selection.

At the quarterfinal stage, the deciding factor will no longer be the judges' votes, but how TV viewers vote. Light Balance Kids will now fight for the right to advance to the two-day combined semifinal and final, which will take place in mid-September.

Who Are Light Balance Kids

Light Balance Kids — a dance group of children aged 11 to 13 that uses light shows and programmed costumes in its performances. Previously, they took part in the Ukrainian version of the show (Ukraine Has Talent Kids 2).

The creators of Light Balance Kids — the Light Balance dance team from Dnipro. The project's founders are Denys Baldin and Nikita Sukhenko. In 2017, the 'adult' Light Balance became finalists of AGT, creating a sensation and also receiving a golden buzzer at auditions (from supermodel Tyra Banks).

In January, Light Balance took part in the AGT spinoff — AGT Champions.

What Is America's Got Talent

AGT — the No. 1 summer show in the country, which in its entire history has lost the top spot in the ratings for most-watched only once (to the first season of the series "Under the Dome" based on the work of the iconic Stephen King). On average, AGT is watched on television by about 12 million people, and the show has nearly 13 million subscribers on YouTube.

The host of the show's 14th season is well-known actor Terry Crews. The judges include Simon Cowell, actor and comedian Howie Mandel, and actresses Gabrielle Union and Julianne Hough.

Talents from around the world take part in the show.