Stephen Twitch Boss

Stephen Laurel Boss, known professionally as Stephen "tWitch" Boss, was an American freestyle hip-hop dancer, choreographer, actor and television personality who brought street-dance musicality and improvisational presence to mainstream audiences. Born in Montgomery, Alabama, on 29 September 1982, Boss studied dance performance at Southern Union State Community College and Chapman University before breaking through to national television in 2003 with appearances on *The Wade Robson Project* and *Star Search*.

Boss's decisive breakthrough came in 2008 when he finished runner-up to Joshua Allen in season four of *So You Think You Can Dance*. That season displayed his range across multiple forms: he performed the contemporary duet "Mercy" with Katee Shean, choreographed by Mia Michaels, while also taking on assignments in Broadway, Smooth Waltz, Viennese Waltz and commercial styles. His return to the program as an All-Star, team captain and—in 2022—judge created an unusually legible career arc: contestant, featured performer, mentor and evaluator.

Beyond the competition stage, Boss carried dance into film, appearing in the *Step Up* series and *Magic Mike XXL*. In 2014, he joined *The Ellen DeGeneres Show* as its dancing DJ, a role that evolved to include guest hosting and co-executive producing by 2020. His work on daytime television made short-form social dancing, audience participation and improvisational responsiveness part of everyday broadcast rather than a specialized segment.

Boss collaborated extensively with dancer and choreographer Allison Holker, with whom he hosted the 2017 *Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings: Holiday Magic* special and the subsequent series. Their partnership extended across commercial and social media contexts, establishing a model of public-facing dance performance. Boss died in Los Angeles on 13 December 2022 at age forty. His death was ruled a suicide.