So You Think You Can Dance hip hop choreographer Shane Sparks plead not guilty to eight counts of child molestation in a Van Nuys, Calif., courtroom today. The 40-year-old dancer is facing six counts of performing a lewd act on a child and two counts of oral copulation with a person under age 16. The alleged crimes are said to have occurred between July 1994 and April 1997. He was arrested at his Studio City, Calif., home on Dec. 18, 2009, and released the next day.
Attorneys for Sparks have said since his arrest that their client is innocent and his rise to fame as a judge on SYTYCD and MTV's America's Best Dance Crew prompted the allegations. Attorney Steve Meister called the case "extortion, Hollywood-style" because Sparks' accuser waited 15 years to come forward. The television star plans to fight for his innocence and reputation.
His next hearing is scheduled for April 20, when a judge will determine if there is enough evidence against him for a full-blown trial.
Unfortunately, this is not the first time a SYTYCD choreographer has been accused of a sex crime. Salsa dancer Alex da Silva has been charged with several counts of sexual assault and was arrested once in April 2009 and again in August 2009. His case is still pending.
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