"My husband came at midnight and waited in his car outside [the theater] so I could get my beauty rest," Richardson said. "Then around 2:30 [a.m.] he noticed people lining up so he got in line for me."

That's devotion.

As the morning snow intensified for hundreds of others waiting in line, organizers opened the Salt Palace Convention Center so dancers didn't have to wait in snow. They were brought over to the theater in shifts to audition.

Now in its fourth season on Fox, "So You Think You Can Dance?" had never before come to Utah to scout out talent, even though last year's winner, Sabra Johnson, and season two Top 10 dancer Allison Holker are both from the Beehive State.

"We're expecting high talent from Utah," said Jeff Thacker, supervising producer of the show and a former dancer and choreographer.

"But you know the thing is, it's not just about the dancing. It's about the people. We're not looking for one style of dancer. They've got to have personality and charisma, something that makes them stand out."

"I keeping telling them, 'Make sure I remember you,' " he said.

As dancers waited and stretched in the theater, many people had a game plan that echoed Thacker's advice, including Eldon Johnson, 29, and Linda Huynh, 22, from Salt Lake City.

"I'm mostly a hip-hop dancer, which will be a little harder to sell because Salt Lake is known for classics like ballet and ballroom, but I'm hoping to show them that hip-hop is still unique and versatile," Huynh said.

"Oh, she'll definitely stand out," Johnson said of Huynh. "There's actually a great underground hip-hop, break-dancing scene here. I'm more jazz - I dance with Odyssey [dance company] - but I'm just going to do my best and hope they like it."

Other hopefuls, such as Rozann Moake, 23, from Logan, had a flashier plan to get the judges' attention.

"I might throw in some tumbling, like some jumps or flips, something out of the ordinary," she said.

Those who made it past the first round Monday will return Wednesday for callbacks with the show's judges: Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy and Mandy Moore (not the singer).