DAPHNE, Ala. — Daphne High School senior Shell Enzor didn’t need a golden ticket to know she’s a good dancer. The 18-year-old has been dancing competitively and touring for nearly a decade.

But receiving the golden ticket didn’t hurt because it meant the producers of the popular FOX television show, “So You Think You Can Dance” wanted Enzor back for the final round of tryouts.

Footage of her audition will air at 7 p.m. tonight on Fox. She can also be seen during the show’s opening sequence as it details the New Orleans tryouts schedule.

Enzor traveled to New Orleans in June to audition for the show’s sixth season when she encountered thousands of people eager to show off their moves and impress the judges.

She remembered feeling a little anxious before the first tryout but was confident in her abilities to dance and to take criticism.

Daphne High School senior Shell Enzor didn’t need a golden ticket to know she’s a good dancer. The 18-year-old has been dancing competitively and touring for nearly a decade.

But receiving the golden ticket didn’t hurt because it meant the producers of the popular FOX television show, “So You Think You Can Dance” wanted Enzor back for the final round of tryouts.

Footage of her audition will air at 7 p.m. tonight on Fox. She can also be seen during the show’s opening sequence as it details the New Orleans tryouts schedule.

Enzor traveled to New Orleans in June to audition for the show’s sixth season when she encountered thousands of people eager to show off their moves and impress the judges.

She remembered feeling a little anxious before the first tryout but was confident in her abilities to dance and to take criticism.

“You have to walk in there with confidence,” she said. “I walked in thinking this would just be an experience and was open-minded. You have to take the advice they (the show’s judges) give you.”

In the first round of tryouts — held in the New Orleans Civic Center on a Friday — Enzor was given 30 seconds to improvise a routine to a song of the judges’ choosing.

For the initial improv, Enzor danced with nine contestants to Sean Kingston’s “Burning on the Dance Floor,” a song she had never heard before.

“It was a hard song to improv to since I came in as like a contemporary dancer,” Enzor said. “And I was freaking myself out about not knowing the song, but I’ve never been so nervous in my life, literally. So as soon as I got out there, I didn’t even hear the music, really: I just danced.”

“So You Think” hostess Cat Deeley and judge Mary Murphy were on hand  to evaluate the second round of tryouts, held the following Saturday and Sunday. Assistant directors and producers judged the first round.

Enzor said Nigel Lythgoe, the outspoken and flamboyant judge that has become the face of the show, was out recovering from back surgery.

Out of thousands of footloose hopefuls, only 24 contestants — 20 males and four females — were invited back.

For the second round, contestants danced a ballroom routine in pairs and were judged on their choreography. The discrepancy in gender meant the four girls had to dance five separate exercises.

“We had to keep going every time,’ she said. “That was tough.”

Enzor was then asked for a solo audition, during which she danced to Sinead O’Connor’s “Nothing Compares 2 U.”

Enzor said the show’s camera crews followed her everywhere and were particularly invasive after her tryout.

“The cameras are always watching,” she said. “At first, yes I was nervous because I’ve never been around that kind of environment before. It’s like a whole different world coming from a small city. I just told myself to be myself and act as if they weren’t there.”

Enzor began dancing lessons at age 2; today, she attends Dare 2 Dance Studio in Robertsdale, where she studies ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop and modern. With Dare 2 Dream, Enzor attended conventions and workshops in several states, including South Carolina and New York.

“Shell can do anything,” instructor Misti Smith said. “The way she performs when she’s on stage — no one can keep their eye off her.”

Smith said that Enzor’s only weakness is that she sometimes lacks confidence but is sure that will pass with experience.

“Ever since she was little, she’s said she’s going to Hollywood,” Smith said.