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Rhythm the Dog Is Really Dancing in Act Sofia Vergara Calls “Magic” (VIDEO)
Roni Sagi and her dancing border collie, Rhythm, had something "really different" from the AGT Season 18 champions, Adrian and Hurricane.
They say every dog has its day, but one pup featured on America’s Got Talent has something else… four standing ovations from the Judges.
The Israeli-born Roni Sagi and her beloved border collie, Rhythm, bow-wowed Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum, Sofia Vergara, and Howie Mandel with a canine routine so impressive that it brought everyone to their feet. Cowell couldn’t help but compare Roni and Rhythm’s dancing Act to the unforgettable AGT Season 18 winners, Adrian Stoica and Hurricane.
RELATED: Every Act That Auditioned for AGT 2024 In Episode 2 (RECAP)
Cowell asked if Roni and her trusted companion could top the former.
“Adrian is a friend of ours, and we love him and Hurricane,” Roni explained. “But we are doing something really different.”
What Kind of Dog is Rhythm?
Roni told AGT producers she grew up around dogs and took in the 2-and-a-half-year-old black and white border collie in February 2022.
“When I was growing up, every few months, my mom would find a stray dog [and] bring him in,” said Roni. “We would take care of him for a couple of months, and then we would find another home for him, so I kind of grew up with dogs around me.”
Roni knew early on that she wanted to work with dogs, and later discovered “dog therapy” as a means of helping others. Later, she met Rhythm for the first time.
“From the first second, he was a tornado storm running everywhere,” Roni continued. “We literally thought, ‘He doesn’t know how to walk,’ because he was running all the time.”
Roni said it was “so much fun” to have Rhythm as a dancing partner, adding that he helped all her dreams come true.
“He wants to do it all, and he wants to do it now, and he wants to do it as good as he can,” Roni said.
What song did Roni and Rhythm dance to?
Roni and Rhythm performed a seamless dance to Sia’s version of “California Dreamin’,” as made popular on the soundtrack for the 2015 film San Andreas. Of course, the cover is a remake of the 1965 classic by The Mamas & the Papas.
Roni and Rhythm worked in perfect unison, a synchronized and precise routine that had the hyperactive pup weaving between his owner’s legs as she gracefully danced. In other parts of the dance, Rhythm balanced on his hind legs, sometimes bouncing from Roni’s limbs or mirroring her every step.
At one point, Rhythm made the live audience erupt in applause when completing a back flip in the air, a move that visibly stunned Cowell and the others.
Rhythm ended by jumping through Roni’s arms and then standing upright.
All four Judges shot to their feet and gave a hearty round of applause once the song ended.
What did the Judges have to say?
“I’m in love,” said Vergara. “I mean, the whole thing was like magic.”
For Cowell, it was better than he imagined.
“I’m going to say — I really do mean this, and I love Adrian and Hurricane — this was a level up. Genuinely, a level up,” said Cowell. “I mean, when you said your dog could dance, he actually dances better than human dancers we’ve had on. I’m not kidding. I’ve never seen anything like this.”
AGT Host Terry Crews, watching from backstage, agreed.
Klum said the whole thing was “incredible” from start to finish.
“I love it,” she said. “I loved the both of you.”
Meanwhile, Mandel said he agreed “100 percent” with Cowell’s assessment that the presentation was a step above Roni and Rhythm’s winning predecessors.
“This is better; it’s energetic; it was like ballet,” Mandel said. “I love your dog.”
It was yes votes all across the board from the Judges, especially from Cowell, who said he’d give the pair 4,000 yesses. He repeatedly cited the duo as “unbelievable.”
Watch all-new episodes of America’s Got Talent, airing Tuesdays at 8/7c on NBC and streaming the next day on Peacock.
