Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive show news, updates, and more!
You Won't Believe Your Eyes Seeing AGT Border Collie, Rhythm, Dance to Flashdance
Roni Sagi and her beloved pup Rhythm proved they just may have what it takes to be top dog this season on America's Got Talent.
As America’s Got Talent heads to the Final, there’s one Act who has a dog in the race.
The incredible dancing duo of Roni Sagi and her beloved pup, Rhythm, earned a spot in the Finale after delivering a Flashdance-inspired dance number in the Semifinal Wednesday that had the crowd erupting in applause and Judge Simon Cowell declaring it a perfect “10.”
“I was on my feet because when we sit here year after year we always want to see something better than you’ve seen before and honestly, this was better than anything I’ve seen before, I really mean that,” Cowell raved. “If this was the Olympics, I would score this a 10.”
Who are Roni Sagi and Rhythm?
It isn’t the first time the talented Border Collie and his human dance partner have delivered a performance that had judges howling for more.
The adorable duo, who hail from Israel, had Judge Sofia Vergara describing them as “magic” from the moment they stepped onto the AGT stage to perform their synchronized dance routine to Sia’s version of “California Dreamin’” at their Audition.
As Sagi shared with producers that first night, she grew up in a home that was always taking in stray dogs and helping them find new homes, inspiring her desire as an adult to pursue “dog therapy.”
When Sagi met Rhythm, a now 2.5 year old Border Collie, she knew there was something special about the enthusiastic pup.
“From the first second, he was a tornado storm running everywhere,” she said. “We literally thought, ‘He doesn’t know how to walk,’ because he was running all the time.
Sagi helped Rhythm channel all that energy into dancing and the rest was history.
“He wants to do it all, and he wants to do it now, and he wants to do it as good as he can,” Sagi said.
After wowing the Judges with their stunning Audition, which had Cowell declaring Rhythm “better than human dancers” they’ve had on AGT, the pair proved the impaw-sible once again during the quarterfinals with their coordinated dance to Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
"This is one of the most amazing acts I've ever seen. He's not pretending to dance, he's really dancing,” Vergara praised the duo. “He can hear the music, the rhythm, he's dancing to great music. That dog is amazing, and you're great too."
What song did Roni Sagi and Rhythm dance to in the Semifinal?
Rhythm proved he just may have what it takes to be top dog once again, as he and Sagi danced to Irene Cara’s “What a Feeling”, first made famous in the 1983 hit movie Flashdance.
As the first notes began, Rhythm adorably put one foot slowly in front of the other to the beat as Sagi began to warm up at a ballet barre. When the song picked up its tempo, Rhythm took off, spinning, leaping over the barre, dancing on his hind legs and running through Sagi’s legs as she danced alongside him.
After the dynamic duo struck their final pose, Judge Heidi Klum praised the “unbelievable” dance number.
“I mean this was a winning performance right there. It was spectacular. It was so amazing,” she gushed. “It was literally cuteness on overload and I wish we could put this all in a bottle.”
Vergara just wanted Rhythm all to herself, playfully asking Sagi to hand the dog over.
“That’s all I want,” she pleaded. “I’ll give you anything.”
Meanwhile, Judge Howie Mandel declared the routine “better than the movie” and got on his feet to urge the American public to vote.
Before leaving the stage with her tired out pup, Sagi shared with host Terry Crews the best part of dancing with her canine partner.
“I think it’s about being able to show that you can speak two different languages and still connect,” she said. “I hope this is a message that people will take, not just for this kind of show, but for living in general.”
