Newporter Heidi Groskreutz under the spotlight as one of remaining dancers on reality TV show.

Heidi Groskreutz is under no pressure ? no pressure at all ? as she nears the final rounds of “So You Think You Can Dance.” The Newport Harbor High School alumna is one of the last contestants left on the Fox reality show, and the station’s website has been keeping notes on her over the last few weeks ? just some minor suggestions here and there.

For example, after Groskreutz and partner Ryan Rankine did their first routine:

They look very proper, like the love scene in an animated Disney movie. To me they could be doing awesome at this and I would have no idea, it just looks like acting silly making fun of Dad’s classical music.

And after the second round:

They decided to make Heidi look like Kelly Clarkson. They’ve realized the perfect synergy between Idol and Dance, but will it pay off for Brian and Heidi? ? Brian and Heidi might not be safe at the end of the show.

Then, when Groskreutz had to dance a solo to stave off elimination:

Heidi is praised for her personality but Nigel says it can be a little too much at times.

Yes, the last few weeks have been a wringer for Groskreutz, who graduated from Newport Harbor in 2000 and is a six-time U.S.A. Open Swing Dance champion. Still, even as she risks being dropped from the show every week, Groskreutz is savoring every minute of it.

“You never are in your comfort zone, really, when you’re doing the show, but it’s all good,” Groskreutz, 24, said by phone Tuesday during a momentary break from rehearsals. “There are definitely moments that make it all worth it. It’s a roller coaster ride, it really is.”

This spring, Groskreutz was one of thousands of dancers nationwide who auditioned for a spot on the show, an “American Idol”-style competition that is currently in its second season. In the end, she made the final list of 20 contenders for the show, and now she’s down to the final 12, as nearly half have been cut since the first week.

Ultimately, Groskreutz may be a superstar, but many in Newport Beach remember her as the ambitious local girl who started dancing at the age of 3. When she was growing up, her aunt and uncle owned a dance studio on 17th Street, and Groskreutz expanded her repertoire over the years to jazz, ballet, tap, Latin and West Coast swing.

On “So You Think You Can Dance,” the Newport native has been eclectic as well, dancing to rumba and hip-hop and once giving her impression of the young Tina Turner. Her latest performance will air at 8 p.m. this evening on Fox, and tomorrow the judges ? for the fifth agonizing week ? will make their ruling on who gets to stay on the show.

Groskreutz, at least, has a friend to turn to for support. Her cousin, Benji Schwimmer, is among the other dancers on the show, and the two of them have won competitions together in the past. Their specialty, needless to say, is a local creation.

“It’s been a great opportunity for us to expose West Coast swing,” Groskreutz said. “I really wanted to dance that and show that not only old people do it.”dpt.12-dancer-2-CPhotoInfo1V1SRB4H20060712j29fuoncCourtesy of FOX(LA)Heidi Groskreutz, 24, is one of the top 20 finalists on ‘So You Think You Can Dance.’