'So You Think You Can Dance' Compete For The Final Ten
July 9th, 2009
So You Think You Can DanceThe competition is really starting to heat up on "So You Think You Can Dance," with the top twelve dancers competing for the coveted top ten spot, and each couple being forced to perform two difficult dances per week. The people in the top ten end up going on tour, but occasionally they allow all twelve, but we'll see when the tour starts this year. They waste very little time this week, which is wonderful, and all the couples dance together just one more time before they're permanently split next week. Aw. Tear. This week's guest judge is Tyce, acting a lot more positive and friendly than we've ever seen him. To make it easier to judge each couple, I'm going to go over both of their dances at a time.
Melissa and Ade start out with a disco routine from Doriana, and this is a far jump from the beautiful ballet performance last week. I never liked disco before, but I really had a great time with this routine and the one that Brandon and Janette did before. Melissa falls a little but she goes with it and wins the routine. The judges loved it, and think it is a great way to open the show. Then they do a very nice waltz to "A Natural Woman," the Mary J. Blige version. It's not quite as good as the disco and they don't jump into contemporary as much as they could, but it's still solid. The dancers say what they'll miss about their partners, and it's very cute.
Next up is Kayla and Kupono, the two who managed to make it another week on the judges favoritism. How nice. They are lucky enough to have a great dance with Mia Michaels, and honestly it's probably the best contemporary piece of this season. Kupono is addiction and Kayla is trying to escape from him. It's magic to watch. Kupono really stood out in this dance, and he may just have won me over. Their second dance is Broadway, a song from West Side Story, and it's definitely not like the first piece. There's no real emotion, they do the steps but they don't perform. And Broadway is all about performing. The judges still love them, but this is a small warning.
The underdogs, Caitlin and Jason, get a sweet little Foxtrot to start off. They once again don't really manage to outperform their competition, which is what you have to on the show at this point. They're all the best of the best now, so you have to be better than the best. Next they have lyrical jazz with Mandy Moore, although it feels a lot more like contemporary. It's a lovely piece, and the judges agree it was nice but they're lacking something. Maybe they suffered from being compared to Mia Michael's addiction routine tonight, because that's the one everyone will remember.
Then comes out my boy Phillip and his partner Jeanine, and I immediately am sad for him. They get Russian folk dance and straight forwardly, this is an awful dance for them. They do the steps well and get into it and try their best, but the style is just too folky and not at all as entertaining as it should be. It's a little too bumpkin and not that impressive. The judges all gently support the dancers, saying they both did great, but that this time it was the style that let them down. I'm glad to see them admitting it, since most of the time the choreographers/style are praised. When they get the Jive for the second round, however, it's a marked improvement. Phillip does very well with the fast steps, and while I love the boy to death, he's honestly not up to the strength of the other dancers. After a certain point, they have to be fair, despite how unique and wonderful he is. Sigh.
Despite how hard that was for Phil and Jeanine, Evan and Randi are actually the strugglers this week. They start with Hip-hop with Taboleon, and it's a really warm and happy dance, which is so nice and rare to see. I do like that Taboleon do all kinds of routines, not just the hard hitting badass variety. They agree that the two did okay, they did the steps well and were a fluffy version of a hip-hop routine. It's not bad, but it's not great. Which is starting to be their thing. Then they do a Samba with ANYA AND PASHA OMG. AHHH! They were the awesome ballroom dancers from season 3, probably the best ballroom dancers ever on this show. It's so good to see them back and choreographing. The samba has plenty of eye-popping lifts and good moves, but again, there's just something lacking there. They both have plenty of charm, and they do their very best, but it's not up to the same level as their own choreographers, or let's say ... the next couple.
Brandon and Janette are without a doubt the power couple on this season. They have not taken a misstep so far. This week is no exception, because they really seem a step above the others. They start out with an Argentine Tango that I don't always like, because it's never done as well as the professional guests on the show. This is the first time the dancers look one hundred percent professional in a style not their own. Every move is on, every turn, every flick of her heel, every lift, and the intensity ripples between them. Then they follow this up with a Wade routine (YES) as two bank robbers. It's weird and cartoonish and just fun as hell to watch. There is literally nothing that this pair can't do, and Nigel points that out. If they're not in the top 4 I'll be shocked, although Janette does have to be careful since ballroom or latin dancers get in trouble for their solos.
Who is going home? My guess is that Caitlin and Jason, Phillip and Jeanine, and Evan and Randi will be in the bottom. I'd like to say Kupono and Kayla will be, but that Mia Michaels routine might have saved them. We'll see!
source:
http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php ... pete_for_t" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
