So You Think You Can Dance: Top 12 Revealed
It was a long night on Wednesday getting through fourteen routines, most of which were lackluster. When do you think the judges will start admitting that season four is just not up to snuff? Now it’s time to see who was able to snag enough votes to stay one more week on So You Think You Can Dance.
The Opening Performance
The top fourteen dancers performed a Broadway routine to “Money Money” from Cabaret (Original Cast Recording) choreographed by Tyce DiOrio. The performance started off slow for me, but at the part of the song where the company starts whispering “money, money, money, money,” I thought the dance picked up as well. I think that’s testament to Tyce’s ability to pace a number.
Tyce’s take on the song was a little watered-down and very “appropriate” for network TV. Those of you who have seen the Broadway show know that the choreography is grittier and much raunchier than that. But, what could he do?
Another slight issue was that there are a lot of people who find Will annoying. If you’re one of them, you may have not liked this routine right from the beginning. After all, it starts with his mug for the first ten seconds. I like Will; I thought he was strong. But, I think Mark should have been the lead male in this dance. He’s just so quirky and he’s a little effeminate. The part of the Emcee would have fit nicely.
When all the dancers started dancing in unison and the camera pulled away for that double pirouette, it was awesome. The editing worked very nicely there, really complimenting the action on stage.
And this is an aside, but what did you think of the video package of Tyce DiOrio they showed after his piece? Filler?
The Results
Kherrington and Twitch [SAFE]
Katee and Joshua [SAFE]
Kourtni and Matt [BOTTOM THREE]
Courtney and Gev [BOTTOM THREE]
Chelsea and Mark [SAFE]
Comfort and Thayne [BOTTOM THREE]
Will and Jessica [SAFE]
The Guest Performances
The guest dancer was Robert the popper from Los Angeles who made it to Vegas then quit the first day. Dancing to C&C Music Factory’s “Everybody Dance Now,” he was downright brilliant. The sunglasses and the ending pose were the best. I didn’t like how Nigel poked fun at him for quitting though. He’s a guest star on your show. Leaving it at “We’re sad he didn’t continue in Vegas” was enough. I thought embarrassing him on stage by suggesting that he would back down from a popping battle was over-the-top and rude. Sheesh.
The Solos
Kourtni L. danced to “No Man” by Nina Storey. The choreography was great, but you could tell she’s sick of being in the bottom three. I think she’s lost a little energy and heart after being up for elimination so many weeks in a row. Her five pirouettes are always nice to see. The other piece of her choreography that was exceptional was the attitude turn that ended in an arabesque with her arms extended in high V. Kourtni does a nice job of peppering her solos with both turns and extensions as well as funky movements.
Speaking of extensions, Matt did his solo next. He danced to “Sweet Contentment” by Bradley James and the Roadies. But there were too many extensions. And he does the same thing every week: developpes, battements, penchés a la seconde, and rond de jambes. Matt also needs to do more with his expression — the smile never changes. The pirouette into the drop was excellent though.
Courtney G. danced to “What’s Another Day” by Maria Mena. It was like someone let a racehorse out of the gate. You could tell she was like “I’m doing everything that looks cool so I’ll stay.” She started with a huge leap. Then did some fouetté turns (a little sloppy getting into them). But she had incredible energy!
Gev danced to “Everybody Loves a Carnival” by Fatboy Slim. What musicality he has! I loved his routine. The ending was sick. He threw the front flip like he was going to jump off a building. Even Cat was scared. Never, ever, do that to me again,” she said when she got up on stage.
Comfort danced to “Hit the Floor” by Twista featuring Pitbull. I think she’s running out of choreography. I don’t have much to say about this. What did you guys think of it?
Thayne danced to “Break Free” by Queen. I like the songs he picks for his solos. I think he worked on his solo from last week too. This one was much more polished. The beginning was fantastic. And he found a song that matches his super smiley face.
The Eliminations
Nigel said they were keeping Courtney G. because she’s always risen to the occasion and done what’s asked of her. He told Comfort that he didn’t want to keep her but the others did. That meant Kourtni L. went home. Nigel kept Gev right away; he was thrilled with Gev’s solo. Matt went home because he came into the program at a high level but didn’t grow at all from there. The couples didn’t change.
Some of my favorite So You Think You Can Dance routines
At first, I was a little disappointed with this season’s So You Think You Can Dance. I found most of the routines underwhelming. Furthermore, Mary and Nigel constantly telling us that it’s the “best dancers they’ve ever had” and the most “competition they’ve ever seen” is a red flag. I think most viewers, those with dance training and without, know what they like and why they like it. And viewers don’t like being told they should like something.
So I started thinking about my favorite pieces from past seasons. I thought about how I got goose bumps when Anya and Danny did the Viennese Waltz. I remembered how Benji’s solos always put a smile on my face. I’ll concede that season four hit it’s stride after this week. But, you can’t argue that previous seasons, especially two and three, left a lot for these new dancers to live up to.
Some of my favorite pieces from Fox’s hit show are after the jump. I’ll probably come up with more but here’s something to start you off. Enjoy!
Let’s start with that Danny / Anya waltz routine. Usually the Viennese Waltz, much like the Quick Step, can be the kiss of death on this show. But these two pulled it off beautifully. They looked so mature up there. Of course, it didn’t hurt that both of them are stunning. I still get goose bumps when Danny turns her (sorry, I don’t know the term).
Last week, we saw another great Viennese Waltz by Twitch and Kherrington. This was nicely danced as well, but the story behind it took it to a whole other level emotionally. I think this left a lot of viewers in tears.
Let’s talk about Disco. So, far the disco this season has been drab. Courtney and Gev’s piece the first week was too contrived. And I think everyone was a bit surprised that Will and Jess’s routine didn’t land them in the bottom three this week. (I will say that Will was wonderfully entertaining in it though.) Here’s two disco routines you might have forgotten. Natalie and Musa’s piece shows just how important it is to have a strong guy when it comes to partnering. On the other hand, Lacey and Kamryn’s piece shows how important a great female partner can be.
This is hands-down my favorite Latin ballroom routine EVER on the show. Sure, I know you’re going to say that Benji and Heidi had an advantage because they’re cousins and dance partners (champions to boot). It still made for good entertainment. Try counting how many turns Heidi does.
Here’s my favorite contemporary piece from choreographer Mia Michaels. I know I’ve said that I find her work inaccessible, but this one had me on the edge of my seat. Lauren and Danny are believable as lovers and both are technically proficient enough to pull off Mia’s “alien” movements.
We know by now that the solos are just as important as the duets on this solo. These are two of my favorite solos. It’s hard to put it all out there in thirty seconds. They have to mix tricks and choreography. Plus the dancers have to relax enough so that they can show the judges how much joy they get from dance.
I love this solo by Natalie. She’s very sexy and quirky. And that turn she does from the floor onto the tops of her feet is awesome. Benji’s solo shows that ballroom dancers too can be amazing solo artists. He was there to win from the beginning.
Here’s one of my favorite Wade Robson pieces. I think many of you will agree it’s pretty darn good.
“Rama Lama Bang Bang” is one of my favorite group pieces. The song is fantastic. The choreography has just the right amount of kitsch. And the performance? Take a look.
So that’s it for now. What are your favorite dances from past seasons? From this season? And how do you think season four measures up with past seasons?
So You Think You Can Dance: Top 16 perform
Cat Deeley showed her catty side tonight by trying to knock Comfort down on hers after their introductions. Adam Shankman joined the judging panel for the festivities. He was there to promote Bedtime Stories, a Christmas movie featuring SYTYCD’s Lacey and Travis, as well as some schlub named Adam Sandler. They should have strung up a few clips of the pair of them dancing, or at least on the set. We respond better to visuals, don’t you know.
I’m going to agree with some comments I saw last week in that it’s not necessary to spend so much time after each performance stroking the egos of the choreographers. Sometimes the choreography is great, sometimes not so much. But you don’t need to praise them each time. They’re big boys and girls and I just really don’t think they’re all that insecure … except maybe for Mia Michaels.
THE PERFORMANCES
- Kherington & Twitch (Hip-Hop w/ Napoleon & Tabitha - “Don’t Touch Me (Throw Da Water On ’Em),” Busta Rhymes) This week they were given a clever hip-hop number to perform in orange jump suits, as escaped prisoners. Our girl Kherington was really hitting it, gangster from her face to the hardness of her moves. A little light on tricks and toughness, but otherwise a fantastic show-opener that used the music brilliantly and showed a lot of personality.
- Courtney G & Gev (Rumba w/ Melanie LaPatin & Tony Meredith - “Wishing on a Star,” Rose Royce) So after gushing about how hot his partner was last week, this week he was required to touch her body and move sensually very close to her during the routine. You know, if Gev got voted out tonight he’d still go a happy man. The routine was certainly “hot” enough, and they stepped up to some tough tricks.
- Comfort & Chris (Jazz w/ Tyce DiOrio - “Beautiful People,” Marilyn Manson) Going with a more African style of jazz will fit Comfort’s hip-hop style a bit more. I love the song choice for an African routine. It made the whole thing just so wildly different. Chris seemed to get the choreography a little more comfortably, but both dancers were primal and while they could have been together a little better, it was good.
- Jessica & Will (Disco w/ Doriana Sanchez - “Heaven Must Have Sent You,” Bonnie Pointer) Doriana tried to pull Jessica out of Will’s shadow with her choreography and from the first movement, she was right back in it. There was a rhythm and naturalness in his movements that she just couldn’t match. I think she’d look a lot better next to a different partner, unfortunately for her, because she is very good. She’s just not a good match for Will.
- Kourtni L & Matt (Contemporary w/ Sonya Tayeh - “Wrestlers (Sticky, Dirty Pop Mix,” Hot Chip) This is the first time on the show for choreographer Sonya, who rocked a Jane Child look and put together a comic book courting routine. There were some clever moments in the number, but overall I wasn’t that blown away by the choreography. It seemed the pair danced it well, though a little softer at points than I think they should have if it was truly supposed to be like a comic book “fight.”
- Chelsea T & Thayne (Quick Step w/ Heather Smith - “You Can’t Hurry Love,” Phil Collins) I don’t remember Smith having been on the show before, either. The routine started slow for me, both in quality and overall speed. And it seemed like there was more just jogging along than actual quick step. There were moments of quick step in there, but overall I’d have to categorize that as a bouncing miss.
- Chelsie H & Mark (Hip-Hop w/ Napoleon & Tabitha - “Bleeding Love,” Leona Lewis) After a jail break to open the show, Napoleon & Tabitha followed up with a woman trying to reach her workaholic lover romantically. I would have put Chelsie in something different costume-wise, but the routine itself was truly something special. I got a raw emotional response to it from beginning to end. It was heart-wrenchingly beautiful and these two just blew me away with it.
- Katee & Joshua (Samba w/ Melanie LaPatin & Tony Meredith - “Baila Baila,” Angela Via) This is another coupling that I think is going to be around for the long haul on this show, and they showed that again by dancing a difficult style neither were familiar with, and dancing it very well. It wasn’t as strong as some of the other dances on the night but for a difficult style, it was downright astounding.
BEST OF THE NIGHT
Courtney G & Gev had a strong night. And even though the night was almost stolen from the first number, Napoleon & Tabitha outdid themselves and got an absolutely astounding tour de force of passion and dance from Chelsie H & Mark. I mean, that routine was beyond S-I-C-K. It was stupid sick! The dancing was amazing and they hit every mark. And beyond that, their faces sold the emotion of the performance. That will go down as one of the best numbers of the entire season.
Joshua & Katee, Twitch & Kherington, Courtney G & Gev and Chelsie H & Mark are pulling into the lead on this competition. Yes, I know that’s still four couples, but I’m predicting the Top 8 right there. I’ve gotta start somewhere.
WORST OF THE NIGHT
I like Chelsea T & Thayne, but I didn’t like the quick step on them … at … all!
OUTFIT OF THE NIGHT
Even though we’ve seen partial dresses before, the beauty of Courtney’s dress on the left side was such a dramatic difference from the total absence of dress on the right side, but it looked amazing on her. I know Katee had a similar dress going on later in the night, but the one Courtney wore was somehow more sensual and elegant at the same time.
LINE OF THE NIGHT
Tyce DiOrio: “I like to do the African jazz.”
Comfort: “African? Hmm. That’s me!”
OTHER OBSERVATIONS
- Kherington got her own pair of lensless glasses to match the pair she bitched about last week that Twitch already owned. I liked how the look was incorporated into the routine. I wonder if she’ll hang onto them the rest of the season.
- Courtney was half-naked … literally! It was a weird dress for me, but she is in incredibly shape so had the body to pull it off.
- Loved Mary and Nigel “sleeping” during Adam’s rambling comments after Courtney & Gev’s routine. The bantering by the panel on this show seems to come off as much more natural than American Idol for me. I guess because they’re not complete caricatures of themselves yet.
- Will is wearing a t-shirt that says “I Will…” during the routines. Get it? Yeah. Me too.
- Ninja mask? Really?!
- I’m guessing we’ve lost the amazing hip-hop choreographer Shane Sparks to his judging work on Randy Jackson Presents: America’s Best Dance Crew (which you SYTYCD fans should be watching). But with Napoleon & Tabitha bringing performances like we saw tonight, I won’t be missing him nearly as much.
- Joshua’s daddy showed us his buns. This show has completely lost it!
So You Think You Can Dance: Top 18 Revealed
I’m not going to be so quick as some of the commenters to say that this crop of dancers isn’t up to the level of talent we saw last season. You have to remember that this is the first week for these partnerships so many of these dancers have only begun to find their rhythm and the necessary chemistry with their partner to pull of some of these difficult routines. I am so glad to see that the choreographers are keeping things tough, and was more than impressed that there were at least five routines that I was absolutely impressed with.
Two of them genuinely moved me emotionally, which is a testament to choreographer and dancers alike. I’ll agree with my Dance partner, Kristin that Katee and Joshua pretty well stole the show with their hip-hop routine, and will second Nigel’s enthusiasm for the inclusion of Tabitha & Napoleon to the ranks of show choreographers. I will, however, also agree that their first number wasn’t nearly as good. The other outstanding piece for me was Mia Michaels “Tim Burton wedding” as danced beautifully by Chelsea H. and Mark. And I think the overwhelming wedding dress fit the quirkiness of the choreography just wonderfully. It worked so well that she was practically lost in it, but when you could see her limbs her linework was exquisite.
Going into the show tonight, my bottom three routines of the night were Courtney G. & Gev, Rayven & Jamie (ironic isn’t it) and Comfort & Chris. I know Comfort oozes personality, but her footwork and body posturing throughout that jive was a mess. I don’t figure she’ll be in the bottom three, but if we were to judge based solely on the dancing I saw, I’d put her there and then save her based on her inevitably amazing solo.
Top 20 Group Number - Wade Robson, Choreographer (”Cobrastyle,” Robyn)
The show opened with an incredibly fun number. I loved how Robson incorporated elements from the show itself, and specifically judge and executive producer Nigel Lythgoe into the choreography, even if he was only trussed up on a rolling chair throughout. As for the dancing, it was tight and fierce. I honestly expected a twenty dancer routine to be a bit of a nightmare, but if there were any weak points, the whole thing was just too much fun to even notice it. That said, it seemed more designed for the television, as there was also some tricky camera work as an integral part of the storytelling, than for a live theater, but what the hell. This is a television program, after all.
Guest Performances
Popping Pete and something incomprehensible that might be ’Shonee’ followed by Cat biting her tongue came out and did a popping routine to “I Can Make You Dance” by Zapp. I thought there were some really dry spots during it, and would have liked the choreography to incorporate the pair together better. But I’ll give them props for being part of the group that originated the style. And as they were the innovators, as with many things, others have come along and done more dynamic things with their creation.
Later, The Pussycat Dolls performed “When I Grow Up.” Let’s face it, this group is about how hot Nicole Scherzinger is and about the rest of the girls being half naked but still not quite as hot. For a group founded by a choreographer (Robin Antin) that started as a dance troupe performing on a dance show, I would have liked to see much better choreography out of them. Or if not that, some good singing, maybe? But I’ll give credit to Scherzinger for finding a black acrylic paint to plaster on her body where most people wear pants.
Building Your Bottom Three Couples
In the end, it came down to Matt & Kourtni L, which I have to say wasn’t a surprise because Matt was clearly out of his element. Rayven & Jamie did a fun hip-hop number that didn’t really pop in any way, or resonate with enough voters. Or did it offend them?
And then we got to the final two couples. Jessica & Will were declared the team to beat last night, while Courtney G & Gev just weren’t that good. So what happened and how did Jessica & Will wind up in the bottom three? Point blank: America got it wrong.
Solo Performances
- Kourtni L (”I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” The Side Project) - I thought Kourtni showed a lot of graceful, fluid motions and emotion in her solo.
- Matt (”Baby’s Romance,” Chris Garneau) - Matt also did everything technically we could have asked for but I would have liked a bit more energy and passion in his movement.
- Rayven (”As I Am (Intro),” Alicia Keys) - Ballet is really hard to sell in a solo to non-professionals, and even though I saw some really nice footwork and ballet movements from her, it all seemed a bit safe and simple. The dance style offers a lot more to showcase her abilities than a developpé, a few jumps and walking around as if on point, but not on point shoes, around the stage.
- Jamie (”Mas Que Nada,” Sergio Mendes feat. The Black Eyed Peas) - Ballroom is also difficult to do in solo format, but Jamie made the best of it and gave us a lot of fancy footwork and really showed what a ballroom male should be.
- Jessica (”Misery Business,” Paramore) - Jessica gave the most acrobatic performance; but there may not have been enough actual dancing.
- Will (”More Than Anyone (Stripped Version),” Gavin DeGraw) - What I want out of a contemporary dancer is what Will gave us: passion, emotion and powerful movements across the stage.
Before the reveal, I was ready to send Rayven and Matt home. But it wasn’t up to me, though as it turned out they agreed with me on Rayven. And because I know you’re going to ask, her farewell music was Kate Voegele’s “It’s Only Life.” They then saved Matt, though barely and sent Jamie home instead. And his farewell music was Graham Colton’s “Best Days,” which was also used during the final audition episode on American Idol. Somebody at 19 Entertainment likes that song.
As Kristin said in her review last night, I’ll be reviewing the performance episodes starting next week, with her covering these results escapades. So if you loved her there, I’m sorry but you’ll still get to love her in this slot starting next week. As for me, I’ll see you guys Wednesday for the Top 18 performances. I think we’re off to a great start on what should be an outstanding season.