In our ongoing series of choreography “EmMandy” Awards, here’s the award for “Best Choreographer” from So You Think You Can Dance season 5 (winner is in Bold). Take a look at the other SYTYCD Season 5 “EmMandy” Awards.
“Best Choreographer” (group of work)
Tyce Diorio
Mia Michaels
Wade Robson
Tabitha and Napolean
Louis Van Amstel
Sonya Tayeh
My criteria for this category was story-line, musicality, music choice and innovativeness. These guys are choreography powerhouses. Not only do they include an interesting and novel story-line, but they always have flawless musicality and really bring the music to life. Plus they continuously seem to be re-defining hip-hop as a style. Louis had the most dances in the finale, but none of them pushed the boundaries of Ballroom enough to be called innovative. But I do want to mention Mia’s impeccable music choice for “Gravity”—it brought new meaning to a song that the artist has said is about her “first big heartbreak”.
I am a blogger and reality tv lover. I blog here for SYTYCD but mostly the Canada version, since I live in Vancouver BC. I also blog about other reality tv shows on my own blog www.mandysmind.com
Hi, everyone! I’m Mandy, the brand-new choreography expert here at Pure SYTYCD. When Season 6 kicks off, I’ll be doing weekly posts about the a-mazing choreography on the show, including the auditions and solos.
But since Season 5 has ended, instead of going week-by-week to share my opinions, I’ve chosen to highlight the best of the best, and the worst of the worst. It’s kinda like our very own “Outstanding Choreography” Emmy awards, but with lots of sub-categories!
Hopefully we’ll be able to set up a voting system when we do this again at the end of season 6, but for now I’ve selected my personal “winners”. Feel free to post yours in the comments section.
So without further ado… (winners in bold)
“Best Choreography”
Tabitha and Napolean D’umo, “Mad” (Jeanine and Phillip)
Wade Robson, “Crash Test Dummies” (Ashley and Kupono)
Stacey Tookey, “Falling Slowly” (Karla and Jonathan)
Mia Michaels, “Addiction” (Kayla and Kupono)
Travis Wall, “If it Kills Me” (Jeanine and Jason)
Tyce Diorio, “This Woman’s Work (Melissa and Ade)
I chose this piece because it contains everything a moving piece of work should—a solid, provoking story-line efficiently and beautifully moved along by the choreography, phrases that highlight and play on the dancers strengths, and true musicality. The other nominees either had a great story but didn’t move it along as well (Falling Slowly, This Woman’s Work) or didn’t fit the music well enough to really hit a chord with the viewer (Addiction, Crash Test). All of them, however, were standouts of the season and will be remembered for years to come. (The addiction dance was my personal favorite though)
Keep watching Pure SYTYCD. Over the next week we’ll be awarding the SYTYCD Best Choreographer, Best New Choreographer, Most Innovative Concept, Strangest/Worst Carried-out Concept, Best Prop, and Best Group Dance.
I am a blogger and reality tv lover. I blog here for SYTYCD but mostly the Canada version, since I live in Vancouver BC. I also blog about other reality tv shows on my own blog www.mandysmind.com
Yes, we’re giving away free tickets to the Broadway show Burn the Floor. This is an awesome giveaway. We’ll be giving away tickets to see Anya and Pasha who will be performing on the show from August 18th – October 18th. If you haven’t heard about this broadway show check out this video:
The only real challenge to this giveaway is that you have to make it to New York city to be able to enjoy it. I just wish I could make it to New York myself. Luckily, I know there are a lot of people from NY that read this blog. Plus, we’re also going to offer some sort of discount to see the show if you don’t win. So, how to enter to win these free Broadway tickets.
There are 4 different ways to enter yourself to win. Do all 4 things and you’ll have your name entered into the drawing 4 times. The winner will be chosen at random from all of the entries.
Here’s how you enter:
1. Leave a comment on this post (easy enough no?). Just make sure to use your real email or we’ll have no way to contact you and you’ll forfeit your entry. Sadly this happened last contest and so I chose a different winner.
2. Send a tweet to all your friends about this website or this contest. Click Tweet This! to tweet a message about this contest. Make sure to include @tvblog in the tweet to enter.
3. Share a link to https://puresytycd.com on your Facebook, myspace page or blog. Leave a comment with your myspace name, facebook page, or blog post so I can verify.
4. Join the Pure SYTYCD email list (existing members of the list are already entered if they make note of it in the comments below).
Simple as that. All I ask of the winner is that you also come back and tell us about the show. Mostly because I’m completely jealous of whoever wins these tickets.
So many times, after the season has ended, and we’re left weeping in front of the TV with nothing to watch, our favourite dancers hipped and hopped off into the sunset rarely to be heard of again. Unfortunately, the rest of the world has yet to realize the all encompassing power of dance, so many of these insanely talented dancers don’t get much press.
We’ve seen the trailers for the new Fame movie with Kherington; Travis and Dimitri are all over the place (namely as new choreographers on SYTYCD); Lacey and Chelsie wowed the world on Dancing with the Stars… But where did Sabra sashay off to? Where’s Ivan rolling these days. Heidi? Hok?
Well, darlings, slap on those Cha Cha pumps, shimmy into your tutu, and let’s have a look at where they are now, shall we?
Starting with one of my favourites, the incomparable Donyelle:
We first fell in love with Donny back in 2006 during Season 2 when she was paired with Benji. The two together were a force to be reckoned with – and who could forget their first bootylicious performance?
The two went on to thrill the judges and audience alike with some stellar performances that season. Donnyelle ultimately finished in fourth place, with Benji taking the cake (and eating it, too). Since the show, Donyelle has worked with Tyce Diorio on the stage production of Just Another Man, as well as Wayne Brady’s spectactlar Las Vegas show at the Venitian. She also works as a dance instructor in North Hollywood – sharing her passion and infectious love of dance with everyone who enters her studio.
“Artistry in Motion is a group of ladies on a dancing mission. They are trying to unite the hip-hop and contemporary styles of dancing and turn it into a genre they call “contemp-hop.” The girls hail from all different parts of North America and have combined their individual styles into something special — special enough to get gigs dancing with artists such as Missy Elliot, Black Eyed Peas, Wayne Brady, Lloyd, Ludacris and Gnarls Barkley.
“We wanted to make sure that we pay respect to where the term ‘crew’ originated,” they said, “which is the hip-hop dance community.” To do this, these experienced dancers will utilize their training in hip-hop, contemporary, jazz, ballet and modern styles.”
During the premiere episode, judge L’il Mama defined Artistry in Motion as “the tightest choreography on the show.” They were applauded by all three judges for being an inspiration to “real girls” everywhere and shattering the “dancer’s body stereotype.”
It’s great to see Donyelle doing so well. Be sure and check out America’s Best Dance crew on MTV, Sunday nights at 9 pm ET and vote for Artisty in Motion so we can continue to enjoy such amazing talent!
I’m not sure how many of you got a chance to watch So You Think You Can Dance Canada last year, but it was awesome. Yes, Canada can definitely dance. Well, the season of So You Think You Can Dance Canada starts today and thanks to some of the Canadian readers of Pure SYTYCD, I’ve decided to launch a blog dedicated to SYTYCD Canada (https://puresytycd.com/canada).
Most of the writing on the SYTYCD Canada blog is currently going to be done by Mandy and Max, but I’m sure I’ll hop in on occasion as well. If you’re interested in participating on that blog let us know on the contact us page. We could probably use another voice or two on that blog.
Hey everyone! It`s been a really long time since I posted last, so I just wanted to say congratulations to John and his adorable new baby! I wish you and your family the best and may you all be happy and healthy!
This season of So You Think You Can Dance was really one of the best, with so much talent and many awesome dances. There were such amazing dancers that after the Top 12, I didn`t want anyone to leave! In this post I wanted to highlight my favorite performances of the season, and want to hear all of yours as well. 🙂 You can also take a look at Amanda’s post about the judges favorites.
Although each dancer possessed so much potential, I did have my favorites that I rooted for until the very end.
Kayla was by far my favorite and one of the most talented. I know I`m not the only one who feels this way, a lot of the people I have talked to have also voiced this opinion. She should not have been the first to go at the Finale! Her lines were definitely the prettiest, and in all the partner dances, I couldn`t take my eyes off her. I found a lot of the time that the guys she was dancing with had a whole barrel of trouble keeping up wit her and matching her strength. My only problem with her was that her solos were often very desperate and repetitive and a lot of the times I was worried she was going to be booted off because of them. Otherwise, her technique was flawless and she was very purdy. 🙂
My second favorite of course was Jeanine, for obvious reasons. For one, her solos were the greatest. They possessed a quality none of the other solo`s did. Musicality. That may seem like a small thing, but it really makes a huge difference. Those dances are way more appealing and probably one of the reasons she won. In the partner dancers, she was SO hard hitting, and almost always outdid her partner, whoever it was. I`m really happy she won. There is nothing bad I can say about her.
Favorite Solo this season:
My least favorite dancer was probably Vitolio. He was not dynamic or versatile whatsoever, and he didn`t have much of a likeable personality. I was really glad when he got the quickstep, but I loved Karla, and was really sad when she was partenered with him.
Now, onto the performances that I loved the most.
This season was a super good season for Contemporary dances. There were so many good ones, but my favorite one hands down was Evan and Randi`s Contemporary by Mia Michaels. This piece was full of fun, butt 😉 equally balanced out with superb technique and complex sequences. The music only added to the fun atmosphere and if I don`t watch this piece at least 3 times a day I don`t feel right.
Some other noteworthy pieces include:
Jeanine and Jason to If It Kills Me (Jason Mraz) by Travis Wall
Kayla and Kupono to Gravity (Sara Bareilles) by Mia Micheals
Melissa and Ade to This Woman`s Work (Maxwell) by Tyce Diorio
Karla and Jonathan to Falling Slowly (The Frames) by Stacey Tookey
This season also had plenty of mentionable Hip-Hop dances, and it was hard to choose my favorite, but the one I was most enchanted with was Kayla and Jason`s by Shane Sparks. The story in this was just hilarious, and surprising light hearted considering it was about zombies and eating brains. It wasn`t anything too complicated, but fun and entertaining, which, if you think about it, is what the show is about. There were other Hip-Hop dances that were less simple, and more technical, but this was just fun!
Other awesome Hip-Hops:
Randi and Evan to Hal o (Beyonce) by NappyTabs
Janette and Brandon to What A World (Common) by Shane Sparks
Jeanine and Philip to Mad (Ne-Yo) by NappyTabs
Jeanine and Philip to Love Lockdown (Kanye West) by NappyTabs
Other AMAZING dances:
Caitlin and Jason Bollywood to Jai Ho by Nakul
Kayla and Max PopJazz to Hot Like Wow (Nadia O) by Brian Friedman
Janette and Evan Jazz to Move (CSS) by Sonya Tayeh
Group Dance Top 8 Let it Rock by Travis Wall
Group Dance Top 16 I Know You Want Me (Pitbull) by Dmitry Chaplin, Napoleon and Tabitha D’umo
Worst dance of the season:
Jeanine and Philip Russian Folk Dance
Only the choreography, dancing was superb.
That`s it, my favorites of Season 5, looking forward to 6, and SYTYCD Canada starting Tuesday the 11th!!
This is a nice little interview of Jeanine Mason, Mary Murphy and Mia Michaels after Jeanine Mason was announced the winner of So You Think You Can Dance.
The most interesting part of the interview for me was that Jeanine said she was going to give a big chunk of the money to a charity (smart move to avoid some taxes). Nice thought, but it’s not just any charity. Jeanine says it’s the “Making Memories” Alzheimer’s charity which she and her sister started in honor of their grandfather. I searched to try and find a website for the charity so other people could go and support it. Does anyone know the website? If they don’t have one, I’m willing to collect donations for them if they like.
As a side note, Pure SYTYCD and my other website, Pure Dancing with the Stars, has been considering putting together some sort of community effort to support dancers. Probably partner with some organization like the DizzyFeet foundation. The goal would be to support dancers who would never have the possibility to take dance classes and not just dancers who are going to take more classes. If someone has connections for that, let us know.
Ok, now the other interview of Jeanine Mason for all to enjoy:
Here’s a list of other upcoming TV Appearances:
Monday – Live with Regis & Kelly – 9am Eastern- Local Listings
Monday – It’s On with Alexa Chung – 12pm Eastern- Local Listings
Monday – Late Night with Jimmy Fallon – 12:35 Eastern
Phillip Chbeeb tweeted the following about SYTYCD on Jimmy Fallon “On my way to NY to perform my sytycd “mad” piece with jeanine Mason (Monday on the Jimmy Fallon Show)”
UPDATE: Here’s Jeanine Mason’s interview with TV Guide
Just wanted to share some of my photos from the past three tours I have attended. They are a little out of order but the seasons are pretty much separated. I wish I had more from season two but I didn’t have a digital camera then…also since you can’t use a flash, I doubt they would have turned out. There more from season 4 mainly because I had second row seats. Here is the link to my flickr account of SYTYCD Tour photos. So enjoy!
If you’re planning on buying tickets to the SYTYCD tour and are willing to share your future photos/videos from your experience, we’d love to hear your story. Just send us a message on our Contact Us page.
Dance is one of my biggest passions. I grew up dancing at Augusta West Dance Studio (the same studio that Kathryn McCormick). I have a BFA in theatre/dance from Valdosta State University. Tap is my favorite style of dance.
Rolling Stone is reporting that Jason Mraz wants Jason Glover and Jeanine Mason to perform their Travis Wall routine to Jason Mraz’s “If It Kills Me” during Jason Mraz’s Chicago tour stop where he is filming a live DVD. Rolling Stone says that Jason Mraz was “absolutely moved by the clip” after Jason’s parents alerted him to it. Jason Mraz was just on the Today Show this morning which says a lot about how big he’s gotten.
Rolling Stones also reported ““I woke up in bed the other night going, ‘I have to get that couple to dance!’ ” Mraz says, revealing dance is “another little guilty pleasure” of his. “I really long to be a great dancer. Whoever I choose to be my one true love has to be a great dancer. What a great way to build a relationship with someone — going to dance classes every so often and really improve your partnership.””
I checked and Jason Mraz will be in Chicago on 8/13/09. Luckily, that’s well before Jason and Jeanine will be on the SYTYCD Tour. Sounds like it could be a good possibility for them. Reminds me of my favorite Nigel quote, “These kids have got to work.” Basically, Nigel understands that the contracts with Fox shouldn’t hurt the dancers on the show.
In case, you live in some hole, here’s the video of Jason and Jeanine’s performance on SYTYCD:
Adam Shankman: His first pick a Nappy Tabs hip hop with Phillip and Jeanine. This dance started off the season. We expected Phillip to do well, but Jeanine was the surprise. I agree with Adam when he said this what started her journey. His second pick was Mia’s butt dance. Randy and Evan were a great couple I love watching them together. This was my favorite Mia dance of the season because it was just a fun light hearted piece.
Debbie Allen: Her picks actually surprised me a little bit. First was the Waltz with Auska and Vitolio. This wasn’t my favorite ballroom of the season but what I loved about this routine was the fact Louis based it on Vitolio’s story. It was a beautiful dance. Her second was the top 16 hip hop fusion number. Nappy Tabs and Dmitry really did well putting together a creative number. Very Flashdance like Debbie said with the water on the tables.
Lil C: I love the Bollywood routine with Jason and Caitlin. I thought it was their best routine as a couple. I wish he had two picks I would have loved to know more of Lil C’s favorite dances. Lil C always manages to surprise me, he may be the “King of Krump” but he has an passion for all forms of dance.
Tyce: He may have had only one pick but he chose disco with Brandon and Janette. I love how he had a story of how he had once danced to the same song. In my opinion it was the best disco of the season.
Mia Michaels: Her first pick was another dance from the first show. Max and Kayla’s samba. This was a favorite for me in the fact we got to see Max do what he does best, I was a little disappointed that he didn’t stick around longer. Her second pick was no surprise to me. Tyce’s routine about breast cancer touched her in a way it didn’t for many of the viewers (or at least the one on here). I am looking forward to seeing this dance the way the judges did…without all of the close ups.
Mary Murphy: Her first pick was also my favorite of the entire season, Travis’s routine. It was also the first time that Jeanine and Jason had their own style, and both showed America what they could do. I loved it when Jeanine said that the kiss at the end wasn’t part of the choreography, I would like to know who’s idea it was. Also I hope they find another dress for the tour, I think that one has had enough…lol. Jeanine and Brandon’s Paso was her second pick. Even though we had seen it the night before, it was nice to see it again. It was one of my favorites from the night before. It also created one of my favorite quotes from Jeanine.
Nigel Lythgoe: Brandon and Jenette’s Argentine tango was up first. It was a great dance but not my favorite ballroom number that they did together. The salsa was my favorite (the one where Jenette was wearing pink). Mia’s addiction piece with Kayla and Kapono was his second choice. This was also one of my favorites, like so many other viewers. It was an emotional piece for both dancers and you saw it when they performed. Also I laughed when he said Mary admitting that she uses botox, was one of his favorite moments. Anyone else catch what he said about if her jewelry was from a hand mirror that had shattered from all her screaming.
I like seeing the top 8 group number again with the added surprise of the judges joining them on stage. The fact that I was in A Chorus Line in college was part of the reason I like the routine in the first place. I just wish Lil C was up there too. I also glad they brought back the Rage Boys Crew…the little ones are so cute.
There were some others that I really liked that I thought we would have seen on last nights show. Like Wade’s crash test dummies, I liked the concept of this dance. Okay maybe a part of me wanted to see how long it would take that little dog to cross the Kodak stage…well not really it was a cute prop. Also I loved his dance for the top four, allowing all the dancers to play a character. I actually wanted to watch more of the rehearsal process just to watch Wade dance. Shane Sparks zombie hip hop is another one I thought we would see. Speaking of hip hop the second Nappy Tabs hip hop that Phillip and Jeanine did with the chain was another on that I liked. I still don’t understand how that landed them in the bottom three that week. Oh and Brandon and Kayla’s Broadway from last night was just wow…I so want to see that one again.
I’m sure I left some out but I can’t wait to see which ones make the tour show.
Dance is one of my biggest passions. I grew up dancing at Augusta West Dance Studio (the same studio that Kathryn McCormick). I have a BFA in theatre/dance from Valdosta State University. Tap is my favorite style of dance.
