SYTYCD Top 18 Performance Thoughts
We still don’t get to vote this week – next week, we’ll get a full meal of SYTYCD – Tuesday performance show and Wednesday result show. I’m still a little glad that the judges are making the tough early decisions. We’ll see if they make the right one (unlike last week…)
Here are some of my thoughts from tonight’s show [SOME SPOILERS]:
-Noelle’s back! (Darn, Ariana’s not coming back, but Noelle’s dancing!)
-Belly Bell gets to go to Vegas next season (and likely, from there, into the Top 20). Meanwhile Brandon’s gets to audition again (he has to audition again, but at least he gets a full chance at the Top 20 again).
-I’m so glad we get to see Noelle dancing again. Even though her Jamal Sims hip hop with Russell is a bit awkward, I still really enjoyed it.
-Damn – Ashleigh danced well again! I think I’m just going to have to get over not liking her cause I’m not hating her dancing at all. The first dance for a married couple if both are professional dancers. Lol.
-Making Adam a permanent job might’ve been the best decision anybody made this season. His comments are humorous and generally spot-on.
-I really like the chemistry between Bianca and Victor. Unfortunately, more than I liked them in that routine. They were entertaining, but I could understand the judges’ criticism.
-Nakul Dev Mahajan is one of my favorite choreographers recently. I hope he does more than just one Bollywood routine this season. Maybe they’ll let him do more bhangra/hip hop fusion dances. I loved Mollee and Nathan doing this routine. They rock.
-I love the personalities of Phillip and Channing together, but that was a complete mess. I agree with the judges utterly on that one.
-My mom thought Karen needed to be sharper in her hip hop with Kevin, but I think she sold it regardless. It was great. Loved Adam falling off his chair.
-Guess I’m gonna have to get over not liking Legacy, too, because that Stacey Tookey routine with Kathryn was amazing. One of my favorites. I’m very impressed to see them dancing so well together.
-I love Wade Robson. He’s so demented, perverse, inventive and creative. His routines always threaten to overshadow the dancers and their ability. But not only are the routines amazing and entertaining, I think they leave the dancers lucky enough to work with him completely changed. I’m excited that Wade got his hands on Pauline and Peter early. I loved the routine, I thought they danced it well – but more than anything, I think the routine helped polish them both for the rest of the competition.
-LOOOVED Elleanore and Ryan’s Argentine tango. Amazing! They’re a great partnership as well, bringing out great things in each other. I loved that Ryan said he thought Elleanore might be an alien. ;”) So cute.
-SPOILERS – Victor & Bianca, Noelle and Phillip in the bottom four! Just as Margaret predicted.
I kind of have to eat my words about being happy Phillip is going home. His comments at the end were super heartfelt, I had no idea his father passed away so recently, what a difficult time this must be for him. And it’s sad that we lost 2 tappers tonight. Who would have thought that the guy who had the toughest time in vegas, peter, would be the last tapper standing.
my quick thoughts about tonight (i’m studying for a midterm so i do have to make them fast)
-LOVED ryan and ellenore! they stayed totally connected even with her dress being stuck (much like Chelsie and Mark in S4 when she spent most of the song with one of the feathers from her dress stuck in her mouth)
-Wade rocks. period. I can understand the judges calling the piece controversial in some ways, but it was totally original and a great chance to peter and pauline to relax. nigel’s right about peter’s shoulders though, he’s like a football player they’re so high!
-way to go legacy and kathryn! they’re like the little team that could, just chugging away, and they hit the jackpot getting stacey, she’s awesome.
it’s interesting thinking back to week 2 of S5, where a lot of dancers had trouble because they weren’t in their element and everyone had done so well during week 1. it’s a tribute to the caliber of dancers in the top 20 this year that they were able to stay consistent.
What a night for my cable to have issues. I completely missed the first routine all I had was sound. Plus I missed parts of Karen and Kevin and I missed Wade’s dance.
@Emile I completely understood what the judges said about Bianca and Victor’s broadway. They didn’t go all the way with the character. I thought it was going to be better than it was. That dance was all about the Character and not the dancing.
Ashliegh and Jakob were great tonight just a beautiful dance to start the night…well for me anyways. I don’t have any issues with Ashleigh so I dont get the hate. Jakob became my second favorite guy in the competition.
On to bollywood…loved it. Nathan is my favorite guy and to me he out danced Mollee. Loved the story of it.
Of course my favorite of the night is Kathryn and Legacy…lol…no surprise there. While I was watching, my mom and I kept saying you can see her training from the studio…in particular reminds me of our instructor Merry…Stacy’s choreo could have done that too. I proud of Legacy for doing well. They are going to be a couple to watch.
Adam again with the falling out of the chair with Karen…lol.
Sad to see two tappers go though I had a feeling it might happen. My heart goes out to Phillip and his family. I can’t imagine having to dance after losing my dad. Nice to know most of the dancers went to the funeral…they really are bonded this season as a family.
What a great show tonight. The Samba was the only poorly done piece, in my opinion, and other 8 were all quite entertaining. I didn’t quite get the love for Ryan and Ellenore – all during that dance I kept thinking how much better Brandon and Jannette danced the Argentinian tango last year. Still, they were passable.
I definitely think the right 2 went home. I’m interested to see if Channing improves with a more capable partner, ala Jeanine from S5.
I have to agree with everybody, except maybe the Wade peice. I didn’t really get into it. I do usually love his stuff. But they danced it well. Pauline was hitting it.
Kathryn and Legacy have been amonst my favorites for a second week. Yeah, it was like a Mia piece, but it also reminded me of Travis’ pendant in ways. Really really good.
The whole Adam and Karen thing is a hoot. If he doesn’t put her in one of his movies, he’s a fool. (and I know he’s not that) She looks like she stepped out of a rap video. 🙂 It really is hard not to just watch her. And he’s a sharp, good looking dancer so that’s quite a feat for her.
I had a feeling Phillip was going to be going after that routine. That was two sloppy routines in a row.
I don’t know if it was because of personal stuff going on, I’m sorry to hear about his dad.
Channing will be paired with Victor then? That will be interesting. I wonder what the chemistry will be like?
I loved tonight! The dances were wonderful. I particulary liked the lift in the argentine tango where he dropped her. I loved Ryan’s face…he was so confident that he would not drop her and there was no effort shown at all, unlike in the samba, unfortunately. I also loved the Bollywood routine Mollie and Nathan look great together. Can’t wait to vote next week!
I am really crushed that Bianca went home so soon! Partly because she was one of my favorites, but mostly because I think she and Victor were one of the best couples 🙁 At least we’ll always have their Travis piece!
Kathryn and Legacy!!! Just amazing. I’m so glad Stacy Tookey is around, especially in the absence of Mia! Kathryn is a really beautiful and versatile dancer. And Mary was right about how quickly Legacy has grown. He reminded me of Ivan in the Ivison “Why” piece from S2, but that dance came WAY later in the season!
Ellenore and Ryan… Wow. I didn’t even *notice* that her dress got caught in her heel until Cat said. I had to replay it to see. So, yeah, they pulled that off really well! lol
I was thinking about the Ivan and Legacy comparison too tonight.
I noticed Ellenore’s dress getting stuck. The dress ripped when she did one of the lifts with a kick.
@Margaret & Amanda: Yeah – I can totally see why Phillip went home and I think it was the right decision, but I really enjoyed seeing him on the show. It was sad to see 2 of the 3 tappers wiped out in one go. As for Ashleigh – I just haven’t really liked her. But I really dug her character acting in the wedding waltz. I still don’t think she’s the most interesting girl, though… I was VERY impressed with Kathryn and Legacy. I think they bring a lot of good things out in each other.
@Kevin: I’m interested, too, to see how Channing does with Victor -with a new partner, really.
@CoffeyCup: I was seeing small echoes, too, between the Kathryn/Legacy piece and the Travis Wall last season.
@Tabitha: That drop WAS great. 🙂
@ahs: I’m sad we won’t see more Bianca/Victor, too. I definitely noticed that Elleanore’s dress was caught on her heel and I was a bit worried, but they were connected for so much of the dance, I was pretty sure either she’d hold it together, or Ryan would save her if she fell. ;”)
the ivan and legacy comparison is interesting…i hadn’t thought about that! i’m slowly beginning to warm up to him, partially because of the great partnership he has developed with kathryn, who would have thought?!
I gotta give Karen props, too, she rocked out in that hip hop. Is it just me or is that the sexiest, most risqué piece nappytabs has done? I was thinking back and I’m not sure they’ve ever done one quite like it! kudos to them.
I rewatched Ashleigh and Jakob’s waltz, and I thought it was beautiful! I’m slowly warming up to her too, and I thought it was elegant and smooth, and very sexy in a sophisticated sort of way.
Ok, so I loved and hated last night. I’ll break it down by number.
Russel & Noelle (Hip Hop) – WONDERFUL concept! I would have loved seeing Jeanine instead of Noelle because we know Jeanine can hit it. Noelle dropped the ball big time with that cartwheel. She redeemed herself completely with her solo, though, where I felt she really left everything out on that stage. I was in awe.
Jakob & Ashleigh (Viennese Waltz) – I actually loved this number. I felt bad for the choreographers when Adam critiqued THEM! I felt it moved faster than the normal viennese waltzes we see. I thought Ashleigh was amazing in this piece, you could see her total comfort and confidence. The way she moved into the waltz position, keeping her head back the way she did looked lovely and normal for her. Jakob, again, did a great job. If his footwork was a little sloppy as Mary said, I didn’t notice but I agree, it’s nice to know he isn’t perfect. Ashleigh is definitely coming into her own though and I’m glad she made it onto the show so she could grow. I still think Hip Hop will be the end of her on SYTYCD.
Bianca & Victor (Broadway) – Baaaad move Tyce. This routine was terrible. It felt exhausting to watch, the characters were terrible for the two dancers. It really felt like I was watching a couple of kids at their first dance competition, and then digressed into them just hopping around. I call foul on the routine, not the dancers.
Mollee & Nathan (Bollywood) – I thought this routine felt like a film, partially due to the new stage layout. As I’ll go into later, this new stage is both a blessing and a curse. With this Bollywood, it is a blessing as it helps accent the number. While it is the weakest of the three main Bollywood numbers we’ve seen (Katee & Joshua, Caitlin & Jason) that doesn’t make it a weak routine. Nathan and Mollee are both fantastic dancers but neither have WOWed me so far. Maybe they are just that good? I’m not sure. I like watching them but they are far from the most entertaining couple for me. I think a Hip Hop will be the defining dance for this couple.
Phillip & Channing (Samba) – Ew. This was terrible. Like with Randi & Kupono’s disastrous Paso Doble from last season, if the girl doesn’t trust the guy in the lifts, it SHOWS. Maybe all of Phillip’s strength is in his legs, because those lifts were just downright awful. Then at the end when Phillip did his jump, I had to rewind and watch again because CHANNING’S HEAD TOTALLY BOUNCES ON THE STAGE! You couldn’t tell from her behavior after, so kudos to her! I think she’ll get more of a chance to shine with a different partner, and I hope Victor has the strength to support her. I never liked Phillip in this competition, and this didn’t help.
Karen & Kevin (Hip Hop) – Fantastic routine from Nappytabs. Such great costuming and the setup was fantastic. Even though Karen’s hip hop was a little too fluid, her absolute fever pitch makes her absolutely undeniable. I’m curious to see her dance in something that doesn’t require or thrive on her being sexy, but focuses on her technique. Kevin still hasn’t stood out for me. I agree, his hair is WILD!
Kathryn & Legacy (Contemporary) – This was the BEST routine of the night! I agree that it felt like last season’s addiction piece. It was fantastic to see Legacy make such growth, and you can tell that his words aren’t just words. When he said working with Mia in Vegas touched him and made him want to become a better dancer, you can see it’s true. His biggest moment for me during the routine was when he jumped and wrapped himself around Kathryn. That was powerful and something I didn’t think he could pull off. Kathryn is my favorite dancer this season. That’s irony for ya, because during the Top 20 reveal show, her crying and voice (which had me making a take-off gesture with my hand whenever she started talking) was perhaps the most irritating thing of that episode. She continues to wow me though. Yay for Stacey Tookey!
Pauline & Peter (Something?) – Ok, I thought this piece was dreadful. This is when the new stage setup is a curse, because that constantly moving background made my eyes hurt and really took focus off of the dancers. I felt that the on-stage set meant to complement the Starry Night feel created a grade school musical vibe that totally ruined any effort these two dancers put into the routine. I felt the choreography they were given did not explore any of the ideas Wade talked about. Honestly, Wade does his best when he keeps it simple (this year’s Top 20 routine, last season’s crash test dummies) and this was so complex that it lost itself. All I remember from the actual dancing was how they jumped, grabbed the stars, and hid behind them. That was amusing. Otherwise, this was the second worst for the evening.
Ellenore & Ryan (Argentinian Tango) – WOW! Fire! Ellenore killed this routine. She may not have been as sharp as Janette, but I thought, for the type of dancer she is, that she was amazing. Especially that accented split. The thing I love about the Argentinian Tango (and can I say that I love that they got Miriam to choreograph?) is that it depends such exaggerated lines from the woman, it is SO sharp and SO precise that when it is done right, it is breathtaking. This was breathtaking. Ryan, for me, wasn’t as much as I’d like. He is strong enough to toss Ellenore around and barely break a sweat (or not, he seems like a sweaty dancer) but he didn’t stand out at all in this routine. Perhaps, given the nature of the dance, that is a good thing. At least he wasn’t bad. Along with Ashleigh, I worry about Ryan getting Hip Hop.
I expected Phillip and Noelle in the bottom. I didn’t know who else would join, but I didn’t expect both Victor and Bianca. Based on their solos and everything else, I agree that, out of those four dancers, Phillip and Bianca were the correct choices to cut. Victor needs to put more meat in his solos though. He pirouettes (?) very well, and he knows it, but that can’t be all he does in his solos. He may go home sooner than anyone wants if he doesn’t bulk up on his dancing vocab. I hope he can incorporate the styles he’s learning into his solos.
@Ben: You had a lot of really great points. Some I agreed with, some I didn’t. Agree: Tyce’s Broadway Disagree: Wade’s jazz. But I thought you made a VERY good point in particular about the stage. I thought, for the first time this season, that the new stage might be a benefit because it’ll allow the choreographers/set designers/costumers to do some really gorgeous, dramatic things. I thought this in particular with the Bollywood and Wade’s routine. It still has the capacity to swallow up very intimate routines like Kathryn and Legacy’s (thank goodness it didn’t swallow that one up), but I think they’re working that out. Finally.
I’m sure that Stacy’s routine will be shown at the final 🙂 That’s was the best routine of the night, and I was really surprised about Legacy, I didn’t think he can handle another style like that..I hope He will survive as long as he can!
And Tango was amazing, too! Tell the truth, I knew that this gonna be awesome when Elleanore was coming to the stage with that walking!
Anyway, Last week show was so good, but This week was too enough to good! I hope Next week will be good like this week!
This is going to get tough very soon. Once Peter, Pauline and to a lesser extent Victor are gone (guess who I don’t like?) I’ll have run out of people that I don’t think really deserve to be there.
Highlights for me were:
Kathryn and Legacy – I picked Kathryn to make it to the top 3 girls from the start, and so far she hasn’t dissappointed. She may be a bit squeeky off stage, but on stage she’s utterly convincing. Legacy still feels a bit desperate but a solid performance has dispelled a lot of misgivings about his ability to handle other dance styles (Although Stacy did give him some leeway to throw a few of his party tricks in there – will he have the fluency and technique for some of the more formalised dance styles?)
Noelle wasn’t great in the competition piece, but there was a certain hunger shown in her solo. Poor Hip Hop routines have been the downfall of many a dancer over the seasons – having survived one she may yet suprise.
Nothing else really stood out for me. Ashleigh has been better than expected and has grown on me a bit, although she has yet to be really puches out of her comfort zone. Channing and Victor as a partnership? He comes accross as a selfish dancer and she’s dominant – I can’t see convincing chemistry there, but I won’t object to being proved wrong.
This blog is such a breath of fresh air from the EW comment boards. Such hate over there!
Yes, it is sad to see Phillip go, especially after his rough week, but he really did perform the worst of the men. Hopefully Channing’s head is better, it looked like she hit her head pretty on that last move. Lets see if this new partnership with Victor suits her better, he looks stronger, so maybe she won’t seem so potato sack like? (Nigel’s words). I’m excited to see Legacy/Kathryn dance every week now, they remind me of Courtney/Gev. I’m hoping Jakob and Nathan make it to the top 10, i’m looking forward to seeing them dance with a different partner. I’m going to make an early prediction for the top 10, based on the last 2 weeks.
Top 5 guys: Jakob, Nathan, Ryan, Legacy, and Russell
Top 5 girls: Ellenore, Mollee, Karen, Kathryn, and Pauline (I hope!)
Phillip’s words at the end of the show actually brought tears to my eyes, my prayers are with him. I was angry about Noelle staying, I don’t see anything SPECIAL about her, I love Bianca. Eleanor’s my favorite girl and Jakob is my favorite guy 🙂
@Rachel: Your Top 10 is exactly the same as mine, except for one dancer. I think Channing will make the top 5 girls and so far, I think Pauline won’t. It’s early days, yet. Spot on with the guys, though (in my opinion)!
I’m kind of glad that Phillip is gone so now Channing can really get to shine. I felt that he was kinda pulling her back. Bianca is cool and special and all, but I sometimes feel her dancing to be a little awkward, especially her shoulders, they’re kinda stiff.
And I finally saw a routine that made me watched and rewatched, shrieked and cried. Stacie Toukie really made something special this time and brought out the best in Legacy and Kathryn. No matter how similar in concepts it may be to Mia’s Addiction, each choreography had a different touch to them and fortunately, both were performed beautifully. Hope this routine makes it to the judges’ favourite at the end of the season.
On a side note, Wade Robson’s routine is really adorable.