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Academy Episode One: Solos & Hip Hop

Tonight we were treated to a great opening number choreographed by Mandy Moore. I actually loved that they did this, it made the introduction to the Academy more exciting. Anyone else notice that part of the choreography was use in the initial audition rounds. Tonight’s episode was jammed packed full of information and I know I didn’t get all the names for the teams but I’ll hopefully fill them in next week.

Round One: The dancers must impress the panel of All Stars with their solo or duet(ballroom). If they get the majority of the vote, they will move on to the next round. I always enjoy watching the All Stars reaction to the all-stars. There were several that did impress and I wasn’t surprised either. Kristina and Vasily for me stood out. They danced so beautifully, but we didn’t see them much throughout the rest of the episode. However, I did spot them at the end of the episode when they were previewing the rest of the Academy. 71 dancers moved on the next round.

Round Two: Hip Hop with NappyTabs, who are everywhere these days. The contestants have an hour to learn the routine and then have to perform it for the All Stars. So it’s either sink or swim, and from what I saw there was everything from amazing to awful. I do wish the show will show the viewing audience what the dance actually looks like. After all the dancers have performed one of three outcomes will happen. 1) Picked to be on an All Stars’s team 2) Move on to the next round or 3) Sent home. If more than one All Star want them on their team the contestant gets to choose whose team he or she wants to be on.

Kevin Davis Jr: A Krumper that had five All Stars wanting him on his team. Allison, FikShun, Cyrus, Jasmine, and Comfort all explained why they wanted him on their team. In the end he wanted to choose the person who he would benefit the most from, so he picked Allison.

Dassy Lee: Not surprised she had both of the Hip Hop boys wanting her on their team. Dassy chose FikShun over Cyrus. I’m thinking FikShun has an edge over Cyrus since he has won the show and mentored last years winner.

Logan Hernandez: Robert, Allison, and Jenna were all wanting him. Jenna even made a bold statement of the night by saying he would be her partner on the show. She basically said he would be in the top 10 if he chose her. Logan chose Allison…chances are he might not have believed Jenna.

Robert seemed to have a tough time convincing someone to be on his team. After tonight’s episode he is the only All Star that doesn’t have anyone on his team yet.

At the end of tonight 13 of the 40 spots were filled, and next week the dancers face contemporary with Travis and ballroom with Dmitry. I am going to try to get a who is on each All Star’s team up.

 

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July 17, 2017 I Written By

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.

Filed Under: So You Think You Can Dance  TV
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New York Auditions: Part 2

I case you didn’t notice last weeks episode was a repeat, I’m guessing due to the fourth of July the network didn’t want to air a new episode. So tonight we get to see the rest of the auditions in New York, and it also concludes the initial auditions before the Academy. There was plenty of talent tonight from the amazing to the not so great (which always makes me wonder if they watch the show).

Magda & Kiki: They have an interesting dynamic but they a just dance partners, and Magda does all the talking. What I liked about their audition is that it wasn’t too over the top with the tricks, and I was a little surprised they didn’t do any lifts. It was just a straight forward cha-cha that got them their ticket to the Academy.

Claudia & George, Jaryd Farcon, and Allen Genkin…just a few more ballroom dancers to make it straight to the Academy

Zachary Downer: He auditioned for season 12 and made it to the green mile. Can’t say I rememberer him but it is very clear after watch him dance again why he made it as far as he did. Love the infusion of the african movement with the contemporary.

Ramita Ravi: I have to admit I was excited to watch her dance the moment she sat down to talk to Cat. I do enjoy watch the Bollywood style of dancing. I was somewhat surprised the judges didn’t send her to the academy right away. I think that they just wanted to see more of what she can do. Thankfully she made it through the choreography round.

Peter Mangione: I must have missed the part when he said he had only be dancing for six months, but when he mispronounced Ballet, I pretty much knew this would be a not so good audition.

Arielle Disciascio: I was on the fence about Arielle, yes she is a fantastic dancer with precision and control. However, I wanted to see her let go and really just dance from the heart. So like Nigel I wanted to see her do the choreography.

Some more familiar faces of past seasons are back to try again and the are all hip hop dancers. Chris Andrews, Chase “CTut” Lindsey (the finger tutting) and Jason Kidd. One last familiar face for tonight was Romainson Romain, provided the most moving audition of the night, the judges knew he had a lot weighing him down and I loved that they lifted him up. He also didn’t do too bad in the choreography round and he made it to the academy.

Marc “Full out” Royale: Um dancing professionally for two years…yeah I don’t think so but I see why he goes by full-out.

Claire Rathbun: I love how ballet dancers especially those that do pointe make it look so easy and effortless. I also love how she wants to prove that you can have a big personality and still do ballet. Based on her personality I wonder how well she will do in the hip hop genre.

Lex Ishimoto: He took a big risk by doing an improve for his audition, but man did it pay off. It was the best audition of the night. Plus at the time of his audition he was performing with Travis Wall’s (and Nick, Teddy, & Kyle) company Shaping Sound. I can’t wait to see what All Star get him on their team. It’s a bold prediction from me but Lex will be in the top 10.

So 100 dancers total for the LA and New York Auditions made to the academy. They will be tested by Travis Wall, Sonya Tayeh, Dmitry Chaplin, and NappyTabs. Looking forward to next week.

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July 10, 2017 I Written By

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.

Filed Under: Entertainment  So You Think You Can Dance  TV
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New York Auditions: Part One

The New York auditions did not disappoint…just as last weeks preview stated. I know I’ve stated this already but I am really liking Vanessa as a judge. I think she was the breath of fresh air that the panel needed.

Kaylee “Impavido” Mills: Probably one of the most unique contemporary auditions that I have seen in a while. You can tell that she has studied many styles of dance just watching her audition. Can’t wait to see her in the choreographing rounds.

Ana Sanchez: Great things come in small packages. So many great tricks and lifts…to bad her partner is a little to old(31) to compete. Columbian salsa is a faster version of salsa…and if you seen World of Dance it is unreal how fast they can move their feet.

Koine Iwasaki: I agreed with everything that the judges said about her. I loved her range of emotions, that help her convey the story of the dance.

Joseph “Klassic” Carrella and Huwer “Havoc” Marche Jr.: I really like this duo and the style flexing. I really seems like more of a lyrical form of hip hop. I think Havoc stood out a little more to me.
Chaz Wolcott: He has an impressive resume, touring with Cats and Newsies. I liked his style of tap, when most tap is heavy footed and down into the ground…Chaz is lighter on his feet.

Ryan Bailey: Safe to say he left the judges speechless and a bit confused. He has a unique way of moving and has created his own company and I think his style of dance might look better on a group of dancers.

Other dancer’s that made it through: Kyle Bennet Jr, Shaquile Worsley, Alex Diaz, Logan Hernandez, Abby Griffin, and Cristina Moya-Palacios.

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June 26, 2017 I Written By

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.

Filed Under: Entertainment  So You Think You Can Dance
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Los Angeles Auditions Part 2

The Los Angeles auditions come to a close in tonight’s episode, and we learn that Mandy Moore is the new creative producer for SYTYCD. Tonight’s auditions begin with a familiar face, Lindsey Arnold’s sister Jensen.

Jensen Arnold and Tristan Sosa: Tristan is a great dancer and partner but I honestly could not take my eyes of Jensen. I agree with Vanessa said that Jensen is a star and she does remind me of Lindsey. So I wasn’t surprised to see them go straight through to the academy.

Cody Ostrenga: We get a back story and a cheesy western intro for Cody, who turns out is a belly dancer. Belly dancing/hip hop fusion was not something I was expecting. Agree with the judges that he isn’t ready for the show. Cody mentioned that dance was a hidden passion, so I hope now that he has done this that he will take some other dance classes.

Sade Keinu Austin: She comes from a dancing family, her father has choreographed for Michael Jackson and Mariah Carey. I enjoyed watching her dance and I’m curious to see what else she can do.

Matthew Deloch: I loved that Grandma put him in dance and didn’t let him quit no matter how much he cried. Thankfully he grew to love dance, and had grown into a good dancer. I feel like he is still a little rough around the edges, and agree that he needs to work on showing more emotion when he dances.

Peyton Albrecht, Taylor Sieve, and Chelsea Hough: All contemporary dancers that went straight through to the next round.

Inyoung “Dassy” Lee: Moved to America from South Korea because of the show. Dassy was inspired by Dominic and Sabra to come and be on the show. Her audition started a little slow and then as Mary said BAM she hits us with her talent.

Blessin Giralodo: A step dancer who is very passionate about what she does, and she did impress the judges. She was sent to the choreography round where she was eventually cut, but Nigel did offer for her step group to appear on the show.

Eric “Frenchie” Bossett and Felix “Bad Bones” Gomez: Both are triple jointed dancers. These auditions are always hard to watch, since their bodies do things that they shouldn’t. Both were cut in the choreography round.

Dustin Payne: I agreed with the judges on this one, entertaining with smooth transitions. I want to see what else he can do. I think I’ve seen one too many hip hop auditions cause they are all good in there on way but I find hard to judge them sometimes.

23 other dancers made it through to the academy after an hour of learning Mandy Moore choreography.

Next week starts the New York auditions and from what I saw from the preview we will see even more talented dancers.

 

 

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June 19, 2017 I Written By

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.

Filed Under: So You Think You Can Dance  TV
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Season 14: Los Angeles, Part One

Season 14 kicks off with auditions in Los Angeles, California. As much as I enjoyed watching the younger dancers last season, I am happy to see the adult dancers back. I didn’t even realized that I missed the opening credits and song till it played. Also, happy to see Mary back and that nothing has changed with the banter between her and Nigel. Vanessa seemed to fit right in and was genuinely excited to be there.

We only had one hour of auditions to watch tonight instead of two. It’s easier to stay interested in the show when there is only a few auditions to watch.

Mark Villaver: He has a great energy and perfect way to start the show. Mark referred to the style he was performing as thera…which basically translated to being your true self. I enjoyed his audition and his seamless fusion of break dancing and contemporary.

Kristina and Vasily: Married ballroom couple. Interesting to see the man blindfolded. I thought they dance beautifully and I felt like they successfully created a routine that showed of their various styles of ballroom they have studied.

Robert Green: A violinist turned dancer with an investing outfit to wear to an audition. Robert was my favorite of the night, so entertaining. I can already see the All Stars loving him and possibly fighting to have him on their team.

Alexis Gilbert: She is a beautiful dancer that you can take your eyes off of while she performs. However, for me the song choice and the style of dance didn’t quite work for me. The only reason I can think of is that I just saw the pro female dancers from DWTS do a number to this exact song and it a more serious tone compared to how Alexis performed it.

Luke Dryjski: This is what I like to call the featured bad dancer audition. Luke’s style of dancing reminds me of how some dancers dance when they are just goofing around and not taking themselves too seriously. Loved that Vanessa thought he was cute and decided to get up there and dance with him.

Darius Hickman: Very rare to see Nigel mention a dancer’s story before the dancer does. Darius has had a tough life and dance became his outlet on how he dealt with his life. He was the other standout of the night for me and I see a few of the All Stars wanting to work with him.

There was a montage of dancers from around the world and the night ended with twins from Russia who came over to the states just for the competition.
Ananstasiia and Viktoriia: It was such an interesting piece and I felt like I wasn’t watching an audition but an actual performance. Looking forward to seeing what else these two can do.

Next Monday auditions continue in Los Angeles.

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June 12, 2017 I Written By

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.

Filed Under: So You Think You Can Dance Videos
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All Aboard the Hot Tamale Train…

Season 14 begins next week! Monday, June 12 at 8/7 central. You might have guessed from the title that Mary Murphy is back as a judge. Joining Nigel and Mary at the judges table is Vanessa Hudgens. Vanessa is an actress/singer probably best known for her role as Gabriella in the “High School Musical” series and more recently she played Rizzo in Grease Live. I didn’t find much about her that talked about any dance experience that she has but judging from the list of musical theatre she has been involved in, it’s safe to say she has some experience. I see her judging the contestants based more on their performances.

The All- Stars are back this season and they are taking on the same role as they did last season. Ten all-stars will choose their contestant they will dance along side for the season from those who make it to the Academy. So this means we will only have a Top 10 for Season 14.

All- Stars for Season 14

Allison Holker: Season 2

Comfort Fedoke: Season 4

Robert Roldan: Season 7

Marco Germar: Season 8

Cyrus Spencer: Season 9

FikShun: Season 10

Jasmine Harper: Season 10

Jenna Johnson: Season 10

Paul Karmiryan: Season 10

Gaby Diaz: Season 12

Looking forward to the new season and seeing all the talented dancers.

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June 5, 2017 I Written By

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.

Filed Under: So You Think You Can Dance
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Top 8 to Top 6: Power Rankings and Thoughts

It’s hard to believe that this season is almost over, the stage seems so empty with just eight dancers on the stage. This week was a Michael Jackson theme…well, just all MJ music. Jenna Dewan Tatum joined the judges this week. I really emjoyed this week and the All Stars were great as usual. Still don’t like that the All Stars have to leave the stage right after they dance.  So on to the rankings.

Top 3

Ricky and Jamie: This was a great pairing and I agree with Travis, Ricky is the one to beat. I really don’t think that there is anything he can’t do. Plus it was just another simplistic dance that was just beautiful.

Zack and Makensie: Spencer said it the best Zack is just a sponge, soaking up everything he is learning and growing every week. I did enjoy the dance but in the back of my mind I was think about on of the dances in Center Stage that was danced to the same song.

Valerie and Ryan: I wasn’t too sure if she would be able to pull this off. Thankfully she did and she looked like she was having fun out there.

Middle 3

Jacque and Twitch: I loved the smoothness of this dance. I thought the style of the dance suited her and she had the attitude right as well.

Jessica and Will: While I loved the dance, I’m just not liking Jessica anymore. While she is a fantastic dancer I just feel she started off great, had a few so-so weeks and then suddenly bloosomed again. So good to see Will.

Casey and Comfort: I was quite surprised that he did as well as he did. However, it was hard not to want to watch Comfort and even the cameras seemed to do the same thing. He did connect well with her but I think he could of gotten into it just a little bit more.

Elimnated Dancers

Tanisha and Nick: I honestly had Tanisha in my top 4. I’m not sure how she how she ended up in the bottom 2. Regardless she had another great dance. I love Nick as a dancer ever since the first season.

Rudy and Allison: I had a hard time trying to watch Rudy because Allison kept draw my attention away from him. Her facial expressions we a bit too over the top for me. I did think he left on a high note.

Next weeks pairings.

Ricky and Anya

Valerie and Twitch

Casey and Makensie

Zack and FikShun: this should be fun

Jacque and Will

Jessica and Ade

 

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August 13, 2014 I Written By

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.

Filed Under: So You Think You Can Dance
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*Spoiler Alert* Season 10 Finale

SPOILER ALERT! DON’T READ IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN THE SHOW!

It has been another great season and it’s always sad to see it go. Before I get to the run down of the show and of course the winners, I am happy to announce that Fox and Nigel announced that there will be a SEASON 11! Now on with the show that had a 17 min intermission (Presidential speech), well for the east coast. We had Judges favorites, top 4 favorites, and some surprises.

The Top 20 are back, even Jade even thought he can dance cause his knee isn’t fully healed yet. A fun routine choreographed by Ivan from season 2 (who has choreographed for Justin Timberlake).

Paula Abdul Favorite: Edge of Glory, Paul and Makensie

Jasmine H. Favorite: Blurred Lines she danced with Marko. She surprised me with this pick.

Adam Shankman: he picked the FikShun and Twitch hip-hop to Hello Good Morning.

The Top 4 got to see a special screening of Battle of the Year, that features Dominic from season 3. Also Legacy from season 6 is also in the movie (look it up on IMBD if you don’t believe me).

Nigel’s Pick: This really was a no brainer, I knew he would pick a tap number, I just didn’t know which one. It’s fitting that he chose the one with all of the tappers from this season.

Twitch’s Favorite: His choice surprised me as well, mainly just the fact that it was a Broadway number. Kiss of the Spiderwoman- Nico and Hayley.

Aaron’s Favorite: Kissing You with all-star Kathryn

They replayed the sand number with the Top 10 guys, which is actually one on my absolute favorites of the season.

Cat’s Favorite: Run the World, Jasmine and Comfort hip-hop

Mary’s Favorite: Medicine, Tucker and Robert

Puttin’ on the Ritz: Top 20. Really loved this innovative number that NappyTabs created.

Then another favorite of mine Mark and Jenna.

FikShun and Amy both picked the same dance as their favorite. After Party, the bell hop hip-hop.

So we are treated to the “partnership” of Nigel and Mary. Though the video montage, I’m sure I wasn’t the only that was wondering where they were going with this…a dance with Nigel and Mary. This did make my night, especially Adam not wanting to be left out of the fun.

The Top 5 moments from the Auditions with the number one spot going to Movement Box.

Twitter’s Travis Wall routine Favorite: Seriously no surprise that it is Wicked Game that he danced with Amy.

The Top 10 and All-Stars perform and fun surfs up number by Nappy Tabs.

Now time for the Winner’s, Cat announced that a girl got the top number of votes. With that said she began with the guys and then the girls.

The Season 10 Winners ARE….FICKSHUN and AMY!!! Congrats to them both and Aaron and Jasmine. What a great season can’t wait till next year.

 

 

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September 10, 2013 I Written By

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.

Filed Under: So You Think You Can Dance
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Top 6 Power Rankings

The closer we get to the finale of the show the harder it is for me to want to do a power rankings post, but I’ll do my best. Loved the opening dance by Mia Michaels. Many of you may have noticed Aaron was missing from that dance. It wasn’t addressed on the show since he was able to dance his duet. This is when social networking comes in handy. Thanks to twitter Aaron sent out a message saying he has a shoulder injury and in best interest of his shoulder and the show, he was pulled from the opening number. That’s all I know right now…if I find out more I will update.

The bottom four ended up being Jenna, Hayley, Tucker and FikShun. Tough call to make and I can say I 100% agree with the end results but it’s what has to happen. Jenna and Tucker were the two we had to say goodbye to. Both had fantastic dances last night. I really did enjoy watching Tucker and Courtney dance together. Wasn’t the best of the night but landed in the middle of the mix for me. Jenna and Mark on the other hand I could go on for days about their dance. It was my favorite piece of choreography of the night.

Girls

Amy: I think most will agree this was the other favorite dance of the night. Travis was able to show us all of Amy’s talents as a dancer. It reminded me why she has always been one of the early favorites.

Hayley: There is just something about the Rumba I just love. It’s really hard for me to find anything wrong  about this dance.

Jasmine: I was excited to see that she was paired with Twitch. Granted I would have wanted a more down and dirty hip hop but I enjoyed the superhero theme too. Superheroes and Twitch go hand in hand together.  Jasmine held her own dancing with Twitch but this was a case of the other numbers just were a little bit better.

Guys (very hard to rank these since all made me feel the same)

FikShun: Allison did a fantastic job working in his strenths through her choreography.  He really has grown so much over the competition.

Paul: This was just a fun hip hop. Paul has consistently been good and the ladies love him.

Aaron: Dispite his injured shoulder he made that jive look easy. I had to go back to see what Mary was talking about, and still trying to figure out what caused it. Still thought he was great.

So who is your top 4? Mine is Amy, Jasmine, Aaron and Paul.

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August 21, 2013 I Written By

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.

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tWitch Discusses Being Guest Judge on SYTYCD 2013

Next up in our SYTYCD 2013 judges interviews is tWitch. That’s right, tWitch is a guest judge on SYTYCD 2013 in Detroit. Pretty amazing that he’s gone from not even making SYTYCD Vegas week, to being on the show, to being a SYTYCD All Star and now a SYTYCD judge. Plus, it seems that the world can’t get enough of tWitch. Plus, how great that him and Allison Holker are together!

Enjoy the following interview with tWitch where he discusses So You Think You Can Dance season 10.

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May 15, 2013 I Written By

Just call me Charlie...but where are my angels?

Filed Under: Entertainment  FOX  Reality TV  So You Think You Can Dance  So You Think You Can Dance Judges  So You Think You Can Dance Season 10  TV
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