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SYTYCD: New York Auditions Part 2

Last night was the final episode of the preliminary auditions leading up to the Academy. Maybe it’s just me but I did feel this episode had a more diverse style of dance being shown. Also, I am thankful that the storm that was happening in my area last night didn’t take out my satellite feed during the show.

Up first was Andrew and Melany: I glad they didn’t listen to the company they were apart of because they are great partners for each other. I really liked there vibe they had and not surprised that Melany made the hot tamale train.

Mika: I’m with the judges…I didn’t care for the choice of “music”. I like dance that is done to spoken word but only if the movement matches what’s being said. Nigel is such a softie didn’t have the heart to tell her no, especially when dance is helped her with deal with he medical condition.

Kory: I had hoped that he would have been better than he was, and that he would have done a jazz solo with some broadway influences.

Brianna: My favorite tap audition of this season so far. I love that it was more jazzy (Nigel’s words) compared to the others. I also like she was light on her feet.

Arcadian: First off love that he had the support of Artistic Director of the Orlando ballet. Loved him and was more of a contemporary ballet. I agree with Nigel, I enjoy that precision stop after so many turns. He has what it takes to go far in the competition.

Bridget: Not sure why but she was reminding me of Kaylee from last season. Glad she did give up the passion of dancing. I loved watch the guys reaction in her reel when she did something impressive.

Ryan: I don’t remember him from season 12 but I would say he has improved, well according to Twitch. There is just something about this type of hip hop that is just so enjoyable to me. Just the amount of control they have is impressive. The look on Twitch’s face when Nigel asked Ryan if he battles…I take any excuse to see Twitch dance.

Next week starts Academy and the competition to make it to the Top 20 really begins.

June 26, 2018 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.

SYTYCD: New York Auditions Part One

Plenty of familiar faces that were close to making last season returned for another chance at making it to the live shows.

Emily Carr: She set the bar high for the first audition of the night. I love that she is following in her sister’s footsteps when it comes to dance. While I can understand why the judges asked why Emily’s sister wasn’t auditioning, I just feel like they were overshadowing the person that is actually auditioning.

Evan DeBenedetto: Lex beat him out for the spot on Gaby’s team…which I know was a hard choice. So I wasn’t surprised to see him back or the judges comments. I think this is his year as well and we will see Evan in the Top 20.

Rachael Blanchard: I feel like sending her to the academy was a see if she would sink or swim moment for her. I think if anything the academy will help Rachael grow as a dancer and become better at the things she was lacking.

Kyle Bennett Jr: In FikShun’s final two last season. I always fun to see Twitch fired up over a good hip hop audition. I just enjoyed watching Kyle dance and I’m with Nigel if he can do other style he will shine this season.

Victoria Neukum: Nigel has me worried for a minute…I honestly didn’t think he would want to send her to the academy. Though I agree that the gymnastics are great but she does need to more dancing in her solos.

Desislava and Gratsiela Sandeva: While these twin sisters were not strong enough for the show but they were entertaining. I also think the had a great attitude.

Next week wraps up the New York auditions and the initial audition round. Then it will be time for the Academy week.

June 19, 2018 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.

SYTYCD: LA Auditions Part 2

I honestly don’t know what happen to my broadcast of the show last night but I missed the last two auditions. I just had a test screen up for at least ten minutes and of course started working again when the news interrupted. Thanks to the internet I could watch the last two auditions. Also, realizing that I do miss the choreography round mainly for those dancers that are good but their solos aren’t all that great.

Tessa: I really liked her and is the first person that I had the thought she could be in the top 20. I also think the choreographers would love her.

Jay Jay: After being cut during academy week last season, he booked the Shaping Sound tour. Working with Travis Wall has paid off and can see the boost of confidence in him. Hopefully, it will also help him make it through academy week this season and maybe even the top 20.

CJ Butler: Such a heartbreaking story and I thought he might get a ticket to the academy. However, that wasn’t the case but it just shows how healing having an outlet like dance is, and love that the judges took the time to comfort him. Who know with a little bit of polish he could make it through next season.

Nicole Clonch: Has been Season 2 winner Benji’s competitive partner for the last three years. She must trust him a lot because those lifts and tricks were insane…she wasn’t kidding about becoming a human pretzel. I have looked up some of their routines to get a bit more of the dancing and not just the tricks. I feel like the judges asking what else she has trained was to help make their decision on whether or not to send her though to the academy. I personally loved that she said tap(even if it’s only a little bit) cause it’s a favorite of Nigel’s.

I hope for the New York auditions next week there won’t been anything from preventing me from watching the show.

June 12, 2018 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.

SYTYCD: Who’s Safe and Who’s in Danger

I felt like everyone in the Top 9 had a good performance this week…so it’s kind of hard to figure out who might be in danger of going home next week.

Safe
Taylor: Currently, she is the one to beat so far. I enjoy watching her dance and the partnership with Robert will only get stronger. I’m looking forward to seeing her dance some other styles.
Koine: I felt like she had the best dance of the night…or at least the most interesting. I don’t see her going home anytime soon.
Kaylee: Thankfully Nigel’s comments last week didn’t affect people voting for her. I thinking Kaylee could be a fan favorite, so I don’t think she’ll be in the bottom 3 unless they just have a bad week.

Most likely safe
Lex: I’m sure Lex is safe but sometimes the ballroom dances don’t go over well with the at home audience. We also got to at least see his solo in his own style.
Sydney: Close call for Sydney this past week but thankfully this week her performance was much better. With this dance being emotional, I think she will have enough votes to keep her safe next week.

Could go either way
Mark: This was a case of the choreography being kind of blah…well for me. I did think Mark had the best solo of the night. I hope that he will be safe.
Dassy: I really hope I’m wrong, cause I think she’s so cute.

In Danger
Kiki: Even though Kiki was able to get into character…I just don’t feel enough grit for a hip hop.
Logan: I was a bit surprised that he ended up in the bottom 3. Logan is a great dancer but there is just something missing that I haven’t quite figured it out.

Looking forward to next week. Who will be the next to go home?

August 16, 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.

SYTYCD Season 14

It was announced earlier today that SYTYCD will be returning this summer for it’s 14th season. After reading the announcement on their website, it looks like they are keeping so of the format from the Next Generation but we will see the older dancers (ages 18-30) again. Head over to http://www.fox.com/dance for all the info and how to audition.

Also, Paula Abdul will not be back as a judge due to the fact she will be on tour with New Kids on the Block and Boyz II Men this summer. Looking forward to seeing who will be on the Judging panel this season. Maybe the return of Mary Murphy? I’ll update once I know who the judges are and hopefully who the all-stars will be.

January 30, 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.

SYTYCD Next Generation: The Winner Is…

Another season of SYTYCD has come to an end and another great opening number. I like that this one was had the audience involved. Also, because DWTS premiered tonight, Jenna was not able to participate in the finale because she is a pro this season. I’m going to try to make this short and give some highlights of some of the new dances and of course reveal the winner. I’ll post a full season review later this week.

Hip Hop: I love seeing these kids and all stars do what they do best. I think Marko is being re-branded as a hip hop specialist when contemporary was his specialty during season 8.

Love Mandy Moore’s piece with the top 10 and Maddie. Fantastic costumes and great dancing. I’m actually surprised it took all season for this to happen.

Ballroom: I feel like the ballroom kids really didn’t get to shine this season, so it is great to see them do their thing. So happy they pre taped so Jenna could be a part of the finale.

Results: in fourth place is Emma. Such an amazing little tap dancer. I was always impressed watching her and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for her.

More Results: In third place is Tate. I really thought she would be in the top 2 but she has a bright future as a dancer.

So that means it’s down to JT and Kida. I had a feeling that JT would squeak into the top 2 just thought he may have taken Kida’s place over Tate.

And the winner is ….KIDA! FiKShun is a proud All Star. I have to find FikShun winning moment and compare it to Kida’s. I truly think Kida drew viewer’s in from the very beginning and he improved week after week. I think Mom was in shock and I think his dad would be proud.

Also congrats to JT as well. He and Robert had the audience in the palm of their hands week after week. I thinking Broadway is in his future.

September 12, 2016 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.

SYTYCD Next Generations: Performance Finale Thoughts

My normal Monday night plans hit a snag last night and left me questioning the Fox network’s thought process. I live on the east coast so normally watch the show at 8 and then have my post up before the end of the night. However, last night Fox decided to change-up the schedule. So instead of SYTYCD there was a benefit concert/fundraiser for the most Louisiana floods, which pushed SYTYCD back to 11pm. I had a little taste of what the west coast deals with when social media is live tweeting…it’s annoying. I would have streamed it online but it wasn’t available in my area. I could rant more but I’ll focus on the final four dancers and how I think the will place in the competition.

I like they decided to switch up the all-stars and maybe they should have done that sooner. All of the dancers did well but there were two that edged out the others. I felt Tate and JT had the best new dances of the night. That salsa was fast and difficult and required a lot of trust on those lifts. I am probably not the only one who held the breath when Jonathan removed his hands during one of those lifts. JT and Marko took on a Bollywood routine and I loved it. I also felt like if Marko had been an original all-star, I think he and JT would have been a great pair.

Now the real question who will win? My thought is that it will come down between Kida and Tate…they have been the most consistent throughout the season. JT and Emma are my wild cards and either of them could find their way in the top 2. JT is the cute lovable kid that you just want to root for and plus having Robert as an all-star I think gives him and edge. Emma on the other hand is just really good in her own style and she deserves some type of award in my opinion. All there is left to do is wait a week to find out who wins.

September 6, 2016 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.

Next Generation: Top 5 Thoughts

Tonight’s episode marked the 250th episode of SYTYCD. I can’t help but wonder how many dances there has been in the 250 episodes. We even got a special performance from Travis Wall and Maddie Ziegler, which was Emmy worthy. So tonight each of the remaining five performed with their all-star twice and they even got to choreograph their own dance. I’ll admit I was slightly worried when they announced this last week but I have to say all the kids did a great job.

Tate and Kathryn: First up a routine choreographed by Stacey Tookey. These two just simply dance beautiful together, just like the do every week.
Tate’s Choreo: I really loved the concept that she came up with the masks and breaking away from there insecurities. It is something that I can see a contemporary company performing. I agree with the judges that Tate will become a fantastic choreographer one day.

Kida and Fikshun: Pharside and Phoenix didn’t hold back with this Krump routine and as Lil C would say the performance was Buc. Kida did seem a bit out of sync and I think that Nigel was right in the fact that he just needed to make his movements bigger to compensate for a tight-fitting jacket.
Kida’s Choreo: I seriously loved this dance. It fun, funky and animated. Simply it is just what they do best.

Emma and Gaby: When Cat said that Savion Glover was choreographing for the show, to say I was excited is an understatement. I love that Savion slowed them down a bit tonight and it had an old school type of feel. I have to agree with Nigel if you get a chance look up some of these other famous tap dancers.
Emma’s Choreo: I would have never had guessed that an eleven year old choreographed this tap routine. I can’t get over how good of a tap dancer she is.

JT and Robert: Stacey Tookey gave us another beautiful dance. I didn’t quite connect with the story behind it but I did think it was danced well. JT has improved with the help of Robert.
JT’s Choreo: I feel like this was a big challenge for someone his age and I thought he did ok. I love that Nigel admits that he has fallen under the JT’s cuteness spell.
Tahani and Comfort: Dave Scott went for a hip hop with hints of it’s African roots. I feel like that the costumes and make up made this dance even better. It was a high energy fast paced dance that I enjoyed. Tahani might only have a few things to work on but over all it was a good performance.
Tahani’s Choreo: Again another fun concept, it’s great seeing the contestants really going all out for their choreography. I personally loved that she turned Comfort into a nerd. Unfortunately, tonight was the end of the road for Tahani.

So we are down to the final four and we are two weeks away from announcing a winner. Tonight’s votes will be combined with next week performance finale votes. I honestly don’t have a clue who will win but I have noticed that out of the remaining all-stars there are two winners and two that placed third. I’m curious on how the all-stars have affected the voting.

August 29, 2016 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.

Next Generation Top 6: Thoughts

So now that the Olympics are over we can get back to the competition. I honestly think that the remaining dancers are all fantastic and it’s really hard to pick just one that will win. This week we got to see them dance with their all-stars and paired with each other.

Each of the next generation dancers shine when they are dancing with their all-stars. I feel like three of them stood out the most. Ruby, JT, and Emma.

Ruby: She has probably the most infectious personality and the Jive was the perfect way to show it off. Love seeing Mark Ballas choreographing for SYTYCD again and loved that Ruby teased him about  his man bun. Only critique I have is that maybe Paul could have channeled Mark just a little bit more.

JT: This routine choreographed by Al Blackstone might have been my favorite so far that JT and Robert have done together. I can’t help but to smile watching these two together. I do think that JT is slowly turning into Roberts mini me…saw that in his solo. Maddie said it the best, that this dance also  explains what this show has been about.

Emma: I’m consistently blown away by her tap skills. It was so great to see Nick Young from season 8 choreographing for the show. SpecTAPular! Thanks Paula for that new word to add to my vocabulary.

Now on to the Next Generation pairings and I think I’ll rank these.

  1. Tate and Kida: Mark again delivers another great routine. I think he turned Kida and Tate into ballroom dancers, they both did a great job. I will probably watch this Paso again and again.
  2. Tahani and Ruby: While this broadway routine was a little bit lack luster for Nigel, I enjoyed it. I really enjoyed the simplicity of the routine and thought that Ruby and Tahani performed it well.
  3. JT and Emma: I really like what Travis brought out in these two. They seemed to have a more maturity to their dancing. However, I think that there is still few things that they still needs to work on.

Unfortunately someone had to leave and Ruby was the one that had the least amount of votes. Sad to see her go but I think she will have a great dance future.

Next week will be the shows 250th show and the Next Generation is taking over the choreographing jobs. I’m not sure about this idea but if they all-stars are allowed to help then it may work. Plus a special performance from Travis Wall and Maddie.

 

August 22, 2016 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.

Next Generation: Top 8 thoughts.

Tonight the top 8 become the top 6…that means there is a dreaded double elimination (the bottom two will go home). To add to this bit of information Cat also said that the show will be taking a two-week break. If I had to guess they are taking the break so that won’t have to compete with the Summer Olympics.

Each contestant had two dances tonight, one with their all-star and one where they were paired off with each other. I’ll be the first to admit that it is kind of hard to critique the dancers when they are dancing with their all-star and in their comfort zone. Each of the top 8 shined in their own style tonight. Emma really stands out when it comes to tap…she is a pro and makes something that is incredibly hard to learn look easy.
When they paired off with each other to take on a dance outside of their specialty, I feel like we saw a few weaknesses start to show. So here’s how I would rank them.

  1. Emma and Tate: Broadway It was a cute routine despite the fact they were supposed to be trouble makers. I feel like these two were the best of the night in technique and performance.
  2. Kida and Ruby: Contemporary I already knew Ruby would be fine taking on contemporary, but I was looking forward to seeing Kida dance. I’m really enjoying watching Kida grow throughout the competition. All he needs is just a little fine tuning (so to speak) and he could make it into the top 3 or 4.
  3. Tahani and JT: Cha-Cha- They both were outside of their style but I thought they managed to pull it off. I didn’t feel like it was uncomfortable to watch like Nigel stated. I give Emma and Sasha major credit for teaching these two.
  4. Jordan and Jake: Hip hop- I thought that these two gave it their all but something just fell flat for me…just couldn’t get into it. They did have that one trick that stood out.

I’ve never really like double eliminations but some how I dislike them even more now when it involves these kids. Unfortunately Jordan and Jake landed in the bottom two and were eliminated from the competition. I’m really going to miss Jake, I thought he would have at least made it to the top 6. So with that I hope the dancers are able to get a little bit of rest in the next two weeks and come back stronger.

August 1, 2016 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.