Welcome to Pure So You Think You Can Dance

Note from John: I just wanted to welcome Max to Pure SYTYCD. This is his first writeup about an episode of SYTYCD. He makes some good points about tonight’s show. I’m glad to have his help on the site and I hope you’ll all give him a nice welcome (yes, that means lots of comments with your opinions).

Tonight’s Top 16  elimination show was a bittersweet way to say goodbye to two dancers. The bottom 3 tonight was hardly a surprise, until it came time to reveal the final couple nominated for elimination. Before that, however, the evening contained a well thought out balance of entertainment and reality, full of fun and quirky surprises. All in all, however, tonight’s final curtain for two dancers was a suspenseful hour full of distractions from the real world.

Hip-Hop Group Dance; Top 16; A wonderfully quirky hip hop routine choreographed by Dimitry Chaplin, Tabitha and Napoleon. Besides the insane camera angles provided by the show, this routine was lively, exciting and well danced by all, in my opinion. I felt that everyone was in sync, and really seemed to enjoy themselves. While hip-hop is not my favorite style in the least bit, Napoleon and Tabitha’s routines never let me down, and I always find myself wonderfully immersed in them, and the stories they convey to us.

The Judges; Nigel’s beginning speech was a big buzzkill for me, especially after a dance like that. Nonetheless,  Nigel was feeling pain, and I thought it sweet and humble of him to pay homage to his friends the way he did. It felt more like a eulogy at a funeral more than a reality TV show, let alone a dance show such as this one.

Still, it doesn’t make me like his awful, dreadful hair any more. R.I.P Farrah, MJ, and Ed McMahon.

Toni Basil, the guest judge this week, really rubbed me the wrong way on last night’s show. She came off as very old-fashioned to me, and not as ‘with-it’ as the other judges seemed to be. However, she redeemed herself in my eyes after her humble commentary tonight. She refused to call out and humiliate specific dancers, which I found quite admirable.

On to the real stufff now…

Dance School (The Rage Boys Crew): This was fun. The kids here were obviously VERY talented, because the routine and choreography were complex, and everyone had great lines, as well as posture and attitude. I couldn’t find anybody in this dance that was incapable, or even weak. I was blown away by the incredible talent on that stage. And some of those kids were cute, but I think Ms. Deeley made more than it was out of it, as always.

Bottom Three: The bottom 3 this week didn’t surprise me until the very end. Aside from those first 2 couples, all the other ones were extremely strong, with some of the best dancing so far.

I don’t think any of us were surprised to see Asuka and Vitolio in the bottom. Asuka being eliminated was not a shock in the least, and I think that it was even anticipated by many. Her solo was just too mushy containing little substance, and just felt like a lot of glorified movement. From the moment she started out on stage tonight, she was doomed, especially competing with the likes of Karla and Caitlin, two amazingly strong dancers.

I think the only reason Vitolio was saved was due to his background story, and the judges raving comments about his sincerity last week, although truthfully, I didn’t see it. Even so, Jonathan’s performance was weak last night, and his solo was grasping, throwing in a ton and a half of flashy moves and gymnastics out of desperation. It was his time to go. He just was not diverse enough in his dancing skills, and didn’t have the range of movements the others possess.

Finally, I was extremely relieved they kept Karla, as she is quickly rising to the top of my list of favorite dancers this week. I’m happy that Jonathan won’t be weighing her down anymore, but I’m anxious to see if Vitolio will do the same. Still loving Jason and Caitlin, glad they weren’t too harshly judged.  A great week, week 3, eager for our top 10!

I’ve now read in two different reliable sources that So You Think You Can Dance is going to have a second season in 2009. Season 6 of So You Think You Can Dance has been given a Fall time slot on Fox. It looks like the idea is for So You Think You Can Dance to bridge the Fall gap between So You Think You Can Dance and American Idol.

The other interesting part of this is that So You Think You Can Dance would then be going up against ABC’s Dancing with the Stars. This would be really interesting since many of the stars from past seasons of So You Think You Can Dance have made the bridge to being professional dancers on Dancing with the Stars (see Lacey Schwimmer, Chelsie Hightower and Dmitry Chaplin).

I couldn’t be more excited about this change. One report I read said that Fox is still waiting to see how well So You Think You Can Dance will do this summer before making it final. I guess we’ll see, but either way it’s fun to think that we’ll have a second season of So You Think You Can Dance so quickly. Summer just isn’t enough SYTYCD for me. I found where Nigel Lythgoe confirmed that Fox has announced Season 6 of So You Think You Can Dance on Fox in September. BEAUTIFUL!!

UPDATE: Lacey and Steve-O were sent home on Dancing with the Stars.

I’m certain that a lot of fans of So You Think You Can Dance have been following the past So You Think You Can Dance cast to see how they’re doing on Dancing with the Stars. I meant to give more regular updates, but just didn’t find the time.

As you probably already know, Dmitry and Holly were voted off the show a couple weeks ago. I know I was a little bit surprised, although looking back it kind of makes sense that Holly doesn’t have the most passionate following. Men who like Playboy aren’t exactly the target market for Dancing with the Stars and are definitely not the kind of people that pick up the phone and vote. Regardless I’d still really like to see Dmitry back for another season on the show.

This week Chelsie and Lacey are both in the bottom 2. That really doesn’t bode well for either of them. I personally think that it might just be time for Steve-O to go home. Although, he probably does have a few more fans than Ty so it could be a close one. Either way, it’s pretty much a forgone conclusion that both Chelsie and Lacey have lame duck partners and they’re lucky to still be on the show at all.

I’m sure that Chelsie and Lacey are fighting as hard as they can to stay on the show since the farther they make it on the show, the more they get paid. At least if they get paid similar to Shawn Johnson on Dancing with the Stars. Plus, maybe there’s just a little bit of pride for being the last So You Can Dance alumnus still on Dancing with the Stars.

Since I’ve always focused on the music from So You Think You Can Dance, I should also link you to a list of all the Dancing with the Stars 2009 music. They’re still not on par with So You Think You Can Dance, but they have done 100 times better this year than in past years.

I’ve previously talked about the new SYTYCD 5 dances that we can hope to see on So You Think You Can Dance 2009. I also have suggested some new SYTYCD 5 music that they could consider using on So You Think You Can Dance 2009.

The question now is who could be the new judges on So You Think You Can Dance 5.

I wish I could say that Mary Murphy was going to be gone and replaced by someone else. However, I’ve read that her and Nigel will be back for another season.

The first person to top my list of judges on So You Think You Can Dance 2009 is Kenny Ortega. Not only is he the mastermind behind the choreography on High School musical, but he really knows what he is talking about. He has a great way of describing what people are doing well and not doing so well.

I’d love to see Luther Brown make an appearance on So You Think You Can Dance US. I don’t want him there every week, but I enjoyed his feedback on So You Think You Can Dance Canada.

I’d also love to see almost any of the judges from So You Think You Can Dance Australia. Those judges were raw and interesting. Much more so than the SYTYCD US judges.

I don’t want to see any of the supposed “judges” who were on Superstars of Dance. They were a joke and shouldn’t be on television again.

I’d love to have Benji Schwimmer back as a judge, but I hear he might be on So You Think You Can Dance Canada as a full time judge. Dmitry, Chelsie, and Lacey are busing on Dancing with the Stars. How about bringing the too quickly discarded Allison Holker as a judge? That would be really neat.

I just hope that SYTYCD US isn’t submitted to the lame and rather arrogant Blake McGrath as a judge. His choreography is cool, but not as a judge.

Oh yeah, I still think that So You Think You Can Dance should bring in a fan of the show to be a guest judge on one of the shows. Possibly someone who knows the show and has followed it quite extensively. Someone who knows how to write about the show and share impressions of the show. I might know someone who runs a blog called Pure So You Think You Can Dance that would be willing to do it *wink* *wink*

Who would you like to see as new judges on So You Think You Can Dance?

Most people already know that Lacey Schwimmer was on last season’s Dancing with the Stars. In fact, Lacey Schwimmer did really well last year making it to the final 3 with star Lance Bass as her partner. Lacey did an excellent job full of edgy routines and her signature semi-rebellious style.

This year, Lacey Schwimmer will be back again on Dancing with the Stars and this season she’ll be paired with Steve-O. Yes, it is indeed that Steve-O. This should be really interesting to see. I’m sure the producers of the show saw the irony of the “bad girl” being paired with Steve-O. This should be interesting to see what Steve-O is like on the prim and proper ballroom dance floor.

This season of Dancing with the Stars also announced Chelise Hightower and Dmitry Chaplin joining the show as professional dancers. They’ll both be part of a main storyline of couples since they’re dancing with married couple Ty Murray and Jewel respectively. This should be interesting for Chelsie and Dmitry. Of course, who wouldn’t want to watch Dmitry Chaplin dancing beside Jewel? Sounds like a match made in heaven. Plus, I think we’re certain to see more of shirtless Dmitry as well.

Check out my introduction of Chelsie and Dmitry to Dancing with the Stars fans. It’s kind of fun to see the cross over between the 2 shows. Like I heard Nigel say, “these kids have got to work.”

Completing the list of the videos from the SYTYCD finale, here’s all the incredible special group performances. The Wade Robson Cirque Du Soleil video is incredibly unique and different, but the battle between Phil and Rob was the best part of the whole night in my opinion.

Video of So You Think You Can Dance Finale – Cirque Du Soleil

Robert Muraine & Phillip Chebeeb battle danced to the song “Stronger”—Kanye West

– Original Music Video
Video of So You Think You Can Dance Finale – Pop N Lock Battle Phil n Rob

Debbie Allen Dance Academy featuring Nigel Lythgoe danced to the song “Boogie Wonderland”—Earth, Wind and Fire

Video of So You Think You Can Dance Finale – Debbie Allen Academy feat. Nigel

Video of So You Think You Can Dance Finale – Mary Murphy and Dmitry

Video of So You Think You Can Dance Finale – Past Dancers and Their Success

Video of So You Think You Can Dance Finale – The Best of SYTYCD

The final installment of music from the 2008 Season of So You Think You Can Dance. A very sad time for all of us. However, when you look back at the long list of SYTYCD music, then at least we can listen to our favorite music from the show to get us by until next year.

Top 20 Group Dance to the song “Boom”—Sin featuring T-Pain (Hip-hop; Choreographer: Shane Sparks)

Top 5 Male dancers group dance to the song “Five Guys Named Moe” from Five Guys Named Moe (Broadway; Choreographer: Nigel Lythgoe)

Robert Muraine & Phillip Chebeeb battle danced to the song “Stronger”—Kanye West

– Original Music Video
Mary Murphy & Dmitry Chaplin danced a Samba to the song “Baila, Baila”—Angela Via

Cirque du Soleil/Cast of Criss Angel: Believe danced to the song “Homage to the Rabbits”—Éric Serra; Choreographer: Wade Robson

Debbie Allen Dance Academy featuring Nigel Lythgoe danced to the song “Boogie Wonderland”—Earth, Wind and Fire

Dancers from seasons 1-3 danced to the song “Don’t Stop the Music”—Rihanna

– Original Music Video

Elimination Music
Courtney Galiano was eliminated to the song “It’s Only Life”—Kate Voegele

Katee Shean was eliminated to the song “From Where You Are”—Lifehouse

After my previous review of So You Think You Can Dance I found an interesting show recap on their site. It is interesting to read through the different dances and summary of opinions.

SHOW 217

We’re back for a very special So You Think You Can Dance, 2 hours people, big time. Tonight we will see 2 routines from each couple and a solo routine from every dancer. This means it’s one for all, no more voting for couples. I see tears coming soon from a couple of tightly bonded pairs.

Tonight’s judges are the unconquerable Nigel Lythgoe, the sassy pair of Siseli and Elisa, and a foreigner (sorry cat, England doesn’t really count anymore) Jean Marc Genereaux.
Let’s get down to the dancing; there’s is a lot to see tonight.

Martha and Ivan
Me and You
Cassie
This new couple draws hip-hop taught by Shane Sparks. The first couple dance of the night is starting off pretty mellow with the pair dressed like detectives from a wil smith movie. I really expected more from this couple in terms of hip-hop, they didn’t really bring it. Evidently the judges disagree with me and really liked it, minus some issues with the chemistry.

Donyelle – solo
Git It
Bun B feat. Ying Tang Twins
Doing her first solo of the competition, Donyelle is getting it krunk with some high boots and camo. The audience is really into this routine and the judges dig it too. They’re not surprised Donyelle’s confidence and spirit come through in her solo work.

Dmitry – solo
Pump It
The Black Eyed Peas
As always Dmitry is exhibiting an almost aggressive amount of chest, why even wear a shirt I ask? Regardless of what I think about this the ladies will be voting, many many times. The judges liked him as always, but Nigel thinks this chest-baring stuff is getting old, and distracting from the dancing.

Travis and Heidi
Plaza of Execution
The Mask of Zorro (soundtrack)
Travis, now spilt from Martha, picks Heidi out of the hat as his partner for today. The pair is doing the Paso Doble, taught by our good friend and judge Mary Murphy. They come out looking a little crazy, Heidi hanging upside down behind Travis, or some weird conglomeration like that. They’re really taking this routine serious. The judges really like the power, the drama, and the chemistry.

Ryan and Allison
Ethna
Klement Bonelli
Ryan chooses picks Allison and they get they get they’re specialty, Contemporary tought by Mia Michaels. This piece is pretty intense in the physical demand aspect, but Ryan and Allison are handling it well, but it’s still a little cheesy. But wait, they have a surprise ending, they jump of the stage in tandem, pretty cool. The judges really like the fluid and unique nature of the routine. Score one for Mia.

Martha – solo
What are you waiting for?
Gwen Stefani
Donning a huge green gardeners hat, Martha hits the air doing some powerful powerful moves. The judges don’t think she sold her solo as much as she should, like she was holding back. Looks like Martha may be in the danger zone.

Ivan – solo
This Luv
Donell Jones
Ivan starts with his standard hip hop pop lock thing, but then throws in an amazing twist. He’s wearing those roller shoes scooting across the floor. The judges like it, but just that, no real stellar reviews.

Donyelle and Dmitry
Sing sing sing
Swing Kids (soundtrack)
The Donyelle and Benji power-team is now broken up, this new pair is is doing the lindy hop. Donyelle keeps her partners, Dmitry keeps losing them, let’s see how this match works. They come out in stride with a lot of confidence, but I keep seeing some minor missteps. They pull off some pretty astounding tricks, which should probably make up for any problems. The energy itself in this dance is pretty impressive. The judges all totally dig it.

Benji and Natalie
Wonderful
India.Arie
Benji picks Natalie out of the hat for a jazz routine. Tyce Diorio will be teaching the dork-queen combo. They’re dressed like they just got off a life boat in the Bahamas, which works quite well for Natalie as you might expect. They seemed to really have nailed this routine, and the judges agree completely. Nigel just said “joyful” if that gives you an idea.

Heidi – solo
Dum Diddly
The Black Eyed Peas
Wearing a tiny flesh colored piece of sparkling cloth, Heidi brings out the power burst in her solo. The judges loved her modern ballroom routine, leaving siseli and elisa at a loss for words.

Ivan and Martha
Sandy’s Song
Dolly Parton
Ivan and Martha draw the very serious and elegant ‘Smooth Waltz’ for a routine. The pair has some serious obstacles to over come for this dance, one being Ivan staying serious. They come out looking very elegant and at least 15 years older, well maybe 5 for Ivan. This dance is supposed to be smooth and elegant and all those kind of words, but it feels pretty flat. The judges agree giving mediocre reviews all around. The French judge, Jean-Marc, says the couple didn’t frame the dance correctly. As we all know, frame is very important in any ballroom style.

Travis – solo
Belief (Stripped Version)
Gavin DeGraw
He’s breaking records for spins here, or pirouettes as they call them. Other than that, h just does some dramatic leg lifting. He really makes it look easy which I think is considered a good thing. The judges like his solo a lot.

Ryan and Allison
Bye Bye Blackbird
Liza Minelli
Ryan and Allison draw Broadway for their routine. This style is a departure for each of their specialties, but I think they have the power to work it on out. These costumes are absurd; bright red, with white fedora’s add a pair of fishnets to Allison. I’m not really sure what the make of the dance, it’s a little out of sync and seems like they don’t really know what’s going on, almost like dancers on some early morning kids show. The judges are not impressed either giving blasé reviews all around saying Ryan is overly technical with his style.

Natalie – solo
Lamentation
Leah Andreone
She’s really exercising the modern dancer strengths in this routine, one of which is getting several people to cry. I bet she’s safe with this solo. The judges love it all the way.

Benji – solo
Land of 1000 dances
Wilson Picket
This is Benji’s very first solo performance, I didn’t realize Donyelle had been that good for him. He does his standard Benji moves, modernized west cost swing style eliciting chants from the audience. The judges totally love it.

Donyelle and Dmitry
Hey Mama
The Black Eyed Peas
For their second dance the new power couple is doing the Samba, taught by Mary Murphy again. The pair is in stalk mode like sexual dynamos on the dance floor. The judges think it was great all around, a real organic success.

Heidi and Travis
*music TBA
The blonde couple draws contemporary, which Travis loves but is giving Heidi some serious trouble. Whatever Heidi was crying about during class isn’t an issue anymore because they totally nailed the choreography. The judges love it, even Nigel is expressing some heavy emotion. Score two for Mia Michaels choreography.

Allison – solo

We Belong
Pat Benetar
Wearing only the finest in gypsy island wear Allison does her smiling contemporary routine. The judges like it, but think her emotion was a little static.

Natalie and Benji
She’s freaky
Pitbull
Shane Sparks is charged with teaching the princess and the dork how do hip-hop ghetto style, no the easiest job. They come out dressed like auto mechanics in full coveralls. It’s a pretty rough and aggressive routine for this couple and I don’t think they really hit it right. The judges think it was fun, but lacked the real hip-hop flavor.

Ryan – solo
Canned Heat
Jamiroquai
This is the song that made Napoleon Dynamite famous for dancing, Ryan almost does him one better, almost. The judges really like saying Ryan dances big in all aspects.

That’s another amazing episode of So You Think You Can Dance. Come back tomorrow when we see who get eliminated, plus a musical Guest Chris Brown.

Read more…

Dmitry Chaplin and Martha Nichols got sent home tonight on So You think you Can Dance. I can’t say I was really dissappointed by either of them getting sent home. I was actually quite glad that Martha Nichols got sent home. I don’t think she did a good job dancing at all. The difference between her and the others was great. I will give Martha credit on many of her ballroom dances she looked very nice and had some nice lines. Otherwise, I was glad she got kicked off. Think about this. Which girl would you have take her place? I’m also glad that Natalie Fotopoulos was second from the bottom. I hope she goes home next. She’s all body and sex appeal.

I think that the American voters(8 million is nuts) did a real disservice to Dmitry. How can the fans on TV go so crazy and the people at home not at least make him into the top 5 guys. I was surprised that Cat Deeley didn’t get on the phone and start voting for Dmitry. Cat’s interaction with Dmitry has been one of my favorite parts of So You Think You Can Dance. I know Dmitry would be gone sooner or later, but now didn’t seem the right time. I guess this goes back to my personal theory that having friends is important in these voting contests. I remember on one of these voting shows people had set up a room similar to a telethon with phones to vote for their favorite. I guess Dmitry doesn’t have friends. Maybe if they accepted text messages from Russians he would have gotten it. Too bad it’s America’s favorite dancer and not Russia’s or the World’s. Is that Nigel Lythgoe’s next show? I also have to admit that Dmitry’s most impressive moment was when he did an incredible lift with Donyelle Jones. I guess the guy does have some muscle.

As an update to my previous post on So You Think You Can Dance on Fox I have further found out that not only is Benji Schwimmer a mormon, but his cousin Heidi Groskreutz is indeed a mormon(at least someone on a message board said they knew her and said she was). Not to mention she’s still my favorite(and HOT). If you don’t believe she’s hot and an amazing dancer then watch this Youtube Video of Heidi and Benji dancing. I’m 99% sure Jaymz Tuaileva is a mormon. Otherwise, why would his profile say:

“My dad used to dance at the Polynesian Cultural Center in Hawaii when he was younger. I would call that dancing professionally. He used to do a mean fire dance that’s for sure.”

Jaymz should have busted out a fire dance and he’d still be on the show. For the record, the fire knife dancers at the PCC (Polynesian Cultural Center) is one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen in my life. My jury’s still out on Allison Holker(that last name looks way to much like hooker…she needs to get married) being a mormon. I’m not a betting man, but I’d bet she is a mormon living in Orem, UT.

Well, I don’t want to leave too many people out. So, I better cover one of my favorite soloists Ivan Koumaev I wasn’t too impressed with the wheels on the shoes, but that’s because his solos are SOOO good usually. The wheels were used too much and distracted from his expert solo dancing skills. Either way, I was really disappointed that he wasn’t in the bottom two tonight. I would have much rather watched him do a solo than either of the other 2 men.

Finally, it was about time their guest performer wasn’t some gay group that gets up and sings. So You Think You Can Dance should not allow any performer on stage if they can’t shake it, groove it, move it, or some other dancing motion. Finally, Chris Brown got up and showed some plentiful dancing skills.

Read more…