Free SYTYCD Newsletter Want to receive the latest news on So You Think You Can Dance sent straight to your email? Join hundreds of other SYTYCD fans who subscribe to Pure SYTYCD for FREE!

SYTYCD: Top 6 to Top 4

I will say this about Monday night, I was not all surprised about who was in the final four. I did find interesting that the judges still had a say, but they chose to stick with how America voted. The all stars returned to the stage to perform with one of the Top 6. Each of the Top 6 also had solo, performed with their partners, and in a group number.

Bailey & Koine: Broadway; Here’s what I really liked about that dance it showed how much Bailey has grown as a dancer. He is not just a b-boy anymore…that spilt leap kinda blew my mind.

Gino & Comfort: Hip hop; A big improvement compared to the last time he had hip hop and Gino showed off a few tricks that he had up his sleeve. I have to agree with Laurieann, Gino finally got out of his own way and just danced. He didn’t over think it.

Sophie & Kika: Samba; Anyone else excited to see Pasha back? I normally rely on Mary’s opinion when it comes to the ballroom numbers. However, this time I saw that her Samba rolls still needed some work. Other than that Sophie could pass for a professional ballroom dancer.

Mariah & FikShun: Hip hop; Working with props can be difficult but I imagine working with magic props are even trickier. Props to FikShun for kick the hat out of the way and somehow making it look like part of the dance. Nigel seemed to be the only one that seemed to be on the fence about this dance. I honestly think Mariah could win this show.

Gino & Sophie: Broadway; Now this is what I expect out of a Broadway routine. It fun, fast, and entertaining. I feel like these two should have been paired from the beginning and they make it hard to figure out who might win.

Bailey & Mariah: Jazz; I can’t say I had the same reaction as the everyone in the studio because seeing things in person is so different compared to watching on tv. That being said, they definitely are fighting for being the top couple. It would not surprise me to see them as the top 2 dancers.

Groups: I thought both the boy and girls has amazing routines. Though I think the guys edged them out but not by much.

Unfortunately we had to say goodbye to Ezra and Madison. They both had a great night but they just didn’t get the votes.

 

 

September 4, 2019 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: Top 10 Dancers

Over the past two episodes we got to see the top 20 perform with an all-star, to earn a spot in the top 10. Also, each contestant danced outside their comfort zone. Overall I thought most of them did well and there are a few(Nazz and Nathan) I hope come back next season(if there is one). Watching the performances did make me rethink some of my thoughts on who would be in the top 10. I had the hardest time trying pick which guys would make, cause I had 6 of them on my list. As always it reminds me that I am glad I am not a judge and don’t have to make the difficult decisions.

Top 5 Girls: Anna Linstruth, Madison Jordan, Stephanie Sosa, Mariah Russell, and Sophie Pittman

Top 5 Guys: Bailey Munoz, Benjamin Castro, Ezra Sosa, Gino Cosculluela, and Eddie Hoyt

August 7, 2019 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: Finale Performance Thoughts

Monday night’s performance finale might have been one of the best I’ve seen in a while. I say that because I feel like everyone had a great night, the top 4 were prepared to do what it takes to win. Only problem with everyone having a great night is trying to figure out who will be the last dancer standing. As usual it is a busy night for the top 4, dancing with each other, an all-star, and their solo. Melanie, Jonathan, FikShun, and Robert were the all-stars that danced last night. The judges seemed to be playing it nice, but Twitch provided me with my favorite judges moments of the season. Due to wedding festivities that happened over the weekend, Twitch was loosing his voice. After Hannahlei & Genessy’s performance, he felt like he couldn’t true express how he felt about that number…so he asked Mary to do it for him and she did.

Out of all the dances…my top 3 of the night were:

Jensen & Robert: Contemporary (Mandy Moore)
This was absolutely beautiful, and I love the partnership between Robert and Jensen. I look forward to seeing tis number on the tour.
Hannahlei & Slavik: Afro Jazz (Sean Cheesman)
Happy that we had another amazing African Jazz this season. The tricks were amazing and glad they took out that on lift where Hannahlei fell in rehearsal.
Genessy & Hannahlei: Contemporary (Talia Favia)
The synchronicity of this routine is what made it so good. I also love the strength of these two ladies throughout the dance.

Final thoughts on the top 4

Hannahlie: What I like about Hannahlei is that she is a little power house. I love that she is able to become a different person the moment she steps on that stage to perform. I truly think she will be in the top 2. She hasn’t had any miss steps in the competition and has been consistently good.

Jensen: I love Jensen’s personality and she does reminds me of her sister. Even though she does reminds Lindsay, I feel like Jensen has made a name for herself. Honestly, I just love watching her dance. I wouldn’t mind seeing all of the Arnold sisters dance together. Jensen had been my favorite this season and I would love to see her win.

Genessy: Genessy may have started off as the dark horse this season, but she has really turned out to be a contender. I feel like I under estimated her at the beginning of the live show. Also, I think that we are just scratching the surface of how great of a dancer Genessy really is.

Slavik: The wildcard…I call him that because I think he might have a bigger fan base that votes. What I have loved have loved about Slavik is that he has absolutely put the effort to do the best he can. I really hope we will see him back next season as an all-star.

Looking forward to seeing who will win next week.

September 5, 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 Finale: The Winner Is…

Season 14 wrapped up tonight and we now have a winner…which I’ll reveal shortly. The finale is always a nice recap of the season with a few new performances mixed in. Each of the judges picked two of their favorite performances. All had great picks and a few were some of my favorites.

Tonight we were treated to a Mia Michaels group number…which was amazing. It was really nice to have her back on the show. Also, loved that she took the time to sit with each of the top 4 to discuss their journey. I really hope that if there is another season that Mia will return to choreograph.

The second new number of the night was a Travis Wall piece, performed by Lex and Travis himself. It was probably the best routine that showcased just how talented Lex is and I’m sure that we will see Lex perform with Shaping Sound more in the future.

Vanessa also got the chance to dance for us…didn’t see that coming figured she would just be singing. It was a nice surprise to see he dance with Robert.

On to the results.

4th: Kiki – Not surprised but he was the most improved dancer of the season.

3rd: Taylor – This one actually surprised me…I honestly thought she would have been in the top 2.

2nd: Koine – She was the dark horse of the season. I enjoyed the montage of everyone not pronouncing her name right.

WINNER: Lex Ishimoto – He was my pick to win from his first audition…So congrats Lex.

Looking forward to see the tour next month and hopefully a new season next summer.

September 25, 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: Top 4 Perfomance Thoughts

It’s a busy Monday night if you are a dance fan, So you Think you can Dance and Dancing with the Stars on at the same time. So I hope everyone got their votes in for their favorite on both shows.

The performance finale was busy itself, each contestant danced 7 times tonight. So I’ll give my thoughts on the new dances we saw tonight…I’ll discuss what they chose as their favorite in a different post.

Top 4: Chris Scott and Travis Wall
I really enjoyed this collaboration from the two choreographers. Each one of the dancers represented element; Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water. I will to say this was pre-filmed with the costumes, make up, and the elements themselves.

Kiki & Taylor: Cha Cha – Anya Garnis
So nice to have Anya back on the show. It was a very fun and fast Cha cha. Kiki in his own genre I am not surprised that he does well and is a great partner to whoever he is dancing with. Taylor was the one out of her element and I thought I saw a tiny mistake but I had to hear what Mary had to say. Mary didn’t seem to mind the mistake and Taylor made the hot tamale train.

Lex & Koine: Broadway – Al Blackstone
So this is my favorite Broadway number they have done on this show in a while. I loved everything about it but mostly that it had the comedic element to it.

Koine & Taylor: Jazz – Mandy Moore
This jazz had a very Fosse feel to it. I agreed with Taylor, the choreography started simple and got more complicated as the dance progressed. Thankfully they were able to pull off the side by side turns. I think Koine just needed a little bit more power behind her turns to keep up with Taylor.

Kiki & Lex: Hip Hop – Luther Brown
I really don’t have much to say about this dance other than I enjoyed it. It is nice to see Kiki really having fun in this competition.

Kiki & Koine: Contemporary – Travis Wall
I did have to watch this dance twice to enjoy it…I got lost in trying figure out how the story fit in. Overall it was another beautiful dance choreographed by Travis. I also though both on them danced it well.

Lex & Taylor: Contemporary – Mia Michaels
I was not only excited to have Mia back on the show but even more excited that she had these two to work with. Lex and Taylor had a nice bit of news to reveal after Mia explain the concept of the dance. They are DATING…which explains their chemistry and why this piece worked well for them. I loved this dance and I have missed Mia on this show. Only she would say okay you are going to kiss and while you are doing that you are going to continue to dance with the rest of your body.

I have a feeling it will come down to the two love birds on who will win. Look for a post later this week on how I think the outcome will be. Till then let me know who you think will win.

September 18, 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: Top 6 to Top 4 Thoughts

First off let me start of my saying that I live in Georgia and we were definitely feeling the effects of Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irma. Lots of rain and heavy wind which cause a few issues while watching tonight’s show. With that being said I might have gotten all of the choreographer’s last name but I tried. Thankfully, the dances are uploaded quickly so I can watch them back.

So if I heard Cat correctly we have two more shows left this season the performance finale and the finale. The voted this week and next week will help determine the winner. Also, Mia Michaels will be back next week…so exciting.

Lex & Gaby: Samba – Sasha Farber
What a fun Samba from Sasha…I’m going to miss him as a pro this season on DWTS. I thought Lex did great and it was the strongest performance from him tonight. I particularly like how he flipped over Gaby at the end.

Koine & Marko: Contemporary – Mandy and Elizabeth
This was a difficult routine to learn with the props but they mastered it for the live show. I just really enjoy watching these two dance together. The only critique that I have is on the choreography…just wanted a little more dancing without the props.

Kiki & Jenna: Jazz – Ray Leeper
I don’t what has happened over the last couple of weeks but Kiki has become a different person. He seems more confident outside of his own style…and I think he out danced Jenna this time.

Taylor & Robert: Hip Hop – Keone and Mari
Excited to see these two choreographing tonight…they were one of my favorite from World of Dance. I felt like they nailed this…it was strong and clean. I felt like I was watching a taller version on Keone and Mari

Lex & Koine: Disco –  Doriana Sanchez
Okay so while this disco was good…for me it wasn’t the best done to this song. This has been used two other time on this show for disco. I think Koine shined a little bit brighter that Lex. I’m not sure what happen but Lex injured himself at the end of that routine. I really hope that he is okay because you could tell he was in pain and the medics went right to him as they were going to commercial.

Taylor & Logan: Contemporary – Mark Kanemura
My first thought was it is going to take forever to get all that glitter off of them later tonight. I really like this dance and for me it was very up lifting. Also, I think Taylor and Logan were a great pairing.

Kiki & Kaylee: Bollywood – Nakul
I sort of giggled when Nakul questioned himself as to why he creates difficult routines for the contestants to learn. Both Kiki and Kaylee did great and they looked like they were having fun.

Top 4(as they were revealed): Lex, Taylor, Kiki, and Koine

Let me know what you think of the top 4.

 

September 11, 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: Top 7 to Top 6 Thoughts

Big news delivered a the start of the tonight’s show. Next week there will be a double elimination to reveal the top 4. Also, the judges will no longer be able to intervene in America’s decision.

Lex & Gaby: Hip Hop – Luther Brown
Luther was impressed by Lex during rehearsals and the Judges were too. I like that Lex is able to let go and have fun while dancing hip hop. He really can do anything that you throw at him. The only bad thing about that dance was Gaby’s wig…not cute.

Logan & Allison: African Jazz – Sean Cheesman
I totally felt Logan’s frustration during the rehearsal. The dolly’s were a fun surprise to this routine. I’m appreciating that Logan is growing on me. He really in a strong dancer and having Allison as a partner had helped him grow even more.

Kaylee & Cyrus: Contemporary – Tyce Diorio
Tyce was very smart in choreographing this routine. He was able to showcase both Kaylee and Cyrus’s strengths. I agree with Nigel this was their best dance together this season.

Kiki & Jenna: Broadway – Warren Carlyle
That reaction after the routine was great and well deserved. In total they had to catch 5 canes and they caught everyone. That alone was impressive…I would have missed one for sure.

Koine & Marko: Jive – Dmitry Chaplin
Very fun and energetic jive that had a bit of a swing feel to me. All the tricks as flips were great and so was the side by side dancing. Loved Vanessa stole the Hot Tamale train from Mary.

Taylor & Robert: Contemporary – Mandy Moore
It was the more lyrical side of contemporary. I have no words other than it was beautiful. On a side note while watching I realized I have a memory of that song and I could figure out why, until I watched it for a second time. It was the memory of Lea Michelle singing it on Glee during the emotional tribute to Cory Monteith.

Group One: Lex, Logan, and Kaylee. Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson choreographed another amazing routine for this show. Lex and Logan were amazing in this piece. Kaylee was able to keep up with the boys and prove how good she is as a dancer.

Group Two: Kiki, Mark, Koine, and Taylor. Sean Cheesman choreographed a strong piece to a powerful poem. I enjoyed this and the lifts were great.

Bottom 3: Kiki, Mark, and Kaylee
The judges decided to stay with the result of how America voted last week and Mark had the least amount of votes and was sent home.

So who will be the Top 4?

September 4, 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: Top 8 to Top 7 Thoughts

Fabulous opening number by Mark Kanemura, I love when he comes back to the show. Also, great all star dance by Jaci Royal. Each dancer will dance twice once with their all-star and one with each other.

Koine & Marko: Jazz- Mandy Moore
This was pure jazz for me, no story just straight up dancing. Just a great way to start the night. I agree with the judges about what they said about Koine. Side not makes me happy that Marko will be on tour.

Taylor & Robert: Hip Hop- Luther Brown
Luther is on fire on this season. Tonight they were Tay-lo and Bob…alter egos come out during hip hop. I really enjoyed watching this…reminded me of when Witney and Twitch danced together in season nine. Luther giving Taylor the gum might have really helped her with the “stank face”.

Lex & Gaby: Contemporary Mandy Moore
Yay…Lex is in his own style. I agree with the judges…Mandy created a great piece that showed all of Lex’s strengths. His future as a dancer is bright.

Kaylee & Cyrus: Cha-Cha- Val Chmerkovskiy
Ok…so I enjoyed Val’s choreography this week, could be my favorite I’ve seen from him in a while. Kayla, nailed it from the steps, to the hips and looking like she was having fun. I though Cyrus did a respectable job and I wish Nigel wouldn’t throw shade his way.

Mark & Comfort: Broadway- Spencer Liff
I think is somewhat obvious that while Mark is mainly a b-boy/hip hop dancer, he has studied other styles before he came on to the show. I might have to agree with Nigel that he is probably the favorite of the younger crowd. That being said he was great in this number.

Kiki & Jenna: Jazz- Travis Wall
Umm…not my cup of tea. However, I thought Kiki did a great job. I think he needs a little more confidence in himself in the fact that he can do these style. Loved the costuming and makeup, maybe it was the music that made me wrinkle my nose.

Logan & Allison: Hip Hop- Chris Scott
So good, love Chris Scott’s lyrical hip hop. So fun and cute…you can really see the connection between the two of them. Side note…I can totally see Allison and Twitch dancing this together.

Lex & Taylor: Jazz- Spencer Liff
Touring together with a dance convention for year definitely helped them with the connection. Might have to make sure Spencer was ok after Nigel calling this on of the best dances that has ever been on the show. Like Mary I had a little bit of a flash of Hok. I would not be surprise at all if it comes down between Taylor and Lex on who will win.

Koine & Kiki: Salsa: Val Chmerkovskiy
Where has this Kiki been. Worthy of the hot tamale train in my opinion. Also I am enjoying seeing Koine show her fun side. Kiki is good a what he does…won’t be surprised to see him on DWTS in the future.

Logan & Kaylee: Contemporary- Travis Wall
I loved this idea that Travis had…part reminded me of Peter Pan chasing his shadow at times. Kaylee did a wonderful job mirroring Logan…which was a task in itself. Definitely Emmy nomination worthy.

Dassy & Mark: Hip Hop- Chris Scott
I really thought this showed off their personalities well. Glad Dassy was able to pull off the umbrella moves for the live show after breaking nine of them. It was a fun pairing I love how they even continued on even after the routine.

Bottom three: Dassy, Kaylee, and Koine

Dassy in the end went home but like FikShun said she went home on a high note.

August 28, 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: Top 9 to Top 8 Thoughts

I hope everyone on the east coast set their dvr to record 30 mins over due to the Presidential interruption at 9. I case you missed something the routines are usually posted on youtube quickly. Spoilers ahead.

Logan & Allison: Jive – Emma & Sasha
So much fun…I finally saw Logan’s personality tonight. I thought he pretty much nailed the choreography that Emma and Sasha gave them. I can see what Allison was saying how he needs to reign in his flexibility for the Jive.

Koine & Marko: Hip Hop – Dave Scott
Seeing how pumped Dave was just after rehearsals, made me excited for the dance. Enjoyed see Koine attack not on the choreography but also the character. I love everything about this piece especially the song choice.

Dassy & FikShun: Jazz – Ray Leeper
Interesting to hear Cat say that this partnership is like the new version of Amy and FikShun. I don’t quite see it that way but I do like Dassy and FikShun paired together. I enjoy watch how Dassy transforms from rehearsal to performance. Also, like getting to see more of her sassy side.

Mark & Comfort: Contemporary – Talia Favia
Wow…that was intense…both Mark and Comfort were 100% invested in the piece emotionally. I agree with Nigel I love the fact that Mark is completely up for any challenge that is thrown his way. I don’t normally comment on the all-star’s dancing but seeing how much Comfort has grown as a dancer, reminds me why I love this show.

Lex & Gaby: Broadway – Warren Carlyle
Anyone else tired from just watching that? I think this might have been the most fun we have seen Lex have so far. Even the tricks Lex pulled off kind of gave me whiplash cause they happened so fast.

Kaylee & Cyrus: Jazz – Spencer Liff
I agree with Nigel that Spencer seemed to find a quirky style of Jazz that suited Kaylee very well. I really enjoyed watching this but there were times that camera work completely cut Cyrus out…which kind of took away from the dance for me.

Taylor & Robert: Samba – Jean Marc Genereux
Taylor may have slipped out of the top spot tonight, but only a little. For someone who hasn’t done much ballroom to have to learn the hardest of the Latin dances in a week is a tall order. I thought that Taylor did a great job (I personally liked the samba rolls) but it could have been better. I think the chemistry was lacking probably she was more focused on getting the steps right.

Kiki & Jenna: Contemporary – Mandy Moore
I loved seeing Mandy really push them during rehearsal. Okay so this might have been this best dance Kiki has done on the show so far. Mandy found a way to bring out Kiki’s emotions.

Bottom 3: Mark, Dassy, and Sydney

Sydney unfortunately was sent home. Looking forward to seeing her on the tour…blog about that coming soon.

So will be our bottom 3 next week?

August 21, 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: Top 10 to Top 9, Thoughts

Spoilers ahead
Of course week two we get a more information of how this season will go so far. So they will be pulling style out of the hat…glad they will be challenge with other style of dance. Also at the end of the show the bottom three will be revealed and then the Judges decides who will go…let’s hope that this will only last till the top five. Love the disco vibes in the beginning of the show and Cat looks stunning as always and she seems to like having the cat walks back an interacting with the audience more.

Mark & Comfort: Ray Leeper: Jazz
Anyone else reminded of Dominic( D-Trix) when it comes to Mark. It’s nice to see Mark can be serious and learn the dances. I didn’t really care for the choreography that much but I thought it was perform well. I think they are one of the stronger partnerships in the show.

Lex & Gaby: Miriam & Leonardo: Argentine Tango
I feel like Miriam and Leonardo always bring out the best in the dancers that they work with. I enjoyed this dance though Lex and Gaby were great. Mary wanted there to be more chemistry…which I can understand…they might have been think about the steps more and lost a little bit of their connection.

Kiki & Jenna: Luther Brown: Hip Hop
I will say this it was a vast improvement compared to his fail during Academy. I liked Luther’s concept but felt like Jenna should have been dress as Harley Quinn. While I enjoyed seeing a different side of Kiki…seeing him take on a character. However…not sure if it will be enough this week to keep him safe.

Sydney & Paul: Jaci Royal: Comtemporary
Everything was better this week. I feel like contemporary suits her better than ballroom. Happy Sydney seemed to have a break through tonight. Sometimes even the simplest choreography with a good story makes all the difference in the world.

Logan & Allison: Brian Friedman: Jazz
My only complaint about this dance is that it took too long to get Logan dancing. Again he is a technically great dancer but there is just something missing. I had thought it would be different with Allison back but I was still left underwhelmed.

Kaylee & Cyrus: Pharside and Pheonix: Hip Hop
Another couple that was an improvement after last week. I love that hip hop seems to be Kaylee’s other strength. I like the fact they also seem to change Nigel’s opinion too.

Taylor & Robert: Al Blackstone: Broadway
Classic Hollywood of the 1940s brought into the present. I loved that Taylor and Robert made this dance look effortless. Nigel made a big statement tonight by saying that they are the couple to beat.

Koine & Marko: Sean Cheesman: African Jazz
From the moment Sean said the secret life of insects…I knew it would be an interesting dance. That head dress at the beginning was beautiful but I knew that had to go away. This whole dance was just fascinating to watch…the partnering was fantastic. Cat putting on the head dress after was great just one of the reasons why I love her.

Robert & Jasmine: Stacey Tookey: Contemporary
I feel like this routine is different than what I am used to seeing from Stacey. I felt like Robert did a good job but he could have done better.

Dassy & FikShun: Nakul: Bollywood
There was a little bit of a stumble that I didn’t see at first…after re-watching I saw Dassy just fell out of the lift a little bit. So I don’t think anyone is at fault just a rough transition. This style really allowed us to see Dassy personality even more.

Bottom Three: Logan, Sydney, and Robert.

In the end the judges decided that Robert would be the one leaving tonight.

Thoughts? Favorite dance? Who will be in danger next week? Let me know what you think and I will have my thoughts on who is safe vs in danger up by Wednesday night.

August 14, 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.