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SYTYCD: Top 10 Thoughts

Finally caught up on the first live episode of season 15, after being out of town for a few days. Overall, I enjoyed the show and didn’t think there was one bad dance. I like that they paired the dancers with each other rather than with an all-star. It really goes back to the roots of SYTYCD and creating partnerships you want to root for.

Twitch, also returned as a judge for the live shows. He is such a breath of fresh air, especially since he has been in their shoes. I enjoyed his positivity and willing to uplift a dancer if they did’t do so well. Judging from comments on social media it seems like many fans were upset over how Chelsea was treated by 3 of the judge when it came to the tap routine with Evan. More on that in later…but first my thoughts on the pairings and my favorite routines of the night.

I think that the dancers were paired up well together and as far as chemistry is concerned I think that Jay Jay & Jensen as well as Slavik & Genessy have it. Though I believe Cole & Hannalie might be the best as far as technique is concerned.

My Favorites of the Night

Slavik & Genessy: Luther Brown, Hip Hop
These two are definitely the dark horses/underdogs this season, and the both gave it their all in both routines. The hip hop thought was my favorite, I loved watching Slavik perform and his chemistry with Genessy it part of the reason this dance was great. I really hope these two stick around next week.

Cole & Hannalie: Tyce Diorio, Contemporary
It was a beautiful dance…and if they can connect with each other more they will go far in this competition. Though I do wish the judges would at least mention that Cole has obviously trained in other the styles other than ballroom

Back to the Tap dance. It is the first time in probably the show’s history that they have asked someone with only a little bit of tap experience(compared to Evan) to learn a hard tap routine. I thought Chelsea did a respectable job and loved that Twitch was the only one that recognized that and said something about it. Nigel seem to take the same road as Twitch until he said he can’t wait to see even dance with Gaby. I felt that was unnecessary to say and it was disrespect to Chelsea.

As I said, I enjoyed the episode and I’m not really sure who will be in danger of going home next week but I am looking forward to next weeks live show.

August 8, 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: 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.

Season 14: Live Episode One Thoughts

The All-Stars open up the first live show of the season with a great Mandy Moore routine. It didn’t take me long to notice the new stage/set. I feel like it combined the best parts about the two previous sets…love seeing the audience around the stage and up where the stair lead. Every time I saw Cat up there I had flashbacks from earlier seasons. I like how they revealed the top 10 but wish they used a camera that was closer to the dancer…from a distance I could’t tell who they were till Cat said their name. With the exception of Jenna’s choice, all of my predictions were right. Let’s get into the dances shall we. Keep in mind these are just my initial thoughts…I’ll try and rank the performances in another post.

Dassy and FikShun: Choreo: Poppin’ Pete
I love these two together and I agree with Mary that FikShun has met his match in Dassy. Just a very fun routine to start out the show. Dassy personality really shines and I’m looking forward to seeing what else these two can do.
Logan and Allison: Choreo: Tyce Diorio
Allison injured her shoulder during rehearsal, so Audrey Case from season 9 filled in for her. Major props to Audrey for learning that in a few hours. Overall, it was a beautifully danced routine but for me there was something missing that I wasn’t connecting with…this is where the rehearsal footage )that was missing tonight) usually helps me filling what the dance is about. Could have been slightly different if danced with Allison. Logan is a great dancer though.
Kiki and Jenna: Choreo: Dmitry Chaplin
I do think that Jenna made the right choice. I might have to agree with what Jenna said during the academy…Kiki might be the best male ballroom dancers this show has had in a while.
Kaylee and Cryus: Choreo: Tessandra Chavez
Love that Cyrus took a chance and chose Kaylee. I actually thought Kaylee danced this beautifully from emotions to technique. Even Cyrus has stepped up his game since his season. I can see what Vanessa was saying but Nigel left me scratching my head. Don’t worry Nigel the audience managed to get Cyrus to the top 4 his season…so I’m sure Kaylee will get votes
Lex and Gaby: Choreo: Anthony Morigerato
Anthony doesn’t disappoint in tap choreo in my opinion. Loved the Broadway feel of this tap and that they went with her strength for the first show if only to show how well-rounded contemporary dancers are. Lex’s personality is starting to show a little bit more. Cat said it best it was Fred and Ginger meets James Brown.
Mark and Comfort: Choreo: Luther Brown
These two might have the best chemistry of all of the partner’s . When Vanessa referenced “Hook” with the character of Ruffio…I have to agree with that statement. Mark’s energy comes right through the screen and he should be a fan favorite.
Koine and Marko: Choreo: Stacey Tookey
Okay Nigel, stop playing match maker, though they are a cute couple. I agreed with Mary that the lighting helped make Stacey’s choreo come to life and it was dance beautifully by these two.
Sydney and Paul: Choreo: Val Chmerkovskiy
I might have a slight aversion to Val choreography because I had to watch it a few times to appreciate it. Beside one awkward lift, I thought Sydney danced it well and she does have legs for days.
Taylor and Robert: Choreo: Travis Wall
Wow just wow. The best dance of the night for me. Everything about this was stunning. Only standing ovation of the night.
Robert Green and Jasmine: Choreo: Chris Scott
The best reveal of the night. Chris Scott gives us another fun routine. I love Robert since his audition so really looking forward to see more from him. I do wish the costume department put him in pants instead of shorts.

WELCOME BACK WADE! I don’t know about anyone else but I have sure missed his presence on this show. A great collaboration with his wife Amanda and Tony Testa. Loved this group routine and I hope to see more of Wade this season.

August 7, 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.

Top 8 to Top 4: Thoughts

It’s hard to believe that we are almost to the end of this season and I still not sure of who I think might win. I enjoyed the Addam’s Family theme of the opening number, just sort of wish Tyce used the music from the musical. Team Street won the night again with 52% of the vote. Travis and Twitch’s exits are just too much fun, though this week they asked social media for help and I was hoping they’d pick leap frog to leave the stage.

Virgil & Jasmine: Sean Cheesman (African Jazz)
“African Jazz Ant Man” really Nigel. Nigel is right I don’t think that Virgil has had a bad night on the show. What I like about Virgil is that he just an entertainer and had the ability to adapt to whatever the show has thrown at him. Love how he got excited about keeping the envelope that said he was safe.

Derek & Jamie: Tyce (Contemporary)
Just as Derek is having a break through, he is eliminated. Like the judges, I think he has great technique but seemed to have trouble with connecting to the emotion/story of the dances.

Hailee & FikShun: Luther Brown (Hip hop)
It was easy to figure out that I would like these two paired together. While I didn’t really care for the dance itself, I did enjoy watching them dance it. Hailee is in my personal top 4 so I hope she stays.

Megz & Paul: Jean Marc (Paso Doble)
I felt bad for Megz, she gave her all in this dance but still fell short of the technique that it takes to truly pull off this dance. However, I think if she had a little more time to practice it may have been a little better.

Neptune & Kayla: Ray Leeper
Neptune was the dark horse of the street side to me. I thought he has done well all season and I hoped he was the one that stayed.

Jim & Comfort: Pharside and Pheonix (Hip hop)
I actually think Jim wasn’t that bad but I can see what the judges were saying. He doesn’t seem quite comfortable with this style, so it’s not quite believable.

Gaby & Robert: Mandy Moore
Mandy Moore did it again…created another memorable routine. This was my favorite dance of the night.

Jaja & Ricky: Al Blackstone (Broadway)
Glad Ricky was given time off from Broadway to be an all star. Nigel was right, Jaja does look like Amy Adams. I love how she always has the character down and she had the skills too.

Bottom 4: Derek, Hailee, Neptune and Megz
Going home: Derek and Neptune

August 24, 2015 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.

Top 14 to Top 10: Thoughts

After last weeks episode, it’s not really surprising the tonight’s show was a bit of a let down, with a few bright spots. First bombshell of the night is the fact that there is a double elimination. The second was the fact that Jim was injured, before Cat said he was cleared to dance in his duet, I honestly thought oh no I hope he didn’t pull an Alex. The music for the opening number took me back to my days in dance class. That song was a staple in dance class so thank you Brian Friedman for that trip down memory lane.

1) Jim & Yurelis: Sonya
Happy to have Sonya back. This was one of those dances where the concept was kind of lost on me but I was still fantastic to watch. So nice to see Yurelis using her contemporary dance skills. Agreed with the fact if you took a picture that you have a picture of a great pose.

2) Edson & Jaja: Misha Gabriel
I loved what Misha came up with and I agree with Paula that is was fun and funky. The only thing that I can think of that may have made it a little better is maybe it could have been a bit cleaner/sharper.

3) Virgil & Hailee: Tyce Diorio
These two knocked it out of the park again. Tyce managed to bring out more of a darkish from these two…even himself for that matter. This might be my favorite Tyce routine ever.

4) Alexia & Ariana: Tracy Phillips & Dominic Carbone
So this was a Jazzy Burlesque? I think that the choreographers maybe should have gone the fun flirty route and this might have been a little bit better. So thankful that Paula found a positive way to give these girls a critique.

5) Derek & Megz: Dave Scott
This was one of those dances that it was good but it wasn’t great. I guess I was thinking that they may have dressed Megz a little more feminine, she looked great regardless. I didn’t think that costume fit the dance, thought that the costume department should have went a little more fun and flirty…like a skirt.

6) Gaby & Neptune: Stacey Tookey
Seriously Stacey does it again. My other favorite of the night and the reason Neptune got the Twitter save.

7) Kate & JJ: Brian Friedman
This might have been better as a group routine, but I thought the girls did a great job. Nice to see Kate’s personality breakthrough tonight.

Bottom 6: Derek, Alexia, Kate, Yurelis, Ariana, and Neptune

The Twitter Save went to the two boys Derek and Neptune.

Next week the All Stars return!

August 10, 2015 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.

Top 4 Power Rankings

Last night was another great night of dancing by the Top 4 and the All Stars. I have to congratulate the Top 4 for surviving last nights show, they showed great stamina to dance five times in the span of two hours. Paula Abdul was a guest judge for a second time this season and honestly I want more of her on the show. Gabby Douglas also was a guest judge, I felt like she was there simply cause she is a fan of the show. The gold medal references got old fast. Anyways, by the end of the season sometimes it’s hard to know who will exactly be America’s favorite dancer.

Each dancer, danced a solo, danced with the other top 4, and the style of their with an all star. The best dances of the night for each finalist were the dance style of their choice. The top 4 have all been great this season and they all have impressed me over the season. So here is how I would rank the top 4 based on last night’s performances.

Girls

Amy: Amy had the better night of the two girls. Her ballroom dance was better than Jasmine’s. She really does remind me of Melanie Moore, in the fact that she is a little powerhouse and she has been an early favorite for the fans and the judges. Ranking her dances of the night contemporary with Robert gets the top spot. The two Jazz numbers were about even for me, but I’m really beginning to question what planet Mark is really from. I did enjoy the Tango/Paso fusion but I just felt like it would have been dance better if it were danced with an all star.

Jasmine: Anyone else surprised to learn that it was Cat Deely that fought hard to make sure that Jasmine was a part of the top 20. So a big thank you goes to Cat for fighting so hard and hopefully she will win the Emmy this time.  Back to Jasmine, I can’t say I was surprise that she chose hip-hop for her style of choice. She and Comfort hit a homerun with that dance. The only time she seemed to struggle last night was in the Samba. I know that her skirt not wanting to come off threw her and Aaron. Other than that I’m not sure why it just didn’t seem to work for them.

Guys

Aaron: Finally we get to see another tap dance. I really think Aaron and Melinda have very similar tap style, not to mention insane technique, which is why this pairing worked so well. I didn’t expect the song choice they chose for the dance. This was my absolute favorite of the night from the telling of the story to the crisp clear sounds of their taps. Paula was right in saying that Aaron is a very generous partner, is the sense he doesn’t try to out dance them. He too struggled with the Samba but in the long run I don’t think that will affect him.

FikShun: I’m sure he isn’t alone in thinking to dance with Twitch will make your life awesome. I loved these two together. They both have fun personalities that came to life in this hip-hop. The other thing that I like about FikShun is the fact that he has risen to every challenge that’s been given to him. Sure he may still need some refining but partnering skills are there, and he proved that last night. I was a bit nervous if he could partner Jasmine, but he seemed to do it with ease.

 

So who is your favorite Guy and Girl dancer? Truthfully I would be happy no matter which girl wins. As for the guys Aaron is my pick to win, what can I say I love tap dancers.

 

 

September 4, 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.

Top 6 Now Top 4 Thoughts

Since there was no voting last night, I figured that I would save power rankings for next week and just do a thoughts post instead. I love having Jesse Tyler Ferguson as a guest judge, too cute watching him blush over admitting he has a crush on Aaron. Each of the dancers had three dances each; a solo, paired with an all star, and paired with each other.

Solos

Amy: She is just a little powerhouse and has been an early favorite from the beginning. Her solo was probably my favorite out of the girls.

Jasmine: Still love that song choice. I like the fact that yes, her legs are her best feature but I like that she doesn’t always remind us in her solos.

Hayley: I wanted a bit more from her solo.

FikShun: The fact that he was moving about as fast as the lyrics of that song was impressive.

Paul: Ballroom solos are always a bit hard to watch. I would have like to seen him do a more serious solo.

Aaron: I love tap solos cause it’s really the only time we get to see it during the show. I would think they could pull one of the other tappers that have been on the show to dance with him…it would be nice.

All Stars

Paul & Kathryn: the thing I like about Paul is that he tends to have chemistry with everyone who he is paired with on the show. There may have been a fight concept but for me they both seemed to be on an even level.

Hayley & Joshua: Who else thought of Katy Perry when they saw the stage set up? This was a major improvement from her last hip-hop. She really did seem like she was fighting to stay in the competition

Aaron & Melanie: I so wanted to know what they were yelling at each other during this piece, which made it entertaining to watch. Granted yes he sort of dropped her but thankfully it went with the theme of the dance. Also, Melanie being as good as she is caught herself.

FikShun & Witney: A ballroom dancer he is not but he sure did try. I agree with Mary that his close hold position was nice and probably with a little more time he could really do the fox trot justice.

Jasmine & Neil: I knew this was going to be good just from the rehearsal footage. Tyce created a beautiful number for these two. This was my favorite of the all-star pairings.

Amy & Alex: So happy Alex was able to do Bollywood and not hurt himself. Amy’s personality just suits Bollywood. It takes a lot of energy to tackle those dances.

Paired together

Hayley & Paul: I loved this version of the song and love watching these two dance together. Sad to see them both go but I had a feeling that they would be the ones that left.

Amy & FikShun: Happy that Dave Scott didn’t make this a cutesy hip-hop. They really do bring out the best in each other.

Jasmine & Aaron: This was my favorite out of the last three dances. I loved the concept of this dance and I did notice that Aaron took the judges note from earlier in the night and corrected it for this dance. Jasmine must be double jointed, how else would her legs be able to move like they do.

So our top 4 are Jasmine, Amy, Aaron, and FikShun. Who will you be pulling for next week? I’ll be pulling for Aaron mainly, as for the girl I’ll be happy with who ever wins out of the two of them.

August 28, 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.

Top 14 Power Rankings

After a week off, it’s time to get back to the competition. I have to say the only surprise of who was in the bottom 6 for me was Makensie. I thought for sure the judges would have saved her right away but they chose Jenna instead. I think I knew from the get go we were going to be saying goodbye to Mariah and BluPrint.

Top3

Jenna & Tucker: I agreed with the judges that we were reminded why he was nominated for a Emmy. It was just a beautiful dance and I felt like Jenna finally had a moment that connected with me. I sorta wish they didn’t tell us that they had only worked with their prop for a few hours. That being said it probably added to the dance.

Makensie & Paul: When Cat said they were doing hip hop and saw the costumes before the commercial break, my first thought was really? It was another fantastic Dave Scott hip hop. Paul continues to surprise me, he even surprised me with how good of an artist he is. I think Makensie is one of the best girls on the show so I’m not sure why she is being lost in the mix. Hopefully this will be a wake up call for her fans…you can’t just vote for Paul you have to vote for her too.

Amy & FikShun: Is there anything these two can’t do? I loved that Tyce allowed them to be creative with his choreography. I just loved the concept of the dance, even thought the genre was jazz, I could see some Broadway coming though too.

Middle 3

Jasmine H & Aaron: So they were the lucky couple that drew the dreaded quick step from the hat. Thankfully it didn’t turn out to be the kiss of death. I seem to find myself not liking Jasmine’s dress, I feel like it should have only had one slit.

Malece & Alan: overall I agreed with the judges on this one. I was a great dance but Malece had the attitude that goes with hip hop and Alan did not.

Hayley & Curtis: I have mixed thoughts about this one, I love the concept and thought they both danced it well. Curtis seemed to have the most criticism, mainly about keeping his shoulders down.

Bottom 2

Alexis & Nico: I was a great dance but if you are the first couple to dance and you are dancing Jive then you need to light up the stage like Tiffany and Benji did last season. However, like the judges said it wasn’t good enough to be remembered as the night went on.

Mariah & BluPrint: they only land here since they were eliminated but I wanted to give my thoughts about it. So happy to see Brian back and I loved what he choreographed. They danced it well but wasn’t enough to save them.

So who will be in trouble next week my guess is we will see Alexis, Hayley, Curtis, and Alan in the bottom. I’m not sure of the other two that might be in danger but it will probably surprise me.

July 25, 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.

Podcast: SYTYCD Season 9 – Top 10 Week

Listen to the podcasts

Episode 52 direct download

Subscribe to podcast on iTunes


Time Stamps
0:00 – Introduction
1:27 – General thoughts about the bottom 4 and voting
4:12 – Bottom 2 Girls routines: Audrey & Witney
7:35 – Bottom 2 Guys routines: George & Chehon
10:57 – Other routines: Tiffany, Cole, Lindsay, Will, Cyrus, and Eliana
22:45 – Wrap-up

Episode Length: 23:42

As we move into the final set of live shows, the voting for this season continues to confuse us as Witney once again ended up in the bottom 2 girls. In particular, we’re unable to understand why she is not connecting with the audience (we think she’s fantastic!), but Tiffany, who’s been off the radar for us and seems to be an easy choice to send home, continues to avoid the bottom. We discuss the possible reasons for this, as well as what may have caused Audrey, George, and Chehon to also land in the bottom 4. Beyond the eliminations, we were extremely excited to see the return of all-star Jakob Karr, our favorite dancer to ever be on the show. We also discuss Cyrus and the way choreographers have been handling him this season, which brings up the question we asked at the end of season 8: should the show aim to choreograph/judge the dancers according to a universal standard, or should each dancer be considered individually according to his/her skill level? We should also mention that we loved the Eliana/Alex routine by Stacey Tookey, which demonstrated that with a proper partner Eliana is capable of amazing things!

Let us know what you think after listening to the podcast! You can leave us a comment here or on our blog, Reflections on Pop Entertainment. You can also follow us on Twitter and tweet with us. You can also visit our Facebook page, like us, and leave a comment there! We love feedback and will respond either with a comment or in our next published show.

August 29, 2012 I Written By

Over the past few years my fiancée Meghan slowly brought me into the world of television, turning me into a full-fledged fan of both scripted and reality shows. So You Think You Can Dance turned into one of my favorite reality shows as it is a competition that takes itself seriously, providing the audience with artistic choreography and talented dancers. It's certainly not something I ever expected to get emotionally invested in, but here I am! Meghan and I are very analytic when it comes to the things we enjoy. We constantly discussed and analyzed shows with each other and after doing this for a couple years, we decided that we should turn these discussions into a podcast. We created Reflections on Pop Entertainment, a podcast that provides commentary and analysis of popular entertainment as found in visual mediums, particularly television and film. So You Think You Can Dance Season 8 is the first television series we're covering with weekly podcasts and has allowed us to find our voice as well as actively contribute to the fan community. We hope that you'll enjoy our installments as they are posted to Pure So You Think You Can Dance!

Flashback: SYTYCD Canada (and U.S.) Season 2 – Tara-Jean & Everett

Typically, I don’t have time to watch So You Think You Can Dance Canada where the primary judges were: Jean-Marc Généreux and Tré Armstrong. So once in a while a friend of mine would send me a video of another routine from another part of the world that would pique my interest some and then that was all.

So when a friend (and fellow PureSYTYCD blogger) of mine posted a video on my Facebook Timeline I wasn’t entirely too anxious to want to go and see it right away, instead I waited til I had a little bit of time before I decided to look at it.

She sent the video with the following comment:

It’s been so long since we had a really good memorable Broadway number (maybe neil & kent baseball from season 7 or robert & kathryn west side story, but I don’t have any memorable ones from last year!), I’d love to see more numbers with this kind of energy!!

Another friend commented:

I miss the old stage. And as long as Tyce is not directing, I tend to like the broadway, but not love.

So, upon reading the comments I decided to watch the video, and boy… my friend was right… it has been a long time since I have seen a Broadway routine with this much energy.

The theatre routine in question was choreographed by Sean Cheesman who just in the first two weeks of competition for SYTYCD Season 9 choreographed two routines that for some reasons the audience may not have connected well to from the get go. Now that’s interesting… Anyway when I say a “long time” I definitely mean a long time… like Season 2’s Benji Schwimmer and Donyelle Jones:

Ironically both were the second seasons of their respective series and both involve “power couples”. So that got me thinking, I already created a Dance Style Breakdown for SYTYCD U.S. edition, so how did the dancers breakdown of dance style fare in Canada? So I decided to take a look… Below is a quick dance style breakdown over the course of the four seasons that the show was on the air:

DANCE STYLE MALE FEMALE
Contemporary 20 24
Hip Hop 9 5
Ballroom / Latin / Salsa 8 8
Ballet 2 2
Tap 1 0
Jazz 1 2
Break Dancing 1 0
Krump 0 1

Granted, this is still a bit lopsided with Contemporary dancers building the bulk of the group… however, when looking at the individual seasons, two of them (Season 2 and 4) were rather decently balanced. While the other two seasons had an insane number of Contemporary dancers in comparison to everyone else.

The two dancers from SYTYCD Canada Season 2 were tap and contemporary and they did a rather good job of it. At the same time I found it kind of odd that Sean Cheesman would create such a technically challenging and high octane theatre / broadway routine. Yes, for SYTYCD U.S. Sean has only created Jazz related routines… what gives? Sure, Tyce is a decent choreographer and Spencer Liff just got an Emmy nomination for his Broadway routines… but if the above routine is any indication I would love to see him try his hand on Broadway as well. If only because it forces the high octane / technically challenging routines to also depends on characterizations for the dancers.

What do you think?

July 21, 2012 I Written By

My life can be summed up in the following two quotes: 1) "I am married to engineering and am its faithful wife by day, but at night my wanderlust takes hold and the arts becomes my jealous paramour." and... 2) "Engineering is my safety net. Writing is my passion. Acting is my escape when the other two become too much." So where does dancing fit in? Pretty much anywhere at this point... =)