So You Think You Can Dance Top 8 Performance Show Discussion Thread
We’re down to the So You Think You Can Dance Top 8. All we have left are 8 amazing dancers. I absolutely adore this part of the show. There’s nothing left but talent that brings it every week. The hard part is tomorrow when someone has to get sent home. Tonight, we just sit back, relax and enjoy the show.
Let the discussion begin. As always, I won’t be participating in the discussion until after the West Coast gets a chance to see So You Think You Can Dance.
Also, I will be posting the music for tonight’s SYTYCD as I get it. Plus, you’ll want to go and register to win free SYTYCD Workout DVD’s if you haven’t done so already.
i cannot change the way you think about tyce’s intentions as well and i will not try to. but it seemed that it was pretty real, to me at least. in the clip before the dance, he said that the inspiration was from a friend, and i shall assume, a close one.
(I’m having trouble seeing the posts, too, btw–I keep having to exit, wait, and reload.)
Anyhow–guys, this thread is getting all drama and such. π
We all have our opinions–and we all have what we prefer. That’s the beauty of it. We’re not going to all agree, we’re not going to be looking for the same things, we’re not going to get the same messages from dances. That’s the awesomeness of dance! What is moving to me might be boring to you.
But, with that said, I do think we should try to be respectful to all of the dancers–they are working their rear-ends off, and when we denigrate any of them beyond stating our opinions, I think it does dance overall a disservice. Those dancers are there because people want them there (even if you don’t)–and that has to count for something.
Then again, I do think it’s great how passionate dance makes people, even those who aren’t dancers by trade. It makes me wish even more that they had this show when I was still dancing. What an inspiration!!
no hard feelings buggy, i was just making a joke because if you read the twop threads they are absolutely insane!
i can’t wait to see how the rest of america felt about the cancer dance. i’m sure they all thought it was beautiful but i’m doubtful on whether it inspired people to pick up the phone.
i think it will be melissa and janette in the bottom and evan and ade. i hope evan’s fanbase backlash doesn’t propel him to another week because i love him, but he just hasn’t been good enough the last couple weeks.
Oh, and I don’t think that the pas de deux was “fixed” at all. If anyone else would have drawn that dance (e.g., Will and Katee from last season), they just would have danced it barefoot. But, because Melissa can dance pointe, as it is supposed to be danced, she did.
Tanaya- yeah it was pretty insane, it was.
LOL. wondering as well. praying as hard. >.<
beth-
last season it was fixed as well. will and katee were the most technically gifted dancers and thats why the got it. nigel would not have let it slide if mark and comfort had pulled it out of the hat!
and btw, has anyone noticed that they no longer show the dances being pulled out of the hat…?
I don’t think it’s fixed. I really don’t. I actually do think Nigel would have let Comfort get the pas de deux.
And, if you notice, Cat always has two hats in her hand when they show them drawing for partners. So it’s apparent that they are drawing for that, too.
Buggy, Sorry but I have to disagree. I don’t think Melissa is “more classical” than Allie. That solo, while wonderful, may make her come off as such and unfortunately there is a shortage of youtube clips of the Canadian version of the show, but she also danced straight ballet solos. Perhaps the age and vast difference in their respective personalities can be considered though.
I do have to disagree with the “too skilled” a dancer part though. I absolutely agree that she is very skilled but so was Danny Tidwell and yet he made it to the top 4. It sounds like an excuse for why people aren’t getting her, but if they did get Danny and some of the other highly skilled dancers I think there has to be more to it than an instant gratification. Particularly given the fact that it is often the lyrical routines that are more highly regarded by audiences instead of some of the “instant gratification” hip hop. I loved Danny, I loved Travis, and I loved Allie and Vincent on the Canadian version, two of the most trained dancers, but I don’t love Melissa and I don’t think that those who don’t love her should be brushed off as not being intelligent enough to appreciate her art or to get her. She’s a good dancer, last night she danced Tyce’s piece very well, but personally I don’t think she has that star quality that Kayla and Jeanine bring to the table.
This year more than any other the dances pulled have seemed very fixed. I actually find that disappointing, despite the fact that it gives us some very memorable routines. I would rather see each couple have to dance some of everything to really get an idea of their skills in different styles than to keep them in their comfort zone the majority of the time. It isn’t doing the dancers any favours.
So excited to read all these comments today! I did the Power Rankings this week without reading what y’all thought first… It’s amazing to me how we all watch the same show and each feel so passionate about different things, dislike different things. I’m fascinated to see what happens tonight!
Yes, 60 comments finally read. You guys on the east coast had a busy morning while I was sleeping in after staying up late posting.
Thanks for keeping things quite civil. I’m all about disagreement. I even think it’s fine to talk bad about a dancer if that’s truly how you feel. It’s good to experience other opinions and to learn to respect differences of opinions (even if they’re wrong;-) Just remember it’s not personal and if it becomes personal. Opinions are opinions. Take it for what they’re worth.
Oh yes, and my opinions are truth;-)
Just one clarification for those that can’t see the comments appear right away. There’s so much traffic to the site that I have cacheing enabled which means that when you post a comment it might take a minute to appear. That’s why it might say they’re are more comments, but you can’t see them yet. Once the cache refreshes, you’ll see them.
Now to some of the core discussion.
Allie was my favorite on SYTYCD Canada. So, I’m completely bias when I say that she was better than Melissa. However, Melissa is a very mature dancer that does a great job at expressing the emotion of the dance. Although, she failed in that Cha Cha. I do think that Melissa has been pretty lucky to have gotten a lot of dances that build on this strength.
I think I’m in the camp that the producers are producing the pairings and dances they get. I’d like to think that it’s completely random, but I think there’s at least some measure of producing that happens in which dances they get. I’m sure this is held under lock and key (built into the contracts to participate in the show).
I’m glad that so many people think Brandon is through easily. Then, maybe voters for him will get complacent and he’ll get sent home. Sorry, I’m just not a fan.
Evan Evan Evan. He’s doing his thing and I’m cool with that. He’s just still missing something for me.
Christine and Beth, I’m putting you on my train since you agreed with me that Brandon and Jeanine didn’t connect. I always love people that agree with me. Yes, I’m completely biased this way.
DaveV, thanks for bringing a little testosterone to this thread. I love being alone with all the women, but it’s nice to have a little more masculinity in this thread. Just don’t admit that you cried during SYTYCD. You can however, admit that Kayla’s legs are nice. We won’t tell your wife.
@John
YES! Woohoo!
*does the little “hot tamale train” dance that Janette does when Mary screams*
Melissa toooootally got lucky with that Tyce dance. And don’t get me wrong, she danced it beautifully and so did Ade, but she was my pick to go home. I agree that she just doesn’t have that “star quality” She doesn’t move me. Now it’s anyone’s game I think. However…I still think she’ll be in the bottom. Along with either Janette or Kayla-boo. Jeanine has become a favorite of mine. A girl needs to win this season! I like all the boys but none of them should win it all, in my opinion. I don’t know what it is. My dream final 4 is probably:
Kayla
Jeanine
Brandon
Ade/Jason–but probably Ade
Now Evan…..he’s definitely grown on me. HOWEVER….a cute face isn’t enough. He’s got a great personality, but he just doesn’t CAPTIVATE me when he dances. I did love that part in the jazz # tonight when Janette jumped and kind of back….and he was there to catch her. talk about trust! that was great! This isn’t a competition to find America’s cutest puppy dog face!
Anyway…..my favorite #’s of the night were:
Kayla & Jason – Hip Hop
Jeanine & Brandon – Pop Jazz
Kayla & Jason – Broadway
Melissa & Ade – contemporary
Janette & Evan – Pop Jazz
And I actually kind of enjoyed Jeanine & Brandon’s waltz.
and can I just say…I’m sooo excited for tonight’s episode!! It’s going to be awesome!! Sadly…i won’t be able to watch it until like….Saturday! Because I dont have TV/cable , let alone a DVR. but again…Thank the Lord for the world wide web!! whew! Maybe I can con my friend to DVR it for me. Even though she doesnt watch it….hmm….maybe i can convert her!!! π
Nigel was right that this show escalated tonight from meh to great! That Laurie Ann Gibson piece definitely fired up the night! Can’t wait to see more of her!
I’m so nervous for tonight! who’s going home??
side note: um…..when are we going to see Brandon dance a Mia creation??
and beth….you’re telling me its a coincidence that the ballerina got the pas de deux?? mmhmm….
oh yea…..the Travis group routine was awesome too! i love him! I really wish Ellen would show up in one of those costumes. haha.
Yes, I think it’s a coincidence.
I mean, I guess I think if they were rigging it, they’d be a LITTLE more subtle.
one more time….
Anybody who twitters…..did you see Nigels tweet about a possible compilation episode of past favorite routines??
um…..how awesome would that be!!?? so awesome.
By the way, I just wanted to say that one of the things I love best about this site is how respectful all the commenters have been (from what I’ve seen). It’s pretty cool to see heated debate, here or anywhere else, because that means people are passionate. Imagine how thrilled I was to see how many comments there were, knowing that meant there was lot to talk about. We disagree and sometimes it’s bewildering that people don’t see what we see. But I don’t think anybody needs to resort to disrespect in order to engage in heated debate, and I’ve always been very, very glad to see what y’all have written.
I haven’t decided how I feel about “fixed” or “unfixed” regarding the hat for routines and such. Sometimes things do seem to line up suspiciously. π I wasn’t thrilled with all of the Emmy talk either. I’m proud of the SYTYCD choreographers, but I really want Nigel to stop saying, “ahem, I’ll be surprised if this isn’t nominated next year…” And as for Ellen – how could she do anything else but be herself? And I’m sure it was nice for the dancers to have a bit of a laugh in the middle of all that tension.
I sometimes dislike the routines with the big heavy issues attached to them. I felt like Asuka and Vitolio were saved by that boring routine about his background. And do you remember the “Waiting on the World to Change” solos? Arrgggh, I hated those. Though it was fascinating to see each of the dancers engage with the same choreography, I couldn’t listen to that song for at least a year afterwards. Lol. Here’s a link to a YouTube video that shows clips of all the solos in one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEFRymH0sf8
Let’s be honest here folks. This isn’t based on the ‘best’ dancer. It is America’s Favorite Dancer. So the people who are voting are picking the dancers they like the best. Most of us, can’t pick up all the technical moves and such, and we just vote where our emotions lead us, or to what we prefer.
For instance, I love Ade…his smile is captivating, he has a great personality. Love him. I find Melissa enchanting, and this was before the Tyce routine, which I thought was heartbreaking and so beautiful it brought buckets of tears to my eyes. And I know Kayla is an exceptional dancer, but for me, her personality doesn’t show and I feel nothing for her. So its all based on our own personal opinions and what we feel.
I think all of the dancers are wonderful. They are amazing for learning the routines in such short amounts of time, putting there bodies on the line week after week…it is by far one of my favorite shows.
It will be sad to see who goes home tonight, regardless of who it is, as it is someone’s dream coming to an end.
Dance Fan,
You’re so right about it being “America’s Favorite Dancer” and not really being about technical ability. That’s why we coined the term Allison-ed.
I do have to tell you that you’re welcome to your opinion about Kayla, but you’re just wrong;-) Ok, I’m really starting to become a Kayla fan-boi. I just love her more and more each week. Not sure exactly why.
However, like you said they’re all such great dancers with dreams and so it will be sad to see any of them go. Good news is we’re going to be able to see them on tour. Woot!!
Completely agree with Tanaya’s postings. Even if that makes me a heartless b*tch. Everyone @ work this morning agreed.
On another note (and maybe I’m coming from a different place because I work in TV) but didn’t the producers of the show see rehersals and say “we need to change up this music”? Just for entertainment sake! It is a TV show afterall! Don’t think for a second things are “planned” to happen.
I can’t believe we’re so close to the finale and they had sucha bad show last night. π
deilia,
Good point about them not recognizing that the songs were all slow. They switched a song last week before Kupono and Randi were kicked off, so they could have done it again.
After watching some of Brandon’s performances again….and after seeing peeps comment that he and Jeanine didn’t connect (which I agree, though i still loved that dance)….I feel like although he is a great dancer he never seemed to really connect with Janette either. I mean they always performed great….but there was never that emotional connection. So he may be an exceptional dancer….but that lack ability to really connect with a partner hurts him i think.
Although, I thought when he and Natalie danced together in the Sonja jazz example in Vegas, they melded great! But maybe its because they were better friends. I don’t know….just my thoughts…
I like Brandon….but his dancing does seem to be a little…..hmm….”all about me”. At least thats what it comes across. I mean….he and Jeanine performed great but it didnt seem like he wanted to dance WITH her. I think he got lucky with Janette as a partner. She could keep up with the energy and fire. Although, im sure that was planned π I hope I, getting my thoughts out right. Im having a hard time translating what im thinking.
[…] I was able to connect with the dance. After reading so many comments on this site about who loved it, liked it, and those who didnβt care for it, I got to thinking. I canβt help but to think that […]
Kayla,
You just got a first class ticket on my train!! lol
No, I won’t be doing like Mary and putting you all on my train.
Brandon’s solo is in my top 10 solos list. His partnering is in my bottom list.
John:
Thanks for the ticket! w00t! Hope mines is first class too π
Christine,
That’s the secret of the Pure SYTYCD train. We only have first class tickets.
Does anybody know the name of the classical music that was being played for the first half of the flashback of the past 5 seasons? I thought it was so beautiful.