SYTYCD Season 5 Final Power Rankings
Oh! So much to talk about. First, I wonder (as Kelsey said in the episode rant/raves), *why* were they in the Kodak Theatre? Though, I have to admit it was cool to see 3,000 people there for the first half of the finale (and even cooler to have a good portion of those folks chanting Evan’s name). So overall? NOT a fan of Louis van Amstel’s work this season and worried that the judges are jumping the shark a little with how much steam the show’s picking up. Nigel’s turning into a major perv (was he always this bad, someone remind me), Mary’s not speaking nearly as eloquently as she can, in favor of screaming. While I loved that Adam could call the Tony and Melanie jive not finale appropriate, I hated that NO ONE said anything about the overproduction of Louis van Amstel’s paso doble. And then there is the moment that angered me mightily, as pointed out very well by Johnny Mar (again in the rant/raves post). Brandon reused his audition piece last week and got a standing O and not one of the judges mentioned that it’s his audition piece. Evan revisits his audition this week, varying it a bit, and Adam Shankman calls him on it. That is not cool. That being said, there were some moments and routines I *adored* tonight and I can’t wait for tomorrow’s show. And…next season after that phenomenal, heart-thumping preview (though I could do without the last image).
1. Jeanine – I want her to win and I really think it’s hers this season. Here’s why. Simply put: she’s the best combination of pure talent and that nebulous “personality” factor: it’s so easy to love watching her move. I can’t look away from her! Classy and funny, supportive of her partners and very gracious in dealing with criticism and the now multiple perv comments from Nigel. Plus, the girls have been stronger than the boys by far this season, so I think it needs to be a female winner. Jeanine’s peaking at the right time, as the judges say and had an amazing night. Though, I will say that the lighting and the volume of the music during Louis van Amstel’s paso doble was so distracting I had to try to ignore them in order to focus on the dancing. I had to *ignore the music* to focus on the dancing. Bizarre. It was phenomenal dancing, once you could get past the DRAMA!!!! of the routine’s production. I feel like Mia put Jeanine in the back too much in her routine with Kayla, especially given the length of Kayla’s limbs. But she stood out to me and just rocked it. I loved seeing her and Evan dance together and I think they enjoyed each other a lot. And her solo. HELLO! That slow, controlled pirouette. She incorporated so much of her growth during the entire season in her solo, which I think was a textbook example of what a “end of the line, all I’ve got” solo. A-m-a-z-i-n-g.
2. Kayla – She’s been amazing all season, technically superior to most everybody and finally relaxing enough to show her personality. Kayla’s had some incredible routines tonight. I thought her solo was the weakest, but really enjoyed that her song choice allowed for some different movements than she’s shown during most of her solos. The Broadway with Brandon was awesome and you could tell that she just really enjoys dancing with him, trusts him and his technical ability. Not so much with Evan, though there were some strong moments in it. I really enjoyed her in Mia’s contemporary, which was just a beautiful concept that both the girls executed beautifully. You could tell that they were bringing a lot of the emotions of their SYTYCD experience to it and I think Kayla really lived the piece and showed exactly why everybody loves her lines and extension so much. I don’t think she showed as much ‘tude as Jeanine in Wade’s cheerleader/football player routine, but she was definitely strong.
Here’s the hard part. Sigh.
3. Evan – According to the results so far on John’s poll, he should be #4. And maybe he will be. The only reason I bumped him up is that enormous chant that seemed to surprise everybody, him most of all. And you know Ryan wasn’t behind it, because it started waaaaaaaay back in the audience, not near Evan’s family. 🙂 I will be the first to admit that Evan is, in many ways, especially technically, the most limited dancer, the one who’s “grown” the least during the season. He was rock solid in Broadway at the beginning of the season and he’s still demonstrating rock solidness…in Broadway. He doesn’t apply notes or encorporate other styles into his own, as the other dancers (and successful dancers of seasons past) do. However, all of that is really hard to care about when he dances. I’m tired of the judges’ condescending comments about the squishiness of his face because Evan is impossible not to enjoy (for me, for many others) when he dances. He’s the one my eyes go to. I really thought that he held his own in Wade’s and Sonya’s pieces and he was the one my eyes kept going toward during Lauriann Gibson’s piece (did anyone else HATE the song for a routine like this?), despite his lack of “nasty cred.” He struggles to take on characters outside his general persona onstage. However, I do think that he’s held his own or rocked in most of the routines he’s danced this season. And I love watching him move.
4. Brandon – I suspect that Nigel named him with Jeanine as the top 2 because Brandon is so technically strong and Nigel knows the same personality that Jackie and others have mentioned – on a more personal level, I suspect, than I do. I really liked Brandon’s interview, but I have to say he’s just my least favorite. As nice and supportive as he may be “in the real world,” I don’t personally feel like he gives good t.v. all the time. His ego (whether he’s confident or not confident, both are results of the ego) becomes too much of an issue in his dancing, I feel. Maybe this is only an issue when there’s a camera zooming in close on his face. I don’t know. I think he felt confortable with Natalie and it’s taken him the whole season to figure out how to be more comfortable in front of the camera. He’s a beautiful dancer, but I’m very apt to look more at his partner – whether that partner is a beautiful girl or a dancer not as technically strong as him, like Evan. I think he’s done extremely well on this show and grown so very much. I enjoyed watching him with Jeanine quite a lot, and in the Wade group routine. I did feel his solo was very frantic, as Adam said. Though, you know what? I *loved, loved, loved* his extended split at the end of his routine and his face, which just sort of announced, “Yeah, I’m doing this and it’s awesome.” That was a wonderful moment tonight for me, he was at his “cocky best” right then.
Beautiful writeup Emilie. I wouldn’t have done nearly as good as you. Thanks for doing the always difficult SYTYCD power rankings this season.
I actually like your rankings a lot. Probably because I’m not really a Brandon fan at all. I don’t dislike him like I disliked Danny. I think deep down he isn’t cocky and arrogant like I think Danny was, but I just really appreciate humility in dancing.
I think you’re dead on with Jeanine being the champion. I’ll be very surprised and disappointed if she’s not America’s Favorite dancer. She completely rocked that stage today.
Also, I have to admit that the Wade Robson cheerleader piece was possibly my favorite performance of the night. I really liked that dance for some reason.
Oh yes, and I think that Evan might actually beat out Kayla. What fan support those Kasprzaktivists provide. Imagine the advantage Ryan will have next season.
Great read! Jeanine and Brandon are my faves…on a side note I noticed some of the contestants wearing a peace sign shirt would you happen to know where those are from?
I totally agree with your review. And the fact that Brandon did his exact solo that he did in auditions and the judges acted like it was the first time they saw it, and then Evan does his solo, which was a little different, but similar to his audition, and the judges call him out on it. Not cool!
This was a very well thought out post. I agree with a lot of it. I guess I just still don’t see what everyone sees in Evan and Kayla. At any rate, a lot of excellent points brought out here.
P.S. Nigel is a big perv, he didn’t really get going until last year. Mary could be rich off harrasment lawsuits with him lol.
That really was a very well thought out post., Emilie. For some reason I just can’t warm up to Jeanine – maybe because I adored Janette so much or maybe for reasons I can’t actually explain – like the way you feel about Brandon. She is a fine dancer though. I still feel, as I have all along, that Brandon is the best dancer and most reliable partner. For many reasons, but especially because my niece taught him to dance(he was a scholarship student at her school) and my whole family has adored him since he was a youngster, I truly hope that America appreciates Brandon too. Fingers crossed that he wins!
I have a feeling Jeanine and Brandon will be the top 2.
Their dances seemed to cater to something more exciting. Some things that I will give props for:
-For the first time in a long time (since Max’s exit) Kayla showed some personality. The jive as a fun dance definiately allowed her to just have fun.
-Adam Shankman seemed like the only one who was being honest in his critiques.
-I actually felt the judges were too hardsh on Evan and a possible wave of Evan supporters due to pity votes and underdog appeal. (in addition to his fanbase).
-I have to hand it to Brandon, his solo choice for top 6 with his O Fortuna was actually very smart. I’ve rewatched his audition piece which is MUCH longer than the 30 seconds the dancers are normally given on stage and it’s actually NOT the same. It’s similar choreography I think but his solo was executed WAY better.
-Jeanine has used this solo in one of her other vids before but like Brandon’s solo, maybe not everyone obsessively looks up videos of their favorite dancers to see where their capabilities are, nor do some watch all the auditions. Some of us are seeing these pieces for the first time. I wonder what Jeanine used during her audition piece.
Things I don’t agree with. I don’t think Nigel was being particularly dirty by saying he wanted to “do things to Jeanine” (althoguh she’s 18) America just has a warped interpretation especially since jeanine has been known to exude sex appeal in her dances more recently.
Also I agree that the Paso Doble wasn’t a traditional Paso Doble. There was passion and intensity but I thought it was kind of finding that loophole to not dance the original steps. Brandon outdanced Jeanine on this one. His face was amazing.
So….I’m hoping jeanine will win by a lot.
Now it’s a wonder what kind of dances will be featured. My guess is lots and lots of contemporary because half them are contemporary dancers.
Kayla was the only one who didn’t trend on twitter. Jeanine, on the other hand, trended even an hour the show was over. So if twitter trends speak true… Jeanine is our winner.
I thought Mia was unfair in her piece – the routine clearly put Kayla front and center.
I’ve LOVED almost every single routine by Louis van Amstel. Last night’s paso doble was not an exception. It started with Max/Kayla samba in week one… and he then just kept going. LOVED it.
Oh, and I felt the judges rang the alarm bell for the Kasprzaktivists by all their comments. Had they been fair people wouldn’t have noticed (voted for the best, not the underdog)
I was pre-disposed to like Brandon because I felt Lil C and Mia were being too harsh. Now, I see what they mean. I don’t feel he is performing, I don’t feel his movements. I am disinterested when he dances.
Kayla is an interesting dancer. I think that what she does, she does well. Lately I have felt she is a little clumsy, especially during that disastrous disco. Overall, I haven’t “felt” her performances either, except in the addiction piece.
Evan has been a continual shock. Why? Because he continues to remain in the competition. He just isn’t that strong a dancer, and his obvious limitations (for instance, during the dances he appears to be focusing on getting the steps right) affect his overall performances. That said, the Top 4 boys dance was definitely one of his best yet.
Jeanine? Wow. Her solo last night showed why she deserves to win. It was strong, and wasn’t filled with “wow” moments but solid content. It matched the music. She puts her all into her dances, and if at any point she lacks trust with her partners, it does not show. I voted for Jeanine.
I voted for Evan last night… NOT because he’s the underdog or I felt sorry for him… but because he has been my favorite dancer this whole season. And that’s what this competition is about.
Having said that, I don’t think Evan will win. Of the 4, I think the title is Jeanine’s. And I think she deserves to win… she has been great all season and was just awesome last night!
Nice post, Emilie! I agree with 90% of what you wrote…although I loved the Kodak theatre choice. I felt it gave a grandeur to the night that was appropriate based on the popularity of the show. It’s obviously kicking butt if they’re bringing it back in the fall to compete with DWTS. I actually loved the Louis Paso Doble tonight–he hasn’t wowed me this season, but the Paso was spectacular. Maybe it’s because I loved the Matrix trilogy so much? lol
Nigel is especially pervy this season…and it’s becoming much less funny. Otherwise, I wish they’d bring Adam around more often on the judges table–he’s a great judge. Honest, real, and passionate about dance. I think if he were on the panel last week, he would have said something about Brandon’s repeat. I really do.
Also, I felt the judges were way way too hard on Evan this week. And it just may backfire (like Mia and Lil’ C on Brandon did). Evan really showed up tonight–though he was the weakest of all the dancers, IMO, he didn’t embarrass himself–and his weakness was not at all obvious in the first dance of the night or the jazz with Jeanine. He held his own in the pop jazz, though he didn’t hit it as hard as Brandon did, and he partnered Kayla pretty well in the jive and hit his moves harder than she did! I was shocked at Mary’s comments on his retractions…I just re-watched his first jive with Randi, and last night’s was WAY better.
I think I’ve finally allowed myself to say it: Kayla’s just not a great soloist. She’s an unbelievable partner dancer, but not great on her own. Don’t know if it’s her own choreography or what, but she doesn’t take risks, and she doesn’t show all of her strengths or personality in her solos. But I think that the judges have been rooting for her since day 1. I mean, it’s true…she fits every expectations of what a dancer should be! She’s long, lean, gorgeous with legs for days…and she’s technically superb. But that’s where it ends for me. Remember she was the first one on Mary’s hot tamale train with her and Max’s cha cha week 1, which although I liked, I didn’t feel it was “wow” worthy.
Anyhow, I think that Jeanine should definitely win after her season (remember how she could out-dance Philip in HIP HOP??) and her finale. I think second is probably Brandon, with Evan third and Kayla fourth.
(Though at this very moment I’m rewatching the addiction dance with Kayla and Kupono and it’s unbelievable…the only time I was really touched by Kayla this entire season…so who really knows. lol)
Ha ha, Beth. I’m glad I’m not the only one who thought Jeanine at times out danced Phillip in Hip Hop. I always felt it was a back-handed compliment from the judges when they’d say ‘you managed to keep up with Phillip, girl’. Obviously, she didn’t need any patronizing from them considering how it has panned out for Jeanine.
Julia,
Actually Kayla did trend on Twitter on the east coast, but fell off for the end of the west coast. She was even ahead of Brandon at one point, but only for a short time. Jeanine definitely out trended the rest on Twitter though.
Brandon has been my favorite dancer all season.
I voted for him but i think (based on twitter, polls, and nigel’s conniving comments) jeanine will be the winner.
Like Jackie commented, it’s hard to like jeanine when you feel she bumped Janette out.
I feel jeanine is the cocky one not brandon.
How many times did she have to punch evan during their critiques from the judges?
jeanine also used her sexuality more than all the other female contestants combined.
HATED the Kodak theater!
and agree that the show is headed toward jumping the shark.
i’ve been a super fan since season 2 and i’m not excited to see the show in the fall. 🙁
I totally agree with all of those above who made comments about the judges unfairly picking on Evan. I’ve been a huge fan of him from the start – but I’m not sure he’d be still around if the judges hadn’t consistently picked on him for things that they didn’t pick on with the other contestants. I totally agree that Evan shouldn’t win and that he’s not as technically strong or diverse as the others – but I think America can see that without the judges being so blatantly against Evan in favor of the others.
On another note, did anyone else notice that there didn’t seem to be as many memorable pieces this week as there has been in past year? They were good – just nothing overly memorable.
Jeanine didn’t push Janette out…Janette’s fans just didn’t come through for her (or just not as many folks liked her as people thought). If anything, you should feel that Melissa pushed Janette out since they were both in the bottom two at the same time. It’s cool to not be a big fan of Jeanine, but she had nothing to do with Janette’s not being there.
Heh, Mia pushed Janette out. And I think, since they obviously didn’t learn from that, when Cat pushed the judges into announcing who they think will win BEFORE the voting began will negatively impact the results. Shame on you, Nigel, for answering that question. Adam (best guest judge this season) and Mary had more sense than that.
I liked NIgel’s pervy comments but I still think they were inappropriate. He’s such a lecher.
@Kimberly…I think it may be because there were so many memorable dances throughout the season (e.g., tango, addiction, breast cancer, aliens, all girls bollywood, all boys african, etc.) that it was hard to top in one night. I felt last night was strong…I loved Sonya’s piece, the opening Wade number and the paso doble, and I thought that Mia’s girls’ piece was great too. I wasn’t too big on the jive or the pop jazz routine, really…I will definitely remember the paso and the cheerleading routine. 🙂
Kimberly, yeah. this season didn’t stand out for me too. it didn’t have the magic of the previous seasons, with the amazing and incredible great spirited dancers. not as memorable because the clips before each dance was so cookie cutter there weren’t as many dance styles as the previous seasons. sure there were the ones which were always around like jazz, hip hop, contemporary. but what happened to the west coast swing, salsa, krump, mambo? and the tango only appeared twice?
don’t get me wrong, but i feel as if the producers are trying to kind of suit the dance styles to the dancers this year since most of them were contemporary/jazz. latin ballroom was cut to the minimum. i’m a great fan of contemporary and jazz, but it would have been nice to see a little more diversity. same goes for the type of dancers on the show.
and janette got kicked out because she was a victim of her own perfection on the show. she was not the bottom at all till she was eliminated. and so apparently her fans have gone complacent. i would push the blame to no one but it was too bad she was eliminated. i loved her as well.
so much said, i enjoyed the finale, not as much as i would have liked to but i did enjoy it. jeanine was phenomenal. enough said. i’ll not be long winded for once. from everything i see, she is most likely going to win. (in my opinion). brandon is the only one who might stand a chance. i like her winning too, all things considered.
the kodak was amazing, but not as homely as the sytycd stage. i thought they would have done it like the previous seasons to have the dancers dance once again on the stage which they have practically sweated and toiled on. it was the stage where dance came to life and dancers have grown both as a dancer and as a person. yes, that stage is that great. it would have been wonderful if they were to dance on it again, even if it might be a little dull to see the same stage all the time, but yeah.
this season might not have been the best out of the five. but it was considerably great. the clips before the dances could and should have been better, and there could have been more variety if the judges and producers made wise choices before the show started. (they were wise choices if they were thinking about strong dancers, but not so about the variety).
so yeah. cant wait to see who wins. all of them deserve it. 😀
I though last night’s episode was very anti climactic. Weird, if I may be so bold. Wade’s cheerleading piece in particular. It was very reminiscent of his early Britney Spears days.
And I am SO over the judges continuously pointing out that Evan is short and Evan is this and Evan is that. Are they trying purposely to grow his fan base by talking trash to him every single week. They might as well come right out and call him a Munchkin. And he’s no shorter than Brandon which is what kills me.
I think Kayla is a far superior dancer than the other three but bottom line – she’s boring. And this is TV so we need to see something interesting. Or at least amusing. So while she probably should win based on talent, I don’t think she will.
SYTYCD was bad this season, period. There were not many memorable performances. Season 4 = the best season, by far! I remember each and every one of them. The judges got it wrong this season. Maybe they’ll get it right again in Season 6, which I don’t think they should do – the notorious “2 seasons a year” thing. It will ruin the show. Keep it in the summer, more people will watch. ONE SEASON A YEAR PLEASE!
@Sally…I think bad is a little strong. It wasn’t my favorite season, but there were still some unbelievable performances (in no particular order):
1. Jason/Jeanine contemporary
2. Brandon/Janette tango
3. Brandon/Janette Wade Robson piece
4. Melissa/Ade breast cancer piece
5. Kayla/Kupono addiction piece
6. Caitlyn/Jason alien piece (not my fav, but very memorable!!)
7. Jeanine/Philip chain hip hop
8. Jeanine/Brandon pop jazz to battlefield
9. Melissa/Ade rumba (omg sexy)
10. All boys African
11. All girls Bollywood
12. Jeanine/Philip russian folk (ew, but memorable!!)
All of those really stuck out to me (just quickly looking back)…
I think the personalities of the dancers were less dynamic this year compared to last, or to season 2, for instance. Less “stars” this year. But still very very good dancers and dances.
And I can’t agree with you about the twice a year thing…I about die waiting for this show each year! 🙂 It’s my addiction, and I’m so glad I don’t have to wait until May! 😉
EVAN ATW!!! America loves him and he is the Chris Allen factor.
You mentioned me! Aww, well…I voted for the first time in all 5 seasons last night, for Evan. I loved him in the Top 4 piece it was just so cute for him. But in the boy piece I did see Brandon was either ahead or Evan was behind, I don’t know but Evan didn’t step it up. Evans Jive was amazing he did it before too. But the Pasado—can’t spell it (to lazy to look it up) That Brandon and Jeanine did was good, but why was it good? We saw 2 other Pasodo– this season and the both sucked! With Randi and Kuponi and Jason and Catlin. So why was this one so much better? I think Jeanine is going to win. I do not want her to win she is to typical of a dancer, just and ordinary one. I want Evan to win because he has worked so hard the season. But who knows. Yes i know I spelled everyones name wrong, sorry.
@John: Thanks for your comments. I really liked Danny, but I can see what you mean about the cockiness factor. He was just blatant with his self-assuredness. Somehow, I didn’t mind so much, though he was never my favorite. I’ve always felt like Brandon wasn’t nearly as cocky as he comes off, that he’s trying to “fake it till he makes it,” which I can really understand as a former shy person. (@ Jackie a bit, too) – I suspect sometimes that the people who struggle the most in front of the camera may be people I’d really enjoy in real life. Not everyone has that skill set and I think it’s something Brandon definitely has room to improve on. He’s a great dancer. Hands down.
@Edna: Thanks! This doesn’t really tell you how to find the shirts, but I think they come from this organization: http://twitter.com/1peaceloveworld
@Jackie: I really like Janette too, but I have to confess that I was already leaning toward Jeanine at that point. I don’t think it was an either/or proposition, though some people confused their names. I do wish Janette had stayed a bit longer. She was fun to watch. I just *knew* you were speaking from personal experience with Brandon! Lol. 🙂 Keep in mind that people who know how to give good t.v. aren’t necessarily better people or dancers, they just know how to compel the camera’s attention and, through it, people’s attention. I think that this was probably an invaluable experience for Brandon. He already rocked as a dancer and as a person, but perhaps now he’ll nail his onstage/camera persona using what he learned from the challenge of the SYTYCD experience. I mean, look at Joshua from last year. He seems to have settled into his skin as a performer quite well since last season.
@Christine: I see your point about Brandon editing down his audition piece. The problem in my mind (and it’s actually a compliment to him) is that his choice of music and his movement in that audition was so striking and memorable that it was impossible not to recognize when he used a version of it again. Especially after the fiasco of O Fortuna earlier in the season. Lol. And I mostly minded the judges’ behavior.
@Julia: Thanks for saying it. I really wanted to say that Mia was showing a huge amount of favoritism toward Kayla (it seemed like she got a little mini “solo” near the beginning and I was waiting for Jeanine’s and it didn’t really come). I held back just cause I was so upset with that Paso Doble and a few other bigger points. I don’t really agree with you about Louis van Amstel, but maybe I need to go re-watch some of his routines.
@Shannon: Well put, about voting for Evan because he’s your *favorite*.
@Beth: Such great points! I agree about Adam. He was pretty cool to talk to, him and Mary both. I wish he’d been on this season a bit more. Every once in a while he annoys me, but I do like when he seems like he’s just decided, “no b.s. here.” GREAT points about Evan, Kayla and Jeanine.
@iLuvPasha: I soooo don’t want to say the show’s jumping the shark because many of the elements that I love are still there, of course. However, I just think that the judges (and producers, perhaps) spent soo much time this season being overly conscious of the big leaps in attention/ratings/Emmy nominations and sometimes it felt like they were deliberately trying to stir things up in an arbitrary way (like, “if Mary screams more, maybe she’ll be more “Paula-like,” since folks end up talking about her and the show when she does that.”) It’s a great show and I’d hate to see it jump the shark. I have high hopes for Season 6, after seeing a very tiny bit of the auditions for myself. As for a fall season (@ Sally and Beth a bit, too), I’m of two minds. Part of me is worried that they might lose some steam by switching up the dynamic, but another huge part of me is SOOOOOO glad I don’t have to wait till next year for more SYTYCD.
@Beth: Great points again about Jeanine not pushing Janette out AND the memorable routines from this season. I think we’ll all be surprised how many routines we remember next season and past. That’s always the way for me.
@Kelsey: Yup, I did mention you! ;”) Thanks for your comments.
Thank you everybody. I know I say that every time, but I’m always thrilled by the passion and high level of debate on here. 🙂
There is no way Brandon is #4. Come on, now! Evan is #4 hands down. He belongs and will shine on Broadway, but nowhere else. I found Jeanine to be the most attractive, but not the strongest dancer. I’d actually put her number three. She was great last night, but her body of work is not that of Kayla. This is what I’m saying. If you were to drop $40 to see one of them dance, who would that be? Brandon is a freak of nature in dance and Kayla was amazing in SO MANY styles. Either of those are fine with me.
@Emilie: I am serious impressed by your careful replies to (every?) other commenters.
Just to throw this into the “lively debate:” does anyone else notice how young the top 4 dancers are this season? Jeanine and Kayla are both 18, Brandon is 19 and Evan is 21.
Now for my two bits (opinion and personal preferences only!) Kayla’s personality has either been absent or unappealing to me. She really could be a wonderful person with a beautiful spirit as well as being a beautiful dancer, but that just doesn’t read to me most of the time (the Addiction piece and her jive are obvious exceptions in her displays of personality and passion). BUT, for most of the season, I dismissed these criticisms because she’s only 18. BUT, Jeanine is also only 18, and I’ve fallen in love with her personality. Therefore, Jeanine is my FAVORITE dancer.
Caveats: People/dancers can be mature when they’re 18, I KNOW, but personality, people skills and heck, cognitive abilities, continue to develop after the magical age of the late teens. Also, I know that producers and editors determine a large part of the personality we see as an audience with the video packages and interviews. However, if you want to keep strictly to dancing, I preferred the dancing personality Jeanine portrays in her solos.
Paris Brel, hands down, I would use my $40 to see Evan or Jeanine. I’d go see Brandon or Kayla if the show was free. But I want to be entertained, and Brandon and Kayla don’t do that for me. I guess it’s all a matter of what you’re looking for when you watch a piece, ya know?
Sam-mo,
“@Emilie: I am serious impressed by your careful replies to (every?) other commenters.”
That’s why Emilie gets the special color on her comments;-)
@ Paris Brel and Mrs.: I *would* pay to watch Evan and Jeanine, because I loooove watching them move. I’d probably pay to see Brandon and Kayla, too, but it would depend on the circumstances. They’re not bad dancers. But sometimes there’s a “je ne sais quoi” about a performer (singer, dancer, actor) where you just can’t stop watching them, you just enjoy them. Evan and Jeanine have that for me. I’m *so happy* with the results last night, though there weren’t what I predicted. 🙂
@ Sam-Mo: I don’t respond to everybody, but I concentrate on those responses that I’m responding to internally as I read them, or if someone responds more directly to something I say. I’d love to respond to everybody, but sometimes I just agree so much, it’d just be a “thank you, great thoughts.”
@ John: Thanks, great thoughts. Lol. 🙂