Top 12 Performance Thoughts and Discussion
Here’s a nifty spot for you to write in your thoughts on tonight’s performance episode. I’ll be updating my own thoughts, though I’m sure there will be a delay since I’m posting the music live as well. Get your talk on!
Okay, I gotta start. There is SO MUCH to talk about already.
First of all, Cat’s lovely and I think Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s gonna be a great guest judge. Excited to see Sonya and Cat’s response to the “mum and pop” of the panel pretending to kiss was funny. Even if Nigel and Mary aren’t funny, Cat’s always hysterical responding to them.
I wasn’t quite prepared for how quickly everything got started and I missed them saying there would be 2 performances from each couple, but yay!
Spoiler space…lalala
I felt two ways simultaneously about the news that Sasha & Alexander were dancing a Paso doble. First, I was thinking, this could really suck. To borrow Jesse’s words to Alexander: “I was nervous she might be dragging you around a bit.” But I also thought it would be a good chance for Alexander to step up in a “masculine” role and go toe to toe with the Sasha beast. I really liked the performance. I thought it was perfect that it was a battle because you could see Alexander fighting to match (and better) her. I don’t know that he did it, but he lived up to the dance and to his partner, probably for the first time. It’s interesting that Sasha was dressed as a matador as well and wasn’t waving her skirt around, being the cape. So totally Sasha to be a bullfighter as well.
Before the break, when Cat was announcing the next couples to dance, I was excited to see Ryan & Rickey dance Broadway, but then immediately thought it was fishy that Jordan & Tadd had a Travis Wall routine. Didn’t he say last week that he wanted to work with Tadd? Hmmm… guess they’re not drawing routines out of a hat or even pretending that it’s coincidence.
When Jordan said that she gets to be villanous for once, I was seriously hoping she was being sarcastic. Wasn’t it just last week that she was a mermaid trying to steal Tadd’s soul? Ummmm…and now she’s a vulture trying to…eat him? This whole “the girls are beasts out to get the guys” motif is getting soooo old. I was a bit disappointed with Travis for feeding into it. But then, I absolutely loved the routine. It was awesome and cool and etc.
I really liked the Ryan and Rickey Broadway. I loved how Ryan looked like Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s and danced with her shoulders. I loved that Rickey was smooth. I thought it was a happy little piece and I really liked it, so I hated the judge’s comments. It kinda feels like they’re jumping the R&R boat before it crashes. I hope R&R slam dunk their last routine because I really want to see them in the Top 10.
However, I have to agree with everything the judging panel said about the Christopher Scott hip hop that Caitlynn & Tadd performed. Except, what I think no one really said is that *everything* was a mismatch with this routine, starting with Christopher Scott’s choreography. It didn’t match his “serious intention” (to use Sonya’s words) about Ugandan kids kidnapped for the army. The costumes were off. The music was wrong, even if the words made some sort of sense for the theme. And yes, as much as I love Caitlynn and like Mitchell, they just didn’t dance that in any way that did it justice. But I honestly think it started with Christopher Scott – I love him as a group choreographer, but I don’t think he’s so good with couple’s choreography.
Louis van Amstel IS! That tango that Melanie & Marko danced was phenomenal! They are amazing dancers andt his was one of my favorite routines of the season. Loooved that they used the edge of the stage the way they used to with the old stage (RIP old stage) and that lift at the end was breathtaking. Was it just me or was Melanie’s blush on the side of her face out of control? OR, did she smack her face?
Clarice & Jess made me eat my words about Christopher Scott not doing good couple’s choreography. Everyone knows they’re not my favorite dancers, but I really loved their lyrical hip hop. I thought the story was a bit cheesy, but it suited them and they did a really good job.
Tyce really did right by Sasha & Alexander and I loved their jazz routine. I was really surprised by that one lift in particularly where Sasha leaped backwards into Alexander’s arms. There was some awkwardness at the end, but it was hard to know what was choreographed and what was mistake. I think they covered pretty well. They really killed their routines tonight.
Whereas Jordan & Tadd’s Spencer Liff 80s-ish Broadway did them no favors. It felt really slow and flat to me. And I was annoyed with Jordan’s leg the entire routine. But I don’t think Spencer’s choreo helped at all. It really sucks because I like them both, but it’s too bad they didn’t have the Travis vulture routine 2nd instead of 1st.
Ouch. That cha cha was messy and I hate to agree because I love Ryan, but it probably was her fault. I kept seeing “all right, time for the ___” on her face as she was getting set for a lift or move. She was thinking too hard. There were all sorts of stiff arms too, like they were fighting each other to lead. I was too absorbed in the trainwreck of Ryan to notice much about Rickey’s hot tamale train-worthy performance.
Caitlynn & Mitchell’s Travis Wall was probably the first of his routines that I didn’t love. It had some great elements, but felt slow, labored and repetitive. I couldn’t put my finger on what it was or where it was coming from. I looove Caitlynn and Mitchell has grown on me enormously, so I want them to be safe, but I don’t think they had a very good night, unfortunately.
Is anybody surprised that Melanie & Marko danced their Dee Caspary contemporary beautifully? They are amazing dancers and I loved that the judges talked about how sad they’re gonna be to see them split up next week, basically taking it for granted that they’re going to survive the cut tomorrow night. They are really incredible and they had two strong routines tonight, so I’m sure they will be here next week.
With Clarice & Jess’s jive, I agreed with Mary when she said that their legs had the jive joy. I thought that their chemistry had finally peaked and they were really cute together and their legs were spot on. But the lefts felt slow and labored and there were simple moments that seemed really labored as well. Probably not the best routine to end on.
Well, I’m gonna go work on the Power Rankings. What do Y’ALL think?? Help me out here!
At the time I’m writing this, Emilie’s comments on Jess and Clarice’s jive haven’t come up. It wasn’t too good, IMO. Jess again had a problem with the lifts, and there was just no spark at all that I could see to the routine.
Overall, it seems that two couples are clearly at the top:
Melanie and Marko, and Sasha and Alex. After that it gets murky.
@ Emilie. The reason the T. Wall routine with Kaitlynn and Mitchell seemed repetitive was – it was. I think there were at least five distinct elements identical to their dance last week from Mandy Moore, including the double jump landing on the calf that Nigel loved. They will probably be the third couple in the top three.
I hope they finally split a couple. Ryan was the only dancer I noted as receiving negative comments on both dances, and it seemed she danced “scared” both times. She may go tomorrow night. Ricky shouldn’t go, however, since both Tadd and Jess are weaker. It could really come down to the solos between those two.
Does anybody remember that Season 6 never got a tour? I hope the All-Stars are loaded with Season 6 so they get to go on one!
i missed tonight cause my dvr didn’t record for some reason……did they name the allstars yet?
@Glory: Tomorrow!
@Lee: You’re dead on with the jive. I didn’t like it at all and I think it may hurt them that it was the last performance (i.e. most memorable). But, they’ve been picking up steam, so I dunno. I agree with your clear 2 in the Top 3. And you’re right, it gets murky after that. I’m about to post the Power Rankings in a few minutes…I also agree that I hope they finally split a couple with this elimination. It’s time since they’ll be dancing with All-Stars and not each other from here one out. And you make a GREAT point about Season 6. If they pick a lot of Season 6 dancers as All-Stars they’d get more exposure and a chance at a tour finally. Power Rankings in 5 and I’ve included a poll!!
I think that the bottom 3 will be Jordan and Tadd, because of their second dance, Caitlynn and Mitchell, and Ryan and Ricky. I thought Clarice and Jess were great tonight and I think they’ll stay out of the bottom 3.
Tough call – I thought the night was loaded with un-memorable performances. I don’t know if it was all the choreography, the dancers, or what. (Due to a DVR problem I missed the vulture dance until it goes up on the web.)
I thought both R&R dances were way better than what the judges were giving them credit for, particularly compared to what was being said about the other routines tonight. Seems like they are the next two to go home.
The bright spot of the night was Jesse Tyler Ferguson. I’ve never seen him before, but he was the best guest judge of the season by a landslide.
@Joe: You and I agree on the Bottom 3. 🙂
@Kevin: I think you’re right that there were a lot of blah performances and I think in a few situations it was the choreographers not being terribly creative or maybe working harder on one routine than the other. You’re right about Jesse Tyler Ferguson. He was on this short-lived and really funny show The Class and is now on Modern Family. It was nice to have somebody who’s such an obvious fan of the show as a judge. The only way it could be better is if they had me and John on to guest judge. 🙂
I’ll post more thoughts later (still watching the show here out west) but I’ve gotta play devil’s advocate about Ryan/Ricky. I actually totally agreed with the judges. Fashion-wise, they both looked spectacular, Ryan especially wow. But Jesse was right, it felt like a lot of the movements didn’t get finished, like they hit a glass ceiling with the enthusiasm. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but they needed to look at Jess and Clarice’s waltz from a couple of weeks ago, THAT was the type of movement and mentality that needed to be behind their dancing. Though Ryan put on that kind of fake smile, they just didn’t look like they enjoyed it. I’ve grown up as a theatre kid so I tend to gravitate to the broadway numbers; this had so much potential (amazing song, concept, and classic choreography) but it just wasn’t there for me.
IMO, it is time for Ryan to go home. Hopefully, the Judges will not carry her over another week. Tadd or Jess will have to bring it, to be in final 10. Choregraphy does not seem as strong this season. Look forward to the Allstars. Great comment that the dances from season 6 did not tour. It would be great to see some of them….
I’m with you, Emilie, I really hope Ryan and Ricky make Top 10. Ryan has been taking a beating in popular opinion (and, last night, from the judges), but most of it is undeserved. I get the annoying feeling the sometimes Nigel and Mary already have decided what they’re going to say even before they see the dances, and last night they decided that Ryan wasn’t connecting with fans, so they decided to give her a kick while she was down. It’s mostly undeserved.
There certainly always is a LOT of luck necessary to be one of the anointed, favored dancers on this show, and right now Ryan is getting the worst of it and taking her lumps. She was unlucky and undeserving to be bottom 3 last week, in my opinion (also the judges’ opinion, i believe, if I correctly remember their praise for her zombie dance with Ricky.) Clarice and Jess’ duet last week wasn’t nearly as strong, and if they had been bottom 3 last week instead of Ryan then there wouldn’t be all this negativity now surrounding Ryan, that she’s not connecting with the audience, etc., all that poppycock. It would be Clarice who’d be (much more deservingly) carrying the burden of 2 trips to the bottom 3.
Okay, reading all the criticism of Ryan here and elsewhere HAS made me realize some of her weaknesses, but people are really going overboard in criticizing her. And it’s for things that aren’t even her fault (how much the show hyped her, the built-in advantage of her Mia connection, etc.) Her strengths haven’t gotten enough credit. She had a rough time last night but she was credible and deserved more credit for the Broadway number than the judges’ allowed. She performs and acts her dances very well in general. Look at her in Sonya’s Top 20 group number and also the geisha group dance. She’s a standout — there’s a reason why Sonya keeps placing her front and center. If Ryan survives this week and is able to retain her confidence and keep growing, then I really believe we could see some great things from her this season.
I’m so scared for the results show. Caitlynn and Ryan, 2 of my favorites, and had tough nights, while Clarice, definitely my least favorite, had a good night. RELATIVELY good, that is — she wasn’t quite as wooden in her expressions as usual.
I like the Melanie/Marko Tango more every time I rewatch it. You can see the flaws, the parts they struggle with, but for me it’s one of those cases where a thing’s imperfections actually make me love and appreciate it even more.
Bottom 3 predictions: Sasha & Alexander (because A is still a weak link, he hasn’t improved enough), Ryan & Ricky (both routines panned, and for the most part rightfully so), Caitlynn & Mitchell (one bad performance and one unmemorable).
As for R&R specifically –
I was pleasantly surprised by their Broadway, I liked it more than anything else they’ve done. Probably because they finally showed they have a laidback, playful side to them and aren’t always wound so tight. But I could see what the judges meant about it being maybe TOO mellow.
Aaand for the chacha that uptightness was back, unfortunately. I think the reason Ricky got praised was that his execution was very clean and precise, while Ryan was all over the place. But I didn’t think either of them had any real latin flavor. Ryan was the absolute worst though – clearly way, waaaay out of her comfort zone.
Oh and I forgot to mention who should be sent home:
Alexander and Ryan.
@margaret: Aww, I was hoping you’d like the Broadway!
@Tom: I think Ryan may be one of those cases of a dancer who is beloved by choreographers because of their ability and who shines in group numbers, but not so much in couples dancing. I think she and Rickey like each other but may not have any chemistry. Who knows how this would’ve played out if they’d had different partners?
@Emilie — Last night Ryan looked like she was dancing a bit scared. Hard to blame her, with the winds starting to blow so strongly against her. But she’ll have to regain her confidence if she’s going to dance better (IF she doesn’t get cut tonight, of course.)
Yeah, Ryan and Rickey may just not be a good match. A LOT of luck needed for this show, of course, including who you get as a partner. But, if they survive, they’ll have other partners, so I’d def like to see that! Anyway, sigh, it certainly could have been worse for Ryan. If Missy and especially Miranda hadn’t been let down by their partners they could still be in the running…
BTW, anyone here a Paula van Oppen fan? She’s been dancing backup for Nicole Scherzinger so i’m guessing that she’ll be onstage performing with Nicole tonight at the results show. So much to look forward to!! That, and the all-stars announcement.
But I’m scared for Ryan. Also Caitlynn!