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Top 12 Power Rankings

Hard to believe that we are down to the top 12 dancers already, which means the all stars will be joining in on the fun soon. Another fantastic opening number, choreographed by Sonya and Dmitry, I love when ballroom and other styles are fused together. Before we learn who is in the bottom six we learn that Curtis has injured his shoulder and will not be able to dance this week, Unfortunately for Curtis he lands in the bottom six along with Alan, Nico, Makensie, Alexis, Jasmine H. Alexis and Curtis were the unlucky two that were sent home, and like the judges each cut get harder to deal with because of the emotional connections.

Before I get to my rankings I figured I’d mention the two small group numbers. I love both of them, I tend to just enjoy those dances rather than try to find something wrong. Also, it was nice to see Spencer and Leonardo fill in for Curtis; I enjoyed seeing the choreographers dance.

Top 4

Hayley & Leonardo: Hayley absolutely nailed this tango, and Leonardo made her look really good. Sadly, I don’t think this dance would have been as good had Curtis been able to perform. This was the stand out performance for me tonight.

Jasmine & Aaron: Justin came up with a great concept loved they were able to work with the apple and make it through the performance without dropping it. Over just love seeing these two dance together. I had a feel they would save Jasmine at the beginning of the show but this helped save her.

Amy & Fikshun: The moment the song started, I was excited about the dance. There really isn’t anything I can really critique them on other than what Nigel pointed out about having similar characters.

Malece & Alan: Wow talk about a fast salsa, Jonathan gave these two a big challenge. They pulled it off nicely but poor Malece ran out of steam at the end. I don’t think that she has to worry about being in danger next week but Alan might even though this was more his style of dance.

Bottom 3

Makensie & Paul: Okay, Why did I not realize that Paul was the one that won the Armenian version of the show. I think I’ll blame it on getting older and not paying a lot of attention as much as I should to the early auditions. Anyways these two dance great last night but I just didn’t care for or maybe the moves and the music didn’t mesh well for me.

Alexis & Nico: I was not a Soyna fan tonight. I really don’t know why the dancers danced great but the choreography was just wasn’t for me.

Jenna & Tucker: Yeah hip-hop is not their thing but they gave it a good try. They just didn’t have their right amount of attitude that was needed for the dance.

Bottom 6

Alan, Tucker, Nice, Jenna, Makensie, and Malece

July 31, 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.

SYTYCD Season 10 – Top 14 (Now 12) Performances: Music List

Group Dance:
Style: Jazz / Ballroom
Choreographer: Sonya Tayeh, Dmitry Chaplin
Song: District 78 – Dimman Kryar Dimman Kryper Sakta In - Dimman Kryper Sakta In - Single

Alexis: Ben E King – Stand By Me Stand By Me - Ben E King
Jasmine: Dianne Reeves – Endangered Species Endangered Species - The Best of Dianne Reeves

National Dance Day
– Jennifer Lopez – Live It Up Live It Up - Live It Up - Single
– Bruno Mars –

Jenna & Tucker
Style: Hip Hop
Choreographer: Luther Brown
Song: Wale feat Big Sean – Slight Work Slight Work (feat. Big Sean) - Ambition (Deluxe Version)

Alexis & Nico
Style: Contemporary
Choreographer: Sonya Tayeh
Song: The Bengsons – Ashes Ashes (As Heard On

Hayley & Curtis
Style: Argentine Tango
Choreographer: Miriam Larici & Leonardo Barrionuevo
Song: Juan D’Arienzo – Este Es El Rey Este Es el Rey - A Don Juan

Makenzie & Paul
Style: Jazz
Choreographer: Sonya Tayeh
Song: Santigold – You’ll Find a Way You'll Find a Way - Santigold

Jasmine Aaron
Style: Contemporary
Choreographer: Justin Giles
Song: Birdy – The District Sleeps Alone Tonight The District Sleeps Alone Tonight - Birdy (Deluxe Version)

Amy & Fik-Shun
Style: Hip Hop
Choreographer: Christopher Scott
Song: Marvin Gaye – Let’s Get It On Let's Get It On - Number 1's: Marvin Gaye

Malece & Alan
Style: Salsa
Choreographer: Jonathan Platero
Song: Tito Puente & His Orchestra – “Pa’ Los Rumberos” Pa' los Rumberos - Dance Mania (Legacy Edition)

Group Routines
– Broadway: Joe Cocker – Come Together Come Together - Across the Universe (Music from the Motion Picture) [Deluxe Edition]
– Contemporary: RyanDan – Tears of An Angel Tears of an Angel - RyanDan

July 30, 2013 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... =)

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.

SYTYCD Season 10: Top 16 (Now 14) Performances – Music List

Top 16 Group Dance
Style: Contemporary
Choreographer: Stacey Tookey and Peter Chu
Song: “New World”—The Irrepressibles New World - Nude

SOLOS
Makenzie Dustman: “Claire de Lune”—Laura Sullivan Claire de Lune: - Piano Solos
Alan Bersten: “Return of the King”—X-Ray Dog
Curtis Holland: “Used To Love U”—John Legend Used to Love U - Get Lifted / Once Again
Mariah Spears: “Set It Off”—Kardinal Official feat. The Clipse
Dorian ‘BluPrint’ Hector: “Illusion of Choice”—Gramatik Illusion of Choice - #Digitalfreedom

Alexis & Nico
Style: Jive
Choreographer: Toni Meredith & Melanie LaPatin
Song: “Mayhem” – Imelda May Mayhem - Mayhem

Jenna & Tucker
Style: Contemporary
Choreographer: Travis Wall
Song: “Hangin By A Thread” – Jann Arden Hangin' by a Thread - Happy?

Mariah & Blu-Print
Style: Jazz
Choreographer: Brian Friedman
Song: “Fall into the Sky” – Zedd & Lucky Date feat. Ellie Goulding Fall Into the Sky (feat. Ellie Goulding) - Clarity

Malece & Alan
Style: Hip-hop
Choreographer: Dave Scott
Song: “Bassline”—Chris Brown Bassline - Fortune (Deluxe Version)

Hayley & Curtis
Style: Contemporary
Choreographer: Dee Caspery
Song: “Don’t Let Go Yet” (Radio Edit)—David J. Roch Don't Let Go Yet (Radio Edit) - Don't Let Go Yet (Radio Edit) - Single

Amy & Fik-Shun
Style: Jazz
Choreographer: Tyce DiOrio
Song: “Under the Bridge” (Sous le port) from The Triplets of Belleville Under the Bridge (Sous le pont) - The Triplets of Belleville (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture)

Makenzie & Paul
Style: Hip-hop
Choreographer: Dave Scott
Song: “Pretty Lil’ Heart” – Robin Thicke feat Lil’ Wayne Pretty Lil' Heart (feat. Lil Wayne) - Love After War (Deluxe Version)

Jasmine & Aaron
Style: Quickstep
Choreographer: Tony Meredith & Melanie LaPatin
Song: “Pencil Full of Lead” – Paolo Lutini Pencil Full of Lead - Sunny Side Up (Bonus Track Version)

July 23, 2013 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... =)

Top 16 Power Rankings

Is there ever going to be a right time to do eliminations? When there is no results show, they have to do what what’s need to make the show work. I’ll admit I like what they did this time around. Due to an injury Jade had to withdraw from the competition, so that gave Curtis and BluPrint a get out of jail free card. The girls on the other hand had to dance their solos. Jenna, Alexis, and Jasmine M all did great solos…my toes hurt just watching Alexis.

The opening number was a great collaboration by Sonya and Chris. Ok now on with the hard part trying to rank these dances.

Top 4

Makensie & Paul: What a way for a new choreographer to make a statement. The song itself, which I recognize from the musical RENT, sung by the insanely talented Indina Minzel (who played Maureen in RENT) was enough to give me goose bumps. Makensie and Paul dance beautifully. Paul is keeps surprising me, tonight with the amount of emotion he put into this piece. I think it’s safe to say that these two might be the dark horses of the show.

Malece & Marco: Marco stepped in and took Jade’s spot. I’m not sure what Sonya said to Malece but it seems we got to see what potential the Judges see in her. I hope she can keep this improvement up cause she was great last night.

Jasmine H. & Aaron: This Broadway routine felt like a throw back to the old Hollywood days. It really was so much fun to watch. These two are going to be around for a while. Jasmine and her legs for days. Aaron is starting to remind me of Gene Kelly, I’d love to see him recreated one of his dances.

Amy & FikShun: I just can’t thing of one negative thing about these two. The only thing that this paso needed was a little more fine tuning (cleaning).

Middle 3

Mariah & BluPrint: I loved seeing these two in their comfort zone. BluPrint’s personality is slowly starting to show…it just needs to happen faster.

Alexis & Nico: I agreed with most of what the judges said. It’s one of those dances I just like but I don’t have much to say about it.

Jenna & Tucker: Was’t feeling this as much as the Judges were, I do agree that this was more of a jazzy hip hop. I love Tucker and my eyes are usually on him. I not sure why but I just don’t care for Jenna all that much.

Bottom 2

Jasmine M & Alan: This dance need more quirkiness from both of the dancers. I saw it in Alan near the end but not sure if it is enough to keep him safe.

Hayley & Curtis: When it comes to the ballroom numbers I always pay attention to what Mary has to say. Curtis did need to be a bit stronger and truly lead his partner. I thought the gave it great effort and danced the samba as best as the could

So who will be in danger in two weeks(thanks Baseball All Star game). Boys Curtis, BluPrint and Alan. Girls Jenna, Hayley and Alexis.

July 10, 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.

SYTYCD Season 10: Top 18 (Now 16) Performances – Music List

GROUP DANCE
Top 18 Group Dance
Style: Jazz
Choreographer: Christopher Scott & Sonya Tayeh
Song: Sóley – “Pretty Face” (Nathan Lanier Remix) [unable to find the Remix version, so here is the single version Pretty Face - We Sink]

DANCE FOR YOUR LIFE
Alexis Juliano: Otis Redding – “Try a Little Tenderness” Try a Little Tenderness - The Very Best of Otis Redding
Jasmine Mason: Jazmine Sullivan – “10 Seconds” 10 Seconds - Love Me Back
Jenna Johnson: Jessie J & Big Sean – “Wild” Wild (feat. Big Sean) - Wild (feat. Big Sean) - Single

Amy & FikShun
Style: Paso Doble
Choreographer: Jean-Marc Généreux
Song: Jack Trammel – “Tactical Dominance” (Orch Hybrid Version) Tactical Dominance (Orch Hybrid Version) - Behemoth

Jasmine Harper & Aaron
Style: Broadway
Choreographer: Spencer Liff
Song: Smash cast feat. Megan Hilty – “They Just Keep Moving the Line” They Just Keep Moving the Line (SMASH Cast Version) [feat. Megan Hilty] - Bombshell (Music from the TV Series

MaKenzie & Paul
Style: Contemporary
Choreographer: Lindsay Nelko
Song: Idina Menzel – “No Day But Today” No Day But Today (Live from Soundstage) - Idina Menzel - EP

Jasmine Mason & Alan
Style: Jazz
Choreographer: Sean Cheesman
Song: Charlotte Martin – “Veins” Veins - Veins

Jenna & Tucker
Style: Hip Hop
Choreographer: Keoni & Mari Madrid
Song: Michael Jackson – “Dangerous” (Immortal version) Dangerous (Immortal Version) - The Ultimate Fan Extras Collection

Malece
Style: Contemporary
Choreographer: Sonya Tayeh
Song: Sleeping at Last – “In the Embers” In the Embers - Atlas: Light - EP

Hayley & Curtis
Style: Samba
Choreographer: Jean-Marc Généreux
Song: Club des Belugas – “Straight to Memphis” Straight to Memphis - Forward

Alexis & Nico
Style: Jazz
Choreographer: Spencer Liff
Song: Nina Simone – “I Put a Spell on You” I Put a Spell on You - The Best of Nina Simone

Mariah & BluPrint
Style: Hip Hop
Choreographer: Luther Brown
Song: M.I.A. – “Bring the Noize” Bring the Noize - Bring the Noize - Single

July 9, 2013 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... =)

Top 18 Power Rankings

Sorry this is late my computer battery completely died last night so I had to rewrite this entire post at work today.

We start the show off with another great opening number choreographed by Tyce. Anyone else try to guess who the choreographer is before Cat announces his or her name?

Looks like they decided to change up the format from last year by having the eliminations at the top of the show. I’m not too crazy about it but with no results show there isn’t too many options. That being said; Mariah, Carlos, Brittany, Jade, Makensie, and Alan landed in the bottom 3 girls and guys. The judges saved Makensie and Alan right away, leaving the other four to dance for their life. I really wasn’t all that impressed with the solos. Carlos and Brittany fell victim to the first cut last night…sad to see them go but happy to still see them dance one more time.

Now on to the dancing, and it seemed the choreographers stepped up their game making my job harder. Here are my thoughts on last night.

Top 3

Jasmine & Aaron: Nappy Tabs created another fantastic lyrical hip-hop. I felt that they both tapped into the emotion of the dance and really made it come to life. Jasmine did seem outshine Aaron but not by much.

Makensie & Paul: This was my favorite dance of the night and I’ll admit I watched it about five more times last night. Sean created a fun jazz to show off a new side of Paul and Makensie. I really hope these two are safe.

Amy & Fik-Shun: There is just something about these two pair together I just love. I loved the bellhop theme, and the looked like they were having fun. I really don’t have much more to say other than I ‘d like to seem them get a genre outside both of their comfort zones.

Middle 4

Alexis & Nico: Such a beautiful sequel to the original dance (season 7 Robert & Kathryn). I think they redeemed themselves in the judges’ eyes after last week. Alexis was unsure if she could be able to pick up where Kathryn left off, but she did. Nico is going to be one of those dancers that I can watch dance all day.  Now I want to see these dances done back to back.

Jenna & Tucker: I really like this number despite there not being enough cha cha steps. I would say it learned more towards jazz, but that’s not their fault.  I’m sure they will get another chance at ballroom. Lots of chemistry between them is what helped make the dance more enjoyable.

Jasmine M. & Alan: While it was a fantastic tango, something was just not right. I think Jasmine’s costume really did not work with the dance. While is was pretty I just felt like a longer dress would have kept her lines longer and a darker color would have been nice too.

Hayley & Curtis: I felt like I watched a different dance than the judges did. They both danced well but it was the choreography I didn’t care for, but I also think Christina made a great point too, about dancing to words of the song.

Bottom 3

Mariah & Carlos: I not sure why I didn’t care for this dance, I found it kind of hard to connect with Mariah. She danced well but something was missing for me.

Malece & Jade: I always find the Bollywood numbers to be fun to watch. While the technique wasn’t great they both did a good job. I would have ranked this higher but the other dances overshadowed it.

Brittany & BluPrint: I found myself watching Brittany in this Spencer Lift Broadway routine. This piece would have been great if BluPrint was able to let go and just have fun with the dance.

So who will be in danger of leaving next week?

Girls: Mariah, Hayley, or Jasmine M.

Guys: BluPrint, Jade, and I can’t decide on a third

July 3, 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.

SYTYCD Season 10: Top 18 Performances – Music List

Top 20 Group Dance
Choreographer: Tyce Diorio
Song: Moonrise Kingdom – The Heroic Weather-Conditions of the Universe, Pt 1: A Veiled Mist The Heroic Weather-Conditions of the Universe, Pt. 1: A Veiled Mist - Moonrise Kingdom (Original Soundtrack)

Dance For Your Life Solos
Mariah: Waka Flocka Flame – Hard in de Paint Hard In da Paint - Flockaveli (Deluxe Version)
Carlos: Imagine Dragons – Radioactive Radioactive - Night Visions
Brittany Ooah – Hacksaw Hacksaw - Hacksaw / Tubstomper - Single
Jade: Alicia Keys – De Novo Adagio (Intro) De Novo Adagio (Intro) - Girl On Fire

Hayley & Curtis
Style: Jazz
Choreographer: Ray Leeper
Song: Jessie J – Mama Knows Best

Je Harper & Aaron
Style: Lyrical Hip Hop
Choreographer: NappyTabs
Song: Alicia Keys – Tears Always Win Tears Always Win - Girl On Fire

Malece & Jade
Style: Bollywood
Choreographer: Nakul Dev Mahajan
Song: “Radha” from Student of the Year Radha (From

Alexis & Nico
Style: Contemporary
Choreographer: Stacey Tookey
Song: Ólafur Arnalds & Arnór Dan Old Skin - For Now I Am Winter (Bonus Track Version)

Brittany & BluPrint
Style: Broadway
Choreographer: Spencer Liff
Song: Ice Princess – It’s Oh So Quiet It's Oh So Quiet - Ice Princess (Original Soundtrack)

Jasmine Mason & Alan
Style: Argentine Tango
Choreographer: Miriam Larici & Leonardo Barrionuevo
Song: PP Music – Escape from Slavery Escape from Slavery - Gothic Impact

Makenzie & Paul
Style: Jazz
Choreographer: Sean Cheesman
Song: Trish – Mannequin (Skeet & Tito Remix)

Mariah & Carlos
Style: Contemporary
Choreographer: Stacey Tookey
Song: Ellie Goulding – Dead in the Water Dead In the Water - Halcyon (Deluxe Version)

Amy & Fik-Shun
Style: Hip Hop
Choreographer: NappyTabs
Song: Dorrough – After Party After Party - After Party - Single

Jenna & Tucker
Style: Cha-Cha
Choreographer: Dmitry Chaplin
Song: Pete “El Conde” Rodríguez – I LIke it Like That I Like It Like That (Aaron Jerome Remix) - I Like It Like That Fania Remixed

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... =)