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SYTYCD Finale: The Winner Is…

Season 14 wrapped up tonight and we now have a winner…which I’ll reveal shortly. The finale is always a nice recap of the season with a few new performances mixed in. Each of the judges picked two of their favorite performances. All had great picks and a few were some of my favorites.

Tonight we were treated to a Mia Michaels group number…which was amazing. It was really nice to have her back on the show. Also, loved that she took the time to sit with each of the top 4 to discuss their journey. I really hope that if there is another season that Mia will return to choreograph.

The second new number of the night was a Travis Wall piece, performed by Lex and Travis himself. It was probably the best routine that showcased just how talented Lex is and I’m sure that we will see Lex perform with Shaping Sound more in the future.

Vanessa also got the chance to dance for us…didn’t see that coming figured she would just be singing. It was a nice surprise to see he dance with Robert.

On to the results.

4th: Kiki – Not surprised but he was the most improved dancer of the season.

3rd: Taylor – This one actually surprised me…I honestly thought she would have been in the top 2.

2nd: Koine – She was the dark horse of the season. I enjoyed the montage of everyone not pronouncing her name right.

WINNER: Lex Ishimoto – He was my pick to win from his first audition…So congrats Lex.

Looking forward to see the tour next month and hopefully a new season next summer.

September 25, 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.

SYTYCD: Top 4 Perfomance Thoughts

It’s a busy Monday night if you are a dance fan, So you Think you can Dance and Dancing with the Stars on at the same time. So I hope everyone got their votes in for their favorite on both shows.

The performance finale was busy itself, each contestant danced 7 times tonight. So I’ll give my thoughts on the new dances we saw tonight…I’ll discuss what they chose as their favorite in a different post.

Top 4: Chris Scott and Travis Wall
I really enjoyed this collaboration from the two choreographers. Each one of the dancers represented element; Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water. I will to say this was pre-filmed with the costumes, make up, and the elements themselves.

Kiki & Taylor: Cha Cha – Anya Garnis
So nice to have Anya back on the show. It was a very fun and fast Cha cha. Kiki in his own genre I am not surprised that he does well and is a great partner to whoever he is dancing with. Taylor was the one out of her element and I thought I saw a tiny mistake but I had to hear what Mary had to say. Mary didn’t seem to mind the mistake and Taylor made the hot tamale train.

Lex & Koine: Broadway – Al Blackstone
So this is my favorite Broadway number they have done on this show in a while. I loved everything about it but mostly that it had the comedic element to it.

Koine & Taylor: Jazz – Mandy Moore
This jazz had a very Fosse feel to it. I agreed with Taylor, the choreography started simple and got more complicated as the dance progressed. Thankfully they were able to pull off the side by side turns. I think Koine just needed a little bit more power behind her turns to keep up with Taylor.

Kiki & Lex: Hip Hop – Luther Brown
I really don’t have much to say about this dance other than I enjoyed it. It is nice to see Kiki really having fun in this competition.

Kiki & Koine: Contemporary – Travis Wall
I did have to watch this dance twice to enjoy it…I got lost in trying figure out how the story fit in. Overall it was another beautiful dance choreographed by Travis. I also though both on them danced it well.

Lex & Taylor: Contemporary – Mia Michaels
I was not only excited to have Mia back on the show but even more excited that she had these two to work with. Lex and Taylor had a nice bit of news to reveal after Mia explain the concept of the dance. They are DATING…which explains their chemistry and why this piece worked well for them. I loved this dance and I have missed Mia on this show. Only she would say okay you are going to kiss and while you are doing that you are going to continue to dance with the rest of your body.

I have a feeling it will come down to the two love birds on who will win. Look for a post later this week on how I think the outcome will be. Till then let me know who you think will win.

September 18, 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.

SYTYCD: Top 6 to Top 4 Thoughts

First off let me start of my saying that I live in Georgia and we were definitely feeling the effects of Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irma. Lots of rain and heavy wind which cause a few issues while watching tonight’s show. With that being said I might have gotten all of the choreographer’s last name but I tried. Thankfully, the dances are uploaded quickly so I can watch them back.

So if I heard Cat correctly we have two more shows left this season the performance finale and the finale. The voted this week and next week will help determine the winner. Also, Mia Michaels will be back next week…so exciting.

Lex & Gaby: Samba – Sasha Farber
What a fun Samba from Sasha…I’m going to miss him as a pro this season on DWTS. I thought Lex did great and it was the strongest performance from him tonight. I particularly like how he flipped over Gaby at the end.

Koine & Marko: Contemporary – Mandy and Elizabeth
This was a difficult routine to learn with the props but they mastered it for the live show. I just really enjoy watching these two dance together. The only critique that I have is on the choreography…just wanted a little more dancing without the props.

Kiki & Jenna: Jazz – Ray Leeper
I don’t what has happened over the last couple of weeks but Kiki has become a different person. He seems more confident outside of his own style…and I think he out danced Jenna this time.

Taylor & Robert: Hip Hop – Keone and Mari
Excited to see these two choreographing tonight…they were one of my favorite from World of Dance. I felt like they nailed this…it was strong and clean. I felt like I was watching a taller version on Keone and Mari

Lex & Koine: Disco –  Doriana Sanchez
Okay so while this disco was good…for me it wasn’t the best done to this song. This has been used two other time on this show for disco. I think Koine shined a little bit brighter that Lex. I’m not sure what happen but Lex injured himself at the end of that routine. I really hope that he is okay because you could tell he was in pain and the medics went right to him as they were going to commercial.

Taylor & Logan: Contemporary – Mark Kanemura
My first thought was it is going to take forever to get all that glitter off of them later tonight. I really like this dance and for me it was very up lifting. Also, I think Taylor and Logan were a great pairing.

Kiki & Kaylee: Bollywood – Nakul
I sort of giggled when Nakul questioned himself as to why he creates difficult routines for the contestants to learn. Both Kiki and Kaylee did great and they looked like they were having fun.

Top 4(as they were revealed): Lex, Taylor, Kiki, and Koine

Let me know what you think of the top 4.

 

September 11, 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.

SYTYCD: Who Will be on the Top 4

Season 14 of SYTYCD is quickly coming to an end and I am not quite ready for it to be over. Hopefully, there will be another season and maybe if we nag the network enough they will go back to the top 20 format. Anyway, back to this season, next week there is a double elimination to reveal the top 4.

There are three contestants that I am sure will be in the top 4. Taylor, Lex, and Logan are my top three and I think that it’s possible that any of them will be this season’s winner. As for the other three contestants, I think it will be close call of who will take the remaining spot, cause they are all deserving of spot in the top 4.

Koine: For me she has the best chance to make the top 4. Koine started off as a bit of a dark horse in the competition but I think she has become a favorite of the viewing audience. I also really like the partnership between her and Marko.

Kiki: If Kiki is the one that makes it to the top 4, he will be the first ballroom dancer to make it that far since season 2. Several have made it to the top 6 but none have made to the finals since Heidi and Benji. Kiki has improved since the academy and I think his fan base is bigger that I realize. Judging by the studio audience the girls like him.

Kaylee: I think that Kaylee is deserving of a spot in the top 4…she is a talented dancer that has learned of to fuse different styles of dance successfully. She is unique, while that is a good thing, it can also be a bad thing. Nigel said it the best that Kaylee won’t be everyone’s “cup of tea”.

Those are my thoughts on who will make it to the finale. What are yours?

September 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.

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.