Free SYTYCD Newsletter Want to receive the latest news on So You Think You Can Dance sent straight to your email? Join hundreds of other SYTYCD fans who subscribe to Pure SYTYCD for FREE!

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.

SYTYCD: Who’s Safe & Who’s In Danger

The fewer contestants left the harder it will be to figure out who will be in the bottom 3. It’s even harder when all the dancers have a good night. I have to say I was a bit surprised that Koine was in the bottom 3 this week. Hopefully her fan base will rally and save her next week.

For me Taylor, Lex, and Logan are all safe. As for the rest Kiki is the only one of the four left that hasn’t been in the bottom 3. I think it will be a toss-up between Koine and Kaylee who will be the fourth contestant safe. So it will be interesting who will actually be in the bottom 3 next week. Makes me glad that I am not a judge.

Speaking of the judges, I wonder when they will no longer have a say in who stays and who goes home. So far I haven’t disagreed with the judges decisions but I have in the past…especially when it came to Jenna(I actually enjoy watching he dance now but in season 10 not so much). I don’t think it’s really a secret that she is a judges favorite…so if Kiki happens to land in the bottom 3 three that they keep him about based on his talent and not Jenna’s

Anyways looking forward to next week.

August 30, 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 8 to Top 7 Thoughts

Fabulous opening number by Mark Kanemura, I love when he comes back to the show. Also, great all star dance by Jaci Royal. Each dancer will dance twice once with their all-star and one with each other.

Koine & Marko: Jazz- Mandy Moore
This was pure jazz for me, no story just straight up dancing. Just a great way to start the night. I agree with the judges about what they said about Koine. Side not makes me happy that Marko will be on tour.

Taylor & Robert: Hip Hop- Luther Brown
Luther is on fire on this season. Tonight they were Tay-lo and Bob…alter egos come out during hip hop. I really enjoyed watching this…reminded me of when Witney and Twitch danced together in season nine. Luther giving Taylor the gum might have really helped her with the “stank face”.

Lex & Gaby: Contemporary Mandy Moore
Yay…Lex is in his own style. I agree with the judges…Mandy created a great piece that showed all of Lex’s strengths. His future as a dancer is bright.

Kaylee & Cyrus: Cha-Cha- Val Chmerkovskiy
Ok…so I enjoyed Val’s choreography this week, could be my favorite I’ve seen from him in a while. Kayla, nailed it from the steps, to the hips and looking like she was having fun. I though Cyrus did a respectable job and I wish Nigel wouldn’t throw shade his way.

Mark & Comfort: Broadway- Spencer Liff
I think is somewhat obvious that while Mark is mainly a b-boy/hip hop dancer, he has studied other styles before he came on to the show. I might have to agree with Nigel that he is probably the favorite of the younger crowd. That being said he was great in this number.

Kiki & Jenna: Jazz- Travis Wall
Umm…not my cup of tea. However, I thought Kiki did a great job. I think he needs a little more confidence in himself in the fact that he can do these style. Loved the costuming and makeup, maybe it was the music that made me wrinkle my nose.

Logan & Allison: Hip Hop- Chris Scott
So good, love Chris Scott’s lyrical hip hop. So fun and cute…you can really see the connection between the two of them. Side note…I can totally see Allison and Twitch dancing this together.

Lex & Taylor: Jazz- Spencer Liff
Touring together with a dance convention for year definitely helped them with the connection. Might have to make sure Spencer was ok after Nigel calling this on of the best dances that has ever been on the show. Like Mary I had a little bit of a flash of Hok. I would not be surprise at all if it comes down between Taylor and Lex on who will win.

Koine & Kiki: Salsa: Val Chmerkovskiy
Where has this Kiki been. Worthy of the hot tamale train in my opinion. Also I am enjoying seeing Koine show her fun side. Kiki is good a what he does…won’t be surprised to see him on DWTS in the future.

Logan & Kaylee: Contemporary- Travis Wall
I loved this idea that Travis had…part reminded me of Peter Pan chasing his shadow at times. Kaylee did a wonderful job mirroring Logan…which was a task in itself. Definitely Emmy nomination worthy.

Dassy & Mark: Hip Hop- Chris Scott
I really thought this showed off their personalities well. Glad Dassy was able to pull off the umbrella moves for the live show after breaking nine of them. It was a fun pairing I love how they even continued on even after the routine.

Bottom three: Dassy, Kaylee, and Koine

Dassy in the end went home but like FikShun said she went home on a high note.

August 28, 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: Safe or In Danger, Plus Tour Thoughts

 

Sorry this is a little late and short but I’ve had a busy week.

I think it’s fair to say that all of the top 8 had good performances Monday night. I been wracking my brain on who I think will be in the bottom 3 but I’m still kind of stumped. I honestly think despite the judges comments, I think Taylor will be safe. Also, I believe that Koine, Mark, Logan, and Lex will be safe. Kiki could go either way for me but he did have a good night so I’m going to say that he is safe. So that leaves Kaylee and Dassy that could be in danger. Anyone else have any guesses?

In other news the tour is back…which is exciting to me. I’ve been every year they have had a tour and I always have a good time. Joining the top 10 on tour will be all-stars Jasmine and Marco. I not sure if any of the all-stars will be touring but it could be a possibility depending on who wins the show. If you haven’t gone to a live show…you should check it out. The tour info is up at fox.com/dance and tickets go on sale tomorrow.

August 24, 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 9 to Top 8 Thoughts

I hope everyone on the east coast set their dvr to record 30 mins over due to the Presidential interruption at 9. I case you missed something the routines are usually posted on youtube quickly. Spoilers ahead.

Logan & Allison: Jive – Emma & Sasha
So much fun…I finally saw Logan’s personality tonight. I thought he pretty much nailed the choreography that Emma and Sasha gave them. I can see what Allison was saying how he needs to reign in his flexibility for the Jive.

Koine & Marko: Hip Hop – Dave Scott
Seeing how pumped Dave was just after rehearsals, made me excited for the dance. Enjoyed see Koine attack not on the choreography but also the character. I love everything about this piece especially the song choice.

Dassy & FikShun: Jazz – Ray Leeper
Interesting to hear Cat say that this partnership is like the new version of Amy and FikShun. I don’t quite see it that way but I do like Dassy and FikShun paired together. I enjoy watch how Dassy transforms from rehearsal to performance. Also, like getting to see more of her sassy side.

Mark & Comfort: Contemporary – Talia Favia
Wow…that was intense…both Mark and Comfort were 100% invested in the piece emotionally. I agree with Nigel I love the fact that Mark is completely up for any challenge that is thrown his way. I don’t normally comment on the all-star’s dancing but seeing how much Comfort has grown as a dancer, reminds me why I love this show.

Lex & Gaby: Broadway – Warren Carlyle
Anyone else tired from just watching that? I think this might have been the most fun we have seen Lex have so far. Even the tricks Lex pulled off kind of gave me whiplash cause they happened so fast.

Kaylee & Cyrus: Jazz – Spencer Liff
I agree with Nigel that Spencer seemed to find a quirky style of Jazz that suited Kaylee very well. I really enjoyed watching this but there were times that camera work completely cut Cyrus out…which kind of took away from the dance for me.

Taylor & Robert: Samba – Jean Marc Genereux
Taylor may have slipped out of the top spot tonight, but only a little. For someone who hasn’t done much ballroom to have to learn the hardest of the Latin dances in a week is a tall order. I thought that Taylor did a great job (I personally liked the samba rolls) but it could have been better. I think the chemistry was lacking probably she was more focused on getting the steps right.

Kiki & Jenna: Contemporary – Mandy Moore
I loved seeing Mandy really push them during rehearsal. Okay so this might have been this best dance Kiki has done on the show so far. Mandy found a way to bring out Kiki’s emotions.

Bottom 3: Mark, Dassy, and Sydney

Sydney unfortunately was sent home. Looking forward to seeing her on the tour…blog about that coming soon.

So will be our bottom 3 next week?

August 21, 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’s Safe and Who’s in Danger

I felt like everyone in the Top 9 had a good performance this week…so it’s kind of hard to figure out who might be in danger of going home next week.

Safe
Taylor: Currently, she is the one to beat so far. I enjoy watching her dance and the partnership with Robert will only get stronger. I’m looking forward to seeing her dance some other styles.
Koine: I felt like she had the best dance of the night…or at least the most interesting. I don’t see her going home anytime soon.
Kaylee: Thankfully Nigel’s comments last week didn’t affect people voting for her. I thinking Kaylee could be a fan favorite, so I don’t think she’ll be in the bottom 3 unless they just have a bad week.

Most likely safe
Lex: I’m sure Lex is safe but sometimes the ballroom dances don’t go over well with the at home audience. We also got to at least see his solo in his own style.
Sydney: Close call for Sydney this past week but thankfully this week her performance was much better. With this dance being emotional, I think she will have enough votes to keep her safe next week.

Could go either way
Mark: This was a case of the choreography being kind of blah…well for me. I did think Mark had the best solo of the night. I hope that he will be safe.
Dassy: I really hope I’m wrong, cause I think she’s so cute.

In Danger
Kiki: Even though Kiki was able to get into character…I just don’t feel enough grit for a hip hop.
Logan: I was a bit surprised that he ended up in the bottom 3. Logan is a great dancer but there is just something missing that I haven’t quite figured it out.

Looking forward to next week. Who will be the next to go home?

August 16, 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 10 to Top 9, Thoughts

Spoilers ahead
Of course week two we get a more information of how this season will go so far. So they will be pulling style out of the hat…glad they will be challenge with other style of dance. Also at the end of the show the bottom three will be revealed and then the Judges decides who will go…let’s hope that this will only last till the top five. Love the disco vibes in the beginning of the show and Cat looks stunning as always and she seems to like having the cat walks back an interacting with the audience more.

Mark & Comfort: Ray Leeper: Jazz
Anyone else reminded of Dominic( D-Trix) when it comes to Mark. It’s nice to see Mark can be serious and learn the dances. I didn’t really care for the choreography that much but I thought it was perform well. I think they are one of the stronger partnerships in the show.

Lex & Gaby: Miriam & Leonardo: Argentine Tango
I feel like Miriam and Leonardo always bring out the best in the dancers that they work with. I enjoyed this dance though Lex and Gaby were great. Mary wanted there to be more chemistry…which I can understand…they might have been think about the steps more and lost a little bit of their connection.

Kiki & Jenna: Luther Brown: Hip Hop
I will say this it was a vast improvement compared to his fail during Academy. I liked Luther’s concept but felt like Jenna should have been dress as Harley Quinn. While I enjoyed seeing a different side of Kiki…seeing him take on a character. However…not sure if it will be enough this week to keep him safe.

Sydney & Paul: Jaci Royal: Comtemporary
Everything was better this week. I feel like contemporary suits her better than ballroom. Happy Sydney seemed to have a break through tonight. Sometimes even the simplest choreography with a good story makes all the difference in the world.

Logan & Allison: Brian Friedman: Jazz
My only complaint about this dance is that it took too long to get Logan dancing. Again he is a technically great dancer but there is just something missing. I had thought it would be different with Allison back but I was still left underwhelmed.

Kaylee & Cyrus: Pharside and Pheonix: Hip Hop
Another couple that was an improvement after last week. I love that hip hop seems to be Kaylee’s other strength. I like the fact they also seem to change Nigel’s opinion too.

Taylor & Robert: Al Blackstone: Broadway
Classic Hollywood of the 1940s brought into the present. I loved that Taylor and Robert made this dance look effortless. Nigel made a big statement tonight by saying that they are the couple to beat.

Koine & Marko: Sean Cheesman: African Jazz
From the moment Sean said the secret life of insects…I knew it would be an interesting dance. That head dress at the beginning was beautiful but I knew that had to go away. This whole dance was just fascinating to watch…the partnering was fantastic. Cat putting on the head dress after was great just one of the reasons why I love her.

Robert & Jasmine: Stacey Tookey: Contemporary
I feel like this routine is different than what I am used to seeing from Stacey. I felt like Robert did a good job but he could have done better.

Dassy & FikShun: Nakul: Bollywood
There was a little bit of a stumble that I didn’t see at first…after re-watching I saw Dassy just fell out of the lift a little bit. So I don’t think anyone is at fault just a rough transition. This style really allowed us to see Dassy personality even more.

Bottom Three: Logan, Sydney, and Robert.

In the end the judges decided that Robert would be the one leaving tonight.

Thoughts? Favorite dance? Who will be in danger next week? Let me know what you think and I will have my thoughts on who is safe vs in danger up by Wednesday night.

August 14, 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: Season 14 Thoughts on Who will be Safe from Elimination

Let me start off by saying a true rankings post isn’t my strong suit…probably because I don’t like doing them. They just fell into my lap when I became the only blogger on this site. So I decided to do something new a post on who will be safe, who might be safe and who is in danger of going home. This will just my opinion of how well I think each of the top ten performed last night.

Safe
Taylor: From the moment I saw her standing on Robert’s shoulders, I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. Taylor and Robert’s connection is the reason this dance worked so well and managed to get a standing ovation from the judges last night. I’ll admit I really didn’t take notice of her right away but after last night I’ll be l paying closer attention to her. I hope that we will get to know Taylor better next week.

Mark: What can I saw other than Mark was born to be a performer. Just watching him being a ham while the judges we giving Comfort and him their critiques, kept me entertained. While his personality will help him make it far in the competition, hopefully his dancing will also prove why Mark will be around for a while in this competition.

Lex: The only dancer to perform a dance that isn’t his defined strong suit. I agree with Nigel, Lex is a great all around dancer and technician. Hopefully we will see more of his personality come through in the next few weeks. If he is able to connect with the audience Lex has a real chance to win.

Dassy: I just really enjoy watching her dance and she was able to keep me watching her and not pay too much attention to FikShun. Looking forward to seeing what else Dassy can do…I think her sass will go well with a fun Broadway number.

Might be safe
Logan: I’m pretty sure Logan will be safe because he did have a good performance and was able to adapt quickly to a new partner. That being said with Allison being injured, the audience didn’t get to see what kind of connection they had together. It might have been what was missing from his performance. I hope Allison will be back next week.

Koine: I think Koine and Marko will be a great duo on this show. I thought she danced beautifully but at the end on the night this just landed in the middle for me. It was good but not great. I do think they will be safe and hopefully will impress the next week.

Robert: I’ve liked Robert since his first audition. I’m really hoping he will be able to keep up with Jasmine when it comes to other styles.

In danger
Kaylee: I almost feel like Nigel’s comments, especially if the viewing audience took it to heart, could put her in danger. I tend to side with Mary and Vanessa when it comes to Kaylee. She is a unique dancer and I think Vanessa was right by saying Kaylee needed more weightlessness to her dancing. So her challenge will be to know when not to be so grounded.

Kiki: I don’t actually think Kiki will be the first to leave the competition because he is a great ballroom dancer. However, Jenna very easily can steal you focus from him. Kiki’s biggest challenge is to out dance Jenna in the other styles they may face.

Sydney: I just don’t think Sydney was memorable enough. I’ve watched the dance back a few times and still can’t quite figure out what was missing for me. Maybe there wasn’t enough pizzaz in her performance.

Someone will be the first to leave the competition next week, and I’m not sure who it will be. My biggest advice that I would give to all of the contestants is to dance from the heart and like it’s the last time they will be on the SYTYCD stage.

August 8, 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.