Well…on the discussion post, I said that I might have to flip back and forth between the SYTYCD finale and the first Saints pre-season game. Well, the good news is that I won’t have to flip back and forth. The bad news is that my local FOX channel has pre-empted the SYTYCD finale in order to show the first Saints pre-season game. I won’t be able to see the show till 10:30 local time.
You have to understand that little else matters in New Orleans during football season. We love our Saints. Though, I’m a little ticked off with them at the moment.
My mom lives in Atlanta, so she’s gonna help me out with the music. If you can see the show and would like to help me, please do. 🙂
Top 3 Group Routine:
Choreographer: Christopher Scott from LXD
Song: My mom says it was Nation Lanier’s “Ra,” but I can’t find them on iTunes, so help me out if we got it wrong. Ha! Marianya just said it’s NATHAN Lanier’s “Ra,” which isn’t on iTunes, so try is “Invisible Children Theme” – instead. I know it’s not the same, but enjoy anyway. 🙂
Kenny Ortega’s Chosen Dance:
Dancer: Kent Boyd
All-Star: Neil Haskell
Style: Broadway
Choreographer: Tyce Diorio
Song: “Shoeless Joe from Hannibal, Mo” from Damn Yankees –
Nigel’s Chosen Dance:
Dancer: Billy Bell
All-Star: Ade Obayami
Style: Contemporary
Choreographer: Stacey Tookey
Song: Michael Andrews ft. Gary Jules’s “Mad World” –
Professional Performance:
Dancer: Quest Crew!!!
Song: Caravan Palace’s “Suzy” –
The crazy love and smooching montage was to “Love.” I’m not quite sure who the singer is, but maybe Keyshia Cole . Our commenter Natasha pointed out that it’s L-O-V-E by Joss Stone –
Dancer: Kent Boyd
All-Star: Anya Garnis
Style: Cha Cha
Choreographer: Jean Marc and France Genereux
Song: 3OH!3 ft. Ke$ha’s “My First Kiss” – , which was on my predicted music list.
Tyce’s Chosen Dance:
Dancer: Robert Roldan
All-Star: Dominic Sandoval
Style: Hip hop
Choreographer: Nappytabs
Song: Basement Jaxx ft. Kelis, Meleka and Chipmunk’s “Scars” –
Dance Day Recap:
Music: Flo Rida ft. David Guetta’s “Club Can’t Handle Me” –
Guest Performers:
Tappers: Luke Spring and the Manzari Brothers
Professional Performance:
Dancers: Season 6 winner Russell Ferguson and Lil C
Song: Buckmouth’s “Hazardous” – which I haven’t found on iTunes yet
Mary Murphy’s Chosen Dance
Dancer: Jose Ruiz
All-Star: Dominic Sandoval
Style: Breakdancing
Choreographer: Nappytabs
Song: District 78’s “Battle for the Beat” –
Professional Performance:
Dancers: SYTYCD UK Season 1 winner Charlie Bruce and Neil Haskell
Choreographer: Mandy Moore
Song: Celine Dion’s “I Surrender” –
She and Drew danced this on SYTYCD UK, but I loved seeing her dance it with Neil, I have to say.
3rd Place goes to: Robert
Song: The Undeserving’s “Something to Hope For” –
Cat’s Chosen Dance: (?)
Dancer: Alex Wong
All-Star: Allison Holker
Style: Jazz
Choreographer: Sonya Tayeh
Song: Jeff Buckley’s “Hallelujah” –
Stacey’s Chosen Dance:
Dancers: Billy Bell and Robert Roldan
Style: Bollywood
Choreographer: Nakul dev Mahajan
Song: “Ganesh” – from “Bombay Dreams”
Mia’s Chosen Dance:
Dancer: Kent Boyd
All-Star: Neil Haskell
Style: Contemporary
Choreographer: Travis Wall
Song: DeVotchka’s “How It Ends” –
Musical Performance: Black Gold with Season 7’s elimination song “Shine” –
Check out this cute video of them rehearsing for the show:
Everybody’s Chosen Dance:
All-Stars: Twitch Boss and Ellen Degeneres
Style: Hip-hop
Choreographer: NappyTabs
Song: Lil Jon ft. LM*AO’s “Outta Your Mind” –
Hi all!! I can’t believe we’re just a few hours away from the last performance show of the season!! I’m here to add my thoughts on the highs and lows of Season 7 SYTYCD. I was reading Entertainment Weekly online last night and they have a post up now, “So You Think You Can Dance: 10 Ways to Improve It”. I’m gonna play off that, plus add some of my highlights and lowlights from the season.
Highlight: The Opening Number
Wade Robson, tragically absent this season, created a visual and aesthetic masterpiece. We were able to see glimpses of the incredible array of dancers and their talents. It was difficult to distinguish who was who at some points, there were 23 dancers on the stage, but it was quite a sight to see.
Lowlight: First three eliminated–all girls
One of the things I was looking forward to the most when I heard about the All-Stars was seeing Twitch, Neil, Ade, Mark, Dom, and Pasha dancing again. Fast forward three weeks, and the likelihood of that happened had drastically dropped when the numbers were 6 male contestants and 2 girls. Alexie, Cristina, and Melinda were beautiful dancers, but they didn’t connect with the audience. I think poor Alexie was done in by less than stellar choreography, and I think the judges may have reached a little putting Cristina and Melinda in the top 11. Nevertheless, it was troubling to see three girls get knocked off so fast.
from EW.com:
PUT THE POWER BACK INTO THE VIEWERS’ HANDS
As host Cat Deeley regularly reminds us, SYTYCD is the search for ”America’s favorite dancer.” So why was America’s voice stifled for so long during season 7? SYTYCD’s old format actually worked perfectly: The judges exerted their control for the first five weeks of competition — ensuring that dancers who deserved a second chance outlasted those unable to measure up — then left the rest up to the audience. But this season, viewers had their hands tied until top four. The judges already have plenty of time to have their say (see: previous slide), so let us have ours again…earlier!
Highlight: Alex and Twitch’s hip hop
File this under the category of WOW. When I heard Alex was gonna be doing hip hop with Twitch, I was nervous for him. We didn’t see him do it in Vegas (I don’t think) so I had no idea what was going to happen. Needless to say, I had to surgically remove my jaw from the floor after watching that routine. Who knew that Alex would have a break out moment doing hip hop?!
Lowlight: Injuries, Injuries, Injuries!
It’s amazing that we’ve gone 7 seasons WITHOUT having a serious injury. Granted, Jessica from S4 did have to leave, but she was able to tour with her season when her rib healed. I felt so sad for Alex, because he was just started to scratch the surface on the show. Our thoughts are with him as he recovers.
From EW.com (I sort of agree with this one, not 100%)
GIVE US, YES, FEWER DANCES
With such a talented crop of contestants every year, it seems crazy to ask for fewer dance numbers on SYTYCD. But if season 7 proved anything, it’s that stellar choreographers often lose their touch when faced with the feat of creating a countless number of routines for the contestants. (Can you remember more than one Sonya dance?) And that hectic schedule is not only tough on choreographers, but the dancers as well — executing nearly four routines per week left many season 7 contestants sidelined with injuries. So let’s give them a (non-injury-induced) break, shall we? After all, the show is called So You Think You Can Dance, not So You Thought You Could Dance Before You Got Injured on a Reality Show.
Highlight: Cat standing up for the dancers
As you guys have probably read, I wasn’t AdeChike’s biggest fan, but I certainly liked him as a dancer and he seemed like a really nice guy. He didn’t deserve a lot of the bashing he took this season. Granted, some of it was necessary (Adam’s comments about him needing a looser center for African Jazz, I totally understood that), but some of it wasn’t (Mia: “I’m missing Alex Wong now. Hard). I was so happy to see Cat stand up for him after that Bollywood number, she really shows how invested she is in these dancers, how much she loves them.
from EW.com
SHORTER JUDGE CRITIQUES
Hey, I’ll concede that it’s tough to put on a two-hour show. But it’s also tough to maintain interest in said two-hour program when the majority of the airtime is dedicated to the judges’ critiques. (Especially when the contestants are only on stage for short, two-minute routines.) The dancers are the stars of the series — not a panel of judges more focused on thanking the choreographers than praising the contestants. You know the phrase: Keep it simple!
Highlight: Allison and Kathryn
These 2 girls took on an incredible number of routines this season. They danced almost every week, sometimes twice in one week with different partners. The best thing about them was that you could tell they were always there for their partners, 100%. Even when Allison was dancing with José, who, let’s face, she danced circles around, we could look into her eyes and see her commitment to him. I’m not taking anything away from the other All-Stars, they’re all amazing at what they do and a major asset to SYTYCD, but these two girls are my MVPs.
Lowlight: The judging
What can I say? I fastforwarded through a lot of the comments this year b/c they either didn’t make sense or they just went on FOREVER. Mia’s a great choreographer, but I kinda can’t stand her as a judge. Her noises and made up words made her sound uneducated, like that’s the best you can come up with while praising (or critiquing) someone’s dancing. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but…bring back Mary!!
From EW.com
BRING BACK MARY
With all due respect to Mia, the panel already has two industry vets who can wax poetic about technique. What was missing on the panel during season 7 was a healthy dose of crazy. (And what was missing on the stage this year was some Mia Michaels choreography.) Sure, Mary Murphy has all but ensured that SYTYCD fans will give the hearing aid industry a boost in 20 years, but we’ve missed being able to board the hot tamale train. Or crazy train, whatever.
Highlight/Lowlight: Getting reintroduced to the All-Stars via Classic Routines/Not getting to see everyone dance routines
This could have been amazing, and it kind of was. Getting to see “The Garden” “Forever” “Night of the Dancing Flame” and Anya/Pasha’s audition number was fantastic. Not only did we get to see these classic routines again, but we got to see how much these dancers have improved since their seasons. After those routines were over, the dances stopped! What about Ade, Kathryn, Dominic and Allison?! Four incredibly talented dancers who have memorable dances of their own. Why not show the routines on the big screen, then have the dancer do a solo on stage. That way, we could have seen the routines (most likely, “This Woman’s Work” “Fear” or “At this Moment” “Make it Work” and “Why”) but also gotten to see the dancers do a solo.
Highlight: “Boogie Shoes”/”Mad World”
Finally, Billy Bell got a breakout routine!! This was one of my favorite routines of the season and I’m excited to see it on tour. We finally got to see Billy loosen up and have some fun. He got the groove of the dance. With Mad World, everything just came together. Stacey Tookey has really elevated herself into that elite group of choreographers on the show with this number. Billy was fantastic.
Highlight: Robert’s Week 8
My pick for the win, he had an incredible week. Both dances were top notch, and everything just worked. I was so happy to see him make the finale, because his growth over the season is really starting to culminate at the right time.
Lowlight: the stage, again
Getting rid of the annoying screen from last season definitely helped, but not totally. When the camera hit the lights at certain angles, it sometimes washed out the dancers. The solution that really needs to happen…
From EW.com:
RETURN TO A SMALLER STAGE
In 2009, SYTYCD announced two big changes: The series would boast a new fall season — which would take place on a much larger stage. Unfortunately, both ideas flopped. Though the producers wisely ditched a fall season after it proved to be unpopular, the expansive, impersonal stage remains, frustrating viewers who prefer an intimate dance experience. Remember, Nigel & Co.: Bigger isn’t always better!
Here are a couple of other ideas from EW.com that I really like: HAVE THE DANCERS PERFORM CLASSIC ROUTINES
For every ”The Bench” routine on SYTYCD, there’s a ghastly disco dance. So instead of reaching in order to showcase new choreography, why not allow one contestant a week to perform a classic, well-known dance number? Sure, they’ll never measure up to the legends that made the routines famous. Still, after seeing Kent ace a Spencer Liff Broadway routine this season, who wouldn’t want to see what he could do with, say, Singin’ in the Rain’s ”Make ‘Em Laugh”? gusty, but could be fabulous
TAKE A PAGE FROM IDOL — RECRUIT SOME GUEST MENTORS!
Sure, great choreographers like Sonya Tayeh, Mia Michaels, and Wade Robson (who’s been tragically MIA during season 7) already act as mentors by default for the SYTYCD contestants. But the show could use a new jolt of star power. Not only would contestants welcome the weekly guidance of some legendary dancers, like, say, Alvin Ailey’s Judith Jamison (pictured) or American Ballet Theater’s Ethan Stiefel, but any dance fan would also be fascinated to hear icons share their tricks of the trade. And think of the results-show guest performances we all saw how excited AdeChike was to be dancing for Dwight and Desmond, this could be really cool. Plus, Ethan Stiefel is better known as Cooper Nielsen from the dance movie Center Stage, and I, for one, would LOVE to see him on SYTYCD!
okay guys, these are my thoughts. Agree? Disagree? Fire away!!
My Power Rankings tonight are going to be VERY risky indeed. Or perhaps not so much if you agree with me and I’m right…
Top Dancer
Robert Roldan had the strongest night, hands down. I’m sorry, but he did. 🙂 He’s been picking up steam the last few weeks, there’s a major campaign over at ISM for him and some of us…not naming names…but ME, have said how wonderful he is all season. Oh and that’s not even counting his routines tonight. He was the one who stood out to me in Tyce’s group Broadway, which is saying something cause it was three guys and one girl. I guess you could say that you’d notice whichever of the three guys you liked best cause you’d be looking for them. However…Robert had the most partner time with Lauren, he was always at the front or middle of the three boys in unison sections and whenever there was a guy on his own of the group, it was him. Then, the Viennese Waltz with Anya was lyrical and romantic and showed him off in all kind of wonderful ways. I think it was a moment. The right song (popular here on the site most of the season), the right pair of dancers, the right timing. But if it was just the waltz, maybe I wouldn’t have put Robert here. However, his Nappytabs hip hop with Dominic truly showed what he was made of. It was perfect for him – it had story and character, which he does best. And he killed it!!! Marianya “prescribed” hip hop as what Robert needed to conquer next and boy did he!!! Ricky is predicting that he’ll win.
Middle Two Dancers
Kent had his worst dance all season with that disco. And I’m not just saying that cause I hate disco. Really, I’m not. I have to agree with the judges. It was lackluster even compared to other discos. The saving grace was Kent’s unshakable personality, but here’s the snag. He’s been the clear favorite most of the season (i.e. since Alex left), so then it would be his competition to lose. And he had one bad routine. While a lot of his fans will vote for him anyway, this routine didn’t do him any favors and he blended into the wallpaper for that Broadway group routine, except at the very end. HOWEVER, and this is a big but, he had the biggest blessing a dancer could ask for in this – he danced well in the last routine of the night which happened to be a hugely memorable Travis wall routine with Neil, a very popular All-Star. I would’ve said Robert’s hip-hop was the best routine of the night if not for this one. That’s going to remind a LOT of people why they love Kent.
Adechike danced solidly, but his routines are still the least compelling (in terms of voting and “best of the night”), in my mind. But here’s why I think there’s a good chance he’ll edge out Lauren – people are going to be moved by his journey package (see, I told you the judges were stealthily supporting him by ragging on him), which was featured last of the night and separate from the other dancers’. And it was a moving, moving package at the end of which he gave very humble and heartfelt speech about how lucky and grateful he is, as if he knows he’s not going forward after this week. Not a dry eye in America after that, even at my house where I’ve become a late and begrudging Adechike fan. But about his dances. He had some little splashy moments in the Broadway, but was largely ignorable (ducks flying veggies). I really liked the African jazz (looove Sean Cheesman) and I thought that Adechike really connected with Lauren (if not the audience) and danced it well. But it felt like the Tahitian routine – you either got it or you didn’t and it was almost impossible to critique/consider alongside the other dances. I liked it. It reminded me of a paso doble somehow (probably because of Lauren’s skirt), but without the dominance factor and just the strength of movement. I think he actually danced even better and with more abandon in the contemporary with Kathryn. However, I felt like that piece was handicapped by the absolute wrong song choice, a frantic energy and some weird movement. All in all, it was an even better performance from Adechike once I watched it back. But it comes down to this… When I thought about what routines had been danced tonight, I thought of Kent’s contemporary, Robert’s hip hop, Robert’s waltz and even Kent’s horrendous disco before I could recall what Adechike had danced. It kind sounds like I’ve just devoted a lot of energy and space to explaining whey he’s leaving tonight. And he might. But…
Bottom Dancer
I think the vast majority of the audience are going to concentrate on “saving” either Adechike, Robert or Kent and they’re going to neglect Lauren like they did last week. She’s been proving she’s a phenomenal dancer with EVERY routine, especially lately. But when was her last big routine? You know, that really memorable routine that a dancer hopefully gets at least once in a season. Routines like the two we saw tonight (Kent’s contemporary and Robert’s hip hop), routines like Adechike’s hip hop with Comfort or Alex’s with Twitch. In movies, they’re called “set pieces” because they take the most money and energy, usually, to deliver upon. The Argentine tango with Pasha tonight (which Marianya totally recommended she dance) was that moment for her, but it was the FIRST routine of the night with TWO KILLER show-ending routines by the guys. And her jazz with Ade was strong and awesome, but lacked chemistry and some true malicious intent. She hasn’t really had any show-stopping phenomenal dances choreographed especially for and around her (as ALL of the remaining guys have had). She’s had to rise to every challenge, despite her experience and her prepardness and she HAS. Adam says he thinks of her as an All-Star already and I think he’s right that she’s quietly done whatever was asked of her and matched her partner to the best of her abilities. I think she deserves to win the season for that reason alone. But in reality, while I hope I’m wrong, I think people are going to forget to vote for her in the rush to protect their favorite of the three guys.
Some Final Thoughts
-I missed the group and the tango, so I came in on Cat standing next to Lauren with her new short haircut. I was a little stunned. And I loved hearing Lauren say to the audience, “I hope you’ve enjoyed watching it as much as I’ve enjoyed living it.” Hell yeah, LoFro. 🙂
-I liked Sean Cheesman’s African jazz, but I think I would’ve liked the second jazz a lot better without the “story” behind it. And also, with different music.
-I really hate disco. They either need to find a new disco choreographer (if another one exists, if there’s ANYBODY ELSE who hasn’t yet given up the ghost) or retire the style. C’mon, get with it! Stop using disco and quickstep UNLESS there’s a completely unique way of doing it or dancers who just happen to be able to kill it.
-I think it makes sense that Adechike danced for Desmond Richardson and Dwight Rhoden and I can see him having a career working with them. But I don’t dig their stuff. I almost never really love or remember their routines.
-Adechike made me cry. I’m so glad he’s opened up in the last few weeks (that I’ve seen). I’m glad I’ve gotten to “know” and appreciate him. Even though I hope he leaves this week instead of anybody else (ducks flying fruit).
-Nappytabs have been KILLING it this season. They’ve had three or four really great routines this season. Namely, the Alex-Twitch “Outta Your Mind” and now this one with Robert and Dominic.
-Alright, this has to be said. I love, love, love the Kent-Neil-Travis contemporary tonight. LURVE IT. It was perfection and reminded me of why Kent has such a following when he’d started to be redundant to me. But here’s my beef. Well, it’s not a beef. It’s an observation. The “background” or “story” to the routine was that it’s a friendship breaking up and that worked because they both danced very “masculine” (read: straight). And bravo to SYTYCD/FOX/everybody for having a male-male contemporary with that much physical connection between the two men – even if they had to dress it up as a “friendship” that was breaking up. But it was about lovers. It was about two men who love each other and hurt each other, any way you read it. And while it’s remarkable that it’s “okay” to have a dance like this on a t.v. show (same sex marriage news today, how timely!!), let’s get to the point where we can say, “this is a story about two lovers breaking up” and it’s OKAY for the lovers to both be men. Or women. That’s it, I’m done. It was beautiful.
Nothing else has gone to plan this week in cursed Season 7, which is why I’m predicting for the “surprise” twist. Agree? Disagree? Lemme know!!!!
There were two dancers who’s lifespans on SYTYCD’s stage were cut shot: Alex Wong and Ashley Galvan. Here I will take a look at their growth in the few weeks they were on the show, what is open to them in the near future and what to expect from them and vice versa should they choose to audition for Season 8.
ALEX WONG
Alex, Alex, Alex, it was far too early for him to leave. He had barely scraped the surface of what he could do, and all he wanted to do was learn other styles! Anyway, enough crying… here is a look into Alex’s short but prominent journey.
Las Vegas Week
Alex had an amazing solo at the start of Vegas Callbacks, but the judges pointed out that they are not seeing his passion of dance while he dances. While he’s incredibly proficient and extremely talented, you don’t really see “him” while he dances. Like he’s dancing for dancing and not dancing in the moment (gee sounds like a lot of other guys this season).
Meet the Top 11
– Wade Robson’s Jazz
I noticed him throughout the dance and he seemed a little stiff, then again this is Wade Robson and his movement is no where near ballet-style. One thing however, you could see “him” while he dances. He’s enjoying this, soaking up every moment of this journey. You know he wants this and wants this bad.
– Mia Michael’s Contemporary
I thought he was absolutely amazing. Yes, you see a hell of a whole lot of his classical dancing in this piece. Yes there wasn’t a lot of contemporary for Alex, but at the same time this piece was to showcase Alex at his best…
Week 1: Top 11 Performances
– Jazz w/ Allison Holker choreographed by Sonya Tayeh
O.M.G. Technically jazz a small step away from ballet, there is still some structure but not nearly the amount of that from ballet. Nevertheless, in Alex’s first official foray away from the barre he did not just well he was amazing. Granted having Allison there certainly helped a lot, but let’s face it, this is an All-Star in the making. He connected well with Allison but like other dancer he seemed to more of a moving art… in this case more like a tv show you just can’t keep your eyes off of.
Week 2: Top 10 Performances
– Broadway w/ Lauren Gottlieb choreographed by Tyce Diorio
When it comes to Broadway, Lauren seems to be the go-to girl for Tyce. A bit of Alex’s personality was shining through and I rather enjoyed the piece, but something was off… what I really don’t know, but something was definitely off.
Week 3: Top 9 Performances
– HipHop w/ Twitch choreographed by NappyTabs
How many people watched this piece multiple times raise your hand *raises hand*. Personality, characterization, chemistry, forget about dance ability that was in the bag and he adapted extraordinarily well… totally unexpected. Then again, if you’ve seen some of his behind the scenes dance videos I’m not terribly surprised. How do you top a dance like this?
After the Injury
The answer is: “You don’t”. Unfortunately Alex was injured and couldn’t continue on with the show. He had an amazing run in the short time that he was on and it is going to be very difficult for people to match that. What Alex has opened up to the ballet world is no different than what Melissa Sandvig did two seasons ago as a ballerina. Now THAT would be a pairing I’d like to see. Alex just did it a year later taking the path that Melissa laid out for him and crashed through the door screaming “HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERE’S ALEX!”
In any case, Alex’s healing time is several months, and it has only been about a month.. give or take a week. After that he will have long physical therapy sessions moving onward and working on that ankle to see how much strain he would be able to put on it again. One may say, “if he hadn’t joined the show this wouldn’t have happened.” Truth of that matter is, he’s a dancer, not just any dancer, a soloist from the Miami City Ballet group… as thus he’s putting his ankle through no more strain than he did during the show, so this injury could have happened at any time, it was just unfortunate it happened while on the show.
Looking towards Season 8
Knowing that his chances of being on the tour are slim, there seems to be an open invitation for him (should he choose to do so) to try out for the show next season. Alex seems to be the type of dancer that loves dancing but wants to grow and learn and develop further as a dancer and it seems that to him that would mean learning other styles of dance. Granted he could do that pretty much anywhere, but the show really immerses the dancer and connects them with choreographers and other dancers that one would be bound to cross paths with once again in their short life spans as dancers.
Alex, ankle permitting, would go for the show again. Knowing that he tried out once but was rejected due to a contract. Purposely decided not to renew the contract to try out on the show only to be injured, the third time’s gotta be a charm.
It’s going to be hard to predict the kind of dancer Alex would be the second time around. All that is going to depend on the healing of his ankle, but he’s a fighter so I wouldn’t be surprised if he not only matches the dancer he was before, but this time surpasses it…
ASHLEY GALVAN
*Sighs* and right after we all are trying to recover from the shock of losing Alex to injury a girl goes down too… This time it’s Ashley with something wrong with her ribs. Ashley’s injury, though not as potentially detrimental as Alex’s, would force her out of the competition, but fortunately would have healed in time for the tour which brings an interesting proposition. But let’s hold off on that and take a look at her short but longer than Alex’s journey.
Las Vegas Week
Not much was known about Ashley during Vegas week, in fact aside from Robert she didn’t get much air time until towards the end. So with so little information about her, there isn’t much to analyse here…
Meet the Top 11
– Wade Robson’s Jazz
Amongst the five ladies in the group she blended in rather well with the group. She didn’t stick out like Lauren, Cristina or Alexie (and not in good ways) but she didn’t really draw me in either… And with so many brunettes in the group it was really hard to search her out even if I wanted to.
– Sonya Tayeh’s Jazz
Poor planning by the producers I think. When you’re looking at a group shot the look of Courtney and Ashley are so similar you can’t really tell them apart. Plus with Courtney being my least favorite All Star she already stands at a level lower than the rest which means it would be easier for Ashley to reach to her level in my book.
Week 1: Top 11 Performances
– Contemporary w/ Neil Haskell choreographed by Tyce Diorio
So with all the talk of dancers not being able to connect with their partners, or connect with the audience Ashley was able to do both! Not only is she extremely talented, but she has already proven to be a step ahead of the pack. And considering the caliber of the other dancers is pretty difficult to do. Her chemistry with Neil was so good it made me and Emilie believe that there really WAS something there. Only to find out that she had a focal point for that dance, just not Neil. She danced in the moment which was a very good thing.
Week 2: Top 10 Performances
– Jazz w/ Mark Kanemura choreographed by Travis Wall
The problem I had about this dance wasn’t Ashley per see, but that there didn’t seem to be much of a change from the previous week. Like she plateaued a little bit for a week…
Week 3: Top 9 Performances
– Contemporary w/ Ade Obayomi choreographed by Dee Caspary
Another contemporary piece? Ashley needs to stretch her wings, not stick with dance styles that she could already master. Doesn’t matter though, because this piece requires a connection and trust in her partner so grand that despite it being contemporary Ashley went deeper into her vulnerable psyche and pulled out another piece to lay on the floor… in other words it brought out another piece of her not already seen from the previous weeks.
Week 4: Top 8 Performances
– HipHop w/ Dominic Sandoval choreographed by NappyTabs
Ashley did reasonably well in this routine, it wasn’t memorable, it wasn’t exciting, but it was passable. Her chemistry was good as was her dancing. I think I would have loved to have seen her do that window hiphop dance with Twitch though instead of Alexie… because I think that would have brought more out of her than this routine did.
– Quickstep w/ Robert Roldan choreographed by Jean-Marc Généreux & France Mousseau
The kiss of death, dun dun duuuuun. The most technically challenging piece she probably had to do all show… and she did a very good job. The steps were smooth, she didn’t “hop” as much as Robert did… she glided across the floor as was necessary, all in all a surprising job. Her chemistry was Robert was very strong, but her chemistry wasn’t something I was worried about at all…
After the Injury
Ashley’s injury isn’t as serious as Alex’s but nevertheless it forces her out of commission for a few weeks. Which means she would be ready for the tour if she decides to do the tour rather than audition/compete for a spot in Season 8. For a dancer that would be a safer route, but anyone that auditions for So You Think You Can Dance don’t necessarily audition because this is a career move, they typically want to audition because they want to learn, they want to grow or they want to be noticed.
Ashley is in that unique position, should she take the safe route and go on tour? Or should she complete the journey that she had to end prematurely early and audition for Season 8?…
Looking towards Season 8
The audience is split when it comes to Ashley. There is one arena that would love to see her on tour, and there is another arena that would love to see her on the show again.
I’m split as well, because it’s a matter of what does one want to do versus the practical thing to do. To me she’s still young, still has a lot of life in her… trying out for the show again isn’t a bad thing, but getting back on the show isn’t a guarantee either. And remember she didn’t get a lot of screen time in auditions or Vegas this time around…
As I mentioned earlier of all the dancers I felt that Ashley was already one step ahead of the curve in that she was able to create and maintain a level of chemistry with most every partner thus far. While as the other dancers had the most trouble in that arena. The same goes with connecting with the audience and the piece… granted Ashley was able to draw on personal experience to turn those dances into her own which probably helped her case… it would have been interesting to see a dance between her and Lauren.. alas that was not to be.
In Conclusion
In either case, even though I that we could see both of the above two dancers auditioning for Season 8 and it would be a joy to see them… I say we shouldn’t be surprised to see Ashley on the tour.
As for Alex going on to Season 8 the only worry I have is that it’s not a guarantee that Alex would get on the show (Brandon Dumlao anyone?).
Nevertheless these two were very strong dancers and I feel like they will up their game if either of them chose to try again for Season 8… What do you think?
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... =)
This one is both easy and difficult. Once again… Except things haven’t really been going as you’d think this season, huh?
Top Two
Lauren – Had a great night! I think her personality is finally coming across just right to America and her dancing is incredible. I loved her Broadway with Allison and enjoyed her Foxtrot with Adechike. But, it’s really her solo that stood out tonight – incredible. And plus, she’s been growing steadily the last few weeks. I’d even say she edged Kent out for pure performance.
Kent – Kent’s routines weren’t my favorite of the night. I enjoyed his cha cha with Anya and I thought he was the standout in that Broadway with Jose. I LOVED all of the personality that shone through during the night, but his routines were not the memorable ones. HOWEVER, he has the most dependable (and largest?) fan base, plus, he’s a “contender” according to the judges.
Middle Two (of course, one of these two will be in the bottom 3, but I don’t care)
Billy – Despite not dancing last week (or maybe because of it??), Billy had a killer night. While I actually think he was weaker than Robert in the Bollywood (and there were some timing issues that I think he was the cause of), it was the last routine and Bollywood is always energetic and memorable. His solo was a great remix of his solo from Vegas Week (“Lights Go Down” by Telepathe, which has been popular all season). He was fiercer and you could see the fire in his eyes. But, what really saves him in my opinion is his PHENOMENAL Stacey Tookey contemporary with Ade. It was one of (if not THE) standout routine of the night.
Robert – He is one of my FAVORITES and he’s been growing so much this season, both in dance ability and in the eyes of the audience. However, I think Billy had a more obviously better night. I adored his Stacey Tookey contemporary with Kathryn, but was the second routine of the night and not even the strongest Stacey Tookey routine. And while I think he out-danced Billy in the Bollywood, I think not everyone will agree with me.
Bottom Two
Adechike – I hate to say it, because he’s really been growing on me the last two weeks or so and I really liked his jazz with Courtney (and even his Foxtrot with Lauren had highlights), I think he doesn’t always connect for some reason with his partner or audience. It makes me sad to say, but I am happy he’s on the tour regardless.
Jose – Unless some wildness (like Lauren’s late-in-the-show injury) saves him again, I think his departure this week is pretty much a given. Nigel even called it – straight out, to his face – and basically said, “at least you’re going on the tour.” I don’t think that’s gonna rally the fans this time around. That being said, his hip hop with Comfort is just about one of my favorite things ever. But honestly? That was probably because of Comfort. That girl is a SHOCK this season. And such a pleasant one. I liked what Jose brought to it, but I honestly wouldn’t mind seeing another guy dance it with her.
Some Final Thoughts
-There was a very obvious and kinda sad disparity in cheers. Kent and Lauren got more than anyone else. There were almost crickets for some, as if they realized how mean it would be not to cheer. OR, there were staffers prodding them with sticks to cheer for everybody.
-LOVE Toni Redpath as a guest judge. One thing I gotta say for the SYTYCD producers is that they do kinda listen to us. I think they got that we needed the irksomeness of constant Mia/Nigel/Adam judging to be shaken up with some new blood. And I love, love, love some Toni Redpath. She’s a good mix of hard and soft, sour and sweet, Mia and Cat.
-Nigel annoyed me a lot tonight. The first time was when he pretended he hadn’t noticed that Jose hadn’t been in the group routines. Whether or not Jose pulled his groin and legitimately sat out, it’s a bit weird that they tried to pass it off like it hadn’t happened, that they never addressed it till WE, the audience, did.
-Loved that Billy was really fighting with his solo. Liked Kent’s solo, especially his song choice (he’s good with that). I think the Elliot Yamin cover was the right choice for what he was doing, but can’t help thinking of the original by Donny Hathaway , who was one of Yamin’s biggest influences (he even had Hathaway’s daughter singing back up vocals for him on American Idol).
-I think Adam nailed it when he said that he already thinks of Lauren as an All-Star. She does already have a quiet polish to her like the All-Stars do. I think she was genuinely surprised and touched to hear it.
-I thought it was sweet that Robert was visibly smiling after hearing his fellow contestants speak about him, before his solo.
-The INSTANT I heard the opening notes of “Mad World” for Stacey Tookey’s routine with Billy and Ade, I was like, “This is gonna be good” and put my pen down. I was right.
-Kinda sad that the judges pretty much ignored Jose while critiquing the Broadway with Billy and that Nigel pretty much told him he’s gone this week. But, it kinda sucks that it’s true, too. And that he was dancing all by himself on stage at the end of the show. :'(
-I loved the package for the Bollywood and Nakul narrating it as a Bollywood movie. That was great. 🙂 I also loved that Nakul got to tell people how DIVERSE Bollywood is and that it pulls from other styles (ahem, Mia). I thought it was odd that it always seems to come down to Billy and Robert. And I really think it does come down to them two for that third Bottom 3 spot. Hopefully, it’ll be Jose and Adechike to go home.
Disagree with me? Agree wholeheartedly? Fess up!!!
Oh.my.gawd. This week’s Power Rankings is both easier and harder than ever. But Fox, seriously? Take care of these dancers! All joking aside, while I am glad you addressed it and yes, we all have been talking/*joking about it, COME ON!
*This season of SYTYCD should probably be called SYTYCD Survivor: Dance to the Death! Sux… #sytycd 5:58 PM Jul 14th via web
Sigh. With no further…lectures…
Top Three
Kent – Man, he’s teflon. He did a solid jazz with Kathryn and I have to give him MAJOR props for using a Boyz II Men song for his solo. I think this was the first tape I bought with my own money when I was growing up. Oh man. Can’t believe I just dated myself so publicly. But he’ll get major points for that steps routine with Twitch. You couldn’t even hear a lot of the steps because of all the hooting and hollering for him – which actually sort of bugged me a bit. But they still kept it together and it was a lot of fun. He did keep up way better than I thought he would. It was no “Outta Your Mind,” and the comparisons are inevitable since they’re both Nappytabs’ routines and both feature Twitch “schooling” a contestant. I think it helped the “Outta Your Mind” routine that Alex is almost the same size as Twitch and he took up the same physical space. I did enjoy Kent and Twitch together, mind you, but Kent seemed to be getting schooled way more and I think his being smaller than Twitch added to that overall effect. Regardless, Kent had a GREAT night, as always, and even if he’d done poorly in one of the routines, which he didn’t, his fans would probably still keep him safe. 🙂
Lauren – She carried off cowboy hip-hop with Twitch (AND rode him across the stage!), had a strong solo and a fun samba with Robert. Not only is she the only girl left which helps her stand out and probably protects her to some degree, I think people (including me) are starting to get her quirky/sarcastic personality and really fall in love with her dancing.
Adechike –
FINALLY, I really get Adechike. It started a bit last week with his contemporary routine with Kent. But this week. Wow. This week. His solo was pretty incredible, but what really won me over was that Nappytabs lyrical hip hop with Comfort. I could tell in the rehearsal footage that it was gonna be incredible – he seemed way more open and connected to her than with any of his other partners (with the possible exception of Alex and Kent. This was the night that my “Adechike hate” (as Donna put it) ended. His solo was a taste of my lack of hate. His paso with Jose was… a’right. But the second I heard “Fallin'” (a song I love anyway), I was like, “ohhhhh, Adechike’s gonna make me fall for him.” And haters fall HARD. Well done, Chike. Well done. My mom says that you and Comfort should always dance together. It was amazing to see that wall break down so thoroughly that the tears came. I get him. Finally. FINALLY! But you BETTER have chemistry next week, Adechike! I know what you can do, now!
Bottom Three
Robert – I love Robert. He’s been in danger before, though he was saved from the bottom 3 last week. There’s a major campaign (especially among other dancers, from what I’ve seen) to vote for Robert. So, there’s a chance he may slip out of the bottom 3 again this week and I hope that’s the case. He danced with both the Lauren’s tonight AND it was his birthday! He danced the “you shot me with your booty” Tyce jazz which was AMAZING with “Elle” Gottlieb and then a samba with “Elle” Froderman. He *did* remind me of Dmitry in the samba, I have to agree with Nigel. He was masculine and strong and just him in both his dances. He picked a great song for his solo and it was solid. But, I gotta draw my bottom 3 line somewhere…
Billy – Automatically in the bottom 3 cause he couldn’t dance due to his knee injury. This is the LAST STRAW! This one better be the last injury or I’m calling Child Welfare on SYTYCD. Anyway, if there is any justice in the universe of SYTYCD/FOX/dance, the judges will not send Billy home when he couldn’t dance, even if he has been there before. Remember, everyone, BOOGIE SHOES!!!
Jose – Despite his puppy dog eyes, his dancing is not up to snuff. I think he’s the weakest link. Goodbye. No, seriously. I loved his contemporary with Allison. It was a great song and great choreography – and a real surprise from Sonya. But, I have to agree with the judges that there wasn’t a lot of “dancing” for him to do and Sonya masked his weaknesses well. Which made it a great routine. BUT…it’s a competition…. His solo was boring. Seen it. Done. And while I agree he made a valiant attempt at the paso, he was weaker than Adechike and the weakest parts of the routine were all the lifts/interactions between the two guys – which I think was mostly due to him. But the poses and the cape work were terrific. Still, I think there’s some major backlash against Jose since he’s the least technically skilled and he’s learning the least. Seriously, I’m tired of this “journey” arc they’re pushing on us. While his choreographers have generally been very kind and protective (with the exception of Joey Dowling, bless her) and he has soldiered through the various routines – he hasn’t been incorporating anything new in his tricks. In my mind, if he were learning and growing as a dancer, he would be using some of his new tricks in his solos. There’s only so much shuffling and hand work I can stand. I’m sorry, I really am.
Some Final Thoughts
-Love Kenny Ortega as a judge. I want him back all the time. As I Tweeted to Amanda, he’s informed, supportive and interesting, which is exactly what we need on the show. I don’t mind having four judges if at least one rotates and if at least ONE makes some sort of sense. Though, I would prefer two or three to make sense on a given night.
-But speaking of making sense, Nigel and I were on the same page tonight. He read my mind several times. The first time when he mentioned “Bleeding Love” in his comments to Adechike/Comfort about “Fallin.” I was thinking of “Bleeding Love” several times throughout their routine – in a great way. Probably cause it was the same choreographers. And a suitcase again. And about a relationship. 🙂 The second time is when Nigel told Robert that his upper body reminded him of Dmitry in the samba. I was thinking of Dmitry throughout the routine. Also, in a good way. And again when he said that the Jose-Adechike paso wasn’t everything he’d hoped it would be. Me, either.
-All this routine echoes (“Outta Your Mind” and “Bleeding Love”) brings me to two points that are related. I was WORRIED when I saw that several of tonight’s choreographers had two routines. Nappytabs, Sonya and Dmitry all had two routines and they were surprisingly close together. LUCKILY and most notably in the case of Sonya, the routines were either entirely different from each other or very different from the choreographer’s usual style. Nappytabs luckily had two very different set of dancers (Lauren and Twitch, then Adechike and Comfort), as well as different narratives and very different music. Dmitry had one male-female and then a male-male, so that automatically set them apart and the tones were entirely different. But Sonya was the real revelation to me. Neither of Sonya’s two pieces felt like a “Sonya piece” in that way that had started to actually get old tonight. Actually, Tyce’s felt more like a stereotypical Sonya piece. Her two pieces tonight had might lighter music and costumes than she normally goes with and beyond those surfaces observations, really proved to me that she does have versatility as a choreographer. Just when I was starting to get bored. 🙂
-The contestants are dancing with All-Stars they’ve never danced with before. So, clearly not random. They showed the drawing out of the hat for the double contestant routines BUT, I am suspicious yet again. How accidentally can it be that this week was all about whether Adechike or Jose would dance less successfully. SO, they got paired together in a battle dance. Head to head, pose for pose. How about that coincidence? However, that being said, I LOVED the rehearsal package we saw of A/J before their routine. East Coast OVERDRIVE!!
-I liked seeing all their parents, but I agree with Nigel that it was tough. Especially this week, for some reason. Though, they had time for it since Billy wasn’t dancing.
-Loved the Kherington sighting! I think that means she may dance tomorrow! I hope it does. What if she’s performing a blast-from-the-past routine with an All-Star?? Sure, Twitch has already danced with Comfort, but I’d love to see ANY of Twitchington’s routines again. 🙂 Really, any of them. I’m re-watching now. “Dreaming with a Broken Heart,” “Too Darn Hot,” “Don’t Touch Me,” “2 Buck 4 TV,” “A New Day Has Come.” Doesn’t matter. We just need Kherington back.
-Wow, I got a little off topic there. Alright, I’ll wrap things up. I loved the cake for the 150 episode/Robert’s birthday at the end. Loved that Kent was dancing with Kathryn and Lauren (“Elle” Gottlieb). Ladies man! And I LOOOOOVED that Adechike and Twitch re-inacted a few steps from the paso at each other. Great way to end the show.
Hmmm, what do y’all think, eh? Amanda and I were each writing our thoughts posts at the same time, though we didn’t realize it. Check hers out, she’s got some great points, especially about how stepping has been done on SYTYCD before.
Dancer: Lauren Froderman
All-Star: Twitch Boss
Style: Hip-hop
Choreographer: Nappytabs
Song: Ludacris and Nicki Minaj’s “My Chick Bad” –
Dancer: Jose Ruiz
All-Star: Allison Holker
Style: Contemporary
Choreographer: Sonya Tayeh
Song: Jon Brion’s “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Theme” from the soundtrack (not on iTunes, the link is for Amazon, which was the same situation with the Beck cover of “Everybody’s Gotta Learn Sometime” from “>my recent suggested music post).
Dancer: Robert Roldan
All-Star: Lauren Gottlieb
Style: Tyce Diorio
Choreographer: Jazz
Song: My Time with the Thrill Kill Kult’s “Wasted Time” –
Adechike’s danced a solo to Maxwell’s “This Woman’s Work” –
Jose danced a solo to James Browns’ “Give It Up or Turnit a Loose” –
Kent danced a solo to Boyz II Men’s “End of the Road (acapella)” –
Dancers: Lauren Froderman and Robert Roldan
Style: Samba
Choreographer: Dmitry Chaplin
Song: Debi Nova’s “Drummer Boy (SYTYCD remix)” – (the regular version, NOT the SYTYCD remix, which isn’t available yet as far as I know)
Dancers: Adechike Torbert and Jose Ruiz
Style: Paso doble
Choreographer: Dmitry Chaplin
Song: James Dooley’s “The Arrival /Rampage /Continued Existence ”
Dancers: Kent Boyd and Billy Boyd (as played by Twitch Boss)
Style: Steppin’
Choreographer: Chuck Maldonado
Song: Kid Sister’s “Pro Nails (Rusko remix)” –
RT Sorry, I kinda star[t]ed it. LOL @Allisonholker, @courtneyg612, @LaurenGottlieb: This show we call SYTYCD should be called SURVIVOR!!!
about 12 hours ago via web
We all know about the season ending injuries that plagued Alex Wong, then Ashley Galvan.
You know the old superstition about bad things coming in groups of three? Well another injury has rumored to have occured taking another dancer out of performing tonight… Who could it be? If you really want to know, head over to our friends at SYTYCDism.com where their spoilers are posted.
For a refresher… Alex Wong suffered a torn Achilles tendon which would require a few months recovery, Ashley Galvan had a cracked/broken rib which requires a few weeks recovery… so what could be next?
If the rumors are correct, then the prognosis is a busted knee… which is definitely not a good thing. Is the show pushing the dancers too hard? Or are the dancers just not taking better care of themselves? I don’t recall having so many season ending injuries on one season, though I do remember previous dancers continuing on injuries:
– Donyelle from Season 2 continued to dance on a bruised toe
– Jessica King of Season 4 danced on what was previously believed to be a sore rib but turned out to be worse than that
Let us hope that it’s not season ending, so we could still salvage the season in some capacity… Isn’t seven (7) suppose to be a lucky number? I suppose Season 7 is a very unlucky number in this case indeed…
What do you guys think? Is this season still salvagable? Or is it a bust?
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... =)
A lot of people have been talking about what’s going to happen with Ashley after being sent home for injury. Nigel talked about her making it back for tour and so many wondered why she wasn’t offered the chance to come back on the show like Alex Wong was offered. Well, Nigel tweeted what I expected would be their response:
Ashley will be invited back to Vegas next year if she doesn’t do the tour. FOX feels you can do one or the other. I’m hoping she’ll tour!
Basically, if she goes on tour, then she becomes an employee of Fox and then isn’t eligible to compete again. At least that seems like a reasonable reason for her not to be able to come back on the show after being on tour.
So what do you say? Should Ashley try and go on tour or come back for another season of SYTYCD?
Personally, unlike Nigel I selfishly want her to come back on the show. I feel cheated that she got injured and didn’t get to dance more. So, I want her back on the show. She can go on the next tour!
Tonight’s episode. Sigh. Season Seven. Sigh. Okay, let’s do this.
-I loved Tyce’s Broadway Group routine tonight. I have a couple of thoughts about mixing the All-Stars and contestants, though. Part of me wonders if the contestants are getting to fully shine with all this sharing of the stage with All-Stars. BUT, I’m glad to see my favorites dancing, no matter how and when. Kathryn and Lauren really stood out to me, as well as Neil, Mark and Ade. Lauren was the only contestant who really stood out on her own to me.
-Loved that Cat was brought in on the couch by Adechike and Jose. 🙂 She’s so cute.
-The first two contestants came up – Kent and Lauren holding hands. Hmmm. First thought was this was confirmation that my #1 and #2 slots were correct in the Power Rankings last night. Cause no way were they sending either of the first two to Bottom 3 the way they did last week. Anyway, they were cute when Cat said the person in the bottom three wasn’t on the stage. Way to drag out the obvious, everyone.
-The Dizzy Feet/Mary Murphy dancing kids were cute. The girl seemed a little weirded out by all the attention, but that Fernando – he’s gonna be on the show in about 5 or 6 years. 🙂 I thought it was cute that Cat arm-wrestled him and even cuter than she let him win.
-Second pairing of contestants comes on stage – Billy and Adechike. I kinda had a weird feeling Billy was gonna be in the bottom again, even though I think Adechike deserves it more, even with that great contemporary last night with Kent.
-When Robert and Jose are brought on stage, I have another series of weird thoughts. Looking at Jose’s face, I think…somebody’s been reading the Internet. And I saw Robert’s face and I thought… “whoa, he looks really worried, I wonder if there’s ANY chance Ashley’s injury isn’t as serious as they thought.” But, then things went back to what I expected (and hoped, I have to admit). Robert’s safe and Jose’s in the Bottom 3.
-About this point, I’m realizing we haven’t really seen Ashley (unless I missed it) like we did with Alex, emotional in the crowd. Hmmm.
-I’m gonna get a lot of heat for this, but I wasn’t keen on the Alvin Ailey dancers Jamal and Rachel. First, I hated the music. I went through about a nanosecond of a Laurie Anderson phase and then I wondered what I’d been thinking. That and the costumes – but neither of those are J&R’s fault. They danced beautifully. But I wasn’t feeling either of those aesthetic things and I really wasn’t feeling how they each kinda lay or sat completely prone and still while they other danced. Just not my bag. Sorry, folks.
-I DID love seeing Twitch and Comfort in the “rewind” “Forever” dance from Season 4. Thanks to our reader Kayla for the term. 🙂 It was even better this time and really solidified for me how much Comfort’s grown since her season and that she really does deserve to be an All-Star.
-Billy’s solo was very much like all his others. Only, there did seem to be a fierceness in his eyes that isn’t always there. A digging in.
-Jose’s was fast and furious, as the judges said. Yet. Yet. Oh, Jose. I’m sorry. You’re so sweet and I felt for you when you said that you expected to be in the bottom 3 every week. But you need a lot more training before you can match those All-Stars. Maybe you would have had a steeper “growth journey” in another season, but in this one, you’ve been extremely lucky to get this far. It’s sad – but wise of you! – that you recognize this.
-SOOO COOOL to have Christina Perri performing “Jar of Hearts” on the show, since our love for her single enabled her to quit her job and concentrate on her music. I love that we all contributed to her career. It really gives me hope that we may see Black Gold on to perform “Shine” . I’m thinking they can do the very last elimination live with all the eliminated dancers dancing as they perform. That’d be cool, like it was UBER cool to see Allison and Neil dancing to Christina’s song. Highlight of the night for me.
-There’s Ashley. Finally. Blah blah blah from the judges. WAIT. Nigel talks about Michael Jackson and kinda refers to him in the present tense. Is Nigel one of those who believe MJ is still alive somewhere? Or just that his spirit is always with us and hence, present? Hmmm.
-Ashley needs 3-5 weeks of rest, so she’s out. Yup, I knew it. Sad. But, at least the mentioned that they want her healed up for the tour…
-…which will include SEASON 6, SEASON 7 AND ALL-STAR DANCERS!! Hurrahhh! Probably, some dancers (ahem, Jakob) have gotten contracts since their seasons and so won’t be available for the tour, so they’ll be able to include the best of the two seasons. And with Alex unable to perform…
-Awww, Cat kinda whisperes, “We want you on the tour. We want you to get better.” I love Cat. And she refuses to let Ashley apologize to us for being injured. LOOVE CAT. 🙂
-Awww, Ashley is crying so hard she can barely talk. Ah, Ashley, you’re my favorite. Get well for the tour.
instead. I know it’s not the same, but enjoy anyway. 🙂 
” from the soundtrack (not on iTunes, the link is for Amazon, which was the same situation with the Beck cover of “Everybody’s Gotta Learn Sometime” from 
