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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.

Next Generation: Top 9 Thoughts

So this week the dancers are back dancing with their all-stars in their own styles. I think I’m starting see the pattern of how the show will go from week to week. Great opening number choreographed by Brian Friedman to Meghan Trainor’s “Me Too”. On a side note did not know that Jason Derulo wrote that song.

Jake and Jenna: (Samba) Always good to see Dmitry back on the show. I think he found the way to work around the height difference. I also liked seeing Jenna helping Jake with the steps he didn’t know yet. Overall it was a fantastic performance.

Tate and Kathryn: (Contemporary) I’m really loving Brian Friedman’s choreography tonight. This piece was stunning and so are the dancers. My only complaint was maybe they went a little overboard with the smoke machine. I agree with the judges Tate is the best technical dancer on the show.

Kida and FikShun: (Hip hop) Dave Scott hit the jack pot with these two. Loved the concept of this dance. The make up department out did themselves, Kida really did look like a puppet.

Jordan and Sasha: (Jazz) This was definitely a fun piece and boy was it jam-packed with a lot of fast moves. They did fall out of sync a few times but no other real issue.

Sheaden and Marko: (Hip hop) I think Sheaden proved why he was picked to be on the show. I also think this truly allowed him to show off his personality.

Ruby and Paul: (Argentine Tango) Pretty sure that Paul had bruises all over his legs. Loved that the piece had a lighter feel compared to the usually darker feel I’m used to seeing. After watching the performance I would have never had guessed that Ruby has never really done the Argentine Tango.

Tahani and Comfort: (Dance Hall) It’s always good to see new style on SYTYTCD. Just hard to judge…I thought it looked good.

JT and Robert: (Contemporary) Seriously, Travis Wall will have another Emmy nomination next year. My favorite of the night. It is so nice to see JT slowly breaking out of the “cute kid” role.

Emma and Gaby: (Tap) Like Nigel, I really enjoy being about to see tap on the show every week. There is no denying the fact that Emma is a fantastic tap dancer.

The bottom two tonight were Sheaden and Ruby. This is just going to get harder every week to watch these kids get eliminated. I did agree with the judges that Sheaden would be in 9th place. I have a feeling we might see Ruby in the bottom next week.

July 25, 2016 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.

Top 14 to Top 10: Thoughts

After last weeks episode, it’s not really surprising the tonight’s show was a bit of a let down, with a few bright spots. First bombshell of the night is the fact that there is a double elimination. The second was the fact that Jim was injured, before Cat said he was cleared to dance in his duet, I honestly thought oh no I hope he didn’t pull an Alex. The music for the opening number took me back to my days in dance class. That song was a staple in dance class so thank you Brian Friedman for that trip down memory lane.

1) Jim & Yurelis: Sonya
Happy to have Sonya back. This was one of those dances where the concept was kind of lost on me but I was still fantastic to watch. So nice to see Yurelis using her contemporary dance skills. Agreed with the fact if you took a picture that you have a picture of a great pose.

2) Edson & Jaja: Misha Gabriel
I loved what Misha came up with and I agree with Paula that is was fun and funky. The only thing that I can think of that may have made it a little better is maybe it could have been a bit cleaner/sharper.

3) Virgil & Hailee: Tyce Diorio
These two knocked it out of the park again. Tyce managed to bring out more of a darkish from these two…even himself for that matter. This might be my favorite Tyce routine ever.

4) Alexia & Ariana: Tracy Phillips & Dominic Carbone
So this was a Jazzy Burlesque? I think that the choreographers maybe should have gone the fun flirty route and this might have been a little bit better. So thankful that Paula found a positive way to give these girls a critique.

5) Derek & Megz: Dave Scott
This was one of those dances that it was good but it wasn’t great. I guess I was thinking that they may have dressed Megz a little more feminine, she looked great regardless. I didn’t think that costume fit the dance, thought that the costume department should have went a little more fun and flirty…like a skirt.

6) Gaby & Neptune: Stacey Tookey
Seriously Stacey does it again. My other favorite of the night and the reason Neptune got the Twitter save.

7) Kate & JJ: Brian Friedman
This might have been better as a group routine, but I thought the girls did a great job. Nice to see Kate’s personality breakthrough tonight.

Bottom 6: Derek, Alexia, Kate, Yurelis, Ariana, and Neptune

The Twitter Save went to the two boys Derek and Neptune.

Next week the All Stars return!

August 10, 2015 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.

Top 16 to Top 14 Thoughts

In my opinion, tonight’s show was pretty good from start to finish. There was also an injury that happened this week. Derek strained a muscle in his back and was advised not to dance this week. Also, Team Street is catching up to Team Stage when it comes to the percentage of votes, it was almost 50-50 this week.

1) Hailee & Jaja: Ray Leeper (Jazz)                                                                                                                         Love these two dancers and agree both are power houses and are easy favorites in this competition. I know they classified this as jazz but it had a modern dance type of feel.

2) Alexia & Neptune: Dave Scott                                                                                                                                       This is a great example of why I love Dave Scott, just a crazy cooky concept. According to Cat there were 7 men holding that padded wall in place. Again thought both dancers were great.

3) JJ & Derek: Miriam & Leonardo (Argentine Tango)                                                                                       Stepping in for the injured Derek was Leonardo. This meant JJ had to be on her game. All I can say is wow…JJ held her own dancing with Leonardo and I agree with Nigel, JJ would have been on the hot tamale train.

4) Jim & Ariana: Sean Cheesman (Contemporary)                                                                                                    Love the Lorde version of this song. I knew Jim would be amazing but I felt like Ariana had proven why the judges have saved her last week.

5) Gaby & Virgil: Al Blackstone (Broadway)                                                                                                              Such a fun routine. However, I think sometimes the Broadway numbers tend to either you like them or you don’t. Even if the taps were prerecorded it was nice to see that Gaby have a little bit of tap in the number. Virgil’s Broadway experience paid off tonight.

6) Kate & Asaf: Sean Cheesman (Jazz)                                                                                                                         This one fell flat for me, but it wasn’t a train wreck. I think Kate is a fantastic dancer but there is something that is not coming through the screen. Asaf had a better week and was able to pull of the list.

7) Marissa & Yurellis: Chris Scott                                                                                                                             This was a great routine and felt like we finally saw Marissa in a different light. I thought both girls were great. The only thing I would have changed was the beanie that Yurellis was wearing.

8) Edson & Megz: Talia Favia (Contemporary)                                                                                                     Beginning to think that Megz can do just about anything. She isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Finally we get to see Edson in his element and I hope he continues to shine.

Bottom 6

Team Stage: Kate, Marissa, and Derek. Team Street: Asaf, JJ, and Arianna

Twitter Save: JJ and Derek

Judges Save: Arianna and Kate

Going Home: Asaf and Marissa

 

August 3, 2015 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.

Top 20 Thoughts

The first live show of Season 12 was a nice introduction to the dancers and what they can do. This week only each team each team performed in their own style, which is always nice to see them in their comfort zone.

Last nights show kicked off with a great group number by Chris Scott and Jessica Kellar. It didn’t take me long to spot Asaf Goren, the replacement to the top 20 dancer that had to withdraw. Unfortunately, Alain “Hurrikane” injured his knee and due to the conditions it was a better idea to heal properly than to cause a reoccurring injury.

We also got a glimpse of what the live shows will be like this season. We will see duos, trios, and quartets of dancers. Starting next week stage and street will have to dance together and probably will expose some weaknesses. So for this episode I’m just going to give my thoughts on the dances and my best guess of who might be in the bottom three next week.

Team Stage
1) Stacey Tookey: Contemporary; Gaby, Derek, & Moises
Stacey once again creates a beautiful routine and the dancers knocked it out of the park. This was my favorite dance from the stage team. I think that all three dancers will be safe.

2) Brian Friedman: Jazz; Marissa, Hailee, & Alexia
So great to have Brian back on the show and he didn’t hold back with the choreography. The highlight was seeing him breakout his stilettos and show the girls if he can do it, so can they. Overall, I enjoyed this jazz number. I do have to agree with the judges when the dance and costumes are sexy, you don’t need to oversell the sexiness.

3) Swan: Ballet; Darion & Jim
From what I’ve seen online everyone loved the dance and the dancer but they did not love the costumes. I agree the costumes just did not work for me.

4) Travis Wall: Contemporary; Edson & Kate
Okay so don’t know what the judges had a problem with this dance and neither did Travis. I really hope these two stick around next week.

Team Street

1) Dave Scott: Megz, Neptune, & Jessica (JJ)
Seemed to have a mixed review from the judges but nothing really negative. There is a part of me that wants to say maybe nerves were a factor.

2) Chris Scott: Jaja, Lily, Burim & Asaf
This dance was a great example of why I love Chris. He likes to show off the dancers strengths. Also was one of the few times that I did not like the camera work because I could not see everything that was happening. I also hope the B-boys continue to work hard to pick up the choreography.

3) Pharside and Pheonix: Virgil, Ariana, & Yorellis
This was a fun routine with a clear theme and a well known song. Virgil will be an audience favorite. Yorellis will be one to watch since she does have training in some of the stage styles.

I honestly thought both teams had there winning moments and there okay moments. Who will be in the bottom is tough to say but based just on a gut feeling here’s who I think might be in trouble. Stage: Hailee, Alexia, and Darion. Street: Megz, Neptune, and Ariana.

Tune in next Monday night to find who stays and who goes.

July 14, 2015 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.

Vegas Week: Part One

First off let me just start out by saying that the next round of auditions are back in Las Vegas, besides Vegas Week is more fun to say. With the format change I was somewhat unsure as to what to expect from this week. I do like that they kept the teams separated and it seemed to allow the dancers a little more time to rest…well if they were actually able too. Travis and tWitch join the judges to see their team for the first time. While they don’t have a say in who stays or goes, they can offer the judges there input.

ROUND 1: One minute solos.
One minute really isn’t enough time to really show what you got, so the dancers needed to have their A game ready. The static thing going on with the sound while trying to watch this first part.

ROUND 2: Choreography

Team Stage is up first and they get to learn a contemporary piece from their own mentor Travis Wall. Since it was Travis’s choreography, he seemed to act more as a judge.

Team Street takes on the choreography of Jamal Sims. Here’s where things get a little rough. Many of the street dancers are freestyle and have never tried to learn choreography. So the first round was almost a blood bath…well for the guys anyways. The girls out shined many of the guys and began to agree with tWitch, that his team could be made up of all girls, Nigel, definitely lit a fire under them with some tough love.

Round 3:

Team Stage had an hour to learn a tough Broadway routine from “On The Town” choreographer Josh Bergasse. Things start to fall apart for team stage. We also saw the first injury to take a dancer out of the competition and that’s just heartbreaking.

Team Street worked with one of my favorites Dave Scott. A much better day that the first. Loved seeing tWitch being a mentor and helping the contestants ease their nerves, and it’s also fun to watch his reactions while watching the dancers.

At the end of part one 36 Stage, 38 Street dancers remain. Next week we continue with the last two rounds, which includes the dreaded group round.By the end of the episode the top 20 will be revealed.

June 30, 2015 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.

Los Angeles Auditions

So tonight’s episode we are given a little more information for Vegas week. Team Stage will face choreography from Sonya, Josh Vergas, and Travis Wall. Team Street will face choreography from Dave Scott, Jamal Sims, and Nappy Tabs.

So Nigel stated last week that the LA auditions were some of the best auditions ever…well for this season at least. He wasn’t wrong the show started off strong but sort of lost steam for me. This episode was heavy on Team Street side of the auditions that we got to see. We did get to see some of team stage but most were lost in the montages. Seriously, wish the producers would show an equal amount from each team.

So I started to write down my standout but I decided I just wanted to enjoy the show. I love seeing SYTYCD Alumni at the auditions. Also love seeing familiar faces return for another chance, in particular, Jaja. If she isn’t in the top 20 this year, I may throw something at my tv. So moving on to Vegas were 29 Stage dancers and 24 Street dancers.

 

Team Stage: 84 Team Street: 84

June 15, 2015 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.

Top 20 to Top 18: Thoughts

First things first…I’d like to wish Nigel a happy birthday, even if he was a bit harsh on some of the choreographers.

I really like Misty Copeland a guest judge. She is giving the dancers praise and constructive criticism.

Anyone else get excited about what choreographers are in the audience? The dancer in me was geeking out and they created great numbers.

Most of the new couples seem to be working out okay. Also I wasn’t thrilled with the bottom six. No solos? I do agree with what Nigel said at the top of the show. They are all winners in away. The first cut is always the hardest but based on tonight’s performances the judges made the right decision.

What are your thoughts on the show tonight?

July 9, 2014 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.

Top 6 Now Top 4 Thoughts

Since there was no voting last night, I figured that I would save power rankings for next week and just do a thoughts post instead. I love having Jesse Tyler Ferguson as a guest judge, too cute watching him blush over admitting he has a crush on Aaron. Each of the dancers had three dances each; a solo, paired with an all star, and paired with each other.

Solos

Amy: She is just a little powerhouse and has been an early favorite from the beginning. Her solo was probably my favorite out of the girls.

Jasmine: Still love that song choice. I like the fact that yes, her legs are her best feature but I like that she doesn’t always remind us in her solos.

Hayley: I wanted a bit more from her solo.

FikShun: The fact that he was moving about as fast as the lyrics of that song was impressive.

Paul: Ballroom solos are always a bit hard to watch. I would have like to seen him do a more serious solo.

Aaron: I love tap solos cause it’s really the only time we get to see it during the show. I would think they could pull one of the other tappers that have been on the show to dance with him…it would be nice.

All Stars

Paul & Kathryn: the thing I like about Paul is that he tends to have chemistry with everyone who he is paired with on the show. There may have been a fight concept but for me they both seemed to be on an even level.

Hayley & Joshua: Who else thought of Katy Perry when they saw the stage set up? This was a major improvement from her last hip-hop. She really did seem like she was fighting to stay in the competition

Aaron & Melanie: I so wanted to know what they were yelling at each other during this piece, which made it entertaining to watch. Granted yes he sort of dropped her but thankfully it went with the theme of the dance. Also, Melanie being as good as she is caught herself.

FikShun & Witney: A ballroom dancer he is not but he sure did try. I agree with Mary that his close hold position was nice and probably with a little more time he could really do the fox trot justice.

Jasmine & Neil: I knew this was going to be good just from the rehearsal footage. Tyce created a beautiful number for these two. This was my favorite of the all-star pairings.

Amy & Alex: So happy Alex was able to do Bollywood and not hurt himself. Amy’s personality just suits Bollywood. It takes a lot of energy to tackle those dances.

Paired together

Hayley & Paul: I loved this version of the song and love watching these two dance together. Sad to see them both go but I had a feeling that they would be the ones that left.

Amy & FikShun: Happy that Dave Scott didn’t make this a cutesy hip-hop. They really do bring out the best in each other.

Jasmine & Aaron: This was my favorite out of the last three dances. I loved the concept of this dance and I did notice that Aaron took the judges note from earlier in the night and corrected it for this dance. Jasmine must be double jointed, how else would her legs be able to move like they do.

So our top 4 are Jasmine, Amy, Aaron, and FikShun. Who will you be pulling for next week? I’ll be pulling for Aaron mainly, as for the girl I’ll be happy with who ever wins out of the two of them.

August 28, 2013 I Written By

Dance is one of my biggest passions. I grew up dancing at Augusta West Dance Studio (the same studio that Kathryn McCormick). I have a BFA in theatre/dance from Valdosta State University. Tap is my favorite style of dance.

Top 14 Power Rankings

After a week off, it’s time to get back to the competition. I have to say the only surprise of who was in the bottom 6 for me was Makensie. I thought for sure the judges would have saved her right away but they chose Jenna instead. I think I knew from the get go we were going to be saying goodbye to Mariah and BluPrint.

Top3

Jenna & Tucker: I agreed with the judges that we were reminded why he was nominated for a Emmy. It was just a beautiful dance and I felt like Jenna finally had a moment that connected with me. I sorta wish they didn’t tell us that they had only worked with their prop for a few hours. That being said it probably added to the dance.

Makensie & Paul: When Cat said they were doing hip hop and saw the costumes before the commercial break, my first thought was really? It was another fantastic Dave Scott hip hop. Paul continues to surprise me, he even surprised me with how good of an artist he is. I think Makensie is one of the best girls on the show so I’m not sure why she is being lost in the mix. Hopefully this will be a wake up call for her fans…you can’t just vote for Paul you have to vote for her too.

Amy & FikShun: Is there anything these two can’t do? I loved that Tyce allowed them to be creative with his choreography. I just loved the concept of the dance, even thought the genre was jazz, I could see some Broadway coming though too.

Middle 3

Jasmine H & Aaron: So they were the lucky couple that drew the dreaded quick step from the hat. Thankfully it didn’t turn out to be the kiss of death. I seem to find myself not liking Jasmine’s dress, I feel like it should have only had one slit.

Malece & Alan: overall I agreed with the judges on this one. I was a great dance but Malece had the attitude that goes with hip hop and Alan did not.

Hayley & Curtis: I have mixed thoughts about this one, I love the concept and thought they both danced it well. Curtis seemed to have the most criticism, mainly about keeping his shoulders down.

Bottom 2

Alexis & Nico: I was a great dance but if you are the first couple to dance and you are dancing Jive then you need to light up the stage like Tiffany and Benji did last season. However, like the judges said it wasn’t good enough to be remembered as the night went on.

Mariah & BluPrint: they only land here since they were eliminated but I wanted to give my thoughts about it. So happy to see Brian back and I loved what he choreographed. They danced it well but wasn’t enough to save them.

So who will be in trouble next week my guess is we will see Alexis, Hayley, Curtis, and Alan in the bottom. I’m not sure of the other two that might be in danger but it will probably surprise me.

July 25, 2013 I Written By

Dance is one of my biggest passions. I grew up dancing at Augusta West Dance Studio (the same studio that Kathryn McCormick). I have a BFA in theatre/dance from Valdosta State University. Tap is my favorite style of dance.