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SYTYCD: Top 8 to Top 6

Finally, the first two-hour show of the season and they gave all the dancer a challenge. Two dances with their partner, a group dance, a solo, and they had six days to prepare for show day. I’m really glad that Dominic pointed this out because I think it probably forgotten by some how little time they have to make sure their performance is as close to perfect as they can get it.

Bailey & Mariah: I think for most part they are still the couple to beat and unless they completely bomb next week, we will see them in the top four. Their contemporary was good and fun to see how Mandy and Elizabeth incorporated a big stage prop in their choreography. Their cha-cha was good to but you could tell that Bailey did struggle with the lifts.

Gino & Sophie: They were a new pairing and they also had a the two new choreographers Monday night. Gino and Sophie are my other pick to make the final four. I loved the contemporary by KC Monnie, it was beautifully danced by Sophie and Gino but I do wish Gino wasn’t on the props as much as he was. The jazz was fun and a nice throw back to Elvis, Gino seemed to be able to channel his inner Elvis.

Ezra & Madison: Hands down these two had the hardest dance of the night with the Argentine Tango and they managed to pull it off with flying colors. Which makes me happy their hip hop was first, and it was nice to see the fun light-hearted side of Madison. For whatever reason these two aren’t connecting with the audience, which is why we saw them in the bottom two this week

Benjamin & Anna: I feel like I understand why they were the ones to go home Monday night. For whatever reason both of their dances left me wanting more. Like Nigel, I found myself comparing their Tahitian dance to one for a past season. The broadway on the other hand was good but I think it was too understated for a top 8 performance.

Now that we are getting down to the last few episodes of the season there is a good chance that the top 4 will be solely based on the viewers votes.

August 28, 2019 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 5 Girls Revealed

Last night was all about the ladies and their last chance to prove that they have what it takes to be in the top 5 girls. Each contestant was paired with an all-star and had to learn a routine (not how long they had to learn it). All-Stars included FikShun, Paul, Brandon, Robert, Jonathan, and last season’s winner Lex.

Here are my thoughts on the top 5 girls and their performances last night.

Hannalie Cabanilla: Salsa with Jonathan
The lifts were amazing and I have to agree with Nigel, that she had to be fearless when it came to doing those lifts with someone she had just met. I also liked that the salsa brought out a bit more of his personality.

Jensen Arnold: Jazz with Brandon
I got to agree with the judges that she had the not only the best performance of the night but also the most confident. I like that Jensen was able to set aside the Miss Apple Pie(Nigel’s words) and allow the more sassy side to shine. If anything like her sister Lindsey, she’ll be a contender.

Magda Fialek: Contemporary with Robert
Probably the most beautiful routine of the night, and the most emotional considering both Mary and Vanessa were tearing up. I got to give Robert some recognition for balancing and rotating on one leg with Magda wrapped around him. Looking forward to seeing Magda dance more.

Genessy Castillo: Hip Hop with FikShun
I think it was this performance that put he in the top 5, she danced like her life depended upon it. I really enjoyed this performance, especially the part with the hair. Also, I felt like she vibe with FikShun.

Chelsea Hough: Salsa with Jonathan
The judges were pleased and Mary complimented her technique. I could definitely see the improvement Chelsea made compared to the earlier ballroom round.

We had to say goodbye to Emily, Brianna, Sydney, Stephanie, and Dayna. Of these five I was a bit shocked that the Judges didn’t choose Emily to move on to the top 5 girls. Next week it is the guys turn to impress the judges.

July 24, 2018 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.

Season 14: Live Episode One Thoughts

The All-Stars open up the first live show of the season with a great Mandy Moore routine. It didn’t take me long to notice the new stage/set. I feel like it combined the best parts about the two previous sets…love seeing the audience around the stage and up where the stair lead. Every time I saw Cat up there I had flashbacks from earlier seasons. I like how they revealed the top 10 but wish they used a camera that was closer to the dancer…from a distance I could’t tell who they were till Cat said their name. With the exception of Jenna’s choice, all of my predictions were right. Let’s get into the dances shall we. Keep in mind these are just my initial thoughts…I’ll try and rank the performances in another post.

Dassy and FikShun: Choreo: Poppin’ Pete
I love these two together and I agree with Mary that FikShun has met his match in Dassy. Just a very fun routine to start out the show. Dassy personality really shines and I’m looking forward to seeing what else these two can do.
Logan and Allison: Choreo: Tyce Diorio
Allison injured her shoulder during rehearsal, so Audrey Case from season 9 filled in for her. Major props to Audrey for learning that in a few hours. Overall, it was a beautifully danced routine but for me there was something missing that I wasn’t connecting with…this is where the rehearsal footage )that was missing tonight) usually helps me filling what the dance is about. Could have been slightly different if danced with Allison. Logan is a great dancer though.
Kiki and Jenna: Choreo: Dmitry Chaplin
I do think that Jenna made the right choice. I might have to agree with what Jenna said during the academy…Kiki might be the best male ballroom dancers this show has had in a while.
Kaylee and Cryus: Choreo: Tessandra Chavez
Love that Cyrus took a chance and chose Kaylee. I actually thought Kaylee danced this beautifully from emotions to technique. Even Cyrus has stepped up his game since his season. I can see what Vanessa was saying but Nigel left me scratching my head. Don’t worry Nigel the audience managed to get Cyrus to the top 4 his season…so I’m sure Kaylee will get votes
Lex and Gaby: Choreo: Anthony Morigerato
Anthony doesn’t disappoint in tap choreo in my opinion. Loved the Broadway feel of this tap and that they went with her strength for the first show if only to show how well-rounded contemporary dancers are. Lex’s personality is starting to show a little bit more. Cat said it best it was Fred and Ginger meets James Brown.
Mark and Comfort: Choreo: Luther Brown
These two might have the best chemistry of all of the partner’s . When Vanessa referenced “Hook” with the character of Ruffio…I have to agree with that statement. Mark’s energy comes right through the screen and he should be a fan favorite.
Koine and Marko: Choreo: Stacey Tookey
Okay Nigel, stop playing match maker, though they are a cute couple. I agreed with Mary that the lighting helped make Stacey’s choreo come to life and it was dance beautifully by these two.
Sydney and Paul: Choreo: Val Chmerkovskiy
I might have a slight aversion to Val choreography because I had to watch it a few times to appreciate it. Beside one awkward lift, I thought Sydney danced it well and she does have legs for days.
Taylor and Robert: Choreo: Travis Wall
Wow just wow. The best dance of the night for me. Everything about this was stunning. Only standing ovation of the night.
Robert Green and Jasmine: Choreo: Chris Scott
The best reveal of the night. Chris Scott gives us another fun routine. I love Robert since his audition so really looking forward to see more from him. I do wish the costume department put him in pants instead of shorts.

WELCOME BACK WADE! I don’t know about anyone else but I have sure missed his presence on this show. A great collaboration with his wife Amanda and Tony Testa. Loved this group routine and I hope to see more of Wade this season.

August 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.

Academy Episode 2: Contemporary, Ballroom, and Groups

Information overload in this weeks episode…it’s hard to keep track of names and who is on which all-stars team. Definitely seeing the difference between the one and two-hour episodes. Even watching the episode twice I wasn’t able to keep up with everything. So I figured I would just go with my thoughts about tonight’s contemporary, ballroom, group rounds.

Day two started off with a difficult contemporary combo from Travis Wall. I really enjoyed that Travis allowed the dancers to free style the start of the routine. Allowing them to interpret the music into their own form of movement. Also not pairing them up I think gave the dancers more of an opportunity to take Travis’s choreography and make it their own. Just like the hip hop round the contestants have an hour to learn the dance. However, each group will learn their fate right after they dance. Robert finally has someone on his team and he might have gotten a little dramatic to ensure that Taylor would be on his team. If you noticed that contestants that were chosen to be on a team in last weeks episode still had to participate in rest of the rounds, I’m assuming to let them keep proving themselves to the all-stars that chose them. By the end of the first round of day two 14 more dancers were cut.

Next up ballroom with Dmitry and Jenya. Happy we got to see the Cha Cha demonstrated so we know what the choreography is supposed to look like. Also by this point each all-star only has one more space left on their teams. The reactions of the all-stars were feature a little bit more this round and it’s nice to see them enjoying themselves before they have to make a hard decision. I noticed that they began to struggle deciding what they want to do, Paul changing his mind of what he was going to do to save Vacily was a great example of this. The teams are full at the end of this round.

Day two of the academy is over or so they think. Cat breaks the news that it is time for the group round, in which the dancers would work through the night to create a routine and perform it the next morning and one person would be cut from each team. Okay so group night was when I wish was a separate episode or a two-hour one. I missed the intensity of what this round usually is…granted I never really enjoyed the drama that the group round can bring but it did make the group routines a little more impressive. Overall, Paul’s team might have had the worst group dance of the night and they seemed to have the most drama. Jenna made an interesting move by saving Kevin from elimination, she obviously connected with him on some level not to be able to let him go. In making this save, Jenna had to cut two of her dancers from her team. After group rounds each all-star has 3 team member left.

Next week is the final episode of the Academy before the live show start and the all-stars still have to cut two more dancers from their team. First up in Jazz with Sonya, followed by the all-stars dancing with each of their final two dancers (well that’s what it looked like to me). Ending with the green mile in which we will find out our top 10 dancers. I have a few guesses of who might be in the top 10 so I’m curious to see if I have any correct.

July 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.

Academy Episode One: Solos & Hip Hop

Tonight we were treated to a great opening number choreographed by Mandy Moore. I actually loved that they did this, it made the introduction to the Academy more exciting. Anyone else notice that part of the choreography was use in the initial audition rounds. Tonight’s episode was jammed packed full of information and I know I didn’t get all the names for the teams but I’ll hopefully fill them in next week.

Round One: The dancers must impress the panel of All Stars with their solo or duet(ballroom). If they get the majority of the vote, they will move on to the next round. I always enjoy watching the All Stars reaction to the all-stars. There were several that did impress and I wasn’t surprised either. Kristina and Vasily for me stood out. They danced so beautifully, but we didn’t see them much throughout the rest of the episode. However, I did spot them at the end of the episode when they were previewing the rest of the Academy. 71 dancers moved on the next round.

Round Two: Hip Hop with NappyTabs, who are everywhere these days. The contestants have an hour to learn the routine and then have to perform it for the All Stars. So it’s either sink or swim, and from what I saw there was everything from amazing to awful. I do wish the show will show the viewing audience what the dance actually looks like. After all the dancers have performed one of three outcomes will happen. 1) Picked to be on an All Stars’s team 2) Move on to the next round or 3) Sent home. If more than one All Star want them on their team the contestant gets to choose whose team he or she wants to be on.

Kevin Davis Jr: A Krumper that had five All Stars wanting him on his team. Allison, FikShun, Cyrus, Jasmine, and Comfort all explained why they wanted him on their team. In the end he wanted to choose the person who he would benefit the most from, so he picked Allison.

Dassy Lee: Not surprised she had both of the Hip Hop boys wanting her on their team. Dassy chose FikShun over Cyrus. I’m thinking FikShun has an edge over Cyrus since he has won the show and mentored last years winner.

Logan Hernandez: Robert, Allison, and Jenna were all wanting him. Jenna even made a bold statement of the night by saying he would be her partner on the show. She basically said he would be in the top 10 if he chose her. Logan chose Allison…chances are he might not have believed Jenna.

Robert seemed to have a tough time convincing someone to be on his team. After tonight’s episode he is the only All Star that doesn’t have anyone on his team yet.

At the end of tonight 13 of the 40 spots were filled, and next week the dancers face contemporary with Travis and ballroom with Dmitry. I am going to try to get a who is on each All Star’s team up.

 

July 17, 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.

New York Auditions: Part 2

I case you didn’t notice last weeks episode was a repeat, I’m guessing due to the fourth of July the network didn’t want to air a new episode. So tonight we get to see the rest of the auditions in New York, and it also concludes the initial auditions before the Academy. There was plenty of talent tonight from the amazing to the not so great (which always makes me wonder if they watch the show).

Magda & Kiki: They have an interesting dynamic but they a just dance partners, and Magda does all the talking. What I liked about their audition is that it wasn’t too over the top with the tricks, and I was a little surprised they didn’t do any lifts. It was just a straight forward cha-cha that got them their ticket to the Academy.

Claudia & George, Jaryd Farcon, and Allen Genkin…just a few more ballroom dancers to make it straight to the Academy

Zachary Downer: He auditioned for season 12 and made it to the green mile. Can’t say I rememberer him but it is very clear after watch him dance again why he made it as far as he did. Love the infusion of the african movement with the contemporary.

Ramita Ravi: I have to admit I was excited to watch her dance the moment she sat down to talk to Cat. I do enjoy watch the Bollywood style of dancing. I was somewhat surprised the judges didn’t send her to the academy right away. I think that they just wanted to see more of what she can do. Thankfully she made it through the choreography round.

Peter Mangione: I must have missed the part when he said he had only be dancing for six months, but when he mispronounced Ballet, I pretty much knew this would be a not so good audition.

Arielle Disciascio: I was on the fence about Arielle, yes she is a fantastic dancer with precision and control. However, I wanted to see her let go and really just dance from the heart. So like Nigel I wanted to see her do the choreography.

Some more familiar faces of past seasons are back to try again and the are all hip hop dancers. Chris Andrews, Chase “CTut” Lindsey (the finger tutting) and Jason Kidd. One last familiar face for tonight was Romainson Romain, provided the most moving audition of the night, the judges knew he had a lot weighing him down and I loved that they lifted him up. He also didn’t do too bad in the choreography round and he made it to the academy.

Marc “Full out” Royale: Um dancing professionally for two years…yeah I don’t think so but I see why he goes by full-out.

Claire Rathbun: I love how ballet dancers especially those that do pointe make it look so easy and effortless. I also love how she wants to prove that you can have a big personality and still do ballet. Based on her personality I wonder how well she will do in the hip hop genre.

Lex Ishimoto: He took a big risk by doing an improve for his audition, but man did it pay off. It was the best audition of the night. Plus at the time of his audition he was performing with Travis Wall’s (and Nick, Teddy, & Kyle) company Shaping Sound. I can’t wait to see what All Star get him on their team. It’s a bold prediction from me but Lex will be in the top 10.

So 100 dancers total for the LA and New York Auditions made to the academy. They will be tested by Travis Wall, Sonya Tayeh, Dmitry Chaplin, and NappyTabs. Looking forward to next week.

July 10, 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 20 Power Rankings

First let me start by saying what a great way to start the live shows of season 11. Since everyone got to perform in their own style I figured I rank each of the different genres, with the exception of tap, ballet, and hip hop they will form their own group.

Contemporary

1. Ricky and Jessica: Sonya out did herself on this piece. Just an absolutely gorgeous dance that was the best of the night. I think it safe to say that these two are safe judging from the judges reactions and the reactions on social media. What I loved most was how simple the music was, it gave the illusions like they they were dancing with our any music.

2. Rudy and Carly: Stacey Tookey’s choreography is always easy to watch and enjoy. I loved they way Rudy and Carly  performed this with such emotion. I think Rudy could very easily be a fan favorite.

3. Stanley and Bridget: I love Bonnie Story and this dance. I think that both Stanley and Bridget are great dancers. Stanley for me is right up there with Ricky as the best male contemporary dancer I just hope he doesn’t get lost in the mix.

4. Casey and Emily: I love Travis’s work and I loved this as well. I just felt like the other contemporary dances outshines it but not by much. I love Emily and Casey as a pair it kinda stinks that they will be split up next week. I really hop they make it to the next round. Emily is one of my favorites this season.

Ballroom

1.Nick and Tanisha: So happy to have Louis Van Amstel back on the show. That may have been the fastest I’ve have ever seen the judges talk…too bad they can always do that, they can ramble at times. I think that Tanisha and Nick were the best ballroom couple of the night. Tanisha for me is the best out of the girls.

2. Surge and Brooklyn: Overall loved the dance and the choreography by Dmitry. I do have to agree with what the judges had to say about Brooklyn. Surge was able to steal the attention from her. Had her nervousness not gotten the best of her, I think she would have been fine.

3. Marquet and Marlene: I’m not sure what it was about this dance that seemed to fall flat to me. They danced well and it’s one of the few time that I rely on the judges opinion.

Others

1. Zack and Valerie: It’s not really a secret that I love tap and I was loving Anthony Morigerato’s Choreography. I know the hard work it takes to pull of a routine like that. Stairs are not an easy prop for tap dancers especially cause tap shoes can be slippery. My personal favorite of the night.

2. Jacque and Jourdan: I had to rewatch this pas de duex because I was sure who lost their balance during the dance. I’m pretty sure it was Jourdan and thankfully the judges didn’t seem to mind but Nigel was being a tad bit nit picky.

2. Emilio and Teddy: This and the ballet were even to me which is why there and two 2s. I have to admit I kinda have a crush on these two Sure part the reason is the Teddy taps as well and Emilio was reminding me a bit of Dominic. I love that Chris Scott choreographs to songs you would never think of doing a hip hop to. The smoothness of the dance is why I enjoyed it.

So who’s going to be the first to be eliminated? It’s kind of tough to figure out, it’s easier  to figure who will be staying. It’s a toss up really…they are all really good it’s more about who gets lost in the mix and what dances are easily forgotten about.

Hope everyone had a safe 4th of July weekend.

July 5, 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.