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Podcast: SYTYCD Season 8 – Top 8 Performance and Elimination

Summary

This week’s judging panel featured director/choreographer Rob Marshall and pop music icon Lady Gaga, who gave constructive insight into the performance aspect of dance. Although we liked Neil Patrick Harris’s judging the most so far this season, the celebrity panel additions have worked a lot better in the second half of the season versus the first half.

The elimination show was tough for us to watch. Jess was one of our favorites from the competition and we were both expecting to see him make the top six and possibly the finals. We had a tough time seeing him cut after his growth and improvement in favor of Tadd, who has also grown but hasn’t felt as polished when you compare the two. We talk in-depth about Jess and Tadd and draw a line in the small details. Tadd has difficultly with fast choreography and when we consider his solos in total we don’t see a wide range in his dancing vocabulary and we don’t have these same issues with Jess. We admit, we’re biased here, but we try to quantify our feelings of disappointment as best as we can.

Jordan’s elimination was more straight-forward as her body of work has been hit-or-miss during the season and her solos have revolved around her leg movements. Caitlynn has been consistent and we feel like we still have more to see from her.

Marko and Melanie once again had amazing pieces and have solidified their place in the finals. As for who else is going to the finals, it looks to be a toss up when we compare Tadd/Ricky and Sasha/Caitlynn. We think it will depend on what routines they get next week and how well they perform. We consider their bodies of work and speculate on what may happen.

Please let us know your thoughts by dropping us a comment here after listening! We love to hear feedback and what you thought of the show. We also encourage you to check out our blog and twitter feed to keep up to date with us!

Episode Length: 30:01

Time Stamps
0:00 – The guest judging by Lady Gaga and Rob Marshall
1:45 – Discussion of Jess and his elimination
7:48 – Tadd, has he grown more than Jess to deserve a top six spot?
13:28 – Jess’s final solo and online fan reaction
15:40 – Jordan’s elimination (the Tyce kiss of death strikes again)
16:50 – Caitlynn’s work
18:50 – Sasha had a very good night
19:59 – Melanie had an excellent night!
22:10 – Marko continues to amaze us.
24:15 – Ricky: does he dance too tall? And is Anya heavy?
26:10 – Who makes the finals?
28:24 – Next week’s all-stars: Kent, Janette, Jamie, Ellenore, Twitch and Pasha!
29:23 – Wrap-up


Listen to the podcast

Episode 12 direct download

Subscribe to podcast on iTunes

 

July 30, 2011 I Written By

Over the past few years my fiancée Meghan slowly brought me into the world of television, turning me into a full-fledged fan of both scripted and reality shows. So You Think You Can Dance turned into one of my favorite reality shows as it is a competition that takes itself seriously, providing the audience with artistic choreography and talented dancers. It's certainly not something I ever expected to get emotionally invested in, but here I am! Meghan and I are very analytic when it comes to the things we enjoy. We constantly discussed and analyzed shows with each other and after doing this for a couple years, we decided that we should turn these discussions into a podcast. We created Reflections on Pop Entertainment, a podcast that provides commentary and analysis of popular entertainment as found in visual mediums, particularly television and film. So You Think You Can Dance Season 8 is the first television series we're covering with weekly podcasts and has allowed us to find our voice as well as actively contribute to the fan community. We hope that you'll enjoy our installments as they are posted to Pure So You Think You Can Dance!

Top 8 Results Thoughts and Discussion

My live thoughts and yours, too. Excited to see what All-Stars we’ll have next week. I just realized that Jaimie Godwin was supposed to be an All-Star this week and I guess she was replaced by Allison. I must’ve missed something – did they explain why Jaimie wasn’t on last night? Maybe they’ll say something tonight.

LOOOOOVED Tyce’s Top 8 routine! It’s routines like this that remind me what he’s capable of and make me even more annoyed with his lackluster choreo. It had hints of Wade and Sonya and was just so fun and cool and was a great opportunity for the dancers (especially Jess, as the ringmaster).

I also love Cat’s dress, especially the sleeves. Gorgeous.

Rob Marshall really nailed it when he said that SYTYCD puts dancers back in the center of attention, rather than in the background. That’s what I love about the show, too. Or at least part of it.

It’s cruel that they went to break without saying which of the four girls is in the bottom! Fine, keep us on edge, but soooo mean to the dancers.

Spoiler space for the rest…

Well, I was right about the girls. Melanie and Sasha are safe and Caitlynn and Jordan are in the Bottom Four.

Oh my gawd, I almost lost it watching that little clip of Marko’s mom hugging him backstage. I think he almost lost it too, judging by his face when they went to him on stage. Not surprised Marko’s safe and Jess is in the bottom, but I have to say I loved Jess peeling off his shit as he strolled off stage. Okay, I kinda like him a tiny bit more and more each week. 🙂

I *am* surprised that Rickey is safe and Tadd is in the Bottom 4, but maybe I shouldn’t be after some of your comments lately that he seems arrogant. I don’t see it myself, but apparently enough people do to put him in danger.

LXD always makes my day. It was nice to see Christopher Scott dancing on the SYTYCD stage, too. And, am I crazy or was that Ashley Galvan in the line of dancers?

The National Dance Day segment was really fun.

Jordan’s solo was her best, I think, but the leg extensions were still prominent, of course. Jess’s solo was full of character and entertaining. BUT, I thought Caitlynn really danced her best solo yet and that it was better than Jordan’s. I hope the judges agree and keep her! Tadd’s was clearly the best, full of character and performance. Love the song, love the tricks, love the whole attitude. He has some of the best solos.

Liked Lady Gaga’s performance, but most especially seeing Mark dancing with her so prominently.

Whew! Glad Caitlynn is safe. I thought Nigel was really respectful and nice to give such a positive build up to cutting Jordan. I’m surprised the judges could bear to cut Jess, but Tadd really earned it with his solo. He threw everything he had onto that stage.

The goodbye sequences made me realize two things
-I liked some of Jordan’s performances more than I remember (the bed hip hop with Tadd namely)
-I warmed up to Jess right as he was leaving.

They never announced the All-Stars for next week. Hmmm….

What do y’all think??

July 28, 2011 I Written By

Top 8 Performance Thoughts and Discussion

Even though I’m running late tonight, I wanted to be sure I posted this so you have a place for all your thoughts and any discussion that comes up during the episode. I’ll add my thoughts in later, when I get a chance, so for now, this is YOUR space!

UPDATE:
I’ve only seen half the show at this point, but I’ll go ahead and throw some of my thoughts out.

-I really loved Sasha’s quickstep with Pasha (“easy to remember!”).

-Wish I loved Caitlynn’s hip hop with Ivan. It was really cute, but not my favorite routine and that sucks cause I love her and love him and thought they were really cute together.

-Wonder what it was like with Allison and Ivan both backstage. 🙂

-Jordan is really not good at connecting with her partners. I think she had her best chemistry yet with Ade (Ade! How can you not have chemistry with Ade?! *I* had chemistry with Ade the two times I met him during on tour!), but she was still glamming for the camera. Just not digging it. I can see that she’s athletic and gorgeous and a talented dancer, but I’m getting sick of her getting raved about for being sexy since she’s sexy all on her own. I don’t know that she knows how to build chemistry with a partner at all.

-Melanie and Neil’s Mandy Moore was hands down my favorite of the night, one of my favorites of the season. I love all the components, so how could I not love it. Love Melanie, looooove Neil, love Mandy Moore. That leap! And Rob Marshall was right about her acting at the end. And I looooved that Cat asked if we wanted to see the move again and Melanie leaped into Neil’s arms back stage. I’ve never wanted to be backstage more in my life than when Cat said they were still smooching back there. Another SYTYCD cross-season couple, hmmm? (I’ve watched this routine like a dozen times now and I still want more!)

-I thought Rickey’s was one of the better jives we’ve seen on the shows and he was great with Anya. But I actually thought the quickstep was better, had more flare and life.

That’s as far as I’ve gotten at the moment! I haven’t been reading your comments till I can see the show, but please continue the conversation! Power Rankings will be delayed till tomorrow, but I can definitely give you a poll in the meantime. Maybe you’d like to give power rankings a go yourselves?

UPDATE:

-So I just watched Tadd’s heist routine with LoFro. It was really entertaining and I can totally see the MJ references. And I agree that I was really proud of Tadd for dealing with lost hat and the accidental face punch and keeping going. It was a lot of fun.

-I was really surprised and pleased with Jess’s performance with Lauren G. I thought it would be a disaster when I saw they were dancing together, but he really stepped up to her. There weren’t any lifts of course, but he matched her really well and I think he worked on having a connection with her and the intention of the piece. He didn’t overplay it, I agree.

-LOVED the Marko/Allison routine. He does really well when partnered with technical girls and I think Allison was the perfect match for him. She brought out a lot in him, but also they were must well-matched.

-This is a good time for me to say I’m generally liking Lady Gaga as a judge. Sometimes I think he reactions are a bit contrived, but I’m usually in agreement with them anyway, so that’s okay. And she’s being calmer and quieter than I expected and really respectful of the judges, which is really good.

-I hated the Jess/Jordan rhumba. Jordan’s pursed lips and “sexy” faces were pissing me off the whole time. I thought Jess did an alright jobs, though he occasionally had a crazy “sexy” face too. They had that one great lift, but I couldn’t help wishing it were different dancers. Agree with Nigel that there was no chemistry between them.

-Really loved Caitlynn and Tadd’s foxtrot. Rob Marshall was right to call it “sparkling.” They had the right attitude the whole way through and looked so classy and gorgeous the whole way through. It really made me miss the old stage, though. This big stage swallows up some routines, like this one.

-The Marko/Rickey hip hop was cute, but not as good as I would’ve liked. I have to agree that Marko carried it better than Rickey did unfortunately. Tabitha looked really worried when they cut to her and Napoleon right after the routine.

-Lady Gaga kinda dissed the props on both of Nappytabs’s routines. Anybody else notice that?

-I liked the Melanie/Sasha jazz, but I actually didn’t think it was as good as it could’ve been. I was THRILLED to see these two were dancing together and they’re pretty well matched, I think. My disconnect with the routine was more the music (blech) and the choreography – it felt kinda empty and unfulfilled. Whenever the girls made connection, it seemed kinda pointless. They could have actually done lifts, both of them, so I wanted that instead of the weird unnecessary assists. I don’t think it was the best choreography that Sonya’s done – I disagree. But then, I’m not a dancer or a choreographer. But I did agree that it reminded me of the “Two Princes” routine, which I liked. AND, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Final 2 came down to these girls

Here’s another poll:

July 27, 2011 I Written By

How SYTYCD Canada differs

So You Think You Can Dance Canada has a similar premise as SYTYCD USA, but some glaring differences. Executive Producer, Sandra Faire says diversity and risqué routines among differences between the American and Canadian shows.

Sandra Faire, SYTYCD Canada's Executive Producer.

 

The Toronto Star posted this article:

So you think So You Think You Can Dance Canada is just about dance? Think again.

For executive producer Sandra Faire, the show represents Canada in all its multicultural glory.

“A lot of people ask me what makes the show different from the United States or Australia or Britain. And I can say the dancers are more diverse, you know, Cuban, Asian, East Indian, whatever . . . the genres are more diverse, but . . . I would flip it around and say this show represents who we are,” she said in an interview.

Take this season’s top 22, just revealed on Sunday night. They include a salsa dancer who recently emigrated from Cuba, a ballroom dancer born in Ukraine, a contemporary dancer born in Kuwait, a Spanish-Haitian-Canadian hip-hop dancer, a French Canadian ballroom dancer, and a competitor who’s part Métis and combines ballet with breakdancing.

But it’s not just about the origins of the dancers. The Canadian show has introduced styles not seen on other versions of So You Think You Can Dance, including dancehall and Afro-jazz.

“Dancehall is Jamaican and Caribbean. It’s huge in the Jane-Finch area and I wanted to show it because it’s exciting,” Faire said.

“Sometimes we get criticized because it’s very down and dirty, but it’s part of who we are and it’s very much a part of our culture, and we want those kinds of things on the show.”

Since Calgary choreographer Sean Cheesman was invited to SYTYCDC to do Afro-jazz, he’s been hired on the U.S. and Australian shows, and all over the world for that style of choreography, Faire said.

She also believes the Canadian program has two of the best hip-hop choreographers in the world on its team: Luther Brown, who is also a judge, and Sho-Tyme.

Hip hop is “more than a dance,” Faire said. “It’s the culture of the streets. It’s about sex, it’s about violence, it’s about a lot of things and you want to show that authentically in the dance.”

Brown, who grew up in Jane-Finch, and Sho-Tyme, from Queens, N.Y., “show it the way it is. It’s not rhythm and blues, it’s not nice, pretty hip hop, it’s the way it authentically is and I love that about what they do.

“And I know we get criticized, but I don’t want to water it down. And Canadian audiences are more accepting for the most part.”

Still, Faire is careful to air more risqué routines after 9 p.m.

A longtime dance fan who has studied ballet and is a vice-chair of the National Ballet of Canada, Faire believes Canadians are more passionate about dance than Americans. And she notes that the Canadian show has more men in the studio audience than its U.S. counterpart.

“I think the American show is terrific and I have such respect for Nigel (Lythgoe, U.S. executive producer), but it’s a different show here, it’s a very different show.”

For one thing, the U.S. SYTYCD turned the format on its head this past season — its seventh — with a top 11 instead of a top 20 and competitors partnered with all-stars from past seasons.

Faire says there’s enough talent from past Canadian shows to support that change, but “I don’t think we want to do it yet. Maybe Season 7 or 8 if we’re lucky enough to get that.”

Besides, with so many great dancers auditioning for Season 3, it would have been excruciating to get it down to a top 10 or 11. “We could have actually had a top 26,” Faire said. “It was really hard paring it down and we had to turn down some really good dancers.”

Faire’s not taking the Canadian show live, either, as the U.S. did last season. Though it may seem counterintuitive, pre-taping episodes allows for “total spontaneity,” she said.

“We got some stuff, for instance, tonight that I think is a lot of fun and I want to leave in, and we never would have had time for it if we were live,” said Faire, referring to the Saturday night taping of Monday’s performance show.

Mind you, all that fun stuff meant producers had 20 minutes more footage than they needed for a two-hour show (with commercials) and Faire was facing an all-nighter to edit it down, but she wasn’t complaining.

“It’s a treat to be able to do something that you love, that you have a passion for, that you feel is your destiny,” she said. “How often does that happen? Not very often.”

I am glad Canada’s version is not going live and I agree it is not yet ready for an “all-star” season. I appreciate the diversity and “pushing the envelope” that happens on the Canadian show “after 9pm”

If you aren’t familiar with SYTYCD Canada’s reputation for risqué routines here is a summary:

Controversy
So You Think You Can Dance Canada has been known to push the envelope in some dances, and has set itself apart as being known to some as the sexiest version of any SYTYCD series, particularly with Bad Boy choreographer Blake McGrath’s Jazz Funk routines. In the first season Blake choreographed a Jazz-Funk number, as Nico Archambault and Lisa Auguste danced to The Pussycat Dolls hit “When I Grow Up”; it featured the two dancers to pose in some sexual ways. In Season 2 Blake’s Jazz-Funk took the form of Emanuel Sandhu & Kim Gingras dancing to the song “Love Sex Magic” by Ciara, with the routine ending with Kim in a red bikini in a magicians cut box. The most controversial routine was Blake’s Top 14 Group Jazz-Funk number to the song “LoveGame” by Lady Gaga; it involved the Top 14 dressed in leather with whips and chains in a Dominatrix theme. The routine also involved some minor guy on guy dancing with two men lying on top of each other. Hip-Hop king Luther Brown’s routines have also caused some controversy. One such routine had Daniel Dory and Jayme Rae Dailey dancing to the song “Pucker Up” by Ciara. The routine caused the dancers to lie on the ground with Jayme Rae’s face in Daniel’s crotch area; at the end of the routine Daniel ended shirtless and with his belt unbuckled. Another Luther Brown piece, in which Emanuel and Kim danced to the song “Respect My Conglomerate” by Busta Rhymes, involved Kim lifting up Emanuel’s shirt and grabbing his crotch.Also, in Johnny Bryns jazz routine Corynne Barron and Austin De Lello danced to the song “Papparazzi” by Lady Gaga where Corynne walked over Austin wth high heels.

Again, I know many of you can’t get SYTYCD Canada so here are a few of the routines mentioned…

“WHen I Grow Up”:

Here is the “Love, Sex, Magic” routine:

Here is “Pucker Up”:

Here is “Paparazzi”:

Personally, I think sex is part of dancing, not neccessarily all dancing but it shouldn’t be cut-out or censored and I feel like Canadian telelvision is more accepting of those kihds of routines. I have lived in the USA and Canada and notice USA telelvision has more violence, where Canadian television has more nudity.

Regardless, I love seeing the routines get down and dirty from time to time… rawr!

Thoughts?

[Sources: The Star & Wikipedia]

August 26, 2010 I Written By

I am a blogger and reality tv lover. I blog here for SYTYCD but mostly the Canada version, since I live in Vancouver BC. I also blog about other reality tv shows on my own blog www.mandysmind.com

SYTYCD Season 7 Music Predictions

I did this for Season 6, but this time, I’m raising the stakes. I’m not just going to suggest great music for Season 7, I’m going to actually predict music that we’ll see this season. I get two cool points for every song I get right. And…at the end of the season, for every song I get wrong… I’ll lose five cool points. 🙂

Here we go. Music that WILL be featured in Season 7:

1. Lady GaGa’s “Alejandro” Lady GaGa - The Fame Monster (Deluxe Version) - Alejandro

2. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds’s “And No More Shall We Part” Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - No More Shall We Part - And No More Shall We Part

3. Justin Bieber (ft. Ludacris)’s “Baby” Justin Bieber & Ludacris - My World 2.0 (Bonus Track Version) - Baby

4. Ke$ha’s “Blah Blah Blah” Ke$ha - Animal - Blah Blah Blah (feat. 3OH!3)

5. Katy Perry (and Snoop Dogg)’s “California Girls” Katy Perry - California Gurls (feat. Snoop Dogg) - Single - California Gurls (feat. Snoop Dogg)

6. Miley Cyrus’s “Can’t Be Tamed” Miley Cyrus - Can't Be Tamed - Single - Can't Be Tamed

7. Amy Stroup’s “Chin Up” Amy Stroup - Chin Up - Chin Up

8. Kate Hudson’s “Cinema Italiano” Kate Hudson - Nine (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) - Cinema Italiano

9. Alicia Keys’s “Empire State of Mind Broken Down” Alicia Keys - The Element of Freedom (Deluxe Version) - Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down

10. Maxwell’s “Fistful of Tears” Maxwell - BLACKsummers'night (Deluxe Version) - Fistful of Tears

11. Shakira’s “Gypsy” Shakira - She Wolf (Deluxe Version) - Gypsy

12. Michael Buble’s “Haven’t Met You Yet” Michael Bublé - Crazy Love (Deluxe Edition) - Haven't Met You Yet

13. The Fray’s “Heartless” The Fray - The Fray Live: iTunes Pass - Heartless

14. Train’s “Hey Soul Sister” Train - Hey, Soul Sister - Single - Hey, Soul Sister

15. Mika’s “Lollipop” Mika - Life In Cartoon Motion - Lollipop

16. Gossip’s “Love Long Distance” Gossip - Music for Men (Deluxe Version) - Love Long Distance

17. The Pretty Reckless’s “Make Me Wanna Die” The Pretty Reckless - Kick-Ass (Music from the Motion Picture) - Make Me Wanna Die

18. 3OH!3 (ft. Ke$sha)’s “My First Kiss” 3OH!3 - My First Kiss (feat. Ke$ha) - Single - My First Kiss (feat. Ke$ha)

19. Lady Antebellum’s “Need You Now” Lady Antebellum - Need You Now - Need You Now

20. John Legend’s “Ordinary People” John Legend - Get Lifted - Ordinary People

21. Rihanna’s “Rude Boy” Rihanna - Rated R - Rude Boy

22. Yo Yo Ma playing Bach’s “Sarabande in G Major” Yo-Yo Ma - Bach: The Cello Suites - Suite for Solo Cello No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: IV. Sarabande

23. Duffy’s “Smoke without Fire” Duffy - An Education (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) - Smoke Without Fire

24. The Temper Trap’s “Sweet Disposition” The Temper Trap - Conditions - Sweet Disposition

25. Glee Cast (ft. Jonathan Groff)’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart” Glee Cast - Total Eclipse of the Heart (Glee Cast Version) [feat. Jonathan Groff] - Single - Total Eclipse of the Heart (Glee Cast Version) [feat. Jonathan Groff]

As I was making this list, I could picture some of the hypothetical routines, envision which choreographers would use which songs. Listen to the songs and tell me what you think. Which ones do you agree with me on? Disagree? What songs do you think will end up being used this season?

May 25, 2010 I Written By

SYTYCD Season 7 All-Star Bios

The Season 7 All-Stars have shiny, awesome bios up now on the SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE page.

You think you know the All-Stars?

Did you know that Twitch choreographed for The Cheetah Girls?

Or that Comfort also writes and is working on a recording career?

Or that Courtney played Jeanette” as a dancer in “Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel”?

Bet you knew that Anya was the first dancer to get a ticket on the “hot tamale train.” Ok, that’s not in her bio, but that’s what Mary told me when I interviewed her last year.

I didn’t know that Lauren assisted Tyce Diorio with Season 2 before she was even on the show herself (Season 3), or that she also assisted Tobey Maguire for his role in “Spider-Man 2.”

I was pleased and happy to see Neil in “American Mall” after he was on SYTYCD – did you know he was in that cheesy and campy (in a good way) flick?

I didn’t know very much about Allison, so I thought it was cool that she performed with Earth, Wind and Fire and in the 2002 Olympics’s opening and closing ceremonies.

Everybody knows Mark‘s been touring with Lady Gaga, but who knew that he’s performed in “The Nutcracker,” “Sweet Charity,” “The King and I,” “Grease,” “Tommy” and “Gypsy”?

Pasha‘s appeared on the trifecta of tv dance shows – “SYTYCD,” “Dancing with the Stars” and “Superstars of Dance.”

I didn’t know Kathryn was in last year’s “Fame” remake – did you?

During Season 6, my mom loved Ade and he’s remained popular with the ladies ever since – performing with Beyonce, Rihanna and Alicia Keys.

Everyone knows Dominic is a goofball, but the last line of his bio confirms it: “In his down time, he says he likes to play golf and ping-pong and eat Spam while listening to Justin Bieber.”

Enjoy all the bios!!!

May 17, 2010 I Written By

Odd and Random SYTYCD 5/7/10

Remember that Katie Holmes post I did a little while back? Well, recently she danced and sang “Whatever Lola Wants” at the A Fine Romance benefit gala – using her husband Tom Cruise as a partner/prop. Most of the videos have been pulled, but check out this partial in a BBC news report: Read more..

May 7, 2010 I Written By

Meet the Top 20 Thoughts

Wow, what a great show! Adam Shankman said it best, I think when he talked about growing on the show and if this is where these Top 20 start, “what do you become?” Brilliant show.

First, Wade Robson’s routines are pretty much always my favorites. I don’t think there’s ever been a routine of his I haven’t liked. I love the collaborations with his wife Amanda. But the dancers just made this routine something truly special. Right away, we have a highly memorable (Emmy-worthy?) routine on the very first episode. Sheesh. Nathan really stood out to me in this one, but I thought they were all phenomenal. And was that Lady GaGa in the audience as they gave the routine a standing ovation?

I liked the Nappytabs hip hop with Russell, Kevin and Legacy, but it was probably one of my least favorite of the night and I still haven’t warmed up to Legacy. Don’t know that I will, though if he surprises me, I’ll be the first to say it.

Tyce’s routine with Nathan, Ariana, Channing and Jakob was amazing. Looooved it. Especially Ariana’s jump into Nathan’s arms. It was a great song and a great routine.

Really loved it when Cat said, “How are we going to send anyone home this season?” Really. I’m glad the first few decisions are the judges’ to make. But I hope they make the right decisions. 🙂

The tappers. I love Bianca, Peter and Phillip and I can appreciate that tap is tough. But…I thought this routine was kinda boring. The parts where they were encouraged to show their personality were awesome, but I didn’t think “Take the A Train” was a great song for tap. I liked how Derick K. Grant said, that “good tap is like a good kung fu movie.” Maybe I’m underestimating tap dancing…but why couldn’t they expect dancers to pick up *some* tap in order to do a routine, especially with a tap partner? Caitlin and Jason did Bollywood their first week and Ade did a classical ballet routine with Melissa, all last season. And these are good dancers. Would tap be tougher for these dancers than for example, a hip hop dancer having to learn ballroom?

While I liked Sonya Tayeh’s jazz with Mollee, Elleanore and Pauline, it felt very reminiscent (sometimes in a bad way) of last season’s “Superheroine” routine with the top 3 girls. Watch it again and tell me I’m wrong. I liked all three of them and I agreed with Adam that Mollee had “graduated from High School Musical” and danced like a woman. And I do agree with Sonya that confidence is sexy. I love Sonya and I love these three girls, so I hate to pick on the routine.

Mandy Moore’s contemporary with Billy, Noelle, Kathryn and Victor was fun, had a 5o’s vibe and was very fast and clearly difficult. But kinda boring. Victor and Noelle had an awkward lift at one point, I thought.

I’m not the biggest fan of the DiLellos, but I really liked their Jason Gilkison samba with Karen. The fact that she held her own with a couple who’s been dancing together for years really impressed me. It was really sexy and fun.

Is it just me, or did they NOT announce the couples! I think we’ll have to depend on Margaret’s spoilers.

It’s kinda a shot in the dark, but I’m going to take a stab at a Power Ranking since a boy and girl will be kicked off by the judges after they perform tomorrow. Maybe I’ll even make live annotations during tomorrow’s show. If you’re good.

I hope all of you will chime in, too. John? Amanda? Margaret?

October 26, 2009 I Written By

SYTYCD at the VMA’s

Unless you don’t follow Mark Kanemura on twitter then you wouldn’t know that he performed with Lady Gaga. Mark was unbelievably excited to have this opportunity. I know I was excited to see him perform again; after all he is one of my all time favorites. I give props to Laurieann Gibson for giving him a nice little solo with Gaga. I thought the performance was good then it got weird at the end with all of the blood. I understood her message but still thought it was kind of weird. I read that it was supposed to be a reenactment of Princess Diana’s death.

20th Century Foxs Emmys Party - Arrivals

The highlight of the night for me was the tribute to Michael Jackson starring his sister Janet Jackson. The beginning was a dance montage of some of his best videos. I’m guessing the dancers were those that were going to be a part of his come back. Then it was Janet’s turn and the crowd went nuts. The concept was fantastic it really looked like she was dancing with her brother one last time. However she wasn’t alone, she had dancers/choreographers with her. I saw plenty of familiar faces from the SYTYCD family. Wade Robson, Laurieann Gibson, Brian Friedman, and Tyce Diorio who all I am sure have been inspired by MJ. The only other one I recognized was Chris Judd, Jennifer Lopez ex husband.

I just wanted to give a little update…let me know you thoughts if you saw it.

September 14, 2009 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.

So You Think You Can Dance Music from Top 6 Elimination – Goodbye Chelsie and Mark

Always sad to see any of the dancers leave at this point, but I am happy to say that I predicted that Mark and Chelsie would go home. More on that in a different post, this post is for the music from the top 6 SYTYCD elimination show. As always here’s my link to all the So You Think You Can Dance music.

Group dance: “The Rose” sung by Bette Midler (Choereographer: Mandy Moore)
Bette Midler - Best Ballads - The Rose
Guest dancer(s): Lil’ Demon danced to the song “Planet Rock” sung by Afrika Bambaataa & The Soul Sonic Force
Afrika Bambaataa & The Soul Sonic Force - Planet Rock - Planet Rock
Musical guest: “Just Dance”-Lady GaGa
Lady GaGa feat. Colby O'Donis - Just Dance (Remixes) - EP - Just Dance
Just Dance – Original Music Video

Courtney Galiano danced a solo to the song “Almost Lover” – A Fine Frenzy
A Fine Frenzy - Almost Lover - Single - Almost Lover
Almost Lover – Original Music Video
Mark Kanemura danced a solo to the song “Wind It Up (Original Neptunes Mix)” – Gwen Stefani
Various Artists - Gwen Stefani Piano Tribute - Wind It Up (Original Neptunes Mix)
Katee Shean danced a solo to the song “Beautiful Disaster” – Jon McLaughlin
Jon McLaughlin - Indiana - Beautiful Disaster
Beautiful Disaster – Original Music Video
Joshua Allen danced a solo to the song “I Can Make You Dance” – Zapp
Zapp - Zapp III - I Can Make You Dance, Pt. 1
Chelsie Hightower danced a solo to the song “The Girl’s Gone Wild” – Travis Tritt
Travis Tritt - The Girl's Gone Wild - Single - The Girl's Gone Wild
The Girl's Gone Wild – Original Music Video
Stephen “Twitch” Boss danced a solo to the song “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” – Bobby McFerrin
Bobby McFerrin - Best of Bobby McFerrin - Don't Worry, Be Happy
Don't Worry Be Happy – Original Music Video

Eliminated:

Chelsie Hightower’s Elimination Music was “Come Home” by OneRepublic
OneRepublic - Dreaming Out Loud - Come Home
Mark Kanemura’s elimination music was “All I Can See” by Brendon James
Brendan James - The Day Is Brave - All I Can See

July 31, 2008 I Written By

Just call me Charlie...but where are my angels?