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SYTYCD: Safe or In Danger, Plus Tour Thoughts

 

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

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

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

August 24, 2017 I Written By

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

SYTYCD: Top 9 to Top 8 Thoughts

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bottom 3: Mark, Dassy, and Sydney

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

So will be our bottom 3 next week?

August 21, 2017 I Written By

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

SYTYCD: Who’s Safe and Who’s in Danger

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

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

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

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

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

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

August 16, 2017 I Written By

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

SYTYCD: Top 10 to Top 9, Thoughts

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bottom Three: Logan, Sydney, and Robert.

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

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

August 14, 2017 I Written By

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

SYTYCD: Season 14 Thoughts on Who will be Safe from Elimination

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

August 8, 2017 I Written By

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

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.