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Next Generation Top 6: Thoughts

So now that the Olympics are over we can get back to the competition. I honestly think that the remaining dancers are all fantastic and it’s really hard to pick just one that will win. This week we got to see them dance with their all-stars and paired with each other.

Each of the next generation dancers shine when they are dancing with their all-stars. I feel like three of them stood out the most. Ruby, JT, and Emma.

Ruby: She has probably the most infectious personality and the Jive was the perfect way to show it off. Love seeing Mark Ballas choreographing for SYTYCD again and loved that Ruby teased him about  his man bun. Only critique I have is that maybe Paul could have channeled Mark just a little bit more.

JT: This routine choreographed by Al Blackstone might have been my favorite so far that JT and Robert have done together. I can’t help but to smile watching these two together. I do think that JT is slowly turning into Roberts mini me…saw that in his solo. Maddie said it the best, that this dance also  explains what this show has been about.

Emma: I’m consistently blown away by her tap skills. It was so great to see Nick Young from season 8 choreographing for the show. SpecTAPular! Thanks Paula for that new word to add to my vocabulary.

Now on to the Next Generation pairings and I think I’ll rank these.

  1. Tate and Kida: Mark again delivers another great routine. I think he turned Kida and Tate into ballroom dancers, they both did a great job. I will probably watch this Paso again and again.
  2. Tahani and Ruby: While this broadway routine was a little bit lack luster for Nigel, I enjoyed it. I really enjoyed the simplicity of the routine and thought that Ruby and Tahani performed it well.
  3. JT and Emma: I really like what Travis brought out in these two. They seemed to have a more maturity to their dancing. However, I think that there is still few things that they still needs to work on.

Unfortunately someone had to leave and Ruby was the one that had the least amount of votes. Sad to see her go but I think she will have a great dance future.

Next week will be the shows 250th show and the Next Generation is taking over the choreographing jobs. I’m not sure about this idea but if they all-stars are allowed to help then it may work. Plus a special performance from Travis Wall and Maddie.

 

August 22, 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.

So You Think You Can Dance Tour ATL – Interview

Hi everybody!

I just got back from interviewing the tour dancers before tonight’s show. It was a lot of fun. They’re all really funny and warm. I got hugs all around as we walked out of the interview room and I’m looking forward to watching the dances.

Marko is still injured so he won’t be dancing tonight. Still, the dancers are hopeful he’ll join them before too long.

Here’s a warning: Some of the dancers’ responses are really soft and I’m kinda loud, especially when I laugh, since the camera was closest to me. I hope I don’t kill your eardrums, but I think you’ll enjoy the dancers’ responses to your questions. Also, I was so entertained by the dancers that I forgot I was interviewing them just a little bit a few times. It was so much fun!

Please send us more as our writers should be interviewing the dancers at different cities along the tour!

AND I forgot to show y’all the picture I took! Here it is: Read more..

September 21, 2011 I Written By

Open Letter to SYTYCD Producers: How to Fix SYTYCD

Dear SYTYCD Producers,

Here at PureSYTYCD, we’ve had several conversations lately about why ratings, Internet traffic and overall enthusiasm and discussion have been sinking season by season. Margaret says it can be traced to the infamous Fall season, Season 6, when our favorite show started changing swiftly and drastically. While some of the changes have been really amazing (All-Stars), some of them have been just dreadful (yes, I’m going to say it once again – the stage).

So Fox, Nigel, here are OUR pointers for how to fix the show (and readers, please, please add your own in the comments or tell us how you feel about ours and add your voice to the open letter).

1. Keep rotating judges and guest judges – just rotate Nigel right off the panel. We loved the guest judges this season (with the notable exceptions of Carmen Electra and Katie Holmes), especially the fact that we got a rotation of our favorite choreographers on the panel. We’ve learned that static judges are annoying, no matter who they are. Whether it was Nigel, Mary, Mia or Adam, we got tired of hearing the same voices when we already knew what they were going to say. Jean-Marc is a good (pervy) example of this on the Canadian show. However, Nigel almost never rotates out,  so we’re extra tired of him. If you need guest judges to replace him, we’ll make ourselves available. Hey, why not? Fans of the show are good judges, considering the best of the celebrity guest judges were the ones who were clearly fans.

2. Speaking of Nigel, let’s talk about his producing style. While we can’t say we’ve ever produced a show and we can only imagine the numerous concerns involved, we get a little annoyed by Nigel’s heavy-handed pulling-the-puppet-strings style. While we admire that he’s always willing to try new things and some of those new things have really been excellent, the best producing is the kind that doesn’t draw attention to itself. Nigel keeps insisting on shoving the dancers and the show into this perfectly produced package. (Can we talk about how the judges kept the elimination after Top 10 and it was never acknowledged on the show? And how the girls were “beasts” slaying the boys THE WHOLE SEASON, probably to compensate for the Girl Slaughter of Season 7?) Melanie got dubbed America’s Favorite Dancer (by the judges) in the auditions and was never truly challenged or critiqued (by the judges) during the whole season. It could’ve cost Melanie the win she totally deserved if she hadn’t been so adorable and talented. We’re getting tired of Nigel deciding who’s going to win and then trying to make it so. Is it America’s Favorite Dancer or is it Nigel’s Favorite Dancer? Guess which show we’re not going to watch next season?

So how do we fix this, you might ask? John suggests that we need more charismatic dancers who are really good in one style and have to fight to conquer other styles (like Ivan and Russell, who won his season). Marianya says she misses seeing the dancers really challenged at the beginning of the show. Fans of SYTYCD love watching the unexpected partnership and the unexpected dancer struggle and then achieve, making themselves our favorites in the process.

Margaret: Part of what makes those first few weeks so interesting, besides watching partnerships that we really hook into (Melanie & Marko) is wondering how other dancers would work together. If Kayla & Max/Ashley & Kupono hadn’t been in the bottom during week 2 of season 5, Max & Ashley may not have been eliminated at the same time and we wouldn’t have gotten to see the surprisingly great partnership of Kayla & Kupono—which means we wouldn’t have gotten “Addiction” and it’s rated as one of the best numbers the show has ever had, rightly so.

So one way to fix this would be to go back to SYTYCD’s roots. We’ve had some of the most technically gifted dancers the last three seasons and sometimes we could hardly bring ourselves to care because while there was nothing “wrong” with a dancer or a routine, we just couldn’t get excited. This might mean more bad routines and bad dancing but will make us so grateful again for the truly transcendent moments. Which brings us to…

3. We need diversity in dance styles and choreographers. Doreana Sanchez is not the only person choreographing disco routines and Nakul dev Mahajan is not the only Bollywood choreographer. Go to Canada if you don’t believe me. What would happen if there were only one contemporary routine on any given show or maybe only one contemporary routine every few weeks? What if we HAD to depend on Afro Jazz, House, all of the Ballroom styles, Bollywood, Pas de Deux , etc. to fill in the episode?

And for diversity, we don’t even have to look any further than the other SYTYCD franchises. Canada and UK have phenomenal choreographers (and dancers!), as did Australia. Those are just the English-speaking franchises. What wonderful choreographers could we find if the producers imported from the Ukraine SYTYCD or the Turkish or Polish versions?

4. And speaking of one big happy family, why not create another Fall show, but make it different, perhaps a shorter super competition? What if we had SYTYCD SuperStars and all of the previous contestants from ALL of the franchises were eligible to come back and compete for the “World’s Favorite Dancer” title? Maybe this show is 2 episodes a week for only 4 weeks, just to make it special and so that it might not overlap with the World Series again? Dancers featured on SYTYCD don’t have a potential “product” like American Idol singers do when they release a cd, so anytime the producers can create a vehicle for these dancers that doesn’t overshadow the current cast, they’re helping create more of a career and presence for the dancers. The great thing about this idea is that it totally supports this next point…

5. Ditch the musical guests. Or ditch about 90% of them. Keep the 10% that are willing to use SYTYCD dancers for backup dancers (including the current cast! didn’t that happen one season?). Maybe the musical performances bring in money, or maybe you producers only think they do. The reality is, they usually suck and I’m only watching the dancers anyway. It’s like, on Dancing with the Stars, the ONLY reason I watch the musical performances is to catch the dancing that happens at the same time. I would MUCH RATHER see dance performances. It’d be a good time to show us alumni dancers re-dancing their iconic numbers as much more evolved dancers (think Kent and LoFro doing the prom number – it was only 8 months later and they’d already become such different dancers). Bring in performers from all the other SYTYCD franchises, like you did with UK’s recent winner Matt Flint. Pairing him with the all-too-soon-eliminated Nick and Jess in a tap routine that THEY choreographed? BRILLIANT. Easily one of the highlights of not just the finale, but of the season. Do it more. That’s the key to re-building your audience: when you do something we like, do it more. When you do something we don’t like, stop doing it.

6. Which means, bring back the smaller and more intimate stage. Season 8’s stage (or the camera work and lack of distracting backlights) was better than the Seasons 6 and 7 monstrosity, but only by a bit. Watching SYTYCD Canada reminds me of how amazing the original stage is and you really need to listen to us and bring it back. It was a big part of why we fell in love with the show and the Seasons 1-5 dancers. Do you know why? We were closer to them. There were more physical possibilities for the choreographers when it came to moving the dancers around the stage because it wasn’t a giant, uniform thing. When it comes down to it, the stage represents the entire SYTYCD producers vs SYTYCD audience disagreement. With this big uber stage (since S6), you are focusing on the package, the spectacle. The more intimate circle stage that we love and still mourn focuses on the dancers.

Margaret: I miss my stairs! There was something about the old stage and how it was round that made the dances feel like stories, not performances for an audience. We were able to get more closeups, feel the emotions, and the set was about enhancing the dancing, not enhancing the spectacle. My best example came from, oddly, the guy I think used the stage the best during his time with SYTYCD, Wade. With “Ruby Blue,” Brandon and Janette entered the story by popping up from behind a wall and coming down the stairs, and their ability to use the stage in that entrance played a major role in the believability of the movements. But, in Season 6, with the “inside Van Goh’s head” piece Wade did for Peter and Pauline, the ridiculous fractured painting that rotated and flipped on the projecting screen was super distracting and took away from what was actually a really well-danced piece, especially from Peter. It was a very cool routine and they danced it really well, but their technical success was overshadowed by the “overdoneness” of the set.

7. Instead of spending the money on the bigger stage and a lot of flash, we would rather that you spend the money to figure out how to release SYTYCD DVDs so we can re-watch our favorite seasons without resorting to YouTube and other means. There is a market for it, so figure it out. Whenever you focus on the dancers–current, alumni, International franchise dancers, whatever–you can’t go wrong with us. That’s the simple fact at the heart of the matter.

And now that we’ve critiqued you quite a lot, here’s a list of what we like and want you to keep.

1. The All-Stars – having them arrive at the Top 10 is the perfect marriage. Keep it up. Only, we want to see them re-dance their iconic routines and you missed a lot of opportunities to do this during Season 8. Fix that.

Margaret: Not only does this give us the chance to see dancers we love again, but use this as a way to plug their success. Allison & Ivan were All-Stars in the same week, how were they not asked to dance together?! Same with Chelsie & Mark! Those are two of the most successful partnerships, and some of the best personalities, the show has ever had, be proud of that, they are SYTYCD success to the highest degree.

2. The Meet the Top 20 performance – sheer genius. It’s been a highlight of each season you’ve done it. Especially since we get to see the dancers twice on the live show before anyone’s eliminated. Keep that.

3. We like the dancers you pick! We just want you to cut back on the contemporary/jazz and pick some dancers with different backgrounds. We want them to be challenged more and truly judged, all of them and fairly. And clearly they’re talented, because they’re going on to dance in movies, commercials, music videos, music tours, Broadway shows, Glee and DWTS.

Margaret: We also love underdogs, they’re fun to root for. Give us more Tads, Russells, Dominics, Jeanines, Evans, Nicks, even Lauren Froderman floundered her 1st week and was in danger of going home!

4. Cat is the one thing most of us can agree on. She smooths over the awkward moments and she uses her great sense of humor to keep things rolling. I love it when she gets to pick dances for the finale show.

Remember, no matter what, we love the show. We only want to like it again.

Sincerely (and xoxo),

SYTYCD Fans/PureSYTYCD writers

P.S. Sorry this is a little long – clearly we had a lot to say.

September 6, 2011 I Written By

SYTYCD Season 8 Finale Part 2 Music

So excited for tonight! I’m going to have to work double hard cause I’ll just want to soak it all in instead of taking notes. 🙂

Sonya Tayeh Top 20/Top 4 (+All-Stars??) Group Routine: District 78’s “Wanna Get Hype” – Wanna Get Hype - Radios At Reception

Mary picked Tyce’s Sasha/Kent routine: Me’Shell Ndegéocello’s “Fool of Me” – Fool of Me - Bitter

Nigel picked Nappytabs’s Melanie/Marko routine: Leona Lewis’s “I Got You” – I Got You - Echo (Deluxe Version)

Robin picked Mandy Moore’s Tadd/LoFro routine: Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust” –Another One Bites the Dust - Queen: Greatest Hits

Lil C picked Nappytabs’s Miranda/Robert routine: Busta Rhymes’s “Break Ya Neck” – Break Ya Neck - Genesis

Cat picked Tyce’s Top 8 Group Routine: James Newton Howard’s “The Circus Sets Up” The Circus Sets Up - Water for Elephants (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) – from the Water for Elephants soundtrack.

SYTYCD UK champ Matt Flint, Nick Young and Jess LeProtto tap to: Michael Buble’s “Can’t Buy Me Love” – Can't Buy Me Love - It's Time

Mary picked Mandy Moore’s Melanie/Neil routine: Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart” – Total Eclipse of the Heart - Faster Than the Speed of Night

Jesse picked Sonya’s Marko/Allison routine: Jeff Buckley’s “I Know It’s Over” – I Know It's Over - So Real: Songs from Jeff Buckley

Tyce picked Sonya’s Top 10 Girls routine: Chonique Sneed ft. Lisette Bustamante’s “Pop, Drop and Roll” – Pop Drop & Roll (feat. Lisette Bustamante) - Pop Drop & Roll (feat. Lisette Bustamante) - Single

Lil C picked Spencer Liff’s Ashley/Chris routine: Rachel Sweet’s “Please, Mister Jailer” – Please, Mr. Jailer - Cry-Baby (Music from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) from the “Crybaby” soundtrack (THANK YOU BETH!)

Nigel picked Christopher Scott’s Sasha/Twitch routine: Dorothy Moore’s “Misty Blue” – Misty Blue - Misty Blue

Sonya picked Christopher Scott’s Top 10 Guys routine: Nathan Lanier’s “Velocity” – Velocity - Velocity - Single

Jesse picked Miriam and Leonardo’s Caitlynn/Pasha Argentine tango: Orquesta Color Tango’s “Malajunta” – Malajunta - Con Estilo Para Bailar

Mary picked Travis’s Melanie/Marko routine: Ingrid Michaelson’s “Turn to Stone” – Turn to Stone - Turn to Stone - Single

Nigel picked Sonya’s Melanie/Sasha routine: District 78’s “Game On” – Game On - Game On - Single

I Written By

Top 20 (Part 2) Power Rankings

I feel relatively confident in 2 of the Bottom 3 couples, but I feel like whichever dancers I pick for that third slot, there’s going to be lots of dissent. Which, is a good thing. 🙂 It means we’re passionate. So, bring it on! I’m dying to know which dancers y’all think will be in the Bottom 3.

Top Three Couples:

Caitlynn and Mitchell – I think they had the best routine of the night. This is the first time we get to see them dance together on stage and I was really please with their chemistry and their strengths as dancers. They were both in their style this week, so that certainly helped them a lot, but they could’ve both been hurt by Mitchell’s injury last well.

Sasha and Alexander – People were really affected by this piece and the timing couldn’t be more fortuitous, on the same night as the President’s announcement about the troop withdrawal. Plus, it was the second to last routine and Sasha seems to be a favorite.

Ashley and Chris – As the last routine, it’s one of the more memorable anyway. Plus, it was really upbeat and sexy. The song was great, their moves were great, as was their chemistry. Plus, they were safe last week when Jordan and Tadd probably had a better routine, so there seem to be some fans on their side.

Middle of the Pack:

Melanie and Marko – This is probably the favorite couple. It’s mine, for sure. They’ve consistently had about half the vote in our favorite dancer poll. But this routine didn’t live up to its promise. It had everything going for it – great dances, great choreographer, interesting song, funky moves. But it didn’t entirely come together. Still, I don’t think they’ll be in danger.

Ryan and Rickey – This is another opportunity of a not-quite-right routine danced by a favorite pair. I think they’ll be safe, but Ryan and Rickey’s Mandy Moore wasn’t all that it could’ve been and Ryan was smiling (sometimes weirdly) throughout the piece, playing to the audience. Plus, it was the first routine. But, I think they’ll be safe too because they’re such favorites.

Iveta and Nick – They came in #2 in our favorite dancer poll and they had a fun but not very memorable Bollywood routine. They have a good partnership, to be sure, but the routine was pretty early. Still, they’ll probably be safe.

Miranda and Robert – I know a lot of people, like our reader beth, disagreed with my comments about this routine and really loved it. Plus, Robert toned down the more annoying parts of his personality while still being playful. So, even though these two were in danger last week, they’ll probably be safe this week.

Bottom Three Couples:

Missy and Wadi – I hope they survive, but I think they’ll be here in the bottom. I really love Wadi and it hurt to see him so sad after the judges’ comments. It’s gonna be a tough week though and I think that as one of the two dances with obvious flaws, they’re in danger. However, many people may just vote for their favorites and I’m pretty sure lots of people love Wadi and like his partnership with Missy.

Clarice and Jess – They don’t have a great partnership and they were in the bottom last week. This week, their routine was the other obviously flawed one. They looked so awkward whenever their were paired. Clarice is not very big, but Jess sets up his lifts so obviously that he makes her seem like this huge weight. I think I’d like them better with different partners.

Jordan and Tadd – A lot of people liked this Viennese waltz, but I thought it was pretty boring. Plus, it’s not a style that people vote for unless it’s a phenomenal, stand-out routine. Their stint in the bottom 3 might hurt them again this week.

Personally, I’d lose all the girls to keep Wadi and Tadd. Regardless of who they keep, if this IS the Bottom 3, I hope they switch up the couples. Maybe Missy and Tadd or Jordan and Wadi.

What do y’all think?

Tomorrow’s episode is gonna be tough, man.

June 22, 2011 I Written By

Top 20 (Part 2) Performance Thoughts

So SYTYCD was pre-empted for 15 minutes due to President Obama’s speech. Good news that our troops are coming home.

Here I go with my thoughts, live and feel free to put yours in the comments. We love the discussion.

Spoiler space for my live thoughts…

Read more..

I Written By

SYTYCD Week 1, Season 8 Interviews with Top 20

So You Think You Can Dance kicks off with week 1 of season 8. Check out our interviews with Top 20!

Couples:
Jordan and Tadd
Sasha and Alexander
Clarice and Jess
Ryan and Ricky
Caitlynn and Robert from Season 7 (Mitchell was injured)
Miranda and Robert
Wadi and Missy
Melanie and Marko
Ashely and Chris
Iveta and Nick

June 16, 2011 I Written By

www.youtube.com/danceon

Top 20: Power Rankings

Sorry for the delay but due to the bad storms that came through last night took out our internet connection and was still out this morning before I went to work.

The beginning of the show is always one of my favorite parts, every one of the contestants probably dreams of that moment. We also learn that Mitchell is injured and was advised not to dance. I do wish they explained his injury a little bit more, and he was visibly upset that he was unable to perform. With that said I’m only going to judge his partners performance. We also had our first guest judge, Megan Mullaly from Will and Grace. Personally I love her and I thought she did a great job.

Top 4 Couples

Melanie and Marco
Contemporary-Travis Wall
Love the simplicity and concept of this dance. It may not be my favorite of the night but magic did just happen. Both are equally great dancers and I look forward to seeing them grow together this season. Like Cat said beautiful pieces of art.

Missy and Wadi
Jazz-Sean Cheesman
I like it, the dark characters that Sean gave them was great. A great partnership and could be one to watch. I really don’t have much to say which is a good thing in my book.

Sasha and Alexander
Contemporary-Travis Wall
Travis is just amazing. This looks like it will be a great partnership. I’m glad Alexander has insurance…lol…he took a beating. I can understand the disconnect, but I think it was the character that took away from some of the emotion.

Clarice and Jess
Broadway-Tyce Diorio
What luck that they got Broadway. I agree with Nigel, Jess is a performer and any partner will have to step of their performance. With that said I loved the dance and I don’t see them going anywhere yet.

Middle 4 Couples

Miranda and Robert
Jive-Jason Gilkenson
Was that an Urkel impression? Reason number one you should wear dangle ear rings win you dance they fly off. I think Megan got their personalities right. Great job by the two of them, sure the technique might not have been perfect but for the first week and to keep the energy up the entire way through is impressive. I sense a woo off between Robert and Mary.

Iveta and Nick
Quickstep-Jason Gilkenson
Storm warning so no sound for half of it but it looks like Nick survived the ballroom boot camp. Judging from the judges reaction this quickstep was not the dance of death. Iveta is the pro here and Nick just proved a tap dancer can do other things.

Caitlynn and Mitchell/Robert
Jazz-Sonya
Okay lost power thanks to the storms but from what I saw I loved it. I wish Mitchell was able to dance I think he would have danced it as well as Caitlynn. Even though he is in danger I think she should be safe. Also it was good to see Robert dance again.

Ryan and Rickey
Lyrical Hip Hop-Chris Scott
I like these two together. Loved the dance and thought they both danced it well. Interesting the interpretations of the story of the dance, glad they let Ryan explain her interpretation.

Bottom 2 Couples

Jordan and Tadd
Afro Jazz-Sean Cheesman
The first dance out of the gate and it didn’t really disappoint. I agree with the judges Tadd did and great job for being out of his element. I love Jordan but there were times it looked like she was thinking too much.

Ashley and Chris
Hip Hop-Chris Scott
That was a fun dance with a great concept and a great song. I agree with Nigel will be interesting if the viewers will go with fun or technique. Since it’s the first week I’m going to go with fun, but that just my opinion. These two have room to grow if we let them.

The first week is always the hardest to judge for me at least. I want to give the dancers a fair shot in the beginning. Mitchell we know is automatically in the bottom so I really hope he brings it if he is cleared to dance. The only other guy that I think might be in the bottom is Chris. As for the girls I have no clue glad the judges will be making the call on who goes home.

Hope everyone enjoyed the show and share your thoughts on who should stay and who should go.

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 20 Performance Show Thoughts!!

Hi All!! First, apologies for how late this is getting posted. I just graduated from college this past week so I’ve had no time to catch up on all things SYTYCD. I’ve just gotten home for a little 6 week vacation before I start my new job so my sleeping schedule is all out of whack. Anyway, I’ve just finished watching the Top 20 performance episode and all I can say is WOW! There were highs and lows, so let’s get to it!

LOVING the new stage! Eons better than the past 2 seasons, and the background looks a bit like the old stage! Progress!

Jordan and Tadd: Anyone who has read my comments since I started blogging on here knows how much I LOVE Sean Cheesman and his afro jazz. This one, however, I didn’t love so much. All the steps were there, but there was a groundedness in their feet that I just didn’t feel. If you want to see what I mean, check out this video from SYTYCD Canada season 1.

It features a hip hop dancer (Miles) and a ballerina (Allie) who actually both ended up in the top 4. They’re sitting in the movements, whereas I felt like Jordan and Tadd were very high on their feet, a little too light. They both kept up with the steps really well and seemed to enjoy themselves, but I felt like something was missing.

Sasha and Alexander: I kind of disagreed with the judges on this one, I enjoyed it. It wasn’t my favorite (I’ll get to that later) but I thought they were both very strong and dynamic dancers. For me, Sasha outdanced Alexander, but it kind of worked for me because she was supposed to be his conscience coming back to haunt him so I liked that image. I agreed with the judges that I wasn’t feeling the connection as much, but I have high hopes for them.

Clarice and Jess: Ugh, I WANTED to like this, but it just rubbed me the wrong way. I’m kind of our resident broadway geek, but this one just wasn’t my favorite. I thought Jess killed it, but his skill really made Clarice look overmatched. It reminded me somewhat of Benji and Donyelle’s 2nd broadway number from their season, “Le Jazz Hot” where all the steps were there, but something just felt really fake. I didn’t buy their chemistry, and I really wanted to because they are both so talented.

Ryan and Ricky: gosh they danced so beautifully together! technically, it was my favorite of the first hour, but the storyline had me a bit confused. Why was Ryan so smiley?! Anyway, I think they’re both going to go a long way, but I don’t want them to lose the story, it’s such a crucial part of connecting with the audience, both in the studio and at home.

Caitlynn and Mitchell (and Robert): I so wanted to see Caitlynn and Mitchell dance this together, because it seemed like they were getting on really well. I wasn’t as taken with her as the judges were, but I thought she and Robert danced really really well together. He helped steady her nerves, I think.

Miranda and Robert: I almost didn’t recognize Miranda without her curls!! To be thrown a ballroom piece week 1 when neither of the partners has a ballroom background is pretty rare, but with so many contemporary girls (and no pure hip hop girls) this season somebody had to draw the short straw. I’m not a technical expert in ballroom, so I’ll just say it was fun to watch. They kept up the energy and the jive bounce really well, though I hope Robert loses the Steve Urkel glasses soon, his schtick is gonna get old.

Missy and Wadi: From this point, for the most part, the performances were pretty spectacular. This piece was definitely interesting and very powerful and very different from anything Sean’s done in jazz on the show. Their connection was great and the use of the stage, though at some times it all felt a little disjointed. Nigel said this was his favorite piece Sean’s done on the show, I’d have to say mine was Russell and Noelle’s frog dance from Season 6, nobody’s quite matched that one yet.

Melanie and Marko: Wow. No words. So exquisite and simple and pure. I could feel the emotion emanating from every pour of their bodies. Their chemistry was off the charts and their technique was incredible. I would almost put this one in “If It Kills Me” territory of amazingness. My favorite of Travis’s is still “Fix You” from last season, but gosh this was so good. I had been waiting for one that would make me rewind it and punch the air as I watched, and this one was it. Marko’s legs as he did that slow cartwheel, holy cow! It’s a dance like this that makes me so happy they’ve gone back to the Top 20 format, we get to watch this partnership grow and develop over the next 5 weeks, and this is one I’m really really excited about.

Ashley and Chris: This is one where I think the music and the choreography got in each other’s way. Dual cheaters (or the subject of cheating in general) could be really entertaining or really serious (a la Ashleigh and Jakob from S6). With this one, it just kind of felt like they were getting fake mad at each other. I wanted more.

Iveta and Nick: I LOVE these two! They both have personality and are oozing with talent. To watch Nick pull of so effortlessly what has been named the dance of death on SYTYCD was such a joy. He went fullout into the piece, which is where so much of the trouble has happened in the past, dancers not going full out in the ballroom pieces. He got super lucky with a partner like Iveta, he was able to follow her lead but still had the confidence to be the leading man on the dance floor. Was his technique always there? I can’t say. But they got the pimp spot in the order and definitely were memorable.

The performances definitely got better in the 2nd half of the show, but overall it was a pretty great night! So now I hand it over to you! Thoughts? Predictions for the first two who will be leaving us?

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