Free SYTYCD Newsletter Want to receive the latest news on So You Think You Can Dance sent straight to your email? Join hundreds of other SYTYCD fans who subscribe to Pure SYTYCD for FREE!

SYTYCD: Top 5 Guys Revealed

This week it was the guys turn to prove they have what it takes to make the top 5. I think that the judges had a harder time deciding on the top guys. The more I thought about it, I agreed with Nigel that their performance in this episode tipped the scale with in the favor or not. All-Stars included Allison, Chelsie, Comfort, Lauren, and Jamie.

Evan DeBenedetto: Contemporary with Allison
I loved this dance and I hope that we more contemporary choreography from Brian. Anyway back to Evan, he definitely left it all on the dance floor. I also feel that he was able to tap into the emotion of the piece.

Jay Jay Dixonbey: Cha-Cha with Chelsie
I was a bit worried for Jay Jay but I am glad he made the top 5. I think he had the better of the two cha-chas of the night. I also like how Elena found ways to include his strengths into the cha-cha

Cole Mills: Contemporary with Jamie
I agree with Travis that Cole will be a force to be reckoned with in this competition. I enjoyed watching him dance style outside of his comfort zone but I look forward to seeing him do ballroom.

Darius Hickman: Hip hop with Comfort
Well hello personality…it was a perfect combo that brought out his silly side. Darius wasn’t really on my radar when it came to who would be in the top 10/5…he had the talent but I was missing the connection. However, after this dance I’ll be paying more attention to this guy.

Slavik Pustovoytov: Jazz with Allison
Slavik filled the last spot for the guys and it hurt to see the other hip hop guys go. This dance was hot…his chemistry with Allison was amazing. Plus the dancing was great too and at the end to the day Slavik, out shined the other two guys.

Next week the live shows begin and Twitch will be back at the judges table.

Post a Comment(0)
July 31, 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.

Filed Under: So You Think You Can Dance
Tags:                              

SYTYCD: Academy Week Part Two

In this episode, the contestants faced three more rounds of the competition, Contemporary, a group production number, and another solo round. In the end the top 20 was revealed but with a twist, that I know I did see coming.

Contemporary: Travis Wall
I really like Travis’s approach to his round of the competition. He gave the dance the outline of the choreography and the shapes he wanted them to make. Basically he allowed the dancers to interpret his choreo in their own way. Also, giving out advice to the those that are out of their element…to find away to standout.
Cole Mills: This ballroom dancer continued to standout for the rest of the episode.
Tessa Dalke: Faltered again…not really sure why. I think it is possible that the judges call her their favorite at the beginning of Academy, may have jinxed her for the rest of the competition.
Travis said it the best pressure can crack people, and this round we saw another 8 dancers cut.

Group Production Round: Mandy Moore
This is something new for this season and I have to say I really liked this idea. It worked so much better than what group round use to be. The dancers learned the group section first before splitting into smaller groups in their own genre. Each group learned choreo from Mandy and create an 8 count of choreo as a group. I think the dance looked great but for 6 dancers it was the end of the round.

Solos part two: For the most part most of the solos seemed to be good minus one that just fell flat.

Top 10 Guys: Jay Jay, Cole, Justin, Slavik, Peyton, Dustin, Evan, Kyle, Darius, and Allen.

Top 10 Girls: Genenssy, Magda, Jensen, Stephanie, Dayna, Sydney, Brianna, Chelsea, Emily, and Hannahlei.

Now here’s the twist only TEN are moving on to the live shows. Next week each dancer will be paired with an all-star to learn a routine that is outside of the strongest genre to perform for the judges. So who will make it to the ten…I have a few guess but looking forward to the next round and hopefully we will get to see most of the dances.

Post a Comment(0)
July 17, 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.

Filed Under: So You Think You Can Dance
Tags:            

SYTYCD: Academy Part One

After a week off, SYTYCD is back with the beginning of Academy week. Only 70 dancers made it past the preliminary city auditions…which surprised my a little. I don’t think I can remember the number of dancers at this stage of the competition being this small. There were three parts to this episode, solos, hip hop, and ballroom.

Solos
It’s hard for me to pick a standout dancer, only because we are only seeing bit and pieces of the solos. Hazard of the show only being an hour-long. Though I will agree with the judges the hip hop guys did seem to have some strong solos. I also liked hear that one of the was taking a risk doing a move he has not performed on a stage yet. Tessa Dalke was the judges favorite of the solos. She stood out to me during her city auditions. I really don’t know how Tessa managed to study for her finals and handle the stress of this competition. 15 dancers were cut after the solo round.

Hip Hop- NappyTabs
I like what Tabitha said at the start of this round. I like seeing the choreographers lift up the dancers with positivity, while reminding them that it won’t be easy. I enjoyed the choreography from the groove parts to hard-hitting parts. You can tell that some of the hip hop dancers were struggling with picking up the choreography. Though I think the judges sent contestants through if they felt if the dancers were putting for the effort and trying. The judges also still enjoy giving the dancers a panic attack on if they are moving on to the next round or not. Also, loved that some of the ballroom dancers had NappyTabs almost not believing that they were ballroom dancers. Only 8 dancers were cut in this round.

Ballroom-Jean Marc
I love the energy that Jean-Marc brings to the room and that he used the phrase fake it to make it. Ballroom this season seemed to be a little more intimidating than hip hop this season. This round we got to see Jay Jackson out of drag, which was nice. I think he did quite well…even when the judges threw him a curve ball to have him dance with a stronger partner. I love that he is trying his best to prove that he is a dancer to Nigel and it’s working. I think he will come close to making the top 20. 6 dancers were cut after Ballroom.

Next week 41 dancers will continue to compete in contemporary with Travis Wall and a big group jazz number with Mandy Moore. The Top 20 might also be revealed.

Post a Comment(0)
July 10, 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.

Filed Under: So You Think You Can Dance
Tags:            

SYTYCD: New York Auditions Part 2

Last night was the final episode of the preliminary auditions leading up to the Academy. Maybe it’s just me but I did feel this episode had a more diverse style of dance being shown. Also, I am thankful that the storm that was happening in my area last night didn’t take out my satellite feed during the show.

Up first was Andrew and Melany: I glad they didn’t listen to the company they were apart of because they are great partners for each other. I really liked there vibe they had and not surprised that Melany made the hot tamale train.

Mika: I’m with the judges…I didn’t care for the choice of “music”. I like dance that is done to spoken word but only if the movement matches what’s being said. Nigel is such a softie didn’t have the heart to tell her no, especially when dance is helped her with deal with he medical condition.

Kory: I had hoped that he would have been better than he was, and that he would have done a jazz solo with some broadway influences.

Brianna: My favorite tap audition of this season so far. I love that it was more jazzy (Nigel’s words) compared to the others. I also like she was light on her feet.

Arcadian: First off love that he had the support of Artistic Director of the Orlando ballet. Loved him and was more of a contemporary ballet. I agree with Nigel, I enjoy that precision stop after so many turns. He has what it takes to go far in the competition.

Bridget: Not sure why but she was reminding me of Kaylee from last season. Glad she did give up the passion of dancing. I loved watch the guys reaction in her reel when she did something impressive.

Ryan: I don’t remember him from season 12 but I would say he has improved, well according to Twitch. There is just something about this type of hip hop that is just so enjoyable to me. Just the amount of control they have is impressive. The look on Twitch’s face when Nigel asked Ryan if he battles…I take any excuse to see Twitch dance.

Next week starts Academy and the competition to make it to the Top 20 really begins.

Post a Comment(0)
June 26, 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.

Filed Under: So You Think You Can Dance
Tags:            

SYTYCD: New York Auditions Part One

Plenty of familiar faces that were close to making last season returned for another chance at making it to the live shows.

Emily Carr: She set the bar high for the first audition of the night. I love that she is following in her sister’s footsteps when it comes to dance. While I can understand why the judges asked why Emily’s sister wasn’t auditioning, I just feel like they were overshadowing the person that is actually auditioning.

Evan DeBenedetto: Lex beat him out for the spot on Gaby’s team…which I know was a hard choice. So I wasn’t surprised to see him back or the judges comments. I think this is his year as well and we will see Evan in the Top 20.

Rachael Blanchard: I feel like sending her to the academy was a see if she would sink or swim moment for her. I think if anything the academy will help Rachael grow as a dancer and become better at the things she was lacking.

Kyle Bennett Jr: In FikShun’s final two last season. I always fun to see Twitch fired up over a good hip hop audition. I just enjoyed watching Kyle dance and I’m with Nigel if he can do other style he will shine this season.

Victoria Neukum: Nigel has me worried for a minute…I honestly didn’t think he would want to send her to the academy. Though I agree that the gymnastics are great but she does need to more dancing in her solos.

Desislava and Gratsiela Sandeva: While these twin sisters were not strong enough for the show but they were entertaining. I also think the had a great attitude.

Next week wraps up the New York auditions and the initial audition round. Then it will be time for the Academy week.

Post a Comment(0)
June 19, 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.

Filed Under: So You Think You Can Dance
Tags:            

SYTYCD: LA Auditions Part 2

I honestly don’t know what happen to my broadcast of the show last night but I missed the last two auditions. I just had a test screen up for at least ten minutes and of course started working again when the news interrupted. Thanks to the internet I could watch the last two auditions. Also, realizing that I do miss the choreography round mainly for those dancers that are good but their solos aren’t all that great.

Tessa: I really liked her and is the first person that I had the thought she could be in the top 20. I also think the choreographers would love her.

Jay Jay: After being cut during academy week last season, he booked the Shaping Sound tour. Working with Travis Wall has paid off and can see the boost of confidence in him. Hopefully, it will also help him make it through academy week this season and maybe even the top 20.

CJ Butler: Such a heartbreaking story and I thought he might get a ticket to the academy. However, that wasn’t the case but it just shows how healing having an outlet like dance is, and love that the judges took the time to comfort him. Who know with a little bit of polish he could make it through next season.

Nicole Clonch: Has been Season 2 winner Benji’s competitive partner for the last three years. She must trust him a lot because those lifts and tricks were insane…she wasn’t kidding about becoming a human pretzel. I have looked up some of their routines to get a bit more of the dancing and not just the tricks. I feel like the judges asking what else she has trained was to help make their decision on whether or not to send her though to the academy. I personally loved that she said tap(even if it’s only a little bit) cause it’s a favorite of Nigel’s.

I hope for the New York auditions next week there won’t been anything from preventing me from watching the show.

Post a Comment(0)
June 12, 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.

Filed Under: So You Think You Can Dance
Tags:            

SYTYCD Season 15: LA Auditions Part One

Happy and excited to say that So You Think You Can Dance is back for its fifteenth season. Sorry I haven’t made any posts about it until now but my schedule has finally cleared up so that I can. Looks like there are a few changes to the new season…there will be a top 20 again which was revealed at the end of the episode. Also, there will be no choreography round during the initial auditions. So basically either you wow them or you don’t, if you wow them then you are sent to the Academy. I’m not sure how I feel about this however, it leads me to believe there will be so brutal cuts during Academy week.

Here are just a few of my thoughts about tonight’s episode.

~Gaevin “Rated G: Cool to see that he teaches b-boying and that he was inspired by Twitch. Also, like his confidence when it comes to learning dance styles.

~oh hi Maddox…he’s so cute

~Marcus Nyemchek (Kiki’s brother), Allen Genkin (S12 injury took him out) and Magda Fialek (Kiki’s partner): I really liked that they auditioned as a trio and I don’t think that has been done before, so it was refreshing. Magda is amazing. Out of the boys Allen seems to be stronger when it come to showmanship, but I do think they were all worthy of going through to the Academy.

~Taylor Haines: Though she didn’t make to the Academy, it is incredible to see what she can do and that nothing is going to hold her back.

~Jay Jackson: Interesting story on how drag chose him and loved his personality. I did understand the dilemma about putting him through to the Academy. I want to see what he can do as a dancer and not as a drag queen.

~Alexis Gilbert: Loved that she came back and that she has been training various styles in preparation to audition for the show again.

~Eddie Hoyt: A fantastic tapper and no surprise that Nigel gave him a standing ovation. The dance battle with Twitch was my favorite part of the night…thanks Nigel.

Looking forward to seeing what the rest of the season has to offer.

Post a Comment(0)
June 4, 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.

Filed Under: So You Think You Can Dance
Tags:              

SYTYCD Finale: The Winner Is…

Season 14 wrapped up tonight and we now have a winner…which I’ll reveal shortly. The finale is always a nice recap of the season with a few new performances mixed in. Each of the judges picked two of their favorite performances. All had great picks and a few were some of my favorites.

Tonight we were treated to a Mia Michaels group number…which was amazing. It was really nice to have her back on the show. Also, loved that she took the time to sit with each of the top 4 to discuss their journey. I really hope that if there is another season that Mia will return to choreograph.

The second new number of the night was a Travis Wall piece, performed by Lex and Travis himself. It was probably the best routine that showcased just how talented Lex is and I’m sure that we will see Lex perform with Shaping Sound more in the future.

Vanessa also got the chance to dance for us…didn’t see that coming figured she would just be singing. It was a nice surprise to see he dance with Robert.

On to the results.

4th: Kiki – Not surprised but he was the most improved dancer of the season.

3rd: Taylor – This one actually surprised me…I honestly thought she would have been in the top 2.

2nd: Koine – She was the dark horse of the season. I enjoyed the montage of everyone not pronouncing her name right.

WINNER: Lex Ishimoto – He was my pick to win from his first audition…So congrats Lex.

Looking forward to see the tour next month and hopefully a new season next summer.

Post a Comment(0)
September 25, 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.

Filed Under: So You Think You Can Dance
Tags:                                                

SYTYCD: Top 4 Perfomance Thoughts

It’s a busy Monday night if you are a dance fan, So you Think you can Dance and Dancing with the Stars on at the same time. So I hope everyone got their votes in for their favorite on both shows.

The performance finale was busy itself, each contestant danced 7 times tonight. So I’ll give my thoughts on the new dances we saw tonight…I’ll discuss what they chose as their favorite in a different post.

Top 4: Chris Scott and Travis Wall
I really enjoyed this collaboration from the two choreographers. Each one of the dancers represented element; Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water. I will to say this was pre-filmed with the costumes, make up, and the elements themselves.

Kiki & Taylor: Cha Cha – Anya Garnis
So nice to have Anya back on the show. It was a very fun and fast Cha cha. Kiki in his own genre I am not surprised that he does well and is a great partner to whoever he is dancing with. Taylor was the one out of her element and I thought I saw a tiny mistake but I had to hear what Mary had to say. Mary didn’t seem to mind the mistake and Taylor made the hot tamale train.

Lex & Koine: Broadway – Al Blackstone
So this is my favorite Broadway number they have done on this show in a while. I loved everything about it but mostly that it had the comedic element to it.

Koine & Taylor: Jazz – Mandy Moore
This jazz had a very Fosse feel to it. I agreed with Taylor, the choreography started simple and got more complicated as the dance progressed. Thankfully they were able to pull off the side by side turns. I think Koine just needed a little bit more power behind her turns to keep up with Taylor.

Kiki & Lex: Hip Hop – Luther Brown
I really don’t have much to say about this dance other than I enjoyed it. It is nice to see Kiki really having fun in this competition.

Kiki & Koine: Contemporary – Travis Wall
I did have to watch this dance twice to enjoy it…I got lost in trying figure out how the story fit in. Overall it was another beautiful dance choreographed by Travis. I also though both on them danced it well.

Lex & Taylor: Contemporary – Mia Michaels
I was not only excited to have Mia back on the show but even more excited that she had these two to work with. Lex and Taylor had a nice bit of news to reveal after Mia explain the concept of the dance. They are DATING…which explains their chemistry and why this piece worked well for them. I loved this dance and I have missed Mia on this show. Only she would say okay you are going to kiss and while you are doing that you are going to continue to dance with the rest of your body.

I have a feeling it will come down to the two love birds on who will win. Look for a post later this week on how I think the outcome will be. Till then let me know who you think will win.

Post a Comment(0)
September 18, 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.

Filed Under: So You Think You Can Dance
Tags:                                                                  

SYTYCD: Top 6 to Top 4 Thoughts

First off let me start of my saying that I live in Georgia and we were definitely feeling the effects of Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irma. Lots of rain and heavy wind which cause a few issues while watching tonight’s show. With that being said I might have gotten all of the choreographer’s last name but I tried. Thankfully, the dances are uploaded quickly so I can watch them back.

So if I heard Cat correctly we have two more shows left this season the performance finale and the finale. The voted this week and next week will help determine the winner. Also, Mia Michaels will be back next week…so exciting.

Lex & Gaby: Samba – Sasha Farber
What a fun Samba from Sasha…I’m going to miss him as a pro this season on DWTS. I thought Lex did great and it was the strongest performance from him tonight. I particularly like how he flipped over Gaby at the end.

Koine & Marko: Contemporary – Mandy and Elizabeth
This was a difficult routine to learn with the props but they mastered it for the live show. I just really enjoy watching these two dance together. The only critique that I have is on the choreography…just wanted a little more dancing without the props.

Kiki & Jenna: Jazz – Ray Leeper
I don’t what has happened over the last couple of weeks but Kiki has become a different person. He seems more confident outside of his own style…and I think he out danced Jenna this time.

Taylor & Robert: Hip Hop – Keone and Mari
Excited to see these two choreographing tonight…they were one of my favorite from World of Dance. I felt like they nailed this…it was strong and clean. I felt like I was watching a taller version on Keone and Mari

Lex & Koine: Disco –  Doriana Sanchez
Okay so while this disco was good…for me it wasn’t the best done to this song. This has been used two other time on this show for disco. I think Koine shined a little bit brighter that Lex. I’m not sure what happen but Lex injured himself at the end of that routine. I really hope that he is okay because you could tell he was in pain and the medics went right to him as they were going to commercial.

Taylor & Logan: Contemporary – Mark Kanemura
My first thought was it is going to take forever to get all that glitter off of them later tonight. I really like this dance and for me it was very up lifting. Also, I think Taylor and Logan were a great pairing.

Kiki & Kaylee: Bollywood – Nakul
I sort of giggled when Nakul questioned himself as to why he creates difficult routines for the contestants to learn. Both Kiki and Kaylee did great and they looked like they were having fun.

Top 4(as they were revealed): Lex, Taylor, Kiki, and Koine

Let me know what you think of the top 4.

 

Post a Comment(3)
September 11, 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.

Filed Under: So You Think You Can Dance
Tags:                                                            
Previous Next