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Podcast: SYTYCD Season 9 – Top 14 Week

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Episode 51 direct download

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Time Stamps
0:00 – Introduction: Ballet boys as judges, and Ms. Tedholm’s Facebook comment
3:31 – General thoughts about the Mia Michaels episode
5:23 – The Door routine: Cyrus & Eliana
8:44 – Hometown Glory routine: George & Tiffany
11:23 – The Butt Dance: Will & Amelia
14:02 – The Bed routine: Dareian & Janelle
15:58 – Time routine: Audrey & Matthew
18:07 – The Bench routine: Chehon & Witney
20:41 – Addiction routine: Lindsay & Cole
24:45 – Bottom 6/Elimination discussion
30:05 – Wrap-up: Thoughts about Brandon/Amber elimination from Top 16 week, and thoughts on the live shows thus far

Episode Length: 32:24

The Top 14 week of So You Think You Can Dance celebrated Mia Michaels and her iconic routines from the show. Each of the dancers were called on to recreate some of her most beloved routines. Our feelings, along with many fans, were mixed on this approach. Should these routines be performed again, or are they only meant for the original dancers? Can an alternate, yet equally valid interpretation of the routines be presented? We discuss these questions, along with our thoughts on the somewhat shocking elimination of Amelia in this podcast!

We found it very useful to compare the original performances against the new ones. In the time stamps above we’ve linked to blog posts that have both routines embedded for easy viewing.

Let us know what you think after listening to the podcast! You can leave us a comment here or on our blog, Reflections on Pop Entertainment. You can also follow us on Twitter and tweet with us. You can also visit our Facebook page, like us, and leave a comment there! We love feedback and will respond either with a comment or in our next published show.

August 22, 2012 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!

Season 8 All-Stars?

I saw this over at SYTYCDism and they’re very careful to caution that this may be a prank or something else OTHER than a photo shoot for the Season 8 All-stars. It does seem a bit lop-sided to be a true group of All-Stars. But, if nothing else, it’s a great photo. Also, if nothing else, here’s proof that Sabra still exists somewhere in the world! She looks great.

Hey, here’s an idea. I think the All-Star positions should be open to International SYTYCD dancers. Canada was just so good this past season and I miss Australia, so it’d be good to see them on the US stage. I’m all for cross-referencing my SYTYCD.

What do y’all think?

Benji Schwimmer (S2), Sabra Johnson (S3), Caitlin Kinney (S5), Mollee Gray (S6), Evan Kasprzak (S5), Randi Evans (S5), Ellenore Scott (S6), Legacy Perez (S6), Brandon Bryant (S5) and Kupono Aweau.

October 25, 2010 I Written By

Announcing the Winners of the Master Dance Classes Hosted by Cliche Cosmetics

It was extremely hard to pick the winners of the master dance classes hosted by Cliche Cosmetics. I’m glad John had the majority decision, as senior administrator. 🙂

The dancers who won will be able to study with Katee Shean (S4), Melissa Sandvig (S5), Randi Evans (S5), Victor Smalley (S6) and Noelle Marsh (S6) in either Fort Lauderdale, New York City or Los Angeles.

With no further ado, let’s introduce you to the winners.

Fort Lauderdale’s class will be attended by Kat

New York’s class will be attended by Asia

Los Angeles’s class will be attended by Christine

Thank you to everyone who sent in their stories and who continues to dance. We can’t wait to hear how the classes go – congrats Kat, Asia and Christine!

July 15, 2010 I Written By

Win Tickets to Master Classes Hosted by Cliche Cosmetics

Cliche Cosmetics is hosting the Summer Dance Series, dance classes taught by SYTYCD alum – Katee Shean (S4), Melissa Sandvig (S5), Randi Evans (S5), Victor Smalley (S6) and Noelle Marsh (S6) –  and they’ve offered us free tickets for our readers!

Here’s the deal. The master classes are designed for intermediate to advanced dancers and will be hosted during August in Los Angeles, Fort Lauderdale and New York. At least three members of the faculty will teach in each city. Check out all the details here.

We have one ticket per city to give away. So, if you want them, write in the comments below and tell us why we should give the ticket to you. If you win the ticket, you commit to guest-blogging your experiences for PureSYTYCD – and we want pictures!!! Tell us which city’s class you’d like a ticket for. Get our attention with creativity, inspiration and…compliments and bribes always help, too. 🙂 Tell us how much the class will mean to you. Or tell us what a great guest blog you’ll write. Get our attention and you can win a free ticket to a SYTYCD master class in one of these cities!

Katee Shean, SYTYCD 4 second runner up Melissa Sandvig, SYTYCD 5 Top 6 Randi Evans, SYTYCD 5 Top 10 Victor Smalley, SYTYCD 6 Top 20 Noelle Marsh, SYTYCD 6, Top 20

[7.6. Update and disclaimer: I never mentioned our deadline. We need all of your mini-essays by the 15th so we can make our decision before the first class – and already it’s going to be a hard one. I must disclaim – neither Cliche Cosmetics nor PureSYTYCD can pay any travel or associated expenses. We’re combining our efforts to bring you the opportunity to take the class for free, but make sure you’re in the position to get to the class and stay in whichever city you select.]

July 1, 2010 I Written By

Interview with Melissa Sandvig and Randi Evans at SYTYCD Las Vegas Tour Stop

The following is the second interview in a 3 part series. This interview was a lot of fun since I got the chance to interview the two married girls. They said this was the first time they’d ever been interviewed together. They were incredibly nice and it was fun to meet them.

In the interview, I ask them about having babies and being away from their husbands so much. They talk about the Kupono party bus and other SYTYCD tour adventures. Then, they talk about their plans for the future. I hope you enjoy the interview.

November 17, 2009 I Written By

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

Part 2 the SYTYCD Tour Meet and Greet


If you are going to the tour hang out after the show because the dancers come out to meet the fans. I recommend a spot next to a young fan…they stop longer for the little ones. I was actually able to ask some questions…I’m guessing not too many people in Atlanta wanted to wait out in the cold. I was standing next to a first grader who had four favorites and she told each one of them too. Her favorites were Phillip, Kayla, Brandon and Jeanine. Each one of them gave her a hug and took a picture with her but it was Brandon who surprised me. I couldn’t hear what she said to him but he decided that he wanted to have a picture of the two of them so he pulled out his phone and got one, such a cute moment.

While Brandon was around me someone asked him if he thought Mia’s comments to him during Vegas week were real or were they just said for the show. He said he really didn’t know because it is in their contracts that they cannot talk to the judges about any critiques that are given. He said they have to wait a few months after the show is over before they can talk about it. Also the ladies next to me asked everyone what it was like to be on Ellen…for the most part they all enjoyed it.

I did get to talk to a few of them myself. I asked Kupono if he thought he might go into maybe starting his on clothing/costume line. He said that he might somewhere down the line, it something that he is interested in. In the program he said that he is designing everyone’s Halloween costumes. Caitlin was next I asked about her sister, if she auditioned for season 6. She said yeah but she was cut during Vegas week. I asked mainly because I didn’t see her or I just missed her or something. When Melissa and Ade came by I had to tell them what the breast cancer piece meant to me. Ade really is a sweet guy; I wish I could have had a longer conversation with him. I commented on the difference of seeing that particular dance live. He agreed by saying he had been hearing that a lot. He seemed somewhat surprised by this but then he said that they (producers) will show what they want to show.

While waiting for some of the dancers to make it down to where I was…some of us were talking to a guy that travels with them on tour. That is how I found out Janette was sick and if fact most of them were getting over being sick. He has worked on the American Idol tours and the SYTYCD tour since season 3. He said that all the dancers that he has met have been great with the fans will try to sign everything that they can. This is where he said there was only one dancer that had a diva type attitude. Of course he couldn’t tell us, but he did give us a hint and we took a guess. All of us guess correctly on the first try…hmm I would like to see who you guys think he was talking about. So leave a guess on the comments below and I post the answer later in the week. (John I already told you who it was so you can’t say anything)

October 23, 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.

The Five Alive Tour…


…AKA the season five tour of SYTYCD. This made the fourth tour I’ve attended and naturally I already had an idea of what to expect. This season didn’t disappoint. Due to circumstances beyond my control I barely made it in time to see the opening of the show…thank goodness they started fifteen minutes late. Then it was the start to a night full of dance starting with disco. What I didn’t know is that Janette was sick, but I wouldn’t have known until someone mentioned it later that night. That was followed by Phillip and Jeanine’s hip hop to “Mad”. I almost wish the first two numbers were switched. Then came the butt dance…I love this dance. It’s cute and quirky and a sure to be another Mia classic.

When it came time for the Bollywood dance, this is where the on going joke about Jeanine and Phillip’s Russian routine. I have to admit whoever came up with this idea was brilliant. I know Emilie mentioned that at one point that Phillip and Jeanine were in disguise. Earlier in the night the prop guys brought out a chair for Evan and Melissa Broadway routine wearing top hats and tux jackets. I myself have done a Russian folk dance before so I felt their pain when the judges didn’t care for it on the show…I found myself wanting to see them dance that number. So they are so determine to do this dance and the audience is with them Jeanine actually shushed us so they wouldn’t get caught. Then the twist came, everyone joined them on stage to dance with them and well if you read Emilie’s post you know what happens next. I love the new parts to the dance. This wasn’t the only skit that had me laughing. Like Melissa telling a scary story to intro the Zombie hip hop and getting interrupted a lot by the guys being “scared”. Plus there is Kupono’s DVD advertisement and him picking on Randi about the one time she wore a wig on the show.

This time around they didn’t do as many group numbers compared to the past seasons. Calle Ocho took the show to intermission. They have the whole set up water and all. Though I thought the whole water thing looked better on television. One kicked of the second half of the show. This one brings back memories for me…yes I have been in “A Chorus Line” not a major role but Mia’s version was so much better. They closed the show with one of my favorite group numbers, Tyce’s Brand New Day. I had a feeling they would either open or close the show with this number. Also this was the first year that the tour didn’t end with and number to “You Can’t Stop the Beat” from Hairspray. Though up until now the past three seasons have had a connection to Hairspray, for season two it was Benji and Donyelle. Season 3 was when the movie hit theatres and Adam Shankman choreographed a routine for the dancers. Well as for season 4 Twitch was in the movie…you can spot him and the end of the movie.

Now on to the solos…Cat does intro the dancers plus they show footage of their journey on the show. When Phillip hit the stage I had to get that one on video. He also received the first standing ovation of the night and quite possibly the biggest one too. This really isn’t all that surprising to me, since he has been around since season two. Jeanine’s solo was great too she had the rose and all but it fell apart on stage while she was dancing. Brandon also got a standing ovation for his solo too…spoiler alert it the same as his original audition…okay there are quite a few repeats of solos.

I was happy to know that many of my favorites had made it into the show. I’ll post a link to my pictures that I took…I tried to get a few from each routine but when you cant use a flash some didn’t work out. I also have video of the Zombie hip hop…I actually like many of Kayla’s numbers. It was Brandon and Kayla that had the most dances in the show. It’s hard to pick an absolute favorite but there is one or two that were better live. Evan and Melissa’s Broadway was one of those…it’s fun and light hearted, not to mention Janette started rambling on in Spanish while introducing the number. Also the breast cancer piece is better live…it still didn’t make me want to cry but to see Melissa and Ade dance with so much heart was definitely a great thing to see. Okay I really could go on and on but then this post would be really long. So check out all my pictures and video and get and see what other dances made the tour. I recommend buying a program it has a Q&A with the top ten. So those who haven’t been to the tour yet, you are in for a great night of dancing. For those of you that haven’t been to one yet, you are missing out. Enjoy the links below for video and pictures from the show.

http://www.youtube.com/dancestar516

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dancestar516/sets/72157622648404156/

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 5 Tour – Atlanta Part Two

Finally – you get your part two! As I am traveling, my usual schedule is a bit off. So bringing you part two required a visit to the Sprint store where the guy who sold me my phone was cool about getting the photos off and helping me put them on my laptop. And heeeeeeeeerrrrrrree we go. TOUR SPOILERS AHEAD!!

So, my video is crap. Sorry about that. I was pretty close to the stage, but we weren’t allowed to use flashes and there was a drunk girl perpetually standing up at the cool moments and ruining the shot. And most of the pictures taken with my cell phone didn’t work out – too dark. But, I did manage to get a few shots of me with some of the dancers, so I’ll put those at the end of this post. That slice of cheek next to a few of them? Yeah, that’s me cropped out. It was a looooong day. 🙂

Where should I begin to tell you about the show? Maybe I should start by saying that I lost my voice from screaming so much. And my mom got blisters from clapping so much. 🙂 We waited after the show for two hours in the cold to see the dancers (all but Janette) and it was totally worth it. Amanda’s already commented on some of her experiences in the comments of Part One.

First, they had recordings of Cat Deely introducing the dancers and some of the videos, and that was pretty cool. We kinda got to feel like she was with us a bit. Next, there was a new opening number to some sort of remix of the “Can Can” song from Moulin Rouge. Probably something like this one The Moulin Rouge Starlight Musical Ensemble - La belle bizarre du Moulin Rouge - Can Can Spectacular. That was really high-energy and got us all in the mood.

It was a bit campy in a good way. There were usually one or two dancers introducing each of the up-coming acts and they each wore different SYTYCD shirts. As Christine hinted at with her spoiler in the comments of my earlier post (which I totally didn’t get till last night, by the way), Kupono did a hysterical infomercial for the workout DVDs was was so incredibly silly and campy. Jeanine and Randi were really funny with him on stage for that. One of my favorite jokes of the night turned out to be a cool new routine. MAJOR SPOILER HERE.

Throughout the show, there was a running joke about Jeanine and Phillip’s Russian folk dance. Several times, they came out in their Russian costumes and started dancing the routine with the other dancers chastizing them for it and them pretending to be ashamed of themselves. Once, they even pretended to be the prop guys bringing in the surgical table for the Bob Fosse routine and got “caught.” It was pretty funny as running gags go, but I did wonder if they’d actually perform the routine. And then they started to do it, in the second half and the *rest of the dancers* came out in matching Russian folk costumes and did a little bit of the dance with them. And then it turned into a remix of the Russian folk with really hard-hitting, high-energy music. The guys stripped off the shirts and the girls peeled off a layer of their skirts, making them shorter and suddenly there were enormous jumps and lots of floor work (think the Russian routine with Twitch and Josh). It was amazing – a great payoff to the running joke. It was one of my favorite moments of the night and illustrates something I really like about SYTYCD. When something doesn’t work, they don’t hesitate to make fun of themselves and…make it better. Take a “failed routine” and make it something that works. That’s amazing.

Probably another of the highlights was Phillip’s solo. It was longer than *everyone* else’s, including Jeanine and Brandon and he got a standing ovation from the audience. His face was priceless, as it always is. Brandon got people out of the seats with his solo, but I have to say that Phillip did it first and did it best. 🙂

There were dozens of wonderful moments throughout the night, but those are just some of my standouts.

Then, waiting in the cold. And wouldn’t you know it, every single dancer who’d met me in the afternoon remembered me! How cool is that? I was pretty starstruck over Evan, though I tried to be cool. After all, I’m 15 years older than the 12 year old girl who was standing next to me – who almost fainted she was so excited to meet Jeanine. She was flustered and giggling and then apologized to Jeanine, who said (classy lady), “Are you kidding me?” in this tone that clearly said, “you’re why I do this.” It was late and all of the dancers were so warm and took their time. Many of them climbed onto the barricade and leaned over to take pictures with their fans who were a bit farther back. They did everything they could to get to us, which was nice.

Just past me, Evan was really sweet to a 5 year old whose birthday was in 20 minutes, according to her mom (it was late). And he was definitely nice to me – we took a picture of our wrist tattoos (his is “brother” in Greek of course and mine is “I’ll see you later” in Russian, which contains some of the Greek alphabet and looks similar).

Ade is my mom’s favorite and she insisted on waiting for him (which I was happy to do). When he came by, she said, “I heard you gave my daughter two hugs earlier this afternoon” and he laughed and hugged her. And then me again. 🙂

I had to retrieve my mom’s coat for her and ran to and from the parking lot, so I was really breathless when I got back. Randi had just moved on, but she came back and took a picture with me, giggling with me.

I have to say, seeing Jason again may have been the best of all. I was trying to juggle all of the things in my hands so I could give the camera to my mom and he was hugging on me the whole time and he said, “Hey, I just want to hug you.” Lol. Big flirt. I told him not to get into too much trouble in Miami. Somehow, I don’t think he’ll manage that. 🙂

It was a great night, as Amanda said.

Here are some more pictures for you, as promised.

October 21, 2009 I Written By

Season 5 Tour – Atlanta Part One

As promised, I went by the Arena where the Atlanta tour date will be tonight, in order to interview the dancers. Amusingly, when the press were led out to the secured area near the tour buses (it was a gorgeous day, so the interviews were going to be outside), our first view was of Randi and Kupono sunbathing on a blanket – “in their underwear” as one of the folks with me said in a shocked voice. Rascally dancers.

Apparently, they haven’t seen a lot of the sun lately since they usually travel between cities during the night and mostly go into the venues. They have a few days off, as they told me, where they explore the city. Melissa chuckled when I asked her for tour gossip and said, “Maybe we partied at the beginning, but now we’re like, party for 45 minutes and then out.”

I got to meet Jeanine briefly, but she had two telephone interviews during the press session, so she was off to the side doing that. Brandon came out briefly and lay on the blanket, talking to Kupono. He, Kupono and Randi weren’t actually technically available for press access. They’d opted out because they didn’t feel well or just wanted a break. Though, Kupono invited me to sit on the blanket with them when we first went out, so I asked him Christine’s question and he said that his studio back in his Hawaii really did it for him, that was “home” to him. He was going to let me take a picture of him, but one of the handlers told me not to, so I moved on to the official interviews.

First, I met Evan, Jason and Phillip or as I actually called them when our interview was over, “my boys.” 🙂 Here’s a picture, first of Evan and Jason and then of the three of them (Phillip arrived a minute or two later).

Jason and Evan

Jason and Evan

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I asked them a few questions about the tour. Evan said he really enjoyed exploring Boston cause he’d never been there, but that he loved the performance in Detroit. Jason said that he was hoping his hometown would be his favorite performance. Phillip really liked Toronto.

Then, my boys moved on to talk to the local Fox affiliate folks and I chatted for a few minutes with Melissa and Ade. Melissa and I shook hands, but Ade gave me a hug, which made me giggle. I told him he did seem like that type from the show and he said, “Yeah, that’s just how I am.” They were really relaxed and comfortable with each other, which made it a lot of fun to talk to them. Mostly, I just felt like we were hanging out, they were just so chill. Melissa said she really enjoyed the Milwaukee show because she had a lot of support in the audience and Ade favored Manchester because it was the first show and there was a lot of energy from the audience because of that.

Here’s a picture of them. And then a second where they’re jokingly recreating one of their favorite movements, the joke being they don’t actually have any chemistry, (“that is real,” Melissa said).

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As I was leaving, Kupono called the others over to the blanket to show them something in a magazine and they were all clustered together to look. It really does seem like they’ve banded together on tour, which is great to see. I really enjoyed meeting them. Now, I have to go see the show!!

If you haven’t bought tickets to the SYTYCD tour yet, they’re only about half way through the tour and SYTYCD tour tickets are still available.

October 20, 2009 I Written By

Mia Michaels Leaving SYTYCD

Some surprising news coming out of the SYTYCD world today. If you all haven’t heard, Mia Michaels took to her Twitter yesterday to announce that she’s leaving our beloved show after 5 years. The reaction has been intense. Many people feel that the show won’t be the same without Mia, which is definitely true. Over the seasons, her pieces have been among the most memorable ones ever performed. Just think about these…

-Ashlé and Melody’s Message in a Bottle dance

-Travis and Heidi’s Bench dance

-season 2 group routine to “Hide and Seek”

-Lacey and Kameron’s week 1 contemporary

-her tribute to her father danced by Lacey and Neil

-Danny and Neil’s Dance of the Princes

-Chelsie and Mark’s “what would Tim Burton’s wedding look like?”

-Kherington and Twitch’s dance on the bed

-Katee and Joshua’s Hometown Glory dance

-Twitch and Katee’s Door dance

-Evan and Randi’s Butt dance

-Kupono and Kayla’s Addiction dance

these are a selection of Mia’s best dances, but there are obviously more. It’s pretty obvious this show has meant a lot to Mia, she’s an Emmy winner because of SYTYCD.

For an opposing opinion, check out this article from Entertainment Weekly online, the writer makes some good points about there being plenty of great choreographers that can fill the void left by Mia.

what do you guys think?! is the hole Mia leaves too big to be filled by people like Travis, Benji, and Sonya? And what have been your favorite Mia Michaels pieces over the 5 seasons of SYTYCD?

October 15, 2009 I Written By