Tag Archives: so you think you can dance

TV Time: SYTYCD Season 10 “Top 16 Perform”

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Well that was a bit of a letdown.

Up to this point, I’ve been pretty impressed with the quality of both the dancers and choreographers this season on So You Think You Can Dance. Two weeks ago, I could already see some chinks in the armor, but this week I can’t just be polite and say the show simply faltered a little.

It was a bad episode, as bad as I’ve seen from this show in a long time.

I had a bad feeling about what was to come when I saw Carly Rae “Call Me Maybe” Jepsen on the judging panel, and I’m sad to say my initial doubts about her were spot-on. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a guest judge on this show who was so uninformed about dance and couldn’t even fake it. As someone who takes dance and—by extension (for better or worse)— this show very seriously, I felt insulted that Nigel and Co. would make me sit through two hours of critiques from a woman who spoke as if she’s never watched a dance routine before in her life. It was laughably bad. At least get a guest judge with some knowledge of dance vocabulary next time—that’s all I ask.

The eliminations this week were the only thing I felt was right about the show. It was time for BluPrint to go home, and Mariah’s solo this week felt like a rehash of what she did in her last solo. I like both dancers, but their time had come. Mackenzie’s solo was gorgeously fluid, Curtis’s solo was very strong proof of his skills as a tapper, and Alan’s solo was simply…WOW. That’s the kind of male ballroom solo I’ve always wanted to see on this show—powerful, commanding, strong, and precise. His work with the cape was brilliant, and I loved his stage presence throughout.

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TV Time: SYTYCD Season 10 “Top 17 Perform”

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For a season that started out incredibly strong, last night’s episode of So You Think You Can Dance faltered a little bit. On the positive side: I’m really happy the complaints of many (including myself) were heard, and the results of the elimination were saved until the end of the show. I also can’t really argue with who was sent home. For as much as I loved Jasmine Mason in her opening-week contemporary with Alan, I thought she was less than dynamic in her tango last week, and her solo seemed very generic.

Although I found myself agreeing with the elimination results—and I do like the idea of consulting the choreographers as well—I didn’t like the way Nigel gave both Jasmine and Alexis such public criticism from their choreographers. Those comments felt like they should be said in private to the dancers rather than broadcast to millions. But maybe I’m just being too sensitive…

This week’s judging panel was interesting to say the least. I was beyond thrilled to see Paula Abdul there because if there’s anyone who should be judging these dancers, it’s someone with the résumé Abdul has. Her passion for dance is so contagious, and she’s actually really good at giving constructive criticism as well as praise. However, I have no idea why Erin Andrews was there. Did I mind staring at her beautiful face? No. Do I think she was a good contestant on Dancing with the Stars? Yes. But I don’t think that qualifies her to judge this kind of show in any capacity.

As for the dancing itself, there was no real standout moment this week for me, no routine that I’ve needed to watch 10 times after the show ended. Yes, there were some strong routines. Aaron and Jasmine continue to be my favorite couple; their Broadway routine this week embodied everything I love about their dynamic: It was smooth, mature, and sexy without trying too hard. It was also surprising, especially Aaron’s graceful quality to his movement. Fik-Shun and Amy also surprised me with their Paso Doble, which was much stronger and more intense than I was expecting from those two smiley kids. I loved Mackenzie’s technique and Paul’s gorgeously emotional performance in their contemporary (even if that story has been told on this show before—and told better). And Marko truly brought out the best in Malece, although it was sad to lose Jade to an injury this week.

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TV Time: SYTYCD Season 10 “Top 20 to Top 18”

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The first cut is the deepest…

…Or sometimes the first cut is just the most ridiculous.

I hate the new format for the eliminations on So You Think You Can Dance. I mean, I REALLY HATE it. I understand there’s no perfect way to eliminate contestants on the same night as a performance show, but cutting them from the competition at the beginning of the show and then forcing them to still dance with their partner later on just seems all kinds of wrong to me. It is horrible to the contestants (both the eliminated ones and the others who have to dance after seeing partners/friends be cut), and it simply casts a negative light on everything that comes after it.

It was especially hard this week because the wrong contestants went home. Mariah’s solo was terrible, and Jade is nowhere near the dancer Carlos is. I grimaced every time Nigel said that “America got it wrong” this week because America only put them in the bottom; it was the judges who—with no deliberation—sent Carlos and Brittany home. Why even have them dance solos if you’re going base the elimination on last week’s performances?

I think so much of my frustration with the eliminations comes from how well Brittany and Carlos did with their dances this week. Brittany was a firecracker full of stage presence in her Broadway routine (so much so that it made BluPrint’s obvious discomfort in the routine look even worse). And Carlos…Carlos was breathtaking. His performance in his contemporary routine with Mariah was incredible, and it brought out such a fearlessness in Mariah in terms of her emotional honesty (which I think was also aided by her obvious pain at seeing him go home).

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The Best Thing I Saw on TV This Week (6/23 – 6/30)

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This was a relatively slow week in the world of summer television, but it still provided us with some discussion-worthy moments. The Real Housewives of New Jersey provided some intense scenes of family drama once again, with Teresa engaged in passionate fights with her brother Joe last Sunday and her cousin Rosie this week. The Bachelorette featured possibly its most awkward date ever last Monday, as Desiree sat in the middle of an intense cross-examination of two-faced Ben by federal prosecutor Michael. And So You Think You Can Dance had its first real performance show of the season.

That SYTYCD performance show is where my favorite moment of the week comes from. Jasmine Mason and Alan’s Travis Wall contemporary piece was breathtaking, and it was filled with small, detailed movements that spoke to both their skills as individual dancers and the surprising strength of their early partnership. The moment when Jasmine fell backwards into Alan’s arms with complete abandon was one of the most intense representations of the trust between partners I’ve ever seen on this show, and it’s the single greatest thing I saw on my TV this week.

What was your favorite thing you saw on TV this week?

TV Time: SYTYCD Season 10 “Top 20”

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Summer generally means a slowdown in my TV watching habits, but that doesn’t mean I will be completely abandoning my recapping/reviewing duties until fall. Instead, I’m going to focus on my ultimate summertime favorite, So You Think You Can Dance. Each week, I’ll bring you some brief thoughts on the episode as a whole as well as my standout performers and favorite routine (as well as my favorite solo when we reach that point).

This week began the voting portion of the season on strong footing with some interesting pairings, a great guest judge (the incomparably charming Wayne Brady), and a fun opening number from Tabitha and Napoleon.

Were there some duds this first week? Of course (Carlos and Mariah’s labored jive comes to mind, as does Alexis and Nico’s uninspired hip hop). Was I sad to see Alexis, one of my beloved tap dancers, in a routine that was torn apart by the judges? Of course. But I was also pleasantly surprised by the praise given to her fellow tappers Aaron and Curtis (which was deserved since both were strong in their routines). I also found myself thoroughly enjoying the majority of the dances last night, which isn’t always the case with the first bunch of performances.

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The Best Thing I Saw on TV This Week (6/16 – 6/23)

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Being back in the real world after a long vacation in Disney World means that I’m finally back to my regular summer TV schedule, too. This week, The Bachelorette visited Sandy-ravaged New Jersey and made me care much more about the older couple Desiree met there than any of her potential husbands. So You Think You Can Dance introduced us to this year’s Top 20. And there’s been plenty of great moments in sports on TV this week too, with both the NBA and NHL Finals giving us great games to watch.

The best of the best came from SYTYCD‘s “Meet the Top 20” show. Whenever tap is in the spotlight as a dance style, I’m a happy girl, and this season features not one but three tap dancers in the Top 20. Aaron, Curtis, and Alexis performed a fantastic tap routine that rocketed all three of them up my list of early favorites for this season. Their taps were incredibly clear, they were challenged with some very complex rhythms, and each one of them has a unique style that makes them stand out. I’m really looking forward to seeing them go far and be great representatives of the tap dance community this season.

 

What was the best thing you saw on TV this week?

Save the Last Dance for Me: My Favorite SYTYCD Performances

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It’s that time of year again—dance recital season! As a dancer and a choreographer, this is one of the most exciting times of the year, and it’s not just because of what my students and I are getting ready to perform this weekend. It’s also because So You Think You Can Dance is getting into the home stretch of audition episodes before finally revealing its Top 20. Once the performance shows begin, SYTYCD becomes must-see TV for me every week. It’s so exciting to see one of my biggest passions displayed on national TV for others to fall in love with the way I fell in love with dance 20 years ago.

In the spirit of sharing my love of dance with everyone I meet, I decided today to share links to my Top 10 So You Think You Can Dance performances. These dances continue to inspire me, motivate me, entertain me, and move me long after I first saw them.

10. Danny and Lacey’s “Hip Hip Chin Chin” Samba (Season 3)
This dance is still one of the sexiest dances to ever be performed on SYTYCD. The choreography was exciting, the musicality was perfect, and both Danny and Lacey gave star-quality performances. At this point in the season, everyone knew Lacey was a fantastic performer, but this was the dance that really showcased Danny’s stage presence. He looked like he was having the time of his life out there, and those moments of pure joy are my favorites on this show.

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