'So You Think You Can Dance': And then there were four...
We're a day away from finding out the winner of this season's So You Think You Can Dance but first, the final four must take it to the floor.
Spoilers
Tonight's third judge is one of my favorite choreographers, Mandy Moore. I'm pretty sure this is the first time Mandy's joined Nigel and Mary on the panel.
1. Courtney & Twitch
Dance/Choreographer/Song: Hip Hop/Napoleon & Tabitha/"Church" by T-Pain
There were good moments but...I wasn't really into it (though I might change my mind on a second viewing). On the upside, their characterization was solid and I liked the flavor of the choreography. Twitch attempted a propeller spin with Courtney on his head. It wasn't perfect but it's a hard maneuver - props for even getting it mostly right. I can't help but think how much better it would've been if Comfort had been his partner. The judges don't agree with me and were all over it.
I was wondering how they were going to kill time this year and, luckily for us, the producers decided to go with something useful and enjoyable. Cat talked with all the contestants and they'll run the packages before their solos.
The first interview is with Courtney and they talk about her family, her life and what lead her to try out. Her favorite routine so far is the Jazz number she did with Mark by Sonya and I totally agree with her. I've always found her to be likable, especially when interacting with her family which they show clips of. And, concerning her chemistry with Gev, she says that you don't have to be in love with someone to have it. You just have to like them and think they're a great person.
Solo 1: Courtney
Song: "They Weren't There" by Missy Higgins
Good job this week. There was a pass in the middle with a leap and a turn and an illusion that wa
s quite lovely. Like she admits in the footage shown in her interview, she doesn't have the best technique, but I think she emotes and connects to her pieces very well. That's something not everyone has.
2. Katee & Joshua
Dance/Choreographer/Song: Lyrical/Wade Robson/"Slow Dancing In A Burning Room" by John Mayer
There's something about Wade's face that makes me want to slap him sometimes (I think it's something about the eyebrows), but darnit he's a fantastic choreographer. It was a great number - it was simple, pretty, and both dancers were emotionally invested in the moves. Mandy said she was sold from the close up of Katee breathing before it even began.
3. Katee & Courtney
Dance/Choreographer/Song: Broadway/Tyce DiOrio/"The Trolley Song" by Rufus Wainwright
Their outfits are cute, albeit somewhat Old West prostitute-y with a touch of Circus acrobat. Ooo. Mandy barely said anything about the actual choreography. Translation: She wasn't into it. I'm with you Mandy. It was definitely cute and performed as well as it could've been, but I didn't find it engrossing.
Cat's interview with Twitch revealed some interesting things: he got his name because he was always dancing about, even when sitting down; if he hadn't made it on to the show this season, he was going to join the Navy; and the Viennese Waltz Jean-Marc did for his daughter has been his favorite routine so far because of what it represented.
Solo 2: Twitch
Song: "It Was All In Your Mind" by Wade Robson
Great as always - not my favorite but still great.
4. Twitch & Joshua
Dance/Choreographer/Song: Russian Tropak/Youri Nelzine/"Trepak" from Tchaikovsky's The Nutcraker
It wasn't a Hip Hop number, but it was impressive nonetheless. Hazzah for more world dance! That stuff is hard and they played the rivalry aspect about it perfectly (even carrying it through the judges commentary). They were leaping and jumping and spinning and on the ground. Crazy.
Katee's up next and we get to relive her blown-out-of-proportion reaction during the Vegas selection show. Cat tells her that she'd probably have reacted in the same way and thought she was just being honest and in the moment. Katee says that she never thought she'd be in direct competition with her good friend like that and it added stress to an already stressful situation. Her favorite number is the Napoleon & Tabitha "No Air" piece. She liked the emotional nature of the piece and, as it was her very first number with Joshua, it helped them connect with each other quickly.
Solo 3: Katee
Song: "Hide & Seek" by Imogen Heap
I really liked this solo, one of her better one's I think. Her movements fit very well with the music.
5. Katee & Twitch
Dance/Choreographer/Song: Foxtrot/Tony Meredith & Melanie LaPatin/"Feeling Good" by Michael Buble
Their lift was fantastic and I liked the suave vibe the number had. I can't really comment on the technique because the shots weren't really conducive to watching footwork for more than 3-seconds. Mary said they did well so I'll just have to go with that I guess. And all the judges thought Twitch was tres James Bond in his tux.
Cat's last interview is with Joshua. He didn't take a lot of classes as a kid because of lack of funds but, despite also being great at track and football, the artistic side of him won out. His favorite routine was surprisingly the Samba he did with Katee. He liked stepping out of his comfort zone like that. And Cat got to rib him about being a bit of a crier, which he denied was normally in his nature. Kawaii!
Solo 4: Joshua
Song: "(Not Just) Knee Deep" by Funkadelic
He did something cool by jumping off the main stage and dancing next to the judges. I've said this before about him (and Twitch) - his solos are always great.
6. Courtney & Joshua
Dance/Choreographer/Song: Jive/Jason Gilkison/"The Dirty Boogie" by The Brian Setzer Orchestra
Wow. There was a lot of content in there. It looked really tiring. They performed all the tricks well but it wasn't the best technique-wise. I'm wondering if Courtney & Joshua were the dancers that were dehydrated? Considering how hard their three numbers were in comparison to Katee and Twitch, I'm thinking yes. Also, that backflip at the end where Joshua basically fell on the floor instead of landing on his feet looked painful. I know he did it on purpose but ow.
Group Number
Dance/Choreographer/Song: Contemporary/Mia Michaels/"Hallelujah" by The Vitamin String Quartet
Mia said this piece was a piece of joy and celebration and I definitely got that feeling. I enjoyed it but I didn't have the immediate "I love it" reaction I usually have for Mia's work. There were times that they weren't all on beat or they technique didn't match exactly but they recovered nicely. Mary says Twitch was the stand-out for her.
Favorite Numbers: Hmmm...Katee & Joshua's Lyrical piece was definitely a stand-out and I liked the group number. I'll have to re-watch a lot of the numbers to see how I really feel about them.
Stand-out Individuals: I think they all stood out tonight for different reasons, though Katee was probably the most consistent performance-wise. Also, I appreciate that Mandy Moore gave them tips on how to improve their technique.
Disappointments: Though the Tropak was cool, I really, really wanted to see Joshua & Twitch do a Hip Hop number. Or better yet, Krumping. If there was ever a time to break that particular dance out it would've been now.
What were your thoughts about tonight's episode? And who do you think will win?
did anyone else feel like the deck was stacked against Courtney & Joshua? having them do the Jive at full speed and then turn around and do the Group number at full speed right after. No wonder C & J looked tired, and Katee & Twitch had great form.....
It was actually Joshua & Twitch who were taken to the hospital. More than likely it was from that Russian street dance and the fact that these poor dancers have gotten no breaks since the Top 20. The only thing that dissapointed me was that they didn't have Josh & Twitch do hip hop, other than that it was fine and I truly believe the final 2will be the two guys with Josh winning.
I was thinking the same thing, Debbie.
I was disappointed by both the boys solos. I loved both the girls.
I connect to Courtney the most, as Katee just... ahhh I can't explain it, I just don't like her. But I do think it will be between her and one of the boys in the end.
Thanks for the review!
On second watch, there were entirely too many close-ups and half-shots during the Broadway number to get a good feel for it.
I think the winner will be Josh and Twitch will be the runner up as the judges seemed to gush over them more than the girls. It also seemed like the judges focused their comments more on the guys than the girls eg. Mary just saying speechless to Katee after spending the better part of a minute on Twitch in the Foxtrot.
For me I thought the guys dance (The Russian dance) was by far the best number of the night as all the other 10 dances just didn't have it tonight. None were bad, but none were great. None of the others were memorable and none of the others were the best of that style of the season. Perhaps if eg. there was another Bollywood routine in this ep it wouldn't have had the impact it did in its first 2 outings.
I'm looking forward to the finale.
Lastly, I'm disappointed that Debbie Allen didn't judge either last week or this week. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but perhaps she was even more disappointed in Will's elimination than he was (I'm trying to phrase it as nicely as possible here).
OK they are all great but Katee, in my opinion has been perfect all season. The judges are CLEARLY pushing for a hip-hop artist to win as they pushed for Sabra (first woman) last year. It's annoying and transparent. I am also tired of hearing that Joshua had no training - he's had TONS of training. Why are they making that up? He even admits it on his profile and no one can do spins, etc. like that without training. He went to a dance school! Come ON! I also thought his earlier in the season routines were only about strength with no p***ion/technique but he has gotten better. His and Twitch's solos were lame and Twitch, although I like him, needs an arrogance check with his stupid T-shirts. Anyway - Joshua won (check Dialidol.com) as I thought he would. I wish the judges wouldn't push but I understand their desire to get a different style dancer to win to keep the show "interesting" and increase audience diversity. Whatever - Katee should have won
Hey -- if that's true about who won, it would have been nice for you to mention the major spoiler.
Boo.
Dialidol isn't always correct - no spoiler is necessary
Last season was much better: many more memorable numbers, better dancers, less obvious bias in the judging, and a much more humble Mia. I still enjoy the show, but this season wasn't nearly as good as last, despite what the producers are trying to cram down our throats.
I think that maybe this should be a lesson for the producers not to have sooo much going on in the last few weeks. The dancers seemed particularily tired this year. Someone mentioned above that it was the guys taken to the hospital, but I could have sworn one was Katee, as she looked dead tired last night.
I think the best overall should win and that is Katee. She is the most consistant and in seeing her package last night, it really showed that she has had awesome dances with everyone, not just her original partner. That and her solo was amazing last night, where as the rest of them just brought the usual.
Oh and did anyone else feel there was too much filler done by the judges talking? They seemed to just repeat themselves after every number. Boring.