'So You Think You Can Dance': Alex Wong blows the judges away
The competition on "So You Think You Can Dance" has begun!
The episode starts off with the top 11 dancers showing off their best styles. Is it just me or is the camera work bad? It's weird to only see 11 and not the usual 20. The stage looks sparse.
Cat Deeley spells out the rules. Each finalist drew a name of one of the all-stars, then meet with the choreographer for a routine. After they perform it, the bottom three finalists will face the judges in tomorrow's elimination episode.
Performances:
1) "Footloose" by Kenny Loggins
(Broadway; choreographer: Tyce DiOrio; Billy and Lauren)
In the rehearsal footage, we get a sense the routine is going to be insanely fast. And when Billy Bell and all-star Lauren perform it, what everyone said on tape holds true. it is a cool high school-set performance and the choreography is interesting, but I couldn't help but focus more on Lauren, since I knew her better. Even though Billy is a highly-skilled dancer, I didn't picture him as the guy who was the "tough guy." When the judges give their critiques (I guess the all-stars won't be onstage for that portion), Nigel brought up a great point about how the finalists are going to have to have chemistry with their partners quickly since they're moving on to a new one next week. Mia says that Billy needs to start dancing like a man the rest of the season, an observation I agreed with.
2) "Starstruck" by Santigold
(Jazz; choreographer: Sonya Tayeh; Cristina and Mark)
It's a unique routine, but I'm not sure Cristina is really killing this style. Doesn't really help that Mark is probably the best at this type of dark, twisted stuff. But the judges disagree with my observations, telling her she did tremendously. Maybe the criteria has been lowered? Maybe they're judging a little bit based on who these people are partnered with and how well they do? It'll be interesting to see how America votes tonight.
3) "Beautiful Monster" by Ne-Yo
(Hip-hop; choreographers: Tabitha and Napoleon Dumo; Jose and Comfort)
So Jose gets lucky and is able to dance in his style (sorta). Seconds in, he's already the most natural performing his routine and you can tell he knows his stuff. In the tape, we see that Jose isn't the scariest-looking dude, but at the end of the routine, he encompasses his character pretty well I'd say. Nigel lays down a line: "Instead of 'True Blood,' we have 'True Hood.' " Oh boy. The judges give good reviews, with some advice on how he can improve. So far, they've liked what they've seen.
4) "Addicted to Love" by Florence and the Machine
(Jazz; choreographer: Travis Wall; Adechike and Kathryn)
Woohoo, Travis! The routine is an office daydream that a man has and suddenly an attractive woman appears. Let's see is Adechike can take off that dreaded shoe at the right moment. Yup! He did! Score. Nigel gives it straight: He didn't believe that that was Adechike's fantasy. Yikes. Mia is even harsher, telling him that he absolutely brought nothing to the performance (empty technique?). I agree with the judges. There was no sexual chemistry at all.
5) "L.O.V.E." by VV Brown
(Jive; choreographers; Melanie Lapatin and Tony Meredith; Melinda and Pasha)
Who knew Melinda was on "As the World Turns"?! Back to the topic at hand. Remember that awesome swing routine from Pasha's season? This performance isn't quite up to that standard but it was so fun to watch! I feel like a broken record, but it's much easier watching the all-stars dance and not the actual competitors. Sorry guys! The timing on some of the steps were a little off, but you have to remember, it's only the first week. Nigel thinks Melinda might be dancing for her life tomorrow. She takes the criticism well, thanking the judges for their comments. If she doesn't get votes for that, nothing is right with the world!
6) "Hallelujah" by Jeff Buckley
(Contemoprary; choreographer: Sonya Tayeh; Alex and Allison)
I love this song. The routine is choreographed beautifully and danced extremely well. We all know Alex is a fantastic technical dancer, but honestly this was the first performance where I felt both partners were on equal footing. This might be my favorite routine of the night so far. Some of the judges and the audience give a standing ovation. Nigel sings high praise and Mia does as well, saying that that was the best routine ever danced on any "SYTYCD" stage! Sonya's stock is going up, up, up!
7) "Butterfly" by Jason Mraz
(Hip-hop; choreographers: Tabitha and Napoleon Dumo; Alexie and Twitch)
Tough following the magnificent performance by Alex and Allison but someone's gotta do it. Great musical choice for a sexy perf. I like it, but I feel like it could've been a little sexier. The judges say that it was just a cute little dance (and yup, agreed), and it seems like they're comparing how the dancers do with their all-stars. Is that 100% fair?
8) "Oh Yeah" by Yello
(Pop jazz; choreographer: Mandy Moore; Lauren and Ade)
Great to see Mandy Moore back! It's a sexy routine and that's communicated by the dancers' performances (and also the music). It's a cool performance and I was a fan. They sold the performance on presentation, but still not a favorite of the night. Adam dishes out the harshest advice, telling her that he's worried she's not digesting everything that the judges are telling her because of her responses to their critiques. Hm.
9) "Lady Marmalade" by Diva Invasion
(Cha-cha; choreographers: Melanie Lapatin and Tony Meredith; Kent and Anya)
This is going to be hilarious. Pretty certain Kent's never danced with an older woman like Anya before. When the routine begins, Kent looks older than his 18 years, but not by much. It did seem like Anya was doing a lot of the work. At least Kent had a fun time doing it!
10) "For All We Know" by Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway
(Contemporary; choreographer: Tyce DiOrio; Ashley and Neil)
The routine, like a lot of them tonight, is about transcendent love. (Rare to see Tyce do choreography for a contemporary performance.) Not sure I liked the routine, but Neil and Ashley did well with what they got. For the most part, the judges enjoyed the routine.
11) "Norweg" from Cirque de Soleil's "Saltimbanco" soundtrack
(African jazz; choreographer: Sean Cheesman; Robert and Courtney)
Eh. Didn't have a strong reaction to it, but also didn't hate it. The judges are in the same boat. This performance had me missing the old stage. Nigel believes Robert is a dark force in the competition; well yeah, he wasn't featured during the audition stages! Mia and Adam seem to like him too. Adam even tells Robert that he's one of the best contemporary dancers that "SYTYCD" has had. Hm.
First Impressions:
A good overall episode, but only one routine really stood out and that was Alex and Allison's amazing contemporary performance by Sonya Tayeh. The others were OK. Curious to see who the bottom three are. (Also, to the people in the front rows: Please stop screaming the dancer's names during the routines. It's getting a bit annoying.)
What are your thoughts on the routines this week? Who do you think will be in danger tomorrow? Discuss below!
It's sad to say, because I wouldn't like to see Adechike go so soon, but I do believe that his Jazz routine with Kathryn resulted in the weakest performance among the new male contestants. Kathryn was completely into the character of the dance but I felt that Adechicke was little more than a prop. I think that he might have had a chance to shine if the choreographers had given him more to do and more motivation to create a connection with Kathryn. The next weakest performance, in my opinion, was Kent's Jive with Anya. While it was loaded with enthusiasm and performance, it was clearly lacking in technique. I liked all of the performances from the new girls; however, my lowest marks went to Melinda's Jive with Pasha and Ashley's Contemporary routine with Neil. My highest marks went to Alex's Contemporary routine with Alison, Cristina's Jazz routine with Mark, and Robert's African Jazz routine with Courtney, which leaves Alexie, Lauren, Billy, and Jose in the middle of the pack. I'm a little disappointed that Lauren didn't show more personality in tonight's performance because she certainly showed it during Vegas week, and Billy's performance left me wanting more, as well. I think that it was a good start with the first competitive dances of the new season; however, I think that the judges need to be more even-handed with their feedback (i.e., they were too hard on some contestants and too effusive with others).
That was an amazing show. I have to say I'm happy to see the all stars back but I'm kinds worried because to be honest I couldn't stop watching them I. Most dances. More blew my Mjnd. He was brilliant the only time I watched christina is when I watched it back on DVR. Alex and Allison are you kidding me. Fantastic and he'd lines were exactly the same as him. And just as great. I always thought Allison got voted off too early in he'd season. I loved Robert and courtney. Very strong and every movement was right to the beat . He's adorable but quite quirky and weird. Overall great show but with the exception of allIson and alex I was drawn mostly to the allstars
I didnt get the crazy love for Alex's routine..I was kind of bored and I usually love anything Sonya does!
It is a song that plays as the episode flashes through the other solos after Alex Wong and Billy Bell finish on episode 3 (i think) of Season 7 during Las Vegas callbacks.
Why bother to continue the show week after week if the judges are just going to gush over Alex like they did last night. Just hand him the Mirror Ball trophy and be done with it. (oh, wrong show. Nemmind!)
I'm not a fan of contemporary dance and I was NOT blown away by Alex's number. I know he's talented, but geez! A little restraint, please, judges!
I loved, loved, loved both Adechike and Jose. The persons, not necessarily the dances.
And I do like the All-Star concept.
I think Ashley just might be leaving tonight. We'll see.
I absolutely love Jose and I hope he can concur the other dance styles as well as he does his own. All the girls need STOP SMILING and being cute when they are supposed to be SEDUCTIVE!!! I can't wait for the group routine tonight and I would truly love for Mia to choreograph a few numbers.
Of course Alex was amazing...his ballet training makes him very well suited for that dance, and he really sold the emotional aspect of it as well. I was blown away by that number...it was incredible! I also truly believe that if not for Allison dancing with him, that emotional aspect would have been missing (or greatly reduced). Let's not forget how she brought out the best in Ivan. I think Allison is a TREMENDOUS talent and SO glad to see her back on the show.
Anyway, let's see how Alex does when he has to quick step or jive...let's see him cha cha with Anya and have as much fun as Kent did...I'm not ready to declare him a winner yet.
I love the all stars concept...LOVE it!
My biggest problem with the show was the way they kept cutting away from the dancing. I'm sure Alex's number was "all that" in the room but it was really hard to tell, even on second viewing, what all the fuss was about. And I deliberately did not vote for him because I know if he ever gets to the bottom three the judges would never get rid of him.
I agree with you about the camera work and that was my first complaint when I was watching last night. too many cameras and they cut away at the wrong time, so we missed seeing quite a bit. I hope they get that figured out and fixed. The performances as a whole weren't bad for the first week.
Lots of harsh criticism on the performances from the comments. I thought they were all amazing, although I didn't enjoy all of the choreography. I also believe that some of the performers had an advantage in the styles they chose for this first episode. It's difficult to choose who to vote off when you have such high hopes for all of them.
I am NOT a fan of this format because (1) too many really good dancers were cut and (2) I think everyone's attention is unfairly drawn to the all-stars rather than the contestants.
The camera work generally sucks on this show and this season is no exception. I hope they get that figured out soon.