'So You Think You Can Dance': The top nine finalists take the stage
This week, the top nine dancers on "So You Think You Can Dance" take the stage with the all-stars. This time, there's a theme: It's all about who inspired them to dance.
When Cat introduces the nine dancers, it's obvious the audience prefers the guys.
Immediately after last Thursday's show, the dancers pick their partners for the week. There are some fantastic pairings (like Alex and Twitch!) so we'll see how they fare. In addition to those performances, the finalists will also be dancing solos.
Performances:
1) Adechike and Lauren G., "Hot-N-Fun" by N.E.R.D. feat. Nelly Furtado
(Hip-hop; choreographer: Dave Scott)
Adechike's inspiration: Desmond Richardson. Adechike and Lauren are dressed in old-school, '50s attire and things start off tight and conservative until the two loosen up (literally). In the tape, choreograper Dave Scott says the routine is all about having fun, and if that was their goal, they achieved it. Adechike definitely looked like he was enjoying himself during the performance so kudos. Adam Shankman even gave a standing ovation.
2) Ashley and Ade, "Cosmic Love" by Florence + the Machine
(Contemporary; choreographer: Dee Caspary)
Ashley's inspiration: dance teacher Rebecca Minert. Fantastic routine by first-time choreographer Dee Caspary. The concept was beautful: surrending one's self and trusting someone to be there to catch you. It might have also been the amazing song but I completely bought the performance from beginning to end. I hope we more of Dee this season. It's amazing to me how Mia Michaels can use the word "ew" as a compliment! Everything just worked. So far, my favorite performance of the night.
3) Robert and Courtney, "XXXO" by M.I.A.
(Jazz; choreographer: Sonya Tayeh)
Robert's inspiration: mother. First reunion pairing of the season already. Like they said in the tape, the routine is crazy, creepy and weird, but it's entertaining to watch. Not sure if I bought the pairing, but the judges do.
4) Melinda and Pasha, "Magdalena, Mi Amor (Quimbara)" by D.L.G.
(Salsa; choreographer: Fabian Sanchez)
Melinda's inspration: Dr. Harold Cromer. The routine is not my favorite. It just didn't seem very well-executed by the pair. Sure it was red-hot, but I wasn't buying Melinda as a salsa dancer at all. There were several moments where her feet weren't pointed and her posture was quite unattractive. Even Pasha didn't do so well. It's too bad. I was hoping that Melinda's Colombian background would help her. Mia and Adam both regret sending Cristina home last week.
5) Lauren and Neil, "Let Me Entertain You" by Debbie Gibson
(Broadway; choreographer: Joey Dowling)
Lauren's inspiration: student council advisor Ms. Stockwell. The routine is about a mid-century paper boy who reads in the newspaper about a Hollywood starlet and begins to daydream about her. Lauren's totally right, it's not very difficult to seduce a dancer like Neil. Absolutely adored the performance from beginning to the end with the near wardrobe malfunction, though it did feel like it featured Neil a bit more than Lauren. Adam even likened her to a young Cyd Charisse. One of the best performances so far tonght.
6) Billy and Katherine, "Jar of Hearts" by Christina Perri
(Contemporary; choreographer: Stacey Tookey)
Billy's inspiration: Legacy from sixth season of "SYTYCD." Probably one of the night's most beautifully choreographed pieces and danced extremely well. The story, of a girl who is picking up the pieces after her boyfriend leaves her but returns just when she's ready to move on, was communicated almost to a T. On the panel, Nigel didn't quite believe the partnership.
7) Jose and Anya, "Long Time" by Shakira
(Samba; choreographer: Dmitry Chaplin)
Jose's inspiration: Bruce Lee. The first dance with a huge table prop. Even though Jose is a breaker, he is quite dynamic. The dance didn't have that fire that is often in samba. To me, it was just a mediocre routine. Nigel says that Jose has the indefinable factor that can keep a competitor around even though they might not be the best technical dancer.
8) Kent and Allison, "Heartburn" by Alicia Keys
(Jazz; choreographer: Mandy Moore)
Kent's inspiration: older brother Jared. It's hilarious watching Kent learn how to walk like a man in the tape. Oh Kent. Watching the routine, it's hard to buy Kent as a grown man, but he tried and his partner Allison definitely made it a harder goal to accomplish. The judges go tough on Kent (and as they should). They warn Kent to keep the integrity of the dance, instead of getting caught up in hamming it up for the audience.
9) Alex and Twitch, "Outta Your Mind" by Lil Jon and LM*AO
(Hip-hop; choreographers: Tabitha and Napoleon Dumo)
Alex's inspiration: Edward Villella. This performance was the most anticipated of the episode and of course, it had to be last. And holy crap, did Alex and Twitch DELIVER. Hands down, one of the most memorable routines of the young season. It was fun watching Twitch and Alex battle; Tabitha and Napoleon even incorporated Alex's ballet into the routine. FANTASTIC. The judges and the audience give them a standing ovation and it is well-deserved. The crowd even chants "Alex"! (Nigel backs the current format, sort of telling those who don't like it a "toldya so." Also, Adam has a crazy screaming breakdown!)
Solos:
1) Billy, "Something Bigger, Something Better" by Amanda Blank
2) Jose, "Super Bad" by James Brown
3) Kent, "Down (Candlelight Remix)" by Jay Sean
4) Alex, "Rule the Planet" from "Planet of the Apes" soundtrack
5) Ashley, "Royal T" by Crookers feat. Roisin Murphy
6) Robert, "Hold You In My Arms" by Ray LaMontagne
7) Melinda, "Empire State of Mind (Part II, Broken Down)" by Alicia Keys
8) Adechike, "Ruthless Gravity" by Craig Armstrong
9) Lauren, "Unchained Melody" by Cyndi Lauper
All the solos were good. Of course they were, they're all in the dancers style! Though it was obvious (again) that the crowd cheered the loudest for Kent's. He even reminds me a little bit of Neil with his gymnastics-infused contemporary dance.
First Impressions:
I am so on board the Alex train.
What are your thoughts on the top nine dancers' performances? Who do you think will end up in the bottom three? Discuss below!
There's no question now -- definitely backing Alex from now on!
There is no way Alex could keep up with Twitch, right? This was going to be a huge disaster, right? On top of all that, Alex reminds us in his inspiration package that Edward Villella is his inspiration, one of the country's premier ballet dancers. So Alex the ballet dancer is just going to embarrass the hell out himself, right?
Wrong. So very very wrong.
That was the best routines EVER on SYTYCD...ever. I enjoyed it SO much I watched it three times. I loved the story and the choreography from Tabitha and Napoleon (even enjoyed Tabs joke and being so Wong it's right...LOL). Twitch...I just love him! But Alex just killed it.
I thought Adechike and Ashley performed very well last night, and I loved Lauren's Broadway routine. But Alex stole the show from everyone last night.
Alex, wooooow!!! I remember after the first show someone commented and said that "give Alex a hip hop and he will fail" ----so wrong!!! Wow!! Tabitha and Napoleon, by far, my most favorite choreographers. At certain points, Alex even carried the routine a bit further than Twitch (I love the guy, but it's true). Adechike and Ashley definitely did really well tonight, I did not enjoy Lauren's routine as much, though. And Melinda, I'm sorry girl, this needs to be your last night. She was so stiff and didn't even try to point her feet or move her torso.
Alex, wooooow!!! I remember after the first show someone commented and said that "give Alex a hip hop and he will fail" ----so wrong!!! Wow!! Tabitha and Napoleon, by far, my most favorite choreographers. At certain points, Alex even carried the routine a bit further than Twitch (I love the guy, but it's true). Adechike and Ashley definitely did really well tonight, I did not enjoy Lauren's routine as much, though. And Melinda, I'm sorry girl, this needs to be your last night. She was so stiff and didn't even try to point her feet or move her torso.
In two cases I think the New dancers out-shown their all star partners.
Kent out-shown Allison! She looked too big and ungainly for him to relate to... so he played to the audience.
Lauren out danced Neil. Neil has a very bland look and not a very sexy dancer. So all eyes were on Lauren who had to overcompensate... and she was great.
Alex, wooooow!!! I remember after the first show someone commented and said that "give Alex a hip hop and he will fail" ----so wrong!!! Wow!! Tabitha and Napoleon, by far, my most favorite choreographers. At certain points, Alex even carried the routine a bit further than Twitch (I love the guy, but it's true). Adechike and Ashley definitely did really well tonight; I did not enjoy Lauren's routine as much, though. And Melinda, I'm sorry girl, this needs to be your last night. She was so stiff and didn't even try to point her feet or move her torso.
I'm not even a big hiphop fan, but I generally like Tabitha and Napolean's style, and I LOVED this one with Alex! I've watched it three times already!
I generally agreed with the judges comments about everyone else, except I thought Billy did a lot better than they gave him credit for.
I think it is Melinda's time to go. Though it would be awkward to lose three girls in a row, I hope the judges vote to keep the best dancers and not try to even it our based on gender. Melinda is beautiful and has done ok, but there is something that just doesn't gel.
I definitely think it's Melinda's time to go, but regretting sending Christina home? Really? That's kind of harsh to say. Christina couldn't get votes performing her own style. They were right to send her home. So Melinda didn't do great at ballroom (which she's had to do twice now) I bet Christina would suck at tap. The judges comment about Jose being out of his element, but there is not a style on SYTYCD that is remotely close to tap. If they are going to give Jose mad props for attempting Hip Hop ("which isn't even his style") shouldn't they give Melinda props for even trying out for a show that doesn't even use her type of dance? I'm sure if Billy or Robert or Kent tried tap, they'd do about as good as she did in ballroom. (I left out Alex on purpose- that kid will surprise you!)
Adechike, Kent, and Ashley have all been dancing in styles really close to their own, I'm hoping they'll all have a chance to prove themselves like Billy, Alex and Lauren have.
It goes without saying, Alex killed it last night! I was in the "Alex is overrated camp" until he demolished that routine. I will not say he did better than Twitch, but they were definitely on the same level whichis what makes the routine overall AMAZING.
Can we stop saying "best routine of sytycd ever!!!!!"? Of course these routines are going to be better than other seasons. The dancers picks a PROFESSIONAL out of a hat and then learns the profs style of dance as choreographed by a professional choreographer, half of the routine is already perfect. And when the dancers style matches the professionals, you're bound to have a great performance. In seasons passed when a hip-hop dancer was paired with a contemporary dancer and they had to do all ballroom routine, you're just praying the two kids don't embarrass themselves. When they pull that off, it's magic!!!! When Ashley performs in her own style with a professional in that style, it's not exactly mind-blowing. Alex's performance was mind-blowing for Alex but it would have been twice as awesome if he and another contestant had pulled it off at that level.
All this is just my humble opinion.
I didn't want to like Alex. don't know why, probably because I've been a Billy Bell fan since last year (when he couldn't perform due to illness, so I was looking forward to him this year). But now, Alex blew me away with that routine with Twitch. He just oozes dance in every pore of his being.
I agree with Lydia that it would have been twice as awesome if he and another contestant had pulled it off at that level. I still miss the old format, NIGEL! I truly do
I wish Ashley would get something not Jazz/Contemporary. It's hard to see if she can actually dance out of her style if she keeps getting the same type over and over.
I think for Alex last night it was his breakthrough performance. All the people who thought Alex is over-rated were probably convince that he is really that awesome.