SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE Recap: Top 14 Perform

Sorry I’m so late with getting up my recap of last night’s episode of SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE. Ducky came over to watch the show with me and then we did some podcasting…twice. Note to self – when you are doing a podcast keep saving every once in a while – that way when the computer battery dies you won’t lose the entire podcast. Aye! Aye! Aye!

Anyway, it was great to see my little SYTYCD dancers back in the swing of things last night. Oh how I missed them. There were some amazing dances, some eh performances, and one fabulous criticism that had me giving a standing O. So let’s get to it.

First up, let’s introduce tonight’s guest judge. Choreographer, dancer and director of the upcoming HAIRSPRAY movie, Adam Shankman. SYTYCD manages to find the best guest judges from week to week. These are people that not only know what they are talking about in terms of dance, but are also big fans of the show and follow the progress of the dancers from beginning to end. Much like Debbie Allen, Adam Shankman is a judge that I hope to see again soon in the future.

Lacey Schwimmer & Kameron Bink start things off tonight with the Hustle by choreographer Maria Torres. Let me tell you…this ain’t yo momma’s hustle. This dance was sexy and fierce and well performed by Lacey Schwimmer, her slammin’ body and partner Kameron Bink. The routine was great but once again Kameron played second fiddle to Lacey, but I can’t blame him. Lacey is so dynamic that the choreographers MUST start building routines around some of Kameron’s strengths. I often watch his dancing and think that he’s just there to partner Lacey around the stage. Again, not his fault. It can’t (and shouldn’t) be about Lacey all the time (even if she is fabulous). The judges loved the dance and they love Lacey and Kameron. Nice start to the show.

Shauna Nolland & Cedric Gardner were up next with a Mambo routine by Alex DaSilva. Both Ducky and I keep forgetting that Shauna even exists, so I can’t say that she’s making a last impact on me. Cedric should be commended for his effort from week to week but I’m done with him and ready for him to dance his way offstage. The mambo was actually entertaining to watch, and Cedric did give it his all. Mary Murphy even said that this was the first week that he deserved to stay (although he was only the second performance of the night so she had little to go on). All around praise for Shauna from the judges.

Danny Tidwell and Anya Garnis performed a Contemporary routine by Tyce D’Orio. I have been looking forward to these two doing a contemporary routine since they were first paired together, and I’m sad to say that I was disappointed. Personally, I didn’t think that the choreography was that strong. It seemed like a lot of running and jumping around the stage (which is common in contemporary) but it lacked the emotion that I find in routines by Mia Michaels and even Mandy Moore (no, the other Mandy Moore). When I watch contemporary dance routines I want to get the chills…and I didn’t.

The critique of Danny and Anya’s performance was one of the best moments of the whole show. Guest judge Adam Shankman commended Danny on his performance citing that he was a beautiful dancer, but (oh yes there was a ‘but’) Adam thinks that sometimes Danny comes off like he’s already won the show. He continued on and implied that while he was a great technician, his dancing is sometimes arrogant and selfish (ok these aren’t his words but my interpretation of what he was saying). Bravo Adam…Bravo! I have thought the SAME thing from the first moment Danny auditioned. To me he has this arrogance about him, which was made abundantly clear during the last show when he found out that he, and not Cedric, was in the bottom three. He laughed and had this look like he was stunned that he could ever be placed in the bottom three. Nigel jumped in with a similar sentiment about Danny saying that while he is one of the best dancers he lacks that certain something that makes the audience at home want to pick up the phone and vote for him – an essential element in this competition. Nigel very quickly put on his Executive Producer cap and slapped the wrist of Shankman for implying that Danny was cocky, but I think that was because the integrity of this show relies on someone like Danny staying in the competition for as long as possible. Oh and Danny kept a smug look on his face throughout…nothing registered with the almighty Danny Tidwell…not a damn thing.

Ok back to the competition…

New partners Pasha Kovalev and Sara Von Gillern were up next with a West Coast Swing routine by SYTYCD’s Season 2 winner Benji Schwimmer. I wasn’t expecting much because I had no idea what kind of choreographer Benji was, but I quickly learned he was brilliant! But before we get to the dance, a shout out to Cousin Heidi. Last year final four contestant (and cousin of Benji and Lacey) was in the audience last night and was Benji’s co-instructor for the routine. Sadly despite her best efforts Cousin Heidi didn’t get any recognition last night…not even an acknowledgment of her presence during the pre-dance video. Ducky and I said that Heidi’s going to start carrying around a sunflower with Travis Wall chained to a bench to get people to recognize her (“Remember me? I did the bench dance with Travis”). Anyway, on to the dance which was FANTASTIC!! Pasha and Sara worked the hell out of a very difficult Schwimmer routine. It had Benji’s signature all over it which meant lots of quick footwork, fancy acrobatic moves and plenty of personality. The judges went all kinds of insane over it, and it was clearly one of the best dances of the night. Congrats to Pasha and Sara showing their versatility.

Dominic Sandoval and Sabra Johnson, perhaps my favorite couple on the show, were up next with a Hip Hop routine by Shane Sparks. As he did last year with the amazing Jailbait Ivan/Allison umbrella number to ‘Sexy Love’, Shane showed us the softer side of hip hop. Dom and Sabra used their amazing natural chemistry as the went from sharp and tight dance steps to flowing body movement that really told a great story. Sabra pulled out some fancy hip hop moves and Dominic, a B-Boy by trade, incorporated his natural talent with the dance education he’s received thus far. Overall an incredible routine that was loved by the judges. Mary Murphy loved it so much she gave it the biggest MM scream she has ever given – thankfully for us it was silent and could only be heard by the dogs.

Jaimie Goodwin and Hok Konishi didn’t fare as well as their predecessors when they took on a Waltz by Toni Reopath. Jaimie was gorgeous to look at and can hit some amazing lines but Hok struggled in this genre which is so different from his own. The dance itself was beautiful and I enjoyed watching it, but technically it was lacking. Nigel made a point to say that because Hok was a B-Boy he naturally has a lower center of gravity which doesn’t help him in ballroom dancing. I thought it was a great point by Nigel and it really said a lot about how Hok performed. I’m expecting these two to be dancing for their lives tonight.

Finally Lauren Gottlieb and Neil Haskell ended the show. I have been really disappointed in their performances to date and I needed them to exceed by expectations last night for me to even consider giving them another chance. I knew they had a great shot at brilliance when they were paired up with Wade Robson for a jazz routine. I think you know by now that I think Wade Robson is so genius that he’s not even of this world. I love his ingenuity and the stories he creates through his choreography are so incredibly vivid that you get caught up in the tale rather than the dance. Last night was no different, and Wade created amazing characters for Lauren and Neil who executed the routine to perfection and garnered some major respect from me. The judges were floored by what I thought was the dance of the night.

So just who do I predict will be in the bottom three tonight?

• Hok and Jaimie
• Cedric and Shauna
• Danny and Anya

I will be shocked if tonight isn’t the end of the road for Cedric. And assuming all three women give it their all in their solos, I think this might be the end of the road for Shauna…or maybe even Jaimie.

For more on last night’s performances, check out DuckyxDale and Blogging SYTYCD.