SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE: Top 12 Perform
July 10, 2008 by Kath Skerry
It’s been quite a while since I’ve done a full write up of the SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE performances. Usually Dan and I watch together and then share our thoughts in a podcast. But it doesn’t look like a podcast is happening this week (wah wah…I blame Dan and so should you. Really, give him hell). I kid, of course. But my laziness doesn’t. With two dances per couple the show felt really long and I’m kind of dreading writing about each, so I best get to it.
Before we get to the dancers, let me just make two quick comments about the judges. Mary, I love you, but please, please stop wearing off the shoulder tops! You are sassy but they just aren’t age appropriate and they do nothing for you. As a friend I thought someone should just tell you. And Mia – keep doing what you are doing. You are looking fantastic lately. Loved the fedora. Ok, enough of that.
Chelsie & Mark started off the show with a Salsa by Alex DiSilva.One of my favorite couples in the competition, but I can’t say this one blew me away. I found the music incredibly boring and never realy got into the piece. Chelsie looked all kinds of sexy in this number, and being a Latin dancer she was definitely in her element. Mark not so much, but I thought he more than held his own next to Chelsie.
Comfort & Thayne took the stage next in a Hip Hop routine by Napolean and Tabitha. I was a big fan of this choreography. As Cat said, it was a “hip hop Days of Our Lives”. I thought NappyTab’s movements were interesting and really told a great story, but Comfort and Thayne didn’t really sell it. As far as the dancing itself, Comfort was smooth and sharp and just where she needed to be. Thayne was much better than I expected so there’s that, but overall I thought it was lacking that special sauce.
Will & Jessica had one of the most interesting performances of the night when they took on a Contemporary routine by Tyce D’Orio. The movement was very organic and beautiful. This had to be one of the most erotic routines we’ve ever seen, no? There was a strength about this dance and it really hushed the entire audience. It was as if it demanded respect. It required Will and Jessica to be strong and confident and they were. Will is stunning to watch…simply stunning. He always brings just a little extra to his movement. And Jessica really committed to the piece and I actually bought it. I didn’t like Jess as much as I did Will but they really aren’t in the same league so I guess that is expected…at least from me.
Courtney & Gev got to work with former SYTYCD contestants Pasha and Anya on a Cha Cha. Yay Pasha is back!! The choreography was fast, fun, sexy and very relevant. Courtney was working her body to within an inch of her life and looked all kids of hot! Gev really held his own and seems to easily adapt to any kind of ballroom piece he is given. Not bad for a B-Boy. There was just a little something lacking for me. It felt as if they were trying a bit too hard. But clearly the judges loved it (and I mean loved it) so maybe I’m off on this one. Who knows.
Twitch & Kherington were given a routine in one of my least favorite genres – Krump. In the past I just really never got it. I understand Krump has its place in the dance world but I just think the routines lack the finesse that I personally respond to. But tonight what Twitch did with Lil C’s choreography was amazing. He put it up for sale and I bought it. He was amazing to watch. This is so not Kherington’s style but I thought she did more than hold her own…in the beginning. She was hot and really had the strength and attitude needed. But near the end it all just fell apart…big time. She started losing the steps, the attitude – it just got ugly, and not in the way it is supposed to be ugly with Krump.
Katee & Joshua were given a Viennese Waltz by Jean Marc Generoux. It’s routines like this when I realize that I’m glad I don’t know what to look for with regards to technique. The judges found a few flaws with Joshua’s technique, but I just saw a beautifully danced routine. Katee has really broken out and is probably one of the strongest dancers in this competition. Who knew? She was so lovely. I just sat back and enjoyed this one. Oh and how about that crazy high lift? That was all Joshua. I wonder if Katee was scared being that high off the ground?
Hey Nigel – it’s just too much to have the dancers take on two routines in a night. Well, I don’t know if it’s tough on them but it’s tough on me. When you have one of your biggest fans cursing a second hour then you know it’s all a bit too much. But I will be strong and soldier on. Let’s do it.
Taking the dance floor for the second time tonight was Chelsie & Mark with a hot little Broadway routine by Tyce D’Orio. I thought this was a blast to watch. Chelsie is such a woman and she really exudes strength and sexiness. That blue dress she was wearing? Hot damn! For the second time tonight I felt Mark was a bit behind Chelsie, but as usual he held his own and really committed to the character and the routine. I don’t think these two have anything to worry about this week.
The same can’t be said for Comfort & Thayne who are my choices to wave buh-bye to this week. I was actually really frustrated by their performance because I thought Mandy Moore’s Contemporary routine was so beautiful and interesting and Comfort and Thayne didn’t do it justice. Nigel and I shared the same sentiment that the choreography was wasted on these two dancers. It was dreadful. Comfort was dead behind the eyes. She spent the entire routine executing steps but not dancing. It was almost as if she didn’t even show up. This being his genre, Thayne did his thing well, but it was a routine for two and she held him back.
Things didn’t get much better for me with the next performance – a Quick Step from Tony and Meredith, performed by Will & Jessica. I know you all think I am too harsh on Jessica but I see what I see and I like what I like and I’m officially over her. In an extremely uncomfortable moment, Mia told Will that she felt he needed a new partner because Jessica was holding him back. One look at Will’s face and you knew he completely agreed with her. He was tactful in his response but we all felt it. He’s ready to move on. As for the dance? Yeah, it was clunky and awkward and Jessica brought absolutely nothing to it. She was anticipating the steps and not thinking about the performance at all. Comfort needs to go this week, and then we need to send Jessica on her way.
Sorry about the poor quality on this one. Seems others weren’t really fans as no one could bother to put this one online.
One couple getting stronger and stronger with each week are Courtney & Gev. I was a BIG fan of this Indiana Jones inspired Jazz routine by Mandy Moore. The whole dance made me happy. How cute were their get ups? Everything worked for them tonight. The choreography was really clever and I had an absolute blast watching it.
Kherington & Twitch took on a Mr. & Mrs. Smith inspited Tango, but Brangelina they were not. The whole thing was a bit of a disaster. Twitch just doesn’t have the technique and training for ballroom. I don’t know what his frame should have been but I can tell you he had no frame at all. It was sloppy and not interesting to watch. Some of the lifts and tricks were fantastic, but those alone don’t make a dance.
And finally, FINALLY the show ends with hands down my favorite routine of the night – one by Katee & Joshua. For the first time ever SYTYCD had a Bollywood routine by new choreographer, Nakul. I loved every single second of this performance and I literally clapped with joy at the end. Then I went back and watched it again on TiVo. That’s how much I loved it. Definitely one of the best routines of the season thus far. Katee and Joshua looked amazing and you could tell they had soooo much fun with this dance. The joy was written on their face. The choreography was banoodles and I didn’t want it to end. There was this fusion of genres that was so interesting to watch. And the costumes, which often detract from the performance, really helped bring the dance to life. I’m off to watch it again. And as you’re watching, notice how in sync they are with one another…just awesome!
Tonight we’re saying goodbye to two more dancers. Much like last week, I think it’s quite clear who should be packing their bags: Comfort & Thayne. But who will join them in the bottom three? I’m thinking based on the performances tonight it should be Twitch & Kherington and Will & Jessica.
So that’s that. Whew. I’m exhausted. Podcasting is so much easier.
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Filed under So You Think You Can Dance, TV News, Twitch
I definitely agree concerning the bottom three, and that it’s time for Comfort and Thayne to leave. (Followed quickly by Jessica.)
Great recap, all in all. I think my favorite couple of the night was actually Gev and Courtney…they’re so much fun to watch, followed by Mark and Chelsie, and Katee and Joshua (I did see some of the clunkiness in Josh in the waltz, but the Bollywood was craaaazy!
My bottom 3 were:
Comfort and Thayne – they both have to go
Gev and Courtney – although I love them, I didn’t think either of their performances were “off the charts”
Twitchington – Although I don’t think they’ll be in bottom 3 due to popular vote; I think they deserved to be due to their performances tonight.
How bad did you feel for Comfort, Thayne and Jessica with some of the comments from the judges tonight. Harsh !
Deserved maybe, but still….wow !
Great recaps Kath !
Loved the Bollywood routine and Tyce’s contemporary. Wow !
I am totally with you on the bottom three and def that Comfort will be going home. I think Will & Jessica will be safe to dance another week. I LOVED the bollywood dance and can’t wait to see it on tour!
I have a theory as to why the went to 2 dances a week earlier than the top 10. I think the judges wanted to see who could “hack it” – learning two dances in what? 4 days? WHo could stand up to the pressure because once in the top 10, it doesn’t get easier. I also think it gave the judges another chance to give some constructive critisism which everyone could use. I think we will have an even better top ten because of it.
Mary is a fashion train wreck. Who is dressing her? And someone needs to tell her to step away from the tanning bed.
I live Mia and want to marry her. Her comments to the dancers are so honest and real. How can they not get better just by being around her?
Great recap although you know I miss the podcast! 🙁
i gotta be honest and say that i am really dissappointed there isn’t a podcast this week!
although i agreed with mostly everything the judges said about comfort, thayne and jessica, there were pretty harsh and i felt really bad for them! but yes, they have to go.
is anyone else kind of creeped out by all of nigel’s comments about how hot the girls are? he always seems to mention their outfits and how sexy they are.
allison, i felt uncomfotable watching nigel compliment chelsie. i dont know,i find it creepy, shes almost 19, but she looks like shes 16 and nigel is complimenting how hot her legs are and how gorgeous she is (she is, i just dont want to hear it from a 60 year old man).
anyway, i got po’d at the jidges tonight. what in the world made nigel think that forgetting the last half of that krump would make everything better. she was horrible towards the end, and he decides to forget about it. favorites much? thank goodness they said something about that tango, but i think its because they couldnt actually find something positive about that. (sad thing is, im a twitch/kherrington fan)
that being said, they better be in b3 along with thayne/comfort (obviously) and will/jessica.
mark/chelsie killed it tonight and gev/courtney are adorable.
Thanks for the write-up, Kath. I miss it actually as I am more of a visual person and love the embedded replays.
Agreed with you and ‘jidges’ but I thought they were a tad too harsh. You can deliver a difficult message more kindly than was done.
Ready for Comfort to be gone – shouldn’t have been there as long as she was. I think Thayne is a goner too and that is sad but I don’t know who I’d give up in his place.
I haven’t been keeping up with the show like I wanted to back in May, but I’m glad I have these posts on GMMR to keep me in the loop. Hopefully I’ll actually be able to watch an episode soon!
I don’t have much to add to your great recap, Kath! Like everyone else, I hope Twitch and Kherrington find themselves in the bottom three tonight. I really like them both, but they were off more than they were on last night. However, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Mark and Chelsie in the bottom three instead of them. Not because they deserve it, but because there’s mad Twitchington love out their in Phone Land.
I wanted to give poor Jessica a hug after Will’s ever-so-slight “yes” nod to Mia’s comments. I know Mia’s brilliant, but I don’t connect with her (or whatever it was she said to Courtney). There’s no reason to be so harsh.
Loved the Bollywood routine…and I’m off to watch it again now.
Comfort and Thayne will go at this point the producers need Gev and Courtney to make a successful tour.
comment #9- never thought of it that way- how they will choose who they want to go in relation to the tour! Since it is all about making money to them. Good point! If that is the case then Comfort & Thayne need to go home- they’ve been in the bottom every week. If they send other people home just to spice it up I am gonna be all kinds of p-oed at the jidges. It just wouldn’t be fair. However, Mia is really a big fan of Thayne so I see her trying to keep him around and see what he’s like with other dancers.
Also, what was with them being super nice to Kherrington after she sucked it up big time in the Krump number? When have they ever let anything slide like that? I didn’t see them be super nice to Jessica during the difficult Quick Step! Again, the jidges are playing favorites and making it super obvious…
Go Mark and Chelsie!! Sorry, had to throw that in!
re: Kherrington and Krump – I think they let the last 30 seconds slide because they have NEVER had a krump routine that has been at all good in the past 4 seasons and the 1st 80% of that routine was badass! The fact that she got tired at the end after giving it 200%? I can let slide. I really didn’t think she would be able to pull it off at all. Krump is like quickstep. Kiss of death (for most couples)
Someone fill me in here. Is Krump still a very relevant genre? I feel like it was really buzzworthy a few years back but outside of SYTYCD I don’t know much about it. I feel like it was almost a trend, but that’s coming from an uninformed place.
So after seeing BOllywood last night, I was wondering why they’ve never done Irish Step Dancing?
Ok, ok – so I’m almost caught up on your Ducky & GMMR podcasts for SYTYCD, and I want to watch so bad! I made a comment on one of your other threads that I tried but couldn’t, and it really pained me – but I actually tuned in for most of the show last night – and loved it! First off, Mia was back as a judge and lookin’ H-O-T in the off-the-shoulder shirt and sloppy hat. Wow! What a day to tune in.
Also – can I second your clapping at the end of Katee and Joshua’s routine? WOW. That was frakkin amazing. I was almost in tears it was so beautiful. Ok, not really in tears (that was me when I watched that amazingly haunting bed routine on your site last week!), but it was damn good. And for the record, I think Katee is beautiful. I’ve heard negative things about her, but she was gorgeous in the Bollywood makeup, and I think she’s pretty darn gorgeous without it too.
My top 3 would have to be:
1. Mark and Chelsea
2. Gev and Courtney
3. Katee and Joshua
I’ve almost gotten over my hate for Katee and Joshua. I really don’t find the two of them likable or charismatic, although Katee is more lacking than Joshua.
The other three couples were pretty terrible last night. Although I think that Gev and Courtney will be in the bottom three, even though they are undeserving and I really like them, because most people, myself included, really love Twitchington. Twitch and Kherington may just be getting a bit comfortable since they’ve never been in the bottom 3, and have nailed every performance with the exception of last night. It maybe a good thing for them to have to dance for their lives.
This is the first week I liked Gev and Courtney. Yea for them! I’m so tired of the Gev crush-thing, I don’t know if they talked about it again, but I fast-forwarded through the Kat comments after their cha-cha just to be safe.
Lots of love for Katee and Josh! Josh did his best in the ballroom round and it was nice that the judges have high expectations for him in that they didn’t cover for him by saying “this isn’t your area” like they have done so many times with other dancers. It’s like the judges really try to compare them with dancers “out there” after the show is over and giving them critiques to help strengthen them for the future (Mark was the other one I think they did that to). If all they do is layer on the love, what is going to make them want to try harder next week?
Don’t they start switching partners next week or is that later? It would be nice to see if Jessica can improve with a different partner.
I bet if they could, they would elimiate two girls and keep all the guys. Buh bye Jessica and Comfort. I really like Thayne as a solo dancer, but have not enjoyed his partner dancing. Maybe it’s his partners???? Put him with Katee and see what he can do? Who knows….
The only surprise tonight would be if Comfort and Thayne were not in the bottom three.
No podcast………WTF?????????????????????? I blame Dan. Call me, we’ll do a better one and Dan will cry.
Send all hate mail about the lack of a podcast to: http://www.duckydoestv.com/contact-ducky/
Beep beep! (That’s the sound of the horn of the bus I just threw Dan under)