SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE: Top 16 Performances

In the words of Ms. Whitney Houston, ‘ohhh, I wanna dance with somebody’. And that somebody is Wade Robson. But sadly that’s not going to happen, so I guess I’ll settle for watching the sixteen remaining dancers compete on tonight’s SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE.

My DVR wasn’t recording (what?!) so I missed the first 15 minutes.  Hopefully that’s only going to amount to one, maybe two routines.  And hopefully by the time I finish watching and blogging I’ll be able to find those routines online. [UPDATE: I missed only Jonathan and Kayla’s routine. But I did catch the judges’ comments and it seems I didn’t miss much of anything.]

Joining Mary and Nigel tonight is Toni Basil.  ‘Oh Mickey’ herself has been a judge in the past. I do remember her being overly loquacious and quite grating, but we’ll see how she does tonight. Sadly my favorite judge, The Shankman, won’t be back until the finale.  And my other favorite judge, Debbie Allen, hasn’t been on yet.  Where you at Debbie?

Since I have no witty banter about an opening I wasn’t able to see, let’s just right into the dancing. As always, I’ll be sharing my thoughts as I watch and then listen in on what the judges have to say.

Vitolia & Auska | Jazz by Mandy Moore

Mandy Moore was giving us some thrash, rocker jazz. I’m not sure what Auska and Vitolio were giving us. I really wasn’t a fan of the performance at all.  I would love to see the choreography the way it was designed because it was clear that these dancers didn’t do it justice.  Of the two, I thought Vitolio was stronger, but that’s not saying much.  Auska was especially bad.  She was always anticipating the next move. She was in her head the whole time.  Not a big fan at all.

The Judges: Nigel thought it was fantastic. Really? Ok, I guess it might be one of those night where the judges and I aren’t on the same page.  Mary thought it was really good but not great. She expected a little bit more. Toni didn’t say much about the dance.  She talked to them about focusing more on the emotion.  And with that, I’m officially over Toni Basil as a judge. (That didn’t take long).  She should stick to cheerleading. Toni’s hat told the couple to Be Aggressive. Be. Be. Aggressive.

Ade & Melissa | Rumba by Tony Meredith

I’m not sure what makes a good Rumba, but if it’s sensuality and sexiness then I think this one will get some high praise from the judges.  There were a few slightly off moments, but on the whole I thought it was beautiful to watch.  There’s something about Melissa that I’m just not on board with yet. I can’t quite pin it down but she irks me. I think Ade is a beautiful dancer.  I haven’t been a big fan of these two to date, but I thought this was a great performance.

The Judges: “What a difference Ade makes” – good one Nigel.  Mr. Lythgoe was a big fan of this dance. He complimented both Ade and Melissa on their performance. Mary thought it was beautiful. She gave the pair a few big screams. Toni said it was beautifully done. But unfortunately her hat hated it.

Janette & Brandon | Hip Hop by Dave Scott

Dave Scott! That’s his name.  If you listened to our last SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE podcast then you might have heard Dan and I talk about Dave Scott’s routines…but of course neither of us could remember his name at the time.  Sorry about that, Dave!

After that routine, I’m not sure I’m going to ever forget his name again. While I can’t say that routine screamed hip hop to me (if felt like more like jazz), it did scream big fun.  I thought Janette & Brandon put on a one hell of show.  There characters were so strong and they stayed with them through the entire routine.  Although I’d like Brandon more if I never had to hear he speak again, he is one hell of a dancer. So versatile. I absolutely believed him as a hip hop dancer tonight.

The Judges: Nigel was impressed by how great both dancers were when they were taken so out of their element.  Mary thought they both hit it.  She thought it was a huge surprise and she was very proud of them both.  Toni thought they nailed it.  It took her a lot of words to tell us that. Her hat missed the routine due to a poorly timed bathroom break.

Kayla & Kupono | Viennese Waltz by Jean Marc Generaux

With Max and Ashley being sent home last week, Kayla and Kupono are dancing together for the first time.  As the other couples have been working together for a few weeks now, these two have the added challenge of having just a week to create the bonds of trust that they will need to become good partners.  Can they do it?

I love the Vietnamese Waltz. It’s so beautiful.  And I thought tonight’s was especially stunning.  How could anyone possibly look at technique when you had that much beauty on the stage?  Kayla and Kupono looked gorgeous dancing together.  No clue what the judges will say (well I do know, they will love love love on Kayla), but I didn’t want it to end.

The Judges: Nigel thought it was beautiful and elegant. He didn’t think it was going to make anyone stand up and cheer. Huh? His comments were cryptic – was he saying that in general the Viennese Waltz isn’t they type of dance to get people cheering or was it the way they performed it?  He did end by saying he hoped people voted for them because it was deserved.  Hmm. I think I need to Twitter Nigel Lythgoe and ask for clarification. Mary thought it was elegant, flowing, and totally believable.  She complimented their quality of movement. These two went on the hot tamale train! Toni Basil and her hat were finally in agreement tonight – they both hate Mary Murphy. It’s written all over her face (and the hat’s brim). But she really, really loved this dance.

[Oh look – the GLEEkers are in the audience.  I can’t wait for that show to come back!]

Randi & Evan | Contemporary by Mia Michaels

Wh-wh-what? I didn’t know we were getting a Mia Michaels routine tonight. What a nice surprise. And it’s all about the booty..Randi’s booty to be exact. And what sass these two brought to the stage. Did you see that slow back bend turn thingy in the beginning? Damn! (Don’t let me intimidate you with my technical knowledge of dance.)  It wasn’t the type of routine I would have expected from Mia.  But it did have her signature quirkiness.  But it was really Randi and Evan who sold it.  Kellie Pickler Randi looked so sexy on that stage, but I couldn’t take my eyes off of Evan.  He was doing some incredible movements but he was often behind her and therefore not the focal point.  I don’t care what Mary has to say, I’m putting these two on the hot tamale train..the smokin’ hot tamale train.

The Judges: Nigel said it was simple choreography but (and there is a “butt”) beautifully danced. He congratulated them on performing such a memorable number. (Unfortunately for Randi it will forever be known as “the butt dance”.)  Mary thought they were terrific. She thought it was one of the best numbers of the night.  Toni thought Randi and Evan lived up to Mia’s phenomenal choreography. Toni’s hat wasn’t able to respond beause he was so mesmerized by Randi’s butt.

Caitlin & Jason | Paso Doble by Jean Marc Genereaux

We’ve seen a number of very impressive and memorable Paso Doble’s over the years on SYTYCD. Unfortunately, this won’t be on the list with the others.  The story was there, and Carmina Burana is one of my all time favorite pieces of music, but on the whole it felt a little too over the top. The music, the costumes…it was all trying too hard.  as especially obvious since the dancing didn’t live up to the intended theatrics. I know the judges won’t see it my way, but I thought Jason danced Caitlin right off the stage.  She’s fantastic in her big movements, but I find she loses all technique when she’s transitioning from one section to the next (who am I and what am I’m babbling about right now? Please don’t let me fool you…I know nothing about dance.  Oh you weren’t fooled?  Ok, good.)  Her gymnastics were great, but on the whole I thought Jason looked to much stronger.  Unfortunately, I’m not seeing the connection between these two yet. I’d like to dance the Paso with Jason and see if we can’t develop a little chemistry of our own (sorry Wade).

The Judges: Nigel thought it was good but he wasn’t overly impressed.  He didn’t say that outright but you can tell that’s what he was thinking.  He did encourage them to play to each other more and less for the audience.  Mary thought it was quite is performance. She had a few critiques for Jason, but she loved Caitlin’s lines.  Toni thought the technique missteps didn’t get in the way of the performance. Her hat thought Jason looked really hot in this Gladiator gear.  I agreed with her hat.

Jeanine & Philip | Broadway by Tyce Diorio

For Max’s sake I really hope Phillip performs well tonight.  He was the guy that should have gone home last week.  Here’s to hoping he earns it.

..and he did, kind of.  Oh the whole I thought the performance was adorable! Philip really sold the character  – looks like he took the judges comments to heart.  And what about jumping the couch?…better than a shark, right (oh bad joke, sorry). And all that dancing while his pants were split open in the back. Oops.  Jeanine was fantastic as well.  She brought to life a great character on the stage tonight.  I thought the dance was a lot of fun. It certainly wasn’t as clean as it might have been with other dancers, but I’m not sure I cared.

The Judges: Nigel thought Jeanine really brought a lot of personality, but he told Phillip he needs to continue to do more. Mary is allergic to down feathers but not allergic to that dance routine. She also commented on Philip’s lack of technique.  Toni thought they were ok as a couple but she didn’t love it. Toni’s hat wanted more feathers. During the last commercial break I put on my hat and my hat says he hopes Toni Basil doesn’t return to judge again. (But her hat an come back).

A decent night. Not spectacular, but entertaining enough.

My Top Three Couples:

• Randi & Evan
• Kayla & Kupono
• Melissa & Ade

Bottom Three Predictions:

• Auska & Vitolio
• Karla & Jonathan (going home)
• Caitlin & Jason

Your turn.  Put on your favorite hat and talk to me about which dances really made an impact, and which ones left you just ho-hummed. Who do you think will be going home tomorrow night?