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slight let-down but still entertaining

So You Think You Can Dance performance show review from June 17, 2009 - Top 18

My most favorite routines (in order of my liking :) of course 1 & 2 I think are tied.

1. Melissa & Ade ~ Jazz by Sonya Tayeh: “24 Hours (the Ashton Shuffle A-Bomb Remix)” by Terry Poison
First off, I LOVE Sonya and so far I continually love Melissa and Ade... both are brilliantly talented dancers that completely pulled off Sonya's wild ride. I mean did you see those extreme backbends? So crazy, so unique and still so controlled with great technique. I kept exclaiming "WOW are you kidding me!?"

2. Karla & Jonathan ~ Contemporary by Stacey Tookey: “Falling Slowly” by The Frames
I was not too impressed with Jonathan and Karla last week, but this week I actually teared up during this routine. They danced it perfectly but ALSO brought personality and acting to the emotion of this dance's story. I don't really care if their personalities aren't that interesting - this show is about dance. And if you can elicit an emotional response that strong in me, you did it right! :)

3. Janette & Brandon ~ Disco by Doriana Sanchez: “Loving You is Really My Game” by Brainstorm
OK I feel people bitch a lot about there being disco on the show but MY GOD look at how hard that dance was last night!!! They mentioned it several times being the fastest disco ever done but also the lifts were immensely crazy, especially the ending pose. But they rocked it nearly flawlessly and looked like they were having fun while doing it. Nigel made a VERY GOOD point that the culmination of the plot in an ENTIRE movie about dance (Dirty Dancing) is one lift... and Brandon and Janette blew that away in just a few minutes. Which is EXACTLY why I love this show!

These routines get a MEH rating:

Randi & Evan ~ Jive by Louis Van Amstel: “Shake a Tail Feather” by Ray Charles: I expected more from Evan on this one, he might be in danger of going home...And I didn't have NEAR as much FUN as they all kept talking about.

Caitlin & Jason ~ Hip Hop by Shane Sparks: ”Missin you” by Trey Songz
It entertained me but wasn't overly memorable. Caitlin's timing was off on this one - hip hop might be her nemesis. Jason tried his best with her but I'm surprised Shane didn't catch their being so off in rehearsals. Maybe Shane has been out of touch too much working one one one with dancers?

Auska & Vitolio ~ Waltz by Louis van Amstel: “Dreams are More Precious” by Enya
Hmm pretty, graceful but I didn't have the emotional reaction Mary did. Come to think of it, I didn't have any emotional reaction. I think Auska is the only girl I'm ready to lose in the competition. Vitolio still has work to do in terms of expressing the emotional intent of the choreography.

Kayla & Max ~ Pop Jazz by Brian Friedman: ”Hot Like Wow” by Nadia Oh
First off, I LOVE Brian Friedman and think Kayla is brilliant in everything she dances. I wanted to love this one, but I was too distracted by Max not pulling off the dance in that HIDEOUS costume. My tweet from earlier today says it all: dear costume ppl for #SYTYCD: please don't dress men in S&M / Hammer-Pants outfits (Max) it's far too distracting from @brianfriedman genius

Jeanine & Phillip ~ Tango by Tony Meredith: “Violento (Up Mix)” by Bailango
This one was hard for me to watch. Jeanine is the one female dancer I haven't really connected to yet besides Auska, though I think she's very talented. I LOVE Phillip and his amazing, unique style, and I know he tried his best with the tango but it was just awkward, like watching a little kid learn to ballroom dance. I hope for his sake he can step it up because he's brilliant in the style he created.

Ashley & Kupono ~ Hip Hop by Shane Sparks: “Imma Be” by the Black Eyed Peas”
I really love Ashely but am starting to worry for her being paired with Kupono. She tried to pull this dance off, but he blew it for both of them last night.

I just ADORE Lil C and especially how poetically he can explain dance. Because let's face it, translating something as abstract as dance into language is darn near impossible. He mentioned a dance as a birth, he talked about "finding the serenity in the chaos" of hip hop. But when a routine is really good, well that's just BUCC... rendering even the most poetic judge speechless. (Which is sometimes preferable to Mary's piercing screams.. though I understand her screams are very encouraging to the dancers. I noticed Nigel has headphones to wear now when she absolutely stands up and loses her mind :)

Check this wonderful blog and this other great blog for recap videos.

Comments

  1. I was sorry to see Ashley go home... I thought she brought a lot of excitement and vitality to her dances... in my opinion it should have been Auska. Kupono should have left before Max, but sorry Max you were bound to go before much longer with competition like Ade...

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