The paying gig is demanding attention today, but I have a couple of things worth your attention.
Adam B. Vary at EW.com thinks last night's show was the best of the season, but:
...here's the thing: Not one of the dancers has really broken out for me. Yes, I realize Sabra has clearly won over the judges' — wait, sorry Cat, I meant jiiieeges' — hearts with her peerless technical nuance and grace, and at this point I don't think anyone doubts that Danny not only is the most talented male dancer on the show but has clearly managed to stop being all too-cool-for-the-room-y. But neither Sabra nor Danny — nor anyone else, really — has been given routines that let them really explode their talent into our living rooms. By this point last year, Travis and Heidi had already broken hearts with Mia Michaels' Emmy-nominated routine ''The Bench'', and this was the week that Benji and Heidi set fire to the stage with their ''Black Mambo'' number. As Nigel said, the choreography last night played to the dancers' strengths but didn't really challenge them to get any stronger — which means, of course, I have no frickin' clue who is going to go home tonight.
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From Ranting Details:
Even through all the BS that the jidges spout, which MUST be scripted, there are so many redeeming things about this program. First and foremost for me: the choreography. Week after week Shane Sparks, Mia Michaels and Wade Robson, in particular, present unique hip-hop and contemporary routines that surpass some of the gimmicks that they initially present. On top of those choreographers, some of the salsa, disco and waltz numbers (a majority done by Tony Meridith and Melanie Lapatin) this year have been far superior to years past. Pasha and Jessi's cha-cha routine they performed the week she had that strange heart problem was a particular standout. The group of dancers seems to be more talented and diverse than ever, incorporating successful ballroom couple Anya (who was extremely versatile and perhaps cut too early) and Pasha as well as dancers from the world of Broadway (Neil, who appeared in "Times They Are A Changin"), and Cedric whose breathtaking style was unlike anything I had ever seen before.
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