Big thanks to BSYTYCD reader Shanat for sharing her observations of the tour date in Chicago last night:
General Thoughts: The show was like an infomercial for SYTYCD. I felt as though the producers were preaching to the choir. Patrons bought tickets because they were already huge fans of the show…there was no need to “sell” us on it. My husband and I felt like a good 45 minutes were wasted on clips, and some of the clips were even duplicated. Waste of time! The script reading corny. Some dancers were more natural at hosting then others…particularly Lacey, Sabra, and Pasha. Danny seemed a little nervous…I really didn’t read arrogance into his personality at all. Sara/Dominic hosted a lot of the show but seemed too scripted. The dances were exactly like they were performed on the show, give or take a few details. I wish they would have added more to each piece. All in all, we wanted to see more dance, less talk.
Performances: It was great to see the dances live, and our seats were close enough so we could see the intricacy of the movements. However, you could definitely tell that fatigue was a factor for the dancers. Some dancers looked sluggish or just didn’t look as technically sound as they did on the show. Neil was a great example of this. Lots of his motions looked unfinished. We were really impressed with Sabra, who made it look so easy, and of course, Danny, who looked like...
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...the consummate professional. His movements were very fluid and very controlled. I wonder if he is dancing a bit safe because of his back injury, though. Danny and Anya did their foxtrot and their Viennese Waltz. Lacey returned to the stage, dancing the Samba with Danny and the DDD with Neil.
Standouts: The breaking routine with Hok, Sara, and Dominic kicked ass. It was high energy, and it really allowed Dominic to show off his skills. They performed the Lion King group routine right before intermission…a very joyous dance. The Imogene Heap group dance was also fantastic. It was my favorite group dance on the show and it looked great in person. I couldn’t keep my eyes off of Danny. The hummingbird dance was phenomenal, and the boardroom routine with Sabra and Neil was a crowd favorite. The Good/Evil routine with Neil and Lauren was perfect in person. The theatrics were right on point, and when Lauren is not all giggly she is a great performer.
Snoozers: Pasha and Sabra did the quickstep. Danny and Jaimie did the jive. Sabra and Neil did the Paso Doble, and while not my favorite, it did look much better in person.
Alternates: Shauna, Jesus, and Anya were all there and performed. Shauna did The Wiz with Kameron, and she took Lacey’s place in the “Dancing” Mia routine. Shauna definitely brought the technique to it that Lacey lacked…but I actually preferred Lacey’s version. I think Lacey’s style went with the emotion of the piece better. Anya and Pasha did a Latin routine. Jesus did the Vagabond routine with Sara.
Solos: All top ten did a solo, complete with footage of their interviews from the show. Neil showed off his acrobatic skills. The crowd didn’t want Danny’s solo to end.
Jaimie has great technique and is much underrated.
Shanat
