BSYTYCD Going On Hiatus

Sorry for the bad timing. I tried to make it to the end of the season, but just have too much going on. Thanks to everyone for your support over the last 2 seasons.

Top 6 Performance Open Thread

There are places where campaigning and billboarding (typing in caps) is appropriate. This isn't one of them. Let's please try to focus more on the dance and the talent, and less on the competition. Thanks!

So You Think You Can Dance Top 6 Spoiler Open Thread

News Update

LA Times Show Tracker covered the conference calls with Comfort Fedoke and Will Wingfield.



The Sydney Morning Herald adds some depth to our understanding of Nigel Lythgoe:

"Since I've been [in America] I've had a heart attack, I've lost the back of my heart, I've had peritonitis, I've lost 15 feet [4.6metres] of my intestine, my marriage has broken up and I've lost my wife," he says. "And the gag now is, I miss my intestine." (Jokes aside, he says he is on good terms with estranged wife Bonnie and thinks she did an excellent job as a judge on the Australian version of So You Think You Can Dance.)

More...



Scott Patrick Wagner wonders about the door slam sounds in Katee & Twitch's contemporary routine:

I had only heard the song used, “Mercy” by Duffy, in passing, and wasn’t familiar with the strong “slamming” percussive that ended those phrases. But I imagined that Mia let her imagination run wild with them, and they were perhaps the inspiration for the number. (Most of my own choreography has been to prerecorded pop music, and the arrangement can become a jumping-off point, if not a roadmap.)

I’ve had a chance to listen to the whole tune, and –somebody please correct me immediately if I’m wrong — but those door-slam percussives aren’t actually IN the song, at least not as it was recorded and released by the artist. To me, that just opens up a big ol’ can of worms. It has gone from feeling like inventiveness and resourcefulness to being, frankly, a cheat.

More...

He also wonders if Debbie Allen is coming back and if she's pissed...



JoannaOC analyzes the differences between Argentine Tango and Ballroom Tango.



Here's another reason Cat Deeley should have been nominated for a Best Reality Host Emmy. The 5 nominees will be hosting the Emmy ceremony. Pop up alert.



Sabra Johnson and Kameron Bink will be teaching in South Africa in late September/early October.

Jaymz In "Trash Me" Video

Season 2 finalist Jaymz Tuaileva in Jessie Malakouti's video for her new single Trash Me.

_{Uploaded by jessiemalakouti}

Questions from Australia

So You Think You Can Dance season 4 has just begun airing in Australia. We've received a couple of questions regarding the auditions that we don't know, so we'll crowd-source them.

Can someone tell me if there is a Face Book group for Brandon Bryant - he was just on in Australia and I found out by accident that he didn't get kept in the show, now that is depressing. WOW Wow WOw

We've received 2 questions about the music used for auditions on the Aussie airings. Here's one:

Hi there, came across you blog today and was wondering if you can help me with a music query?

During the auditions, Courtney Galiano during her audition, performed to a song, that in America was the music by an artist called Anouk. However in Australia, when that audition was performed, it appears to be a different artist, and I can't find who that artist is. It appears that the music has been changed for Australian audiences for some reason.

I noted all the words to the song and they go like this...

...yesterday I knew wonder, felt the lightning hurt then knew and I knew that it was going down so I gathered all our belongings, took the lying ...

and thats all that was played. It appeard to be a solo female piano player, playing to a hauntingly beautiful piece which I am now trying to track and am hoping you can help.

Here's one for a different audition:

I have a question I am desperate to find the answer to. I have searched and tried everywhere. I'm hoping you might know..
What was the song that Devin Oshiro danced to in her audition?
They aired two different songs from the US to the Australian one(don't know why). I'm not sure which is the original song she danced to but I know one song was Missy Higgins and that's not the one I'm after. The other song was a guy singing and the lyrics are something like "Wherever you are is where i'll be...wherever you are is where i'll go..". Not all that helpful I know. But if you do know that would be amazing. Thank you!!

I gave up Facebook a while back because of the "applications", so I can't search for Brandon Bryant, and we can't find anything about the different songs used. Can anyone out there provide an answer?

Will Wingfield Montage (Video)

This week we said goodbye to one of the best dancers SYTYCD has seen to date. Someone put together a wonderful montage video to commemorate Will's time on the show. It's nice to see some of his moments with Twitch and Joshua, who Will seems to have gotten very close with throughout the season.


_{Uploaded by EsBF707}

Katee & Joshua Montage (Video)

Created by cate2297.

So You Think You Can Dance News Update

The LA Times Show Tracker was backstage at Thursday night's elimination show.



Nigel has a feminist blog mad at him for something he said this week. Yes, just this week.



Adam Shankman has signed with Disney to produce a male cheerleader comedy, Matadors.

Interviews

BuddyTV ups their weekly interviews with the recently offed, Comfort Fedoke here, and Will Wingfield here.

Natalie's Top 8 Results Show Music Recap

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I'm formatting things a bit differently in an effort to get this post up before the weekend starts. So last night was surprising for most. I wasn't surprised. Not at this point in the game. Anything goes. Some people even go twice.

Chuck Maldonado’s Top 8 Routine

It’s nice to see a new choreographer. Different points of view are always appreciated. Their make-up reminded me of Mia’s The Moment I Said It routine from last year. I think that this choreography stood up a bit better to the SYTYCD stage than some routines have in the past. The choppy camera cuts are back in full force.

Universal Mind Control (UMC) – Common


More after the jump...


Pas de Deux performed by Eddy Tovar and Aubrey Morgan

When I heard Pas de Deux last week, this is what I thought they meant. Obviously I was wrong. As far as Pas de Deux’s go, I wasn’t crazy about this one. Although, I am impressed with SYTYCD’s openness this year to different dance styles. Exposing us to all dance. Much like Ted does.

The Man I Love – From the ballet Who Cares?


Comfort’s Solo

You can’t hate Comfort for her positive attitude. It’s endearing. And she danced hard tonight.

Like This – Mims


Will’s Solo

His movement is different every single time. Did you ever notice that certain dancers have certain moves that they do each time they dance on that stage? Will changes it up every time. The little Bollywood-infusion was wonderful. I may not have loved Will, but he brought a diversity to the show that will probably go unmatched.

Closer – Goapele


Courtney’s Solo

She went back to her manic movement tonight. The song was intense, so I can see why that happened. But uh, she needs to tone it down a bit.

Passion – Kreesha Turner


Twitch’s Solo

Twitch’s routine was interesting. Nothing really stuck out in my mind. I just like how he moves.

Hollywood Swinging – Kool & the Gang


LL Cool J’s performance

Um, I was less than inspired by this. But looking at LL for 4 or 5 minutes is never a hardship.

LL Cool J feat. The Dream


Comfort’s Montage Song (again)

I wish Fox would find some different artists. As much as I love OneRepublic and appreciate the exposure for them, there are tons of wonderful artists out there that could use the leg up.

Come Home – OneRepublic


Will’s Montage Song

I expected Twitch's name to come out of Cat's mouth, but I wasn't surprised when it was Will's. The audience is smarter than the judges give it credit for. Pimping a contestant will get you no where. People forget to vote for them or they prefer the underdog.

Love Remains the Same – Gavin Rossdale


Top 8 Results Show Music Recap

Top 8 Results Show Recap

This week's SYTYCD results show produced the most surprising outcome of the season, as I'll get to shortly.

The opening number was hip hop, danced to Universal Mind Control by Common. It was choreographed by Chuck Maldonado, who assisted with Nigel's hip hop routine a couple of weeks ago. It was hard hitting, as Mary would say, but I just didn't find it memorable, though the dancers were fully synchronized and the costumes were colorful. Cat then entered the stage, wearing a pretty white dress, and introduced the judges: Toni Basil, Mary, and Nigel, in a leather jacket and white t-shirt. I think he may be undergoing a mid-life crisis. Toni noted that she came from a theatrical background and had to look for people to help her, like Don Campbell and the Electric Boogaloos. and it was easier to find dancers in these styles today. She said that dancing was her addiction and the one of choice, and the other judges agreed. Then Nigel told us that American Idol had received 97.5 million votes for the Idol finale and over 40 million votes thus far for SYTYCD, and was thus asked to promote declareyourself.org, an organization committed to signing up potential voters. I was pleased to hear this call to voting during an election year with a captive audience. I think Nigel wore a VOTE t-shirt underneath his leather jacket, and if so, it would have been appropriate to have shown it at this point.

After this, we began with the eliminations.

Continued after the jump...
The show changed its format this week, borrowing the one from American Idol, where the dancers are shown backstage, in front of a monitor, and called out one by one to learn their fate. This causes more suspense, but is also painful as the results became apparent. First up was Katee, whose highlights were all complimentary, except for Toni noting that she had not danced as hard as she would have liked during her Broadway routine. Cat noted that that Nigel enjoyed every one of her routines. but had America? Not surprisingly, they did, and Katee was safe and ran off stage. Next up was Will. The highlights from the evening were good but not as strong as in the past. Nigel mentioned that his technique was not perfect in the Samba, and the judges praised his and Courtney's hop hop routine but not the dancers themselves. Still, the audience expected that Will would be safe. Cat said that it had been a fantastic evening for him but how did he do in the voting? To everyone's shock, Cat said that he was one of the boys in the bottom two but that she looked forward to seeing his solo.

Comfort's routines were shown, and we heard Mary say after her hip hop routine that Comfort was a great dancer (I don't remember Mary making such a remark in the past). Her foxtrot with Mark was panned widely, however, and Cat said that she and Mark had lost chemistry during the latter dance but did she find enough votes to make it to next week's show? She said she possibly might not and was in the bottom two. Next up was Mark, who was complimented for nailing his hip hip but not his foxtrot, although Toni praised his jazz quality and remarked that ballroom dancers made it look easy but that it wasn't. Cat asked if America had made any allowances for how difficult the foxtrot was, and in fact they did, and he was safe. Mark was shocked, hugged Cat, said, Oh, my God, as he stumbled off stage, continuing his stunned reaction by saying, What? What? This is the first time I remember a contestant being this surprised by his safe status. Perhaps he felt that Comfort's results would be the same as his own.

After the break, we saw the remaining dancers with their arms around one another. Chelsie was brought onto the stage and her highlights included praise from all three judges. She noted during the package that, dressed in bright pink for her disco routine, she looked like she had just gotten out of a Candyland box, which I found amusing. Cat said you had the lines but did you have the votes? Yep, and she ran offstage, as we panned to a very sad Courtney standing backstage. (I wish they had both been brought out together.) Twitch was up next and the highlights included Mary saying that his Broadway routine was terrific. Cat said that Mary clearly loved it but did America? I'm afraid not, and you're one of our bottom two boys. Twitch bent over and cried (I was really moved by his honest reaction) and Cat knelt down next to him and tried to console him. When he finally got up and faced the audience, they cheered wildly, and Cat said that she was sure everyone in the audience would like to see his solo. Joshua came out next and after receiving his package of compliments, Cat said, You know you're safe, you're absolutely safe, and we've got our bottom two boys. She stated the obvious--his means there is only one girl left backstage--and asked Courtney to come join her. They showed her highlights which were very complimentary, and Cat concluded by saying she couldn't wait to see her solo. (Has she ever said otherwise? Why would she?) I felt very badly for Courtney because of the way she was informed of her status and hoped it wouldn't be like this for the Top 6 results.

After the dancers went backstage to get ready, two dancers from the LA Ballet came out to dance a Pas de Deux to The Man I Love from the ballet Who Cares? I have to say I was somewhat disappointed. Although the dancing was lovely, the piece mostly highlighted the woman, who was stunning, but I felt the dance itself was unbalanced and I would have liked to have seen more of the man's dancing. A friend of mine, who is well versed in ballet, concurred. After the commercial break, there was more happy dancing and I wanted to strangle the Snuggle Bear, who, granted, was not to fault in the matter.

We finally got to see the solos. Comfort danced to Like This by Mims, and though she brought energy to her dancing, it seemed the same as it did every week. I agree with Nigel: her freestyle is never as good as her choreographed hip hop. Will was next, dancing to Closer by Goapele. I expected it to be brilliant, but it was not, IMO. After all of the energy and excitement he showed us the evening before with his James Brown routine, this dance flowed but seemed very subdued. Maybe Will hadn't expected to be in the bottom two; I don't know, but I enjoyed this less than I had any other of his solos throughout the season. Cat came to Nigel and stated that he had said a few weeks ago that Will was one of the best dancers we've got technically but he just needed to show more personality and he had during his James Brown solo the night before, so what went wrong? Nigel then proceeded to state that he didn't know, he thought Twitch and Will were the best dancers of the night, and that sometimes America thought the dancers were so good that they thought they were bound to get through and voted for other dancers. This irritated me because 1) that might be true, and certainly was, on American Idol (Michael Johns and Daughtry stand out), but wasn't fair to Joshua and Mark, and 2) Nigel made a special point of praising Will but Cat didn't come to Nigel or Mary after the other dancers performed, which I assume was Nigel's decision. Whether or not Will was the strongest male dancer, and he might have been, this highlighted Nigel's favoritism, which had been evident throughout the series.

Courtney danced to Pass On by Kreesha Turner, and I thought this was terrific, demonstrating both her personality and technique. I've always liked her solos best of all the girls. The final solo was by Twitch, danced to Hollywood Swingers by Kool and the Gang, and it was very funky, with lots of movement and musicality. I definitely thought that Courtney and Twitch's solos were the strongest of the night, no matter what the results turned out to be. The musical guest was LL Cool J, whom Cat described as a living legend in the world of rap, treating us to his debut TV performance of his new single Baby featuring The Dream (okay, we GET IT, Cat), and then we were treated to five minutes of lip syncing which always annoys me. Cat concluded by plugging his album, dropping in September, and I thought, let's just move onto the results already and stop the plugging.

Comfort was the first eliminated, and she did a funky dance before her package was shown to Come Home by One Republic (thank you, Natalie, and no thanks to SYTYCD, who never sees fit to provide us with this information). Comfort said that she'd had the best time ever, and was blessed to be here. After Cat said to put our hands together for our comeback kid, and she bounced to the side of the stage, the guys were brought center stage, and they gave each other big hugs, which I found touching. There was a great deal of suspense, and when Cat said that the guy leaving us tonight was Will, Twitch said, Oh, God, and they hugged each other again very hard, before Twitch left the stage, bowing before Will in a touching gesture. Will's highlight package was shown to Love Remains the Same by Gavin Rossdale, and Will gave his farewell speech, which I found very moving and heartfelt. He said, "All the dancers out there are working their butts off, you see it's possible, there is work, there is no depth to the ocean, keep swimming, you can make it happen, I love you all, thank you for the opportunity, show them what you all got." The judges gave him a standing ovation, followed by the audience, and fortunately there was time for all of the dancers to come on stage and hug Comfort and Will as the credits rolled.

So there you have it. I predict next week's couples will be Katee and Mark, Chelsie and Twitch, and Courtney and Joshua, IF the pairing is not random. I think the producers want each contestant to have the opportunity to dance with a new partner, and I would like to see this, but it might not be the case. And remember to vote for your favorite dancer! See you next week.

LA Ballet On So You Think You Can Dance

Eddy Tovar & Aubrey Morgan of the LA Ballet

Natalie's Top 8 Performance Show Music Recap

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Sorry that I’m so late posting this. There are no excuses. Boo on me.

Courtney and Will’s Samba choreographed by Jean Marc & France

I think that she kept up well with him in the routine. I couldn’t help but love this song. Maybe I missed some of their mistakes because I liked to song so much.

Song title: I Fell In Love With The DJ
Artist/Band: Che’ Nelle
Where you’ve heard the song before: It’s been popular all over the world. It hit #98 on the Billboards in the US, but that’s about it.
Where you can listen to the whole song:




More after the jump...


Comfort’s Solo

Comfort should ask NapTab to choreograph her solo.

Song title: I Got This Down
Artist/Band: Simian Mobile Disco
Where you’ve heard the song before: I can’t find much on this song. But Simian Mobile Disco has a song on FIFA ’08, I Believe.
Where you can listen to the whole song:



Katee and Twitch’s Contemporary routine choreographed by Mia Michaels

All I could think of when I heard this song was McSteamy and Callie. And then I thought about Mia and her recent break up. Then there was the tonsil hockey. I blushed a little. It was hard to concentrate on the actual dancing. The stuff I could pay attention to, I loved.

Song title: Mercy
Artist/Band: Duffy
Where you’ve heard the song before: Grey’s Anatomy. The Sex & the City Soundtrack. Oh, and it won the Song of the Year award at the MOJO Awards.
Where you can listen to the whole song:



Will’s Solo

I think that I may stand alone in this, but I wasn’t a fan. I thought it was fun, but that’s about it.

Song title: Get Up Offa That Thing
Artist/Band: James Brown
Where you’ve heard the song before: This song has been all over some of our favorite shows. Benji and Heidi did a routine to this song. Gev auditioned to this song and Super Cr3w used this in one of their “Master Mixes”. It was also in Sister Act II, What a Girl Wants, Robots, and Harriet the Spy.
Where you can listen to the whole song:



Comfort and Mark’s Hip Hop routine choreographed by Napoleon and Tabitha

This is the first “fast” routine that I liked from NapTab. You can’t go wrong with some Fergie Ferg and Nelly. Also, I forget who mentioned it last week, but Mark is taller than I remember.

Song title: Party People
Artist/Band: Nelly feat. Fergie (Fox got it backwards)
Where you’ve heard the song before: Another Top 40 song. So it’s all over.
Where you can listen to the whole song:



Katee’s Solo

I’m a huge Katee fan, but her solo was kinda boring for me tonight. Plus, if I have to hear one more Celine song, I might go crazy. Oh, but I did love that Katee just did a no-frills leap. It took me by surprise and I didn’t hate it.

Song title: Taking Chances
Artist/Band: Celine Dion
Where you’ve heard the song before: It was written by Kara DioGuardi and David A. Stewart. Celine made it famous. Featured on DanceLife and Moonlight. And Celine performed it on The X Factor.
Where you can listen to the whole song:



Chelsie and Joshua’s Argentine Tango choreographed by Dmitry

I really liked how the beginning started. Slower. Little piano mixed in. And then it built up with the lights. I also liked when Josh moved Chelsie’s feet with the music. When you think back to season 2’s caliber of Argentine Tangos, this is miles away from that. How far we’ve come.

Song title: A Los Amigos
Artist/Band: Forever Tango (Original Cast)
Where you’ve heard the song before: So I couldn’t find the Forever Tango version. In MP3 format. You can buy it on iTunes though.
Where you can listen to the whole song:



Mark’s Solo

This is his first solo, I think, that he didn’t use Bohemian Rhapsody, and I really enjoyed it. He picked another off-beat song and it served his choreography well.

Song title: Creator
Artist/Band: Santogold feat. Switch & Freq Nasty
Where you’ve heard the song before: It was on Grey’s Anatomy. I think that Fox is finally catching on and just watching other shows and finding artists that are tv-friendly.
Where you can listen to the whole song:



Courtney and Will’s Slow Hip Hop routine choreographed by Napoleon and Tabitha

I love Alicia Keyes. I love slow hip hop. I may be in the minority here, but I was not crazy about this routine. It had some nice moments: when Courtney was looking at the pictures and Will was replicating her movement behind her and when they were both kneeling and Will brought her in to him. But overall, I was less than thrilled with it. Nice song and concept though.

Song title: Like You’ll Never See Me Again
Artist/Band: Alicia Keyes
Where you’ve heard the song before: If you’re a soap fan, you’ll know it was featured on All My Children. I do not watch that show. Surprising. I know.
Where you can listen to the whole song:



Chelsie’s Solo

For as much crap as I give the PCD, I love Danity Kane. I know. Ha. It doesn’t make sense. I wonder if Chelsie’s birthday was Monday or tonight. I ask stupid questions.

Song title: Damaged
Artist/Band: Danity Kane
Where you’ve heard the song before: On the Top 9 at 9. Or the Hot 8 at 8.
Where you can listen to the whole song:



Katee and Twitch’s Broadway routine choreographed by Tyce

When they said the song sped up, they weren’t lying. Tempo change much? I didn’t love it. Didn’t hate it either. It was fun. The song obviously fit perfectly with the choreo.

Song title: Sweet Georgia Brown
Artist/Band: Bubbling Brown Sugar
Where you’ve heard the song before: Check out the long history of this song over at Wikipedia
Where you can listen to the whole song:



Joshua’s Solo

The last 2-eight counts of his solo were banoodles.

Song title: Shawty Get Loose
Artist/Band: Lil’ Mama feat. T-Pain & Chris Brown
Where you’ve heard the song before: NapTab choreographed their Vegas week routine to this song.
Where you can listen to the whole song:




Courtney’s Solo

Her solos are definitely more controlled now. Even though I hate how she preps for her pirouettes. I thought her energy matched the music.

Song title: Where I Stood
Artist/Band: Missy Higgins
Where you’ve heard the song before: You’ve heard it on One Tree Hill. A certain Leyton scene if I remember correctly. And during Devin Oshiro’s audition. After they played the wrong music.
Where you can listen to the whole song:



Twitch’s Solo

The way Twitch covers the stage is craziness. I don’t really enjoy watching him dance too many different styles, but I could watch this solo from him every day. The song just gave him crazy energy.

Song title: Go To Work
Artist/Band: Kay L
Where you’ve heard the song before: I really like this song. But I’ve never heard it before.
Where you can listen to the whole song:



Comfort and Mark’s Foxtrot choreographed by Jean-Marc & France

I’m no ballroom expert, but I definitely didn’t hate this as much as the judges did. Also, Brian Setzer has been making quite the appearance on SYTYCD. Now he just has to make his songs more readily available for downloading.

Song title: Lady Luck
Artist/Band: The Brian Setzer Orchestra
Where you’ve heard the song before: You know the song
Where you can listen to the whole song:

So I couldn't find Brian Setzer's version of this song. Slacker. All around.


Chelsie and Joshua’s Disco choreographed by Doriana Sanchez

Who doesn’t love some Gloria Estefan once in awhile? This was the first disco routine that I didn’t end up hating. Maybe it was the song? Maybe it was Chelsie and Joshua?

Song title: Everlasting Love
Artist/Band: Gloria Estefan
Where you’ve heard the song before: I know you listen to this everyday. No shame in it.
Where you can listen to the whole song:



Top 8 Performance Show Music Playlist

So You Think You Can Dance Top 8 Results Show Open Thread

Poll Results And Predictions

Our poll was extremely close on the guys' side this week. It appears Mark Kanemura may just survive, despite predictions. Dial Idol agrees. Look for Comfort to leave again tonight. Twitch and Will are in jeopardy.

Prediction: If Will is in the bottom 2 tonight but survives, look for a Desmond Richardson Pas De Deux style hookup for him next week to get him into the top 4.

Full poll results after the jump...

757 readers voted. Thanks for voting!

Comfort Fedoke

21 (2%)

Will Wingfield

166 (21%)

Katee Shean

272 (35%)

Mark Kanemura

264 (34%)

Chelsie Hightower

161 (21%)

Joshua Allen

172 (22%)

Courtney Galiano

125 (16%)

Twitch Boss

151 (19%)

News Update

Us Magazine gets Mary Murphy and Dan Karaty's thoughts on last night's show.




Mary Murphy is ready for a hiphopper to win, plus she's planning something big for the finale. Hmmm.



Rachel Howard shares her observations on the elite 8 performances.



BuddyTV published live thoughts last night. There's also "5 cliches we've come to love".



Joanna Weiss of the Boston Globe thinks Katee Shean is a secret weapon.



Kourtni Lind gets the Cool Person Award from Cool Addict.

Top 8 Performance Show Recap

Wednesday night's SYTYCD was possibly the strongest performance show of the season, though I still feel that Season 3's top 6 show was stronger (it contained Neil and Sabra's Table Dance, nominated for an Emmy, and their Paso Doble, amongst many others). At any rate, it's nice to review a good show. Along with the eight dances and solos, we were also treated to information about each dancer's decision to begin dancing, which I found interesting.

Cat wore a pretty black dress. I wonder if someone commented on her odd dances in the beginning of the season. Nigel wore a white suit, Mary had on a fairly sedate floral dress, and our guest judge was Toni Basil, she of "Micky" fame. However, since that time she has been working with Bette Middler in Vegas and will begin choreographing Tina Turner's tour, which is pretty cool. She had on a red dress and looked good.

More after the jump...

Will and Courtney

Dance One: Jean-Marc Genereux's Samba to I Fell in Love with the Djay by Che'Nelle. They mentioned in the package how both dancers needed to move their hips, and Courtney certainly did. I liked the piece a lot, though the lights in the studio were far too bright, and I couldn't see them half the time because of the glare. Courtney looked particularly sexy in a hot yellow dress while Will danced all in black. Nigel said that their hips were screaming and everyone was screaming for their hops. He thought that tonight's show was going to be a great one, and all of the guys looked like they were out of the movie 300, and that this should be called 300: the Dance Off. Obviously, he had seen the guys during the dress rehearsal, but whatever. He loved Courtney and Will's chemistry, and Mary said that she wondered where Ashton was because she thought she was being punked, since she has two contemporary dancers who looked like Samba dancers. She did note that Will's technique was not great all of the time, particularly his upper frame and his turns, and I thought this might be the first time Will had ever been criticized. She did scream for Courtney, however. Toni, who I thought was very articulate and concise, said that she forgot to take notes, as she had so much fun watching them, and that they brought the life of the Samba to the dance. I liked the dance but wasn't really wow'ed by it.

Dance two: Lyrical Hip Hop by Napoleon and Tabitha to Like You'll Never See Me Again by Alicia Keys (a beautiful song). The theme was for a woman aching to go back in time to her late man. Courtney wore a black dress and Will was dressed in white, to drive home the differences between the two. The couple hit all the beats, but I have to say that this piece reminded me of Mia's flower dance last season for Lacey and Neil and it just didn't affect me that way, although the judges really liked it. Nigel said that he was affected emotionally by hip hop routines this season and that this dance reminded me of movies like Ghost and that he felt like a voyeur watching a beautiful, private moment and that it was very beautiful. Mary said that Courtney and Will were tremendous dancers (I agree) and that they didn't meet her expectations, they exceeded them and she screamed. Toni said that when hip hop started out, it was street but has become an art form, and that she was glad to see it on the show and that she would never feel the same way about dance again. I noticed that she did NOT mention the routine.

Comfort's solo
She said that she had started by street dancing, and that her dad tricked into going to a performing arts school that had no hiphop, but that she picked up technique there. I felt her solo was good, not great, with a lot of energy but similar to other solos she's performed. Cat noted that she was a fighter and I thought, Okay, that's the last week we'll see Comfort. We got the first of the "fa real" gestures, and frankly, I am totally sick of it, so I won't mention it again.

Twitch and Katee
Dance one: Mia Michael's Contemporary to Mercy by Duff. They noted that they had known each other before the program, and you could tell. They had great chemistry, and this was probably my favorite routine of the evening. The premise was that they were a couple in an argument, where he was cool and she was insane. A door was used as a very effective prop, as Twitch and Katee went back and forth in their tussle. This was different than other Mia routines, and I was glad to see that. Nigel said that it was hard to critique the dancing because the performances were so strong, which reminded me of the Twitchington dance a few weeks earlier on the bed. Nigel thought it was just fantastic and mentioned that he had had a woman like this (Mary), and they bantered back and forth for a bit, which I didn't find funny. He wondered for another week what went through Mia's head, but said that it was one of the most entertaining dances that had ever had on the program, and I agreed. Mary did her only really corny moment of the show: Knock Knock. Who's There? Two. Two who? Two of the best dancers we've ever seen on the the stage, which I'm sure might be a little much. (Nick? Danny? Travis? Benjy? Heidi? Natalie? Alison? Blake? etal) Toni said that Katee and Twitch were lucky to have been choreographed by one of the reigning queens of contemporary dance (true) and that it was funky and she hadn't taken any notes on this piece, either.

Dance two: Broadway by Tyce DiOrio to Sweet Georgia Brown from Bubblin' Brown Sugar. Katee wore a sexy red dress and Twitch had on a matching bow tie, and I liked this dance but didn't love it. Nigel said that he loved the routine and could see it being performed on Broadway (I'm not so sure). He said that he was shocked with Twitch, who was probably the least trained dancer on the show, and that he gave Katee the best compliment he could by saying that there wasn't one routine he hadn't enjoyed her doing. Mary said that it was terrific and that she didn't remember a night when she had had so much fun. Toni said that Twitch was really grounded and more reality-based than most Broadway dancers in that he danced organically but that she wished Katee's dancing had matched the deep vocals a bit more but that she really loved the routine.

Will's solo
He said that he got started by watching Dirty Dancing (man, am I old) and that he began with hip hop and tumbling and that he moved to LA, was noticed by Debbie Allen, and was given a full scholarship to her academy. He danced to Get Up Offa That Thing by James Brown, and with his wig he even looked like him. It was a very funky dance, far different than the ones he had performed before, and the judges gave him a standing ovation, but I didn't find the dance that good, though he got props for originality.

Mark and Comfort

Dance one: Hip Hop by Napoleon and Tabitha to Party People by Fergie featuring Nelly. I was concerned with this pairing, but this dance was fantastic, "hard hitting" as Mary likes to say. The premise was that they were two students in detention fooling around while the teacher was out of the room, and it was a bit reminiscent of Benjy and Travis's final dance during season two. Nigel noted that Comfort was so much better when given choreography than in her solos (true, and a bit surprising, since you'd think she'd nail free style), and that she was incredible and that Mark was even more surprising. He loved their pick up into the back somersault. Mary said that the guys did a great job with the piece, and that their synchronization was impressive. She said that Comfort was a great dancer (first time we've heard her say that, I believe) and that Mark nailed it. Toni said that she loved this style, that she had taken classes from NapTab (surprising) and that this had the underpinnings of street (the word of the evening). She said that that they had that groove, and that this dance was fabulous, and they were rooted in the music. HOWEVER, Nigel said that if they ended up in the bottom two, it wasn't because they weren't good but that the others were better. I read this as See ya, bye guys but the voters might have responded to this challenge by voting more, as was the case when Simon handed the American Idol title to David Archuleta and David Cook came back to take it by 12 million votes.

Dance two: Foxtrot by Jean-Marc Genereaux to Lady Luck by the Brian Setzer Orchestra. Uh, oh, I thought. Comfort is not strong in ballroom dancing and Mark was always strong b/c of Chelsie's ballroom background. My fears were not unfounded. This was the weakest performance of the night. While Mark looked suave with his slicked back hair and Comfort was pretty in her dress, this dance was a train wreck and as Nigel said, he thinks Lady Luck walked in the room when they got hip hop and walked out of the room when they got the foxtrot (true). He felt it was slightly amateurish and that it didn't show their chemistry, which had been evident during their hip hop. Mary said that she was sorry, but her review was not gonna get any better, and that she noted everything that was wrong with it. She then said it was one of the worst foxtrots she had every seen, and I grimaced. Toni said that their turns were like during a recital, though Mark's jazz partnership was really good, and then reminded the audience that that their hip hop was fabulous, and Cat, trying to be supportive, said "Remember the hiphop." Too bad this was their second dance, not their first.

Katee's solo
She said she started tap when she was four, and that it wasn't good, but that she moved onto contemporary eventually and she thanked her teachers who pushed her. She danced to Taking Chances by Celine Dion and and I wonder when they are actually going to HAVE Celine Dion on the program, considering how many times they've used her songs. I thought it was a good dance, but not great; I prefer her partner dancing.

Mark's solo
He said that he started in musical theatre after seeing Phantom of the Opera and that he was the only boy in the entire school who danced but that he was a little different (Cat said there was nothing wrong with being different). He danced to Creator - Santogold feat Switch & Freq Nasty. I liked the dance--I always like Mark's solos--but I didn't find it as fun as the ones last week. He mimed the numbers with Cat again.

Courtney's solo
She said that her first recital was to Lil Bo Peep when she was three and that during senior year her classmates had stopped dancing but that she realized that she was not done and that she only had a small window to perform as a dancer. She danced to Where I Stand by Missy Higgins and it was beautiful. She always shows so much emotion and she is my favorite soloist.

Twitch's solo
He noted that he didn't take it seriously until senior year, which is much later than the other dancers. He then went onto a community college and after that spent nine months in South Korea where he was in a couple of music videos. He did a nice solo to Go to Work by Kay L, though it didn't really stand out from others he has performed.

Chelsie's solo
She said that she started dancing when she was nine, and began taking it seriously when she turned 14 and started training in the ballroom world. She traveled throughout the country entering ballroom competitions. She danced to Damaged by Danity Kane, and it wasn't bad, but it was pretty much the same as her others. She excels as a partner, but as with other ballroom dancers like Anya last season, she would not win any prizes as a soloist.

Joshua's solo
He began dancing as a kid, and did the moonwalk all the way to the principal's office. If he was committed to enrolling in dance, he would be let off detention, and he did, auditioning to Pepito's Story. He loved the screaming and thanked her for his entrance into dancing. He danced to Shawty Get Loose by Lil Mama feat T-Pain & Chris Brown and it was fantastic. His isolations, popping, and other tricks are so seamlessly performed.


Joshua and Chelsie

Dance one: Argentine Tango by Dmitry Chaplin from season two to A Los Amigos - Forever Tango (Original Cast). Chelsie was dressed in a sexy blue dress and I liked but did not love their routine. Nigel pointed out how fantastic Chelsie's legs were (and noted that he meant technically, not just physically). He said Chelsie used her legs while Joshua used his strength and they got into a brief interchange about Joshua's bum that I found stupid. Mary said that Joshua set the mood and was very committed, while Chelsie was so much more sexy than in her last one (I don't know which that was and didn't realize she hadn't been sexy in it). She really liked their chemistry and that they were still on the hot tamale train. Toni said that Joshua was the most street of all the ballroom partner dancers (stop it already!) and that it needed to be torrid and spontaneous and that it was. She noted that Joshua's turns were not his great forte, but that the whole dance came together. Once again, as with Katee, Chelsie made her partner look good.

Dance two: Disco by Doriana Sanchez to Everlasting Love by Gloria Estefan. Love the song, did not love the routine. They should ban disco and the foxtrot forever from SYTYCD. They did nail a lift they had been trying on the show for four years, and that Joshua was able to perform the lifts due to his upper body strength and that Chelsie had wonderful courage to let herself be lifted like that and that it was a great finale to a wonderful show. Mary said it was really good for her and that Chelsie's legs really worked, that she could let herself down with great precision, and she praised the airplane change into another position. Toni said that there was no way Joshua could have remembered disco, as it started before he was born (I'm old; I remember it clearly)and that Joshua's lines were as long as hustle dancers but that he had the spirit and Chelsie had both.

Predicted bottom two:

Comfort and Mark and ?
Going home: Comfort for sure and then I really don't know

New iVan Videoblog

Episode 4 of the behind-the-scenes series hosted by Ivan Koumaev is posted at movmnt magazine's social network, movmnt.net. This episode is an extended tell-all interview with Tyce Diorio touching on all 4 seasons. Language Alert!

Courtney & Will's Slow Hiphop (Video)

Courtney Galiano & Will Wingfield - Slow Hiphop - Napoleon & Tabitha

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From a reader:

I’m writing this e-mail to comment on Courtney and Will’s dance to Alicia Keys “Like you’ll never see me again.” I was touched to tears with their performance. The reason I was so touched is because my husband passed away on February 18th (1 day before his 48th birthday), he passed away at home and before he passed, our niece brought in this song and played it for me as I laid next to my husband. I listen to this song daily and still I cry. Nigel’s comment on how this dance touches one’s emotions who have lost a loved one was so right. I will forever cry for my husband and mourn him, and we should all take heart to what the words of this song say. Most of us take our love one’s for granted and don’t stop to think that maybe they won’t be here as long as we think. I long for my husband and wish we would have done so much more together in our life, we had so many long term plans and in a matter of 6 days after being diagnosed with brain cancer he was gone from me. I will never be able to hug him, kiss him, hold him or tell him I love him and have him tell me back again. Courtney and Will’s performance was beautiful and I loved it. I watched it through tears and still enjoyed it. I miss my husband terribly, but my memories of him will keep him alive forever. Thank you Courtney and Will and Thank you Choreographers for putting together and performing a dance to this song that will forever be remembered.

Comfort & Mark's Hiphop (Video)

Comfort Fedoke & Mark Kanemura - Hiphop - Napoleon & Tabitha

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Katee & Twitch's Contemporary (Video)

Katee Shean & Twitch Boss - Contemporary - Mia Michaels

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Web Update

Nate Levy's top 8 recap is up.



Julie Wolfson at the LAist asked Twitch and Katee "about dance styles, some of their favorite things, and where they eat at The Farmer's Market after they finish taping episodes of the show at CBS."

So You Think You Can Dance - Top 8 Track List

Courtney & Will
Samba - Jean Marc & France
I Fell In Love With The DJ - Che' Nelle



Comfort's solo
I Got This Down - Simian Mobile Disco



Katee & Twitch
Contemporary - Mia Michaels
Mercy - Duffy



Will's solo
Get Up Offa That Thing - James Brown



Comfort & Mark
Hiphop - Napoleon & Tabitha
Party People - Fergie feat. Nelly


Katee's Solo
Taking Changes - Celine Dion


Chelsie & Joshua
Argentine Tango - Dmitry Chaplin
A Los Amigos - Forever Tango (Original Cast)


Mark's solo
Creator - Santogold feat Switch & Freq Nasty


Courtney & Will
Smooth Slow Hiphop - Napoleon & Tabitha
Like You'll Never See Me Again - Alicia Keyes


Chelsie's solo
Damaged - Danity Kane


Katee & Twitch
Broadway - Tyce Diorio
Sweet Georgia Brown - Bubbling Brown Sugar (Original Broadway Cast)



Joshua's solo
Shawty Get Loose - Lil Mama feat T-Pain & Chris Brown


Courtney's solo
Where I Stood - Missy Higgins



Twitch's solo
Go To Work - Kay L



Comfort & Mark
Foxtrot - Jean-Marc & France
Lady Luck - The Brian Setzer Orchestra


Chelsie & Joshua
Disco - Doriana Sanchez
Everlasting Love - Gloria Estefan

So You Think You Can Dance Top 8 Voting Numbers

Comfort Fedoke - 888-836-7601

Will Wingfield - 888-836-7602

Katee Shean - 888-836-7603

Mark Kanemura - 888-836-7604

Chelsie Hightower - 888-836-7605

Joshua Allen - 888-836-7606

Courtney Galiano - 888-836-7607

Twitch Boss - 888-836-7608

So You Think You Can Dance Top 8 Performance Show Open Thread

News Update

Korbi Ghosh chats with Nigel, Mary and Mia, Kortni, Thayne and Matt, and Cat Deeley.



Live Journal has its share of Mark supporters too.



Us Magazine is giving away a trip to the finale.



Mary Murphy launched a new ballroom-based exercise DVD today at Dance Times Square in New York.

SYTYCD News Update

Mia Michaels did an interview with SheKnows and says that she knows (I'm less than clever) why the winners of So You Think You Can Dance haven't made it "big" like the winners of American Idol:

"Nobody's taken what they've done on the show and made it blow up. I try to talk to them and we have agents come in to talk to them. I say, 'Don't teach,' because they're offered tons of money for it. But they're children! They're wasting years of being great dancers and performers to teach other children. They need to be dancing while they can!"

Our very own Ted had a hand in hooking up Robert Muraine with the BuskerFest people, so we're more than happy to see them announce Robert's involvement with the event!

The Behind-the-Scenes video with Napoleon and Tabitha we posted about previously is finally up on YouTube.


Uploaded by FoxBroadcasting

The Behind-the-Scenes video with Nakul's Top 10 routine is "posted" on the big, slow website, but if you click on it, nothing loads. We'll post it as soon as it becomes available.

Kherington & Gev Video Interview

News Update

He must be the most interviewed person in the dance world. Shane Sparks tells the LAist about his upcoming Dream Girls Project and his favorite dancer of all time.



This blogger attended the Monday taping. Spoiler Alert!



Jessica King returned home to Myrtle Beach, S.C. to recuperate from her injury.



Gev Manoukian is back in Park City, Ut.



The soon-to-be Project Runway-less Bravo TV network announced the renewal of several shows, but there's no mention of Step It Up & Dance.

Pre-SYTYCD Chuy Solorio

The overwhelming reaction to the elimination of Gev Manoukian reminded me of the the reaction to the season 3, top 16 elimination of Jesús "Chuy" Solorio. Coincidentally, Youtuber dreamingbigger just posted this compilation of pre-SYTYCD Chuy.


Click through and click "Watch In High Quality" for better quality.

Monday Spoiler Open Thread

Apparently there are some early spoilers, so we'll go ahead and open a thread. Please try to confine all discussion of spoilers to this thread. Thanks!

SYTYCD News Update

Leee's recap of last week is up at T!YBE.



Reality TV World recounts conference calls by Kherington Payne and Gev Manoukian.



TeeVee Time collects their favorite ballroom routines from all the seasons.

Chelsie & Gev's Contemporary (Video)

Chelsie Hightower & Gev Manoukian - Contemporary - Sonya Tayeh


Sonya Tayeh gets big points in my book for getting an Otis Redding song played in primetime in 2008.

Ryan Rankine Update

Our friend Melissa in Seattle writes:

So I went to see the "DANCE THIS" performance last night in Seattle. It's a multi-cultural dance workshop that culminates in a performance where the students perform choreography from the workshop with cultural dance companies and professional dancers. A company called Creative Outlet DanceTheatre of Brooklyn came onstage to perform a beautiful Contemporary piece called "Forces". The dancers were incredible and not a minute into the performance, I recognized Ryan Rankine from Season 2!!!!! I was seated in the front row and watching him dance that close was fantastic. His technique, flexibilty and style are impeccable.



I located the company's website as well as Ryan's website:



http://www.creativeoutlet.org/



http://www.ryanrankine.net/



Strangely, Ryan is not listed in the company biographies, however his photo is featured on the website's front page. Perhaps he is a newer member and they haven't had a chance to add his bio.



Just wanted to share in case you wanted to update your readers on what he's up to.



In dance,

Melissa in Seattle

Thanks Melissa! I found a video about Creative Outlet Dance Company in Brooklyn. It appears to be from a cable access show with a definite point of view, but you get lots of clips of the company performing. Also, I spotted Kevin Hunte, who made it deep into the Las Vegas round of season 3.


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SYTYCD Web Roundup

Here's another blogger who hates to see Gev Manoukian leave the competition.



Karin at TeeVee Time pulls together a bunch of the best Latin routines over the seasons.



There's more speculation around the web regarding possible couple and dance spoilers for top 8 week.

Evan Kasprzak Solo In Full (Video)

Evan Kasprzak's Gene Kelly-esque audition was a standout from season 4 auditions. He has released a video of that routine.

_{Uploaded by Razznakazz}

It turns out this routine was choreographed by Ryan Kasprzak, I'm assuming Evan's brother. He's a performer and choreographer based in New York. Amongst many other things, he appeared in Revolution with our own Allison Holker. Check out his choreography reel and his full site for much more.

Nureyev On The Muppets (Video)

As Nigel mentioned this week, ballet icon Rudolf Nureyev tapped on an episode of The Muppets show.

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SYTYCD News Roundup

GirlsTalkinSmack wonders if the top 8 photo, taken Thursday night, includes couple spoilers for next week. Maybe, or could it be that some So You Think You Can Dance producer is actually playing with our heads?



Leee has posted a rare mid-week update, including Twitch's solo.



Dino-Ray Ramos recaps both SYTYCD and ABDC.



Our friend JoannaOC mourns Gev's elimination:

Gev might not have been best dancer all around in terms of technique, and I knew he wouldn't get to the top four, but he was the most entertaining for me, and the one who brought the "most improved" arc to the show. And I don't think any of the other dancers could do many of the moves he does. He danced his heart out every time. I'm going to miss seeing him on my TV! I hope he will be able to continue to grow as a dancer and a performer after the tour.

More...




Blob Boogie writes us with info on Nigel's "assistant" choreographers:

Here's Chuck Maldonado's solo and his choreography reel


According to the choreography reel he helped choreograph "Stomp the Yard," and worked with Fergie, Ciara, and Missy Elliot, and it seemed like he helped choreograph a stomp dance piece in the 1996 Olympics? Insane.

And Here's some of Suga Pop's solos. He's a well respected popper in the b-boy community, and is in fact a part of the oldest and most famous b-boy crew, Rock Steady Crew

Here and here.

etc.

- Blob Boogie

Thanks BB!



A Seattle P-I reader-blogger quotes Shane Sparks on the increasing recognition of dancers/choreographers and the status of Asian crews in the hiphop dance world.



I had forgotten just how young Kherington is. She missed her high school prom to be on the show. She says now she wishes she could have taken Twitch as her prom date. Gev has 2 weeks off before the finale week. He plans to spend most of it in bed.



Check out Phillip Chbeeb's latest studio compilation video.




A landslide 87% of 353 readers gave the thumbs up to Lil C on the judging panel in our latest reader poll. Thanks for voting!



In case you haven't noticed, our music columnist, Natalie, has been posting news updates this week. What a relief it's been for me to have some help, and she's doing an OUTSTANDING job with it. Thanks, Natalie!

Another Thayne Montage

We haven't seen many fanvids this season, but this is the second excellent one we've seen dedicated to Thayne Jasperson. We previously posted buffmetube's, now here's one by Youtuber kookykatlyn. This one includes that great Thayne/Grover moment (thanks Leee!).

Comfort & Twitch's Hiphop (Video)

Comfort Fedoke & Twitch Boss - Hiphop - Dave Scott


Dan McCallum (Ducky) at AfterElton says:

Dave said it was supposed to be Studio 54 in the year 2085. You can spin it any way you want as long as you keep spinnin' it, kid! Twitch and Comfort slayed the competition with this number. That's what hip-hop done right looks like, folks: Amazing!

News Update

BuddyTV has its weekly interviews up with Kherington Payne and Gev Manoukian. Kherington speaks highly of Twitch, and Gev reveals what it was like when he had to switch partners.



Kherington's hometown paper asked her what it was like to miss her high school graduation:

It was sad not being able to go to my graduation, because that's a once-in-a-lifetime thing. But then again, I had to tell myself that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. …My mom brought plates that said "Grad" on it, and we had a little pasta dinner. We were fun about it, and we had a little banner. It was cute.

More...




Courtney Galiano's New York Knicks dance teammates review this week's show.



America's Best Dance Crew is planning a 20 city tour this fall. JabbaWockeeZ and BrkSk8 are the first 2 of 5 crews to appear.



You may change your mind about watching Napoleon & Tabitha's new TLC show Rock The Reception after you watch this...

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SYTYCD Update

After making some controversial comments about dancers from Utah, Mia Michaels has issued a statement apologizing for any kind of misunderstanding:

"So I totally apologize if what I said came out wrong, because putting down their way of life is not what I meant, at all. I think it's so admirable, what they do. I respect their way of life. I should take their advice."

More...

This comes about a year after Mia had to apologize for the upside down Marine emblems on her jacket.

The big, slow website has a video of a behind-the-scenes look at Napoleon and Tabitha's Top 12 group routine. They're the cutest couple ever. We'll post the actual video once it's available on YouTube.

Adam at EW.com recaps the results show. He speculates why Gev was eliminated. Was it because his "internal artistry never quite met his physical expression — i.e., he wasn't buck"?

Fox News briefly recaps the performance and results shows. They equate the audience dealing with the partner switches to a "kid in a messy divorce".

Top 10 Results Show Recap

What does one hour of filler equal? SYTYCD's Top 10 Results Show! To be fair, there were three musical numbers and four solos. However, I just wanted to get to the results and that took approximately 56 minutes. In fact, the last part of the show, where the contestants hug the ones eliminated, was cut off, due to time constraints. Sounds a bit like American Idol, eh? Well, same producers, same format...

Anyway, Cat had on a pretty blue dress with her hair in a ponytail. Perhaps someone told her to dress in a fun, summery way, because she has both nights. After we say hello to the judges, we get to our first number, a Bollywood dance choreographed by Nakul Dev Mahajan, who gave us Katee and Joshua's fantastic Bollywood dance last week. While I enjoyed the music and costumes, I can't say that the dance really worked for me. It seemed as if there were too few dancers on stage for such an elaborate number, though it is certainly nice to see this type of dance on the program.

After we hear that Shane Sparks, Wade Robson, and Mandy Moore received Emmy nominations for their dances last season, and the makeup team did as well, we got to the highlights of the previous evening. The only surprise was...

More after the jump...
...that Kherington, who performed two disappointing numbers with Mark, was less than gracious in the package. After her first dance, the Two Step, she says that "Hopefully we can redeem ourselves, because the judges really hate me." Really? Did they say that? And after their second dance, the disappointingly performed jazz number by Tyce DiOrio, she says sarcastically regarding the judges' lukewarm remarks, "Really? Really? Really?" In other words, blame the judges, don't blame me. This will come back to her haunt her later. In happier news, we decide that Lil C has been deemed the official judge of SYTYCD by the readers of this website. Congratulations, Lil C! See you next week (we wish)!


The second dance is for the top five girls and is choreographed by Mia Michaels to Ave Maria by Celine Dion. I don't like this dance because 1) I don't like Celine Dion, but more because 2) I found it overwrought. I typically like Mia's numbers, but this one just bored me, although a lot of viewers found it beautiful.

After the dance, the five girls, who are dressed in white with braided long hair and and pale, scary eyes, are given the results. Cat notes that the bottom two girls and guys will be given the opportunity to dance solos, as this might be the last time they dance on the program and to show how good they are. I know this is mostly a way to fill time, but more so to have the judges remark on their tenure on the show and recommendations for the future. I mean, REALLY lengthy remarks.

First up is Chelsie, who is not in the bottom two and runs off the stage in extreme excitement. Next is Comfort. Cat notes that last night Nigel said she had finally lived up to her potential, but did America see her potential? No, they didn't, and she is in the bottom two. Katee is the third dancer. She is praised profusely and Cat asks if the won the hearts of America? Of course she did, and she runs off the stage and into the arms of Chelsie. Courtney and Kherington are the final two girls, and not surprisingly, Courtney is safe and Kherington is in the bottom two and joins Comfort on the dreaded stools, stage left.

After the commercial break, we are treated to the boys routine, danced to Joe Jackson's Five Guys Named Moe by a "mystery choreographer." The dance is upbeat and great fun, featuring each of the boys, who are dressed in white t-shirts and black sweatpants and do flips and other hip hop moves, including krumping. I am sure it's by Lil C, and even write that in my notes, but when the dance concludes, Cat asks the audience who they think the choreographer was, and to all of our amazement, it's ...Nigel! He cites his assistant Chuck Maldonado and Suga Pop, a well-known member of the b-boy community, for helping him with the stepping and locking, and jokes that he was known as the sixth Moe, Old Moe. I'm pleased to see that his humor has returned and wonder if he ought to go back to choreography and give Lil C his spot on the judging panel. Oh, to dream...

Now we are onto the boys' fate. First up is Joshua, who starts to leave the stage but is told to stay by Cat "or I'll have your grandfather tie you up" (his grandfather is in the audience and so cute). She reminds us that the judges said he stroked the floor with his Rumba but is he still in the picture after last night's vote? Not surprisingly he is and we get another shot of his grandfather and grandmother clapping. Will is next and we are reminded that Nigel said he was probably the most beautiful dancer he'd ever seen on the show (ahem Danny ahem) and did America see this, too? Of course they did, and Will bounded off the stage. This left the final three boys and there was considerable tension, at least amongst the viewers (read: me). Cat reminded us that the judges felt Mark had not performed well the previous evening, and could they possibly be losing him tonight? Yes, they could, and he was in the bottom three. Thousands of viewers cried out loud (okay, I did) and they (I) vowed to vote more next week if he is safe. This leaves the final two Moes, Gev on tippy toes and Twitch, and the final safe boy is...Twitch. I am saddened once again, and think that though Mark or Gev will be eliminated, at least they will both be on the tour.

After more tedious Snuggle Dancing (thanks for the blatant product placement, producers), we move onto the solos. Comfort dances to Egypt, Egypt by the Egyptian Lover, and she does include some Egyptian moves but I found this pretty typical of her solos, with perhaps a bit more energy. Then we move onto the portion of the program that went on and on and on: the judges' possible send off to each of the contestants. Now, I can see doing this IF they are eliminated, but not if they are POSSIBLY eliminated. Do we have to go through this every week? I hope not. This took up three pages of my notes, so I'll share, but I hope I won't have to next week. Nigel reminds Comfort that she was lucky to come back into the competition, that dancers had to deal with this all of the time, and she should be happy to have the opportunity to return. Mary echoes Nigel's sentiment but adds that if Comfort danced every dance the way she she did in the hip hop routine, she was going to stay week after week (I doubt it, but who knows?). I wondered if Mary knew something we didn't. Lil C then provided the most interesting remarks, as he did with each contestant. He said that his heart was beating so fast when she was dancing, and that "it is difficult to locate the avenues of gang when you're being chauffeured by loss," but that she has evolved the most in this competition and that she needs to keep fighting. He also mentions that "every loss is one step closer to perpetual evolution." Wow. Comfort says that this is a blessing for her, and she didn't care if she went home right now, because she was so happy to have danced with these beautiful people "fa real." I was impressed by her genuine response, but again, why did she even have to say this if she hasn't been voted off yet? Very bewildering.

Mark dances to Black Betty by Ram Jam and it's another innovative, original performance, though perhaps not quite as sharp as last night's. Nigel applauds his quirkiness and his musicality, and says that they love him, which is why he's here, and that America loves him, which is why he is in the Top 10. That doesn't bode well for Mark, me thinks, or at least shows us that Nigel is not a big Mark fan. Mary blathers on about how hard the competition is, which has nothing to do with Mark. Then Lil C waxes poetic (thankfully). He says that Mark is a very focused dancer and that he "reminds me of the most instrumental worker bee of the art hive" and that he has a distinctive atmosphere about him and to keep doing what he's doing, please. How much do we love Lil C?

Kherington is next, and she dances to My Philosophy by Inner. I find this more muted and angular than most of her dances have been, with less energy but more focus. Cat notes after much cheering that the audience loves you in here and they need to vote more (true). Referring to her package (uh oh), Lil C rebukes her by saying that "We love you, your ride has been pretty turbulence free," and that she can't be upset because "we turned up the heat in the kitchen just a smidgen and that this is a realistic TV show but we just offer constructive criticism." We LOVE you, Lil C. Mary says that out of Las Vegas Kherington was at the bottom of her Top 20, but that from the moment she stepped on stage she has been a front runner and she is surprised Kherington is standing there. I don't remember Mary lavishing such praise on Kherington in the past. She adds that Kherington is a beautiful dancer and that she will continue to have brilliant performances in her life. Nigel says that Kherington has got film star looks and that it's about performing and she has a helluva future ahead of her.

Finally, we move onto Gev, who dances to Feeling Good by Michael Buble.

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Once again, he delivers the solo of the night, with his b-boy tricks and jazzy moves (speaking of musicality, Gev certainly has it in spades). I also like his red hat. :) Cat says that she feels like his mother and is always terrified when he takes to the stage. Cat obviously feels great affection toward Gev (as do many of us). Lil C says that he is such a fan of the little man, he always roots for the underdog, and that Gev dances with so much heart. He explains that a dancer's heart is sort of "like the mediator's railroad between music, expression, ingenuity and the dance floor" (how beautiful), and that Gev dances through his heart and that whatever he does he always delivers. Mary says that he has always been tremendous in almost all of his dances (this is particularly notable as he is a b-boy and had quite a few ballroom dances) and that he is one of the most lovable characters on the show and that some of his solos blew everyone in here away. Nigel says that having worked with all of the guys, they all have their only unique personality and charter traits and that Gev is really outstanding, with his personality, charisma and unique ability. This reminds me of what they judges said about Dominic last season, and I have a feeling he will be cut.

And at last we get to the results. Wait for it (I know, you already have):

Kherington is cut and her farewell package is to Forever May You Run by Gavin Rossdale (as always, thank you, Natalie, because I had NO idea who the singer or the song was). She has no time to speak, probably because of the earlier packaged I mentioned, and we are onto the boys. Gev pulled the lowest number of votes and is out, and he gives a little frown. His farewell package is to It Ends Tonight by the All-American Rejects, and Gev says, "Why did you pick that song?" (aw) and thanks everyone so much, and though he is sad, he is looking forward to the tour and this is just the beginning. As the credits roll, Chelsie, looking ghost-like (from Mia's dance), comes onto the stage, and the show ends. And that's it for this week. Remember to vote for your favorite dancers next week! See you then.