Milwaukee Auditions

Hi, Sue here. This is the last of my So You Think You Can Dance reviews of the auditions, and it could NOT come fast enough. Our last stop is freezing cold Milwaukee (why is every site so cold? Poor Cat and the dancers). 179 dancers have already been put through to Vegas, so the competition here will be really tough. We start with a montage of hip hop dancers while Nigel tries (and fails at) hip hop moves. I think it's to Pitbul, and I liked it better when Lauren and Pasha were transformers.

So...we do NOT start with Milwaukee. Instead, we get a highlight of the past three weeks of dances (somehow, I had a feeling this would happen; how could we possibly get two hours out of one city)? Anyway, we start with Michael Kim from Boston(representing!). He says he got "creamed" in Vegas in Season 2 but had some formal training and is back. He is a partner with great isolations and the judges are impressed. He says that the he got "creamed in Vegas after doing Salsa with Mary." She laughs and says everyone did because she was doing the Samba! Everyone laughs and he goes straight through to Vegas.

Next we see Los Angeles roommates Katie Shean and Natalie Reid. They are roommates and dance buddies, and we get to witness their workouts, include stretches in matching onesies (tacky). Katie goes first, and I think her contemporary feels forced. She does weird things with her hands that they like and that I do not. Then Natalie dances contemporary, sort of puppet-like (I think), in a very stoic, "unique, honest way" (Mia), and is also sent to Vegas. I don't think they will go far.

We are back to Vegas, only...we are not (oh, FOX, how you tease us so!!!). Janette Manrara and Roumulo Villaverde dance to Salsa, with some very athletic moves that I call bendy. Nigel applauds them and says that Alex da Silva would applaud them. They love Janette's dancing, but are not as impressed with Romulo, and both are sent to choreography. She makes it through; he does not, sadly (I thought they were a hot couple), but Nigel says he should come back next year. FINALLY we get to Milwaukee, 25 minutes in to the episode, and I am relieved. Tonight's guest judges are Napoleon and Tabitha, whom I do not know but like and hope they will choreograph dances this season.

Bianca Revels begins the audition, and she tap dances to Boogie Wonderland (I love Boogie Wonderland). She does the moonwalk, which is cool, and the judges think she is supurb, though I do not. She is straight through to Vegas.

James Davis is next, who says he prepared a year for this audition. That's too bad, b/c he is not very good. The judges say he presented a "movie musical medley," including Chorus Line, Footloose, and the movie with Staying Alive in it. They tell him he can't dance and is disappointed and goes away.

Evan Kasprzak does an interesting Broadway solo, which the judges find beautiful and smooth. (I love his hat.) He is straight through to Vegas.

More after the jump...
Victor Campos is this night's bizarre contestant. He does some straight things that befuddle the judges (and me). When they ask him what he showed, he says "the conflict between individuality and society's pressure," which fail to impress them. When Nigel asks if he can see his face, Victor says, "You didn't ask nice enough." Then they argue, then he leaves, and I feel like I've lost another five minutes of my life.

Travis France does a variety of front and back leaps and "toe touches" but he can't dance and he's gone.

Kourtni Lind (another dancer who doesn't spell her name in the usual way) came with her mom, who is also her dance instructor and supporter (they actually look like sisters). She is very blond and very intense. She is very dramatic, and, as Simon would say, I llllloved it. Nigel says she could be the star of Quentin Tarantito's "Kill Bill The Musical" (ha ha) and she is straight through to Vegas.

Rebecca Hart is back. When she first auditioned two weeks earlier in Los Angels, the judges said she was too immature and too sparkly, but she comes back and has "the moment of her life" (Nigel; dramatic, much?) and to her delight is through to Vegas.

The Snuggle Bear is also back, but I have to say he's kind of cute this time.

Tom Kozal tries contemporary, but not so much. He says he raises earless goats (what?) and doesn't really dance but they find him a lot of fun. This reminds me of the swim instructor last week, and I can only say, Why bother?

Ashley "in the building" Henry desperately wants to be on the Hot Tamale train, but it isn't going to happen, because all she does in booty dancing. She has a lot of charisma, granted, but not much else, and her neon green doesn't help. She begs to go to choreography, and Nigel lets her, but of course she does poorly there and ends up going home.

Susie Garcia is a sexy high school teacher from Miami (shockingly she is a blond), who does a lot of sensual moves but is told that some of her moves remind him of Shakira (Nigel) but others do not flow, though she "brought the heat" (get it?) and she goes to choreography.

Brice Casimir arrives in the US two years ago and works at a retirement home, where he is "their family" (very sweet). He dances relatively well, but the judges tell him he does insular dancing, with a "hollow, empty look" (he doesn't really understand them) and gets to stick around to choreography. At that point he is told his moves aren't there but he should come back next year. Susie goes to Vegas, which surprises me (must be the sexy factor). Ashley does not.

Day two begins with Cooper Zamorono, who is very good. He does contemporary in a very "Travis-like way," but they like him a lot and he is straight through to Vegas. I don't like him as much as Travis (who is as good?!) but he is a strong dancer, and he could go far.

Yesenia Gomez is back, and this is the saddest portion of the program. She made it to the fourth round of Vegas last year, against all odds, and wanted to come back, after losing 50 pounds and changing her life because of the experience. Unfortunately, she hurt her knee in October, and it popped during her dance. She cried, I cried, and the judges told her that it hadn't been a bad investment" and that she had to come back next year (she will). She says that you have to "embrace every day like it's your last day," and that isn't corny coming from her.

Next we see her buddy Philip Courtier, who is a popper with extraordinary hand moves. Nigel said he dances "with passion" and thought he is three dimensional this year. Philip gives a shout out to Yesie and says "it breaks my heart" that she can't come, too. He cries and cries and I cry a little bit and Nigel says to stop crying and come get his ticket. I am SO happy for him.

Raymond Love is tonight's most...I don't know what he is, and neither do the judges. He does a partner dance with a pretty female who is not trying out (we never find out her name or who she is, which is a shame, b/c she is very pretty and VERY good). Nigel reprimands him for "not giving a damn" about such a pretty woman. He explains that he is a minister, references Solomon, and explains that he can't get too close. He dances and is a little more emotive (not much). Nigel praises his choreography but explains that he has to figure out what to do with himself and that the show IS about partnering. He is sent to choreography.

Hao Hou does some tribal dance, they make fun of his costume (or what there is of it, with lots of double entendres) and I am not at all amused.

Lizz Platt is our last dancer, and I ADORE her. She taps accappela (I know I spelled that wrong, sorry) and is sensational. She is told she has great rhythm and is so comfortable on stage (Nigel loves everything about her), and she says she s a "tap dancer who can do other things but is representing tap!" They commend her, and she is straight through to Vegas. I don't know how far she'll go, but I'm hopeful.

When we get to choreography, Raymond gets a no, but Nigel tells him that he has a real future in choreographing other dancers, and he looks rather blank. Eleven others do make it through.

And then to conclude our auditions, we see Travis (aka Danielle Traviso) in drag, dancing to "It's Raining Men." All four judges stand up in appreciation. Best line of the night, from Nigel: "You're not Ryan Secrest, are you?" Travis swears, Nigel introduces him to the crowd as their choreographer (this is at the end of day one auditions), and the auditions end. WOO HOO! Tonight shows us Vegas Week in one night, not three weeks too soon. Be back tomorrow with another recap!