News Roundup

TWOP released an interview with Dan Karaty. Asked if there will be any changes for season 4:

You're going to be seeing obviously some new musical performances, how we have guest recording artists come out there. We got a couple surprises in the bag, and a couple other performers that'll be out there that'll surprise you. And we've mixed up the audition dates this year and we're doing new cities. Like Washington, D.C., which we've never done before. So we're going to scope out some new and different talent out there.

Dan also discusses the growing popularity of dance, Mia Michaels' creative process, and his take on Wade Robson's anti-war solos last season.




Last night was the Dance Times Square showcase. Tony & Melanie presented, Pasha & Anya performed, Sabra & Kameron were in the audience, and fortunately for us, Tonya Plank was there to report.




Commenter KJ found video of Sara Von Gillern dancing on the current Avril Lavigne tour. Check out the mohawk.





Brett Love at TVSquad shows why he's the web's top TV dance journalist in this interview with Dancing With The Stars' Jonathan Roberts. He couldn't resist asking about So You Think You Can Dance:

Brett: One more question that I was wondering about. Now that Dancing With The Stars is ending, I'll turn my attentions to So You Think You Can Dance and I was wondering if that's something that you watch, or are you a fan?

Jonathan: Definitely. I've had several friends that have been on it, some of the ballroom dancers. We pretty much all know each other, so it's great for me to see the success that a lot of them have had on the show. What I like about So You Think You Can Dance is that there are no celebrities involved. It's basically whatever they do on screen is how people perceive them and vote for them and it really is these young kids showing off their amazing talent.

Brett: That's the biggest thing for me with that show. I'm always amazed at the level of talent they are able to bring in every year.

Jonathan: Absolutely.

ABDC's Kaba Modern performed at the APIA Vote Townhall Meeting. (Video)

It's Sabra! kthxbye

Brett Love at TVSquad writes his final recap of the season (sniff). Thanks for the shout out to the blog.

I also wasn't really impressed with Nicole's musical number. It wasn't a disaster or anything, but I would have happily traded those few minutes to have some extra time at the end of the show. Because... the one place that I thought they really missed was the fallout of the big announcement. The lead-up to it was very good, and I really had no idea which way it would go. Then all of a sudden, here's your winner, roll credits, time for the local news. An announcement right before the last commercial break, coming back to get reactions of the winner and the other dancers, would have been really fun.

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As our friend Teresa said in comments:

I found that to be very anti-climactic. =/ It was like, "America's favorite dancer is Sabra kthxbye. *roll credits*" I'm glad for her, though. :D

I do think we should have been given a few minutes to celebrate with our winner and all the dancers.

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Sorry for the late start this morning. It's hard to imagine we'll see our last show of the season tonight. Remember, it starts at 8pm ET/PT, not the usual 9pm we've become accustomed to on Thursdays.

Each dancer had to learn 4 choreographed pieces and prepare for a solo. I think it showed in a lack of polish on several of the routines. I wish they had longer than 3 days to prepare.



Brett Love at TVSquad is always worth reading.

Danny and Neil met up with Mia Michaels for a contemporary piece. I thought the concept was great, and the two of them performed it very well. My only issue with the whole thing was how different the judges reactions were to this, compared to Lacey and Sabra's performance. They took that one to task for not showcasing their abilities, but here was Mia Michaels with Neil and Danny sitting in chairs for half of their performance. Don't get me wrong, I thought the acting of their parts while they were in the chairs, particularly from Neil, was excellent. I just didn't get how they saw the two pieces so differently. Perhaps they were just that impressed with what went on once the chairs were left behind in the second half and they got to some of the bigger moments. Although, did anyone else think that Neil missed the move where he was supposed to jump over Danny's shoulders? It was in the preview package, but on stage he went low and to the side. That's possibly not even a mistake though, and the entire performance was very good. Nigel thought it was great, very masculine, and very strong. Mary loved it, adding that it was very believable and showcased their talents. Dan called the athleticism insane.

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Liza D at Water cooler Convo:

In the solos, no doubt that Danny delivered probably one of the best solos if not THE best solo ever on this show. The speed in which he did his running split jumps at the beginning was jaw-dropping, and that spin that lasted forever ... WOW. Neil may have given his best solo performance. Sabra still hasn't surpassed her first solo. Lacey's was much improved and more well-thought out, although I think I liked her last one better than this. Nice shout-out to her brother in that stage dive, but overall it was the weakest solo of the four.

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There's usually a stripper pole involved when the guys at betting site Bodog Beat watch a dance, but even they were wowed by what they saw last night:

Of the four remaining contestants for the $250,000 grand prize on the Fox reality TV program, one stands out. It's the funny thing about great artwork - even if you know jack about it most of us can recognize when something's good. Danny Tidwell is holler-out-loud good. We couldn't really tell you why except he makes the waltz worth watching and that's got to mean something.

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Brett Love at TVSquad on Pasha & Lacey's Smooth Waltz:

Like many of the other waltzes we have seen this season, this one will probably most often be described as beautiful. As it should. Pasha was great leading Lacey through the dance, and this was the first time that I really got the feeling that Lacey was in the moment of the dance, and not performing for the audience. It felt like she took those criticisms to heart last week and acted on them. The only bad thing I could say about this one was that getting into their lift was a bit wonky. But that was just a tiny little moment, and it was still a very impressive move.

I agree it was beautiful, but I also, momentarily, missed Jessi.

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Nate Levy has adjusted his format a bit. It works! On Neil and Sabra's Jazz:

First up, they have a Mandy Moore 80’s Jazz power lunch dance. Can American Psycho please get referenced? No, instead Neil references The Karate Kid. That didn’t even have power lunches! The routine is fun, and does display some amazing moves from both Neil and Sabra. This may actually be one of the first times I think Neil deserves to be in the top 6.

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Daemon's TV has all the clips and iTune links.

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TVGuide has one more interview with Dominic:

TVGuide: What's your favorite memory from the show?

Dominic: I think the best memories of the show so far is when we were in Vegas. Every night after we finished dancing for 10 hours straight, it would be late at night, like 12 o'clock, and we would dance for hours, until like 3 in the morning, at this little bar/club, and it was just a bunch of dancers from all over the place. Everybody was in their own world. It was kind of like our own West Side Story. We danced for a few hours and we knew we had to wake up in like two more hours, but those were the best memories so far.

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Is There Culture In Pop Culture?

Teacher Erica Jacobs, writing for the Atlanta Examiner, uses Mia Michaels' piece and Brett Love's TVSquad recap from last week to explore current cultural standards:

This past week’s episode of “SYTYCD” and the blog buzz surrounding it made me think about how young people judge dance and choreography. Is it a purely emotional response, or is it based on the artist’s technical skill? Do they think about the intention behind what they see or judge it merely on execution?

According to the Web blog “TV Squad” and those who read and comment on Brett Love’s analyses of each SYTYCD, all the above criteria are in play as our youth watch television.

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TV Blend's Steve West looks at this week's events:

While I didn’t see Neil dropping to the bottom four, someone had to be there next to Dominic. Everyone is pretty much at the top of their game, but as Lauren and Sara were placed onto the stools it seemed fitting. Lauren has gone as far as she can at the moment and Sara still has a little to show us. But really, neither could touch the perfection of Sabra or the passion of Lacey. At this point it’s a shame to say goodbye to Dominic and Sara, who both weren’t ready to win the competition. They still had things to do on the show, but at least the decision was based on the dancing for the most part. That leaves us with our top six as we enter the home stretch: Pasha, Danny, Neil, Lacey, Sabra, and Lauren.

On Sabra & Pasha's Quickstep:

The last dance of the night was also the best. Yes, I freaked out a bit about Mia’s stuff…but for dancing and performance nothing tops the best quickstep I remember from the show. I had to watch this one three times because I honestly couldn’t believe that it was as close to perfection as it appeared. But it was. The girl in the rehearsal video who couldn’t get the routine down made no appearance. Watch as Sabra and Pasha tear up the entire stage and notice that at no point are their legs out sync. You actually lose sight of the legs at times because they were so perfectly connected. Everything about this was perfection for me: Pasha’s flawless partnering, Sabra’s elegant and perfect movement, and Tony Meredith’s brilliant choreography. Grade: A+

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Brett Love at TVSquad ranks the solos and thinks the results shows could be improved:

If the network is set on this being an hour long episode, that's fine, but I'd much rather see it filled up with more performance. The solos have gotten a little stale, and the results/highlights are really only good for about ten minutes of show. Rather than all the stalling and stretching, I'd like to see them put some of the dancers from the first two seasons to work with some special results night performances. Make it a show that people want to watch to see the dancing, not just to get the results.

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Liza D at WaterCoolerConvo:

I'll miss Dominic, in particular. He wasn't the best technical dancer, but he was one of the most entertaining, particularly when he wasn't dancing. Tonight, even, he was cracking me up with his displays of affection towards Cat Deeley. And his breakdancing chair routine was crazy! Neil was a surprise Bottom 2 member with Dominic. I figured shirtless + Mia routine where everyone cried = safe.

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TVSquad's Brett Love on Lacey and Neil's contemporary piece:

Now, I'm a big fan of Mia Michaels and what she has brought to the show, but this wasn't one of my favorite Mia choreographed performances. I had to go back and rewatch it after the judges comments to see if I just nodded off for a second or something, because they couldn't say enough good things about it. After another look, I still don't agree. That's not to say that it was bad. It was a well put together piece and I thought she got very good performances out of both Lacey and Neil, but "one of the great dance performances on television ever?" That was Adam's reaction. Maybe I'm just a heartless jackass, but I tend to think that if we hadn't been set up with the intro from Mia talking about her father, this performance would have been viewed much differently.

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Liza D at WaterCoolerConvo has a similar reaction:

The criticism seems to be that there was hardly any dance in it, and that it was designed to manipulate you into loving it from a purely emotional standpoint and that you can't fairly critique it. Mary Murphy didn't say anything - she just cried. I guess if you didn't know the backstory of the routine you wouldn't feel the same about it. Honestly, I liked it. I know it was simple from a technical standpoint, but dance isn't always about technique. It's art. It's about how it makes you feel. I do think the judges were over-the-top with their praise, though.

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Oscar Dahl at BuddyTV joins the chorus:

The dance was good, and emotional, but it didn't look all that difficult. I guess the dancers had to inhabit their characters and all, but I wasn't as impressed as everyone else. Still, a great routine.

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Around The Web

Thanks to everyone who has visited and voiced their opinions thoughtfully over the last 36 hours. Brett Love at TVSquad points us to a statement Wade Robson posted at his website. Brett also makes his usual keen observations:

Moving forward it will be very interesting to see how the voting works out next week. Is there something that Lauren and Dominic can do to win those fans back? Will a great performance keep them safe? Or is it down to popularity now with the two of them swimming against the current? I'm looking forward to finding out.

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Beckylooo went to the show! Get the scoop at TV In The Woods.

It was a real treat to watch the dancers live. Thrilling to finally see them through my own eyes without the camera mediating the experience. I dug them all but Dom was a serious stand out. I kept glancing over at Mia as her smile grew wider and wider until I feared her face would crack. These two seem to have a connection. They had a couple fun moments during the commercial breaks - glances and points and inside jokes - that I wish I could have been in on.

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Great news for Australian fans of the show. Season 3 of the US show will begin airing in late August. Then, you're getting your own version of the show, set to air in early 2008. With local versions of the show already being produced in Greece, Denmark, Germany, Malaysia, and Norway, could a global dance-off be in the works?

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It looks like Ticketmaster will be the source for tour tickets. Here's the schedule, if you haven't seen it.

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More Thoughts From The Shower found a well-done Lacey fanvid.

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And speaking of Lacey, Redlands Daily Facts spoke to her recently:

Although the work is hard, the perks are what helps keep the dancers going.

"Being here is not like being in the real world," said Schwimmer. "We're treated like royalty. It's really hard, because we get up and rehearse until we go to sleep. We're just going, going, going. I've never experienced anything like this before."

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Around The Web

There was a lot to absorb in the top 10 performance show. 5 routines from newly paired couples and 10 solos of a Wade Robson-choreographed anti-war piece. All I could manage to formulate last night was a quick grading of the solos. Lets see what the web made of it.

Like many of you, Vance at Tapeworthy loved Sara's solo:

LOVE HER! LOVE HER! (Picture me singing this bravato style). It was deep and emotional and she just dances way beyond her b-girl original style. LOVE HER! (It's quite the battle between my love for Sabra and Sara right now).

Vance also has the videos.

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Kiley McMichael at From Inside The Box on Sara & Neil's Disco:

...finishing out the show by knocking on wood, Neil and Sara's disco woke me up. Huzzah! It was excellent. Neil's acrobatics, combined with a low camera angle, was a big wow moment. Sara continues to be great, while growing weekly. It’s harder and harder to remember she’s a b-girl as the weeks go on. (Song: "Knock on Wood" – Rachel Stevens)

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BuddyTV on Pasha & Lauren's Hiphop:

Everyone in America was worried about how Pasha would adapt to a hip/hop routine. Mia Michaels even said that she was horrified when she heard that Pasha would be dancing some hip/hop. Thankfully, Pasha and Lauren surprised everyone. Lauren is a solid hip/hop dancer, and she and Pasha performed well together. They were dressed up in skeleton costumes, which was kind of cool and a little silly, but it worked. It was a Shane Sparks routine, and that was always solid.

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TVSquad's Brett Love on Lacey & Danny:

...the most anticipated pair of the night for me. Danny has had quite the interesting run in the competition. As we have talked about before, for whatever reason the level of votes for Danny just hasn't equaled the level of his dancing. So, the idea of putting him with the dancer that most connects with the audience is an interesting one. And I think it worked. They drew the samba with Dmitry Chaplin and it ended up being my second favorite of the night. Lacey was right at home and showed once again why she is such a threat to win. No matter the style, the girl is an entertainer. She has charisma by the bucketfull. Meanwhile, on the other side was Danny. This actually wasn't my favorite of his performances so far, but I think it might have been his best yet where the competition, and the securing of votes, is concerned. It's hard to gauge how the 8 or 9 million viewers are seeing him, but I thought he came across very well and with any luck that closed off/guarded perception will be going away.

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Beckylooo at TV In The Woods thoughtfully tackles the Wade Robson's solos:

When he announced the piece would have an anti-war theme, I was shocked. I live in LA. I’ve been surrounded by folks who opposed this war from moment one. But for quite a time we were in the minority. Everyone on the Left hollers that the media are shilling for the Right and everyone on the Right rages that they’re shilling for the Left. But the fact is, they’re shilling for themselves. It’s all about the bottom line. Whatever gets and holds eyeballs (ergo ad revenues) is what makes it on air. If Fox is confident that a loud cry of “Bring them home!” won’t piss off a large portion of their audience, then the pendulum has swung further than I thought. As insignificant as it might seem, it had me hopeful…

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Top 12 Results Show Recaps

Brett Love at TVSquad:

Jean-Marc Genereaux got the nod to choreograph the big opening number this week, to the tune of "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy." It was my favorite of the opening numbers so far. Lots of energy, and the period costumes were great. It's pretty impressive that, after all of the work that goes in to the weekly routine, the group is still able to come together and deliver these big numbers each week. As fun as they are though, we do tune in for the results.

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Hanh Nguyen, From Inside The Box, thinks Neil & Lauren shouldn't have been in the bottom 3, and mourns the loss of Hok:

Hok was one of my favorites for his dancing, but for the rest of the package as well. He's cool, has a nifty accent, dances, paints and plays violin well. Plus, I thought the mutual crush between him and Jaimie was cute. (Oh, and Hok would have brought in so many ticket sales for the tour!)

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Mickeyworld has the opening number and all the solo clips.

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Around The Web

MickeyWorld has all the clips from last night's show.

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Brett Love at TVSquad does his usual great job recapping, including this observation about Danny:

The other thing that I finally picked up on tonight is how he has a tendency to step out of the style of dance he is doing. When he gets away for his solo bits often times Danny the (dance of the week) performer disappears for a bit as Danny the ballet dancer appears. It's somewhat jarring and hurts the performance overall.

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TVGuide's Community Blog:

As the judges and Cat banter, I'm thinking to myself who SHOULD go. For the girls I think the bottom two in terms of range are Sara and Anya. Lacey is a frontrunner. The judges LOVE Sabra and Jaimie. And Lauren has been consistently good. The guys are all pretty much equally great. Pasha is Pasha and therefore awesome. Kameron is riding the Lacey train. The judges are absolutely enamored with Danny and Neil. Dominic consistently and pleasantly surprises everyone. And Hok has that continually growing fanbase. So in summary, I don't have any clue really! On to the show...

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Here's an interesting one. Swan Lake Samba Girl knows Pasha and Anya from the ballroom world. She gives us some insights, like this about Pasha and his hair:

I had to laugh though at Sara’s hair comment. He DOES take forever with the damn hair! But it’s a Latin ballroom thing, I swear. They all wear their hair greased down, slicked back, blown-dry and hair sprayed firmly, stiffly into place, not a stray strand or else. It’s basically a rule of competition. It looks a bit kooky to me, to be honest, but no one challenges them rules… I’m thrilled they’re encouraging change with the hair thing here, but after all this time, it’s probably just one of those things that’s part of life for him. And the women’s makeup is another thing — so much of it at the comps, and just caked on! I’ve never seen so little makeup on Anya as here, and she looks gorgeous.

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Top 14 Elimination Show Recaps

Brett Love at TVSquad:

Ya see, here's my problem with this explanation. Remember way, way back a whole 2 weeks ago? According to the judges, Jesús was given the boot because he was outdanced in the solos. The solos were the thing, right? But not now. Now it's all about the season as a whole. The hell? The thing is, even looking at the season as a whole, I'd still put Shauna ahead of Anya. Lack of growth? Really?

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Spill recaps the show:

We’re saying goodbye to two more dancers tonight, and hopefully one of them is Cedric — talented soloist, mediocre partner. But first, tonight’s group dance. It’s set to You Can’t Stop the Beat from Hairspray, as part of the whole marketing push that landed Adam Shankman on the show as a judge. But — but — they used this song for a dance last year! Repeats are lame! Plus, this Queen Latifah version is definitely not as good as the other one they used. The choreography isn’t that special, either. Thumbs down for Shankman. Where’s Tyce Diorio when you need him? Also, I love how they put Danny in the front of all the group routines. He probably won’t win, but he’s totally the best. Cat’s continuing her weak attire streak in a frilly powder-blue sixties dress and tightly pulled-back hair. We conclude by watching some rehearsal footage of Adam Shankman acting like a crazy person. Sigh, theater people. He’s got some killer splits though.

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People actually wager on the show. Hok and Lacey are given the best odds to win it all.

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Daemon's TV has all the clips and song list.

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Best Of The Recaps

Brett Love at TVSquad always entertains with his recaps.

Sabra and Dominic were off to see Shane Sparks for a hip hop routine. It wasn't what I was expecting. I thought Shane would turn Dominic loose with some of the skills he has shown in his solo performances, but he dialed things down and brought them something of an intimate hip hop number. It was different, and I thought it worked very well. I do really enjoy watching the growth of Dominic as a performer, as well as the two of them as a team. They really are great together.

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Kimberly at GirlsTalkinSmack on Neil & Lauren:

As much as I love Wade’s routines, I wish some of them weren’t so obviously his. Does that make sense? I mean, in the beginning of this we got that little poppy/locky, Thriller-esque thing that he’s been doing in so many of his routines recently. I tried SO hard to like this and not be baised against Neil and Lauren (mainly Neil) but….no. They executed it well and they played their parts, maybe a bit too hammy for my taste, but overall it left me feeling meh.

Has anyone ever actually said the word meh?

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Daemon's TV has all the clips.

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"8 Million Palms Slap 8 Million Foreheads"

Brett Love at TVSquad:

Cat recounted the Jessi/Pasha story and reiterated that Jessi was going to have to dance in the solo round for having missed performance night. But then they surprised everyone by bringing the two of them out to do the number that we didn't see last night. It's really too bad that things transpired the way they did. Had they been able to do that on performance night it would have been my favorite of the night, and I don't think Jessi would have been in danger of going home. After the dance Cat announced that Pasha was safe.

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Did Jimmy Get Robbed?

Did Cedric deserve another chance? Or did Jimmy get robbed? You can vote your choice, after Brett Love's recap at TVSquad.

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Difficult Decisions

Brett Love at TVSquad:

It's becoming quite apparent that this is going to be a tough race. The competition is just entering the second week and there really isn't anyone that sticks out as being noticeably below the rest of the group. Depending on the styles drawn each week, every team in the competition has the potential to have the best performance of the night. It should make some difficult decisions for both the voters and the judges.

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TVSquad's Recap

Brett Love at TVSquad:

And the really interesting part of that competition comes as we get to see what happens when the luck of the draw forces dancers out of their comfort zone. Being able to spin on your head is great, but not much use if you have to waltz. Much like the years of classical ballet don't mean quite as much when you land the hip-hop number. It's what makes the show so fun.

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2 Hours Of Show In A One Pound Bag

Brett Love at TVSquad gets it right.

After the three audition episodes that seemed to plod along, spending so much time on interviews and back stories, this episode just felt odd. It was as if they stuffed two hours of show in a one hour bag. Dancers just appeared on screen with no names or introduction, whether we had seen them before or not.

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