preex

I disagree. I think the judges got more friendly, less objectively critical, and the choreographers worked around the dancers more since S4 and the show has stayed pretty much the same ever since. There is definitely audience fatigue with a show that has been on 11 seasons, and some viewers are no longer interested in the dancers/dancing but don't want to move on.

I blame the simple choreography. I thought the piece heavily relied on the costumes, hello Gaga ArtRave, and the dancers' quirkiness to make it interesting and to match it to the energy of the music. Jessica and Ade aren't really quirky performers. I had the same impression with Ray's devil piece for Emilio/Bridget. The steps didn't live up to the "story". What's with the lighting? It was hard to see Valerie/Twitch's dancing with that combination of white outfits, dancing in front of a white table cloth, white spotlight, and a bright light grey background. Also so much go-to strobe lights for 'high energy'. I totally agreed with the judges on the ballroom pieces. Regardless of the actual technique, Ricky came across natural/effortless whereas Jacque showed 'thinking' on her face. Zack is so versatile but for some reason he doesn't stand out to me unless the camera highlights him. The disco was a nice departure from those how-many-lifts-can-i-put-in disco routines. It reminded me of the earlier seasons disco when the dancers actually had fun dancing it and not just preping/doing lifts the whole time. I really like Phillip's concept for the hip-hop piece. Zack/Fikshun were great but I felt two dancers were not enough to carry out the potential of that concept. I agree that life experience can really help the dancers' performances, but I am guessing there are way more young dancers who are starting out than working dancers in their 20s trying out for the show.

Not surprised. It was a great piece and the only nominated piece that didn't take place on one set stage. Last year's winner had a piece that was set in a rotating stage, and in one of the years before Smash won over SYTYCD and DWTS nominees. SYTYCD was one of two winners for costumes. Outstanding host went to Jane Lynch. Live hosting doesn't get the benefit of post-production editing so it's strange that they are compared to recorded show hosting. They are related but different things. It's like when performance/choreography from Smash was compared to the ones from SYTYCD or DWTS.

I don't think Allison was overlooked on her season at all, she was consistently praised by the judges. If anything, I think she lost out on votes because people assumed that she would be safe. I think it is fair to say the views on the unfairly pumped up field can be HIGHLY subjective. Ha. I like all the remaining guys with Ricky being my favorite. I think he definitely had some flat/ok performances but he brings something special and a level above the rest when he is in his element. Zack is like Tanisha for me in that they are both impressively versatile but can be a bit subdue in their performances. Casey's performance ability has grown so much since the start of the season, especially after top 12. He's more relaxed and that even shows in his post show interviews. I don't have a preference when it comes to the girls. Jessica was in a few memorable pieces, but both good memorable and bad memorable. lol. I think Jacque's run on the show has been good but uneventful. Of the three remaining girls, Valerie has the most stage presence but is also probably the weakest dancer.

Here it is, with guests Makenzie Dustman & Jasmine Harper. Courtney Galiano was also scheduled but she got stuck on set. I highly doubt Nigel personally chose a theme featuring Michael Jackson as a spiteful response to Wade's allegations. I don't even think Nigel is that involved in the organization/production part of the show. Allegations against Michael Jackson has been around for years and years even before his death. If people feel strongly that his work should be ostracized due to those allegations, then you would think there'd be outrage last year when his work was used and praised on the show. Edited to fix the link.

Four contemporary dances and a broadway, couldn't they put in a 'special' style to mix things up? I don't like music theme night. The choreographers already have to work around dancer skill levels and tight schedules, th­­­e music theme just puts more restrictions on creativity. This MJ theme kind of ties everything together and makes them blend in a bad way. Ricky got to show his strength in his solo and duet but at this point I feel like I'm taking it for granted. Valerie was a pleasant surprise in her samba, I thought she sold the feel and look of the dance despite the little bit of awkwardness at times where she had the tapper stance and arms. Casey's definitely showing the emotion of the dance more now. I didn't get Tanisha's solo then and I don't get it now. The ballroom shoes/outfit and leg lifts/floor work combo just doesn't show her off at all. Allison's characterization elevated her duet. I love it when a performer is not afriad to look 'ugly', she gives it all with no reservation. MacKenzie looked gorgeous even though her dress didn't seem to fit right. I loved the wardrobe styling for that piece but I thought there were too much side-by-side work in that choreography.

Dancing with the Stars has jazz and contemporary as styles now so why not bring in dancers with different backgrounds. SYTYCD/Nigel has been setting Allison up like some ultimate all star contemporary dancer in the past few years but I always thought, ever since season 2, that she is one of the most versatile dancers on the show. She doesn't have the best technique or flexibility, but she has great control of her body and the ability to take on the persona/feel of other styles. I know she did a tango on DWTS and performed with Ballroom with a Twist. Season 2 was in 2006, it's possible that she picked up another dance style since then.

Sadly, I think the only people who really remember that, are on this board. No, it is about America's favorite dancer! Ha. Some of the favorites like Twitch, Cyrus, and Chenon were not versatile dancers. It makes sense that the specialists aren't too versatile and I love what they bring to the show. I actually find Jessica more a generalist than a specialist and I think the perception of her performances has been quite dependent on the choreography.

I enjoyed this week's Afterbuzztv show, it's always nice when they have candid guests who can be specific with their praise and criticism. The male cohost, Jake, is very good with that also, too bad that's his last show for the season. Nick was his snarky, jokey self with his irreverent sense of humor, but his snark and critiques were about the dance/performance and he also had many positive things to say about the choreographers and dancers outside of his "friend" circle. A few highlights of his comments on the dancers: - He thought as a whole, the contestants are not quite up to par to their all star partners. (I thought that was a fair comment because many of the dancers danced their own genre this week.) - He thought it was good to see Ricky doing fast and athletic movement because that has been Ricky's weakness. - He noted that Ade, a strong guy, had difficulty in lifting Valerie. (That's a comment about Valerie not having the technique of a liftee.) - He was proud of Zack carrying off that piece and pointed out a difficult part in the choreography where the dancers had to change visual spot and then pirouette. Re Twitch/Jessica's hip hop After hearing Nappytabs say in one of their post show interviews that the piece's less about isolation and more house influenced, I can see it. I think maybe the piece was danced too upright and "clean" and that gave it a strong jazz feel.

Yes, his sister was the one who accused SYTYCD of stealing her live submission for the show. Basically she submitted a piece for the show and didn't get pick up, and when she saw Travis' Medicine piece with Tucker/Robert she decided that something unethical happened, as if she had the exclusive idea/right of using that music and choreographing a piece about a person helping another based on the lyric of that music. I thought that was quite embarrassing for a seasoned professional like her.

I just watched the danceplug Louis Van Amstel interview. When the host commented that Rudy has a ballroom background, Louis said Rudy has done ballroom but has never done competition, and you can't call yourself a ballroom dancer unless you have done competition. Is that a rule in the ballroom world, a SYTYCD world, or both? The Afterbuzztv show on this week's SYTYCD starts in a few minutes, with guest Nick Lazzarini and Jaimie Goodwin.

Yes it is. Classical ballet is the traditional style with the strict ballet technique. Contemporary ballet is a combination of different styles and techniques, allows for a greater range of movement, and can include classical pointe technique. I have seen many contemporary ballet performances and thought that piece would fit right in. It was a bit heavy on the ballet side for my preference but it's not like that are set rules. She has never been in the bottom so who knows. That performance really was not good. It wasn't even about the technique or the lack thereof, but there was just not enough energy. Like when she raised her foot to Ade's stomach level, she was really just raising her foot, it gave no stop or push meaning behind the movement. Also there was a part where she raised her arms, she was like an unenthusiastic participant forced to do a wave in an arena. She has always radiated great energy in her past performances so it was strange.

re Jasmine and Emilio I totally agree, for me that was the best of the night. I loved the concept, the choreography, the dancing, and the performance. Jasmine in that costume was almost gorgeous to the point of being unfair to her partner, but Emilio still kept me interested in them, not just her. My love for this Nappytaps choreography does not carry over to their other choreography for Jessica/Twitch, at all. I think the lighting department kind of let the Tanisha/Ryan and Jacque/Chenon pieces down a bit. The argentine tango was executed flawlessly but the bright yellow and green light took away some of the tension and impact of the dance. The contemporary ballet needed a bit of color to contrast the costumes and movements. I thought Jacque/Chenon had a few little kinks at the beginning of that piece but it got lovely and fluid. Zack again proved himself to be a versatile dancer. I've always thought he dives right into his dance/performance but this is the first week that it really came through on the screen. Ricky was great as expected, in both dancing and characterization. Poor Casey talking about performing with his face when he doesn't seem to have a wide range of facial expression. Ha. Valerie. I like her personality but i thought this was her worst week. She looked like she was marking some of the steps with hardly any intention behind them. That cha cha seems slow and very dwts like. Lots of dancing from Jenna.

The judges' familiarity and lax critique for certain contestants in S4 made me less enthusiastic about S5 and S6. Then I got over it and just tuned out the judges and enjoyed the dances/dancers. I think Ricky was stunning in the first week and performed well in all the other duets, but none of those pieces really stood out to me. I thought the Bollywood was too busy and lacked the 'tease' and the hip hop was more mad scientist fun than creepy witch doctor/voodoo doll. But he is amazing in his own style and I can see why the judges are excited to have an exceptional dancer on the show. I mean look at Twitch, loved by everyone, great performer and amazing at his own style, but made it to top 4 through technique light contemporary and messy ballroom (barefeet waltz, frantic paso). Oh, in one of Stacey's interview, she mentioned the concept of the group piece was someone who got to dance in heaven and then returned back to earth. I guess the gold paint is a remnant of heaven.

TYCE? Ha. I prefer him for contemporary than broadway. Off the top of my head, some of his pieces I enjoyed: Allison/Ivan Why Will/Jessica Silence Melissa/Ade This Woman's Work Emily/Teddy Ne Me Quitte Pas I get why the producers work with repeating choreographers who understand the purpose of the show and can work under its conditions. Short notice, dancers of various skill levels, little rehearsal time, filmed for tv, and 90-second choreography that need to showcase the dancers as well as capture audience attention. That is not easy and when things don't turn out due to issues out of the choreographers' control, their names are still attached to it. I do wish there is more balance in terms of styles. I know the producers care about the mood of the pieces, but sometimes it is so uneven in terms of styles, especially when you get choreographers who do jazzy hip-hop, lyrical hip-hop, or when all the contemporary choreographers decide to do sentimental relationship pieces on the same night or consecutive weeks. Also broadway is basically jazz in another name, the producers already push for story driven pieces anyway. I remember the seasons when some people kept complaining that there were too much Wade and Mia, and how their pieces were predictable/boring, got too much praise, unfairly favored the dancers who got to do the pieces, etc. It's funny to see probably the same people are making similar complaints about Sonya and Travis now and wishing for Wade and Mia's return.