waving feather

Karen is so stupid because she should have heaved a huge sigh of relief when her patient told her she won't be seeing her anymore. Karen should have referred her to another doctor like a sane person would. Instead, she chooses to continue to tangle herself in this mess. Her patient has been lying to her all these while and yet she's still believing what comes out of her mouth? Even worse now because her patient has a reason to hold a grudge regarding Jacob.

But that's just my point though. I agree that he stood out in those numbers but those are contemporary pieces, in which he's more than comfortable to bring it to the performance level. But when he's doing something that is out of his wheelhouse, he just dances the steps without adding much performance to it. Just compare it to what Emilio did in the Jive with Bridget. His Jive technique was pretty bad but he performed the heck out of it. I haven't seen Ricky do that so far. And if we're comparing him to someone like Danny, whose technique is also great, Danny performed his butt off in the Samba with Lacey. I don't know, Ricky just seems very young, like Billy Bell. Twitch/Jessica was my favorite of the night. But it wasn't Hip Hop. More like Pop Jazz (a style we used to have on the show). I'm not a Hip Hop expert but I didn't see anything any Hip Hop style that Jessica did in that dance. But it was fun and entertaining. She finally managed to get in the right character for her dance piece. I adore Zack and wanted to give him a hug when he was crying but I'm not crazy about that choreography. It felt like the piece was just beginning to build up but due to time limit, ended abruptly. But who knows, maybe that's the whole point of the dance. I love how Zack throws all of himself in every dance that he's done so far. Jasmine/Emilio Hip Hop didn't really work for me. Both of them danced it fine but their style of movements are so different that I couldn't get into it. I hate it when side by side dancing in Hip Hop doesn't sync perfectly (both style and timing) I didn't feel any chemistry in both ballroom pieces. They danced it fine, though.

Ricky is so not a performer. He has all the steps down but I've noticed this about him even in his partnership with Valerie. In the Viennese Waltz, Bollywood and hip hop, my eyes go to Valerie instead of Ricky even though she was sloppier one. He just doesn't POP when he's not dancing contemporary. The same thing happened when he was dancing with Lauren. Casey has even became a more interesting performer than Ricky. Zack is always performing the heck out of his dances even if his technique may not all be there. At the end of the day, I just want to be entertained, so Casey and Zack for top 2 boys! I didn't even consider Rudy because his type of performance doesn't entertain me. It's too much.

Speaking of Tyce, I usually hate Tyce's Broadway pieces but really enjoy his pure Jazz choreography. For Jazz choreography, I prefer him to Sonya (who is better at Contemporary). The choreography for Valerie and Ade was fun and crisp with a lot of interesting transitions and steps, so I don't blame the failure of the dance on Tyce for this one. It's solely on the lack of connection between Val and Ade and Valerie was not a believable character in the dance.

Yeah, I don't get it either. I'm not a fan of Valerie and I think this is the best we are going to get from her with contemporary/jazz technique, but she's expected to be on the same level as the other contemporary dancers. Same with Zack. He kept up with Amy, but if he didn't, will he be critiqued harshly while contemporary dancers get a pass on sub-par ballroom or hip hop routines. And he had Afro Jazz, Jazz, Contemporary and next week paired up with Mackenzie, so I can only assume Broadway or some other variation of Jazz. Which he can do well, but man, I'd love to see him Tap. Same with Valerie. There are definitely past season contestants who can tap, what are they waiting for? They only seem impressed by contemporary technique coming from Hip Hop dancers but it's taken for granted that tappers should be able to do it naturally. This show definitely has become So You Think You Can Contemporary. Sad about Emilio and Bridget. Bridget and Zack are my favorites and I like Emilio a lot. So, sure, all 3 are in the bottom. Perhaps, I can finally stop watching when they send Zack home and the rest can duke it out contemporary style.

Oh goodness, that would be my dream combo. Jess and Zack! Both are so good at inhabiting the dance and a classic tap/broadway routine would be a dream come true.Let's hope Rudy is a better Ballroom dancer than he is a contemporary dancer. In that Travis boys routine, he was easily the worst. Yeah, Serge and Emilio were better than him. Incredible he outlasts so many better dancers. That's what a lot of screen time, loud personality and a showmance will do for you. Take note, future SYTYCD wanna-bes.

That Paso was quite bad. Mainly because of Jacque who was quite slow and wobbly to me. Zack wasn't fantastic either but at least he was in character. I loved the boys routine. Zack really killed that one. He may not have Ricky's extensions or flexibility but the quality of movement is beautiful. Not too sad about Serge, Teddy and Emily but Carly was a loss imo. She's a better dancer than Jessica. But that's what having no screen time will do to you. The only people left in the competition who also had no screen time during auditions are Zack and Jacque.

I'd be sad if it is cancelled. Even though the choreography has not been inspiring and the camera work is crap, this is the only dance show that I watch on TV right now. And I really enjoy the format. They do need to get new blood for the choreography though. What's with Travis and Sonya doing 2 routines each (1 group, 1 duet) this episode? At this point, no matter how "brilliant" their choreography may be, due to over-exposure, we have seen it all and nothing will challenge our expectations. There are also too many Jazz/Contemporary routines each episode. Hip hop is such a failure on this show. Is it only this season because I don't remember contestants from earlier seasons being that bad at Hip Hop. The only Hip Hop routine I liked this season is the Zack/Jacque one. Right now I'm mostly watching for Bridget and Zack. Bridget is the biggest surprise for me because I would never have guessed she would take to choreography so well. I've enjoyed all four routines she did on the show. Zack, too, is so charismatic when he dances. I thought he rocked 3 out of 4 routines (with Afro Jazz being my least favorite). He's such a great performer. Sadly, I'm guessing both won't be long for the show. Being in the bottom this early in the season doesn't bode well for either of them.

Maybe I'm just feeling grumpy, but I thought none of the choreography or dances were particularly good this episode. So disappointing. Ricky & Valerie Bollywood - One of the clunkiest Bollywood on SYTYCD, mainly because of Val. Ricky was dancing his ass off but Valerie, in her true Valerie-fashion was slow and I swear there were times when she was off-beat. Her hands were also flopping all over the place. Bridget & Emilio Contemporary - Both of them did their best and there were times when Bridget did something so beautiful, but it's Travis Wall contemporary and I just can't get into it. Hate how the guy walks away in the end AGAIN. We need to start a tally on how many times someone walks away at the end of the routine choreographed by Travis Wall. LOVED Travis as a contestant. Hate his choreography in general. Tanisha & Rudy Hip Hop - Poor Tanisha seemed to be dancing with her little brother. Still don't understand how Rudy got into Top 20. His friend Nick was a much better dancer. They might as well pair up Rudy and Jacque so that Zack and Tanisha can be freed of the silly showmance questions. And a Zack/Tanisha combo will be awesome. Jessica & Marcquet Foxtrot - This was actually pretty entertaining. I liked Marcquet with his hair tied back. I could actually see his face now! But he needs more finese in his dancing and I think he will get there as he grows older. Jessica is a lovely dancer but she's still making faces that takes me right out of the dance. She's a pretty bad actress. Carly & Serge Contemporary - Carly is a great dancer with amazing ability (even more so than Ricky) but I don't get much personality in her dancing. But I'd rather take that than someone like Rudy who is sloppy. Serge is just there. Teddy & Emily Salsa - This was so bad, I fast forward it 15 seconds in. These two have anti-chemistry. Zack & Jacque Jazz - The dance started really strong (loved how Zack was moving towards Jacque in the beginning) but there were too many lifts in the middle of the dance. So it wasn't as snappy as I'd liked, but that's more on the choreography. These two still have amazing chemistry. That handstand with her lying beneath him was hot. The problem though was at some points Jacque danced it like she was dancing contemporary, not a Sonya Jazz piece. So in that sense, she didn't 100% get the feel of the dance. This routine would have killed with Zack/Tanisha combo. Casey & Brooklyn Hip Hop - Another stinker. I thought BOTH of them were bad. In different ways. Casey wasn't grounded enough; he always looked like he was about to tip toe. Brooklyn was okay but her shoulders were all tense. They didn't have the same quality of movement either. I can't tell how good or bad the group routines were because the camera work was atrocious. They framed every angle badly.

One of the most underrated routines that I love is the Tap routine by Aaron & Melinda Sullivan choreographed by Anthony Morigerato to When I Was Your Man. Melinda was brilliant in this. Just the right emotion and her technique and performance were graceful and lovely. The best female tapper the show had IMO. I hope she gets to come back and tap with Zack if he makes Top 10. Aaron was also good but he could be doing less with his face in this routine. http://youtu.be/zIhoO3pue_c

Karen is just so stupid. The best thing she could have done was to close the case with Jacob if she plans to keep seeing her patient. Either that or let the patient go. She gets herself in all these moral dilemmas and always seems to do the worst option possible. I don't care how wrong it is... I like Joss and Harry together. IRL I would never approve dating your sister's ex-husband but because they are the only couple that has natural chemistry with each other and it was not moved at break neck speed, I'm all for it. I fear that the writers will ruin it though. But clearly, Joss seems way too concerned about Harry's happiness. I'm fine with shoe guy but I didn't like how he practically forced Joss to say ILY back to him. She was clearly uncomfortable but he insisted on her verbalising it. What's the hurry, dude?!

I agree that Serge didn't keep up in the Hip Hop. He was flopping all over the place and lost the character the entire time. I nitpick on Valerie all the time but Ricky was just as bad as her in the Viennese Waltz. I would give a pass to Emilio though because he at least got the entertainment part locked down. But then it's easier for him because of his jive routine is more energetic and fun than what Marcquet got.

Another group routine I love is the Flamenco/Jazz from season 8 Top 12 choreographed by Kelley Abbey. I love that every dancer was so in character. In fact, season 8 has many good group dances. XR2 by Sonya for season 8 Top 20 is also awesome. Velocity by Chris Scott for season 8 Top 10 guys (the Matrix dance) is very entertaining: Posion and Wine contemporary by Dee (?) was lovely. All in all, I always loved how much the season 8 dancers got into the group dances.

It's true that both Teddy and Zack seem very versatile, but the real test will be when they have to do ballroom. Because that's the one most contemporary or hip hop dancers have trouble with. Poor Zack will never get to show off his tap specialty unless he makes the top 10 and they get an all-star to do a routine with him. The more I watch the Keone and Mariel Hip Hop routine, the more I like it. It's such a well-danced and honestly emoted (without over-doing) piece, from the very beginning when Zack was just lying there without moving. And the little moment where he lifted her chin before going around the stage was wonderful.

It's weird because I was totally annoyed by Bridget and her weak dancing during the audition and call-back rounds, but she's probably my favorite from the female side right now. I thought she was perfection in the Jive. She looked like a pin-up girl and captured the character perfectly. She was a joy to watch. Even though her arms were weak during last week's Hip Hop, she captured that character perfectly too. Besides Zack and Jacque, another unexpected partnership that's working for me is Bridget and Emilio. He looks shorter than her, but they compliment each other in their on-stage presence. Ricky and Valerie are adorable when they're not dancing but a hot mess when they are dancing together. When he was spinning her around, Ricky looked like he might fall over from her and the weight of her dress. That's the ugliest Viennese Waltz I've seen on SYTYCD in my memory. Compare this to the one Amy and Fik-shun did last season. Fik-shun ain't much bigger than Amy also but he wasn't overwhelmed by Amy like Ricky was by Valerie. Have the judges gone blind? Ricky is fading fast for me. He used to be my favorite even before the auditions but he just doesn't have as much charm and charisma as the other guys when he is dancing. And Valerie, to me, doesn't even belong in the Top 20. Jessica always looks like she's staring in High School Musical with her facial expressions. It's all very juvenile. Casey is a male Jessica, in that he has wonderful technique but also looks like he's staring in HSM. But I would take him over.... Rudy, who is just not a very good dancer and I hate that we are all pretending he is. He's not adorable either. How old is he? He acts like he's 12. He was stiff in his shoulders and has little flexibility in his number with Tanisha. And at some points, he was holding his cane really awkwardly. Very sloppy. I feel bad for Tanisha because she's a good dancer and she's being saddled with him. My favorites at this point are Zack, Emilio and Casey from the guys and Bridget, Jacque and Tanisha from the girls. That's what I call being a good actor. ;-) ETA: Emily, Teddy and Brooklyn are so forgettable that I even forgot what they did in their pieces. Carly is good and Serge is just okay.

I kind of have a crush on both Zack and Jacque after that performance. Yes it was a bit simple but they nailed what was given to them (especially Zack, the articulation of his hands and feet is wonderful) and the chemistry between them is lovely. These two really lucked out with being each other's partner. Not only do they look compatible looks-wise but the quality of movement is also very compatible. My opinion of Valerie will stands. Unlike her fellow tapper, she's a sloppy and awkward dancer.

I wish we could have Brian Friedman back again. Great dancer and choreographer. I still love the pop jazz piece that he choreographed for Kayla and Max. SYTYCD Season 5 Week 2 Kayla and Max, Pop-Jazz:

With the talk of Mia as a choreographer in the other thread, I'm trying to think of some of her choreography that are favorites of mine. Danny and Neil Contemporary: Dueling Princes. Now, I wouldn't mind seeing more of this kind of contemporary. Danny and Lauren Contemporary. This is one of those couple contemporaries but it's so joyful! This dance just makes me happy. It's literally a couple frolicking happily, unlike 99% of the things that Travis Wall spits out. And Danny is just stunning! I don't think SYTYCD had a dancer like him since then. All this talk about S11 Ricky Ubeda, he still dances like a young boy but Danny dances like a man. Wade also had a lot of brilliant choreography. Neil and Lauren: Angel & Devil Jazz. This was just a fun dance with fun characters. Season 3 Top 18 group dance: It Was All in Your Mind. Still my favorite big group dance routine of all time. I can actually tell dancers apart and it all came together beautifully (unlike S11 Sonya's Top 20 group dance). I never tire of watching it. Season 6 Top 20 group dance: Comanche. So good. Season 5 Top 10 group dance: So Much Betta. The Japanese inspired dance. Just visually interesting and the music choice is awesome. Season 6 Group dance: Aha! The creepy statues coming to life. The musicality is amazing. Mia and Wade definitely had a big hand in making SYTYCD popular back in the day by their choreography.

Yeah, no thanks to most of the contemporary competition type solos. Most of them are dull as dirt. I would love to see solos from the tappers, though, because aside from their showcase number, there's no chance that they'd get to show off their specialty in any of the other regular dance styles that they get on the show. I would enjoy solo from Emilio, too.

The best contemporary choreographer we had on the show is still Mia. Like her or not, she has produced the most memorable routines over the course of a few seasons (Let the Drummer Kick, anyone?). Travis can only dream to be like her. His routines all blend together for me. Worst contemporary choreographer on the show, imo. And his choice of music is always generic and uninspiring. Top 40 angsty love songs all the time. Bleh. I miss Wade's Jazz, too. It's always so distinctive. I'm surprised we didn't have any standard ballroom this episode, like a Viennese Waltz. This show is make or break by its choreography, rather than the dancers.

This surprised me too. I didn't want this at first because it seems like Fodder Couple with both of their auditions not being shown. But the partnership worked really well. They have similar tall slim physique. And Jacque seemed less like a blank check after pairing with Zack. Go Team Fodder?!? I'm still intrigued by Zack. He has some technique there but not the same as the contemporary dancers. More of a Broadway style (like Jess LeProtto). I love that he always completes his movements and is quite precise in them. The flail-y contemporary dancers on the show tend to not complete their movements. The partnership that didn't work in terms of physique is Ricky and Valerie. Ricky is so tiny and lithe, while Valerie is broader. Tanisha and Rudy were also well-partnered in terms of physique. Tanisha is a strong dancer. Rudy, for a contemporary, has terrible feet. He doesn't even point his toes?! I'm still not a fan of Teddy's hip-hop dancing. He has the groove but doesn't hit hard enough when it's required. Just because you are groovy doesn't mean you don't need to be hard-hitting when necessary. Emily was terrible in the hip hop. Not sure what she was going for there. Bridget and Emilio were cute. Bridget had the right attitude but her arms are SO weak. They literally looked like noodles at some moments. I actually thought Malene was more in character in the routine than Stanley. Stanley lost the plot quickly and was just dancing through it. Stanley has gorgeous lines but that won't be enough for me to appreciate him as a dancer. Jourdan and Marcquet were a mess! Worst routine of the night, for me. Both of them were not dancing with each other and I thought Marcquet looked outright ungraceful throughout the dance, while Jourdan danced heavy. It was hard to watch. Brooklyn and Casey were good, I guess. They nailed the choreography but it's just like 2 kids playing dress up.

I wasn't impressed by Valerie in her tap routine last week and this was worse. The girl is so stiff and ungraceful. They probably wouldn't give her real criticism because she's paired with Ricky but honestly, Ricky was doing all the work (i.e. making it look good) in that piece while she was just like a block of wood. And how is it fair that Ricky, Teddy, and Emilio got their own styles once again?

I wouldn't mind Carter being a bit rebellious and bitter about the situation but I lost all sympathy for her when she pulled that mall prank. I understand not liking Elizabeth but to humiliate her in front of everyone, playing on her insecurity of losing you and then laughing at the video of the humiliation. Wow. Sociopathic little bitch. There's no way to redeem her for me after that little display. I guess she does take after her kidnapper mother. And oh please, the "love you more"s is making me puke. Carter will only understand how Elizabeth feels when the same thing happens to her when she has a child of her own.

I really liked this episode. It was slower pace but everything made sense more. It's nice to see the kids back in school and doing normal-ish things.Stiles and Scott spending more time with each other is always great as well.

My favorite disco routine of all time is from season 1, with Kamilah and Nick. It's one of the only disco dances that actually captures the spirit of disco. I miss strong hip hop dancers like Kamliah, who was also quite versatile. Another thing that is missing from recent seasons is the attitude that dancers bring to their pieces. More often than not, dancers from latter seasons concentrate so much on getting the steps and technique right that the dance is no longer fun to watch (e.g. the latest from Serge & Brooklyn and Malene and Marquet. I don't feel like anyone of them was having fun. I only felt the "fun" in Tanish and Nick's routine.) Tyce's Jazz by Natalie and Benji. Tyce sucks at Broadway but he can do good Jazz. Natalie is absolutely beautiful. I didn't want the dance to end. And Benji was a good example of knowing how to look good in any routine even though his technique may not be all there. Contemporary by Natalie and Musa was another great routine. Why can't we have more contemporaries like this instead of all the over-wrought Travis Wall routines?