S11.E08: Top 18 Perform, 2 Eliminated

[LadyArcadia]

I clearly know nothing about dance. I thought that waltz looked sloppy and Valerie's arms looked like floppy muppet arms.

 

I really liked the opening number.

 

Clearly you do. It was terrible.  No movement, baby steps and too much up and down.  They needed to be into their knees more and should have been gliding across the floor. The body contact issue was fixed.  Both are important, but if I had my choice I would have preferred the focus to be on the movement rather than maintaining contact.  It was terrible in frame. It reminded me of a tentative prom dance. Outside of frame they did fairly well.  Yikes.. bad... bad.. Viennese Waltz.

 

And Nigel got it completely wrong with the skeleton hip hop number. My favorite of the night. I couldn't keep my eyes off of Carly(? still learning names).

[dusang]

Well we know that Marcquet was the sacrificial lamb for the week.  Mary went along with the narrative until they criticized his partnering skills (this week and last).  Then she had to speak up for his partnering abilities.  So I think he must be strong in this area because Mary is a team player.  She never would've gone against them so verbally if he weren't good.

 

Fair enough -- as I said, I FFed through most of the critiques but I did stop to hear Misty on that particular one.

[Mertseger]

Dammit, Lacy: your routine almost  made me cry. It's so rare that a ballroom routine is the best of the evening for me, and yours definitely was.

 

The show should do an entire episode using only the shows alums as choreographers.

 

Tasty, an allusion to the funky chicken every time the vocalist sings the word "funky"? Really?

 

I think it was Emily's rehearsal outfit that made me think that a choreographer really needs to create Lara Croft routine at some point. Someone get on the clearances.

[Alison]

-Valerie seems like a sweet girl, and she has wonderful chemistry with Ricky, but that VW did not deserve a standing O. At all. I think the judges were dazzled by the costuming and loving looks the dancers were giving each other. Valerie dances so heavy (tap doesn't exactly encourage you to be light on your feet) and her torso was just a hot mess. Hunched shoulders, neck crunched down, etc. Then there was a moment where her lovely, bejeweled foot made an appearance in a high kick...and it wasn't pointed. I was glad Mary commented on those technicalities, even if it did follow gushing praise.

-It wasn't until I watched Rudy and Tanisha's dance a second time that I realized how out of sync they were.

 

-Maybe I just had my mind in the gutter, but Jessica had some major camel toe action going on in that costume.

-While I loved the opening number, dances that are so heavily costumed like that can be frustrating, because I want to know who's who.

[OakGoblinFly]

Well we know that Marcquet was the sacrificial lamb for the week.  Mary went along with the narrative until they criticized his partnering skills (this week and last).  Then she had to speak up for his partnering abilities.  So I think he must be strong in this area because Mary is a team player.  She never would've gone against them so verbally if he weren't good.

 

 

I disagree - Marcquet rightly deserved the criticism he received; he was wobbly, awkward, and not very good in his routine this week.  I did not see much extension or fluidity in his movements and I thought he lacked connection with his partner.  Additionally, I thought he wasn't very good in last week's routine; again appearing to lack extension, fluidity, and connection.  Even in the Samba I thought the he and Marlene were dancing two different styles and it didn't work for me.

 

As far as partnering skills, I think the criticism stems from the fact that Macquet was tentative and unbalance for many of the lifts/carries.  The on-the-floor/hand-to-hand connections were okay; the emotional connection/partnering was lacking.

[Lila82]

Tanisha is ungodly strange looking, but front and center during the group number and hitting all her marks.  She has an anti-dance body, but is terrific in everything she does.  Who knew?

 

I adore Keone and Mari and the strange things that they do.  So much of their work is precise, specific movements and likely just as challenging as throwing elbows or whatever the terms are for more traditional hip hop.  I like that their work is different, but instantly identifiable.  Loved the opening number too.  It was dynamic and interesting and played to each troupe member's strengths but still worked as a whole.  I appreciated that I could rarely tell which dancer was which, or even their genders.

 

Despite over exaggerated facial expressions, Jessica remains dead-behind-the-eyes.  I don't think there's any quick fix for it. 

 

I don't mind Tyce, but enough with the contemporary numbers choreographed to French music with dancers looking like escapees from "The Kid."

 

It wasn't until I watched Rudy and Tanisha's dance a second time that I realized how out of sync they were.

 

 

It started during their first set of flying turns and went downhill from there.  Rudy is such a strange bird.  Can he speak in full sentences?  He's adorable, but nothing that comes out of his mouth makes any sense.

 

ETA:

 

Casey!  Refreshing to see a male dancer in a contemporary/jazz number that did more than forklift.  Stanley might be gone, but Casey can fly as well.   I'd love to see a solo from him.

Edited July 17, 2014 by Lila82

[Rinaldo]

Warren Carlyle, this week's Broadway choreographer, is the real deal. Almost for the first time in the history of the series (though Andy Blankenbuehler certainly deserves a mention), they had someone who's actually at the top of the profession in this area and in big demand right now. (He won a Tony award just last month.) And the difference showed, in the quality of the work he did.

[realdancemom]

You can tell that Nigel wanted Marcquet in the bottom next week. He normally says you're a ballroom or hip-hop dancer but you can point your toes.  Marcquet is not a jazz or contemporary dancer.  He started training when he was 14 so his technique or flexibility isn't great.  I want to see him do hip-hop but not with Jessica. He was really good in the opening number along with Emilio and Tanisha.

 

Tanisha and Carly are really versatile for the girls.  Ricky is still my favorite guy but I wish Tanisha was his partner.  He also needs to do hip-hop or Latin so I can see how versatile he is.

[phoenix780]

I didn't hear Misty say fierce one time last night, and the judges were pretty on point, I thought, which was nice to see.  My guess as to why Nigel was in the middle: Misty seemed to be well-liked, at least here and excluding the "fierce."  I think he wanted to be closer to that.  I hope she comes back every week, I want to hear her compare the dancers from week-to-week again, and I feel like she makes the other two elevate their game.  Plus, I think she's in it for the dancers/dance, not just for the show. 

 

As far as the dancers...frankly, I can't remember much besides Valerie's amazing dress, and while I love her because she has this old-school happy thing going on, imho, she needs to thank the costumers.  Although she did figure out how to make it move the way it needed to.  

 

She's also the only girl I can remember by name.  Some of the others I can't even distinguish- thought it was really unfortunate for the two who had their faces painted this early in the game.  

 

I think my favorite part of the whole night, though, was Tyce choreographing two routines that seemed to be towards the beginning of the show (I couldn't remember either one by the end) and the the closer being a Broadway routine by someone else.  In my head he seemed grumpier, and I'd imagine that would set off his ego...which made me smile.  Just seemed like a bit of a well-deserved knock against him, since there wasn't the same level of fawning he normally receives.

[Rula Lenzka]

Ricky and Valerie are really adorable, and she looked really princess-like in her dress. However when their dance was over, I was puzzled to see such a reaction from the judges. I thought Valerie looked hunched over and a flailing, her arms never looked as beautiful as they should during a VW. Nigel's comment about loving seeing her in a dress for a change or something, hasn't she worn a dress the last 3 weeks?

 

I like Rudy while he dances, but his mugging and general annoyingness makes me dislike him any other time, and the whole romance thing is the height of annoying.

 

I think the judges liked Marquet more for his untraditional ballroom look than they liked his dancing, and I bet if he would have auditioned as a hip hop guy he wouldn't have made it. I wasn't overly impressed with his audition and from what Mary said he had a few stumbles during NotVegas week that we didn't see. I think they were hoping he would rise to the challenge and he hasn't.

[Alison]

Warren Carlyle, this week's Broadway choreographer, is the real deal. Almost for the first time in the history of the series (though Andy Blankenbuehler certainly deserves a mention), they had someone who's actually at the top of the profession in this area and in big demand right now. (He won a Tony award just last month.) And the difference showed, in the quality of the work he did.

I thought Joshua Bergasse, who choreographed last week's group number, was impressive, too. He's making his Broadway review with the "On the Town" revival.

Although, let's be honest, any Broadway choreographer who's tried their hand at SYTYCD is better than He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named will ever be. Stick to jazz and contemporary, Chinstrap.

[dusang]

I adore Keone and Mari and the strange things that they do.  So much of their work is precise, specific movements and likely just as challenging as throwing elbows or whatever the terms are for more traditional hip hop.

 

Just FYI -- "throwing elbows" means to start a fight.  You know, by throwing your elbow in someone's face.  Also, and I know exactly what you're saying and am not criticizing you or your word choice, but I kind of love the irony of the phrase "traditional hip hop".  Oy, I'm old.

 

I think my favorite part of the whole night, though, was Tyce choreographing two routines that seemed to be towards the beginning of the show (I couldn't remember either one by the end) and the the closer being a Broadway routine by someone else.  In my head he seemed grumpier, and I'd imagine that would set off his ego...which made me smile.  Just seemed like a bit of a well-deserved knock against him, since there wasn't the same level of fawning he normally receives.

 

Was it me, or was the loud shout of "Yes!" close to the beginning of the carpet routine totally Tasty screaming his own praises??  I started laughing so hard I had to rewind.

Edited July 17, 2014 by dusang

[crossover]

I think the judges liked Marquet more for his untraditional ballroom look than they liked his dancing, and I bet if he would have auditioned as a hip hop guy he wouldn't have made it. I wasn't overly impressed with his audition and from what Mary said he had a few stumbles during NotVegas week that we didn't see. I think they were hoping he would rise to the challenge and he hasn't.

I disagree.  I think he was chosen as ballroom fodder.  They really liked Nick (Mary went on and on about his feet) and Serge is like part of their family.  He's not a seasoned ballroom dancer but he's good.  I loved his audition and thought he was great in the samba.  The last couple of weeks, he hasn't shone but the routines were designed for Jourdan.  I just think they thought he would've hit B3 by now.  So they did a 180 from last week in hopes that he will be in the bottom which would probably save Serge.

[realdancemom]

You can tell they want Serge to stay. He was horrible in the hip-hop. Marcquet and Carly would have killed that number. I forgot to mention that Zach and Teddy are versatile for the guys.

[StupidSexyFlanders]

Nigel really needs to stop complimenting the female dancers only on their beauty and costumes. I know that Valerie looked awesome in that dress, but he could have brought that up AND talked about her actual dancing! He was really weird about Carly and Serge's awesome skeleton dance, too. Why wouldn't anyone vote for that? They were both great (especially Carly). Maybe it's because she wasn't wearing a hoop skirt or a princess dress?

I feel I little tired of Rudy already. Obviously, the whole showmance thing with Jacque is annoying, but it also feels like the judges keep trying to ram down our throats how LOVABLE he is. "Isn't he SO LOVABLE?!?!" "America can't help but fall in LOVE with you!!" Um...actually we can. I'm sure he's a nice guy, but the last 2 weeks Tanisha (who is demonstrably not that lovable) has danced circles around him, and is a decent performer, but the judges practically ignore her while tongue bathing Rudy about how damn LOVABLE he is. He smiles so hard it looks like it hurts him. Hurts me to look at it.

Happy to see Bridget and Emilio get a better routine this week. Both were excellent.

Jessica really does have a "face" issue, even if Misty and the other judges were a little hyper-focused on that this week. Seriously, look at her - it's like she's pantomiming in a silent film. I keep expecting to see those little dialogue boxes pop up.

Surprised by the praise for Teddy (aka Bowie, Jr.) this week. I actually like him a lot, but all I could think during his routine with Emily was "get those shoulders down!" He was all hunched, and I know I've heard the judges scold dancers for that in the past. I guess they like his eyebrows?

[crossover]

I disagree - Marcquet rightly deserved the criticism he received; he was wobbly, awkward, and not very good in his routine this week.  I did not see much extension or fluidity in his movements and I thought he lacked connection with his partner.  Additionally, I thought he wasn't very good in last week's routine; again appearing to lack extension, fluidity, and connection.  Even in the Samba I thought the he and Marlene were dancing two different styles and it didn't work for me.

 

As far as partnering skills, I think the criticism stems from the fact that Macquet was tentative and unbalance for many of the lifts/carries.  The on-the-floor/hand-to-hand connections were okay; the emotional connection/partnering was lacking.

Well.  We'll have to agree to disagree.   During the performance the lifts looked fine and not tentative--not perfect. During the practices they weren't fine and were tentative (the judges talk to the choreographers so they know).  So they could use this in a negative way and they did.  I will agree that he's not the best in contemporary movement and lifting.  He only started dancing at 14 focusing in ballroom and branched out to hip hop.  As such, I'm sure he was more concerned about the safety of Jourdan.  At least, Jourdan never slipped like LoFro did with Pasha and he's a seasoned dancer. 

I guess you were talking about the connection for this week because Misty thought they were too into it last week?  But like I always say, if it is someone you like, you see the chemistry.  If you don't like them, you won't.  I liked Marcquet and Jourdan.  So I saw it.

Forgot that you dissed the samba.  That was one of my favorite routines that night.  I could tell they were dancing the same routine.  I could just tell the male part from the female part.  Most times, the male fades into the background.  I'm with Louis in that I was pleased that he stepped up to Malene.

Edited July 17, 2014 by movement

[ari333]

What on earth was sitting on Mary's head?

And why was the skeleton dude's skeleton suit so freakin baggy and wrinkled? I thought it was supposed to be form fitting. Hers sure was.  [/nit]

[peachmangosteen]

I thought this ep was much better than the last 2. Good thing too because I was getting worried.

 

My fave routine was the first one. It was really cute and different.

 

I have disliked Carly since she was all whiny during group round in Not Hollywood and then I just hated her more last week when she she said 'ew' to cheeseburgers, but she was really good in the skeleton dance. I liked that dance a lot.

 

I loved Valerie's dress and her and Ricky were so cute and I think those things made that dance more than it really was.

 

I was going to vote, but then I saw you had to log in to Facebook, so no. What a terrible change.

Edited July 17, 2014 by peachmangosteen

[dusang]

And why was the skeleton dude's skeleton suit so freakin baggy and wrinkled? I thought it was supposed to be form fitting. Hers sure was.  [/nit]

 

Yeah, I thought it almost made him look chubby around the middle, which I'm pretty sure he isn't.

 

I have disliked Casey since she was all whiny during group round in Not Hollywood and then I just hated her more last week she she said 'ew' to cheeseburgers, but she was really good in the skeleton dance. I liked that dance a lot.

 

Casey is one of the guys.  Carly was in the skeleton dance.

[peachmangosteen]

Well, there ya go! That reminds me, was Casey shown in the auditions/Not Hollywood eps? Because I still don't remember ever seeing him. 

[romantic idiot]

They showed his audition and that was it only. I'm sad Stanley is gone, he was my favourite and I feel he didn't get a good shake. On the other hand he got his style 3 weeks in a row...so...I have to find a new favourite I guess. I do feel a little flat though.

[Toaster Strudel]

What on earth was sitting on Mary's head?

 

That thing is now undergoing the next step at the taxidermy studio.

 

[PattyorSelma]

Nigel mentioned four Emmy nominations for choreography.  I looked them up and saw that the four choreographers are NappyTabs, Mandy Moore,  Travis and Christopher Scott.  Does anybody know the specific routines? 

[Mertseger]

Nigel mentioned four Emmy nominations for choreography.  I looked them up and saw that the four choreographers are NappyTabs, Mandy Moore,  Travis and Christopher Scott.  Does anybody know the specific routines? 

Nextiteration has you covered over in the SYTYCD in the Media thread:

 

 

Dancing With The Stars • Routines: Human / Ameksa / Too Darn Hot • ABC • BBC Worldwide Productions

Derek Hough, Choreographer

So You Think You Can Dance • Routines: Trigger / Sand / The Gravel Road • FOX • Dick Clark Productions, Inc. in association with 19 Entertainment

Christopher Scott, Choreographer

So You Think You Can Dance • Routines: Edge of Glory / Feelin’ Good / I Can’t Make You Love Me • FOX • Dick Clark Productions, Inc. in association with 19 Entertainment

Mandy Moore, Choreographer

So You Think You Can Dance • Routines: Puttin’ on the Ritz / Gold Rush / Run the World

• FOX • Dick Clark Productions, Inc. in association with 19 Entertainment Tabitha Dumo, Choreographer

Napoleon Dumo, Choreographer

So You Think You Can Dance • Routines: Hanging by a Thread / Wicked Game / Medicine • FOX • Dick Clark Productions, Inc. in association with 19 Entertainment

Travis Wall, Choreographer

[shimarella]

Sorry to see Stanley go since he really got hosed by the telephone routine last week. Jourdan I could take or leave, honestly. 

 

I enjoyed the opening routine, it was fun and visually rich.

 

The first lyrical hip-hop routine took a little too long to kick in for me but I enjoyed the intricate hand movements, and they performed it with great charm. Carly did a great job with Luther Brown's hip-hop routine and Serge did his best to keep up. I loved Misty's defense of the routine and her shoutout to being of this generation and loving her some hip-hop..ha ha I'd love to see her throw down. I thought Nigel's critique was another one of his ham-handed attempts to trick the viewing audience into voting FOR the dance. It was almost as unbearable as his stupid lecture about the origins of Ne Me Quitte Pas.. #shutupnigel

 

The jive was charming. Not super-complicated but they registered the right amount of energy and fun. Its always a pleasure to see Anya & Pasha. I agree with most of y'all about the Viennese Waltz. It had its lovely moments but it was a bit overpraised. I was sad to see what Lacey did to her face. I was a fan of hers on her season and thought she looked really luscious then. The blond and the botox(?) are doing her no favors whatsoever. 

 

UGH Why did we have to be subjected to two Tyce routines. I could not get into the "flying carpet" routine. The costumes washed out the dancers and the song did not work for the storyline. I use that song when I want to do a sexy and dirty freelance during pole practice.In fact every time I hear the opening line : " You're just a dirty dirty old man" I think of Nigel and not of an exotic magic carpet. 

[OnceSane]

I knew Stanley was going home the second he fell into the B3.  Actually, I suspected last week & it was confirmed this week.

 

I also loved Valerie's dress...just gorgeous.

 

What wasn't gorgeous?  Lacey's hair/face/etc.  She looks like she's aged two decades (at least) in the last few years.  & the hair is especially not good.

 

Welcome to the bus, Marcquet.  Sure hope you know how to tuck & roll, because the judges just threw you into traffic.

 

Loved the opening number.

Edited July 17, 2014 by OnceSane

[Xazeal]

For whatever reason, I find myself too busy this summer to really pay attention to this show, which is unfortunate. Going into tonight, I really would only be able to name Ricky, Valerie, Tanisha, Rudy, Jessica and Casey.

 

Tonight, though, I finally realized that there's someone named Carly on this show, and I think I need to start paying attention to her. That girl killed it.

[Quickbeam]

OMG, Valerie's dress.  

 

 

I was completely and totally mesmerized by that dress. I'd take out a mortgage for that dress. It was hypnotically lovely. I haven't worn a dress for 30 years but I'd wear that every day for the rest of my life. Must have. 

 

Whatever the first number was, we adored it at my house. So well done. The one with the Asian choreographers? I'm hopeless with names. 

 

I do love Teddy, Bowie face and all. Fun to watch, all linear. 

[ShaggyDog]

I think Uncle Nigel deserves some understanding.

After all, he has survived all these years on good looks alone, and is now unprepared to make meaningful critiques.

[phoenix780]

The first lyrical hip-hop routine took a little too long to kick in for me but I enjoyed the intricate hand movements, and they performed it with great charm.

 

That was neat, but could the actual studio audience see any of it?  I remember them being filmed primarily from above. 

 

I think Nigel's comment about the skeleton routine not garnering votes was because of the costuming.  It's too early to cover faces, in my opinion.  I have no idea how you all remember names at this point.  The girls blend together for me, and except for the ones featured during auditions the guys don't stand out at all either, really.  

[constantknot]

 

Ha! Sonya did one last week or the week before, I forget. I was disappointed she did not teach some of the patented contemporary angsty moves. Though maybe she felt she did not have to since we basically see them every week.

 

Maybe she can show us all the most important move on SYTYCD. "And this, ladies at home, is the HMV."

 

I didn't really like Nigel speaking from the future regarding Serge & Carly's hiphop voting results. How about you critique their dancing, and then let people vote? Seems pretty simple to me. 

 

While I feel that Valerie exudes a sincerity and sweetness when dancing, that waltz looked all kinds of sloppy to my (admittedly, completely untrained) eye. Like other posters, I thought her arms were the opposite of graceful. And she and Ricky seem to be a total mismatch, physically. I keep expecting her to scoop him up for the lifts. 

Edited July 17, 2014 by constantknot

[Woodrose]

New choreographers! Me likey.

 

I enjoyed the fierce chess battle of an opening number. A lot of intricate moves from those chess pieces!

 

Such a happy jive from Pasha and Anya and Bridget and Emilio. I enjoyed it and would like to see more dances of this flavor.

 

Also really enjoyed the final number with the canes.  The new choreographer who created that piece sure looked pleased and happy with the result.

 

The skeleton number was lots of fun, and I don't think America will have any problem voting for the dancers.

 

Nigel's new position at the judging table was like the elephant in the room no one spoke about.  I guess MIsty and Mary don't want to sit together for whatever reason.

 

I was pleased to see Lacey show up  to choreograph a waltz; I've always enjoyed her work on DWTS. It was a lovely dance but I felt Valerie was leaning forward when she wasn't in hold, much as she does when she's tapping. That gave it a bit of an awkward note.

 

I wonder how many votes Serge will get for being friends with Maks and Val Chmerkovskiy.

[Rick Kitchen]

 

Obviously, the whole showmance thing with Jacque is annoying

 

Obviously?

[traboule]

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.

 

Well put. Some of the other couples seem mismatched or still figuring out their partnership but these two do seem like they fit well together in their performances.

[Rinaldo]

I thought Joshua Bergasse, who choreographed last week's group number, was impressive, too. He's making his Broadway [debut?] with the "On the Town" revival.

Quite right, and thank you for reminding me. (I didn't think of him because that was the group opening number rather than competitive, but I should have.) He's been a teacher for a while, and I've seen his choreography at two of the "Encores!" events (where indeed I've seen superb work from Warren Carlyle too). He's very good, I think. Here's a promotional video for the upcoming revival shot with its 3 male stars (I don't think Bergasse had a hand in this). I may have watched this a couple dozen times.

[tankgirl73]

I missed most of the episode but caught the recap - uh, what happened to variety on this show? I know it's been lacking forever, but this episode took the cake. One hip hop and a series of contemporary dances (or I'm sorry, contemp, broadway, jazz, etc, all the same). Where's the ballroom? Where is more than ONE version of hip hop?

 

 

Um, you mean the jive and the viennese waltz lack of ballroom?  And you mean Zack's number and the skeleton number being just one hiphop?  And I respectfully very much disagree that broadway is in the same camp as contemporary.  There is a spectrum where it can be hard to tell where contemporary differs from jazz, and where jazz differs from broadway, but broadway is still IMO a separate beast.

 

I won't disagree that we could use more variety, but at least make the argument with accurate facts.  ;)

 

Anyway, speaking of beasts, where are the beasts this season?  We got a hint of skeleton-girl (Cindy?) maybe having beast-like tendencies, we'll see if that pans out.  But what about the guys?  Many of them are very good, of course -- Casey's spins were *insane* and I still love Ricky -- and Stanley was the super-jumper of the group.  But I would not call any of them BEASTS.  They're all too... sweet.

 

I don't get the Valerie love.  Her shoulders were tight, her arms were stiff, her whole body was tight and heavy.  

 

The magic carpet choreo was weird.  What was the point of the carpet?  The music didn't have any thematic connection to the idea of flying on a magic carpet.  And most of the routine was just a regular dance routine, nothing 'cool' that made it look like they were flying or whatever.  It could have been your living room rug.

 

I think Say Something is a really, really beautiful song.  Also, as a professional pianist, I'm a sucker for bands that use real pianos (except for Lady Gaga heh).  Add in live strings and a CHILDREN'S CHOIR, and I was sobbing rather unprettily.  

 

I love the little choreo instructional tidbits.  Love, love love it.  Most dancing goes by too fast for me to really understand the details, so this close-up look at some 'basic' moves is really helpful, and really enjoyable too.

[Heather Lynn]

Was it me, or was the loud shout of "Yes!" close to the beginning of the carpet routine totally Tasty screaming his own praises??  I started laughing so hard I had to rewind.

That was definitely him and I was laughing along with you. It was tempered by the fact that I didn't loathe that number like I do with 90% of Tyce's numbers.

I like what I know of Valerie as a person but she always looks awkward to me. I'm more sad than I expected to be that Stanely went home. Another "meh" night for me but less so than last week.

[traboule]

I liked this week better than last week for some reason. Someone pointed out earlier in this thread that there seemed to be less angst in the dances this week, and that may be it. Also, I only watched Fox's youtube videos of the routines and so I missed out on the pre-package and judging bits, which may have improved my viewing experience.

 

Top 18 Group Dance - I really loved this. I read that Jessica received a lot of comments about her facial expressions during her couples' routines, but I did like that shot of her face at the beginning of the group routine. I also liked the highlight of Marcquet in the beginning. And Tanisha also was v. good in her spot front and center. I don't know how the plum roles in the group dances are decided, but I'd like to think it showed the choreographer's esteem of her dependable talent that she was put there.

 

Jacque / Zack - This dance seemed very slight to me though I appreciated both of the dancers anyway. I wished they had a snappier song to go with their moves, but that's personal preference. For some reason Zack reminds me of the actor Damian Lewis (Band of Brothers, "Life") in being not traditionally good-looking but displaying unexpected charisma when he is in action.

 

Jourdan / Marcquet - It's a rare contemporary that can make me sit up and take notice. This wasn't one of those contemporary dances.

 

Jessica / Stanley - I love Stanley and like Jessica, but this was not my favorite dance for either performer. They didn't seem to be on the same page, tonally. In fact, I just didn't know what emotion was happening in this dance. Not sure watching the pre-package would have helped? I'm glad others pointed out that the lighting and costuming favored Jessica more because I was wondering why my eye was drawn to her when Stanley is (was) one of my favorite contestants this season.

 

Bridget / Emilio - I was able to watch the pre-package for this one which is great because I loved seeing Pasha and Anya again. I thought Bridget shone in this number. The costume helped but I also thought her expressions worked for the piece - cute and sassy. Some of Emilio's expressions reminded me of S10's Aaron. I thought the dance itself was very enjoyable - not as difficult as a jive can be - but entertaining. I didn't think that Emilio was doing as well as Bridget but he seemed to partner her fine. The "puppet" part was cool. One of my favorite routines of the night.

 

Teddy / Emily - I really liked Teddy last week, and thought he did fine in this routine. I like that back arch he did near the beginning. Emily was competent but she just hasn't stuck out to me as a contestant. As for the routine, it was okay (again I'm not wild about contemporary in general). Doesn't help that that song does nothing for me, though I like Nina Simone. Both of these dancers were in the bottom 6 after last week, and I'm not sure this routine will help them escape it next week.

 

Brooklyn / Casey - In a season of strong male dancers, I have been overlooking Casey but I thought he displayed an lovely easy way about his dancing in this routine. I can't find anything that Brooklyn did wrong here but she just doesn't spark on the screen.

 

Valerie / Ricky - I'm not a fan of VW and I certainly lack the knowledge needed to critique it. I thought it was pretty and I like Valerie's seemingly sincere smile. I didn't have a strong reaction to it overall.

 

Serge / Carly - I loved Carly in this. Dancer of the night, IMO. When it was done, I said "wow." I liked the movements in the choreography and thought the costumes worked well, at least for her. (Rewatching, I can see what people mean about Serge's costume not fitting well.)

 

Tanisha / Rudy - People's comments on last week's routine and my subsequent rewatches really raised my awareness and appreciation for Tanisha. As others have said, she strikes as a real hard worker. I think it was shortpplfedup who wished earlier in this thread that the hip-hop had been Tanisha and Carly and now it is my wish too. That seems like it would be amazing. Rudy isn't my favorite but he seemed to do fine. They did get out of sync but overall the dance was pleasing to watch.

 

I would have been sorry to see any of the B3 guys go as I like watching all three dance. Stanley made me love him in his dance with Bridget that first week of the Top 20, and I'm sorry to see him go and wish him the best. I believe his low amount of votes was mainly due to the phone routine, but alas I think that the pensive or whatever face he made during his critique last week did him no favors either. I'm fine with the elimination of Jourdan. I would also have been fine with Emily going, and I think she's not long for the show either if she hits B3 again. After this week's jive, I'm glad Bridget was saved.

[Terrafamilia]

Forget the Teddy/Bowie intersection, I can't look at Ricky without seeing Ringo Starr. Anyway, the costumers liked him better than they did Casey last week in just having him in a vest instead of a jacket. That had given me flashbacks to the unfortunate opening week tango in season 3 which sent that season's Ricky straight under the bus. (Yeah, there was more than just the 3 sizes too big suit but it was as if the costume department was actively trying.) Glad that Casey got a real chance to shine this week.

 

I wish the judges would be a little more consistent with their technical criticisms (what else is new?). Rudy could certainly use a little. Maybe they think it would be like kicking a puppy. If you are dancing a somewhat Fosse-esque number you need to bring it in a little tighter and several times he was just too wide for my tastes.

 

I do hope Jessica can mature performance-wise. She has good technique and could be a real standout if she could get that together.

[PattyorSelma]

Mertseger, thank you.

Are there three routines per nomination? Sad that the only one I remember by name is "Sand". I loved that one.

Stanley had some very unique skills so I was sad to see him go. I think he deserved another week after being saddled with the phone routine last week. That one was the kiss of death!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Re: "Say Something" (as opposed to performing their new song) - they became famous and got to record their song with Christina Aguilera because it was used on SYTYCD last season. It's like when Cristina Perri became famous overnight because her song was used on the show and then she was invited to sing "Jar of Hearts." It's SYTYCD's way of reminding us that they get credit for discovering the artist in question. Cynicism aside, I think it's sweet to have artists like that perform on the show. I don't mind the lack of dancing during those performances either.

[Bondfool]

Who hears the lyric "this ain't love, it's clear to see," and thinks "this couple is realizing they're falling in love?"

[Lara Morgana]

Forget the Teddy/Bowie intersection, I can't look at Ricky without seeing Ringo Starr.

 

Oh my word - never thought about it but he does look like Ringo.

 

I thought this episode was so much better than last week.  Not a lot of flailing (thank you, Dance Gods) and no Travis.  Yeah!

 

  I actually liked a lot of the routines this week - Zack and Jacque, Emilo and Bridget,  Rudy and Taneisha - thought they all were quite entertaining.

 

I started out loving Ricky and Marquet but now I find myself rooting for Emilo.   I don't know what happened to Marquet - seems like he can't  connect to his partner. There is something off about his performance.

 

As for Ricky - he's getting the Sabra treatment.....no matter what he does Nigel bows down and kisses his arse.  Ricky was not good in the waltz.  Not good at all. 

 

I'm also loving Taneisha.    She reminds me of Dakota Fanning and she is really cute without makeup.  I think it's that horrid hairdo that makes her look a bit strange.   But I digress - she is an excellent dancer and she is versatile.   I truly hope she makes it the final four.  She is my fav girl.

 

My thoughts are rambling so I best stop now.  Just so happy there were new choreographers.  So happy.

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Oops!  Sorry about all the little "+".  My cat walked on the keyboard!

[ToxicUnicorn]

So happy I no longer have to wait weeks before Hulu puts the episode up.  Go, Hulu/Fox!  Next, I want compilation DVDs of the seasons.  Please make that happen.

 

I have loved every episode this season.  I love, love, love Misty as a judge.  Please keep her around as long as possible.  I do agree that the judging for Ricky and Valerie's VW was a WTF, though.  That wasn't just over-praised.  That would have been criticized up and down if it had been another couple or on another season.  It had no flow, no characteristic swing to the movement.  It made me cringe big time, because I adore Ricky.  Valerie's dancing is never great to me, but she does project a sweet charm whenever you see her face.

 

Agree with everyone that Carly was unbelievably good in the skeleton hip hop.  Serge, on the other hand, was awful.  Serge, watch Pasha with Lauren and try a little harder, mmkay?  Thinking back on it, Carly carried Serge last week in the contemporary as well.  So, I don't care if he hangs out with Maks and Val, if he doesn't step up soon, I will be happy to have him go.  Pasha 4ever.

 

Amazed that Brooklyn is still there.  After the Top 20 intro night, she was my first pick to go home.  Last week, she surprised me by being fantastic in the Argentine tango, but this week, she couldn't hold a candle to Casey.  Casey - woah, there.  He is really surprising me with his heart.  During his audition, I thought he was a bit of an automaton.  He was breathtaking in that Bonnie Story routine.  He outdanced Ricky this week by a country mile, and maybe was on his level this week in his own style (at least, that's how it looked to me - I know nothing).  Ok, Casey.  You have my attention.

 

Stanley was the right pick to go home, I think.  It's a shame.  I think he just wasn't ready.  I think he'll be really good in a few years.

 

Dee!  The same psycho killer expressions, now delivered with a side of facial hair.  I did not like that Disappear routine.  Jourdan was unexpectedly strong, but then I forgot about it a moment later.  Marcquet - he had better get ballroom or hip hop soon, because contemporary definitely was not his thing.  He's such an attractive man, I would like to see him outlast Serge.  As it is, they're racing for the bottom.  Step it up, ballroom boys!

 

Jessica made no impression this week.  Neither did Jacque or Emily.  I still have to look up the girls.  They were all perfectly good, no criticisms from me, except I got nothing from them.  The weakest girls imo, Brooklyn and Valerie, are far more memorable.  Who would I have go home?  Just not Jessica.

 

Zack and Teddy have charm for days and I am enjoying them.  I find Rudy and Tanisha hard to look at when they're standing there, but man, they bring it.  That Sing, Sing, Sing routine from Warren Carlyle was awesome.  You know, I never understood why Benji and Donyelle were praised for their Hairspray Broadway ... it looked like nothing to me.  I have to admit, I had very little respect for Broadway as a style for a long time after that.  My two favorite Broadway routines up till now were probably S1's Melody and Nick (from Tyce, no less) and then a long dry spell until last year's Makenzie and Jakob's (Spencer Liff) routine.  But this one, she takes the cake.  Wow.  Arguably the best of the season so far.  It got a standing O, didn't it?  It deserved one.

 

My second favorite was definitely the jive with Bridget and Emilio.  Bridget was perfection.  All is forgiven for her dead dad narrative.  She is unexpectedly versatile and she gave me everything I wanted as the character of that dance.  I thought Emilio was great, too.  Best ballroom from a hip hop dancer that I can remember.  Great routine from Pasha and Anya.  Well done, all around.

 

I really liked parts of the chessboard opener.  The beginning was very arresting - loved the concept.  As it went on, the black team seemed to me to completely dominate the white team.  But - I so appreciated the new choreographers.  Are they anyone of note?

 

Tyce?  Eh.  The best I can say about him is that he seemed a bit less smarmy than usual.

Edited July 18, 2014 by ToxicUnicorn

[Quickbeam]

On Stanley...my cousin is a lighting designer on Broadway and schooled me on race and lighting. Someone always gets the short end of the spectrum and it usually ends up being the performer of color. I thought the Jessica/Stanley number was lit for her. It really bugged me when I was watching their piece. I could barely see him at times. They really need to step up their game when lighting racially diverse performers. 

 

Wasn't sorry to see Jourdan go, I just never felt much from her. 

[crowceilidh]

 

They really need to step up their game when lighting racially diverse performers.

 

Sigh.  We've been saying so for YEARS now.  Drives me crazy. Of course, if Nigel has managed to succeed in throwing Marquet under the bus, the issue will go away for this season (or am I forgetting someone of colour in the cast?) 

Edited July 18, 2014 by crowceilidh

[waving feather]

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. 

 

For some reason Zack reminds me of the actor Damian Lewis (Band of Brothers, "Life") in being not traditionally good-looking but displaying unexpected charisma when he is in action.

 

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.

Edited July 18, 2014 by waving feather

[Gardencrown]

 

The judges saved Danny Tidwell in the early weeks many times and the audience ended up loving him later when they saw more of him - he came in second. It would have been such a shame to lose him. My point is that as long as the judges do not have the power to overrule the audience's choice of their FAVORITE and send the audience's favorite home, I think their participation for a while is totally valid (they are only choosing who to save from the audience's bottom three, so it isn't like they have any power to actually overrule the audience's choice of winner). Nigel just needs to own the validity of this system, or stop doing it! While they have an influence, he needs to act like he thinks that's valid. When he makes these weird comments that make it sound like they were trying to "respect the audience's preference" it just gets people mad on the weeks when he selfishly ignores it. He should have made it clear that the dancers going home were *their* choices as well. I.e. "Actually, this week, our choices happened to match up with the audience vote". Or, "this week we were sincerely totally evenly split between two people and with no way to resolve it we just went to the audience vote to break the tie". Anything other than making it sounds like for no reason at all they decided to randomly remove themselves from the decision making for a week because they had an arbitrary moment of respect for the audience's choice. I also don't think much is gained by mentioning that your choice matched up with the audience vote anyway, even if you make it clear it was still was your choice. It's just kicking the people while they are down (America hated you most too!) and it just makes the audience mad for "going against their choice" the weeks they don't mention it. If this is supposed to be about the judges choice, just talk about the judges' choice.

I know that this is a lot of text to quote :) but I think it bears repeating. One of Nigel's problems, in general, is his unwillingness to own the choices he makes -- like last year he got all defensive about when they told the B3 dancers they were B3 and when they eliminated them. Finally this year, they have just chosen a way, and they're not dicking around -- just "You're in the B3," and "You're eliminated." Which is better. Not having a results show is always going to be a challenge, but just doing it and Nigel not pontificating for 10 minutes is almost worth it. But yeah, Nigel -- own that you made the decision. It really is kicking the dancers while they're down to do it as he did. It's like he can't help being offensive. Sigh.

 

It's a VERY bad sign that I keep mentally getting Casey/Brooklyn confused with Teddy/Emily because by this point in the season I usually have everyone sorted. But I'm kind of getting "eh" from the four of them. I saw that Casey was good tonight, and maybe if he's with someone other than Brooklyn I will like him better. I want to like Teddy, but he and Emily bore me to tears. And I thought it did not bode well for Emilio and Teddy that they were in the B3 after dancing their own styles! Emilio may recover because the jive was pretty cute and memorable, but I don't know about Teddy.

 

If Brooklyn hits B3, they will/should send her home. And I think she will next week. The guys are more dicey. I don't really have predictions on that. As much as they threw Marcquett under the bus, sometimes that backfires and people vote. But I do think that if he hits B3 he's a goner unless he is a revelation next week.

 

Agree that Valerie's dress was gorgeous and agree that I like her, but I kept muttering, "Get your shoulders down, girl," all through their dance. Overpraised BIGtime.

 

I don't know, guys. I'm pretty meh on everyone. I like Zach. I'm growing to like Bridget (of all people). Still like Emilio. And I've definitely noticed Carly!

[Alison]

Quite right, and thank you for reminding me. (I didn't think of him because that was the group opening number rather than competitive, but I should have.) He's been a teacher for a while, and I've seen his choreography at two of the "Encores!" events (where indeed I've seen superb work from Warren Carlyle too). He's very good, I think. Here's a promotional video for the upcoming revival shot with its 3 male stars (I don't think Bergasse had a hand in this). I may have watched this a couple dozen times.

Thanks for sharing that video! Definitely need to get tickets to see that show.

[Mertseger]

Mertseger, thank you.

Are there three routines per nomination? Sad that the only one I remember by name is "Sand". I loved that one.

Stanley had some very unique skills so I was sad to see him go. I think he deserved another week after being saddled with the phone routine last week. That one was the kiss of death!

 

You're most welcome, though Nextiteration deserves the credit for digging up the info. I had some friends in the Industry back in the day, and I was surprised to learn that the nominated people select what material to submit (my friend was asked to pick what to submit for a writing credit on Parker Lewis Can't Lose). And so, unless things have change in the last twenty years, I expect the choreographers pick the routines to submit, and it's probably "up to three" for this category.

Edited July 18, 2014 by Mertseger