S12.E05: Vegas Callbacks #1

[Tara Ariano]

The contestants go to Las Vegas for the first round of callbacks.

[PhD-Purgatory15]

#1 thing we learned...Yorelis is one the chosen ones on Team Street. She's got style, sex appeal and is ridiculously camera ready.

The gender imbalance on Team Street when it came to the first choreo round was kind of funny. Unfortunately my fears for Eliazer came to pass. You gotta be at least inside the ballpark on choreo for them to take a one round flier on you...and he just wasn't anywhere close.

Too bad about the ballroom guy, to go out on an injury in this format has to be absolutely brutal.

Other standouts....Gaby the tapper, yet to be named white female hip hopper wearing what looked like a half open baseball jersey, Marissa, the ballroom couple we met tonight, and B1 for the awesome floor work in his dance for your life solo.

Bye Bill Gates...

[Andie1]

I don't know, I just find the "street" choreo to be tedious and I skipped past a lot of it.  Denys Drozkyuk commanded that Broadway Choreo, but I think Nigel will cut him because nobody has said anything about him being the Canadian champ.  Kinda bugs since they were all about Paul in season 10 with the disclosure that he was the Albanian champ.   Denys' partner was adorable 

 

ETA: I tweeted to Nigel about Denys and he says they mention that he's the Canadian champ next week. Still doesn't past the smell test,  imho

Edited June 30, 2015 by Andie1

[threeleftfeet]

I so badly want Denys to go through.  I went back and watched his routines from SYTYCD Canada, and I want to see him perform again on the stage.  Plus, he would bring what has been missing for me for too many seasons with the competitors: maturity and depth.  Aannnddd, he looks wicked good shirtless ... 

[beeble]

Nigel says "So you think you're the best dancer since sliced bread..." Ah yes, Sliced Bread - that wicked rival to Fred Astaire who still haunts dancers to this day.

[crowceilidh]

 

Denys Drozkyuk commanded that Broadway Choreo, but I think Nigel will cut him because nobody has said anything about him being the Canadian champ.  Kinda bugs since they were all about Paul in season 10 with the disclosure that he was the Albanian champ.

 

I wonder why Denys is doing it?  He did kinda disappear after he won SYTYCda in 2010.  Other big names from the Canadian show are often in rock videos and etc. but I don't think I've seen Denys since that season.  I really enjoyed the surprise. 

 

It seems to me that if they're going to reveal that next show that might be a sign of hope and, let's be real, what on EARTH reason could they have to cut Denys from the stage team if these dancers are not going to see hiphop until the show starts.

[Morgan of Hed]

Do you think Denys will bust out the Ukranian dance at some point?

[crowceilidh]

One of the things I think about Denys is that unless he has learned to be Mr. Personality since his win, he won't survive the American show.  I was stunned that he won (oh yes, I was voting for him) because he would have got killed by the arrogant edit on the US show.

 

Maybe you're right Morgan of Hed, Nigel is prejudiced enough against Eastern European folk dancing that Denys could get himself cut revealing that talent.

 

Also this: 

 

Edited June 30, 2015 by crowceilidh

[kechara]

I thought that was Denys. Then I thought- he must be too old by now. But the name was the same. Anyway I watched Afterbuzz and this was said

No ballroom dancers make it

 

There were a few SMH moments. People getting cut who I thought did the choreo ok and people - like blonde ballroom guy - who looked way off and didn't get cut.

 

Is there only one more Vegas episode?

Edited June 30, 2015 by kechara

[crowceilidh]

It was Jeff who did the Ukrainian dancing, wasn't it? Not Denys, despite his looks?

[Morgan of Hed]

You're right it was Jeff, he danced with Shumka.

[Andie1]

One of the things I think about Denys is that unless he has learned to be Mr. Personality since his win, he won't survive the American show.  I was stunned that he won (oh yes, I was voting for him) because he would have got killed by the arrogant edit on the US show.

 

Maybe you're right Morgan of Hed, Nigel is prejudiced enough against Eastern European folk dancing that Denys could get himself cut revealing that talent.

 

Also this: 

 

That's really a cool link thank you.  Wow, 1st in all 5 dances.  I noticed that Jenna Johnson from Season 10 and DWTS troupe and her partner came in 5th.  

[Andie1]

I wonder why Denys is doing it?  He did kinda disappear after he won SYTYCda in 2010.  Other big names from the Canadian show are often in rock videos and etc. but I don't think I've seen Denys since that season.  I really enjoyed the surprise. 

 

It seems to me that if they're going to reveal that next show that might be a sign of hope and, let's be real, what on EARTH reason could they have to cut Denys from the stage team if these dancers are not going to see hiphop until the show starts.

Maybe they'll cut him for his age and resume. He just turned 30 in June, and although it's not against the rules they seem to want the young un's for this show.  I loved the surprise too, according to his facebook page it seems he's been competing/ winning/ teaching - he's been on shows like Dancing Pros Live Tour, and Dance Temptations and Lincoln Centre.. so a pretty full dancer's life. But as always, more exposure means more bookings and work, so I can see why he decided to try out with his partner.  If only for us to go to his youtube and look at his body of work, that's a big part of  keeping the career going, and maybe he's just not cut out for video work. That stuff for me is just supporting a singer or a band, and often with skanky choreo, so if he wants to dance for dance sake it's probably more difficult to sustain the work. 

Edited June 30, 2015 by Andie1

[Racj82]

So...in other news on the show, I did enjoy tonight a lot. It's always rough to see people you get invested in fall by the waist side. I felt sorry for the street dancer at the end with the glasses. Just that his parents never bothered to watch him dance. He wasn't strong enough though.

 

This is the strongest group of female hip hop dancers this show has ever had by far.

 

It was super smart of that female hip hop dancer to go fully into studying the style she failed at last year. Now, she could also get that Courtney season 4 edit as well. Where she was in the comp as contemporary but reaped the benefits of being a Knicks hip hop dancer (something they never pointed out). This girl will be able to crush contemporary while being really good at the style she chose.

 

I also had no idea Twitch is Magic Mike XXL. I wont be seeing it ( as a straight dude, I wont be rushing to see. I'll catch it eventually though. Magic Mike was a good movie) but I'm happy to see Twitch getting more and More work. Man, all of those dude in that movie are firmly not single. You would expect one of them to be reaping the benefits of this. Maybe Kevin Nash is (eww)

[Prairie Fire]

I have to say, I'm glad Twitch will feature prominently in this season as the Street "coach". He just seems like a really nice guy and a class act.

[chocolatine]

Denys Drozkyuk commanded that Broadway Choreo, but I think Nigel will cut him because nobody has said anything about him being the Canadian champ.  Kinda bugs since they were all about Paul in season 10 with the disclosure that he was the Albanian champ.

 

Paul was the Armenian champ, not Albanian. Two very different countries. :)

 

I think the difference between Paul and Denys is that a lot of SYTYCD US viewers also watched SYTYCD CA, whereas not many caught the Armenian version, so Paul was "fresh" to most viewers.

[phoenix780]

This is the strongest group of female hip hop dancers this show has ever had by far.

 

I watched their choreo, it was the first entire segment this season I could sit through.  I'm hoping a bunch of them get through...and they'd kind of have to, right, for a balanced team?

 

Since I haven't been watching much I have a question...that Japanese girl from a few seasons ago, Hiro I think her name was- is she a part of this?  I really liked her before, it'd be cool if she were on this year when she'd probably have a better shot.   

[pamplemousse]

Like everyone else has already said...omg Denys from SYTYCD CA! Love him! He was fantastic in the broadway choreo.

 

NOOOO what? No ballroom dancers make it? I was so hoping for Strictly Ballroom Draco Malfoy! Ok he wasn't fantastic in the broadway choreo, but I thought he was good enough to get through. He has such a unique something about him that I want to see more of. And no Denys either? No me gusta dammit!

 

I'm worried about Asaf, he looked like he was struggling. Relieved that B1 made it. Queen of Detroit aka Standin' O made every move in both choreos look amazing, I haven't been this interested in a female hip hop dancer since Donyelle. I'm pretty sure the half Japanese whacker girl makes it to top 20. Yorelis reminds me of Jasmine, and that's a very good thing, she already seems like a sure thing for top 20 at this point.

 

I thought that first hip hop routine by Jamal Sims looked really hard. A lot of these street dancers seem really good at hard-hitting angular styles, but less adept at a smoother groove style of hip hop. The ladies were really schoolin' the guys in the first round of hip hop choreo, holy crap some of the male groups were painful to watch. I'm sad to lose Eliazer (he wasn't good, but I think there were some people who were even worse in some of the other groups). Montrell was straight up hilarious and I LOLed when Twitch was like 'What the @%$&! is Montrell doing?'

 

IMO Travis's choreo looked cheesy and almost like a parody of contemporary dance. The broadway choreo was great, though, and it looked very difficult. It was great to see Dave Scott again.

 

I thought Jason was much better tonight, he seemed engaged and interested instead of poker-faced and zoned-out/withdrawn. I thought Paula was pretty good too.

 

ETA: Good on that one male stage dancer (Darion?) for doing Solor's variation from La Bayadere for his solo. It's plucky to pick a classical piece, especially such a definitive variation for a male danseur that has been done by such legends as Baryshnikov and Nureyev as a signature piece and to great renown.

Edited July 1, 2015 by pamplemousse

[damnman]

I saw Jimmy (ballet) in a montage but does anybody know if he's made it this far???

 

And I agree about Denys, I'm Canadian and I watched the Canadian show when it was on (sob I miss the Canadian version) but he doesn't have a shining personality, excellent dancer, not so much in the charisma dept. 

[Andie1]

Paul was the Armenian champ, not Albanian. Two very different countries. :)

 

 

Thanks I stand corrected.   

[Primetimer]

Finally free of the shackles of auditions, we've made it to the Vegas callbacks, where (surprise!) the choreography proves to be a challenge for the street dancers, and Paula Abdul tries to butch up some of the stage dancers, as insane as that sounds.

Read the story

[Wootini]

Yeah, I was rooting for Eieazur (sp?) the amazing b-boy, but when he got up there for choreography, he was pretty bad. Although I found it odd that they put through a bunch of people I thought didn't do well. I mean, I'm not a trained dancer or anything, but even I can tell when people aren't doing the same moves as everyone else in the group. So unless everyone else is doing the wrong moves and a little bit ahead of that other person, I just assume they're in the wrong. ;)

 

I also noticed the Hot Hebrew Hip-Hopper really struggling during the first choreo round, but then we never saw him again. I can't believe that they wouldn't have given him screen time for being cut since they spent so much time introducing him. So all I can figure is that he was actually not very good but they put him through because he's hot and didn't want to show his dancing on TV because it would be too obvious that he was coasting through and not earning his place like some of the others.

 

That contemporary dancer who decided to study hip hop because that's what knocked her out last time had balls to actually compete doing hip hop for Team Street, but she'll probably make it through because they'll be assured that when the time comes, she can do the other styles. Probably can't say that about many of the other Street dancers.

 

I also feel bad for the people suffering injuries. Especially when Nigel says that they can try again next year. Because I remain unconvinced that the ratings will be strong enough for this show to be renewed another season… :-/

 

Oh, and what happened to that fantastic ballet dancer? The Asian one? Who Nigel compared to Alex Wong, BUT NOT BECAUSE HE WAS ASIAN? I feel like we saw him during the solos, and then poof. I assume he's also around, but since he should be spectacular, I feel like they should be showing more of him. I refuse to believe he's coasting!

 

Oh well, I guess we'll find out for sure next week. They're still doing that group number round, right? I always love watching them forced to work together and staying up until 4 am and seeing who wants to go to sleep like a big baby. ;D

[Shades of Red]

.... and Paula Abdul tries to butch up some of the stage dancers, as insane as that sounds.

 

I actually thought I was imaging things as I was watching this exchange.  I'm sure at one point she even told this guy he would need to make different faces when he was dancing with the girls.  Seriously Paula?!

 

Thrilled to see Denys back on my screen.  I've been re-watching his house routine with Amanda and possibly a few others.   I googled him and it looks like he might be in school in New York city.  I don't remember what the prize was, but I do know that he didn't get the money or recognition from winning up here that the U.S. version gives to their winners.  Interesting that he and his partner are partners in real life and not just on the dance floor.

 

I almost cried when the one street dancer (forgot his name) was talking about no one in his family coming to watch him dance.  You could tell it hurt him and shame on his family.  He might not be as talented as some of the dancers, but he's certainly more talented than many that auditioned.

[ari333]

Just me? Am I alone? Nigel was super rude to Paula with that smartass comment, "You cant remember your name."  Well, at least she's not a disgusting demented perv.

[Morgan of Hed]

I also noticed the Hot Hebrew Hip-Hopper really struggling during the first choreo round, but then we never saw him again.

 

I believe he went home in a snit after all the other dancers mocked him for his street name, "4H". "Mooove faster", they said.

 

Thank you, I'm here all week.

[Jesse]

I watched their choreo, it was the first entire segment this season I could sit through.  I'm hoping a bunch of them get through...and they'd kind of have to, right, for a balanced team?

 

At some point, Twitch said something like, "I swear the  Street team is going to be all female," so I wonder if they really aren't going to balance by gender? 

[Drpepperey]

Hello All,

 

Just made an account to join in on the discussion. I am a huge fan of the show. I am not a dancer but I LOVE watching people dance. Anyway,

 

I LOVE Jaja. She was one of my favorites last season and there is no way she is not making top 20 this season. Urellis (I think that is her name, the one who went back and trained in hip hop) is proving to be quite a contender, as well as Jessica Rabone. Loved Gaby Diaz, the tapper. Also, anyone understand why Brooke Fong was cut right away? Her audition was pretty good, and she didn't even make it past the first round in Vegas yet others like the newlywed couple made it farther? Ridiculous. 

 

Edit: Finally found the part where they showed her name and it is spelled Yorelis. I keep seeing it spelled differently in various places! 

Edited June 30, 2015 by Drpepperey

[Mertseger]

I LOVE Jaja. 

 

It was, indeed, very hard to care about (or even see) how Samantha was flailing on the choreo with Jaja killing it next to her. 

 

The staging of the exit bumpers made it appear as if they were kicking the contestants out of the hotel if they lost. You failed the choreography. We have no further use for you: go sleep on the streets!

 

Production is going a bit crazy with the lighting design for Vegas (of course, it's still nothing compared to the Hollywood episodes). What color is the judging desk today? Pink? Orange? LEDs-off grey?

[Shadowlass]

It was, indeed, very hard to care about (or even see) how Samantha was flailing on the choreo with Jaja killing it next to her. 

 

That entire group all I thought was, Get out of the way and let me see Jaja!

 

They didn't show any of her second-round dancing, did they?

[WhineandCheez]

Newlywed male was underwhelming.  I truly hope he wasn't planning on supporting his new family with dance.  Bride however was way better this time, even though she did get the boot.  Neither one of them would have made it to Vegas without the backstory. 

 

Speaking of backstories, did they HAVE to REPEAT every sob story again this week, truncated though they were?  Sheesh.  If hot Israeli breaker doesn't make it I will kvetch.

[realdancemom]

There were a lot of good female street dancers.  It's nice to see it.  Also rooting for Jim, the ballet dancer.  I was sad that Bronx B-Boy couldn't keep up with choreography since I was rooting for him too.  Surprised that Brooke got cut during the solo rounds since I thought her audition was decent.  I noticed that Mary (non-dancing dad)  is still around and I hated her audition. 

Edited June 30, 2015 by realdancemom

[Drpepperey]

 

I noticed that Mary (non-dancing dad)  is still around and I hated her audition.

 

I also noticed that.. we did not see much of her individually but from what I could see, she looked like she was doing well, despite her lack-of-dancing audition.

[emmapants]

I LOVE Jaja. She was one of my favorites last season and there is no way she is not making top 20 this season. Urellis (I think that is her name, the one who went back and trained in hip hop) is proving to be quite a contender, as well as Jessica Rabone.

 

So agreed! The street girls are so strong this season. I loved Twitch saying it might be a team full of ladies, but I could easily see 5 of them making it. My hopes: Jaja, Yorelis, Jessica Rabone, Standing O, and... hmm, there are a couple that could fit that fifth spot.

 

Gaby the tapper definitely needs to make the Stage top 10. I think tappers have it as hard as ballroom dancers (although at least they're used to being on stage by themselves). I think it's interesting there's that white boy clog-tapper that's on the Street team.

[Wootini]

If you like Jaja, you should check out Step Up All In. She has a small supporting role on one of the competing dance crews. And has an adorable animation romance with the animator guy in the movies. :) Heck, watching the Step Up movies is like playing a "Where's Waldo" game with SYTYCD alumni and auditioners! 

Edited June 30, 2015 by Wootini

[Terrafamilia]

There were a few SMH moments. People getting cut who I thought did the choreo ok and people - like blonde ballroom guy - who looked way off and didn't get cut.

I agree. One problem is we get a highly edited version and don't get a good look at the whole thing (but I was still surprised that guy made it through the round). I thought the shorter Swiss brother did better than the other but he got sent home right then and the other at least got to dance for his life.

 

Apparently, newlywed guy's style is street interpretive dance.

 

We saw a number of snippets of that guy who auditioned last year in a bow tie and sweater vest.Does anyone remember his name?

 

It has to be said - I am totally, completely over tattoos.

[beeble]

What were the name of the songs the hip hoppers did the choreography to? I'm bummed they weren't named.

[emmapants]

There were a few SMH moments. People getting cut who I thought did the choreo ok and people - like blonde ballroom guy - who looked way off and didn't get cut.

I agree. One problem is we get a highly edited version and don't get a good look at the whole thing (but I was still surprised that guy made it through the round). I thought the shorter Swiss brother did better than the other but he got sent home right then and the other at least got to dance for his life.

The editing definitely contributes, but you also have to take into account that they factor in the dancer's previous auditions when making their decisions. There were a number of people who faltered a little in the choreography, but were kept (or made to "dance for their life") on the strength of their previous auditions. Some of which we've seen and some not. I think that ties into the Swiss brothers, as well. The older one might have done a little better in the choreography, but, at least for me, I thought it was clear from their first audition that the younger one was the stronger dancer, and therefore I'm not surprised he's gotten further. (I wasn't paying attention enough to blonde ballroom guy to comment there.)

What were the name of the songs the hip hoppers did the choreography to? I'm bummed they weren't named.

Yeah, I thought usually they say what songs they use now. Back in the day, I used to watch this show with my phone open to Shazam the whole episode.

Edited July 1, 2015 by emmapants

[Cuatro1234]

I agree. One problem is we get a highly edited version and don't get a good look at the whole thing (but I was still surprised that guy made it through the round). I thought the shorter Swiss brother did better than the other but he got sent home right then and the other at least got to dance for his life.

Apparently, newlywed guy's style is street interpretive dance.

We saw a number of snippets of that guy who auditioned last year in a bow tie and sweater vest.Does anyone remember his name?

It has to be said - I am totally, completely over tattoos.

[dcalley]

We saw a number of snippets of that guy who auditioned last year in a bow tie and sweater vest.Does anyone remember his name?

No, but I remembered that his dad danced at one audition but that he had passed away shortly before a later season's audition. That was enough to find his name: Caleb Brauner.

[shortpplfedup]

I agreed with Paula telling Moses to 'dance like a man' in the Broadway piece and here's why: dance is about 50% acting. Sometimes, the style or the choreography calls for a certain look, or type, or flair. And if Moses can't butch it up when the dance demands it, his options as a professional dancer will be very limited. He's gotta be able to act butch sometimes. It's not homophobia, it's the demands of acting, and Moses hasn't yet shown that he has that ability in his wheelhouse.

 

As for me, I'm here for Team Street Women Killing It. Black girls and hip hop girls have gotten almost erased on this show, so I'm ready for Twitch's All-Female Street Squad. Aside from the named (JaJa, Megs, Yorelis, Standing O) there are a whole host of as-yet unnamed women quietly killing it on Team Street. Quite a few big girls and butch girls too. I LOVE it. I love this show, but it's gotten REALLY iffy on the hip hop side over the years.

 

I'm also glad to see no Latin ballroom. Hope that continues.

Edited July 1, 2015 by shortpplfedup

[shimarella]

This episode was more interesting than the audition ones, for sure. The Broadway chorey was much better than Travis', which is becoming a parody of itself. The street dance choreographies held my interest more, even with the tragicomedy of the boys flailing through the first one. I rewound the first group of female dancers at least twice. Damn the women are throwing down on Team Street and I am loving it. Also...completely shallow but I have a major crush on Megs ( the butch freestyler in the multicolored plaid shirt. I mean..those abs...)

[pamplemousse]

I think what group you're in when it's time to perform the choreo may also have an impact on whether or not you get through the round. Ryan the blond ballroom dancer was in a tough group for Broadway, but there were only two guys in the group -- him and a contemp guy. The contemp guy was better at the choreo than Ryan, but Ryan kept up okay so I think that, combined with his earlier performances was enough to keep him safe through broadway round. Where as Just Married blonde girl was also in that group with two other girls who were both very strong at the choreo, better than her, so I think that contributed to her not making it. If she had been in a different group, her performance might've looked better in comparison (although I still don't think her perf in the broadway round would've been good enough regardless).

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Can tWitch give me pep talks whenever I'm having a crappy day? I would love that!

 

On the other hand, I felt like but what about any of the other street dancers who were getting frustrated? Why didn't they all get one on one encouragement from him too? I liked that we saw him giving one of the groups some tips before they did their second round of choreography.

 

While I felt bad for the Dragon House guy who got cut in the first choreography round because he said he quit his job to come to callbacks, dude, COME ON. How many members of Dragon House have competed on SYTYCD in the past eleven seasons? Enough to know that you MUST be able to learn choreography to get into the top twenty. If you know you can't do choreography, then quitting your job to go to callbacks doesn't seem like a great idea.

 

I disagreed with several of the judges' choices. But maybe that's partly because during a lot of the choreography footage, they zoomed in one dancer so we couldn't tell what the hell was going on. In some of the rare wideshots it was really obvious that people were out of sync. I was surprised they kept the female ballroom dancer because when her group did the contemporary routine she was always ahead or behind the other dancers.

 

Yoralis is one of the reasons I don't like this stage vs. street format. She auditioned as a contemporary dancer in a previous season but now she is competing in the street category simply because she chose to audition with a hip hop routine. If they are willing to put a tapper in the street category then someone like Yoralis should be a studio trained hip hop dancer on the stage team. Don't get me wrong - I have no issue with her as a dancer at all and she was smart to really train in hip hop the last year since she got cut in the hip hop round last year. She is just a good example of why I don't like the way they're breaking up the dancers into street or stage (I already didn't like it during the initial audition weeks because there are so many hip hop dancers who ARE studio trained).

 

One thing that makes the choreography rounds in Vegas so challenging is they are crowded on the stage without a mirror so they can't see themselves. Some of those groups in the first ground of hip hop choreography were rough. Although part of me hated that one of the guys asked if he could try the dance again on his own, I understood what he was saying. It is REALLY distracting when people around you are doing the choreography incorrectly. I know you need to be able to focus no matter what is going on, but it really messes with your head if everyone around you is doing something different. Once during a performance, the girl in front of me popped up one count early, so when I popped up (ahem, ON TIME), I saw that she was already up and I panicked and thought oh crap, was I late on that? Luckily it was a dance we had rehearsed a million times so my body kept going even as my mind was second guessing if I had made a mistake.

 

Loved when that first group of girls came out and killed it in the first round of hip hop choreography. It was a much needed relief after seeing that mess of group of guys before them.

 

I know this will sound mean, but I'm glad that the married couple got cut. I didn't think either of them should have made it to Vegas in the first place. During the solo round in Vegas, I thought the husband made a huge mistake with his routine. When the judges tell you that you have 60 seconds to impress them, don't waste half that time walking around the stage and pantomiming the lyrics. When the wife got cut during the Broadway round and she said she didn't stand out enough, I thought the opposite. She stood out to me because she didn't know the choreography well enough and was constantly out of sync with the rest of the group.

 

When Edson went down at the end of Broadway, I loved that the ballroom guy immediately ran over to see if he was okay but I also thought why isn't Nigel or someone calling the medics? They're on site for a reason!

 

On a shallow note, I wish that the Broadway routine didn't have different choreography or the guys and girls because it was really distracting, especially when there was just one person who didn't know the choreography. My eyes were going all over the place and trying to figure out who was doing it correctly. I really liked the choreography but I would have liked it better if I had seen more groups dancing it cleanly together.

 

Why were Moises, the breaker brother, and Steven the only ones given the opportunity to dance for his life? I don't want to sound like cranky old lady, but it's not fair for them to be the only three given that chance.

 

The little I saw of the second breaker brother looked good so I don't know why he got cut but Steven got to dance for his life. I was okay with Steven getting cut because his dancing wasn't strong enough (in the choreography round that we saw and in his solo), but I still felt bad that his family has never come to see him dance. My parents always made sure to come to all of my performances, no matter how busy they were or how small my part was.

 

For me, Paula's initial critique of the guy in the Broadway round was more about being able to adapt to the choreographer's specific style. He learned the steps but he didn't pick up the style. In the top 20, there is going to be choreography that's soft and loose but there is also going to be choreography that's angular and hard. When you learn a routine, it's not enough to memorize the steps. You really have to embody the way that the choreographer does the steps. There are a million different ways to strike the same pose or point your finger at the audience (just for example). If you want to get cast in a music video or a Broadway show or whatever it is your'e auditioning for, you have to do it the way that the choreographer does it. Because this particular dancer wasn't imitating the choreographer's style, he still looked like he didn't match up with the others in his group even though technically he was doing a lot of the steps correctly.

 

One thing I love about the audition episodes is that we get to hear the other dancers in the audience being so supportive of each other while the others are dancing, whether it's during choreography or solos. 

[paramitch]

My favorite moment here was watching Marissa squirm and pout all over the stage in a truly superb show of hairography -- and then they cut to the judges, and Paula's face was just STONE. In the most awesome way. And then when the judges conferred, you could hear Nigel perving it up with something like, "She's beautiful!" and Paula responding, "But she didn't dance!"

 

This is my main beef this year more than any. The solo choreography is really weak, and weakly performed. So, so many of this year's dancers seem incapable of actually dancing a full routine that feels connected. Instead, it's Move, move, acrobatic, pose, move, roll around on the floor, flip hair, move. They aren't DANCING. The moves aren't strung together and fluid and connected.

 

I was with Paula -- Marissa's solo tonight should have gotten her cut. It was one of the worst and most self-indulgent I've ever seen on this show. But meanwhile, the girls were just fierce! I was absolutely gobsmacked by how fast Standing O picked up her choreography -- I would love for her to make the Top 20 (and the Haitian kid -- so glad he's still there as well). And Virgil's still there right? I thought he was fantastic but wasn't clear if he made it all the way through... 

 

While I wasn't quite with Paula, though, on Moses. The critique was crass and really hard to watch -- I do think there could have been a better way to communicate what they were looking for in his quality of movement. For instance, Jakob from S6 had a smooth, liquid movement that edged toward effeminacy, but he was a good enough actor that he transformed the quality of that movement as needed (the interesting thing for me is that last year's winner, Ricky, did not). So I got what they were looking for (and I have the feeling that Paula was designated to give the advice so that it wasn't Mean Homophobic Nigel as usual), even if it wasn't presented well at all. Moses is a gorgeous dancer, so I'm hoping he can temper the quality of his movement as needed -- he's just exquisite to watch.

 

I LOVE Jaja. She was one of my favorites last season and there is no way she is not making top 20 this season.

I agree. She's actually my pick to win the whole season -- she has charisma for days, she picks up choreography gorgeously, and she's adorable. Although, now I've probably just cursed her since my favorites almost never win.

 

Newlywed male was underwhelming.  I truly hope he wasn't planning on supporting his new family with dance.  Bride however was way better this time, even though she did get the boot.  Neither one of them would have made it to Vegas without the backstory. 

 

Speaking of backstories, did they HAVE to REPEAT every sob story again this week, truncated though they were?  Sheesh.  If hot Israeli breaker doesn't make it I will kvetch.

 

The sob story reruns were incredibly annoying in this episode, especially as we barely got to see so many great people dance!

 

Meanwhile, the newlywed couple was so busy "acting" their utterly unconvincing love story that they forgot the dancing part. I really think the guy was so convinced that (after all the extra footage and features on the two of them) that he had it in the bag. His solo was just terrible (and yet again he barely danced in it) -- so bad that his astonishment was almost comical when he was cut. And his wife's overwrought praying before he came out -- again, it was just so over the top. I really agree that neither one of them had the chops to make it to Vegas in the first place. 

 

If Asaf doesn't make it I'll be so disappointed, but it does look like he's having trouble with choreography. Which is a shame because the guy is so charismatic and gorgeous. Still, fingers crossed he rebounds next week.

 

I disagreed with several of the judges' choices. But maybe that's partly because during a lot of the choreography footage, they zoomed in one dancer so we couldn't tell what the hell was going on. In some of the rare wideshots it was really obvious that people were out of sync. I was surprised they kept the female ballroom dancer because when her group did the contemporary routine she was always ahead or behind the other dancers.

 

(snipped for space)

 

One thing I love about the audition episodes is that we get to hear the other dancers in the audience being so supportive of each other while the others are dancing, whether it's during choreography or solos. 

 

The camera work in this episode drove me nuts! They kept zooming in tightly on one dancer, barely showing us any of the whole group in many of the routines, so we really came away without a sense of how well most of them did. 

I agree on the support of the fellow dancers -- it's so wonderful to see, and I always love seeing so many who are eliminated sitting cozily in the audience, cheering on the others, too. I also think Paula's visible warmth for the dancers is really lovable -- she is always the one cheering them on the loudest, as if she wants to will each and every person to dance their best. It really seems genuine and it's very sweet to watch.

 

Another thing I liked about this year's Vegas rounds thus far is that we've seen so many people accept their eliminations with grace, saying simply, "Life of a dancer," or something similar. It reminded me of Roger Ebert, who in reviewing "A Chorus Line" (the film) said he really wished it had simply ended with the eliminated dancers shrugging and going off to get coffee together, since that was far more the reality.

Edited July 1, 2015 by paramitch

[helent]

You want to be careful calling yourself B1, or you'll get mistaken for one of these guys: 

 

As for me, I'm here for Team Street Women Killing It. Black girls and hip hop girls have gotten almost erased on this show, so I'm ready for Twitch's All-Female Street Squad. Aside from the named (JaJa, Megs, Yorelis, Standing O) there are a whole host of as-yet unnamed women quietly killing it on Team Street. Quite a few big girls and butch girls too. I LOVE it. I love this show, but it's gotten REALLY iffy on the hip hop side over the years.

Yes! I am loving all these women. I wish I could do that thing with my boobs like Standing O does. Can someone gif that please? It's so female without being at all a sexy come-on, love it.

Edited July 1, 2015 by helent

[Jesse]

Do you think Standing O will actually make it to the show, though? I can just picture her on the Green Mile with effing Nigel telling her he's concerned about how she'll do in other styles/partnering/etc. I.e., she's too big for these boys to lift. 

[Wootini]

Since over on the Street side of things, the women are kicking ass while the men are falling apart, maybe we should've had Comfort as the team leader instead of Twitch? ;-)

[WhineandCheez]

And his wife's overwrought praying before he came out -- again, it was just so over the top.

 

It was so bad.  I was expecting them to turn the screen into black and white, have silent movie music playing in the background, dialogue running across the bottom of the screen--something like "We're gonna lose the farm!!"  then Nigel comes out twirling his handlebar moustache and ties the bride onto the railroad tracks.  It was THAT OTT.

[dcalley]

Do you think Standing O will actually make it to the show, though? I can just picture her on the Green Mile with effing Nigel telling her he's concerned about how she'll do in other styles/partnering/etc. I.e., she's too big for these boys to lift. 

I worry that her panic attack will hurt her even though she seems to have gotten past it well. Let's hope she has no problems with the stressful, stay-up-all-night group number. Speculation based on a clip we have seen in commercials/"next week" scenes but not on the air yet as far as I know:

I think she might be the one punching a wall while crouching, so that doesn't bode well.

[Pallida]

Does anybody know if the female street dancer with pink hair has been shown other than in montage? I thought she was really good too.

According to Standing O's Facebook page, she majored in theater and dance in university, so I'm quite hopeful for her. Since this season isn't focusing on male/female partnering only, I will be extra mad if Nigel pulls a bodyshaming.

I'm starting to think it'd be better to do a "audition in this style" grouping where the "real" competition breaks people away from their chosen specialty. In other words, all contemporary compete against contemporary only during auditons/callbacks an we'd have a maximum number of them in the final group. People who are cross trained would have an advantage still but it would do away with this facade of street dancers being untrained. And hopefully this would guarantee a more diverse dance background in the actual competition.