S12.E07: Top 20 Perform

[Alison]

Gaby proved her cross-training chops right out of the gate (despite what the show would like you believe). She definitely held her own in that number.

 

The show's continued denial of cross-training among dancers baffles me. It's very rare that a tapper hasn't at least taken jazz.

Travis - I kind of feel like Travis should not be choreographing since he’s the team captain. Maybe because I’m sick of him. Kate and Edson are well-paired. Really nice dancing, but I feel like I’ve seen this routine a lot of times. Kind of astonished that Nigel took a shit all over the Reaching Contemporary though, which I have grown so bored of. Most sensible critique he’s given in years.

 

Not to mention that Kate works/worked for him as a dancer in his Shaping Sound company. A little fishy, if you ask me.

Edited July 16, 2015 by Alison

[damnman]

Oh I so agree with Shades of Red about Hailie the short-haired blond girl she looks exactly like Gail from Rookie Blue! Having said that I found her the better of the 3 dancers in that routine because she wasn't all about the hairography like the other two - you actually saw her, like, dance, but it did bring to mind the boot licking routine from SYTYCD Canada and how sexual it was without either "character" dressing too provocatively (that dance is INCREDIBLE and everyone should see it).

 

I think Jim is an absolutely beautiful dancer (I don't know much about ballet) but his lines and his toes and his leanness make my eyes draw to him over the other ballet dancer who seems clunky beside him. 

 

I still love Yaya (sp?) and am so glad that she finally made it to the show and Virgil has such a beautiful smile, reminds me a lot of Fik Shun as others have already mentioned.

 

Asaf brings the pretty, but then he opens his mouth and he brings the pretty ugly. Buddy if you can't pick up choreography then you have no place on this show. You're not such a special snowflake that the choreographers have to choreograph around you. I was really disappointed that that's who they picked to replace the injured dancer.

[paramitch]

I was so sorry about Alain! Of all the people to not make it to the Top 20, that broke my heart. His story really moved me. I hope the injury is temporary and that he can still continue to dance. I'm okay with Asaf coming in -- I think he has crazy charisma and potential -- but I really felt so sad for Alain the Hurricane. His smile lit up the stage.
 

Am I too harsh? At least past breaker contestants stfu and do the choreography as required. If Dominic can Disco, Legacy can Broadway, and Jose can Bollywood....  Asaf whined about Hip hop? Pathetic.

I actually like Asaf, but yeah. He badly needs to shut it and stop whining.

 

I resisted the urge to resist Jason's performance only because I wanted to see the All Stars. Totally not worth the three minutes I wasted. I couldn't even tell who most of the All Stars were. I admit that I cracked up when he just stood at the front of the stage yelling, "WOOO!"

 

I thought Jason's number actually had some nice moments, but did anyone else think it was, er, heavily inspired by "Ramalama?" Right down to the costumes, the walzing 'zombie aristocrats,' several moves, and the stops-and-starts. With that said, I was pleasantly surprised at Derulo's comfort onstage. He had an ease and smoothness that was kind of surprising for me. Also always nice to see our All-Stars (both there and in the Michele Obama interview). I love that so many people still remember "Gravity" too (since that, "Ramalama" and Wade's "Flower and Hummingbird" dances are my favorites).

 

Wasn't a fan of the three girls in the jazz number (and I blame the choreographer for that) - they're entirely too immature to pull something like that routine off.

 

Liked to loved all the street routines last night.  Liked the first stage routine with Gabby, loved the ballet boys,  and hated that underwear dance - whatever that was supposed to be.  That was just awful awful awful.

I hated that routine too. I found it tired and insulting and utterly uncreative. Putting three beautiful young girls into black underwear, fishnets, stilettos, and trench coats and then making them dance a "sexy" routine isn't daring or strong, it's tired, cliched, and done, done, done. Nigel then lecturing them on how to be MORE SEXY was just hilarious in its irony, as Nigel lives for those kinds of routines.

 

Another disservice- as we've said year after year- is the camera work.  I know it's not "fancy" or whatever, but this show just needs to have a camera at the front of the stage and leave it there- unmoving!  You have more than one dancer moving over the entire stage.  I hate when the cameras tell me where I should be looking.  I want to see the WHOLE routine!  Sometimes, if I like the routine, I'd like to rewatch and maybe focus on another aspect of the dance myself.  It's harder to do when the camera is all over the place, showing the judges, etc.

The camera work this episode was really distracting -- I actually wondered if there was so much individual focus because the dancers weren't in sync from the wider views and this was a way to hide that.

 

Those female street dancers- damn they are all good.   I came into it thinking Jaja was going to steal the show, but all of the female streets (Except the one in white I mmentioned above) steal your eye more than Jaja does. The one who said she was Comfort's partner, and tried out in black and white striped tights--she draws your eye right to her like a laser!

I thought Jaja was just as superb and strong as she always is, but I was interested that nobody said anything specifically about her. My grassy knoll brain says it's because they don't want to overhype her and they already know she's one of the most popular of the season, but we'll see.

 

There have been times where people have left the stage before in group dances.  I cannot remember who, although Twitch had quite a rep for being choreo'd around at one time.  I didn't really agree.

I love Twitch and think he's a fantastic performer. But yeah, I'm one of the ones who thinks he coasted through his season with several routines that took it pretty easy on him (MIA) and relied on his charisma.

 

I enjoyed this episode overall, and do think we've got a season of strong dancing ahead of us. I just hope the choreography lives up to it. They really need to shake things up choreographically on this show as so many routines are either too literal or are outright parodies of SYTYCD routines at this point.

 

I was surprised at the really crass costuming choices for this episode -- and that the judges were so blatant about criticizing them. The show's won multiple Emmys for costume design in the past, but yeah, I thought these were all just terrible. 

[AkitaLex]

I was so excited to see "the two ballet boys!!!!" but I wasn't impressed by the performance. I think the idea was good, but the execution was poor. You would never cast these two in a number with so many synchronous sections. They're both amazing, but have very different strengths. If these dances are being choreographed specifically for these groups, I would have preferred to see the ballet boys kick the butts of the other people in their group routines than see them pitted against each other. Jim is getting all the Alex Wong comparisons, but Darion is an amazingly powerful dancer. I loved his audition, and he's going to kill it in the partnering, once this show finally decides to make the dancers do something outside their stage/street zone.

[rollerblade]

The camera work this episode was really distracting -- I actually wondered if there was so much individual focus because the dancers weren't in sync from the wider views and this was a way to hide that.

 

I thought Jaja was just as superb and strong as she always is, but I was interested that nobody said anything specifically about her. My grassy knoll brain says it's because they don't want to overhype her and they already know she's one of the most popular of the season, but we'll see.

 

Jaja kinda "disappeared" in this episode - which can be good or bad depending on how you look at it. She didn't stand out as the best or worst, no thanks to the quartet dance and camerawork.

 

Speaking of camerawork, why do they even need to do anything "fancy" with it? Just plant 3 cameras covering the front circumference of the stage, and call it a day! All these pan & zoom are completely pointless and made us missed the big picture. In fact, a fan-cam footage shot with an ipad would be better than what we're getting on Fox. Anyone going to the Live shows? ^_^

 

Too bad they will never have the budget of NFL's multi-angle streaming. Or actually, that sounds like it would simplify things a lot.

[AkitaLex]

Commenting as I watch, but dear lord, the horrible turnout and feet from the ladies wearing pointe shoes during Jason Derulo's performance is why we should never have a ballet number that isn't danced by a ballet dancer. I guess this is how ballroom people feel when seeing ballroom dances being desecrated. And it's easily fixed! Just have them do it on demi-pointe. They already did it for most of the number.  This "broken-down ballet dancer" is a trope that needs to disappear. It's no excuse for bad form. That hurt my dancing heart.

Edited July 16, 2015 by AkitaLex

[phoenix780]

Speaking of camerawork, why do they even need to do anything "fancy" with it? Just plant 3 cameras covering the front circumference of the stage, and call it a day! All these pan & zoom are completely pointless and made us missed the big picture. In fact, a fan-cam footage shot with an ipad would be better than what we're getting on Fox. Anyone going to the Live shows? ^_^

 

You know someone is going to read that last sentence and think we need to see random fans with cell phone cams...

 

Random, but I'm still tired of the applause for the choreographers, especially if the work is being called trite (or at least criticized).  I'd actually rather hear from them if we have to mention them every time, and watch them look all (faux) humble as they're applauded.  

 

The sexy dance...all I thought while watching it was "these girls will get work," because to me it's one of few pieces in the past few seasons that reminds me of dancers in the pop/R&B music world where it's all a little under-clothed and sexually-charged.  I did think that the pose at the end was a little much with the spreading, and that critiques about faces were a little irrelevant (you don't watch a strip show to look at faces), but overall to me it was very...Pussycat Dolls.  In the moment it didn't feel over-sexualized, just...normal for pop culture, at least as I experience it.

[Zuleikha]

Where oh where in that routine was there any space for "subtle sexuality"?  Those poor girls.  That said, I think the dance could have been salvaged with different costuming.  If they'd put the girls in some feminized version of men's tuxedos, for instance.

 

Did the show have Brian Friedman explain his number? It was supposed to be femme fatale noir, which I don't think would work in feminized tuxedos. That tends to read either Broadway or circus/vaudeville. 

 

IMHO, the number neither had space for subtle sexuality nor was supposed to have subtle sexuality. Did Nigel really say that? How ridiculous! The sexuality was obviously supposed to be overt! But what the performance was missing was threat. The femme fatale is defined by her danger (literally!). The dancers need to be confident, sexy, but also completely in control and a little scary (in a good way) to give that sense of you want to get away; you know she's a bad idea; but you can't resist her.

 

When you perform a dance like that right, IMHO, it doesn't exactly feel sexy. It feels more like a commentary on sexiness (in a good way, though... not in a lecturing way). But that's a really mature concept for 18/19 year olds. If I think of past contestants of that age, I think Courtney and Jeanine could have probably have pulled it off but I can't really think of anyone else who danced with that maturity. That's why I think it was such a poor choice for Brian Friedman to use that dance to showcase his choreography given how likely it would be he'd be working with younger dancers. He was lucky that Hailee could pull off the attitude as well as she did. 

[annoyingone]

http://www.ew.com/article/2015/07/14/so-you-think-you-can-dance-mentor-blog-travis-wall-says-team-stage-won

This article makes it seem that each week we will get dances with 2-4 dancers...and that it won't always be an even split of how many from each team are in a routine

Edited July 16, 2015 by annoyingone

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I did not miss Tyce at all, although I will say that if he has to come back, let him choreograph group numbers, not duets.  His group numbers are ok.

While I agree, I have to bring up the exception to the rule. This is still one of my favorite dances. Not only is the dancing beautiful, but it's a great example of the choreographer working with BOTH dancers to highlight their strengths (Allison's gorgeous switch tilt leap into an attitude turn, incorporating Ivan's hip hop background into some of the movements) and mask their weaknesses (having Allison do a tour en l'air while Ivan just jumped straight up behind her) to make both of them look good:

 

I don't know which I hated more, the Sex Dance or the critique afterwards.  Where oh where in that routine was there any space for "subtle sexuality"?  Those poor girls.  That said, I think the dance could have been salvaged with different costuming.  If they'd put the girls in some feminized version of men's tuxedos, for instance.

I was actually thinking about sleeveless tuxedo shirts, maybe with a tie or something similar to what Sabra wore in Sweet Dreams:

 

Ha, and "subtle sexuality" requires this video:

[phoenix780]

http://www.ew.com/article/2015/07/14/so-you-think-you-can-dance-mentor-blog-travis-wall-says-team-stage-won

This article makes it seem that each week we will get dances with 2-4 dancers...and that it won't always be an even split of how many from each team are in a routine

...yeah, I'm lost on what this Stage v. Street thing is all about, then.  Unless it's some giant morality play about how you need both the training of stage and the, um, heart of street, or something.  

[pally]

First impression was that Team Stage's final 5 will be Gaby and 4 guys and Team Street's will be Virgil and 4 girls.  The winner will be Gaby, Virgil, or Jim.  I fear for the lives of any girl who is partnered with either of the b-boys but especially Asaf.  As much as I like him and he does great in his own genre but he just can't pick up the moves

[ToxicUnicorn]

My cold heart got a little goopy when you brought up Allison and Ivan, ElectricBoogaloo.  Thanks for that.

 

I've been interested to read all the discussion about the Brian Friedman jazz piece.  The femme fatale post made me wistful for what could have been (although couldn't a femme fatale have worn a tuxedo?) 

 

None of this discussion has changed my mind, though.  I hated it as soon as the trench coats came off.  Basically, I've decided if the dancers are wearing garter belts, I'm probably not interested.  And honestly, the tuxedos wouldn't have saved it for me, because then I'd be wishing for ballroom or tap.

[Pallida]

I would have hated the jazz routine in tuxedos (or feminized tuxedos).  The masculinization would rub me the wrong way.

[paramitch]

I don't miss Tyce at all, or his "This routine is about tornadoes!" "This routine is about world hunger!" "This routine is about a blind girl!"

Although I do miss watching his smug little face and his faux-humble expressions after the tonguebaths from the judges. I also used to LOVE it when they'd cut to Tyce in the audience -- and EVERY TIME (and I do mean EVERY TIME), you could see Tyce's eyes flicker up to watch himself on the big screen, like he couldn't help it. Go back and look. It's hilarious. He did it Every. Single. Time.

 

http://www.ew.com/article/2015/07/14/so-you-think-you-can-dance-mentor-blog-travis-wall-says-team-stage-won

This article makes it seem that each week we will get dances with 2-4 dancers...and that it won't always be an even split of how many from each team are in a routine

 

Aghghg. Here's the thing: I like Travis. I really do. I liked him on his reality show about Shaping Sound, and think he comes off as a pretty good, decent person, a wonderful dancer, and a talented choreographer (although he has a lot to learn there still I think -- I think he tends to be overly literal in his inspirations).

 

But every once in awhile, he also comes across as smug, and this entire whiny editorial about how "Team Stage won" really rubbed me the wrong way. He sounds defensive and ungracious, and it's even worse against Twitch's much sweeter piece (which is much more about the big picture, about the Stage/Street rapport, and not about "who won" -- http://www.ew.com/article/2015/07/14/so-you-think-you-can-dance-mentor-blog-twitch-talks-teamwork-stage-street). 

 

But it's early and hopefully Travis will calm down as the weeks go forward.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Although I do miss watching his smug little face and his faux-humble expressions after the tonguebaths from the judges. I also used to LOVE it when they'd cut to Tyce in the audience -- and EVERY TIME (and I do mean EVERY TIME), you could see Tyce's eyes flicker up to watch himself on the big screen, like he couldn't help it. Go back and look. It's hilarious. He did it Every. Single. Time.

Ha, it's funny because it's true! I used to crack up at the weekly segment of Tyce looking at himself on the big screen on the stage and then mouthing, "Thank you," to the dancers and blowing them kisses.

 

Maybe the reason i liked Allison and Ivan's "Why" is that there was no concept about a girl who had escaped a convent and then got trapped on top of a volcano only to be rescued by a giant dinosaur that had been resurrected by a magic spell. It was just lovely dancing and Tyce used the music really well.

 

If you haven't watched Every Little Step (a documentary about casting the Broadway revival of A Chorus Line), there is some hilarious stuff from Tyce. I think this sums up Tyce perfectly:

 

ETA: This is an interview with Tyce done right before Every Little Step was released in theaters and it is HILARIOUS.

Edited July 17, 2015 by ElectricBoogaloo

[crowceilidh]

This made me look for the Tyce number that made me forgive him for a lot of things:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNBSCdbJ6EM

 

 

Boy, were Jessica and Will one of the most sadly under-rated couples ever.  I loved so many of their dances.  I can't remember who had the hate on for Jessica (Mia?) but it was sure damaging.  I wonder what Jessica thinks of her SYTYCD experience now.

 

The eye flicking thing is too true, but I was always so irritated by him that I never even thought through to figuring out what he was doing.  Thanks, now I can loathe him even more next time.

 

The thing I find interesting about the Travis' mentor blog is that I can't decide whether his appreciation for the Heaven hh makes me like it more or less.

Edited July 17, 2015 by crowceilidh

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Ha, I love that in the judging segment of Silence, you get to see the aforementioned sequence of Tyce mouthing, "Thank you," (this time to Mia) and blowing kisses. It also reminded me why I usually disliked Mia's critiques. First a 20 second anecdote about how SHE is tangentially connected to this piece because Tyce played this song at her house. Then approximately one minute kissing Tyce's ass and complimenting the newness of his choreography and talking about how it was a painting and there were beautiful shapes (still all about Tyce, not Will or Jessica). Then FOUR SECONDS to tell Will he reminds her of Desmond Richardson and that is her entire critique for Will, followed by a ten second backhanded compliment to Jessica about how this was the first time she didn't fear or the dance of back away from it (implying that until now, she had been fearing it and backing away from it). Yup, that's now a 90 second critique from Mia goes. Not even a full fifteen seconds for the actual dancers (unless she's busy telling them how much they suck).

 

Honestly, this just makes me appreciate Paula and Jason more. Paula has been quite coherent in her judging all season. Jason wasn't great during auditions but I feel like he's not entirely useless anymore. And at least he isn't making the critiques all about himself.

[chaddyou812]

When you perform a dance like that right, IMHO, it doesn't exactly feel sexy. It feels more like a commentary on sexiness (in a good way, though... not in a lecturing way). But that's a really mature concept for 18/19 year olds. If I think of past contestants of that age, I think Courtney and Jeanine could have probably have pulled it off but I can't really think of anyone else who danced with that maturity. That's why I think it was such a poor choice for Brian Friedman to use that dance to showcase his choreography given how likely it would be he'd be working with younger dancers. He was lucky that Hailee could pull off the attitude as well as she did. 

 

Thinking back to some of the earlier seasons, it's been awhile since the show has had a truly captivating and mature female dancer. I honestly think the last one was Jeanine, who to me is the best (whole package wise) the show has ever had. Since then there haven't been any standouts. I was never a fan of LoFro or Melanie Moore whom I'm sure some would argue were that. I thought maybe Makenzie in season 10 could have been that, but that didn't turn out well.

 

Hopefully this season, with the strength of the women on Team Street, we could see another.

[Rick Kitchen]

 

I finally watch the episode tonight (after reading all about it here obviously) and was expecting something much worse than what I saw.  Aside from the fact that I agree with the above statement (and this applies to a lot of critiques over the seasons to a lot of different dances) I didn't actually think the dance itself was that overtly sexual ( the stilettos & strappy get-ups, yes. The dance itself, not so much.)

 

Well, there were a lot of spread legs.

[pamplemousse]

...yeah, I'm lost on what this Stage v. Street thing is all about, then.  Unless it's some giant morality play about how you need both the training of stage and the, um, heart of street, or something.  

In order to win this season, a dancer must have the eye of the tiger and the heart of a lion!

 

That should be the tag-line for season 12.

 

Tyce is um...a character, isn't he? I have enjoyed a lot of his contemporary pieces, I think that is his strength. Why, Silence, Apologize (I loved Danny and Anya in that, but then I loved them in everything), and A Woman's Work (a lot was made about the cancer storyline, but I thought the dance itself, the actual choreography, was really well-conceived, and I loved Melissa & Ade) have been some of my favorite contemp dances on SYTYCD.

Edited July 17, 2015 by pamplemousse

[paramitch]

I just don't think anything could have saved that trio jazz dance for me. The moment Friedman put them in black bikinis and stilettos, he had a pretty big strike against him, and while I think he could have totally subverted that creatively, I just feel like he failed utterly. How much more interesting would it have been for them to start that way and THEN cover up? Or to use the 'sexy' dance as a way to show disdain for the requirement to be sexy?

 

He could have been playful, humorous, ironic, and empowering with that piece. Instead he made it laughably cliched. It doesn't help that I almost never like his work, so that's part of it -- I just don't feel any goodwill toward Friedman on that piece at all. I felt sorry for all three girls (well, not as much for Marisa, since she's been flailing frantically and showing us her orgasm faces since day one of auditions so this must have been a dream come true).

 

I think the piece is a bummer because it illustrates the pipe dreams of so many silly young female dancers on the show, whose sole ambition in life is evidently to be "sexy!" and "sassy!"  How many times -- on the other hand -- do we hear guys talking wistfully about showing their sexy sides? The show has a huge double standard there (and worse, if a guy IS sexy, Nigel treats Paula (and Mary before her) like some old-lady perv for even commenting on it. His double standard on the topic is ridiculous.

 

Ha, it's funny because it's true! I used to crack up at the weekly segment of Tyce looking at himself on the big screen on the stage and then mouthing, "Thank you," to the dancers and blowing them kisses.

 

Maybe the reason i liked Allison and Ivan's "Why" is that there was no concept about a girl who had escaped a convent and then got trapped on top of a volcano only to be rescued by a giant dinosaur that had been resurrected by a magic spell. It was just lovely dancing and Tyce used the music really well.

 

If you haven't watched Every Little Step (a documentary about casting the Broadway revival of A Chorus Line), there is some hilarious stuff from Tyce. I think this sums up Tyce perfectly:

 

ETA: This is an interview with Tyce done right before Every Little Step was released in theaters and it is HILARIOUS.

 

I LOOOOVE "Every Little Step" simply as a Tyce showcase, because it really does spotlight the difficult gift that is Tyce. (1) it shows what a truly gorgeous dancer he is himself -- the guy moves like a liquid dream, and (2, sigh, regrettably) it also shows that he is, yes, an egotistical tool who can't take direction (he changes the number of pirouettes in a sequence he's given because he disagrees, much to the producers' befuddlement). It's a shame too because the guy can dance. (I'm still not thrilled at the ways in which "Every Little Step" ignored the contributions of Ed Kleban and James Kirkwood, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and loved the dancers in their kitchens, making phone calls, living the lives of hoofers on the edge.)

 

One of the things I do like about Travis is that he has been very open about wanting to inject a grownup sensuality into his routines that goes beyond "boy loves girl!" (heartache! squee!) -- in his TV show about Shaping Sound, he was very open that there were some more adult topics/moves he simply wasn't allowed to do on SYTYC, which was why I was so gobsmacked (in the best way) by his stunning dance with Amy on "Wicked Game." I sometimes think SYTYCD indulges Travis in his worst cutesy moments when he actually shines best are more complex topics (like for instance the transparent "boy breaks up with boy" in the Neil/Kent "Already Gone").

 

This made me look for the Tyce number that made me forgive him for a lot of things:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNBSCdbJ6EM

 

 

Boy, were Jessica and Will one of the most sadly under-rated couples ever.  I loved so many of their dances.  I can't remember who had the hate on for Jessica (Mia?) but it was sure damaging.  I wonder what Jessica thinks of her SYTYCD experience now.

 

The eye flicking thing is too true, but I was always so irritated by him that I never even thought through to figuring out what he was doing.  Thanks, now I can loathe him even more next time.

 

Poor Jessica. I love Mia, always will, but she was wearing her bitch shoes that season, and she stomped all over poor beautiful Jessica in them for no reason at all (I'll never forget Mia telling Jessica that Will looked "tired of carrying her," oof). Luckily, she got to do a routine that will remain a standout -- it's so beautiful and she was just gorgeous in it.

 

I forgot to mention this, but when he isn't being smug and sanctimonious, I agree that Tyce has done some truly gorgeous and very grownup contemporary routines about men and women (not boys and girls). The 'Eden' routine and its silence and sensuality was freaking gorgeous, and I also love his routines for "Why" and the underrated "Apologize" Danny/Anya piece. It's just when he's being twee and precious (Clowns! Sad, sweet, cutesy dancing clowns!) that I find him at his worst. I even like the cancer dance, although I still find it massively overpraised (and something in me will always hate that "This Woman's Work" is turned into a vehicle for manpain). Christopher Scott's wonderful "Misty Blue" piece had the same feeling of grownups versus dating high-schoolers.

 

But I am making all these arguments from quicksand, since I fully admit to loving the Dead Daddy Dance and that it will always bring me to tears. (Yeah. I know.)

 

Thinking back to some of the earlier seasons, it's been awhile since the show has had a truly captivating and mature female dancer. I honestly think the last one was Jeanine, who to me is the best (whole package wise) the show has ever had. Since then there haven't been any standouts. I was never a fan of LoFro or Melanie Moore whom I'm sure some would argue were that. I thought maybe Makenzie in season 10 could have been that, but that didn't turn out well.

 

I've loved many of the SYTYCD women (led by Eliana, who I thought was sublime). I have high hopes this season thus far for Yaya, Alexia, and Kate, as well as for Yorelis and Jessica, and I also think many of those will prove to be serious cross-genre threats, so we'll see how it goes.

 

And I loved Jeanine too, although she was one of the rare dancers whose work I loved cumulatively versus routine by routine. I rarely rewatch any of her work, although she was just wonderful (and to this day she the 'turner' against whom I judge all others -- that girl was just rock-solid, no falling artistically out of her turns for Jeanine). I loved LoFro and liked Melanie, but I always felt like Mel was hampered by a weak-ish partner in Marko (he was lovely but constantly wobbly in his balance and it drove me nuts) and by terrible narrow choreography styles.

 

Mackenzie was so beautiful and underrated, and I loved her partnership with Paul so much. That's one thing I'll really miss this season -- watching partnerships develop between couples. So many partnerships have led to absolutely stunning moments! Hok and Jaime, Chelsie and Mark, Kathryn and Legacy, Katee and Joshua, Ryan and Ellenore, Kayla and Kupono, Jasmine and Fik-shun, Melissa and Ade, Jacob and Ashleigh, Lacey and Kameron, etc.

 

I hope Virgil gets a stronger routine next week -- he's got so much talent and charisma, and I thought the heaven/hell piece this week was pretty bad -- he basically spent the routine making faces and being pulled between the two women (I wish he'd 'decided' to go with the angel, then at the last minute, had chosen to dash off after the hell-girl of his own free will). 

[ToxicUnicorn]

Very funny comments about Tyce.  He is far, far better as a choreographer when he is doing slow, story-less pieces.

 

I always liked Jessica.  That was a very unpopular opinion on TwoP.  If memory serves, she had a sexy audition and was a Nigel favorite and it was downhill for her from there.  But I enjoyed her dancing and can appreciate Silence even more than I did because I  have gotten more mature. 

 

Thinking back to some of the earlier seasons, it's been awhile since the show has had a truly captivating and mature female dancer. I honestly think the last one was Jeanine, who to me is the best (whole package wise) the show has ever had. Since then there haven't been any standouts. I was never a fan of LoFro or Melanie Moore whom I'm sure some would argue were that. I thought maybe Makenzie in season 10 could have been that, but that didn't turn out well.

 

While I wasn't as gaga over her as many were, I think S10's Jasmine H. falls into this category better than most.

 

Question: What was Travis' reality show called?  Sounds like I have a little tv marathon ahead of me.  As far as opinions on Travis: for me, he sometimes crosses the line of not having enough talent to back up his attitude.  I think he has a lot of potential as a choreographer, but I don't think he's as good as he thinks he is, yet.  And ... I don't really enjoy his dancing.  He might be brilliant (I wouldn't know), but I don't ever connect with him emotionally and he doesn't have the lines or grace that my favorite contemporary boys have had. 

[luvthepros]

.........Question: What was Travis' reality show called?

"All the Right Moves"

 

I watched the show and enjoyed it.

[realdancemom]

I also prefer Tyce's contemporary pieces to his Broadway/jazz pieces.

 

I read Travis' blogs and he really doesn't like criticism of his stage team.  I can understand wanting to stand up for your team.  However, I think it would be best to take the judges' criticism and use it to better your dancers.  I prefer Twitch's blog where he tells his team to cherish the journey because they're experiencing an unforgettable ride.  It just sounds like Travis is whiney while Twitch is positive and supportive.

Edited July 17, 2015 by realdancemom

[Zuleikha]

Travis sounds like the same Travis as he's always been... unable to appreciate the technical skill required by any style of dance that's outside the jazz/modern/contemporary dance umbrella in which he's trained. I wish he could learn to keep that style of bitterness to himself. It's not a cute look on anyone, and sometimes it's better to be professional than authentic. Otherwise, I thought his comments were interesting. I was surprised at how positive he was about Asaf.

 

Twitch seems really grounded and fun. I think he's a better personality for a mentor.

[chaddyou812]

And I loved Jeanine too, although she was one of the rare dancers whose work I loved cumulatively versus routine by routine. I rarely rewatch any of her work, although she was just wonderful (and to this day she the 'turner' against whom I judge all others -- that girl was just rock-solid, no falling artistically out of her turns for Jeanine). I loved LoFro and liked Melanie, but I always felt like Mel was hampered by a weak-ish partner in Marko (he was lovely but constantly wobbly in his balance and it drove me nuts) and by terrible narrow choreography styles.

 

Mackenzie was so beautiful and underrated, and I loved her partnership with Paul so much. That's one thing I'll really miss this season -- watching partnerships develop between couples. So many partnerships have led to absolutely stunning moments! Hok and Jaime, Chelsie and Mark, Kathryn and Legacy, Katee and Joshua, Ryan and Ellenore, Kayla and Kupono, Jasmine and Fik-shun, Melissa and Ade, Jacob and Ashleigh, Lacey and Kameron, etc.

 

Jeanine definitely grew in stature as the show went on, in large part because she got away from Phillip. I think she has one of the strongest and most consistent bodies of work ever on the show. I don't think she had any true duds. She wasn't lucky enough to have a Gravity-esque choreography given to her, although ''If It Kills Me'' is memorable (and some of Travis' best work), yet she still won. Heck, I don't even think she was on anyone's radar until that piece, unless I'm remembering incorrectly? That routine outed her as a very mature dancer; there aren't many 18 year olds I can think of who I'd want to see dance that. I also can't imagine they would have partnered her with Phillip if they had originally thought she could win. Her ridiculously strength across all genres and her solos got her to the top; she wasn't shoved down our throats like last years winner.

 

I liked LoFro, but she screamed young and excitable to me. I also think my opinion of her was damaged by the show trying to make her and Kent happen lol. Mel was lovely, and I was really keen on her at first, but I think she peaked too soon for me. I thought she went downhill after ''I Got You'', but the show made it clear she was to win regardless.

 

Makenzie got such a rough deal from America. She was the only favourite of Nigel's that I wholeheartedly agreed with. She was one of those dancers that was constantly being complimented by the choreographers and shoved into the front of their group dances, yet the public never backed her, and I never knew why. I was so upset that she went home right after her brilliant performance with Jakob. 

 

While I wasn't as gaga over her as many were, I think S10's Jasmine H. falls into this category better than most.

 

I only really liked Jasmine outside of her own style, haha. I didn't find her to be anything special in contemporary.

[paramitch]

I like "If It Kills Me" okay -- the damn necklace annoys the crap out of me because it's the worst kind of prop -- I end up spending the entire routine waiting for them to drop it. I really think Travis should have used it in the beginning and ending only -- it was too literal for me all the way through. (But I tend to hate props in general on the show, with rare exceptions.)

 

"All the Right Moves"

 

I watched the show and enjoyed it.

 

In addition to the dancing, and the raw behind-the-scenes stuff (we definitely got to see Travis, Nick, Jaimie, Noelle, Melanie, Allison and others as themselves and much more vulnerably than on the show), the thing I enjoyed most about "All the Right Moves" was that all the guys got to be out and proud and who they were, and nobody had to pretend to be straight just to get a few votes from teen girls, etc. 

 

I agree that Travis sounds whiny and uptight in his blog post -- although I do think it's kind of sweet that the reason he's so pissy is that he loves his team and thinks they're all winners. But I really hope he gets help with the next one (and stops being so defensive), because Twitch's breezier, sweeter approach is much more blog-friendly and likable to me. 

 

I loved Jasmine as well, and it's really nice to see her in the deodorant commercials during the show -- she looks so gorgeous and mature in them, too.

[Anothermi]

Ari333 wrote - Has this ever happened before where a person/s get to leave the stage if they cant do the dance?

 

Well there was the time that Cedric just sat in a corner while Shauna danced for about 30 seconds, in season 3.

 

After reading tWitch's (& Travis') blogs I've given my feelings about Asaf and the posts around the above issue quite a bit of thought. I came away from last episode being annoyed with Asaf. YET, during the program, when his group was shown learning their dance I laughed out loud at the bit with him lying on the floor, exhausted, saying "Let's not do breakdancing." I took it to be his type of humor about being tired. After all he is a BBoy, so actually asking that his style be cut from the choreography is highly unlikely. I think he's an easy target for story editing (possibly because of his communication style).

 

Re: the question and answer posted above:

 

- in group numbers there are tons of examples of only part of the group dancing. Sometimes group members do their bit and then leave the stage - especially in the large group numbers

- the reason the Cedric/Shauna number stands out as comparable to the NappyTabs number where Asaf and Burim left the stage is basically the editing. In both numbers (although one was a duet and the other was a group number) there was a big deal made about dancers (Cedric in one and Asaf in the other, although Burim was clearly struggling with the unison parts as well) not being able to pick up the choreography. That's guaranteed to make us aware that they left the stage in one part and equate it with copping out. However, I recall a number of times when we have been shown a couple struggling with a lift for a large part of the rehearsal and when they do the dance the lift is not in it and it goes without comment. Choreographers change things All.The.Time in order to make the best end product possible.

- Were we told when Asaf came in to replace Alain? I know Asaf said he'd taken 17 classes in 2 days between them cutting him and calling him back, but again, I think that is his style of humor. From what others have posted, the actual decision making for the Top 20 wasn't at the time we were shown but after that, and via a phone call. It's unlikely that only 2 days passed between the last day of Vegas and the 1st day of rehearsals/promo stuff for the show. For all we know, Asaf had a shorter time than the rest to get up to speed for the group dance (which, historically, is not given as much rehearsal time as the duos).

 

Lastly, I remember the editing number done on Danny Tidwell - and I am not comparing them as dancers, just the editing:

 

Danny - During Vegas week Shane Sparks was shown stating something that indicated he though Danny was arrogant

            - Same clip Mia was shown saying "theres no 'There' there" about Danny *eyeroll on my part*

            - Nigel is shown asking if Danny is serious about the competition (to which Danny replies seriously that he is)

             (these are not one continuous bit but cut together)

            - Adam Shankman, during his 1st stint as a judge, and coming in as someone who watched the Season as a fan to

              that point, finally said the word out loud and called Danny "a little bit arrogant"

Asaf    - Jason Derulo is shown reacting negatively to him during his audition - basically because of how he spoke to

              the judges (he seemed to like Asaf's dancing)

            - in Vegas Asaf is shown struggling with the choreography and saying so

            - Asaf's reaction to Nigel's remark about So You Think You Can Entertain is shown, again with Derulo reacting

              negatively to it, but at least Paula was shown defending that it was just a misunderstanding.

            - Asaf giving props to his co-dancers (for tirelessly helping him learn the piece) was taken as arrogance by Derulo

              who said "he thinks he's a judge" after Asaf said his bit.

 

Asaf has actually had the 'nicer' edit, comparatively, but the bones of the "story" are still there. Both tWitch and Travis commented that Asaf works hard and is a great guy. What this tells me is that my reaction may have more to do with scripting than who this guy is.

 

I've come to the conclusion that at this point in time I have to give Asaf the benefit of the doubt.

Edited July 17, 2015 by Anothermi

[KLovestoShop]

At the beginning, I thought the Friedman dance was a homage to Cell Block Tango from Chicago.  But while that dance was sensual, the women in that routine were more covered up, with many of them wearing short, tight skirts or dresses with black tights or fishnets.  Perhaps if the three girls from SYTYCD wore different costumes, it wouldn't have come off looking so tacky.  

[pamplemousse]

Awesome post about Asaf and Danny, Anothermi, couldn't agree more! I'm embarrassed to admit that at first I bought the 'Danny is arrogant!' storyline they were pushing in s3, even though I know better than to trust competitive reality shows. Then I asked myself wait a minute, when has he ever really shown any arrogance? I couldn't find any moment of it, just basically hearsay from the judges saying it over and over. I guess I must've thought 'no smoke without fire,' but my belief in the Arrogant Danny edit quickly went away. Danny was super-dorky (his Beavis & Butthead laughter about Anya forcing him to practice, his sunglasses collection, etc., his dorkiness sometimes made me cringe), didn't have a camera ready personality, and was just kind of a weirdo goofball...like Asaf and his weird slightly off sense of humor.

 

Yikes, all the discussion about If It Kills Me, because that dance kills me! Not in a good way! Logically, I know the dance is nice and well-danced, but I've only watched it once -- when it originally aired -- and the kiss at the end squicked me out so much (I think there was some tongue action shown? Also, what does it say about me that I was so squicked by that kiss but when the women opened their trenchcoats to reveal black lacy underwear and garters in Brian Friedman's routine, I was like 'Oooooh, nice! Gorgeous!'?) that I could never watch it again, even on pain of death/if it kills me as I would joke with friends (har har). And the part where they grab the necklace with their mouths also made me feel icky, the germs!

 

Jeanine was great, though, I really liked her. She has this one solo, I think it was Let The Drummer Kick, that was a textbook example of what a great solo/dance for your life should be.

Edited July 18, 2015 by pamplemousse

[ari333]

Are male dancers made to do stripper dancing in speedos or undies etc on this show? Tia

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I liked All the Right Moves because even though it was still a bit scripted with the usual relationship (not always romantic) drama, it still gave an idea of what it's like to be a working dancer. And although it didn't make me like Travis more, I did love the episode where he insisted on teaching Nick to ride a bike. I think Travis is overrated as both a dancer and a choreographer but I guess at least he is doing stuff (creating his dance company, bringing in lots of other dancers for projects, etc).

For me the difference between the Dead Daddy Dance and the Breast Cancer Dance is that if you show Tyce's BCD to someone without giving any explanation or backstory, it's still a lovely emotional piece whereas the DDD doesn't have the same impact without the backstory.

[Zuleikha]

I think he's an easy target for story editing (possibly because of his communication style).

Israelis are famous for their blunt directness. There's a joke that goes "How do you say 'I'm sorry' in Hebrew?" "You don't." Obviously, that's a generalization but it points to the different cultural norms about communication in Israel. I was wondering when the spoilers came out that Asaf was cast if there would be some culture clash communication issues.

 

Are male dancers made to do stripper dancing in speedos or undies etc on this show?

Not as often as the women, but it's not unusual for them to be shirtless or have their shirt open. They also sometimes wear tight shorts, although generally more in their solos. Edited July 18, 2015 by Zuleikha

[Rick Kitchen]

Are male dancers made to do stripper dancing in speedos or undies etc on this show? Tia

 

That ballet number was a little revealing.

 

I don't think all of this past season reminiscing belongs in this thread.

[Anothermi]

Are male dancers made to do stripper dancing in speedos or undies etc on this show? Tia

 

Hee! I think the equivalent for this show (currently) is making the men dance in long skirts or skirt-like costumes . Sometimes it works... sometimes... not so much. Otherwise, for men & women both, really sexy is usually translated as leather/bondage attire. 

[ToxicUnicorn]

Back from a rewatch: I had to register for FOX NOW on my Roku and now I can see the whole episode.  (In case anyone was having the same trouble.  Goodbye, Hulu Plus!)

 

I enjoyed the episode a lot more as a whole; clips didn't give anywhere near the same feel.  In fact, this might be the first episode in a very long time that I'd happily rewatch in its entirety.

 

Once again, Gaby was the outstanding member of Team Stage for me.  I also enjoyed whoever her tap duet partner was, and I still liked Kate.  (Does anyone remember the other tapper?)  In the ballet boys piece, I watched Darion this time and revised my opinion of him.  The first time, I was distracted by Jim's long lines and expressive face, but I think Darion's movement was pretty compelling.  He needs to work on his face, though.  Also, I noticed how strong Marissa was, when dancing the jazz trio piece.  She was so grounded.  I just wish she would pull her hair up and not look like she is thinking so hard.

 

From the posts here, I was expecting Nigel to have terrible comments throughout the night.  You know, I found him to be spot on.  I'll go work on my air missile defense shield now.

 

Team Street is all about the girls this year and I'm thrilled about that.  In the Top 20 and the Dave Scott routine, I ended up watching Megz, a lot.  A LOT.  She's pretty cool, even if I couldn't tell that she was a girl until I saw the rehearsal clip.  I also loved Lily (who danced with Jaja).  I have a lot of respect for how hard Jaja dances, but it's weird, I found her altogether too smile-y or overdramatic in her expressions.  It felt put on, and I didn't really enjoy that.  JJ (from Japan) has a gorgeous presence, as does Yorelis, but I think they are both weaker.  All in all, though, they are strong picks and I'm completely satisfied.

 

I agree that Virgil is a hoot to watch, but I hope Neptune goes far.  I think he has a lot of potential.  Oh - and I thought Asaf did very well in both the Top 20 and the quartet, especially the quartet.  He just has to learn how to fly under the radar a little more (which I doubt he will do, but still).

 

My clear first picks to leave: Team Stage - Edson and Team Street - Ariana.

 

Choreography was great from Christopher Scott, Stacey Tookey, and NappyTabs.  As much as I hate to say it, I think Travis was pretty good, too, although I don't think Edson executed it very well.  (Then again, he might have been watching Travis demonstrate too closely.  Meow!)

 

Having real judging was the format change I appreciated most of all.  I agree the running of the dancers back to the team captains was super annoying.  I hope they get rid of that, pronto.

Edited July 18, 2015 by ToxicUnicorn

[Terrafamilia]

Random thoughts.

I don't see Asaf as so much arrogant but as passionate about what he does and not being the best at expressing himself. I do think he is a bit out of his depth here, though.

Derek, Edson, and Moises all have the same hairstyle and I'm not enamored with it on any of them.

I'm glad Brian F. is back but he's one man who should not be allowed to dress himself.

I know it's early but I think Hailee will be this season's Tanisha. Surprisingly good outside her genre and excellent in it, going far, but then getting cut because she doesn't exactly fit the preferred mold (Yes, I'm still bitter. I had been hoping for a showdown for number 1 between Tanisha and Zach).

[rollerblade]

Once again, Gaby was the outstanding member of Team Stage for me.  I also enjoyed whoever her tap duet partner was, and I still liked Kate.  (Does anyone remember the other tapper?)

 

If you're talking about the tapping part in the Broadway group dance, it was Moises.

[Cuatro1234]

 

at first I bought the 'Danny is arrogant!' storyline they were pushing in s3, even though I know better than to trust competitive reality shows. Then I asked myself wait a minute, when has he ever really shown any arrogance? I couldn't find any moment of it, just basically hearsay from the judges saying it over and over.

It's hard to know when the comments/storyline are being pushed forward just as manipulation and to add interest, or when there is actually some basis in fact.  We know that the judges talk to the choreographers and find out if dancers are lazy or complaining, who picks up quickly, who has a good attitude.  So I think that's part of the reason that the judges love contestants like Jenna and Kayla, even though the audience doesn't seem to connect with them or appreciate them in the same way.  As far as Asaf, maybe he really is arrogant and has a hard time picking up choreography; or maybe the producers have just decided that there's enough footage they can edit to make it look that way and add interest to the show.  After all, in lots of the pre-dance packages, we've heard dancers complaining that the choreography is so fast/hard/whatever, and worrying that they'll be able to get it all down. 

 

We need a grassy knoll thread here  :)

[gik910]

Well, there were a lot of spread legs.

 

No different that the HMV move we see in any number of contemporary dances.  These girls were just in heels and black straps, so it was more overt. I'll take that over the angsty, emotional, reaching crap that is the majority of SYTYCD contemporary. Don't get me wrong- I saw the sex in the dance. It just was not as over the top as I was expecting (based on what I read here).

[shortpplfedup]

That BFree number was a mishmash of NYC ball culture, fetish and burlesque and I loved every minute of it. It was my favourite on the night, and Hailey killed it, but I also noticed Marissa really shining on some of the floor work, especially that jump onto her feet from lying on her back, where she was the most solid. Great work.

I wanted more out of those hip hop numbers. Pharcyde and Phoenix especially disappointed me, because I expect better from them. Team Street is all so strong, minus the b boys, and I feel like the choreography didn't serve them best. Probably the best numbers were Tabitha and Napoleon's and Chris Scott's, though that would have been soooooooooo much better without the b boys in it. They should've had their own number. I wanted an all-girl HH number so bad, because these girls are SICK.

The ballet number was just disjointed. With two such different physical types and dance styles, doing so much synchro is begging comparison, and I found Jim came off as the weaker dancer.

Edited July 20, 2015 by shortpplfedup

[realdancemom]

That BFree number was a mishmash of NYC ball culture, fetish and burlesque and I loved every minute of it. It was my favourite on the night, and Hailey killed it, but I also noticed Marissa really shining on some of the floor work, especially that jump onto her feet from lying on her back, where she was the most solid. Great work.

I wanted more out of those hip hop numbers. Pharcyde and Phoenix especially disappointed me, because I expect better from them. Team Stage is all so strong, minus the b boys, and I feel like the choreography didn't serve them best. Probably the best numbers were Tabitha and Napoleon's and Chris Scott's, though that would have been soooooooooo much better without the b boys in it. They should've had their own number. I wanted an all-girl HH number so bad, because these girls are SICK.

The ballet number was just disjointed. With two such different physical types and dance styles, doing so much synchro is begging comparison, and I found Jim came off as the weaker dancer.

I thought I was the only one that liked the jazz trio.  I also liked Hailey the best and Alexia was the weakest in it.  If Nigel was going to complain about the number being too sexy, I thought it was the outfits more than their facial expressions that would give that impression.  Although, I could do without Alexia's duck faces.

 

I was disappointed in both Dave Scott's and Pharside/Phoenix's numbers.  I love the last street group number that Nappytabs did.  Love the street women this year!!

 

I'm still rooting for the ballet boys especially Jim even if they weren't synchronized.  That piece was very difficult.

Edited July 20, 2015 by realdancemom

[shortpplfedup]

I thought I was the only one that liked the jazz trio. I also liked Hailey the best and Alexia was the weakest in it. If Nigel was going to complain about the number being too sexy, I thought it was the outfits more than their facial expressions that would give that impression. Although, I could do without Alexia's duck faces.

I was disappointed in both Dave Scott's and Pharside/Phoenix's numbers. I love the last street group number that Nappytabs did. Love the street women this year!!

I'm still rooting for the ballet boys especially Jim even if they weren't synchronized. That piece was very difficult.

Oh I agree, degree of difficulty on that ballet piece was extremely high, but I think Darion was more successful in the execution.

I love the dark, dangerous and sexually aggressive pieces best, because I think they challenge the mainstream American audience in a way the twee, coy work does not. But honestly, from the comments here I really expected something a lot more overt than what I saw. Aside from the costuming, which was honestly not THAT sexual, nothing really screamed at me. I liked that BFree told them in rehearsal not to be afraid of their bodies, because I think that's something a lot of these kids could stand to hear. That piece needed the dancers to go for it, not dial it back.

[kingshearte]

Ha, I'm a bit of a Jason fan - he writes catchy stuff and that's pretty much all I require out of life. But I remember coming across comments on an early video of his criticising him for ripping off Justin Timerberlake, and *headdesk*. All these solo pop guys copy MJ's style and moves constantly so it's not that notable to me, but imagine being young enough to think JT invented it all. *shakes old lady cane*

You think that's bad? I once encountered someone who was absolutely convinced that Abba had ripped off Madonna...

 

Yeah, I noticed in the final group street number that the two B-boys jumped off the stage towards the end. So for the final bit where everyone was dancing in sync, they simply had to make their way back up to the stage so they could be in position for their final B-boy moves at the ending bit. Convenient, eh? ;)

You know, under normal circumstances, this sort of thing is absolutely a mark in favour, I think, of choreographers - to take the dancers they have to work with, and work around whatever needs to be worked around to, as at least one someone else said, produce the best finished product. But here or in other competitive settings, it is a bit... I don't want to say suspicious or whatever, but it does kind of go against the point. We're supposed to be able to see what these people can do and assess them against the other people. If certain dancers are noticeably less good at something than some or most of the others, we should be able to see that. I even get not wanting to "wreck" the impact of your wall of unison dancers by having a few who aren't quite on, but that shouldn't be the top concern here. Put the weaker ones in the back to lessen their impact, but they should still be expected to do it.

[akr]

I thought Darion was stronger in that piece, too - he just danced much bigger than Jim did. It surprised me as he was just kind of the other ballet dancer to me before that - so it was nice to have a direct comparison of what each brings to the table. I'm quite enjoying four of the five male stage dancers (those two, Edson, and Moises; (no opinion, really, on the blond one; I was a little underwhelmed at that duet he did with one of the women, that was so praised, and throughout I was thinking that both really needed to extend their upper bodies and finish their moves a lot more). The stage women are all forgettable to me, especially Kate and the younger blonde one, as are most of the Street guys (I remember Asaf but only for personality, which is a very mixed bag; so far as I can tell the Swiss/Albanian guy basically just does floorwork; I remember that everybody likes Virgil and when I see him I can see it; I can't remember who else is there) I like Megz & Jaja & Yorelis. 

[realdancemom]

Oh I agree, degree of difficulty on that ballet piece was extremely high, but I think Darion was more successful in the execution.

I love the dark, dangerous and sexually aggressive pieces best, because I think they challenge the mainstream American audience in a way the twee, coy work does not. But honestly, from the comments here I really expected something a lot more overt than what I saw. Aside from the costuming, which was honestly not THAT sexual, nothing really screamed at me. I liked that BFree told them in rehearsal not to be afraid of their bodies, because I think that's something a lot of these kids could stand to hear. That piece needed the dancers to go for it, not dial it back.

I meant that I was rooting for Jim because of his audition and not necessarily because of this piece.  I think the ballet piece mostly showcased that they are different dancers because of their body types.  Darion seems stronger and more powerful.  He also had nice contemporary lines.  Jim is really flexible and has amazing feet.  I mostly noticed his feet in his audition.  I think he's quicker too and that's probably from his body type.  Both of them had nice leaps and jumps.  For the lifts, Darion was the lifter while Jim was the liftee.  I don't recall Jim lifting Darion even though I'm sure he won't have a problem lifting women.

 

I'm from Utah so I can understand why Alexia felt timid doing the jazz trio.  She was probably raised very conservatively.  Unless, she took Latin ballroom or did some sexier dances at Dance Club, that dance was probably outside her comfort zone.  I think she said something during the pre-package about it.  She also looks young to me so I'm guessing that she's 18.

Edited July 20, 2015 by realdancemom

[luvthepros]

 

I'm from Utah so I can understand why Alexia felt timid doing the jazz trio.  She was probably raised very conservatively.  Unless, she took Latin ballroom or did some sexier dances at Dance Club, that dance was probably outside her comfort zone.  I think she said something during the pre-package about it.  She also looks young to me so I'm guessing that she's 18.

Alexia is 20 y/o according to the FOX SYTYCD website.

[realdancemom]

Alexia is 20 y/o according to the FOX SYTYCD website.

Thanks.  That's still young and if she was raised as a strict Mormon, then 20 is not that much different from 18.  She just didn't look very comfortable doing Friedman's dance.

[traboule]

I won't be watching tonight's episode until tomorrow night, but wanted to add a few things to this thread. I watched the Afterbuzz show on this episode and Eliana (S9 winner) was the guest. She apparently was originally slated to dance in Jason DeRulo's performance but got injured. Tiffani (S9) was her substitute. They also said that the DeRulo performance (which I enjoyed when it focused on the dancers, esp. the instrumental break) was choreographed by Amy Allen.

 

realdancemom up above mentioned that Darian had nice contemporary lines, which is exactly what Eliana pointed out. She said Darian shows a more contemporary ballet form while Jim is more classical. (I have absolutely no expertise myself on the subject.)

 

I know that not everyone likes watching the Afterbuzz episodes, and this one wasn't one I'd recommend, but I thought I'd share a little of what I gleaned.