S14.E11: Top 8 Perform

[realdancemom]

16 hours ago, crossover said:

I guess where I'm coming from is it is nice that Lex has all the various skills (breakdance, tap, ballet, etc) but they shouldn't be used to determine who is the most versatile on sytycd, the reality show.  You even admitted that Logan performed ballroom better than Lex did.  That is a style everyone should do on sytycd.

Agree with you again.  Also, we've seen Logan can do breakdancing moves too.  Dance is also more than just versatility and technique.  For this competition, performance and chemistry with their partner counts too.  For example, Mark's jazz/contemporary technique is not as strong as Lex or Logan.  However, he's a great performer and can act.  Also, he has a hot sexy chemistry with Comfort.  Allison and Logan are more like big sister/little brother.  Gaby and Lex don't seem to have any chemistry on the dance floor IMHO. 

I know people also vote on personality.  Honestly, I like all the contestants even though they are different.  You can tell they really love to dance and they are not on the show to cause drama like you see in other reality TV shows.  Even though, the show is not as popular as it used to be, I think it still looks good for dancers to put SYTYCD on their resume.  It also gains TV exposure.  They don't even have to win.  Andie1 listed the accomplishments of some of the Season 6 contestants that didn't win.  Victor from that same season also is doing well.  He has been an instructor and mentor for SYTYCD contestants Ricky, Derek, and now Logan.  He also taught World of Dance's Nick and Diana.

Edited September 1, 2017 by realdancemom

[displayname]

7 minutes ago, realdancemom said:

  Gaby and Lex don't seem to have any chemistry on the dance floor IMHO. 

I honestly don't get it when people say this. I guess it's one of the more subjective things.

[luvthepros]

13 hours ago, crossover said:

I guess where I'm coming from is it is nice that Lex has all the various skills (breakdance, tap, ballet, etc) but they shouldn't be used to determine who is the most versatile on sytycd, the reality show.  You even admitted that Logan performed ballroom better than Lex did.  That is a style everyone should do on sytycd.

Yes, Logan did perform a great Jive but Argentine Tango is a very different dance. To really put Lex and Logan on the same playing field, I would like to see both of them perform the same ballroom dance. I'd love to see what Lex can do with the Jive. I recall absolutely LOVING the Jive Billy Bell performed with Anya. Billy did such a good job and I think Lex could excel at that dance too.

[realdancemom]

6 hours ago, fan94 said:

I honestly don't get it when people say this. I guess it's one of the more subjective things.

Performance ability and dance chemistry is subjective in comparison to judging technique.  I also want to clarify that my opinion is based on what the couples have done so far as a whole.  This week, Logan and Allison were not like siblings because that would be gross.  They seemed like a sweet newlywed.

Lex and Gaby did a little better this week.  I think their worst was the AT.  They were so far apart in hold.  I wanted it to feel intense and sexy.  Lex was supposed to take charge and lead it.  They're also supposed to look like one.  A couple that is really good with that is Koine and Marko.  Their African Jazz piece was so intricate and fast.  K & M were so synchronized though and were synergistic.  Then you see Lex and Gaby do Broadway where they are both doing the movements but they move differently.  In this case, Lex looked better.  I could say the same for their tap.   For these two numbers, when they dance side by side, they look like two soloists instead of a duet.  As a whole, I just feel like they are pleasant and polite when they perform which isn't that interesting to me IMHO.  Lex is really good in the group routines so I want some of that with his dances with Gaby.

Edited September 1, 2017 by realdancemom

[Andie1]

27 minutes ago, luvthepros said:

Yes, Logan did perform a great Jive but Argentine Tango is a very different dance. To really put Lex and Logan on the same playing field, I would like to see both of them perform the same ballroom dance. I'd love to see what Lex can do with the Jive. I recall absolutely LOVING the Jive Billy Bell performed with Anya. Billy did such a good job and I think Lex could excel at that dance too.

I think that's fair.  Logan had a great athletic jive that Sasha and Emma choreographed which would be right at home on Burn the Floor, whereas the technical movement of the AT just didn't translate for Lex.   Logan really had a good command of the dance, he danced on the balls of his feet, he ensured a bent arm in hold to control the movement, he really acted well and for me this was a great performance. 

The only thing that makes me think twice about both Lex and Logan, I think both of these guys are very very talented and yet I think it is their youth that perhaps limits them if they are given a dance that explores sexual tension the way the Argentine Tango does. Even the last dance Logan did with Allison, someone mentioned it felt more mother/ son than husband and wife and I have to agree.   Overt sexuality does not seem to sit quite right with them the way it does with Mark. Mark has no where near the technical range of Lex and Logan, and yet the chemistry with Comfort is riveting.

Edited September 1, 2017 by Andie1

[luvthepros]

On 8/30/2017 at 0:35 PM, luvthepros said:

It was Nigel who made reference to Hok.

I'm quoting myself here. Someone up thread said Mary made the comment about Lex reminding her of Hok in the Humminbird dance. I'm here to make a correction to my statement. I rewatched the show and it certainly was Mary who made the comment, not Nigel as I said.

1 hour ago, Andie1 said:

I think that's fair.  Logan had a great athletic jive that Sasha and Emma choreographed which would be right at home on Burn the Floor, whereas the technical movement of the AT just didn't translate for Lex.   Logan really had a good command of the dance, he danced on the balls of his feet, he ensured a bent arm in hold to control the movement, he really acted well and for me this was a great performance. 

The only thing that makes me think twice about both Lex and Logan, I think both of these guys are very very talented and yet I think it is their youth that perhaps limits them if they are given a dance that explores sexual tension the way the Argentine Tango does. Even the last dance Logan did with Allison, someone mentioned it felt more mother/ son than husband and wife and I have to agree.   Overt sexuality does not seem to sit quite right with them the way it does with Mark. Mark has no where near the technical range of Lex and Logan, and yet the chemistry with Comfort is riveting.

Bingo. I totally agree Lex and Logan need some time to deliver mature performances. Also agree Mark has chemistry for days with Comfort.

[crossover]

1 hour ago, luvthepros said:

Yes, Logan did perform a great Jive but Argentine Tango is a very different dance. To really put Lex and Logan on the same playing field, I would like to see both of them perform the same ballroom dance. I'd love to see what Lex can do with the Jive. I recall absolutely LOVING the Jive Billy Bell performed with Anya. Billy did such a good job and I think Lex could excel at that dance too.

You maybe right.  But we know that Logan was better in the jive than Lex was in the AT.  However, I think the jive is a difficult dance as well.  Or at least, it has been on sytycd.  The contestants usually tap out before the end.  There's been some great ATs on sytycd, though.  And the audience is always receptive.  That's probably why they gave the AT to Lex.  They should've given it to Mark or Logan for that matter.  I know Logan looks 12 but it seems like he has more upper body strength than Lex.  You need that for a M&L AT.

In S1, they had two couples doing the same routine.  That didn't go over well.  So for sytycd purposes, they are on the same playing field when each perform a ballroom routine.  I really don't think we should be making excuses for Lex.  He was the pick from day 1.  TPTB/judges have ensured the audience knows that he is.  He's our winner.  Now all the pampering for Kiki and Taylor is to hope they make the finals.

[luvthepros]

2 minutes ago, crossover said:

You maybe right.  But we know that Logan was better in the jive than Lex was in the AT.  However, I think the jive is a difficult dance as well.  Or at least, it has been on sytycd.  The contestants usually tap out before the end.  There's been some great ATs on sytycd, though.  And the audience is always receptive.  That's probably why they gave the AT to Lex.  They should've given it to Mark or Logan for that matter.  I know Logan looks 12 but it seems like he has more upper body strength than Lex.  You need that for a M&L AT.

In S1, they had two couples doing the same routine.  That didn't go over well.  So for sytycd purposes, they are on the same playing field when each perform a ballroom routine.  I really don't think we should be making excuses for Lex.  He was the pick from day 1.  TPTB/judges have ensured the audience knows that he is.  He's our winner.  Now all the pampering for Kiki and Taylor is to hope they make the finals.

My hope is Lex will knock a Hip Hop out of the park the way Alex did with Twitch. Lex needs that type of performance to get more people to be on board with him. Seems his subdued quiet personality may be hindering him. He just may not win because of that.

[WhineandCheez]

Quote

and don’t hate Kiki, although he’s far and away my least favorite of the bunch.

This is silly, but I've wanting to post this ever since Kiki made top 10.

[luvthepros]

I've been looking for this YouTube video and finally found it! Here is Lex in a Senior Male Dance Off which he won. If you don't want to watch all the guys compete, go to the second comment by Abigail as she has links to jump to Lex's two competition performances. The second performance is Hip Hop. He blew me away. Then.....jump to the end at 14:17. Lex flies on that stage and does BBoy moves then throws in a bit of ballet. Just WOW! This guy is an awesome dancer!!!

Lex Senior Male Dance Off

 

Edited September 1, 2017 by luvthepros

[crossover]

18 minutes ago, luvthepros said:

I've been looking for this YouTube video and finally found it! Here is Lex in a Senior Male Dance Off which he won. If you don't want to watch all the guys compete, go to the second comment by Abigail as she has links to jump to Lex's two competition performances. The second performance is Hip Hop. He blew me away. Then.....jump to the end at 14:17. Lex flies on that stage and does BBoy moves then throws in a bit of ballet. Just WOW! This guy is an awesome dancer!!!

Lex Senior Male Dance Off

 

Thanks.  I felt like Lex was an awesome dancer when TPTB/judges favored him for the win.  I'm just one of those who try to wipe out auditions and other performances.  I like for the winner to be based on the contestant's performances during the competition.

ETA:  It looks like Lex has the first dance pinned on his twitter account.

Edited September 1, 2017 by crossover

[crossover]

On 8/30/2017 at 0:59 PM, fan94 said:

I think, a lot of the times, the favourite dancer has been the best dancer. Benji, Jeanine, LoFro, Ricky all come to mind. Gaby and Jaja both made it to the Top 2, as well. Rusell was really good, too, suffering only in comparison to Kathryn.

S5 could be debated.  That was Brandon's season.  People flocked to Jeanine after her solos but Brandon was great throughout.

[displayname]

I didn't like Brandon's dancing. He was too stiff, and I found him to be all power with very little nuance. For instance, in Ruby Blue with Janette, he, to me, overdoes the subtle popping/isolation movement that Janette nails, keeping with the character of the piece. 

 

Brandon was definitely someone who was overrated by the judges, for me. I completely agreed with Mia when she said she couldn't see "it".

 

 

As for Lex's AT, I will say that I expected him to hold a far better frame and be more grounded due to his ballet training. I expected him to be better at lifts, too, but that seems more because he seems to have less upper body strength than, say, Logan.

Edited September 1, 2017 by fan94

[crossover]

3 hours ago, fan94 said:

I didn't like Brandon's dancing. He was too stiff, and I found him to be all power with very little nuance. For instance, in Ruby Blue with Janette, he, to me, overdoes the subtle popping/isolation movement that Janette nails, keeping with the character of the piece. 

 

Brandon was definitely someone who was overrated by the judges, for me. I completely agreed with Mia when she said she couldn't see "it".

 

 

As for Lex's AT, I will say that I expected him to hold a far better frame and be more grounded due to his ballet training. I expected him to be better at lifts, too, but that seems more because he seems to have less upper body strength than, say, Logan.

After one of Brandon's dances, didn't Mia say she sees it now? 

I know people love Jeanine.  I just don't remember Jeanine as having memorable duets.  I know Phillip was her partner but Brandon didn't get to perform a contemporary until he was paired with Kayla.. Yet, I remember Brandon as having memorable routines with whoever he partnered--Janette, Jeanine, Kayla, Melissa.  But you are correct.  He wasn't a bendy dancer.  Dance is subjective.  I liked Brandon's interpretation in the Wade piece.  I looked at him as the brains/stable one. I thought Janette's character as the wild/impulsive one.

[Andie1]

7 hours ago, luvthepros said:

Bingo. I totally agree Lex and Logan need some time to deliver mature performances. Also agree Mark has chemistry for days with Comfort.

I'd really like to see either of these guys really be in the moment with their partners, young doesn't necessarily mean immature, but they do need to get there.  Way back in Season 2 there was this really baby faced hip hop dancer Ivan Koumaev with little training in other styles partnered with Allison Holker.  They were both 18 and were rather immature until they got a contemporary piece that I always remember,  one for the music by Annie Lennox, "Why" and mostly for the lack of self consciousness, no awkward hesitation, just a great little routine that demonstrated a boy falling in love with a girl.  If Logan or Lex get to where Ivan took us back in season 2 then I'd be more inclined to cheer.  

Edited September 2, 2017 by Andie1

[SnarkyTart]

8 hours ago, realdancemom said:

Then you see Lex and Gaby do Broadway where they are both doing the movements but they move differently.  In this case, Lex looked better.  I could say the same for their tap.   For these two numbers, when they dance side by side, they look like two soloists instead of a duet.  As a whole, I just feel like they are pleasant and polite when they perform which isn't that interesting to me IMHO.  Lex is really good in the group routines so I want some of that with his dances with Gaby.

I'm going to agree with you here, as much as I'd prefer not to.  For me, Lex is the best technical dancer they've had on the show in quite a while, and since his audition he has remained as my favorite dancer.  But, imo, he has struggled with partnering and performance skills.  Up until this episode, I thought it might be something about his relationship or lack of chemistry specific to Gaby.  Their Argentine Tango can only be described as painfully awkward.  But, after seeing Lex dance with Taylor as his partner this week, knowing that the two of them are dating, I saw a similar lack of chemistry and performance between the two of them, much as I did enjoy the choreography and Lex's beautiful technique.  Even when the dance ended with Lex kissing Taylor, which should be at least kind of hot in theory, Lex seemed to be kissing his pillow while making a mental grocery list.

I also agree with you that Lex has been consistently really good in the group routines.  It all leaves me wondering if he's had much practice or experience with partnering.  In any case, he needs more of it.  Subjectively speaking. :-)

[crossover]

10 hours ago, SnarkyTart said:

For me, Lex is the best technical dancer they've had on the show in quite a while, and since his audition he has remained as my favorite dancer.  But, imo, he has struggled with partnering and performance skills. 

To me, partnering/performance skills are as important as technique skills for sytycd.  It is a TV show.  That's probably why the dancer I look forward to seeing is usually not the one with all the "industry" praise.  But, the industry will pick up the technical skills for jobs.

Edited September 2, 2017 by crossover

[romantic idiot]

I actually think partnering is crucial to be called a 'technical dancer'. (Not that i've seen Lex lacking it). I use Jakob and Danny as my measuring sticks and they had partnering skills in spades. (They also had performance quality IMO but that's a discussion for another day). 

[crowceilidh]

Quote

does anyone know why some of the contestants and their all star (mostly the all star) look so, so serious when the judges are giving their comments and praise? Sometimes they look even sad, but they're getting good remarks

I think they look serious because how else should you react to meaningless shite when it is being spewed at you on international tv?  Back when the judges used to actually say something, it was all be quiet and listen -- now the judges say almost nothing (and much of what they say is tptb-written narrative crap) and the contestant or AS are expected to come up with some reply-type thing.  I'd look deflated and serious too.

[crowceilidh]

I'm starting to really like Logan - his style and ability just shine through even though the chemistry sucks with Allison (everything sucks with Allison -- I really don't like her).

I've loved Lex since the minute I saw his face (probably because he looks so much like one of my favourite actors from North of 60, Dakota House (who probably doesn't look like that anymore -- boy, that is years ago now)).  He has tons of chemistry with Travis in the number linked above, but none with anyone I've seen him dance with here.  I'd pick Logan over Lex though for sheer force of dancing exuberance. 

Koine and Dassy were my faves coming in -- I'm disappointed to see Dassy go and was super impressed with Fikshun's supportive attitude.  That man's face looks like an angel come to earth.

I enjoyed all the group dances.  Robert was scarily authentic in that Mark K dance.  

[pivot]

I will never understand the praise for Kiki's dancing. He isn't even that good in his specialty. He struggles with lifts and he is frequently out-danced by his partners. 

[WelcomeStranger]

On 9/1/2017 at 4:25 PM, luvthepros said:

[Lex] blew me away. Then.....jump to the end at 14:17. Lex flies on that stage and does BBoy moves then throws in a bit of ballet. Just WOW! This guy is an awesome dancer!!!

Lex Senior Male Dance Off

 

That was killer. I know this sounds cheesy and I've probably simply bought into Nigel's relentless self-hype for the past 10 years--but I'm still convinced that "tenth dimension" proficient fusion dancers like Lex would not have existed without the advent and influence of SYTYCD.

[crowceilidh]

Quote

 I'm still convinced that "tenth dimension" proficient fusion dancers like Lex would not have existed without the advent and influence of SYTYCD. 0

I'm smoking the same maple syrup you are.    Also, I sometimes wonder if that is how this show has hung on by its fingernails for so many years.  It seems unlikely that the f**kheads who cancelled Firefly would care about the artistic side of this, but maybe the Emmy potential is enough to keep their iron vaguely in the fire.  I wish they'd stop effing with what was once a perfectly wonderful formula and is now a sad shell of its former already-somewhat-dubious reality genreness.

[Andie1]

16 hours ago, pivot said:

I will never understand the praise for Kiki's dancing. He isn't even that good in his specialty. He struggles with lifts and he is frequently out-danced by his partners. 

Kiki up against any Ballroom guy who has made top 10 and he would not be anywhere near the top of that list.  I would put  Pasha, Paul, Artem, Dmitry, Ryan, Alan  at least ahead of him.  Even Serge had more range than Kiki and he only made top 14.

Edited September 4, 2017 by Andie1

[luvthepros]

15 hours ago, WelcomeStranger said:

That was killer. I know this sounds cheesy and I've probably simply bought into Nigel's relentless self-hype for the past 10 years--but I'm still convinced that "tenth dimension" proficient fusion dancers like Lex would not have existed without the advent and influence of SYTYCD.

I agree with you and Nigel. Yet....there is always that old saying, "Jack of all trades and a master at none". I would not put Lex in that category. The guy is amazing in everything with the exception of Latin Ballroom.

[Andie1]

Dwight and Desmond are choreographing a "mini" group routine, whatever that means?  Possibly the ballet trained dancers do one of their routines?

[mimib101]

31 minutes ago, Andie1 said:

Dwight and Desmond are choreographing a "mini" group routine, whatever that means?  Possibly the ballet trained dancers do one of their routines?

According to Kristyn Burtt, contestants are dancing with their all stars and with each other (and solos too). I would guess therefore that there are two duets and one trio, the latter of which will be choreographed by Dwight and Desmond. I think this must be the dancers trained in ballet technique so... Lex, Logan? Taylor maybe?? I'm not sure who else would qualify as ballet trained

[RomanKat]

15 hours ago, Andie1 said:

Kiki up against any Ballroom guy who has made top 10 and he would not be anywhere near the top of that list.  I would put  Pasha, Paul, Artem, Ryan, Alan  at least ahead of him.  Even Serge had more range than Kiki and he only made top 14.

I feel a little bad for Kiki, because he may be learning these new dance styles cold.  By contrast, Serge auditioned for SYTYCD twice and spent more than a year prepping for it.  But Kiki (apparently) was talked into auditioning last minute with his partner.  They actively competed in Dancesport through June, so it's unlikely that he could prep between auditions and the show.  And so he may be learning new dance styles cold.  Also, I think lifts and screen presence / personality are getting confused with talent.  Lifts are showdance qualities--and screen presence or big personalities are important TV qualities--but neither is an actual skill for Dancesport Latin, afaik.

I get the argument that Kiki isn't right for TV shows like SYTYCD or DWTS, but I'd argue that he's at least as talented as those other ballroom guys for Dancesport Latin skills, if not moreso.  I also get that Kiki (or Jenna) is being overpraised by the SYTYCD judges, but I'm not sure that the judges aren't simply responding to the fan vote.  Between Jenna, the "family", and his own DWTS and Dancesport connections, Kiki may have had enough votes from the start that the judges/producers may be selling the inevitable.  OTOH, if his voting base is sizable but not insurmountable, then highly critical judges would probably motivate that voting base into overdrive.  Overpraising might better set up a "shocking" elimination by turning off potential new voters while lulling loyal voters.  (Reverse psychology either way. "shrug")

Admittedly, I've rather enjoyed watching Kiki on SYTYCD because I retain some fondness from his DWTS troupe days.  I  haven't been voting, but I've been OK with the results so far.  While I couldn't justify him outlasting the highly cross-trained dancers remaining on the show, I do think he deserves a bit of credit for the personal journey he's having on the show.  He appears to be a hard worker, and the choreographers and other contestants appear to enjoy working with him, anyway.  JMO

Edited September 4, 2017 by RomanKat

[crossover]

1 hour ago, RomanKat said:

  I also get that Kiki (or Jenna) is being overpraised by the SYTYCD judges, but I'm not sure that the judges aren't simply responding to the fan vote.  Between Jenna, the "family", and his own DWTS and Dancesport connections, Kiki may have had enough votes from the start that the judges/producers may be selling the inevitable.  OTOH, if his voting base is sizable but not insurmountable, then highly critical judges would probably motivate that voting base into overdrive. 

My money is on the judges motivating/increasing Kiki's fan base.  Didn't Mary say she wanted to dance with Kiki during his audition?  From the first night, Jenna/Kiki have been on the HTT.  The show wouldn't know anything about the votes on the first performance night.  TPTB have had some kind of OTT praise for Kiki every week--standing ovation, hot tamale train, mind blowing, etc.  The only others who come close are Lex and Taylor.  Lex and Taylor didn't get OTT praise when they had the AT/Samba.  They got the "gloss over" comments because even the judges couldn't justify OTT for their ballroom routines.  But they received OTT for their other routines.

The judges give mostly positive comments for Mark and Logan.  But they haven't received the OTT treatment.  And they started out hot for Koine but then they stopped.  But when she hit the bottom, they brought out the hot tamale train.  I ASSUME TPTB want the 4th finalist from these 3.  It doesn't look like they care which one.

[StrictTime]

On 9/1/2017 at 4:55 PM, fan94 said:

I didn't like Brandon's dancing. He was too stiff, and I found him to be all power with very little nuance. For instance, in Ruby Blue with Janette, he, to me, overdoes the subtle popping/isolation movement that Janette nails, keeping with the character of the piece. 

 

Brandon was definitely someone who was overrated by the judges, for me. I completely agreed with Mia when she said she couldn't see "it".

 

 

As for Lex's AT, I will say that I expected him to hold a far better frame and be more grounded due to his ballet training. I expected him to be better at lifts, too, but that seems more because he seems to have less upper body strength than, say, Logan.

"Ruby Blue" is my favorite SYT routine OF ALL TIME!  

[crossover]

On 8/31/2017 at 4:30 PM, luvthepros said:

I'm not sure if Logan can tap; if he can't then he can't do everything.

Luv, thought about this post after the T7 & AS Group performance.  It looks like Logan, Robert and Marko can tap.

[luvthepros]

2 hours ago, crossover said:

Luv, thought about this post after the T7 & AS Group performance.  It looks like Logan, Robert and Marko can tap.

Yes. I was surprised to see Robert and Marko in the tap segment. Good for them! Also very impressed with Logan. These kids these days are cross training and I have a feeling this show has encouraged that, especially if they have aspirations of competing on SYTYCD.

[realdancemom]

4 hours ago, luvthepros said:

Yes. I was surprised to see Robert and Marko in the tap segment. Good for them! Also very impressed with Logan. These kids these days are cross training and I have a feeling this show has encouraged that, especially if they have aspirations of competing on SYTYCD.

Jasmine was also in the tap routine.  I did know that she knew how to tap.  The show has created a bunch of cross-trained kids.  My daughters are mostly trained in ballet and went to a ballet studio.  However, they are trained in contemporary, jazz, ballroom, tumbling, and tap.  They did this by taking classes at other studios or at their schools.  I bet others did this too.  I know that a lot of high schools in Utah have ballroom competition teams so that even kids that can't afford to go to a studio can learn ballroom.   My daughter joined her school team.  High schools have the other dance teams too like other states.  I just wasn't sure if ballroom was big enough in other states that high schools would have competition teams.  

[luvthepros]

2 hours ago, realdancemom said:

Jasmine was also in the tap routine.  I did know that she knew how to tap.  .....

Jasmine was in the opening routine in the tapping segment? I must have missed her. I saw only five dancers in that section tapping together. I'll watch again.

[luvthepros]

I just watched the  Warren Carlyle opening number and looked for Jasmine tapping. I didn't see her. What I did see, however, on this second watch was during the mini Ballroom section, Carlyle put Kiki and Jenna in the back and put Paul and Allison in front. The camera gave us a great view of the All-Stars and I could barely see Kiki. I'm not a fan of not highlighting the  contestant if there is a choice.

[realdancemom]

33 minutes ago, luvthepros said:

Jasmine was in the opening routine in the tapping segment? I must have missed her. I saw only five dancers in that section tapping together. I'll watch again.

 

17 minutes ago, luvthepros said:

I just watched the  Warren Carlyle opening number and looked for Jasmine tapping. I didn't see her. What I did see, however, on this second watch was during the mini Ballroom section, Carlyle put Kiki and Jenna in the back and put Paul and Allison in front. The camera gave us a great view of the All-Stars and I could barely see Kiki. I'm not a fan of not highlighting the  contestant if there is a choice.

I thought I saw Jasmine but I probably didn't.  I do know that she knows how to tap.  I remember reading that during her season.  There's actually a lot of studio dancers that can tap.  I remember during Season 8, Nigel mentioned that he hoped to have a tap routine that season since several of the dancers knew how to tap even though they didn't come in as tappers.

ETA - The tappers include women not just the guys.  Nick and Jess did end up doing a really good tap routine in the finale. 

Edited September 5, 2017 by realdancemom

[Andie1]

On 8/30/2017 at 2:18 PM, MV007 said:

“Do we know this is the choreographers decision?  I think they have people in charge of costumes who I'm sure work hand in hand with the choreographers.  I also think its worth asking if Kaylee is part of the blame.  She has her own style and its not classically feminine.  I think a lot of it his her own decision making.

In a recent interview for ET Travis Wall explains :

“There's just no time to prep anything and, you know, you're finding out your couple at the last second and -- then it's like ‘Oh my gosh, is my music cleared?’ There are so many components,” Wall explained. “I think in other shows you might be brought in to choreograph the piece, but [on SYTYCD] you come up with the concept and you create the creative for what the hair, the makeup, the wardrobe, the lighting and the music and everything about it, how it comes together. And then you work with the director on how you want to shoot it so you're coming up with these ideas, not just choreographing something that already exists. And that’s why I love So You Think You Can Dance so much. It's just such original content every single week.” 

[luvthepros]

On 9/5/2017 at 2:31 PM, realdancemom said:

 

........... Nick and Jess did end up doing a really good tap routine in the finale. 

This is one of my absolute favorite routines from this show. Jess LeProtto was my favorite in his season. I have since seen him in "Newsies" and "On the Town" on Broadway. He is such a stand out performer, it was so easy to pick him out of all the guys on stage when he dances. Jess is one example of a non winner doing very well in his chosen profession as a dancer after appearing on SYTYCD. He has been cast in five Broadway musicals since appearing on the show.

Jess, Nick and Matt (winner of Strictly)

[lavenderblue]

I adored that routine! Nick (and Iveta) were ousted way too early for their talent, and Jess really gutted through pretty far for a dancer who never seemed too beloved by the judges (but who was besides Melanie that year?). That was such a fun way to celebrate the British winner and let the other guys show their stuff -- their "meet the top 20" tap routine had been a bit of a letdown.

[realdancemom]

9 hours ago, lavenderblue said:

I adored that routine! Nick (and Iveta) were ousted way too early for their talent, and Jess really gutted through pretty far for a dancer who never seemed too beloved by the judges (but who was besides Melanie that year?). That was such a fun way to celebrate the British winner and let the other guys show their stuff -- their "meet the top 20" tap routine had been a bit of a letdown.

Meet the Top 20 routine must have been a letdown because I don't even remember it.  I loved the finale routine though, remembered it, and that's why I was able to mention it previously.