S14.E12: Top 7 Perform

[Duke Silver]

Called it a couple weeks ago--Kiki is the "how in the hell is this guy still around" guy in the top 3 or 4.

Mark is gone, huh?  Never felt him, and I'm a huge Comfort stan.  Dude is as street as my little sister.

Koine is my remaining fav, so apologies to her.  She'll be gone next week for sure.

[Andie1]

4 hours ago, luvthepros said:

Andie....I agree with you about Billy's posture and lack of groundedness (is that a word???) but I do love the choreography. Louis choreographed, as he said in the package, "a classic competition Jive".
 

This is precisely why I didn't like the choreography.  I think for SYTYCD these kids need creative pieces so that potential Broadway  and Commercial gigs can hire them.  For me, doing only competition style choreo  puts an emphasis on technique and less on performance.

[Andie1]

4 hours ago, fan94 said:

How do you think Koine measures up to past Contemporary girls who have excelled in Ballroom? :P

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E81hcQQRm5s

I would LOVE to see Koine do Argentine Tango I think this girl has intensity and passion in spades.  As for Lauren and Pasha, it was a beautiful passionate routine, but Lauren has typical contemporary legs, they just aren't sharp enough for AT.  I don't know if Koine would make it work, but I think she could give it a go.  

As for a contemporary girl doing amazing on Tango fusion with Argentine elements I look at Melissa Mitro from SYTYCD Canada, her legs are  like knives, especially when her partner lifts her and she does an amazing leg flick, you can hear Jean Marc Generaux lose his shit in the background over how cool it was.

Edited September 6, 2017 by Andie1

[pivot]

I don't understand why Kiki is so bad at lifts if he is a ballroom expert. He, again, almost dropped a dancer. When non-ballroom males are effortlessly lifting women in routines, there is no excuse for Kiki's poor form.

I loved the Lex, Kaylee and logan trio dance tonight and the Lex/Gabby hip-hop. I am hoping for a Koine, Lex, Kaylee and Taylor finale. Logan and Kiki can go at any time IMO.

[lavenderblue]

Kiki's being a ballroom expert actually provides the excuse to me: lifts are not an element in the Dancesport syllabi. For Show Dance, totally, and if he dances another social/partner style like salsa, swing, or Argentine tango with any frequency, then I'd expect him to be a lot more assured. But I would expect contemporary boys, who may very well have been required to do it in the course of their previous performance lives (and ballet boys, of course, are in a fantastic position to have developed the skill) to be better at this aspect of partnering than a non cross-trained ballroom man. This show, and the Canadian version given Denys, seems to have been spoiled with ballroom men great at the skill -- which is half their own technique and strength and half the technique of a partner who herself is used to being lifted (I've suspected this is why Denys worked better in that area on SYTYCDC than he did with Antonina) -- but in none of those cases was it something they mastered by focusing largely on the syllabus. 

None of this, of course, covers the hip hop men, and those whose partnering outdoes Kiki's show both their own excellence and raise some questions about Kiki's foundation (though Kiki does have some great skills, which the jive solo showed nicely). 

Edited September 6, 2017 by lavenderblue

[Anothermi]

22 minutes ago, lavenderblue said:

Kiki's being a ballroom expert actually provides the excuse to me: lifts are not an element in the Dancesport syllabi. <snip>  But I would expect contemporary boys, who may very well have been required to do it in the course of their previous performance lives

See, that's the thing about Kiki. He WAS required to do it in the course of his previous performance life. He was a member of the DWTS Troupe when they 1st became part of the show and stayed with them from Season 12 - 14. (1.5 years)

This is the very 1st performance of the Troupe, and although there are not big lifts in this one, lifts were expected of these dancers.

[displayname]

7 hours ago, Andie1 said:

I would LOVE to see Koine do Argentine Tango I think this girl has intensity and passion in spades.  As for Lauren and Pasha, it was a beautiful passionate routine, but Lauren has typical contemporary legs, they just aren't sharp enough for AT.  I don't know if Koine would make it work, but I think she could give it a go.  

As for a contemporary girl doing amazing on Tango fusion with Argentine elements I look at Melissa Mitro from SYTYCD Canada, her legs are  like knives, especially when her partner lifts her and she does an amazing leg flick, you can hear Jean Marc Generaux lose his shit in the background over how cool it was.

 

Thanks for the reply! I would love to see Koine do AT, too. I do think Lauren's the best to adapt to Ballroom, at least with her Cha Chas.

 

That's a great AT by Melissa Mitro.

[Andie1]

9 hours ago, Anothermi said:

See, that's the thing about Kiki. He WAS required to do it in the course of his previous performance life. He was a member of the DWTS Troupe when they 1st became part of the show and stayed with them from Season 12 - 14. (1.5 years)

This is the very 1st performance of the Troupe, and although there are not big lifts in this one, lifts were expected of these dancers.

And it is interesting, the only original members of the Troupe Peta and Tristan, were the ones with Burn The Floor experience.  The Troupe then brought in people like Sasha and Sharna  and Artem... all more cross trained than the originals.  Tristan made comment about how the show requiring cross trained dancers with choreography experience instead of ballroom purists was difficult to reconcile since his training is ballroom exclusively and he wasn't a choreographer.   Tristan is no longer doing the shows even though he was a fan favorite.

Edited September 6, 2017 by Andie1

[Quickbeam]

Bye Mark. Will miss the hair and your cute mother. I thought Koine's jive was super slow. Like I could bake a cake between moves. 

[luvthepros]

13 hours ago, WhineandCheez said:

4.  Allison and Logan were dancing on and under a jungle coffee table, then got down to prepare for an oil change that didn't happen.  I did not like this piece!!! Too disjointed. Logan's face is both homely and beautiful at the same time.  He's like a young colt.  I just love him.

 

OMG...you seriously made me laugh out loud with this. Too funny. Also....I agree with you about Logan's face.

There has been quite a bit of discussion about Koine's Jive. I honestly saw too little Jive content in that dance. Anytime the female is clad in sneakers, I knew right away they would be dancing more Swing than Jive. That is exactly what Dimitry choreographed for them and I'm disappointed in Dimitry for that.

Edited September 6, 2017 by luvthepros

[WhineandCheez]

Quote

This is the very 1st performance of the Troupe, and although there are not big lifts in this one, lifts were expected of these dancers.

Blerggg.  Kiki is the least charismatic and most blah of the Troupe of 6. Couldn't we have gotten one of the other 5?

[Andie1]

16 hours ago, fan94 said:

OK, Nigel's saying he really hasn't seen anyone do a triple tour

Lex doing a triple tour is very  cool and all, but I was interested in hearing  about when Nigel did a one and a half tour he would be off balance. Balance and control is actually for me the most important part of the tour en l'air.  I noticed in Lex's solo,  it's a trick that he his hands down on the ground to complete the move, so maybe he can stick it without that help, I don't know, it could be part of the choreo.  For me, a double tour with a finish to an arabesque shows me a lot  about control. Maybe that's why ballet dancers may have the ability to do a triple but they rarely do them. 

Chehon did a few double tours to an arabesque in some of his solos which were spectacular, . in others he'd do the double and stick the landing in second position ... and yes it looked more ballet than contemporary, but that is what I liked about Chehon's solos. 

[displayname]

16 minutes ago, Andie1 said:

I noticed in Lex's solo,  it's a trick that he his hands down on the ground to complete the move, so maybe he can stick it without that help, I don't know, it could be part of the choreo.

I think it's part of the choreo because it went with the music.

[Andie1]

That's cool.  I'd like to see him do the tour and land upright.

[surreysmum]

45 minutes ago, Andie1 said:

That's cool.  I'd like to see him do the tour and land upright.

In one of the seasons of SYTYCD Canada, Canadian figure skating champion & eventual 3rd-place finisher in the show season, Emanuel Sandhu, did a 3 1/2 tour, based off his triple-axel technique as a skater. It was in many of his dance routines.  He'd always been a little famous for being able to do it on the floor (I remember seeing him do it in person when warming up off-ice at some Canadian Figure Skating Championships or other).  However, I think it became a bit of a gimmick for him in SYTYCD, substituting for work on versatility in other areas perhaps, and also I never felt his ground landings were particularly secure even though he was landing on two legs instead of one, since he was actually more used to being able to carry his spinning momentum into a clean landing on the moving back outside edge of a single knife-blade. Forced to control the momentum at a dead stop on the floor, he often actually over-rotated and stumbled a bit, iirc.  Others may remember better. Sandhu studied for a few years at the National Ballet School (of Canada). My opinion is that he had a tremendous technical facility and beautiful lines, and very much deserved his various Canadian & international wins, but his nervous and anxious temperament was destined never to hold up very well to the hypercritical atmosphere of either the figure skating or the dance world.

You can probably find the ground-triple-axel/unorthodox 3 1/2 tour online fairly easily if you search on his name.

[Andie1]

1 hour ago, surreysmum said:

In one of the seasons of SYTYCD Canada, Canadian figure skating champion & eventual 3rd-place finisher in the show season, Emanuel Sandhu, did a 3 1/2 tour, based off his triple-axel technique as a skater. It was in many of his dance routines.

I remember watching Emanuel do this amazing jump!  It definitely was skater's technique since the take off is so different than a traditional tour, it was a triple axle on the ground instead of the ice where you're stepping up and the free leg is propelling the revolutions.  In a traditional  tour en  l'air the ballet dancer takes off from fifth position, so it's your body rather than a leg action to propel it. I don't know which one is more difficult, but it might be the traditional tour since there's no step up . Regardless it takes some kind of control and strength to perform this jump. 

Edited September 6, 2017 by Andie1

[romantic idiot]

On 9/5/2017 at 10:29 PM, luvthepros said:

I'm not sure about that. What do you think of the Jive Billy Bell performed with Anya? I always thought Billy did an awesome job with that and Billy is as bendy as they come. Billy actually looks like he likes girls in this performance. Good acting! Choreo by Louis Van Amstel and it doesn't get any better than that......

Billy Bell and Anya Jive

My favorite will always be Danny/Anya to Girlfriend. And I loved Danny's AT with Sara as well, though I know it was a little controversial content wise. And Janette and Brandon had an awesome AT as well. 

[Andie1]

For me, Janette was one of the best latin dancers to compete on the show.   Loved her AT.  She's now a pro on Strictly Come Dancing.

[SnarkyTart]

1 hour ago, Andie1 said:

I remember watching Emanuel do this amazing jump!  It definitely was skater's technique since the take off is so different than a traditional tour, it was a triple axle on the ground instead of the ice where you're stepping up and the free leg is propelling the revolutions.  In a traditional  tour en  l'air the ballet dancer takes off from fifth position, so it's your body rather than a leg action to propel it. I don't know which one is more difficult, but it might be the traditional tour since there's no step up . Regardless it takes some kind of control and strength to perform this jump. 

Wow!!  That was amazing and beautiful!  Thanks for posting it.

[Andie1]

21 hours ago, luvthepros said:

Now that you mention Ray Bolger......yes, I do see Bolger in Logan. I wonder how many young folks know who Ray Bolger was?

Kids still watch the original Wizard of Oz don't they? 

[MissSunshine]

Not sure if anyone has mentioned this because I didn't read all of the comments, but did you see that Mary Murphy called Kaylee "Taylor" during the comments? 

[crossover]

On 9/5/2017 at 9:46 AM, Sd601 said:

I loved the trio of lex, Logan, and Kaylee, but Kaylee didn't add much. Logan and lex were gorgeous. I like lex's awkward sweet personality better, but logan's technique is just fantastic to watch. I paused several times to compare their side-by-side poses, and Logan was better. I don't like Logan's solos as much, however. He's like too bendy--like a too-stretched-out gumby, all arms and legs. 

Logan does have a little height on him, as compared to most sytycd dancers.  But he has such body control.  Just imagine him in a few years. 

[Andie1]

20 hours ago, romantic idiot said:

My favorite will always be Danny/Anya to Girlfriend. And I loved Danny's AT with Sara as well, though I know it was a little controversial content wise. And Janette and Brandon had an awesome AT as well. 

I found that in most cases where a latin dance works it's when a latin dancer is one of the partners.  When two non latin dancers like Marko and Koine do a jive that was pretty decent, then I know they are talented to at least simulate a highly technical dance that isn't remotely close to their style. 

Edited September 7, 2017 by Andie1

[luvthepros]

15 hours ago, Andie1 said:

Kids still watch the original Wizard of Oz don't they? 

I hope so. This classic movie doesn't have the same exposure on TV in recent years as it did when I was a kid. That was many years ago. 

[Andie1]

13 hours ago, crossover said:

Logan does have a little height on him, as compared to most sytycd dancers.  But he has such body control.  Just imagine him in a few years. 

Logan for me is my second fave on the show. He is very clean in his technique, and he's got personality... two things that I think the show is willing to overlook to get Lex the win.  If I had to rank them it would be for me,  Koine, Logan, Lex,  and the other 3 interchangeable depending on what style they get. 

I have my doubts that Koine will make top 4 but I can't help that I'm drawn to a tiny dancer who doesn't have a ginormous fanbase, has gorgeous soulful solos, is very generous in making her partners look good  puts in the work and is so versatile.  She was outstanding on the Cheeseman " I Rise" piece, she fearlessly did the leap Amy Yakima made famous in the Wicked Games duet with Travis Wall,  Sean incorporated her unique front slide from one of her solos,  and her determination at the end pose was everything.

Edited September 7, 2017 by Andie1

[displayname]

I sure hope Lex pulls something like this out for his solo:

[crossover]

2 hours ago, Andie1 said:

Logan for me is my second fave on the show. He is very clean in his technique, and he's got personality... two things that I think the show is willing to overlook to get Lex the win.  If I had to rank them it would be for me,  Koine, Logan, Lex,  and the other 3 interchangeable depending on what style they get. 

I have my doubts that Koine will make top 4 but I can't help that I'm drawn to a tiny dancer who doesn't have a ginormous fanbase, has gorgeous soulful solos, is very generous in making her partners look good  puts in the work and is so versatile.  She was outstanding on the Cheeseman " I Rise" piece, she fearlessly did the leap Amy Yakima made famous in the Wicked Games duet with Travis Wall,  Sean incorporated her unique front slide from one of her solos,  and her determination at the end pose was everything.

Loved her ending.  It gave me chills, as Cat would say.   When they gave Koine back-to-back ballrooms, I knew the show wasn't invested in her anymore.  They started off loving her.  Really don't know what changed?

[Mason]

3 hours ago, luvthepros said:

I hope so. This classic movie doesn't have the same exposure on TV in recent years as it did when I was a kid. That was many years ago. 

At least in Canada, The Wizard of Oz is on one channel or another several times a year. 

How's this for an opening number: Logan dressed as the Bolger Scarecrow, Alison as Dorothy, and everyone else as crows. (If I Only Had a Brain is likely too slow.) The choreographer would have to find a way to get him off the pole, though. 

[Jobiska]

I discovered one positive effect to Gaby's horrible hair:  I couldn't stand to look at it, so I mainly focused on Lex (I try to mainly look at the contestant, but often find myself watching the All Star--and it's not even a "better performance" thing, just chance).    I'd rather look more at the contestant, so it was helpful!

I mainly fast forward through the judges' remarks and only look at the dances (and the dancers-as-little-kids scenes), but I was glad to have it playing when Nigel apologized to Koine for mispronouncing her name.  She graciously shrugged it off (I notice her Twitter handle is Koinaay, so I'm sure he/Kat/etc. are hardly the first to mess it up!)  

I am not well-versed enough in dance to know whether they are doing it well or not (I can note obvious mistakes like Dassy's fall, etc.) so I appreciate the comments in these forums that help to educate me!  

[Terrafamilia]

Poor Vanessa, she can't afford a shirt.

Poor Mary, she can afford botox. Step away from that needle, Mary, just step away!

Loved Logan in the AJ. He was all kinds of squirmy, and I mean that in the best possible way.

[cali1981]

On 9/6/2017 at 0:42 PM, Andie1 said:

For me, Janette was one of the best latin dancers to compete on the show.   Loved her AT.  She's now a pro on Strictly Come Dancing.

I loved Janette. She was a great dancer and was hot as all get out.  Her Doriana Sanchez choreographed disco number with Brandon is still one of the all time greats

[WhineandCheez]

Quote

Poor Mary, she can afford botox. Step away from that needle, Mary, just step away!

Why is she wearing such dated dresses/tops every week.  Has she opened a new Mother of the Bride chain?

 

CAN one of you dancers out there answer this for me?  Is Kaylee a good technical dancer, or does she just fling herself so emphatically into everything she does that she appears to be good? She doesn't seem overly graceful, but is that relevant?

[Jynnan tonnix]

On 9/5/2017 at 10:04 PM, WhineandCheez said:

Except the judges, who gave it a standing O--I have no idea why?

 

1. " Let's (Not) Have a Kiki"-- Oh the shocked gasps when he was in the bottom 3, where he has deserved to be since week 2.  Also now its "So You Think You Can Use Props"  Not a lot of dancing on Kiki's part in that piece.

2.  Mark's solo was eye bustingly great.  He saw the writing on the wall--the first letter was L, the 3rd was X and let's guess the vowel in the middle

3. Speaking of the winner, in the threesome, Lex made me gasp when all of a sudden it looked like he had put on ice skates and was doing a Triple Lutz, or whatever.  I rewound and I NEVER  rewind.

4.  Allison and Logan were dancing on and under a jungle coffee table, then got down to prepare for an oil change that didn't happen.  I did not like this piece!!! Too disjointed. Logan's face is both homely and beautiful at the same time.  He's like a young colt.  I just love him.

5. The "Trump is Racist" dance was good but I liked the threesome better. Can anyone tell me if Kaylee is a good technical dancer, or does she just emphatically throw herself into her numbers and that makes up for it?

6.  The makeup artists this year are incredible. They have done wonders with Kaylee and Gaby, both which aren't natural beauties.

I love your description of Logan's face! I've thought much the same thing. 

And speaking of faces, while they should not be the main focus in any sort of dance competition, we do seem to respond to them anyway. I watch the show with my daughter and son-in-law, ad he has a total man-crush on Kiki. Won't hear a word against him, and while my daughter and I don't dislike him, per se, we have been ready to see him go for the past couple of weeks over some of the more deserving dancers.

Maybe that's part of the issue Kaylee has been facing...as you say, she is not exactly a natural beauty. Even though there's nothing strictly WRONG with her face, when put up against someone like Taylor, she just comes off a little awkward-looking. My daughter said, last night, "she just seems to do too much of the "blue steel" look" - which cracked me up, because she really does look a little like Ben Stiller if you squint a bit. I love her as a dancer, and am quite torn between her and Koine...though I might give Koine the slight edge for being a bit more versatile. She really does seem to be able to do everything.

My favorite guys have been Lex and Logan since the auditions. I'd actually be very happy to see them as top two, but I suppose it will be a boy-girl duo. Still, I'd love to see them do a duet together. Something with slower movements, since I have absolutely no real dance knowledge, ad my brain doesn't work fast enough to really assess their strengths and weaknesses when the dance is too busy. I suppose I should learn to use the slow-motion button as someone mentioned (if my remote even has one - I've never looked). Or at least freeze-frame a lot. I was saying that last night (which is when we watched it)...I need to use this show to practice figure-drawing! Lex and Logan were stunning in the group number with Kaylee, but it was just too fast-moving for me to really analyze.

[Andie1]

On 9/7/2017 at 2:07 PM, crossover said:

Loved her ending.  It gave me chills, as Cat would say.   When they gave Koine back-to-back ballrooms, I knew the show wasn't invested in her anymore.  They started off loving her.  Really don't know what changed?

I think what changed is the Salsa and her solos suddenly popularized her as being the versatile one in a group where she is supposed to be an also ran instead of a winner . So rather than give her a style that is in her wheelhouse that would directly compare and contrast head to head with Taylor, they give her a jive that was already done this season by Logan and all Star Allison to compare and contrast.  Difference is Marco is not a latin dancer, but Allison has the receipts from being a pro on DWTS. 

[Guest]

On 9/8/2017 at 8:19 AM, Jynnan tonnix said:

Maybe that's part of the issue Kaylee has been facing...as you say, she is not exactly a natural beauty. Even though there's nothing strictly WRONG with her face, when put up against someone like Taylor, she just comes off a little awkward-looking. My daughter said, last night, "she just seems to do too much of the "blue steel" look" - which cracked me up, because she really does look a little like Ben Stiller if you squint a bit.

I think when people do a lot of exaggerated faces it's a turn off for me, and that's why I'm not a huge Kaylee fan.  Same with Jenna.  Plus the electric blue hair is a distraction.  And the Impavido thing just seems a little pretentious.  If you're going to don a stage name why not really commit, like say Twitch and Fikshun?  

[realdancemom]

I would love Koine, Lex, and Logan to be in the top four.  I have a feeling Koine will be out though.  That's a shame because I think she is versatile and her technique is solid.  

Taylor - Has beautiful lines and estensions.  She has gorgeous feet too.  But I only like her in flowy contemporary routines that use these strengths.  Her samba and hip-hop were not good.  Robert wasn't great in those two either and was actually laughable in hip-hop.  She needs work in performing too.  At least, she seems to have better control of her core since she's hasn't been falling out of her balances, turns, etc. in her solos lately.  She will probably be in the top four since she hasn't been in the bottom.

Kiki - He's actually grown on me a little.  I always liked his solos but I really loved his last one with jive movements.  His legs were amazing and so sharp.  On the other genres, the choreographers make sure that he looks good.  Instead of a lot of technique, they give him characters to play or canes to catch.  What I like about him, is that he has really learned to play the characters well and just go for it.  A lot of the younger contestants can't do that.  It would also be nice to not have all contemporary dancers in the final and since Mark is out, that leaves only Kiki.

Kaylee - She also has given her all and she was at the most disadvantage with her All-Star.  They have produced a good contemporary and hip-hop routines.  Their cha cha was enjoyable too even though Cyrus' technique wasn't right.  I really liked their last contemporary routine.  Tyce choreographed a great routine that took advantage of what they do best.  I think that's what Tessandra was trying to do in the first show..  Her technique is not as good as the other contemporary dancers.  I don't think she had as much ballet training because she gets lazy with her feet and sometimes they are just there.  They are not completely flexed or pointed.  Somebody who had a lot of ballet training would have it ingrained in them not to be lazy that way.  Of course, she is going to suffer when she has to dance with Lex and Logan.  That's where you can see her jumps, extensions, etc. are not as good.   But even with her routines with Cyrus, you can see her technique is good but not in comparison to others.

I always enjoy her solos.  They are different and interesting.  She is a strong powerful performer with unique movements.  I don't think she will make top four because she's already been in the bottom twice.  

ETA - Lex was superb in the hip-hop duet.  His personality and performance was great.  The judges pretended to be surprised.  I wasn't because he infuses hip-hop in his solos.  Last week, a senior male clip was posted.  I didn't watch the whole thing but from what I watched, Lex was really good with hip-hop and he also stood out when he showed off his ballet technique.  But when it comes to contemporary, I actually preferred some of the other guys.

I liked Logan and Allison in the AJ piece even though the props were unnecessary.  LOL on the poster that made a comment about them doing an oil change.  I was turned off when they were talking to Cat afterwards.  I had to remind myself that Logan was young but still ugh!!  I hope he gets contemporary with Allison since she couldn't do the first one.

Koine - Poor thing.  I think she is going to get disco even though she's had two ballroom routines in a row.  I think she and Marko would actually do well with it   I think the show wants a final four of Lex, Logan, Taylor, and Kiki.

Edited September 10, 2017 by realdancemom

[displayname]

5 hours ago, realdancemom said:

Lex was superb in the hip-hop duet.  His personality and performance was great.  The judges pretended to be surprised.  I wasn't because he infuses hip-hop in his solos.

And because of this: 

[crossover]

I thought Lex was a shoe in because of the Travis connection. But Kinjaz as well. There was no way they weren't going to try to get him the win.  You can't blame them.  Lex put in the time and cultivated the relationships.  If he had waited another year, he probably would've had some kind of ballroom connection ?

[displayname]

Maybe Jenna knew Lex beforehand, as well. : D

[cali1981]

On 9/4/2017 at 7:27 PM, Andie1 said:

Koine is my fave but I fear for her next week.  She danced the Jive well, but putting her in sneakers is more of a Swing thing.  Dmitry should have gave them more footwork, but it was almost all lifts, which takes away from Jive.  Marco is an amazing partner, Kiki could learn from him. 

 

I agree. The Jive was not really up the best of what you typically see on SYTYCD.  It seemed more suited for DWTS.  Dimitry sometimes comes up with lukewarm routines.  I remember when, a number of years ago, he was Mya's partner. She was the best celeb dancer that season ans should have won but Dimitry came up with a sub-standard freestyle in the finale that may have cost her the trophy.

[crowceilidh]

I don't think it was the jive per se that was lacking, it was the very slow rendition of the music, the stale choice of music (jive="Rock around the clock since I was 1 year old) and I assume the slowness was down to the dancer's abilities.  That song isn't really that slow is it?

[crossover]

Per Nigel's twitter:

"Nigel Lythgoe OBE‏Verified account @dizzyfeet Well American #SYTYCD Fans have chosen the 4 finalists for Season 14. Find out who they are on the show. I was shocked."

Nigel has done this for years.  So I'm surprised that he's shocked??  The only one I can see him being shocked about is Lex.  He's had favorable coverage since the auditions.  Plus, they gave him an entertaining hip hop routine with a popular song to be voted on when only the votes will count.  It's not Lex. 

But there can be a case made for/against any of the others.  Nigel knows that usually sytycd voters don't support ballroom.  They gave Koine back-to-back ballrooms.  So they probably expect her to go.  Nigel's made subtle comments about Kaylee's technique and they put her in the group with Lex/Logan for comparison purposes.  So Nigel wouldn't be shocked to see her go.  Nigel knows how they've manipulated things to make Kiki appear more versatile than he is.  So Nigel wouldn't be shocked to see him go.  That leaves Taylor and Logan.  Nigel knows there should be a female in F4.  After about week 2 or 3, it appears they decided that should be Taylor.  Plus they gave her a moving contemporary routine to be voted on when only votes count.  Her performance journey has been kinda one-note.  So I  think Nigel would be surprised but not shocked.  Nigel seems to really like Logan.  The judges gave him positive comments throughout but didn't really give him OTT praise until last week.  Last ditch effort?  I think Nigel was hoping to get Logan's voting support up.  It may have been too little too late.  So I can see Nigel being surprised but not shocked.  But I'm guessing Logan is the bootee because Nigel seem to like Logan more than Taylor. 

On the flip side, maybe we WON'T have an all contemporary F4.  It also would ensure that we would have at least two females in the F4.  I hope that Koine is one. 

ETA:  I know there will be two let go tonight.  I was just trying to figure out Nigel's "shockness".

Edited September 11, 2017 by crossover

[crowceilidh]

The problem with Nigel is that his shockedness is also likely to just be bait to up viewing numbers.  They often say they are "shocked" when there is no reason to be.

[realdancemom]

I just hope that shock means that Koine is in and replacing Kiki.  That means there will be four contemporary dancers but I would want her to be in.  I hope shock doesn't mean that Logan is out because he has been at the bottom before.  I think Lex and Taylor are in and if they're not, then it would be shocking.  They gave Lex a hip-hop number and Taylor a flowy contemporary which they knew they would excel at.   Also, both have never been in the bottom before.  Unless everyone assumed Lex was safe and wanted to protect somebody else. 

[Andiethewestie]

12 hours ago, crowceilidh said:

I don't think it was the jive per se that was lacking, it was the very slow rendition of the music, the stale choice of music (jive="Rock around the clock since I was 1 year old) and I assume the slowness was down to the dancer's abilities.  That song isn't really that slow is it?

The song really is that tempo. It is not a great jive tempo

[Andiethewestie]

13 hours ago, cali1981 said:

I agree. The Jive was not really up the best of what you typically see on SYTYCD.  It seemed more suited for DWTS.  Dimitry sometimes comes up with lukewarm routines.  I remember when, a number of years ago, he was Mya's partner. She was the best celeb dancer that season ans should have won but Dimitry came up with a sub-standard freestyle in the finale that may have cost her the trophy.

Actually it wasn't what you see on DWTS when Dmitry Jived with Mya there was jive content. Koine and Marlo are two contemporary dancers. It makes a difference 

Mya and Dmitry Jive  notice no lifts just footwork 

[jewel21]

The only thing I would be shocked about is if Lex didn't make it into the finale.

[realdancemom]

51 minutes ago, Andiethewestie said:

Actually it wasn't what you see on DWTS when Dmitry Jived with Mya there was jive content. Koine and Marlo are two contemporary dancers. It makes a difference 

Mya and Dmitry Jive  notice no lifts just footwork 

 

If Dmitry would have put lifts in their jive at DWTS, CAI, the lift police, would have docked them a point.  SYTYCD was bussing Koine.  It's not fair that she would get two ballroom dances in a row.  I wouldn't be surprised if they got disco.  I think Dmitry put lifts because I don't think the typical SYTYCD fans really like ballroom and they wouldn't vote for a jive with no lifts.  They don't care about rules.  He also choreographed for two contemporary dancers.

[Andiethewestie]

15 hours ago, cali1981 said:

I agree. The Jive was not really up the best of what you typically see on SYTYCD.  It seemed more suited for DWTS.  Dimitry sometimes comes up with lukewarm routines.  I remember when, a number of years ago, he was Mya's partner. She was the best celeb dancer that season ans should have won but Dimitry came up with a sub-standard freestyle in the finale that may have cost her the trophy.

Actually it wasn't what you see on DWTS when Dmitry Jived with Mya there was jive content. Koine and Marlo are two contemporary dancers. It makes a difference 

Mya and Dmitry Jive  notice no lifts just footwork 

[Andiethewestie]

47 minutes ago, realdancemom said:

If Dmitry would have put lifts in their jive at DWTS, CAI, the lift police, would have docked them a point.  SYTYCD was bussing Koine.  It's not fair that she would get two ballroom dances in a row.  I wouldn't be surprised if they got disco.  I think Dmitry put lifts because I don't think the typical SYTYCD fans really like ballroom and they wouldn't vote for a jive with no lifts.  They don't care about rules.  He also choreographed for two contemporary dancers.

Right and the fact that competition Jive does not have lifts, most all Latin Ballroom is about technique and ballroom experts wish to consentrate on it. Lifts are for other dance genres and show dancing.  Contemporary and Ballet male dancers are far better at lifts as it is organic to their dance technique. Guys like Kiki and Val Chmerkovskiy are not great at lifts but have learned to do them.