S15.E10: Top Ten Perform

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

After the Top 10 compete for the nation's votes, two dancers must head home. Find out who will make it into the Top Eight and stay in the running to become America's Favorite Dancer.

 

Original airdate: 8/13/18

Edited August 11, 2018 by ElectricBoogaloo

[Haleth]

Oops, wrong thread.

Edited August 7, 2018 by Haleth

[Maya S]

Aren't two people going home in this episode?

[ElectricBoogaloo]

2 hours ago, Maya S said:

Aren't two people going home in this episode?

That’s what I thought too but the episode descriptions at Futon Critic and TV Guide both said one person (does that mean all the contestants will be dancing with the all stars the following week? I don’t understand how this will work).

I just copy and paste the episode descriptions so don’t shoot the messenger! :)

Edited August 7, 2018 by ElectricBoogaloo

[luvthepros]

I don't know how they are going to wrap up this season in the remaining 4 episodes (5 live shows, right?) if they eliminate only one person each week. I was under the assumption a guy and a girl will be eliminated each week until the finale with a top 4. But.....making assumptions is not always going to work out the way you think.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

FYI - Fox finally sent an updated episode description/press release that says two dancers will be eliminated, so I updated the episode thread description.

[Shades of Red]

Could this elimination been more obvious?  So who will be thrown under the bus next week?

As for tonight's episode, well, are the judges watching the same thing I am?  The bobbles, the non-chemistry between some couples, and generally I thought the praise was over the top for the majority of the routines.

[pally]

Stepping and disco.... that bus came straight for Hanneli and Cole.  

Edited August 14, 2018 by pally

[vdw84]

Why do I get the impression that slavik and Genessy kindaget annoyed with the whole shipping connection comments.

I'm sure if you look up b**** in the dictionary Vanessa's name has to be there somewhere.

Anyway chelsa is beautiful and sweet woman that is amazing dancer and I wish her the best.

[crowceilidh]

I wasn't that impressed.  The first Luther Brown choreo I have hated.   Slavik and Genessy are idiots if they don't ride that shipping train.

I can't listen to any of the judges except Twitch.  I noticed how clearly they telegraphed who was going to be in the bottom 4 and I am astonished that Evan got sent out over Cole - I would say they probably decided to go on Ameriker's choice there.  They were still super nasty about the tap in the little bits I heard.

When are they bringing in the Allstars?

Lovely to see Sharna on the show - Slavek did an AMAZING job in the jive, Genessy not so much.

[SHD]

That jive was substandard. They were out of sync so many times. I didn't get where all the praise was coming from.

I actually was surprised by the eliminations. I didn't think they'd let Evan go.

[LexieLily]

Cole is going next week unless something miraculous happens, who is up on the girl's side?

[Kira53]

Slavic and Genesee did not deserve a standing ovation for that terrible Jive.  Mary should be ashamed of her critiqueEspecially praising Slavic for being able to wear the shoes. The invisible hand of the producers isn't very invisible.       

I still really like Darius. He has been able to show the versatility that I assumed he had. I particularly like his ability to"act" during any dance.  I Think he has a great partnership with Magda and she should have been more featured in the earlier episodes.  

I liked Evan and Chelsea's partnership and I thought they were unjustly criticized as not connected.  Evan is very versatile and he was also a good actor. As we all have agreed Chelsea really had no chance but she did Travis Walls choreography well. They (TPTB) did probably tell Travis to create the most boring dance he has ever has done for the show.

Edited August 14, 2018 by Kira53
spelling

[crowceilidh]

There was soemthing super-fishy about the number of times they (ALL of them) went on about Chelsea and Evan not connecting.  It just wasn't true and they were doing it really fast - so either they're sacrificial goats OR they did something that pissed everyone off.

[rlc]

Standing ovations for Slavic and Genesee are completely uncalled for. It was clear since last week that they were getting rid of Chelsea (though Evan was a surprise) but they were so much better than Slavic and Genesee to my eyes.

I’m surprised by how much I’m enjoying Magda so far.

[jewel21]

I really liked the Slavik and Genessey routines. As a non-dancer, perhaps they weren't technically correct, but they have great chemistry and the jive especially looked super fun and put a smile on my face the entire time. 

While I'm glad there were be a tour this year features all 10 dancers,  I'm annoyed that for the second year in a row they aren't hitting any Canadian cities. Boo! It's times like these I wish I had twitter so I can bitch out Nigel, heh. 

[Kira53]

I was delayed by watching on the DVR.  That was a very uninspired disco.  Doriana has got to go.  Please, just don't come back.  

Shocked that Evan went but the Judges tanked him when they were tanking Chelsea.  

The African dance hairdos and costumes were fabulous.  Will the public hold JJ's 100 trophies against him? Their execution was very good I thought.  The Bollywood hairdos and costumes were horrendous. Did a preschooler design and paint their Bollywood outfits?

Edited August 14, 2018 by Kira53
spelling

[yourpointis]

Tonight's episode was sponsored by the letter H for hyperbole. What was with all the over praise for the performances? At least Twitch was more subdued with his critiques tonight versus last week. As another post above mentioned there were lots of bobbles and out of sync portions yet the standing O's and OTT praise for partner chemistry and storytelling that I was ready to throw my flip flop at my tv screen. (no tv's were harmed during tonight's episode)

 

I get the judges (producers) have an agenda but they're taking all the fun out of the show for me. Imho no dance tonight was flawless. I don't mind a misstep here and there, but don't try to convince me the viewer that any of the performances tonight deserved a standing O. I've seen every episode of this show and I've seen quite a few SO dances whether I liked/loved the dancers but not tonight. Gah! This fun little summer show has me incoherently rambling on a message board lol. Obviously they didn't want to break up the partners or Cole should have went home before Evan imo. Also, Nigel I don't believe you for a minute that Chelsea volunteered to tap last week. More like voluntold.

 

Where was the nitpicking in the Step routine like last week's tap? It came across as more of a cheer routine than an actual step. I felt secondhand embarrassment for the choreographer for "dumbing down" the choreography. I hope Magda and Darius are both able to survive next week's bottom four. I enjoy their dancing the most. Of course older female ballroom dancers (over 25?) don't normally fare well on this show. 

[LexieLily]

29 minutes ago, crowceilidh said:

There was something super-fishy about the number of times they (ALL of them) went on about Chelsea and Evan not connecting.  It just wasn't true and they were doing it really fast - so either they're sacrificial goats OR they did something that pissed everyone off.

Not only were they doing it so many times, but they did it last week too, when it was their first time dancing together! Neither Chelsea nor Evan strike me as the type to be visibly disappointed in their partner a la-Ryan-S2-that-wanted-Natalie-so-badly, so I'm curious too.

I was liking Evan and Chelsea's lyrical hip-hop fine, not great but fine, until at the end Cat had to say how much it reminded her of Misty Blue and then I just missed Misty Blue :(

Edited August 14, 2018 by LexieLily

[Mason]

Anyone notice the very enthusiastic SO the choreographers gave Evan & Chelsea's first routine? I believe they were making a point... And let's hope Broadway is paying attention, and they get their chance.

[rlc]

The tears are freaking ridiculous.

[Brookside]

That Bollywood routine was dreadful.  How has it got to the top 10 with so many dancers unable to at least wing another style?

And what the hell was Cat Deeley wearing?

[kechara]

Not impressed with that jive. 

Was there a botched lift in the African jazz?  

I think that the Cole/Hannalei team got bussed with disco and step. Who gets that? 

[Brookside]

.

Edited August 14, 2018 by Brookside

[allypenguin]

1 hour ago, rlc said:

The tears are freaking ridiculous.

For real. I like Genessy and Slavik a lot but the Broadway was just okay. It was sweet but I cannot see how it moved them to tears. And on a petty note, for some reason the bench in their number just reminded me of "The Bench" which actually did move me a lot.

I miss when actual dance critiques were given out.

[Zuleikha]

I like watching everyone. :( 

Magda seems like the clear front runner of the remaining women to me. She's perfection. Then I couldn't pick between the others--they all have strengths and weaknesses.

I don't even know how to pick among the guys either. There's no front runner to me.  

[TVbitch]

Jesus God, I've seen less tears at funerals. What the almighty fuck!

The OTT praise was beyond absurd. There was all kinds of hella mess up there tonight. Only routine I didn't see slop was Fever.

Bummed we won't get to see Evan do a tap number with a tap pro.

@Zuleikha Don't mind me, I'm just inherently snarky. :)

Edited August 14, 2018 by TVbitch

[Mertseger]

29 minutes ago, allypenguin said:

I miss when actual dance critiques were given out.

Really? On this show? I've been watching since S1, and while it has happened on occasion, it's been pretty rare. We may have gotten consistent critiques on the season when Mia was a permanent judge, but she was HATED for it.

Edited August 14, 2018 by Mertseger

[Mystery Author]

Quote

And on a petty note, for some reason the bench in their number just reminded me of "The Bench" which actually did move me a lot.

There will never, ever be another The Bench. Stop trying to make it happen, show.

Nigel (to Chelsea): "I'm glad you had a chance to work with Travis Wall."

Nothing like letting us know ahead of time who's being dumped!

[crossover]

1 hour ago, Mertseger said:

Really? On this show? I've been watching since S1, and while it has happened on occasion, it's been pretty rare. We may have gotten consistent critiques on the season when Mia was a permanent judge, but she was HATED for it.

Mia was hated for her mean-spiritness.  She really let her bias show.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Top ten (Luther Brown)

Jensen & Jay Jay's African jazz (Sean Cheesman)

Jensen & Jay Jay's contemporary (Jaci Royal)

Genessy & Slavik's Broadway (Al Blackstone)

Genessy & Slavik's jive (Sharna Burgess)

Hannahlei & Cole's disco (Doriana Sanchez)

Hannalei & Cole's step (Joe Brown)

Chelsea & Evan's contemporary (Travis Wall)

Chelsea & Evan's hip hop (Chris Scott)

Magda & Darius' smooth jazz (Mandy Moore)

Magda & Darius' Bollywood (Nakul Dev Mahajan)

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Jensen & Jay Jay's African jazz was a mixed bag for me because there were some moments that I really liked but there were also sections that felt kind of meh so I'm not sure if it was the choreography or their performance that was lackluster there. But I always love when the choreographers use the music well as Sean Cheesman did here. The lighting complemented that which was nice too. I couldn't decide if I loved or hated the costumes.

I liked some of the choreography in Jensen & Jay Jay's contemporary. I thought both of them were fine but the only moments when they were really great was when they were allowed to do the flashy tricks they're good at. The camera people need to get it together though. There is no excuse for them not having all of Jensen's head in the frame. That's what rehearsal is for. It's not just for the dancers to practice on the stage for spacing. It's for the technical things like knowing where the dancers will be for the purposes of lighting and the cameras.

I think that Genessy & Slavik's Broadway routine could be really beautiful with the right dancers but I was so distracted by Slavik's hunched over shoulders and Genessy's feet (when you're in bare feet, you have no excuse not to point them as hard as you can). They learned the choreography but I felt like they didn't have the style at all. I also hated the costumes, which I know is not their fault. Genessy is very fit but the way that dress was cut made her look huge. I also hated Slavik's entire outfit down to the shoes.

I had similar issues with Genessy & Slavik's jive. They learned most of the steps (although they looked like they hadn't learned 100% of it) but the execution was lacking because they memorized the steps without really learning the specific dance style. Some parts looked like they had been watered down and other parts just looked sloppy (especially their footwork). Slavik was more convincing than Genessy in this style but overall this was not great. There were moments when they weren't synchronized and they struggled with the very simple partner tricks they were given.On a shallow note, I hated that Slavik's shirt was the same color as his pants because it made him look like he was wearing a unitard or a men's gymnastics uniform.

Disco is often the kiss of death on this show so I was worried for both Hannahlei and Cole when I saw they were doing a Doriana Sanchez routine. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry when I saw Cole's costume. High waisted purple polyster pants with a shiny iridescent lamé shirt? Good God! I actually enjoyed the second to the last section where they just danced (as opposed to doing all the lifts and tricks). It was a perfectly fine performance but it didn't blow me away. On the other hand, the fact that they got through the whole thing without a major injury is a victory. I liked that it felt less frantic and dangerous than some of Doriana's past routines.

When I saw Hannahlei and Cole's other routine was stepping, I was like OH SHIT. This sounded like a terrible idea and while they both gave it their best effort, it was not something I think the show should do again. This is not a criticism of the dance style itself, just the show's decision to use it like this.

Normally performing a piece by Travis Wall is an automatic vote booster so Chelsea & Evan's contemporary should have pushed them to the top of the group this week, but the bus had already run Chelsea over last week so it was too late for her. Evan wasn't given much to do besides roll around on the ground and be the base for Chelsea's lifts. Travis Wall's choreography is overrated and this was a good example. I hate when he makes things too literal. The song is called Snowing so we must have snow on stage. There's a lyric about a window so we must have a lighting gobo to simulate a window onstage.

Chelsea and Evan's hip hop was one of those lyrical hip hop things that I don't love. I am also sick of the dances that are about a couple fighting/breaking up/having a power struggle. I thought Evan did better than Chelsea did. Her footwork was a little muddy and she didn't seem to do as well with going between the flowing movements and the sharp movements as Evan did.

Magda and Darius' smooth jazz (and WTF with the name of that dance genre? Smooth jazz is the crappy radio station I skip past) was my favorite of the night. They both had that sexy/sultry/slinky vibe down. I know the show loves having Mandy Moore do contemporary routines to 80s power ballads but please let her do more stuff like this! My biggest concern was that Magda and Darius made this routine look so easy that I was worried that voters wouldn't give them as much credit as they deserve for how well they did. My only complaint was that I hated Magda's black bra and briefs peeking out from that silver outfit. I found it really distracting and the opposite of the sexy vibe that the dance was about.

Magda and Darius' Bollywood was not my favorite Bollywood routine I've seen on the show, but I appreciate that it wasn't a 2 minute sprint as per usual.

For the record, I tried voting for Hannahlei and Cole because I felt so bad that they were given two dance styles that were guaranteed to put them in the bottom, but when I tried texting votes for Hannahlei, instead of the usual "You voted for Hannalei!" message, I got one that said, "Sorry we don't recognize your response. Please check the keyword and try again." I got that message three different times while trying to vote for her so yeah, she's fucked next week.

[Haleth]

7 hours ago, SHD said:

That jive was substandard. They were out of sync so many times. I didn't get where all the praise was coming from.

Yeah, even to my untrained eye it looked kind of sloppy.  I don't mean that as a slam since it's probably almost as hard to get right as tap.  Kudos to Slavic and Genessy for doing as well as they did, but it did not deserve a standing ovation and the over the top praise.  It was fun and entertaining, but not noteworthy.  

I only saw the first half but knew darn right well before the first step that Chelsea and Evan were going.  The coordinated judges' comments sealed it.

I'm going to start calling Vanessa "parrot" since she never has anything to say other than to repeat what the other judges say.  If she has to give the first review she gives vague remarks and double talk as if she isn't sure whether to praise the performance or not.  What a waste of space but apparently she brings the audience.

Love the reminders of The Bench and Misty Blue.  Outstanding routines.

I still like Darius and Hannalei best, although Magda and JayJay are growing on me too.

[crossover]

Of course, this week's performances weren't going to be as good as last week.  Last week, one of them was in his/her style.  This week, I think they were trying to have at least one routine that was foreign to both.  I like this format.  Dancer should dazzle the first week and survive-in-style the second.

Hannahlei & Cole got the shaft with dance styles.  Neither of their styles are vote-getters.  Maybe JayJay could've done a better job with the step routine but I thought they did a decent job.  I felt like they had the disco when I saw Doriana would appear.  Hannahlei is so small and Cole is ballroom.  You'd think Doriana would've gone crazy.  But it was kind of slow and timid.  Think they'll be in the B4--the style god got them.  

Magda & Darius are my favorites this season.  Think they maybe B4 b/c of bollywood.  Was this the slowest, less athlectic Nakul piece?  It seem like it is.  They performed it well but it pales to other bollywood routines.  The smooth jazz was made for them.  It was my 3rd favorite routine.

Genessy & Slavik may have bought themselves a couple weeks b/c of their chemistry and surprisingly good performances on last week.  They also must've gotten good fan support b/c it was love all around.   I enjoyed their routines, especially Slavik in the jive.  But not as much as the judges. Taking everything into account, they s/b safe.  Genessy may be the trained dancer but Slavik is driving the partnership.

Jensen & Jay Jay were the stars this week for me.  They performed my two favorite routines.  I really don't think either of them were out of their comfort zone.  With her training, Jensen s/b comfortable in jazz and contemporary.  Of course JayJay is.  I think that's why Nigel emphasized how unusual Sean's routine was.  But it's still jazz.  They got the favored treatment this week but they took advantage as well.  They s/b safe.

[displayname]

Mandy needs to do Jazz pieces more often. They are usually great.

[Tikichick]

This week sealed the deal for me -- costume department took a major budget hit this season.  It's probably not so much less spending outright on the actual physical costumes, but they're forced to rely on modifying off the rack because they likely cut staff who created some of the fabulosity we grew accustomed to.  Magda's jazz costume, Hannahlei's and Cole's stepping atrocities and Cole's disco came right out of dance costume catalogs, cheap ones.  Magda and Darius' Bollywood look like something kids create at a sleepover.  My daughter thinks possibly the music budget took a hit as well, leading to the infusion of the older standards that she suspects may have cheaper clearances.  Anybody know whether that's the case?  I thought Fever by Peggy Lee and anything by Miss Ella Fitzgerald would command a high fee, but I have no idea. 

When Nigel spilled the story about Chelsea claiming to be able to do tap I understood they either realize how unfair the setup looked to the viewers and are trying to deflect, or Chelsea is not particularly enjoyable to work with and they decided to let her own her ish on TV.   The comments about regretting Evan didn't have the opportunity to show his ability in his style seemed more than a little unnecessary.  He did get to perform tap solos and a tap number last week.  Guess they needed to get their last licks in on Chelsea.

More than a little surprised at the treatment given Cole and Hannahlei.  I expected both to be in it at the end.  Not if last night's assigned choreo and costumes indicate anything.  Shudder when I see Doriana, fearing dancer injuries.  Hasn't she used Last Dance on the show before?  Cole and Hannahlei's general physical looks were giving me flashbacks to Nick and Melody in season one.  

Stepping is another genre you don't just throw at someone with no experience, in a competitive situation, to perform at a high level in a week.  Newsflash for producers, the show could use some new choreographers in some of the regular genres to freshen things up and give new perspective.  

I'd like to know if the Bollywood was presented as originally intended, or if it was slowed down and simplified so much to offer a respectable presentation for performance?  Don't think we've ever had a Nakul Bollywood without dancers gasping for air during critiques.  Not that I think that's the bar we should expect, I simply think if we're finally going to show some actual range in the style maybe the choreography should be interesting.

At least the lighting department knows their stuff -- unlike World of Dance. 

ETA  "We don't think we've ever had a more talented top ten?"  It's meaningless if you trot that out every year -- especially when your audience knows better 

Edited August 14, 2018 by Tikichick
Added detail

[cali1981]

I'm beginning to dislike this season's format. The highly compressed schedule was, no doubt, dictated by Fox but it's turned the show into a sprint to the finals. The contestants have no breathing space to recover from an off performance or sub-par choreography. It's now do or die every week. Evan and Chelsea's elimination was pre-ordained after last week and, yes,  Nigel's lame "you said you could tap" was clearly a CYA move after the backlash over last Monday's show. I'm not sure that SYTYCD can hold on for Season 16 after this one wraps up. 

[Tikichick]

2 minutes ago, cali1981 said:

I'm beginning to dislike this season's format. The highly compressed schedule was, no doubt, dictated by Fox but it's turned the show into a sprint to the finals. The contestants have no breathing space to recover from an off performance or sub-par choreography. It's now do or die every week. Evan and Chelsea's elimination was pre-ordained after last week and, yes,  Nigel's lame "you said you could tap" was clearly a CYA move after the backlash over last Monday's show. I'm not sure that SYTYCD can hold on for Season 16 after this one wraps up. 

I hope somehow they not only manage to keep the train running, but that Fox opens up the purse strings, even just a smidge, and allows producers more control over format and other decisions.

[LadyMustang65]

So disappointed to see Evan and Chelsea go last night.  We enjoyed them both weeks.  I was annoyed that Nigel tried to make it seem like Chelsea somehow misrepresented herself.  I highly doubt that since she said in the package last week that she'd only had a little training.  She may have said she could tap, but I doubt she said she was capable of doing an entire tap routine in a week.  She's probably the only one in the group who'd had any training at all in tap, so kudos to her for stepping up to attempt it at least, but I just don't buy that Chelsea represented herself as a trained tap dancer.  The choreographer should have been told to choreograph the dance in such a way that her part wasn't entirely tapping.  She would probably have fared much better if she only needed to join Evan in tapping for parts of it.  A talented choreographer could surely have come up with something that would have showcased both.

 We do not share the judges' obvious love for Jensen.  Don't know what it is about her, but just nope.  Her dancing does not seem as crisp and clean as some others, and she is severely lacking in personality.  Did not really love either of her pieces last night.  Love Cole and Hannahlei.  If the show threw them under the bus with the two dances they got, I'll be super pissed.  Hannahlei was a standout for us at the Academy and continues to be a standout.  We love the way they both move.  And they seem to have a great partnership.  Slavik and Genessey have been growing on us, and I adore the way he stepped in last week and steadied Genessy when she got overwhelmed.  Way to go, Slavik!!  I want that pair to be around to the end as well.  

As for the dances, the opening number was okay but not great.  We enjoyed the jive, but we could tell it was kind of sloppy in places.  Were surprised to see a standing ovation for that.  We did enjoy the smooth jazz, even though that's not a favorite couple for us.  Did not care for the Bollywood or the African jazz.  Stepping was okay.  Choreographed well, I really enjoy disco.  Usually Doriana's routines are just a lift-fest, and I don't like them because there's no way they can really master that many lifts in such a short time.  I was glad she decided to have them do more actual dancing in last night's routine, and I enjoyed watching them, but it wasn't really good choreography, so in the end it was just okay.  

I don't know who is going next week, but I'm guessing it's not going to be Jensen, so I'll probably be disappointed again.

[WhineandCheez]

Quote

And what the hell was Cat Deeley wearing?

I always enjoy the micro mini--black hair bow combo..  Schoolgirl/Prostitute always works.

Mini-rant here:  They are letting all the girl's long frizzy hair get in the way of the lines of these dances.  It started the first night with Jamie and Allison having a tangled mass of frizzy hair flying around in a distracting manner. Last night, I didn't like Magda's hair for a Bollywood--it was California girl-style, I would have liked to see more of a stylized look that didn't fly around. Also, Hannalei's hat shaded her face the entire time.  i agree with the poster upthread that the lack of budget is showing.

 

Quote

As for the dances, the opening number was okay but not great

They are always trying to re-create Ramalama, and they never ever will...

Edited August 14, 2018 by WhineandCheez

[LadyMustang65]

10 minutes ago, WhineandCheez said:

They are always trying to re-create Ramalama, and they never ever will...

Yes!  That's exactly what we were thinking.  They need to just stop because that one was amazing!  

[Tikichick]

59 minutes ago, LadyMustang65 said:

So disappointed to see Evan and Chelsea go last night.  We enjoyed them both weeks.  I was annoyed that Nigel tried to make it seem like Chelsea somehow misrepresented herself.  I highly doubt that since she said in the package last week that she'd only had a little training.  She may have said she could tap, but I doubt she said she was capable of doing an entire tap routine in a week.  She's probably the only one in the group who'd had any training at all in tap, so kudos to her for stepping up to attempt it at least, but I just don't buy that Chelsea represented herself as a trained tap dancer.  The choreographer should have been told to choreograph the dance in such a way that her part wasn't entirely tapping.  She would probably have fared much better if she only needed to join Evan in tapping for parts of it.  A talented choreographer could surely have come up with something that would have showcased both.

 We do not share the judges' obvious love for Jensen.  Don't know what it is about her, but just nope.  Her dancing does not seem as crisp and clean as some others, and she is severely lacking in personality.  Did not really love either of her pieces last night.  Love Cole and Hannahlei.  If the show threw them under the bus with the two dances they got, I'll be super pissed.  Hannahlei was a standout for us at the Academy and continues to be a standout.  We love the way they both move.  And they seem to have a great partnership.  Slavik and Genessey have been growing on us, and I adore the way he stepped in last week and steadied Genessy when she got overwhelmed.  Way to go, Slavik!!  I want that pair to be around to the end as well.  

As for the dances, the opening number was okay but not great.  We enjoyed the jive, but we could tell it was kind of sloppy in places.  Were surprised to see a standing ovation for that.  We did enjoy the smooth jazz, even though that's not a favorite couple for us.  Did not care for the Bollywood or the African jazz.  Stepping was okay.  Choreographed well, I really enjoy disco.  Usually Doriana's routines are just a lift-fest, and I don't like them because there's no way they can really master that many lifts in such a short time.  I was glad she decided to have them do more actual dancing in last night's routine, and I enjoyed watching them, but it wasn't really good choreography, so in the end it was just okay.  

I don't know who is going next week, but I'm guessing it's not going to be Jensen, so I'll probably be disappointed again.

Does it strike you as a bit too convenient that the only person who "volunteered" also happened to be the only contestant paired with the tap specialist?  Someone above used the term voluntold, which I think is highly probable.  Having decades of experience with my MIL I'd like to hear exactly how the subject was presented and how the "question" was phrased to her before making a determination.  An offer she couldn't refuse wouldn't surprise me.

[allypenguin]

11 hours ago, Mertseger said:

Really? On this show? I've been watching since S1, and while it has happened on occasion, it's been pretty rare. We may have gotten consistent critiques on the season when Mia was a permanent judge, but she was HATED for it.

Yeah actually. I mean I've been watching since S4 but I remember the judges would tell dancers specific technical things they had to improve on e.g. sickled feet, turnout, posture etc. For example, I wish the judges would tell Slavik not to hunch so much and have better posture to have nicer lines. And I remember when praise used to be about dance specific things too. I remember Mary especially would give good advice to dancers in ballroom styles. I'm not asking for much but it seems way too "fluffy" for me this season i.e. just crying, rather than actual dance substance.

Also, I mostly forgot Mia as a judge but I remember hating her for shaming and humiliating Adechike in his Bollywood. That, to me, wasn't about dance but more of a personal attack.

[slaterain]

Top Ten - totally agree they keep trying to remake Ramalama!!! My thought the entire time was who is trying to imitate Wade Robson and failing?!?! There were spots in it that might have been good but Luther Brown didn't let any of those bits breathe. It just seemed frantic and hard to follow. The camera work never helps either!!!

Jensen/JJ - Their African Jazz had some good moments and was the first time I wasn't annoyed by Jensen. I liked that weird interlocked crawl thing! Their contemporary was good - not great but good. There were a few rough transitions. What is JJ's official style? Jazz? seemed like these two got the choreo/style favoritism for sure!

Genessy/Slavik - The broadway was fine. I thought they did pretty well with it but they were trying to recreate the bench and that pulled me out of just enjoying the dance. Literally even copying a couple of portions of it. but honestly Slavik barely did anything. I gave up on the Jive - just couldn't get into it so I ff-ed through it all - didn't realize they got a standing O until reading here which makes me roll my eyes even more. They were the two that I kinda didn't want in the top 10. Last week I was ok with them but still not completely sold beyond letting them have another week. This week didn't really help either and I would be happy if they were cut next. it won't happen with how much they play up their chemistry. 

Hannahlei/Cole - They are one of my fav couples! And they totally got screwed with the style assignments. With Hannahlei getting called first I am guessing the producers were targeting Cole more. Step should not be done as a solo or duet. It needs the group to make it work - the stepping should drown out everything. Two people (especially such lightweights like them!) just can't have the same impact. They should do a group step routine if they really want to include it. Nigel even said that in an audition round stepping needed the group after someone did a step solo. Their disco didn't bug me as much as past ones did but with their costumes (in both routines) plus Cat's outfit - I thought the whole show was going to be 80s retro! 

Chelsea/Evan - I liked Chelsea but wanted Emily - and Evan just seems so young in his dancing that I struggled with this couple and was kinda ok that they were the sacrificial lambs. The contemporary was fine and had some really beautiful moments. But you knew it wouldn't matter. The hip hop was just fine but the two don't have much chemistry and it didn't completely click. I wonder if the choreo was simplified a bit or they just didn't sell it. Totally ok with them going home. And honestly with the tap - they do so much choreo where they play off the other skills (every hip hop dancer!) yet they didn't try and do that with the tap at all. The plot could have been an instructor/newb role to make it work. There was no hope for them and Nigel totally tried to cya with his voluntold speech.  

Magda/Darius - they have become my other fav couple! The smooth jazz was my favorite routine of the night. So much good! And they totally connect. I was bummed that Magda was in the bottom so I hope that this helps push her up. The bollywood was ok. It was slow as many have said but it also was a bit too ADD. They never held any one movement for more than 1-2 repetitions. I wanted them to really get into it and it moved too quickly through all the moves trying to fit it all in. It needed to breath more and let them lose themselves in it more than focusing on what move came next. 

They did use to critique far more! I think it helped when they had a longer season and didn't waste so many weeks on auditions/academy. Also they had more time to get to know the dancers. Usually the first ep or two they would be super nice - then they would be pretty critical to get to the top 10 while they were still in control of who went home. Then they would get a bit more pollyanna with their favs until the end. Shankman, Little C, and a few others would give really insightful comments. And I think Twitch can/does too at times. Still don't see any value to Vanessa. I have been fastforwarding through all the comments while pausing occasionally to hear Twitch's thoughts. 

Edited August 14, 2018 by slaterain
typo

[ChipsandDips]

15 hours ago, pally said:

Stepping and disco.... that bus came straight for Hanneli and Cole.  

Was it me or did they miss a beat in th beginning of the disco that threw them off a bit?

[After7Only]

9 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

When I saw Hannahlei and Cole's other routine was stepping, I was like OH SHIT. This sounded like a terrible idea and while they both gave it their best effort, it was not something I think the show should do again. This is not a criticism of the dance style itself, just the show's decision to use it like this.

 

I've seen the show do elements of stepping in hip hop numbers before. and it worked.  This did not.  The sound was weird.  The tried to mic their claps and stomps but it ended up sounding off beat to the music to me.  Probably would have worked better of there was a small break in the music where they mic'd them to hear the stomps/claps/hits specifically, and then the music cuts back in for the rest of the routine.   I have stepped and strolled as a member of a Black Greek Letter Organization on many occasions.   I think they originally tried to bill this a stroll routine.  It was definitely not that.  In my day (90s)  Strolling was a dance done in a line with more than 2 people.  

12 hours ago, Mertseger said:

Really? On this show? I've been watching since S1, and while it has happened on occasion, it's been pretty rare. We may have gotten consistent critiques on the season when Mia was a permanent judge, but she was HATED for it.

Mary used to give great technical critique specifically in ballroom dances between her shrieks and tamale trains.   She still will throw in an offhand comment here in their (ex. Slavic's shoulders) but the majority of her time is spent giving praise.  

I like Magda and Darius, but that Bollywood was pretty average.  I remember when they first started doing Bollywood and they dancers all talked about hand placement and how they had to get it exactly right or it might come off offensive.  It didn't appear that either Darius or Magda put much emphasis on hand placement.  Their hands were pretty willy nilly.

Enjoyed Jenson and JJ's African jazz.  But would have much preferred to see Chelsea dance with JJ instead of Jensen.  She just didn't have enough power behind her movements to pull it off.  I think the music and costume kind of camouflaged a lot of her limitations.  

[Tikichick]

For me instantly the costumes brought me to Ramalama.  The style of movement led me somewhere else entirely.  Initially I really thought it was possibly Mark Kanemura.  Then I went to a tepid -- Wade?  Until I reminded myself that Wade has evolved, and generally Wade these days is a collaboration with his wife.  I never could have come up with Luther on that one.  I did enjoy watching and I do give Luther props for not being one note.  

You could absolutely tell that Magda felt very vulnerable, and she feels some of it because of her age.  That's a shame.  She is a wonderful competitor and very much deserves her place in the Top Eight.

I don't think they feel technical critique interests the audience very much.  Frankly I also don't think this year's crop would hold up well to the reflection in the mirror of technical critique.  Despite their claims of possibly the strongest Top Ten I don't see an Alex Wong, a Will Wingfield, a Cheon, a Twitch, a Robert Roldan,  a Neil Haskell, a Marko, a Janine, a Jasmine, an Ellenore, an Elianna, a Kathryn, a Koine, etc., etc., etc. who were going to take in the criticism, work on it, put their back and their blood and sweat into it and bring you back a gem.  

[HerkyJerky]

3 hours ago, LadyMustang65 said:

 We do not share the judges' obvious love for Jensen.  Don't know what it is about her, but just nope.  Her dancing does not seem as crisp and clean as some others, and she is severely lacking in personality

ITA!  She just seems inauthentic whereas her sister was always totally genuine.

[Tikichick]

34 minutes ago, After7Only said:

I've seen the show do elements of stepping in hip hop numbers before. and it worked.  This did not.  The sound was weird.  The tried to mic their claps and stomps but it ended up sounding off beat to the music to me.  Probably would have worked better of there was a small break in the music where they mic'd them to hear the stomps/claps/hits specifically, and then the music cuts back in for the rest of the routine.   I have stepped and strolled as a member of a Black Greek Letter Organization on many occasions.   I think they originally tried to bill this a stroll routine.  It was definitely not that.  In my day (90s)  Strolling was a dance done in a line with more than 2 people.  

Not only was the technique something extraordinary to ask them to obtain in a week, but you're right, the full effect is lost with only two dancers.  If this were a music competition it would be the equivalent of assigning them the style of marching band and expecting them to bring the experience with a tuba and a flute.

[cali1981]

5 hours ago, LadyMustang65 said:

We do not share the judges' obvious love for Jensen.  Don't know what it is about her, but just nope.  Her dancing does not seem as crisp and clean as some others, and she is severely lacking in personality.  Did not really love either of her pieces last night. 

Maybe she's a legacy like Flounder in Animal House..LOL!