S16.E02: Auditions 2

[ElectricBoogaloo]

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The auditions continue in Los Angeles, as the judges search for the best dancers in the nation.

Original air date: 6/10/19

[jewel21]

I'm just not feeling this show so far this season. The only parts I liked was the little kid dancing and when Domenic freaked out saying the pregnant dancer dropped into a split and then saved her baby, heh. 

I don't like the new judge and I'm not sold on Domenic either. I find it weird that out of all their past dancers, they chose him. I miss Twitch, damn it. 

[Samwise979]

Um did I just see that one judge spank the Japanese dancer??? 👎😠

[ramble]

More meh. Sigh. I actively dislike the two new judges and it’s a strong, solid dislike. I get the feeling the really good dancers were in the montage of dancers who made it through and the televised auditions were the pretty okay/decently good ones. The freeze frame jump cam feels like a colossal waste of time. It’s like a new electronic toy that I wish the batteries would die in. 

Edited June 11, 2019 by ramble

[PhD-Purgatory15]

So I would rank Desi from last week over Sumi from this week if I'm only judging how they might adapt to multiple styles in the Academy. I'm always leery of extreme robotic/rigid animators making the transition whereas Dezi brough enough smoothness to her audition...I think she's got a chance to do well at some of the other styles. Within their own popping/animation/hiphop style I think Sumi has more talent though.

Samuel the Bboy was cool. I sort of had it pegged that the cute kid would be the star of his audition package and then the judges would "gently" let him down. Glad that I was wrong though. I sort of wished his wife would've auditioned with her Polynesian dance style. We are two weeks in and we haven't really seen any "unique" styles. For that matter, we've barely seen any tap (and it was a no)...

Gianna actually made me focus a bit more on a contemporary piece. I liked her ability to transition from move to move, and I liked the fact that she's a risk taker. Doing that out-there of an audition piece always had the ability to go horribly wrong and she attempted (& landed) it anyway.

The two couples that danced were solid...although I'm hoping someone elevates ballroom because I'm not sold either of Soza's from last week or the Armenians from tonight are really Top 20 quality. Kaeli's body type is insane, to the point that I wonder how well she will be able to do with some of the more "grounded" types of dances (hip hop or various contemporary/jazz pieces).

Edited June 11, 2019 by PhD-Purgatory15

[hnygrl]

I just can’t get past that set so closely mirroring World of Dance’s set!  It’s got to be the same building! It’s really distracting.  

And no, the new show doesn’t work. I suppose either the judges are getting too old to traipse from town to town or Kat is sick of it and wants to stay with her new family. 

Either way, with it being only one hour a week and this dry? 

Last season. Shark jumped.  

Nowadays I just record it and watch bits and pieces when I’m bored during the week. Seriously, it’s bad.

Edited June 11, 2019 by hnygrl

[Mystery Author]

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I don't like the new judge and I'm not sold on Domenic either. I find it weird that out of all their past dancers, they chose him. I miss Twitch, damn it. 

I miss Twitch, too, and I'm mesmerized by new judge Laurieann Gibson's fingernails...but not in a good way. Also, I get the impression she's trying too hard.

Dominic actually has a long history with the Fox franchise — and other popular reality shows.

Finally... Hey, show, why waste time on the pregnant dancer when you can give us one or two of the montaged dancers?

[displayname]

Ware and Talbott: I liked how smiley they were, especially Talbott. But this choreography was pretty meh, and while I defer to the ballet experts here, they didn't look technically strong to me.

Oshima: I didn't find her solo the most interesting, but very talented, and I liked the smooth transition she did straight to the ground and back up. Great control there.

Sldryan and Yeristsyan: I never know how to judge Latin Ballroom on this show, lol. They were OK? Very cheesy.

De La Rocha: I hope we don't get this type of solo when we reach the top 10/20/whatever.

Newborg: I didn't like the theme, and found the choreography to be overwrought at points, but I like that there was a theme here, and I liked some of the things she pulled off. Her use of legs doesn't seem tehcnically the best, but maybe it was because of the interpretation of the piece.

Sweetser: I liked some of the things he did, and he seemed fun in general.

Dean: I haven't watched the show, just what's been uploaded on YT, so... did she get in? I have no clue why this was allowed?

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Sumi Oshima Performs To "Koto"

Nazz Sldryan & Stefen Yeritsyan Perform To "Bailar"

Caroline De La Rocha Performs To "Bird Set Free"

Kaeli Ware & Brandon Talbott Perform To "Torn"

Gianna Newborg Performs To "Rescue Me"

Samuel Sweetser Performs To "Squeeze Me"

Samuel's kid:

Korra Dean Performs To "Bad Man"

[ElectricBoogaloo]

The theme for this week's audition: average. Fine but not impressive.

Sumi was fine, but given how many dancers we've seen over the years with really insanely precise isolations, she was average. She wasn't horrible or anything, but she didn't stand out.

Nazz and Stefen were along the same lines as Sumi, but in ballroom. They weren't terrible but they were nowhere near as good as ballroom dancers we've seen in the past. Their routine took a while to get started and then they just kind of plodded along. Again, they weren't bad but they also weren't great.

Caroline's audition was a subpar contemporary competition routine. Walk around, do a trick. Some of the skills she has are decent but the choreography was so boring.

I know who Kaeli is because she's one of those flexible instagram dancers. This routine showed off Brandon's dance skills more and she got a bunch of flexy poses en pointe.

Gianna stood out to me because she was willing to do something that wasn't sexy or pretty. I'm not a fan of angsty contemporary pieces but this one worked for me. She has a lot of strength and control so I'm looking forward to see her doing other styles.

I always want to root for the older dancers just for sticking it out in a field that favors 18 year olds, but I had the same problem with Samuel the b-boy. Fine but nothing outstanding.

I didn't dislike Korra, but I felt like she was one of the requisite non-traditional auditions (aka not contemporary, hip hop, or ballroom) that allows Nigel to pat himself on the back for sharing with us.

[Lily H]

The moment Nigel says "Let's get your kid on the stage" is the moment I change the channel.

[slaterain]

11 hours ago, Samwise979 said:

Um did I just see that one judge spank the Japanese dancer??? 👎😠

That PISSED ME OFF!!! so not acceptable in any way. I already was frustrated with her as she seemed to out-due Paula Abdul with nonsensical praise. Then she did that and I am done with her. I ff-ed through any other times that she talked. So disappointed that she is who they picked - she even makes me miss Vanessa and I couldn't stand her!!! 

Dominic was better as a judge this ep than the first so I think that he will improve as the season goes on. 

I really liked the risk that Gianna took and am interested to see her move forward. Everyone else seemed more average and I don't think they should have let Caroline through. I did enjoy Samuel as I think B-boys tend to really grow well on this show if they are willing - and I bet with his wife being a Polynesian dancer that he could really be strong in partnering. 

So two audition eps and I am only intrigued by two dancers enough to learn their names. I also really would have loved to see the couple of guys' auditions that looked incredible that they montaged. The stage - audience pit is obnoxious. This is not world of dance and that is the part of world of dance I always fast forward through. I get not taking the whole show on auditions to every city. but then they should just do 1-2 eps of these auditions and then get into the academy so we can start to learn more about these dancers as we are learning about a bunch of average dancers now that I am guessing most won't make it through. 

[catalogrrr]

If they let the cute baby dance and give him a golden ticket (how Willy Wonka) before the actual dancer, then you know the dancer is going to get through. They used to at least wait until the person got their golden ticket before letting the babies come up and do their thing.

There are so few people not making it through to the academy in these episodes, why didn't they just start at the academy? Having said that, I'm still thankful that they haven't shown the dreadfully terrible dancers who actually believe that they are good.

[Lyinfait]

Too many stories. Too much crying. Too many superlatives (No, it was not epic). Where has my show gone? Auditions used to be one of the best parts. All of the show was the best parts: I loved interesting auditions that introduced me to new dancers; I loved watching the dancers try different styles; I loved the rotating partners. I just loved this show. Now, auditions are flat and missing the city individuality and regional influences on dance. My time is wasted on backstories for every single dancer. And then I have to listen to rave reviews about average product. I'm sad. 

[atlantaloves]

Well this is the first time I have watched the show, didn't really care for it except for the modern ballet dancers at the end, they actually had professional training.  But my buddies tell me this show gets better as it goes along, so I am in for the long haul. I do love a dance show!  See you guys next week! 

[saber5055]

This show has been my must watch since S1, but I haven't seen it for a few years until last night. Of course I know Nigel and Mary, but I don't have a clue about the other two judges. Every time I saw Dominic, my brain screamed "MIKE MYERS!" And as another poster wrote, I was too fascinated by the woman's fingernails to really hear what she said. Let's just say, not a fan.

The second dancer, Caroline, was so average, or below average. I couldn't believe she was better than the montaged dancers who did not get through.

I also was not all that taken with Samuel. Average at best. And that deal with his kid ... lightning might strike me but I did not find that endearing at all. But obviously this show is edited for people who are not me.

I was surprised the sound editors left in the loud WHAM! when Gianna fell to the floor during her routine. Ouch. That was not graceful.

I liked the Japanese dancer, and she was easy on the eyes. But is it allowed for judges to get all personally handsy with contestants? I can see a hug when the contestant initiates it, but a butt feel up? Out of bounds. (Yeah, one can "feel" a butt when spanking it.)

The ballet dancers at the end were stunning. I could look at them just standing on the stage all day long. Men who spend their lives in gyms pumping iron should check Brandon out. At least to discover what I find attractive.

Judges and audience must have thought that a seven-month-pregnant woman would drop her baby on the stage ala Monty Python if she does so much as turn sideways. I hope she comes back after baby is born (in a hospital, not on a stage).

Speaking of the stage, I agree with everyone, what's up with the WOD set? I liked the feel of a real audition with the plain stage of years past. Not that any of these auditions are really real.

13 hours ago, ramble said:

The freeze frame jump cam feels like a colossal waste of time. It’s like a new electronic toy that I wish the batteries would die in. 

Totally agree with this. I HATE it. Makes me think they 3D printed every dancer in plastic. I guess they could be good Xmas-tree ornaments.

[valandsend]

I found Stefen Yeritsyan's (the Armenian ballroom dancer's) chest distracting. It's one thing to go shirtless and quite another to wear a see-through top with a blazer. I kept thinking I was being flashed by woman boobs!

[saber5055]

1 hour ago, valandsend said:

I found Stefen Yeritsyan's (the Armenian ballroom dancer's) chest distracting. It's one thing to go shirtless and quite another to wear a see-through top with a blazer. I kept thinking I was being flashed by woman boobs!

LOL! I saw the same and kept thinking he had put dark shadows under his boobs so they looked bigger. Yes, distracting! But maybe so judges wouldn't see any dance missteps?

[Terrafamilia]

This format is sorely missing the choreography round. They are giving out too many golden tickets to just okay dancers. Kaeli and Brandon were the best of the bunch and the only featured dancers I had no problem with getting tickets. They weren't without problems though. Kaeli was hard to pay attention to up against Brandon and he was so smiley there didn't seem to be a consistent mood to the piece.

[Lifesabeach]

Again this week I agree with most if not all of the observations above.  Especially “where did my favorite show go?”.  Ick on the yellow fake fingernails, the two  new judges are so over the top it’s exhausting.  I never watched WoD but I don’t like the new set.  It’s too slick and Hollywood. And the 360 camera shots activates my vertigo.   Bitch,bitch,blah,blah....I will keep recording and ff thru almost all but the dancing.  This will probably be my last season.  🥺. There’s always old seasons on YouTube.

[Quickbeam]

On the ballet duo....I just felt they were out of pace...she was so much slower than him. It was jarring although they both had a lot of skill. It was nice to see a tall woman perform. I often find it alarming how short so many of the women are.

[displayname]

5 hours ago, Lifesabeach said:

I will keep recording and ff thru almost all but the dancing.  

You could just watch the latest videos on YT, too. 🤪

[Haleth]

Does anyone know how many weeks of auditions we'll get?  Frankly I don't care if they go city to city or if the auditioners are prescreened and sent on to LA.  I agree I'd rather see some of the folks in the montage than hear the backstories of the few we get to see, but at least they aren't wasting time on people who obviously are not ready to compete (excluding the pregnant lady), or worse, are there as a joke.  

Not a great group this time.  Sumi was fun to watch and I enjoyed the ballroom couple.  The ballet couple at the end were lovely to see but I thought they were overpraised.  I've been FFing through a lot of the judging so I can't really comment on the two new judges.  Their expressions while being FFed are hilarious though.

[realdancemom]

12 hours ago, Quickbeam said:

On the ballet duo....I just felt they were out of pace...she was so much slower than him. It was jarring although they both had a lot of skill. It was nice to see a tall woman perform. I often find it alarming how short so many of the women are.

I hated their choreography.  They definitely deserved to go through based on skill especially since they're letting mediocre people go through.  They were fine when he was her frame so she can do her bendy poses or they did lifts.  They also were fine when they did synchronized moves.  But there was a good chunk where they did totally different movements that didn't match each other at all.  Those were the parts that he stood out more than she did.

For solos, I like Oshima more than Desi.  Don't know which one is more versatile though.

Loved Gianna and the montaged contestants.  I think the second guy tried out before. 

Don't know why Caroline made it.  She could be better and she let her nerves get to her.  But I think people need to make it based on their audition.  The others were o.k. but not outstanding.

[displayname]

1 hour ago, realdancemom said:

I hated their choreography.  They definitely deserved to go through based on skill especially since they're letting mediocre people go through.  They were fine when he was her frame so she can do her bendy poses or they did lifts.  They also were fine when they did synchronized moves.  But there was a good chunk where they did totally different movements that didn't match each other at all.  Those were the parts that he stood out more than she did.

On 6/11/2019 at 12:49 PM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I know who Kaeli is because she's one of those flexible instagram dancers. This routine showed off Brandon's dance skills more and she got a bunch of flexy poses en pointe.

I've seen you guys critique ballet technique before, so I'm curious. I didn't think they were mediocre by any means, but I felt they were so sloppy at points (I didn't like his turns, they ended abruptly I felt). Did you notice any flaws, too? Or maybe I'm just tired of stretch-walk-stretch choreo and am making stuff up, lol.

[Tikichick]

Seriously?  The Hot Tamale Train didn't even hit the rails until season three when Anya got things sizzling and we've had 2 so far during the first 2 audition weeks?  Nope.

Maybe you can weasel your way into a ticket to academy, but you've got to EARN your ride on the Hot Tamale Train!

[WhineandCheez]

Just like WOD, you can't see the dancers correctly because of the patterned backdrops.  Sighhhh.  Apparently they didn't have the money to go on an audition tour--didn't Nigel say something in the beginning that everyone came to them this time?  Laurie-Lori the  judge has one of those creepy plastic surgery "joker" faces.  You look at it from a random angle and it's creepy.

[Jsage]

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I hated their choreography.  They definitely deserved to go through based on skill especially since they're letting mediocre people go through.  They were fine when he was her frame so she can do her bendy poses or they did lifts.  They also were fine when they did synchronized moves.  But there was a good chunk where they did totally different movements that didn't match each other at all.  Those were the parts that he stood out more than she did.

I agree about the awful choreography. Although he didn't frame it as a critique, Dominic said he didn't know where to look at times and that was definitely true. It was like one half of the audition was separate soloists and the other half was them performing as a pair, but they mixed it all together into a confusing mess. 

[MVFrostsMyPie]

New lady judge: "I've ain't never seen a Japanese chick bust like that before!"

I know she meant that as a compliment (I guess?), but it screamed microaggression to me. My thoughts were, "then familiarize yourself more with Japanese dancers". 🙄

Hopefully Sumi also understood new lady judge repeatedly screaming at her "YOU'RE A BAD GIRL!" as a good thing. Oy.

[Rahul]

Did I imagine this or did the new judge not call Sumi easy on the eyes and then subsequently grope her? All after ethnically "othering" her?

This show has managed to suck all the excitement and joy out of the auditions process with this new format of video packages for a select few contestants (usually sob stories), the 360 degree camera slow-mo playbacks and fast forwarding through many likely notable auditions in quick montages. It's like the executives at FOX have no idea what made this show work and special in the first place.