The good news is, each couple got two opportunities to impress us. The bad news is, even that wasn’t enough to help some of them. With 12 dances to review, let’s cut right to the chase:
1. Sasha & Alexander – paso doble, Tony & Melanie – WELL. I am not sure, even after listening to the judges, that I have entirely decided what I think about this dance. Pluses: Sasha was FIERCE. It definitely demonstrated her strength. Cons: It made Alexander look a little…less strong. The absence of any femininity in this made it look almost like two men dancing, which is fine, except that that fact then made the choreography look a little weird to me. They missed a few little things here and there, and yet it was well danced, all in all. I’m not sure Alexander had quite enough character coming through, but next to Sasha Fierce (yes, I know that one’s already been claimed by Beyonce, but I’m sorry, it fits) he just wasn’t all that convincing as a badass. I’m a little more “meh” than the judges, but maybe they figured that dissing these two only increased the votes last week, so they may as well talk them up this week as an alternative strategy to get rid of Alexander. Or maybe that’s just wishful thinking on my part.
2. Jordan & Tadd – jazz, Travis Wall – Um, it’s Travis, so DUH, of course I liked the routine. And it was well done by these two too. Tadd continues to impress with his well-beyond-the-B-boy skills, and thank you Travis for giving Jordan all of those [whatever the French ballet term is for vertical splits], which I never get tired of seeing (even though I agree that she’ll need to do other stuff in her solos if she’s to stay). It was compelling and interesting, and well “acted” as well as danced. Thank you, Travis, Jordan, and Tadd!
3. Ryan & Ricky – Broadway, Spencer Liff – I’m sorry to have to say it again, I really am, but I am not Spencer Liff’s biggest fan. Now, while I didn’t hate this number, I also didn’t think it gave the dancers a lot to work with. I think Ryan & Ricky did well with what they were given, but unfortunately, I don’t think they were given much. I am not with Jessie and Sonya; I don’t think it was that they didn’t try or execute it well. Nigel might have something in that they didn’t quite get the style, but again, when you don’t really have a lot of great choreography to work with, it’s hard to get in the groove. I think Ricky may have tried a little too hard to bring himself down to a cool-cat from a cheerleader, and Ryan was in a character that I think restrained her a little too much. Maybe I just really want to blame Spencer, but while I agree that the number failed to impress, I don’t think it was the dancers’ fault. Unfortunately, I don’t think that fact is going to help them coming voting time.
4. Caitlynn & Mitchell – hip-hop, Chris Scott - Two things: 1) I was totally distracted by Caitlynn’s hair, dunno why; and 2) Mitchell needed to clean that up a LOT to be effective. That’s part of what Sonya was seeing in the “lack of unison,” but overall, he just didn’t snap into place the way a hip-hop should; he wasn’t down in it, he wasn’t clean with it, and he didn’t feel like he was there emotionally. I thought Caitlynn made a better-than-average effort, but she couldn’t carry it alone. Had Mitchell been better, I think it would in turn have made her look better, but he didn’t. It just didn’t quite work, and I’m gonna hang this one on Mitchell.
5. Melanie & Marko – tango, Louie van Amstel – I think this was very understated choreography that ultimately made for a really good tango. I was initially afraid that it was going to be dull and unchallenging, but it picked up speed—and interest—as it went. Started to love it at the point Melanie’s foot went off the stage, and had a jaw-drop moment with that final flip. I thought this looked like a professional ballroom routine, and they nailed it, in my opinion. Do I understand Mary’s critiques? Yes (inasmuch as I understood any of the terms she was tossing around). Do I agree? Well, I’m not really a judge of that stuff, but for me, it was awesome. I’m with Nigel, Jessie, and Sonya here – even though they were clearly challenged by the routine, I thought they did a terrific job with it.
6. Clarice & Jess – lyrical hip-hop, Chris Scott - Finally, I thought Clarice lived up to Jess’s performance (and I don’t just mean dance, I mean character and all). Jess nailed the character, but that isn’t really surprising; what was surprising to me, was how convincingly he did the hip-hop, Bboy moves. He looked “street” and that made the charisma of the routine. Clarice, meanwhile, managed to beautifully balance her broad smile and the shyness of the character, and the dancing was terrific. I thought Nigel had a great point – it was simple, in a good way. I sure hope America agrees, because that was one of my favorite of their duets.
7. Sasha & Alexander – jazz, Tyce DiOrio – A little sloppy - that’s kinda what I walked away with. Which is unfortunate, because I think the routine had some great elements, and some great dancing - and I LOVED the song for this dance. BUT, there were some misses, and not just the big one at the end. There were a few little things – he bonked her on the head at the beginning, there were some slightly missed connections…and yet, it was great choreography (like I said, Tyce is up or down for me, and this was two thumbs up and then some), and for once, I actually thought Alexander gave it his all, enough to keep up with Sasha. Mary was right that they (not just Alexander) just kind of let go, which was what this dance required. And yet although I think there was a lot to like about this dance, I’m somehow left with the sense that something was just a little off. We’ll see what America thinks, but if last week’s Natalia-driven vote campaign is any indicator, it won’t matter one iota how this dance was perceived.
8. Jordan & Tadd - jazz, Spencer Liff – I won’t even bother to say it. I’m just sorry Jordan and Tadd had to suffer through it. The choreography stank, it didn’t show off either of their talents (that’s "either of the two people," not an implication that they only have two talents), and the choice to use the Broadway version of that song rather than the movie version was just the final nail in the coffin - it's slower, louder, and less polished - which was sort of how it made the whole number feel. Again, I don’t blame the couple. No, they didn’t really lift it up out of the doldrums, but some deadbeats can be resurrected. I hope Jessie’s right that this will be balanced by the hungry vulture dance, but who knows. It was pretty awful (sorry you two, because I looooove you as dancers, and thought you were dealt a complete injustice!).
Let me pause for this public service plea: PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE, Nigel, stop having Spencer Liff choreograph for this show! At least for the competitive numbers (I don’t care who does the group numbers, when nothing is at stake but two minutes of my attention), please stop the madness. It’s not fair to the couples who get stuck with him, and it’s painful for the viewing audience to watch. I have yet to be impressed by a single routine this guy has done – in EIGHT SEASONS – so let’s call this an experiment that didn’t work, and put it to rest. Thank you.
9. Ryan & Ricky – cha-cha, Louie van Amstel – I liked it. But I don’t think it’s going to redeem them from their first dance, unfortunately. I think Nigel was right that it was a little lacking as it went on, and I think my husband was right that Ryan’s hips weren’t kickin’ it the way they needed to be. I’m not sure I was quite in love with Ricky’s performance though. Maybe it’s knowing he’s a tall, skinny, cheerleader, but no matter how well he moves, I have a little trouble picking him up as fiery hotness. I liked it better than the judges, but it wasn’t a life-saver, and unfortunately, it needed to be. I am SO bummed about that, because I really wanted to see Ryan in the top 10, but it’s going to take a voting miracle to keep her this week, I fear.
10. Caitlynn & Mitchell – contemporary, Travis Wall – Okay, let me start by saying that I wanted to like this one more than I think I did. Now it was good, don’t get me wrong; it was good choreography, it was good character acting (mostly), and it was enjoyable to watch. While I think the song evoked the right spirit, I think it was also a smidge slow for the yowza effect they were seeking. And I am 100% with Sonya and Nigel that Mitchell was just…missing something. I do think there was some wow to it, and yet I think maybe Nigel hit what I couldn’t quite finger when he said that they should’ve focused only on each other and not included the audience. While that was technically a note for Travis, there was some value in it for me understanding why I didn’t buy into it quite as wholly as I wanted.
11. Melanie & Marko – contemporary, Dee Kaspary – That was an emotionally complex piece, at least for me. It wasn’t quite tear-inducing, but it definitely evoked strong emotions. I was frustrated for Melanie (the character), and that Marko (the character) wouldn’t get with the program. I was angry and sad and irritated and confused, all in the way the dance was supposed to make me, I think. It was a great dance, and yet not in the conventional way. Oh sure, the choreography was good and the music appropriate and the dancing great, but…it was still different. Like Nigel said, it was a story that was told that almost didn’t feel danced. I truly loved it, and not in an over-the-top fan way so much as in a really-connected-with-it way.
12. Clarice & Jess – jive, Tony & Melanie – Okay first: I loved the dance. Second: I don’t know what dance Mary watched, but I thought Jess danced it 200% better than Clarice, so much so that there was a point early in the dance where I actually thought to myself, “What’s wrong with Clarice?” So after that I focused on Clarice’s moves, and I can’t actually say that she missed anything, but I just had the impression that she looked…I dunno…tired? My husband disagreed, and after all the judges' commentary, I went back and watched it again. I still think it looked slow, but maybe Nigel's point about discomfort with the lifts is what's behind what I was seeing - maybe Clarice is projecting a little uncertainty about the lifts and Jess' ability to pull them off. Not really sure. Funnily enough, Nigel and Mary saw a lack of energy too, but they blame Jess, while I saw it as Clarice. I thought Jess was in it – he was down, his kicks were smooth, and unlike Mary, I thought he had the animation. Clarice, on the other hand, looked like a moving mannequin to me, smile glued on, all moves executed, but with zero flair. Guess some things are in the interpretation.
So who ends up in the bottom? Unfortunately, I think Ryan & Ricky are this week’s no-brainer, and I hate that. As for who joins them…frankly, I don’t think any single couple had two perfectly stellar routines tonight, although Melanie & Marko came pretty darn close (and they are sweethearts of the show, so I’d be really surprised to find them in Bottomland). Anything is possible this week, and that’s interesting considering it matters more tonight than ever since this elimination gives us our magic Top 10. Who are you voting for, America?
No comments:
Post a Comment