Opening Number: Wonderful tribute to Gene Kelly – and
props to Tyce Diorio for his dancing, as well as his choreography!
Tiffany & Brandon
– Doriana Sanchez disco: WOW!! I am thrilled that Brandon is back as an
all-star, although I thought it was a little unfortunate that he got
disco. Then again, in his season, he had
the best disco in the show’s history, so I suppose that makes sense. That is, it was the best disco - until tonight!
THAT. WAS. AWESOME! There was
just nothing about that dance that did not work – the music was great, the
choreography was both challenging and in the spirit of disco, their
personalities were lively, and damn if they weren’t just on FIRE with their
energy. Outstanding, and I’m glad I
don’t have to be the one to follow them!
Witney & Nick
– Travis Wall: That was so COOL! Once again, Travis Wall ROCKS. MY.
WORLD. (Okay, done overusing the already
overused all-caps, extra periods thing.)
What a fantastic hybrid of contemporary and ballroom, and a unique take
on the “dead dancers” storyline, and of course, the dancing was fabulous.
Cole & Anya –
Dmitry cha-cha: Well, I can see this is
just going to be a night chock-full of awesomeness. Yowza!
I have to say Cole creeps me out ever so slightly, but that does not
remotely mitigate the extraordinary talent he has on the dance floor. I didn’t see quite what Mary saw; I thought
he was doing his part to hold up the chemistry, but as I’ve thought with Anya
before, she seemed a little vacant to
me Maybe Nigel has a point that he was
performing more to the audience than to Anya, but I’m still not convinced
that’s his fault. Hubby thinks Anya
looked a shade out of shape; also possible, but I just think she wasn’t fully
checked in, and that hurt Cole with the judges – but not with me!
Lindsay & Jakob
– Spencer Liff Broadway: YAAAAAAAAAAAAY,
JAKOB’S BACK!!!! *Kermit-the-Frog wavy
arms* I have been waiting for this moment! And
lucky me, it was capped off by: Spencer
Liff choreography. ??? REALLY??? WHY do they keep letting that horrifically
incapable man choreograph on this show???
*sigh* Okay, in spite of that,
Lindsay (and of COURSE Jakob)? Incredible. They managed to make that routine (which
wasn’t Spencer’s horriblest) eminently enjoyable, and I genuinely saw the
Broadway in Lindsay. LOVED IT. (And THANK YOU, Nigel, for bringing Jakob
back! IT’S ABOUT TIME!)
Will & Kathryn
– Nakul Bollywood: I mean…rrrreeeeaaalllllyyy, to use an old Cat
Deeley phrase. That was full of energy
and spunk, sensuality and silliness (in the way that Bollywood should be). Kathryn, ever beautiful, was the perfect
snake to be charmed That was thoroughly entertaining, and I am so glad they
continue to put Bollywood routines in these shows.
Cyrus & Jaimie
– Travis Wall contemporary: Uh-oh, it
finally happened – Cyrus got contemporary.
So, to all you naysayers who thought Cyrus would be screwed when he
finally got contemporary, all I have to say is:
how ya’ like me now? Travis did not dumb that routine down one iota,
so I don’t wanna hear any nonsense about how it wasn’t a challenging enough
routine. No, his leap wasn’t executed
the way Jakob would’ve done it, but did his performance lack in this
dance? Nuh-uh. It is so obvious how hard he works and how
much he puts into every single dance, and I am thrilled that he survived this
competition long enough for us to see that particular performance.
Chehon & Lauren
– Dave Scott hip-hop: You know, on
another night, that might’ve been better for me than it was tonight. In light of the other routines, I thought
this was okay. I thought Chehon performed well, but I felt
like he was a ballet dancer in a hip-hop routine (which, while true, should not have been so evident). Granted, Dave Scott created a very fluid routine
which facilitated Chehon’s style, but I think that actually did him a
disservice because it didn’t give him any…well, “buck-ness.” It was by no means a bad dance, but it wasn’t
exceptional the way the other routines tonight were.
George & Allison
– Tyce Diorio jazz: First words out of
my husband’s mouth: “Great dance!” Meanwhile, I was thinking: “Hm.
Not my favorite genre…still, the choreography was challenging…Allison is
smoldering hot…but George, while performing well, just doesn’t seem to be
connecting with her, per se…” Huh. So, what a relief to me when Nigel said exactly what was on my mind. Thank goodness, because I was beginning to
think it was just me! Sorry, I adore
George, but the chemistry just wasn’t there, especially given the premise of
the number.
Eliana & Alex
– Stacey Tookey contemporary: I’m sorry,
let me get this straight: I get to watch
Eliana – and ALEX – do a Stacey Tookey
contemporary routine? Um, short of Jakob
joining in, I can’t think of a more ideal set-up. And yet… I think, honestly, it was a routine
I’d rather have seen on another night.
It was such a change of pace from all the hyperkinetically-charged
numbers we’ve seen so far, that it just felt almost out of place. That said, it was lovely. Nigel pegged it
right in terms of the strengths – the maturity, the intensity… it was a terrific routine, but I just didn’t
feel like I enjoyed it to its fullest, and I can only imagine it musta been the
context of the other numbers.
Audrey & Twitch
– Dave Scott hip-hop: That was
entertaining, and a smidge of hilarious, but I’m not sure that Audrey wasn’t
just a little too cute for that routine.
I think Benjamin had a point about her being a little outshone by
Twitch’s stardom, especially in this genre.
She wasn’t at all buck, although I have to admit it kinda worked for her
character to be a bit more peppy. We’ll
see how the voting goes.
And now, for the bad news…
The Bottom Four:
You know, I so enjoyed this show, that I honestly forgot we
had to lose someone at the end. And wow, Witney and Audrey are the bottom
two?? Oy. I mean, there is not going to be any
satisfying answer, especially among the women, but…wow. I do think Chehon and George are probably the
right answers for the guys, but it’s still unfortunate. I’m glad they opted to have them do solos –
although I feel confident the judges have already made up their minds. All four soloes were terrific, and I’m glad I
didn’t have to choose. (Note: loved the LA Dance Project performance!)
The Goodbyes:
I must say, while I think there was no right answer, I was a
little surprised they ultimately picked Audrey to go home. I am guessing they think Witney is a smidge
more marketable, but otherwise, I kinda thought Audrey’d be the keeper. As for the guys, that was less of a
surprise. I think they both have their
struggles, but I think George’s brink-of-ouster last week was a little fresher,
and I think his performance tonight didn’t help. I hate seeing either one of these folks go,
but at this point, there are going to be no good goodbyes. We’ll just have to set our sights on seeing
them both on tour!
And then there were eight…
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