SYTYCD Week 5 Catch-up

Alex

I'd like to apologize wholeheartedly for not updating. Being unemployed is like a self-fulfilling prophesy... I do nothing which makes me want to do more nothing.
So, that being said, I'm gonna talk about last week's performance and results night, and my feelings about how this week is gonna play out.

Brandon + Janette

Argentine Tango - (New Choreographers); Libertango
Tyce called them a power couple, which I've been saying since day one - it was nice to have some conversation from someone whom I believe to be the dumbest man alive.
This was called the "Best Argentine Tango evar" but I'd like to disagree. Remember Sara and Danny's from season 3? Come on, I can't be the only one that goes back and watches old episodes, but I feel as though Nigel and the Scooby Gang only watch them once.
Pop-Jazz - Wade Robson; Roisin Murphy - Ruby Blue
Was anyone surprised that this went well? I'm pretty sure that in the entire history of the show, a couple that got a Wade Robson has never been in the bottom.

Kupono + Kayla
All right, before we start this, I'd like to criticize fellow (and superior) bloggers SYTYCDism. They barely even mentioned Kupono and Kayla until they did that fucking Twilight dance, and now they're tweeting every five seconds to vote for them and making every blog about how amazing that dance was. Yes, the dance was very good, and I'm impressed. However, the hype for them is solely because it was a Twilight dance. I guarantee you that if they'd done the same choreography in the same outfits minus the vampire appeal, it'd not get nearly the same review.

Contemporary - Mia Micheals; Sara Barelleis - Gravity
Really? They got another contemporary piece? It's clear that the show really, really loves them. Two strong contemporary pieces in a row... honestly? Yeah, "drawn-from-the-hat" my ass.
Sadly, I didn't really get to pay attention to it, because my younger brother is a shit and was yelling and breaking things. I did catch that Kupono really freaks me out. I really don't like him at all. I had the same problem with Mark last season - no matter how much I liked his routines, I just couldn't like him.
Broaday - Joey Dowley; West Side Story - The Dance at the Gym
I realized what I like about Joey's style better than Tyce's, and it's because she uses songs that don't have words. Broadway is awkward when you feel like the people should be singing and they're not... anyways, this was okay. Not anything special, but not bad.

Phillip + Jeanine
Russian Folk Dance; Kalinka
Oh come on, that's not fair. Giving Phillip Russian Folk Dance and not expecting them in the bottom? Not Fair, dude!
Jive - Tony Meredith; Bette Midler - Like that There
This was good. It was clear Phillip was getting much better. I'm still proud of him.

Evan + Randi
Hip Hop - Tabitha and Napoleon; Beyonce - Halo
Okay for starters, Randi making fun of the routine the whole time was kind of obnoxious. Like okay, yeah, it's kinda funny. But it got to the point where she was just insulting her choreographers. All in all, it was cute. I don't understand why Evan isn't living up to his full potential on this show - I know he's incredibly talented. Maybe he's just not as good at other styles as we all hoped he'd be. Poor baby. Also, I love that Nigel essentially called them Awkward White Kids...
Samba - Pasha + Anya; Ritmo De Bom Bom
Aww, poor Evan!! He's just... not winning. Poor muffin. He really is an awkward white kid. I love him so, so much but I just can't guarantee he's right for this kind of a competition. Don't get me wrong, I didn't think his Samba was nearly as bad as the judges thought, but... yeah. Not spectacular. He just doesn't have any fire... and I think that's because he's so introverted. And yes, introverted doesn't mean he doesn't have a personality, but that does mean that we don't get to see it, and when you're on a performance based show, personality is everything.

Jason + Caitlin
Fox Trot - Tony Meredith; Big Bad Voodoo Daddy - Minnie the Moocher
Just once again showing that Caitlin doesn't dance with the music. There were moves that should have been on cue with the music and they just weren't. Jason... oh Jason. <3
Jazz - Mandy Moore; Maria McKay - Show me Heaven
I... honestly don't remember this routine. I've remembered every other routine tonight, but I can't remember this one. Hmm.

Ade + Melissa
Disco - Doriana Sanchez; Destination - Move on Up
"Tyce is an Idiot" is my main note for that routine. Melissa was playing it a little slower for me than I think she should have been, and there were points where she really needed to be sharper. The ballet training may be at fault there.
Waltz - Ron Montez; Mary J Blige - A Natural Woman
Is this the one where Tyce said that Ade was... too good? That's such crappy critisizm. "You make it look easy.. and that's a bad thing." what?? God, I hate Tyce so much.




RESULTS NIGHT

Group Routine - Hip Hop (?) - Tabitha + Napoleon; White Stripes - 7 Nation Army
(awesome group routine!!!)

CAITLIN + PHILLIP have been eliminated.
Surprised? No.

I am surprised that they basically dealt away with the concept of the Top Ten tour it's apparently the top 12 tour now. hmm.

For me, the most impressive solos of the night were Jasons, Jeanine's, and Ade's.
I think originally they were going to send Ade home until they saw that amazing solo.

Unfortunately, after that elimination, we have lost:
All of our hip hop dancers (Phillip, Tony, Karla) and all but one of our Ballroom dancers (Asuka, Jonathon, Maksim). We have an incredibly non-diverse top 10.
Then again, let's look at the Top Tens of yore.
(Note - Season one, being comprised of sixteen dancers, didn't really have a top ten)

Season 2
Martha (Contemporary/HipHop)
Dmitry (Latin Ballroom)
Allison (Contemporary/Jazz)
Ryan (Contemporary)
Ivan (HipHop)
Natalie (Lyrical/Jazz)
Donyelle (Contemporary/HipHop/Jazz)
Heidi (Latin Ballroom)
Travis (Contemporary)
Benji (West Coast Swing)

Season 3
Jaime (Contemporary)
Kameron (HipHop/Contemporary)
Domenic (BBoy)
Sara (BGirl)
Pasha (Latin Ballroom)
Lauren (HipHop/Jazz/Contemporary)
Neil (Contemporary)
Lacey (Latin Ballroom/West Coast Swing)
Danny (Contemporary)
Sabra (Contemporary)

Season 4
Jessica King (Contemporary)
Kherrington (Contemporary)
Gev (BBoy)
Comfort Fedoke (Untrained HipHop)
Will (Contemporary)
Chelsea (Latin Ballroom)
Mark (Contemporary/JazzFunk)
Courtney G (Contemporary)
Katee (Contemporary)
Twitch (Untrained HipHop)
Joshua (Untrained HipHop)

Season 5 (in order of style)
Brandon (Contemporary)
Kayla (Contemporary)
Jeanine (Contemporary)
Randi (Contemporary)
Jason (Contemporary)
Ade (Contemporary)
Kupono (Contemporary/JazzFunk)
Melissa (Ballet)
Evan (Broadway)
Janette (Cuban Salsa)

It looks pretty clear to me that we have the least diverse top 10 yet...
hmm...

Solos
Caitlin; Playing for Change - Stand by Me
Jason; Evaline - Calm Touching
Jeanine; Chris Garneu - Baby's Romance
Phillip; 5th Element Sountrack - The Diva Dance
Melissa; Kodo - Kashira
Ade; Jib Kidder - Windowdipper

Musical Guest
Dj David Guetta feat. Kelly Rowland - When Love Takes Over (samples - Coldplay - Clocks)

SYTYCD Week 4- Results

Alex

So I guess I forgot to update this... damn I'm lazy.

Alright, for those that don't know, Karla and Vitolio went home... just like I predicted. Holy crap. Maybe somehow I know what I'm talking about? sweeet.
Now, I'd like to apologize heavily for my being completely wrong on the bottom three couples. I... was incredibly surprised... at least at Phillip + Jeanine. That was probably my favorite routine of the night, I was mad bummed to see them in the bottom 3. Kayla + Kupono I'm actually not surprised at. See, I thought the Twi-Hards would get them in fersure... but there's a very good chance that the Twi-Haters kept them out of safety. *Hi-Five!*
I thought Phillip's solo was awesome, Nigel can suck it.

What I really want to talk about right now though is KC's performance.
That was just... awful.
I mean for starters, she sang the song an octave lower than the original. Secondly, why did she look like someone's forty-year-old mother singing this at the Cruise Ships' Karaoke?? That arm-wave thing that just jiggled her fat made everything awkward. She really looked a damn mess on that stage. I mean... she used to have cred, but that night she was just a fat white girl singing karaoke. I really hope that girl gets it together soon.


Also - I don't think people are fully aware of the amazing guest dancers - Desomnde Richardson is the country's... nay, the world's best male ballet dancer. He choreographed Katee and Will's Pas de Deux last season. He's a phenominal dancer and choreographer, and the fact that he choreographs for the show is an amazing thing on it's own, but that he danced on it? And we, at home, got to see that? We should consider ourselves incredibly priveleged. I mean quite honestly Ballet bores the hell out of me, but he's amazing at what he does, and I will respect him for that until the end.

Group Routine
Brand New Day - The Wiz (Tyce DiOrio)

Solos
Karla; Dionne Farris - Blackbird
Vitolio; Rascal Flatts - Here Comes Goodbye
Kayla; Sarah McLachlan - Stupid
Kupono; Somewhere Over the Rainbow
Jeanine; Moonlight Sonata
Phillip; Santigold - You'll Find a Way (Switch + Graeme Sinden remix)

Musical Guest
Kelly Clarkson - I Do Not Hook Up

Leaving:
Karla + Vitolio


I'd like to predict something for the Top 10-
Remember that at that point, we'll be voting for individual dancers. I foresee certain people dropping like flies. I see us losing Caitlin immediately. If not Caitlin, then Randi.
My predictions for final four?
Brandon
Janette
Evan
Jeanine or Kayla


Follow Vitolio on twittter! @VITOLIO
Follow me on twitter! @loudheadphones

SYTYCD Week 3 - Results Night

Alex

Okay, so I was actually incredibly impressed with Tabitha & Napoleon's group routine to Calle Ocho. The cameras, the lights, the dancers... all incredibly choreographed. And the water! Neat.

For those that watch the show, you know that Asuka and Jonathon were sent home last night. I'm incredibly bummed about the loss of Asuka. I disagree with Nigel - she's been growing incredibly throughout the competition. Caitlin Kinney, however, still has no partnering skills! She's just like Jesus from season 3 - an amazing soloist, but just can't follow a partner. I really would have rather seen her go home last night.
I also disagree with Nigel's judgement of Jason. I thought his solo was fantastic - the boy knows what "dancing for your life" means. And his outfit getting in the way? Let me tell you, Jason's outfit was perfect. Cargo shorts and a button up is what I wear every day. What's wrong with that? I'm wearing cargo shorts and a button up right now. And you know what? I dance in cargo shorts and a button up too, so there. ...nah, I'm not really that upset. I just wanted to talk about how Jason and I are twins.
Really though, I don't necessarily like Jason as a person (I've nothing against him, mind you, he's just not exciting.) As a dancer, though, I think he can do no wrong. I think he's technically the most brilliant contemporary dancer we've had in a long time. His dancing actually reminds me a lot of Travis from season 2. I think he gets masked a lot though by Caitlin, who is gorgeous but not on count. Ever. I'm sure you're thinking "man, this guy really hates Caitlin..." but I don't. I like her a lot. She's a fantastic soloist, and I like her personality a lot. The problem is that she's holding Jason back incredibly.
Painfully, I'd like to point out that we've lost three ballroom dancers now, leaving Janette as the only ballroom dancer. Not only that, but having lost one hip-hop dancer, that leaves us solely with Phillip (if you don't count Karla, who auditions and solos as a contemporary dancer.) Then we have Melissa who's a Ballet dancer which is not wholly unlike contemporary, and Evan, who clearly blends broadway with contemporary. We're clearly very diverse.

Music of the Night

Solos:
Asuka: 3OH!3 - Don't Trust Me
Vitolio: Coldplay - Viva la Vida
Karla: Radiohead - 15 Step
Jonathon: Kodo - The Hunted
Caitlin: Que Sera Sera
Jason: Taking Back Sunday - New American Classic

Group Routine: Pitbull - I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)
Guest Performers - The Rage Boys Crew: Colby O'Donis - Feel It
Musical Guest - The Veronicas: Take Me on the Floor

SYTYCD Week 1- Results

Tony Bellissimo & Paris Torres

Alex
This was a really hard loss for me. I understand completely why they went home - Paris' solo was incredibly weak, Tony isn't a very strong dancer, and as a couple they're just too airheaded to handle any other style. Problem: I constantly forget about Jonathon and Karla. As I was writing down every couple that was being announced, I got down to the final couple and realized I didn't know who they were.
Something bothers me about Jonathon, and it's hard because I know I'm being completely unfair. It just seems strange to me that a gymnast would pick up latin ballroom, considering all his training lends him to contemporary. He's hardly the first ex-gymnast we've seen on the show - Caitlin from this season and Neil from season 3 were both gymnasts who crossed over into contemporary. Maybe what bothers me is that our other great ballroom dancers have been Artem, Dmitry, Pasha, Faina, Stanislov... and now Jonathon. So maybe I'm racist against non-russian ballroom dancers. Oh, no wait, I love Asuka (who's also only had a few years latin ballroom training.) Something about Jonathon's dancing says "...wow, I need a few more classes."

I understand, though, why Tony and Paris went home. They will, however, be missed. I don't think we've ever seen someone with as much personality as they have go home on the first week.
I would like Nigel to stop being so scared of breaking up couples - it's really starting to bother me. I would have rather seen Karla go home than Paris. Jonathon would make a good partner for Paris, and she would definitely mellow him out.

As for the rest of the show:
a) remind me to never attend a Sean Kingston concert.
b) I'm getting really, really nervous about Evan. He's a little too uncomfortable having Randi as a partner. He should, eventually, marry me get over his fear of her husband and marry me just dance. He can't even return my calls feel comfortable touching her, let alone being her partner if this keeps up. Get with the program and marry me, Evan.
c) Did they ever say who choreographed the group routine...? (::edit:: Shane Sparks)
d) I am SO done with Boom Boom Pow. This is the third time it's been used on this show (T&N's group routine at vegas, the remix for Tony and Paris' routine, & now the top 20 group routine.)
e) Well now that we're talking about it, I wasn't terribly impressed with the group routine. The cameras were too intense - I wanted to see some dancing!!!

Solos:
Paris: It Doesn't Hurt by Katie Thompson
Tony: Early in the Morning by The Gap Band
Asuka: Did Ya by BoA
Vitoleo: We Belong Together by Gavin DeGraw
Karla: A Natural Woman by Aretha Franklin
Jonathon: Krazy by Pitbull feat. Lil' Jon

Top 20 Group Routine: Boom Boom Pow by Black Eyed Peas

Leaving Montage Music:
Paris: Already Gone by Kelly Clarkson
Tony: On Your Own by Green River Ordinance

Bye Tony and Paris! I miss you already!!