So You Think You Can Dance Slow, Fast, Faster!

The second week gets us off to a great start. Two new choreographers, the return of Shane and Brian, and Lil’ C more obfuscating than usual. An entertaining episode tonight for SYTYCD, D, D…
Let’s start by saying that Cat’s big ketchup dress is… well let me talk about the dancers instead.
Louis Van Amstel from DWTS (where Lacey and satin Chelsie have gigs) in a counter cross-breeding dance-show pollination shows up to choreograph in SYTCD. Fortunately we have Cat here as host, instead of Lisa Rinna… as somebody’s partner or in any other fashion. Louis choreographs Jive jitters with a fun clock meter to start the night, as the judges give Randy and Evan a bit of a dressing down. I thought it was fun, certainly hi-energy. The tricks well executed, the butt grabbing a bit surprising… after all is this not a show about entertainment? Lil’ C suggests in fact that Evan is too smooth and polished and he needs to get rougher! But Mary and Nigel slam on the technique side. So I don’t know what they are looking for, and much less do cannon fodder dancers such as this charming couple.
For the second number Ade and Melissa are choreographed by: Sonya!!! I love her. Cirque-de-Soleil-ish beginning this is modern jazz not contemporary or Hip-hop-lite. Sonya does an incredible choreography, highlighting the contrast and complimenting the strengths, using the white arms over the black chest in a great graphic composition that the dancers absoluutleee nailed! Ade demonstrates what a male dancer does, enhancing the partner, but showing his movements and his strength. Melissa was awesome! She danced! She pointed!, She extended! Great number, great dancers. Nigel is an idiot! (see my twitter).
Shane Sparks’ hip hop for Caitlin and Jason relies on chemistry, and maybe a little glue and tape. What can I say… there was not real originality in the dance, just formula steps one after the other. She was better than he, who really was all hip hop clichés. Not top notch. This is what I meant by Hip-hop-lite. For once, I am not disgusted by the judge’s comments.
Brandon and Janette, the Miami couple, are really in the dog house. Last week F**x Trot, and this week Disco? Somebody out there (Mia?) does not seem to like them. They actually do incredibly well in an incredibly fast motion number choreographed by Dorianna. The Philosopher King Lil ‘C is so shocked that esta fumao as they say in Miami, rambling weirdly (or more so than usual). These dancers can eat three Whoppers and a couple of milkshakes and still burn all the calories off! Amazing that Janette actually trusted Brandon’s strength and stamina all the way to the end, to pick her up in that final move and not drop her! They must have spent enough Miami energy to light the stage over and over and over!
Vitolio and Asuka, are choreographed by Louis in a waltz (wow they really do not like Miami dancers, do they?!—all they give them is low-vote dance styles!). The routine to boot was boring from our vantage point, outside that studio, not top trick material that makes people pick up the phone. Mary’s tears do not make me think that the votes will be there; yes it was beautiful, but will it get votes? On TV it is not the same as in person, so I really think that bottom three is probably in the very near future for these two.
Brian Friedman gives us Maks and Kayla in a poorly/distractingly costumed misogynistic confrontation. Really, the dancing was good, but did he really have to snap her neck at the end? Mixed feelings with this one: good medium, poor message.
Jonathan and Karla do a Stacey Tookey (Canadian SYTYCD import) contemporary routine that is sentimental and, perhaps, even good. It is hard to figure out if it was easy or if it just looked that way. It had some really cool moves but that somehow we have already seen, haven’t we? Was it a standout performance in an entertainment show? Hard to tell. Even with all the praise by the judges, I still believe they will be bottom three-d.
Boy, Cat’s red dress is distracting… And did you notice that Sonya also had a one shoulder dress? (The other shoulder). But I still love her. Oh, and did you notice that Caitlin’s top seemed to have been made with Cat’s right shoulder?
Philip and Jeanine do a Tango by Tony Meredith that gets Philip kicked in the nuts as Jeanine flies and shakes to overpower him substantially. I understand the judges’ critique, but I don’t think this two will be in trouble tomorrow. They’re popular and attractive and, even though they were quite outside their comfort zone, they did a good job. Even the choreographer said so!
For the final number, Ashley and Kupono do a shadow Sparks’ dance were he is not as stuck to the dark presence of her as he should. I still think the judges were harsher with them than they deserved, as it was an interesting routine well executed.
As I twitted to my followers (make me more paranoid at @ttitude), I think that bottom three will be Karla & Jonathan, Asuka & Vitolio, and Randi & Evan. Still not clear cut for the final ones out. I’m really guessing here but I think it will be Vitolio for the guys and Karla for the girls. Then again, maybe I am biased and would just like Asuka to stay (although she hasn’t shown much to redeem her). We’ll see….