So You Think You Can Dance - 5/29/08

It's time for Charleston, NC! On the judging panel is Tyce Diorio (I'm sure I spelled that wrong). His routines are really neat.

Sheila Kaiser is the first up. She's a biological engineering major, and her daddy doesn't want her to audition. She looks a little like Brittney Murphy - circa Clueless - to me. She's a really cute girl, and she knows how to move. She has a special something to her that I like. Nigel regarded her with a very raised eyebrow, and that's apparently a good thing - he loved her. Mary gave it a scream. Tyce also thought it was amazing. He said that he gave dancers an education. She's on to Vegas.

Skelatal looking Erin Mansour and John Tabakian are delisional. They are terrible. Like the kind of couple that you avoid on a wedding dance floor. Erin is apparently a dance teacher, but she says she's only been doing it for 8 hours. "But he's really good," she says. Mary says "No, he's not." It's dreadful. Good bye, horrid couple.

Jerimiah Hughes is next, and he does contemporary, starting out facing the back. He's got bandaids all over his fingers, and I'm not sure what that's about, but his dance is very emotional and he almost fell on his face during a "bad improvisation." Nigel says even with that, he is one of the most exciting people he's seen this season. The others really liked him, and Nigel gave him a ticket to Vegas after he promised to do his shirt up (he did his routine with it unbuttoned).

Syiddah King is next, and she has Shirley Temple hair (Nigel said "cue Shirley Temple's Music, please.") It's a terrible attempt at hip hop dancing. She's all technicolor. Nigel asks her how long she's been dancing, and she says "If you want to call it dancing, well, forever." That's not a good answer. She says "I'm just me, it's like whatever, so you think you're doing your job." I hate people like her. Why did she even audition? She said she doesn't even want to learn. She leaves before the end of the critique is over, it's bad.

Shamika Robinson is worse if possible. She looks like she's auditioning for a strip club. Nigel said it wasn't dancing, and she said "You just don't know that style of dancing." Um. Right. People who are so overconfident in themselves bug the crap out of me.

The Hart Twins are up next. Anthony is up first, and he is better than I expected him to be. It's a kind of cool style. Very full of energy. The judges say he's kind of one feel throughout, and that he needs more training. I can see that. He gets a no all around. Antwain is up next and he does some crazy flips. He's much better than his brother, and the judges think so, too. Anthony gets to come back to do a routine with Antwain. They are great together, in sync and moving well. Maybe Anthony was just nervous before. They are both going on to choreography. I think that's deserved.

After choreography, Antwain is through to Vegas, and so is Anthony, along with 31 others from Day 1.

Day 2 time.

Abigail Therman is up first. Her moves look like something kind of out of a bad 80's music video to me. The transluscent blue tights don't help her cause. She was messing with her bangs during her audition. Not good. Nigel called her on "doing the breast stroke." She does teach swimming, but that's not a dance move. The judges all agree she is a cute girl with a good personality. She has a good attitude. "It's true!" she smiled, "I suck at dancing!" and she left the stage smiling.

BJ Harris is up next, and he has some seriously interesting moves. He's self taught, and he works at a performing arts school. He looks like he is on wheels and made of rubber. It's amazing. I cannot imagine how a person can move like he did. Mary said he was utterly fascinating and looked like his bones were gone. She then screamed for him. He is through to show what he can do with choreography.

Courtney Galiano is Italian to the core, and really pretty with a fantastic body. She does a contemporary routine, and it is very engaging. Everyone loves her, and she's on to Vegas. Her grandparents are with her, and they are adorable.

Jason Looney is aptly named, and he flails about on the stage to Paula Abdul's Straight Up. He's utterly terrible. Nigel calls him a disgrace to dancing, and a disgrace to transvestites. He calls himself Betty Wallace. The judges all think he is disrespectful, and I agree. Mary calls him Bull*beep*, and says that he makes her sick. Nigel says he is the reason fathers don't want their sons to dance. Horrible.

Enter montage of awful dancing to Thriller, including the Vincent Price part, which is my favorite.

Claire Calloway is back. She is the one who hurt her foot in Vegas in Season two. I loved her. She had a baby between then and now, and her daughter is really cute. Her body is fantastic for having a baby. She is only 20, so that helps one bounce back well. She's still fantastic, even though she had to take some time off from dancing when she was pregnant and after she had the baby. Tyce says that she is a one trick pony, and both Nigel and Mary are disappointed in her, and she breaks down in tears, but she's through to choreography. I hope that she makes it, because I see potential in her. She is really emotional. See, I don't hate her, even though she is completely in pink (and so was her daughter). It's really just pageant girl who I couldn't handle.

In choreography, BJ had troubles, but I think Claire looked good. BJ does not go through, and it's rough for him, because he worked really hard to get there. Claire is through, and I'm glad. So is she. 17 others go through from Day 2.

And on to DC! They do a little segment of several people dancing in front of the White House. Dan Carrity joins the judges today.

Megan Campbell is up first. She's doing something that looks like it might be contemporary, but she is kind of heavy in all of her movements, where I like contemporary to be more loose and light. Nigel loved her, though he wanted her hair to be back. Mary said she was pure joy, and Dan said she left it all on the floor. Ok, I was wrong. She said she has not auditioned for anything before. She is through to Vegas. Nigel likes to psych people out.

Derrick Bradley auditioned last year and almost passed out (medics were called). He's been taking African and Jazz classes since then. His routine looked more like charades than dance, and the judges were treating it as such. He also scrunched up his face the entire time. Maybe he was trying to do the Mia Michaels Stank Face, but he missed it. Derrick said that he was trying to keep people involved with the music by doing the weird moves. He defends himself by saying that he is not a professional dancer. Umm. Well. Nigel says he doesn't get it, and he is gone.

Markus Shields is wearing a big t-shirt with his late mom on it, and it is actually one of the most moving hip hop routines I have ever seen. If course, I am easily sentimental about such things. He is a very nice mover and seems like a nice guy. Nigel says that he is a really good dancer, and his only problem was that he showed that Markus showed that he was disappointed. Mary is at a loss for words, and I like Markus even more. Dan loved him. He is through to choreography.

There's a montage of strange auditions - some good, some bad. There was a group of hula dancers. There was a girl with bright red hair who I kind of liked. She made Mary cackle.

Markus Smith and Deonna Ball bring DC Swing to the stage. I am glad they did! It's an interesting style - a mix between hip hop and swing. Neat. Nigel said it was cool. Mary said it was groovy. Dan said they made it look easy, and they are through to choreography.

After choreography, Deonna Ball is not going to Vegas, but they loved her DC Swing. Markus Smith, her partner, is also not going through. Markus Shields is through to Vegas, though, and he gives a smile. Only 9 others got through from Day 1 in DC. I did not see Miss Bright Red Hair in the montage. Oh well.

Day 2, and first up is Brandon Bryant. He auditioned in Season 1, but he was only 15 so he fudged his age, so he couldn't get through. Now, he's 18, and he's back. He's got a great body and an expressive face and great control on his body. His tiny shorts were a bit distracting, but only a little. I loved him. Nigel says he is a pleasure to watch, and Mary busted my ear drums. Thanks for that, Brandon. Mary then threatened to spank Dan if he didn't send him through. Dan commended his flexibility and his strength, and Brandon is through to Vegas.

Phucdat Nygen aka Atomic Goofball is up after the break, and he is a pretty cool mover. He busted out of his black over-clothes halfway through and went into some crazy breaking moves that were cool. He did a chin crawl that was weird and kind of cool. The judges say that his routine got very entertaining after he shed his outer clothes. He is through to choreography.

Mariyah Primyak does a rhythmic gymnastics routine. She can twirl a ribbon, but I wouldn't call it dancing by any stretch of the imagination. Nigel said it would have been more interesting if she had dropped something. She's wearing a dreadful gold bathing suit.

Back in season one, Anthony Bryant did a rhythmic gymnastics routine and was rejected. He has now graduated from Juliard in three years, which is impressive. He's dressed in fatigues, to show how masculine he is. He looks like he's doing a gymnastics floor routine, not a dance audition. Nigel says a spark is missing, and he's a good technician, but there was something missing. Mary says that he has changed a lot since season one. Dan says that he doesn't seem unique. He is on to choreography to show if he can bring that something something to the stage. He is changing out of the fatigues before choreography, which is a good idea.

Choreography time. Phucdat is not doing very well, but Anthony looked cool. Come judging, Phucdat is gone, and Anthony is really really sweaty and is not going on to Vegas either. Wonder if he will be back. Cat gives Anthony a big hug and some love, and he flips out when he doesn't have his shoes, and then starts crying. Then he gets some attitude about how he suffers for the show and he doesn't know why. I think he's annoying and I'm glad he's not going on. He swore as he walked away. Boo to him. 9 people with hopefully better attitudes are going through.

Next week is the final set of auditions before Vegas. Can't wait.