So You Think You Can Dance - 7/23/08

Who will be paired up this week? Cat's dress looks straight out of the 80's, but not the wretched 80's. Maybe early 90's. Joining Nigel and Mary is Toni Basil! How fun! So Cat's look is appropriate.

Will & Courtney 1st dance (Samba choreographed by Jean-Marc and France) Well, I was hoping that Mark would pick Courtney. Oh well. Courtney's shimmy dress was fantastic. Will's hip movement was really good, and he had a smile on his face, but I don't really believe his movements come from the inside. He seems kind of superficial. Courtney, on the other hand, was made to do the samba. She is astounding. Will pulled off a very neat spinning lift with her, and that was wonderful. Nigel said he thinks it is a great move. He said that sometimes it all got caught up in technique. He liked their chemistry. Mary thought she was being punk'd. Is that still on the air? She said that they both looked like samba dancers and not contemporary dancers. She also noticed that some of Will's technique was not there, and he was kind of tight, but she let out a scream for Courtney, and I have to agree, though not as annoyingly. Toni thought it was so good she got caught up and forgot she was judging. That's good.

Comfort's solo: Comfort went to a performing arts school, so that's why she's got some other built in technique. Her solo was pretty good, she was doing some form of the Robot at times, but not Robert Murane style... just ok for me. It's different, I'll give it that.

Twitch & Katee 1st dance (Contemporary choreographed by Mia Michaels) These two knew each other before going on the show. Neat. The dance was amazing. It was a disinterested guy and a psycho ex, and it included a pretty steamy looking kiss (or stage kiss), and a door. It was awe inspiring, the acting even more than the dancing. It was danced to Duffy's Mercy, and it was perfect. Nigel said it was captivating, and I can't agree more. Mary screamed and then MY SATELLITE WENT OUT BECAUSE OF BAD WEATHER!!!

Mark & Comfort 1st dance -(hip hop) missed due to weather. I'm going to cry now.

Katee's solo: Katee went from being bad at tap and doing all skipping around on stage and flailing instead of tapping to being a contemporary dancer. Good fit. So for her solo, she skipped around on the stage and flailed. I prefer partner contemporary dance.

Joshua & Chelsie 1st dance (Argentine Tango choreographed by Dmitry from Season 2) Chelsie's legs and hips are amazing. I think she almost stuck her stiletto through the back of her head once. Joshua was very strong but I don't know if it was the best tango from him. Chelsie store the dance from him. Nigel also loved Chelsie's legs and how she used them, and then he said that Joshua had the biggest bum in the competition. He thought it made the best of both of them - Chelsie's legs and Joshua's strength. Mary said that it all translated in the right way. She called Joshua committed and Chelsie sexier than ever. Then she screeched about the hot tamale train. Toni said that Argentine Tango needs to be organic and it needs to feel spontaneous and torrid, and thought it was well accomplished. She noticed a couple points where Joshua's hands were a little jazzy.

Mark's solo: Mark is from Hawaii, and he was the only male dancer in his whole performing arts school. His solo was very weird and kind of organic. I loved it. He seems to be made of the music when he is dancing. He's like a fantastic windup toy. I hope he sticks around.

Will & Courtney 2nd dance (lyrical hip hop choreographed by Tabitha and Napoleon) BOOOOO for storms. I missed this one, too. Nigel thought they were emotionally together and it was beautiful. Mary said that her expectations are really high for Will and Courtney. She said that they didn't meet her expectations, in a solemn way, and then she did the annoying Mary thing where she screeched that they blew her expectations away. Toni loved it and thinks that America will never feel the same about dance again after this show. Wow.

Courtney's solo: She started dancing at 9, serious since 14, and she's been to Blackpool. Very neat. Her solo was made to show off those fabulous legs and hips. She really is wonderful. And it's her 19th birthday today, the baby.

Twitch & Katee 2nd dance (Broadway choreographed by Tyce Diorio) It looks like the same story as before. Katee wants a man, and Twitch doesn't want her. It will be interesting to see how they make it different than before, and Tyce incorporated some of their own tricks. It's a more fun version of boy wants girl and boy doesn't want girl (yet) than I've seen before. Twitch didn't seem as strong as in the previous number, but it was fun. Nigel sucked up to Tyce before getting to the dance performance. He is shocked by Twitch's skills that he has without the same training. I agree. He also says that there isn't one routine that Katee has done the whole season that he hasn't enjoyed. I can think of one (that tragically styled contemporary number a few weeks ago), but other than that, I agree. Mary said it was magnificent and well-matched. Toni thought that Twitch brought more reality to the dance than most Broadway dancers do, and she appreciates that. Toni also said that Katee had a tougher problem with the character because the choreography and movement didn't match the grinning of Katee. I think it's a good point.

Joshua's solo: I am not digging Joshua's ponytail today, but his solo was pretty tight. I'm not sure I get away with saying tight in that way, but pretend I sound hip. I enjoy him.

Courtney's solo: See, Courtney's solo made me feel something, and I love the way she moves, even buy herself. She is more emotive to me than Katee.

Twitch's solo: I like Twitch's solo more than Joshua's, mostly because it looks more original. He is Twitch, their's no mistaking that.

Mark & Courtney 2nd dance (Foxtrot choreographed by Jean-Marc and France) There's character in this dance so I have hope for Mark. He's a man who's down on his luck and Comfort is Lady Luck. I was glad when Mark lost the hat, because I love to see his expressive face. I thought it was quite nice, and Comfort did a good job, too. Nigel said that their hip hop routine was good (and I missed it!), and didn't feel any chemistry in this routine, and called it amateurish. Mary thought it was roug and thought the close hold was one of the worst she's ever seen. Not boding well. Toni thought that the jazz part was good, but the foxtrot was not good. Now I am even more sad about missing their hip hop routine.

Joshua & Chelsie 2nd dance (Disco choreographed by Dorianna Sanchez) And my dvr cut off everything but the beginning of this routine!

Excuse me while I go reprogram a couple things. Did I say I'm in love with my dvr? Ummmmm...

Anyhow, at this point, I am worried for Mark and I think Comfort is gone. I adored Twitch and Katee together, particularly that Mercy routine. And I just love Courtney and Chelsie both, with the edge going to Courtney for overall appeal and to Chelsie for those amazing gams. Yes, I used the word gams. And somehow I think I can pull that off better than saying a routine is "tight." *Sigh*

I cannot judge entirely until I see the other routines, or at least read about them. Any help, dear readers?