So You Think You Can Dance - 5/28/09

LA Auditions

Day 1 in LA, and the crowd was huge. People were literally dancing in the streets. Joining Mary and Nigel was Adam Shankman.

Joshua, the winner from last year is in the audience looking on.

Bianca Revels almost made the show last year. She's back. She is the tap dancing sensation from last year. I remember liking her a lot from last year. She's got some great personality. Nigel said that she is everything he wants to see in a tap dancer, and called her brilliant. Mary called her the best female tap dancer ever on the show.

Brynelle and Xavier Blanton are dancing contemporary together, and they are brother and sister. It's a very Mia-esque kind of routine, and kind of strange dynamic for a brother and sister to be dancing. It was a little odd. I couldn't decide if it was nice or just weird. Nigel caught their strange dynamic. Mary said that they just don't have a lot of technique to back up their dancing. Adam said they have no extension and no height in jumps. Nigel said that even though she's been dancing since she was 4, she's still dancing like a 4-year old. Ouch. Goodbye to both of them.

Debra Lawson was delusional in her bedazzled "Dance" shirt. Nigel said she doesn't fall into any traditional dancer style (because she is tubby), and says she needs to do movements that work with her body instead of against it. She said that she has problems dancing because of her orthodox judaism, but the judges encourage her to stick with her passion, though not as a professional, and she was charming and gracious when they denied her.

Suzanne Fernandez was very very odd. A "fairy medicine dance?" Nigel asked her what she was on. She said Joy.

Montage of awful.

Calico Sequiera does the Lindy Hop, and it's to Stuff Like That There, which I have on my iPod from Kelly Clarkson's first season Idol performance. Nigel said it is more of a social level of dance than a professional level, but he liked her. The others agreed. She's sweet, but not going on. She invited Adam to dance with her. He accepted and took the stage with her. Very fun. He brought it. It was grand. Good for Adam! That was fun. Guest judges enter, some finalists from last year (including Katee, Joshua, and a couple others.) It was cute. They gave him a ticket. That was fun.

Asuka Kondoh, who I loved last year, and her partner Ricky Sun, are back. They are awesome. I really enjoy how people come back on this show, and you want to see them, instead of just the awful re-auditioners. It makes me happy. Anyhow, the dance is wonderful. Nigel said that Asuka just steals the limelight from Ricky, but they are both wonderful dancers. He called Asuka stunning. Mary called them absolutely breathtaking. Adam said that he is just going to assume that Ricky was good, because he couldn't take his eyes off Asuka. They are through to Vegas. Good.

Montage of good nameless dancers, including a naughty ballerina.

Nathan Trasorus almost quite dancing when he was in 8th grade because he got made fun of, but he is giving it another shot, and the world is glad. He is really something, with technique and performance. Adam called him extraordinary. Mary thought he did everything they as of a dancer. Nigel said he has one of the best centers they've seen on the show. ...... Unfortunately.... he's 17. Too young for the show. Nigel told him that if he doesn't come back next year, he will search him out and hunt him down. In fact, he gave him a ticket for the next season (the fall season) straight to Vegas. Impressive!

Montage of excited Vegas bound.

And time for Day 2...

Sammy Ramirez is a former wrestler, and is now a popper and a locker. He's really got a good style, and he's memorable. He's got some great control. It's fun. I like his smile. Adam loves him, but wants to know if he's done anything else. He has a little knowledge. Mary thinks he's wonderful, and loves his face, and his unique moves. Nigel applauded his smile which just lights up the stage. He's through to choreography.

Stacey House is not really as good. She's frenetic and all over the place. It was just weird. Adam asked if she had any training, and she has had training at a farm school. What? Mary called it all kinds of crazy. It's a no.

Amanda Kerby has a really lovely face, and she's got something there. Nigel thought she was lacking something, though he was grabbed by her beauty rather than her dance. Mary thinks she is extremely talented and drop dead gorgeous with a good center. Adam asked about her dad's story (which we saw pre-audition - he has MS, and is currently symptom free), and he thought he had seen that feeling in her dance. She's through to Vegas. Mary screamed.

Look who's back? Philip Chbeeb... who came down with pneumonia during Vegas last year... Nigel handed him a ticket during warm up! How cool. I loved him last year. He's still dancing, though, because he's paired up with a contemporary dancer this year.

Areille Coker is his partner. She's dancing really beautifully, and they had a lot of fun together. It certainly was different, and I liked it. Nigel thought she was crazy for dancing with Philip. He loved the choreography. Mary thought it was clever and fun. Adam said it showed a lot that she paired up with him, because he is a better dancer. And she is through to Vegas. Awesome.

Alexie Adgeppa is also just beautiful. Mary called her beauty, style, and grace.

Diana Vaden is another partially shown audition, and the judges loved her.

Also, Chanel Smith, dancing in toe shoes. She's going to choreography.

Kevin "Shakiro" Cormier decided to break out the hips like Shakira. It's odd to see on a man, especially a man shaped like Kevin. He was almost embarrassing. Nigel said it was very insular, with nothing happening besides his hips. Mary said that gyrating is not latin dancing. Adam liked his enthusiasm, but not his ability. Nigel told him to have fun, but told him he wasn't going to be in the competition.

Time for choreography!

Chanel is not going on to Vegas. Sammy, Diana, and Alexi are all through to Vegas, along with 18 others. Cool.

Seattle Time.

Mia Michaels is joining Mary and Nigel in Seattle.

Christopher Keller is dancing with his friend, who is not auditioning. I call it dancing because I don't know what else to call it. They were barely moving. Christopher is engaging, but not as a dancer. He's got a good face. Nigel called his partner the sensible one. He said it seemed like he was really annoyed at his partner, and looked like he was dancing with an ironing board. Mary said it just was not good dancing in any way, shape, or form. Mia wanted to know if they felt they had energy. He admitted it felt rough, and thye only had about a week to prep. They were dismissed.

Nick "Nasty" Soloman has many piercings, more tattoos, and some good moves. He's a break dancer. He fell out at the end and stopped before it was supposed to be done. Nigel said he was disappointed that Nick didn't have the energy to finish his performance. Nick then got defensive and strange and disrespectful. He talked himself out of a yes from Mary. Mia scolded him for disrespecting the executive producer of the show. He probably would have been through if he hadn't shot off his mouth. He was, indeed, Nasty.

Dmitrious Bitrevsky tried hard, but made the judges nervous that he was going to hurt himself. It was just weird. Mary wondered how long he'd been breaking... 3 months. Not long enough. Mia said that she couldn't enjoy it because it looked dangerous. Mia swore and was beeped. Nigel told her she couldn't say "beep" on television. It's a no from Nigel, too, but they told him to keep with it.

Montage of sleepy judges and sleepy contestants. One guy fell flat on his side. Yipes. And judges starting to get pissy because of the abundance of suck. The judges started to question their decision to come to Seattle at all.

Kelsea Taylor hoped to break the chain of awful. She suceeded. She was interesting and Nigel appreciated her lovely feet. I liked her quirky music. Nigel thought that Sonia would love her. Nigel didn't want her to stop, and called her zany and slightly crazy. Mary loved her musicality. Mia called her a beautiful, disasterous, weirdo. Choreography for her.

No one got a gold ticket on day 1 - how would choreography go? Only 6 people seemed to be doing choreography. Yipes. Kelsea is through. 3 others went on to Vegas from Day 1. Double Yipes.

Day 2 in Seattle

Kupohoh'ipoi Aweau has a name I will never be able to spell properly. He's Hawaiian.. Mary said he had some great things, but some were not so great. Nigel was reminded of Mark, and Mia thought he was special. Onto choreography.

Montage of not so sucky.

Leonid has fast feet and is charming, but that's about it. He looked like he could be dancing at a rave, not on a stage. Nigel agreed that his style is indescribable, and was at a loss for words. Hey! Nigel said it looked like he was at a rave! Mary thought he looked like a 3 or 4 year old. Mia wants a dance battle between Leonid and Sex. Oh, god no.

And it's on. Sex asked his mom's permission first. This could be funny. The announcer had fun with it anyhow. It was cheesy, and neither of them was ever going through, so it was just fun. Not as much fun as Adam dancing... Mia named Leonid the winner. Mary agreed. Nigel gave it to David, aka Sex. Amazingly, Nigel wants Sex to go on to choreography, not because she thinks he'll do well there, but because he wants him to get a reality check.

I feel badly for Sex's partner in choreography. He was dreadful. He is not through. Yay.

K-something or other is through, though. Cool.

Next week? Vegas starts. I love this show because they get right down to it...... Over 170 will compete in Vegas, and only 20 will make it through. I can't wait. I already have some favorites...

And you? Who do you hope brings their all in Vegas?