So You Think You Can Dance - 6.17.09

Cat looks like a slightly sloppily wrapped Christmas present, but she manages to pull it off. Impressive. Maybe a piece of ribbon candy... only Cat could pull that off.

Joining Nigel and Mary this week is Lil C. I love Lil C because he said he watched the show live at home last week, and did commentary with himself. Mary regrets her botox comment, expressionlessly. Nigel tells them to just dance well, pretty much.

Tonight, the dancers are told to reveal secrets about their partners.

Again, those inclined to vote - 1-888-TEMPO-##

Randi & Evan (Jive, choreographed by Louis Van Amstel. Song: Shake a Tail Feather - Ray Charles) Randi is one of those dog people who treats her dog like a baby. Annoying. Evan is a gear head and built a car from scratch. Cool. They had a "fun" meter for their rehearsal, but will they have fun on stage? They sure do! They are adorable and he did a flying leap OVER her head, which was highly impressive. I can't wait to see them do latin! They have great feet, and hips. Go Randi and Evan! Lil C said they were out da box with a bang. He did think that Evan looks a little too smooth sometimes. He called Randi a firecracker, and loves the partnership. Mary added some funs to the fun meter. She said that Evan and Randi are built for the jive, but felt it fell short of her expectations a little. She said that Evan missed the triple step action a little. Nigel sucked up to the choreographer, and agreed with Mary that they are built for the jive. He expected Evan to be better than he was, and he lost the double bounce and quick legs. He does love them as a couple.

Ade & Melissa (Jazz, choreographed by Sonya. Song: 24 Hours by Tony Poison) Melissa has been married for four years, and her sister married Melissa's husband's brother. Ade has a really ridiculously long African name, and that's why he goes by Ade. I love Sonya's choreography. The story is about a girl playing hard to get. It's weird, and their outfits are quite something. I think that Melissa did a good job of getting the sweet ballerina out of her and brinign in a naughty girl. Ade was wonderful. It was fun. Lil C called it Buck. He said that Ade is everyone's competition, and appreciates how Ade modifies his manipulation of movement. I love Lil C. He told Melissa that she dove right in and submerged herself in the character of Sonya's choreography. Mary said she needed to give them some tough love, then squealed that it was tough to find anything she didn't love about that. And then she cackled. She loved how Ade stood out, and thought he looked effortless and soared. Nigel said that Sonya's choreography is out there, but it lets the dancers show their chops. He loved it and thought they danced it brilliantly. I would agree.

Jason & Caitlin (Hip Hop choreographed by Shane Sparks. Song: Missin You by Trey Songz) Jason grew up obsessed with Michael Jackson and can do the moves. Could when he was a kid. Very cute. Caitlin uses baby voices and can also make a velociraptor nosie and do the impression. Jason doesn't like those noises. The story of their choreography this week is all about chemistry, and in rehearsals, she ended up pulling Jason's pant down by mistake! ooops. Jason was able to hit some good pops. I don't think that Caitlin hit quite hard enough. They are supposed to be in love in the routine. Her solo could have been better. I love her, and him, but don't really think this was the best. He outperformed her, I think. They do both have lovely smiles. Lil C didn't love it. He said he felt perplexed, because the choreographer's fantasy didn't become the dancer's reality, and worried it was corny and thought it missed some nectar. Mary said it was like Michael Jackson and Britney Spears, just two completely different dancers. They had some rolls that were supposed to be in sync, but were not. She sucked up to Shane Sparks, and loves Jason and Caitlin, but didn't like it. Nigel said that this is not really hard hitting hip hop, and sucked up to Shane and said that he did a new style of hip hop for these two dancers and he really liked them.

Brandon & Jeanette (Disco, choreographed by Doriana Sanchez. Song: Love is Really My Game by Brainstorm) Jeanette had really awful teeth growing up. Brandon has never worked out, he just lifts girls. Doriana thought it was the fastest dance she's ever choreographed on SYTYCD. Brandon picked it up well in rehearsal.. Jeanette hada harder time. In the performance, they started with a really cool lift, and ten went into it. They were getting the feel of the disco for sure! Brandon is super strong. Jeanette pulls faces sometimes, but that's ok disco. Jeanette did a really cool flip through Brandon's arms. Near the end, they got out of sync and Jeanette seemed to be waiting for Brandon's lift. Not sure if that was meant to be or not. Lil C thought that the primary focus of all obstacles is to induce labor so progression can be born (direct quote) and thought that he had just witnessed the birth of progression in two amazing dancers. He liked Brandon! He noticed Jeanette's mishap (she tripped), but she recovered well. Mary wailed about how fast the dance was, and I really couldn't listen to her. She is so obnoxious. How can a person live with a voice that annoying. I actually muted her a couple of times. Nigel said that he was standing up and screaming in his mind. He thought it was one of the best disco routines ever. Doriana was in Dirty Dancing! Cool!

Asuka & Vitolio (Waltz, choreographed by Louis Van Amstel. Song: Dreams are More Precious, by Enya) Vitolio is obsessed with motorcycles. Asuka blows spit bubbles. During rehearsals, Asuka told Vitolio that she wasn't attracted to him. Louis ended up making the dance center around Vitolio's story, from being an orphan and all. They started out very nicely, and did an amazing low lifted spin, which ended a little strangely, in my opinion, with Vitolio throwing Asuka over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, but then they went back to the really gorgeous movements. It was a more "lyrical" waltz,, and was lovely for the most part. Mary had her breath taken away. And her words? Please? She was fighting off tears, and Nigel tried to egg her on by blowing into his own hankie. She said tonight was painfully beautiful, and thinks that she finally saw an honest performance from Vitolio, though some of the footwork wasn't always the best. She appreciated Asuka's restraint and passion, and sucked up to Louis. Lil C said that the choppy footwork was overshadowed by his feeling. He said that Asuka had a dominant submission. Nigel said that anyone not touched with the beauty of the routine is heartless. He thinks that he's seeing a different couple this week, and loves how people grow. And then sucked up to Louis.

Max & Kayla (Punk Jazz, choreographed by Brian Friedman. Song: Hot Like Wow by Nadia Oh) Max likes to cook for his roommates, and is the House Dad. Kayla texts a lot, maybe 100 words per minute). The song is about a man performing for a princess, with an ulterior motive.
It was very very cool. Totally different. I love their costumes. It was wonderful and engaging. Lil C said dancing is a language, and they are challenged to pick up vernaculars in a short amount of time. He told Max to give himself a hand, and said that he was left speechless by Kayla because she was amazing. Mary wasn't a fan of Max's outfit, but still watched the dancing. She thought that Max was a huge surprise but didn't steal the throne. She put Kayla firmly on the throne, and screeched (I muted). Nigel sucked up to Brian, and called Kayla a front runner. He said that Max reminded him of a young Kevin Spacey. I assume that's a good thing.

Jonathan & Karla (Contemporary, choreographed by Stacey Tookey. Song: Falling Slowly by The Frames) Karla is a really good hip hop dancer. Jonathan loves to sing, but sings terribly. Their choreographer is new to the show, joining them from SYTYCD Canada (is Mia cutting back?). They were pretty rough in rehearsals. I don't know what it is about them, but I don't find them engaging. I think he's not that strong a dancer. She is better than him, but as a couple, something is lacking. The dance left me cold. And, I preferred Kris Allen's version of that song. Mary thought that Jonathan did this style better than his own, and thinks that they have grown a lot. I don't think they did so much. She then sucked up to the choreographer. Nigel thought that the center of gravity was based on tai chi and loved it. He loved it. Lil C thought they danced it beautifully, and thought it was buck. See, there were moments, but they just leave me cold. Am I alone?

Phillip & Janine (Tango, choreographed by Tony Meridith. Song: Violento by Bailanto!) Phillip is an engineering/physics major, super nerd. He has a reptile collection. Love it. Janine has a teddy named Spanky. Phillip is completely unschooled in tango. There was unintentional groping and manly part kicking in rehearsals. I thought they were entirely engaging and fantastic to watch. They have such incredible chemistry. But, I am in no place to judge the technical issues. Mary gave Phillip an A+ in tango attitude. In technique, she gave him a C-, for bad pivots, sloppy footwork. She loved Janine, and said her technique was a lot better. Lil C said that Phillip's lack of confidence was the heaviest anchor he could place on his art. I love Lil C. He said that he saw a lot of disconnect with Phillip's. Lil C didn't like Phillip's bent knees, but Mary said they should be bent, and Tony agreed. Nigel said the truth was that the last tango we saw on the show was the fantastic tango on the Results show last week, and Phillip just didn't measure up. He didn't really mention Janine.

Ashley & Kupono (Hip Hop, choreographed by Shane Sparks. Song: Imma Be by Black Eyed Peas) Kupono is diagonal about straight lines and is totally ocd about his closet. It's weird. Ashley projectile vomited on her first grade class on the first day of school. Lovely. In this dance, Ashley is Kupono's shadow, and it's a super fast routine. Kupono added Finding His inner Shane Sparks to his infamous To Do List. The beginning was pretty hot. I think that Ashley did a better job than Kupono in general. It wasn't dreadful, though. Ashley looked hot. Mary said it was ok, and she didn't hate it, but she didn't love it. She said it wasn't memorable. Luckily, no screams. Lil C called Kupono for struggling, and said that made it hard for Ashley to follow and mirror him. He urged them to find the serenity in the chaos for true hip hop zen or something. He said he wasn't mad at Ashley, and her moments saved the routine. Nigel also loves Lil C's vocabulary. He thought that the dance stopped just when he was getting into it, and he found himself underwhelmed. Then he sucked up to the choreographer. I wonder if that's in the contract. He feels let down for Shane tonight. I would agree, for the most part.

So, my favorites for the night? Melissa & Ade were my favorite, I think, and Kayla & Max were close. Randi & Evan have a place in my heart, as do Janine & Phillip. Jeanette & Brandon's Disco was pretty kickass, despite the missteps. Asuka & Vitolio were lovely. In trouble? I'm saying Karla & Jonathan (I really don't feel him), Ashley & Kupono, and Jason & Caitlin. That's my prediction. And yours?