So You Think You Can Dance - 12.15.09

No dancer intros today?  OK.  It's time for the performance finale!  Cat is looking kind of lovely in her draped red dress (dang, that girl's got legs!), and Mary is bedazzled again.   Nigel has giant sunglasses to protect him from Mary's glare.  No time for intros!

Kathryn & Ryan (Samba, choreographed by Jason Gilkinson, Magalenha by Sergio Mendes)  Holy hell, they look hottttt.  Lots of really complex lifts started the routine, and then they got their hips shaking and their feet moving like lightning.  Amazing.  Ryan has no shirt on, and I can't say I'm complaining.  And holy hell, the final lift had him tossing her UP OVER HIS HEAD and catching her on his back!  Astounding.  Nigel thought it was amazing and thought that Kathryn did a great job in the genre.  He was stunned by the final toss of Kathryn.  Mary was thrilled to see Ryan at home in his style, and loved the slow balanced moves in the beginning and did some screaming for the pair of them.  Adam thinks the show should now be called "The Rise of Kathryn."  I can't say I disagree.  I admit, I didn't like her much in the beginning, but she has wowed me. Adam also appreciated how shirtless Ryan is.

Ellenore & Jakob (Broadway, choreographed by Tyce Diorio, I Gotcha from Fosse) Ellenore looked perfect, and then when Jakob joined her and did one of the highest leaps I think he has done on the show... I am stunned.  Tyce certainly gave Jakob plenty of time to fly.  Ellenore was also just vibrant and wonderful, but the choreography really focused more on Jakob.  Nigel thought that Tyce did a great job with the choreography given the dancers he had - and thought that he showed the pair off to their best.  Mary thought Ellenore was smoldering and entirely committed, and thought that Jakob was tremendous in his flying.  Adam thought it made the Broadway style current and hip, and thought that Ellenore has never looked more gorgeous on the show, and thought that Jakob was selfless as a partner and gave it up to her.  I loved it.  This is a hard decision.


Ashleigh & Russell (Lyrical Jazz, choreographed by Sonya, Angel Standing By, by Jewel)  They did some really beautiful moves, and she did a lot of throwing him around, and I wish we had seen the story behind this one.  Russell did this one spin in the air where I think he got around 4 times.  It was stunning and gave me super chills.  Just gorgeous.  Wow.  I was very impressed with both of them.  Nigel thought the routine was all about Russell, and apologized to Ashleigh for not being able to take his eyes off Russell.  I would agree with that one.  He loved the chemistry with Ashleigh, but Russell carried him away.  He called Russell bloody incredible.  Mary found some nice things to say to Ashleigh, more in her character and dedication than anything.  Then, she started crying when talking about Russell's amazing growth.  Adam thanked Sonya.  I would also like to thank Sonya.  Adam thought that Ashleigh was a great guardian angel, and thought that Russell kicked the dance's ass.  Agreed.


Ellenore & Ryan (Jazz, choreographed by Garrett Stuart, Kontakt Me, by Boize Noize)  It was weird and kind of sci fi, and they handled it super well.  It was like they were androids.  They danced wonderfully together.  It was so weird and unique, I loved every second of it.  It was weird in a challenging way, not like that Napoleon & Tabitha piece last week, which looked just weird for weirdness sake.  Nigel didn't find any emotion in it, and thought it was a technical exercise.  He was uncomfortable with it, and doesn't like his jazz there.  Mary loved how different and unique it was, and really got into it.  Adam thought that Ellenore was the choreographer's muse.

Ashleigh & Jakob (Fox Trot, choreographed by Jean Marc Genereaux, Let the Good Times Roll, by Chuck Brown & Eva Cassidy)  They looked gorgeous, but it is hard to get really excited about a fox trot.  The choreographer still gave Jakob at least one leap.  Nigel thought Ashleigh was fantastic in it, and loved their chemistry.  He complained that Jakob got another jete (that's a leap), and while he didn't think it was as strong as some of the other routines so far, it was great.  Mary gushed over Ashleigh, and thought that Jakob needs a tinge of help in the close hold, but loved him.  Adam thinks that Ashleigh is phenomenal, and thought the teamwork was great.

Ellenore & Russell (Pasa Doble, choreographed by Jason Gilkinson, Village Attack from the Blood Diamond sountrack)  I'm so excited!  I love a good pasa doble!  Ellenore looks amazing, and Russell is (again) shirtless.  The music was awesome for a pasa, and it was firey, and not just because of the fire on the background screens.  I got chills.  Amazing.  Nigel wondered where shirts are tonight.  He said that Russell had a couple of technical bits that could have used help, but loved him.  He thought that there was more fire and passion in Ellenore than anyone could want, and thought that she was amazing.  Mary loved it, and agreed that there were some technical issues, but loved Russell, but couldn't get enough of Ellenore.  Adam loved Russell's pointed toes, and thought that Ellenore was magnificent.  Agreed.

Kathryn & Jakob (Contemporary, choreographed by Dwight & Desmond, At This Moment, by Michael Buble)  Wow.  Kathryn just threw herself at Jakob and wrapped herself around hi, and I was stunned.  Chills again.  Jakob did some more flying, but it was more than that.  Passion.  Beauty.  Perfection.  Nigel thought that they just stopped the show.  He admitted that Kathryn is his favorite girl and she picks up everything that is thrown at her.  Nigel wants Jakob to grow more in the future by joining a company and getting challenged by other dancers as good as him, and called him outstandingly brilliant.  Mary was again in tears, and thought it was one of the most beautiful dances she's ever seen.  Adam called it a game changer, and brought up that the country needs to be aware of how important dance is.  Adam said he was humbled.

Ashleigh & Ryan (Contemporary, choreographed by Travis Wall, I'm There Too)  I am so moved to see them dancing together, and I'm glad that they didn't get their own style together.  And to have Travis choreographing for them.... just perfect.  They looked so happy to be dancing together.  The dance brought tears to my eyes.  Nigel thought that a lot of people might have voted for Ashleigh & Ryan because of her injury last week, but thinks they have proven their worth.  He thinks that Ashleigh has more chemistry with Jakob.  Ryan disagrees.  Mary thought it was an incredible moment.  Adam asked them how it felt, and Ashleigh (with tears) said it felt perfect.  He loved the tenderness.  So did I.


Kathryn & Russell (Hip Hop, choreographed by Tabitha & Napoleon, I Can Transform Ya, Chris Brown) The beginning looked an awful lot like Ryan & Ellenore's dance earlier, but it changed that up pretty quickly.  I loved it.  Kathryn hit hard and Russell was predictably awesome.  Loved it.  Fun number, and Russell had a shirt.  Good for him.  Kathryn looked gorgeous.  Nigel thought it was great.  He got everything he expected from Russell, but was floored by Kathryn.  Mary has no idea how people are going to vote, and did some screaming.  Adam thought that the variety of the show is killer, and thought that it was a super hot routine. 

I honestly have no idea who is going to win.  If I were guessing, I think it should be between Jakob and Kathryn.

Cat gets to breathe after a no-filler hour.

Tomorrow's a 2 hour show!  Fun!

Who is your favorite?  This was an amazing hour of dance.  I am pleased.  No duds in my book.