So You Think You Can Dance- 12.8.09

Cat looks like a Solid Gold Dancer, poofy sleeves and all.  Foolish decision.  And Mary looks like she attacked her dress with a bedazzler.  And Holy Hell, Cat's outfit is a short jumpsuit.  NO THANK YOU. 

Each couple will have one song remix.  Neat.

Next week's the finale?  Already?  Really?  Wow.

And Ashleigh is injured!  Her shoulder dislocated, and she put it back in, but was super sad that they wouldn't clear her to dance.  They are going to do an MRI to make sure she is ok to come back.  Ashleigh is still going to have a number for people to call.  I don't usually vote for this show, but I may have to throw in a few calls to her.

Kathryn & Ryan (Disco, choreographed by Doriana Sanchez, Last Dance by Diana Summers)  Doriana called it a Disco Love Story.  Disco seems a natural extension fro Ryan, and though Kathryn seemed a little more hesitant, it was a super fun routine.  Not my favorite, but fun.  I'm digging Kathryn's dress.  Adam is left with a smile on his face, and thinks that Ryan has proven that real men can wear sequins.  Mary thinks that they are not dancing their last dance if they keep dancing like that, and thinks that Kathryn is peaking, and believed the chemistry.  She did some shrieking.  Nigel wasn't so sure about the sequined shirt on Ryan, and thought Ryan was a little too ballroom and too straight and stiff for the disco.  He wanted more bounce, and less straight out arms, but did find it enjoyable.  Mary attested that the style of the era was arms straight and was dangerous because throats were getting hit all the time.  That thought made me laugh.


Mollee & Jakob (Viennese Waltz, choreographed by Jason Gilkison, Ordinary Day, by Vanessa Carlson) The waltz is kind of a modern kind, and is about two friends.  She's lost her mojo, and he's helping her find it.  Jakob is gorgeous when he dances.  I love all of his lines.  I'm still not buying what Mollee's selling.  She was pretty good with him, but I think that says ore about him than about her.  The judges are sure to drool all over her.  I loved that the dance had a story to it, and I thought it was beautifully choreographed.  Adam wanted to watch the dance for two more hours.  He thought everything came together to make it perfect.  He thinks that Jakob is one of the best dancers he's ever seen, and thinks that Mollee is peaking.  Mary said that there is nothing ordinary about the dance at all, and thought that the partner work was astounding, and Jakob made it happen, along with the rise and fall in it that made it a Viennese Waltz.  Nigel thought that the beautiful simplicity of the routine was amazing, and the constant flow, and he thought it all fit together like a beautiful jigsaw puzzle. 

Ashleigh's solo time was instead Ashleigh walking out on stage and claiming to feel perfect.  Cat didn't let her dance, but gave her number out - 1-888-TEMPO-01, which I intend to throw a couple calls to.

Ellenore & Legacy (Contemporary, choreographed by Travis Wall, no clue what the song was)  It's a Mr. & Mrs. Smith concept - they are hired assassins who are married, but hired to kill each other.  Travis is using their quirky abilities to their fullest, and I am excited.  It was astoundingly danced and fantastically choreographed.   It was so awesomely unique and it really used the two of them so perfectly.  I could have dealt with better music, but I. Loved. It.  Adam loves any choreographer who appreciates how close dancing and murder are, and thought it was super exciting and like watching home movies of his parents.  He loved how Travis understood his couple, and maximized them to beautiful effect.  Agreed.  Mary gave the stupid fake out about how it wasn't that good.  Then she recanted and said it was absolutely tailor made for them, and loved how dynamic and fearless it was.  Agreed.  Nigel thought it was a beautifully romantic routine for the lovers out there, and loved how dangerous it was, and loved how far Travis pushed them, and realized how far it went into the risky category, in a good way.  He also compared it to Mandy Moore's table routine, and thought that it might also garner Travis an Emmy nomination.  I loved it.

Jakob's solo:  I don't love the shorts he insists on wearing for his solos, but he does have astounding legs.  He just flips and dances so beautifully, I can't see him going anywhere.

Ashleigh (supposedly) & Russell (this poor man and his lack of partners!) (Hip Hop, Choreographed by Shane Sparks, Too Much Booty 2 Remix)  It's a hard and aggressive routine, and Ashleigh was learning to be a booty shaker... until she ripped her shoulder out of joint.  Russell is dancing with Shane's assistant.  Russell did a great job, of course, and I really wish Ashleigh had been able to do the routine, because she would have killed it.  I know she would have.  Adam knew it must have been hard to do that without Ashleigh, and admitted that he loves seeing her do hip hop, but thought that Russell brought the Old School Hip Hop home, and loves how hard he hit it.  Mary had her eyes glued to Russell and loves how much he gives and thought he attacked every move.  Nigel remembers when Donielle did Too Much Booty in the Pants and reminisced about her lovely booty shaking.  He really is a dirty old man.  Anyhow, Nigel thought that Russell gave him everything he wanted. 


Mollee's Solo: I think the best solo she's done yet.  It really fit the song and didn't feel like a cheerleading routine as much.  I have to say, it was pretty good.  I still would rather see Ashleigh in the finals.


Ryan & Kathryn (Cha Cha, choreographed by Jason Gilkison, Put Your Hands on Me, by Joss Stone)  I bet that Ryan wishes he could dance this routine with his lovely wife.  Still, Kathryn brought the hip shummy, and the characters were great.  It was a hot cha cha.  I love anything that gives Ryan a chance to use those great latin dancing feet of his.  The final lift/flip was stunning.  Ryan is so strong, and such a great partner, because the girls can just throw themselves at him and not worry about a thing.  Adam thought it was one of the best ballroom routines they have ever had on the show.  I can't deny it.  He thought that it might be a good thing for Ryan's marriage that Ashleigh wasn't there, because they were so connected, and he thought Kathryn has ignited as a dancer and as a performer.  Mary thought that they succeeded in setting the floor on fire.  The power, the chemistry, and the effortlessness that it seemed to have was beautiful.  Time for my mute button as Mary let out a scream.  Gah... Nigel loves what Jason is doing with his choreography, and how he is turning ballroom into a complete form of entertainment.  Nigel wondered if Kathryn was nervous pulling the routines she did, and she admitted she was, but knew it would be ok with Ryan as a partner, and Nigel admitted that it did go amazingly.  He thought that Ryan was absolutely perfect in the routine, and thought they were magic as a couple.  Agreed.

Legacy's solo:  Legacy just throws himself around like there is no gravity, and he incorporated a telephone into his routine.  Clever.  I love him.  He said it was America on the phone.

Ellenore's solo:  It wasn't her best solo, I think.  it was to James Brown, and it was fun, but didn't really showcase her style as well as some of her other solos.  Cat thought that she looked like she was having a blast, though, and I can't deny that.

Russell's solo:  He is in a Santa suit.  Love it.  Krump in a Santa Suit.  That's hilarious.  Did he mean for his shoe to come off and then put it back on to the music on purpose, or was that improvised?  He pulled a little sunglass-wearing teddy bear out of his Santa bag at the end, and it was hilarious.  Russell urged people to vote for Santa, and Cat lost it for a second.  Kind of hilarious.


Mollee & Jakob (Broadway, choreographed by Joey Dowling, Easy Street, Samantha Ronson remix) The story is a couple of con artists (and Jakob is the brains behind the operation).  That part is believable.  They made the bench slide out to be a huge part, and I thought that part was kind of lackluster.  Can Jakob get any better, though?  Seriously?  Eh, though... Mollee can go.  The routine wasn't as fun as some other Broadway routines I've seen, but it was pretty great.  Adam loved the routine and thought it showed off the best parts of the dancers.  He also thought that they both brought great acting to the performance.  He thought that Mollee really lucked out to have Jakob to help her rise up even more, and then slipped in that Jakob is one of the best dancers that's ever been on the show.  Agreed.  Mary thought they both had an amazing evening.  Nigel sucked up to Joey, saying she was a beautiful choreographer as well as a beautiful woman, and thinks Mollee should go dance on Broadway.  He thought that Jakob reminded him of Joel Grey.  Cat thought that Mollee looked like an absinth fairy in her little green dress.


Kathryn's solo:  I think the strongest of the night.  She was giving it her absolute all and I thought ti was a super solo. 


Ellenore & Legacy (Hip Hop, choreographed by Tabitha & Napoleon, People are Strange, remix from The Doors) They are playing aliens, which is perfect for Ellenore.  They wanted Legacy to dance quirkier, and Ellenore is supposed to dance more hip hop.  They have askes on the backs of their heads, and the beginning was really neat.  They weren't as in sync as they could have been in some parts, but the routine was really neat.  I would have liked to have seen more of it... it seemed really short.  Adam spoke in some alien language and the other judges joined him, but then they reverted to English before Cat had to start subtitles.  Adam admitted that it didn't push them far enough, and wasn't his favorite number of the night, but thinks that the other routine was enough to keep them safe.  Mary thought it didn't live up to her first impressions of it.  She thought the beginning was awesome, and I agree, but she was left disappointed.  Nigel also worried that the choreography and the concept were a bit of a disconnect with the actual dancing.  I agree.  He worried that it was style over substance.  I agree.  I do think that their previous routine was so astounding, it should keep them safe.

Ryan's solo used his amazing fast feet and some acrobatics.  I feel so badly for ballroom/latin soloists, though.  He is such a stunningly strong partner, I hope he makes it into the finale.  He gave Ashleigh's number out instead of his, urging us all to vote for her, and there were some tears. 


Russell (sans Ashleigh) (Bollywood, choreographed by Nakul, ) God, I am so sad that Ashleigh didn't get to dance this number.  There is no story to it, just full on Bollywood all the time.  Nakul warned them that if they have their hands even a little wrong, it could offend people.  Russell is joined by Nakul's assistant.  The sheer joy and energy that Russel brought into the style was amazing, and he was fantastic.  Loved it.  Adam thanked Nakul for an exciting high energy dance routine.  He thought that it was great for Russell because it blew joy out of every pore.  Agreed.  Mary wished that Ashleigh had been able to dance the routine, but loved to see Russell in it.  Nigel loved the routine and thought that even though the assistant who danced with him was a Bollywood specialist, he was still drawn to Russell.  Agreed.

My goodness, this is a hard night.  I think that Mollee should go home, even though she did super well this week, but I worry for Ellenore or the non-dancing Ashleigh.  I am absolutely throwing some calls at Ashleigh.  I don't think Kathryn is going anywhere, because she was a revelation tonight.

For the guys, I have no idea.  Jakob is my absolute favorite dancer right now and I don't want him going anywhere.  Legacy was great in the first routine, but the hip hop was just too weird.  Russell's been in the bottom before, but  think he did so well tonight, he should be safe.  And while Ryan's solo was not the best, he is SO AMAZING in partnerships, and I want to see him dance with Ashleigh like crazy.

Holy cow.  Rough night.  What do you think?

The judges urged the viewers to call and vote, and I am going to listen.