Friday, July 31, 2009

So You Think You Can Dance - A Lil Night Musical

So You Think You Can Dance - Top 6 Results - The Cut from 6 to Final 4 - Ep. 521
Judges: Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy, Guest Judge: Lil C

Top 6 Group Dance
Style: Broadway
Choreographed by: Tyce DiOrio
Song: "Send in the Clowns" - Judy Collins (song from A Little Night Music)



Boy, they are using a lot of Broadway songs this season, and current ones too. A Little Night Music opens on Broadway later this season (supposedly, though they seem to keep pushing back the casting announcement) based on the London production that just closed this past weekend. Love the song and loved Judy Collins version, but the dance was alright. I thought there were some cool parts to it, but isn't the best Top 6 routine that in my mind, must still live up to Mia Michael's dance to Imogen Heap's "Hide and Seek" which might be my favorite dance EVER from the show.

My Predictions from the Top 6 Performances:
Bottom Four: Kayla, Melissa, Evan, Ade
Going Home: Melissa, Ade (Yes, I know everyone's picking Evan but I'm going on a limb here. Hey, if Janette can be out last week, anything can happen).

Should be the Final Four (in alphabetical order): Brandon, Evan, Jeanine, Kayla


And let me clarify that yes, I know Brandon and Ade are the strongest male dancers. But I'll keep defending Evan against those that say he's not a good dancer (his solo's, like Melissa's, are deceptively difficult), but yes, I get that you either love or hate his aw-shucks personality and that he's not as versatile as the others.

Actually, continuing the season long debate that this years crop of dancers, or the show and dances themselves, aren't as good, again, I'll reiterate that usually in an episode or a season, there's actually not THAT many great UNBELIEVABLE dances. It's just that we've now had 4 past seasons worth of collective dances to wax nostalgic that I think we build it up (because I remember people complaining about the same thing in Season 3 and 4, though I will admit, Season 2 WAS my favorite, though I don't remember anybody from the Top 11-20). And proof? More past dancers are back to showcase more Emmy winning routines and they start with Will and Jessica from last year in a dance I TOTALLY DON'T REMEMBER AT ALL. NOTHING. I though it was a brand new dance or something (it's not). (Plus remember how everyone said Will was technically brilliant but lacking star charisma? Sound familiar?) . Also, I kinda hated Jessica for some reason although I can't remember why now.

Adam and Eve - Contemporary
Jessica King and Will Wingfield

Choreographed by Tyce DiOrio
"Silence" - Unfaithful (Soundtrack)


On the other hand, then there was the DOOR routine which is AWESOME and memorable and AWESOME.
The Door - Contemporary
Katee Sheen and "Twitch" Boss

Choreographed by Mia Michaels
"Mercy" - Duffy


Though I seem to remember a lot of the ones with props. (The Table Dance with Neil and Sabra, the Umbrella Dance with Ivan and Allison, the Bench Dance of course, the Flower dance with Neil and Lacey)

Argentine Tango
Chelsie Hightower and Joshua Allen

Choreographed by Dmitry Chaplin
"A Los Amigos" - Forever Tango (original Broadway Cast Recording)


then finally, My FAVORITE routine from last season:
Bleeding Love - Hip-Hop
Chelsie Hightower and Mark Kanemura

Choreographed by Napoleon and Tabitha D'Umo
"Bleeding Love" - Leona Lewis


Okay, so I don't think there's been a Bleeding Love this season, but that really was THE standout from last year (S4) for me. (Again, The Table Dance is my fave from S3. S2 had probably the most standouts including my faves SexyBack and Hide and Seek).

On the other hand, Joe commented in my earlier post "For what it's worth, I can understand the complaints about a (comparatively) weaker season, but I find myself far more invested in rooting for Jeanine to win than I was for anyone last season." and I'd probably agree with that too. While I was rooting for Katee last year during the final four, I really didn't care who won by then. I didn't mind Joshua winning, and I can see Twitch's impressive improvements and I just totally forgot that Courtney made the final four (and had to look it up, even though I loved her). If anyone, Mark was my fave from last year but I don't think I've rooted for anybody like crazy since Neil and Sabra or Travis (and remember, a LOT of people felt Neil wasn't a great dancer and should have been eliminated much earlier, and only since the season's ended has his credibility caught up with his actual talent, cause I remember defending Neil during the run of the show as much as I've been defending Evan right now (and Travis the year before when Benji took the sweep)). Seriously, this happens EVERY season. It's like the same Idol whining where EVERY year we complain about the contestants and the crazy judges and blah blah blah blah blah.

Anyways, the results of the final cut were:

Jeanine Mason is SAFE! And the first dancer onto the final four!!! Whoop whoop! She's still my prediction to win though it seems like there's quite the Kayla contingent too, which I used to be in. Not like I don't like her anymore, I've just been won over by Jeanine now.







Brandon Bryant is the first boy to be SAFE! Amazing what a well timed good solo can do, especially considering Brandon, while excellent, always had frenetic unfocused solo's that should have been better considering his talent. Finally he pulled out that A solo just in time for the finale.

That also means the bottom 4 are by default, Melissa, Kayla, Ade and Evan who re-perform their solos.

And in between, the JabbaWockeeZ (winners from America's Best Dance Crew, a show which I surprisingly only got into in the last season, maybe because I just couldn't take it seriously with Randy Jackson's name in the title for the longest time) perform (to "Freak-A-Zoid" - Midnight Star) just in time to remind us of the new season premiering on August 9th.

In the end, Kayla Radomski and Evan Kasprzak round out the final four just as I predicted thus eliminating original partners Melissa Sandvig and Ade Obayomi out of the finals in a case of amazing dancers that may have peaked too early in the competition. I'm sad to see them go, but I had a feeling it was going to happen.



So we say goodbye to Melissa and Ade:


And So there you have it, the Final Four of Brandon, Evan, Jeanine and Kayla!!!

I'll be back with our (slightly shorter for this week because everyone's crazy busy with traveling, weddings, and surviving the heat) bloggers panel chat a little late this week and post it on the weekend , with the awesome group of
LowResJoe, ABChau, TwoP Lauren S and myself who will discuss this week's performances.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -
For More So You Think You Can Dance:
Check here for the most Recent current postings and Latest News on SYTYCD


So You Think You Can Dance - Season 5:

Top 6 Performance
Top 8 Performance, Top 8 Results and Panel Chat
Top 10 Performance, Top 10 Results and Panel Chat
Top 12 Performance, Top 12 Results and Panel Chat
Top 14 Performance, Top 14 Results, Top 14 Panel Chat
Top 16 Performance, Top 16 Results and Panel Chat
Top 18 Performance, Top 18 Results and Panel Chat
Top 20 Performance, Top 20 Results and Panel Chat

Auditions - Vegas Week Part 2 - Top 20 Announcement, Top 20 Pictures/Panel Chat
Vegas Week Part 1
New York City, Denver, Miami, Memphis, LA, Seattle


So You Think You Can Dance Canada:
Finale
Top 8 and 6 Performances and Results, Top 4 Performances
Top 10 Performances, Results 10 to 8
Top 12 Performances, Results 12 to 10
Top 14 Performances, Results 14 to 12
Top 16 Performances, Results 16 to 14
Top 18 Performances, Results 18 to 16
Top 20 Performances and Results
Introducing Canada's Top 20
Auditions:
Toronto Week - The Cut to the Top 20
Vancouver, Halifax, Calgary, Montreal - West, East, Middle and Quebec
Toronto - Toronto's Best Foot Forward
The Judges, The Host, The Teaser, All Photos from CTV

So You Think You Can Dance - Season 4:
Finale
Top 4 Performances
Top 6 Performances and Results 6 to 4
Top 8 Performances, Results 8 to 6
Top 10 Performances, Results 10 to 8
Top 16, 14 and 12 Weeks Recaps by Vance again
Top 12 Performances, Results 12 to 10 - Guest Blogger Linz McC
Top 14 Performances, Results 14 to 12 - Guest Blogger Linz McC
Top 16 Performances, Results 16 to 14 - Guest Blogger Linz McC
Top 18 Performances, Results 18 to 16
Top 20 Performances, Results 20 to 18
Introducing the Top 20
Auditions:
Callbacks in Las Vegas - The Top 20 Revealed - What Happens In Vegas
Milwaukee, WI - How The Midwest Was Won
Charleston, South Carolina and Washington D.C. - S.C.D.C. The New Electric (Boogaloo) Term!
Salt Lake City and Dallas - Yeehaw Utah!
Los Angeles - It's Time To Put On Those Dancing Shoes Again Kids!

So You Think You Can Dance - Season 3:
Live Tour - Toronto, Pasha's Solo Video, Neil's Solo Video
Finale - Winner Result
Top 4 Performances - Finals
Top 6 Performances, Top 6 Results
Top 8 Performances, Top 8 Results
Top 10 Performances, Top 10 Results
Top 12 Performances, Top 12 Results
Top 14 Performances, Top 14 Results
Top 16 Performances, Top 16 Results
Top 18 Performances, Top 18 Results
Top 20 Performances, Top 20 Results

For So You Think You Can Dance Season 2:
Favorite Video Clips
Song List Live Tour 2006 - Toronto
Live Tour 2006 - Buffalo, Pics, More Pics
Thanks to Rickey for the photos and videos.

Vance at http://tapeworthy.blogspot.com

2 comments:

DuchessKitty said...

Ah Vance, you are so sage. You're totally right about the fact that we fans complain about and say the same things for the most part each season.
That said, I'm not going to deny that I'm upset that Evan is in the final and not Ade. Ultimately I want to Jeanine to take the whole thing, but Evan has a strong enough fan base that he could pull out a win. And y'know what, that's fine. It is after all America's favorite dancer. And for me the joy of this show is not in who wins or loses - it's the whole package. The dancing is what matters.
My favorite routines and pieces mostly feature people that didn't win their season. Think about all of the success that so many of the past contestants have had recently - Travis, Dmitry, Pasha, Chelsie, Lacey - none of them won or necessarily even made the top 4.

We also agree about "Hide and Seek" being one of the best routines ever on this show. My top placement probably going to Mia's other Imogen Heap piece - Season 3's "The Moment I Said It".
http://duchesskitty.blogspot.com/2009/07/sytycd-favorite-group-dances.html

Replic Jewelry said...

I’m not a fan of any dancer, what I am looking forward is who’s going to dance their way into our hearts and on to victory. Let’s look forward to the perfect performance of the four sluggers.
It said that Paula Abdul can be the next judge and the choreographer of the next season's show. Is it?