Swinging in the Wind
Last night was the first night the top 20 contestants on season 4 of So You Think You Can Dance graced the stage in competition. It was an interesting night. There were some good ones, some bad ones and some who surprised me. Here is my expert opinion. Enjoy
Rayven Armijo and Jamie Bayard
Style: Hip Hop – Choreographed by Napoleon and Tabitha D’Umo
Song: “American Boy” – Estelle feat. Kanye West
Ok, a Ballerina and a Swing Dancer doing Hip Hop. I was a little skeptical of not only their pairing but their ability to adapt to Hip Hop. They tried… I guess. The entire dance lacked a lot of energy and there didn’t seem to be any real connection between Rayven and Jamie. I mean, I hate to say it but the audience says it all. They were bone silent until the end when there was three or four tricks (which the split flip thing was kind of cool.) But I am upset that from here on out Jamie will forever be known as the swing dancer with no swing if you catch my drift. Maybe it was cold in the auditorium? ::shrugs:: I don’t think they will last very long unless they step up and focus on each other instead of making silly faces at the audience. I think they will be safe, but only because it is a more popular dance style. Still, they will be in the lower half.
Susie Garcia and Marquis Cunningham
Style: Smooth Waltz – Choreographed by Hunter Johnson
Song: “Dark Waltz” – Hayley Westnera
They should know better then to pair a hoochie teacher with an 18 year old boy. Or is it just me? The salsa dancer paired with the contemporary dancer to smooth waltz their way to the top. Was it good? There was beautiful movement and extension but absolutely no passion. It was a hard dance to do… but the poor fella could barely even lift Cha Cha Diva. It is hard having a difficult dance the first week, especially one that is as boring as the waltz. They were good. I’m curious to see what is next for these two. I just hope they are around long enough to show us because I put them in the bottom three.
Kourtni Lind and Matt Dorame
Style: Jazz – Choreographed by Mandy Moore
Song: “Tainted Love” – Soft Cell
Now, it is no secret that Kourtni was one of my favorites in the audition process. Even though we didn’t see a lot of her in Vegas I knew she was a keeper and a damn wonderful performer as well. Contemporary paired with… contemporary. Well that doesn’t seem fair. And they are both “way” tall… that doesn’t seem fair either. How well did they handle the height and the jazz? Well, all I have to say is at least those two have chemistry. Between their black leather outfits and unoriginal movements I felt like I was watching Matrix 4. Regardless, they did well together, I think they are a good pair but honestly, I thought the routine kind of sucked. Poor guys. I hope they are not in the bottom three tonight. I think they are safe but they will be close to it.
Chelsea Traille and Thayne Jasperson
Style: Cha Cha – Choreographed by Tony Meredith and Melanie
Song: “Oye Como Va (Latin Trance Remix)” (I think) – Celia Cruz
I thought it was adorable to hear Thayne talk about how he was so insecure as a child he quite dancing because the other boys made fun of him. Oh hunny, you’re adorable. So again we have two contemporary dancers paired together, of similar height (they just don’t equal 12 ft like Mattani does.) Ok, first off. Damn does Chelsea have a nice set of legs. I mean, it takes a lot to pull off costumes like the one she wore and she just shook it like she had been doing it for years. Over all I liked the routine and I liked the pairing and I liked the dance. For me, she well out shined him. Chelsea is a fantastic dancer, and I thought Thayne held his own but was no where near as good as she was. I was kind of impressed. Well, until Thayne waved his arms like an idiot when he got on the “hot Tamale Train”. They are safe without a doubt.
Chelsie Hightower and Mark Kanemura
Style: Contemporary – Choreographed by Mia Michaels
Song: “Beautiful” – Me’Shell Ndegocello
Surprisingly, I was REALLY impressed by these two’s performance. They had amazing chemistry on stage in my opinion. And she is not one I was really pleased with in the auditions. There is something about Mia Michaels coreography though. They always end up beings my favorite dances of the season and result in my reason for loving the dancers. Prime Example: Allison and Ivan season 2 when they danced to Why. Breath taking. I thought these two did a really good job. One of my favorites from the night to be honest. I say they are safe.
Kherington Payne and Twitch
Style: Broadway – Choreographed by Tyce DiOrio
Song: “Too Darn Hot” – from Kiss Me Kate
This is my wtfwtt pair. Seriously Kherington, who I hate, and Twitch who you can’t help but love placed together. ::shakes head in shame, shitty shame:: And to top that off they were given Broadway! Broadway. Come on now. I figured with Twitch’s personality they would be able to pull it off. I am amazed to say, they did. I am astonished at how well these two paired together and how brilliant they danced together. They were entertaining and goofy and exactly what they needed to be in doing Broadway. I might turn out to be a fan of hers after all. They are safe, Twitch already has a following after all.
Comfort Fedoke and Chris Jarosz
Style: Jive – Choreographed by Tony Meredith and Melanie
Song: “Boom Boom” – Big Head Todd & the Monsters
So technically, their performance was kind of flawed. What I mean is they did not handle the technical aspect of the dance as well as they could. Her split could have been lower and closer to the floor but I’ll be damned if they didn’t look like they had a blast. And Comfort, Comfort, Comfort. What is with the women this season. The men have a lot of catching up to do in my opinion. I honestly think they will be in the bottom tonight.
Katee Shean and Joshua Allen
Style: Hip Hop – Choreographed by Napoleon and Tabitha D’Umo
Song: “No Air” – Jodan Sparks & Chris Brown
Um… wow. Ok, I hate the song and I know I am the only person in America who does but wow. This routine was AMAZING and I can not believe that a contemporary dancer can do hip hop so well. I mean, I seriously thought Joshua was going to rip her arm out of socket. They have insane chemistry and I really think they are going to stay in the competition for awhile. I mean, I didn’t like her and I never expected something so beautiful but damn. Wow. They are safe.
Jessica King and William Wingfield
Style: Tango – Choreographed by Hunter Johnson
Song: “Tango ” – Cirque du Soleil
So William, the protege of Debbie Allen and Jessica, the girl who can’t spell Vegas paired up in week one to do the tango. I read somewhere and agreed she smiled way too much when she should have looked hot and passionate. At once I saw her face panic. But William held them together. He is a fabulous partner. Over all they did well, but I DO NOT agree with Mary that they are the group to beat. Then again, I can’t say who I think is though. She needs to be tighter but to be completely out of her element they were wonderful. Still, I believe they are safe.
Courtney Galiano and Gev Manoukian
Style: Disco – Choreographed by Doriana Sanchez
Song: “Boogie Wonderland” – Earth Wind and Fire
Normally they wait to end the night with a bang but for some reason they ended the night with Disco. I am in no way fond of the style of dance and have never really enjoyed it previous seasons. They tried, they had energy, they had chemistry… but it just did not feel right at all. They were not tight enough, especially Courtney in the beginning with her arms. It just was not what it should be. Her performance saved it in my opinion. I think it’s was good, but not good enough. They’ll be in the bottom 3 in my opinion.
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