So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD)

Well, the blog is going to be hijacked by So You Think You Can Dance for the summer because I adore watching the show and love dissecting it. So instead of calling Mom right afterwards to debrief, I'm going to do it here.

So this was the first episode with the top 20 dancers. They dance as couples and the 3 couples with the least amount of votes have to then, individually, dance for their lives (hate that term) and the judges decide who to cut based on God only knows what. Consistency is not striven for. There are 2 permanent judges and one guest judge each week. The permanent ones are Mary Murphy, ballroom expert and screaming harridan, and Nigel Lithgoe, executive producer, lecherous old man, and I think an old jazz/ballroom/broadway dancer. For this week, the guest judge was one of my favorites, Adam Shankman, choreographer, director, and producer. He did the updated Hairspray and his critiques are generally well thought out, humorous, and spot on. I kind of love him. Also, the host, Cat Deeley, is so freaking adorable. She is gorgeous and tall and Australian, but somehow a little dorky and is such a mother hen to the dancers. She starts out by saying "I have new babies!" She's super sweet, and the only host of any show that doesn't annoy me nearly to death.

On the first top 20 episode, the pairs are partnered and then pick a genre of dance at random. I'm not sure if the pairing are random or not, but I don't think so. They were the first few years, but after a few tall girl with short guy pairings, they remedied that. The partners are kept through the first 5 cuts (so 10 people, 5 guys, 5 women). If one's partner is cut (because cuts are made individually, not as partners) the remaining man and woman are then partnered together. So it's best if your partner is not cut (assuming they're not weighing you down) because then you can develop more chemistry and get to know each others moves the longer you're together.

First couple, Jeanine and Phillip. Jeanine was nonexistent in the preliminary episodes, and Phillip is very well known, as he was prominent in the tryouts from last years season, but came down w/ pneumonia in the semifinals. Jeanine is a contemporary dancer trained in ballet and Phillip is a hip-hop dancer that does wild wild things with his body and taught himself in his bedroom. They picked hip-hop. The routine is one of Tabitha and Napoleon's typical "lite" hip-hop routines to like R&B music. Jeanine does 10 times better than I thought she would, and didn't just keep up with Phillip, who, of course was brilliant, but even looked like a natural from time to time. It wasn't always perfectly in sync, but for the first episode, it was very good. The first slot is the hardest one to get votes on though, because voting doesn't start until the episode is over and there are 9 more couples that you have to deal with. I agreed with the judges, who thought it was very good. (B+)

Second, Asuka & Vitolio. They both got a lot of coverage in the prelim episodes. The judges LOVE Asuka from what I can tell. Asuka is a latin ballroom dancer trained in ballet and Vitolio is a hip-hop dancer I think, maybe contemporary too. Tyce Diorio, resident Broadway choreographer does a very traditional broadway routine for them. I liked the choreography well enough. They did everything right, according to the judges, but honestly I was bored by it. It wasn't that the choreography was boring, it just had no personality or life. I barely even noticed that Vitolio was on the floor. I think they should be in the bottom 3. (C)

Karla & Jonathan. Neither of them were in the prelim episodes. Karla is contemporary who has actually danced for Broadway and on some tours, and Jonathan is a latin ballroom guy. They did a Cha-cha done by Tony Meredith, resident latin ballroom choreographer. At the time I liked it, but after watching more routines, I think it looked amateurish (which is not good, considering Jonathan was in his genre). That's partly because the later into the show, the better the routines got, but also because they didn't do much actual cha cha. She sat and shook her tush quite a bit and made faces at him trying to be sexy, but I didn't think they did much. It was set to Lady Gaga's Poker Face, which probably added to the illusion it was good. Also, bottom 3. (C-)

Randi & Evan. Randi is a contemporary dancer that liked to wear horrendous unitards all through auditions. Evan is a broadway/jazz dancer who went through the whole audition process with his brother. They were the last 2 guys and only one could be sent through to the top 20 and it was Evan. He got a ton of prelim coverage. Randi & Evan got a "jazz" routine, which is not what you think it is, done by Tyce Diorio. It was more of a contemporary routine that isn't too weird. They got lucky because it was one of the best that Tyce has ever done, and sometimes he can choreograph some really crappy routines. I didn't think I'd like it at first, but they just nailed it. Sometimes I don't like these routines because it's a bunch of running around and rolling around on the floor, but for some reason they just clicked and infused life into the routine. The lifts were a lot of fun to watch and they gelled really really well as a couple. (A)

Paris & Tony. Paris is contemporary (and partly ballet as well) and Tony is Hip Hop with very little formal training. Tony got a lot of coverage in the prelims and Paris got a little. They got hip hop. It was also done by Tabitha and Napoleon, but didn't have a story and was much more hard-hitting. I actually preferred the routine to the previous one a bit, only because it's much more actual hip-hop, whereas the first routine I would call "pop". It's like the first routine is Rihanna and the second is Chris Brown. Wow, that joke is in absolutely terrible taste, but I'm leaving it anyway. Anyhoodle. Paris does really well and of course so does Tony. It's not fantastic because it should have been harder hitting, and two white kids from the suburbs are probably not going to do it justice, but still they did a decent job. I agree with Adam that the costumes were distracting (shiny pleather should never go on a girls thighs). I wouldn't put them in the bottom 3 but I think that's where they'll be. (B-)

Caitlin & Jason. They are both contemporary dancers. Caitlin auditioned w/ her sister who got cut in the semifinals. They both got just a little coverage in the prelims. They get Bollywood. I don't like Bollywood. I like it fine when there's a whole bunch of people doing it, but just two people and it's a little boring. The problem is that it's about very precise angles for feet, elbows, knees, fingers, toes, everything, and a lot of the positioning of the hands is very important, but for an uneducated audience it's not obvious whether they are doing it right or wrong. At the same time it's important to the dance and the dancers concentrate on these very small movements and positions to the detriment of the overall dance. The judges loved it, but I think that's because they know how hard it is (and it was very fast), but on TV it didn't translate. Some of the moves did, but a lot of the moves (especially Caitlin's) looked sloppy. As with last year, I also feel that because they're trying to add Bollywood as a genre to the show they are overly effusive with the praise for the routines because they want it to look good. On the upside, they used the song Jai-ho from Slumdog Millionaire, which I love. That's the most contemporary Bollywood song you're going to get (and the only one Americans know) and I still didn't love the routine. If I love a song it's a lot easier for me to love the routine, so that doesn't say much for this one. However, Caitlin does do a crazy handstand thing in the middle that boggles the mind. Also, that kiss at the end was real maybe which seemed to surprise Caitlin! Ok, on second viewing Jason was really very good, but I still think it looked sloppy and didn't really have any interaction between them except for the last pose. (C)

Janette & Brandon. First off, you have to understand, Mary Murphy is crazy in love with Brandon and two other choreographers/guest judges, Mia Michaels and Lil' Chris (?), are not. At. All. So he's probably going to be contentious in the future. Janette is a salsa dancer, not formally trained, and Brandon is contemporary. They get the kiss of death, the foxtrot. It's choreographed by a new guy, Louis Van Amstel, who I might love, because not only did he take the kiss of death dance and gave it enough life for the couple to get some votes, his last name is also a great beer. (FYI the kiss of death genre's are, in order from worst up, the Quickstep, Foxtrot, Broadway, and sometimes the Waltz. They are the hardest dances to rev the audience up with and therefore hardest to get votes, no matter how well you do it). The music is Michael Buble singing Come Fly with Me which is very suave and cool and very Ginger Rogers/Fred Astaire and all that doesn't hurt. But mostly the couple just plays it so charming and cool and smooth. I loved it so much. At first I thought Janette's dress was hideous, but it worked really well with the dance. They did an excellent job. (A)

Ashley & Kupono. They are both contemporary, I think. This was Ashley's 4th time trying out and I think I love her. Kupono is Hawaiian and I don't think is trained. They get contemporary and it is being choreographed by Wade Robson. Le Sigh. So Wade (and Mia too, though not as much) is considered to be the resident genius. And he knows it. Prior to this show he was choreographing Britney Spears tours, but now he's all artsy and he kind of annoys the hell out of me. At first his routines were my favorite and he could actually make me like contemporary routines. Starting last season, his routines have become increasingly odd (and repetitive) and I'm sure he thinks he's "pushing boundaries". His routines remind me of modern art. Sometimes they do speak to you and ARE brilliant, but mostly they are just weird and/or stupid and if you don't GET them, you are labeled unsophisticated. One review asks "Is the routine too cerebral for this early on?", which of course insinuates that if you don't like it, you are kind of dumb. Ok, mini-rant over. So he does some stupid freaking routine that no one's going to get, although I have to admit I couldn't take my eyes off Ashley - she is very fluid and graceful. And the judges of course thought it was brilliant, and of course, I didn't. I don't think that you could lose yourself in that routine. The music and choreography and costumes were so odd and contrived that it makes you aware that you are on the outside looking in, instead of enveloping you so that you don't even realize how absorbed you were until it's over and you finally take a breath. I will not say bottom 3 because I think the dancing was fine.(C+)

Melissa & Ade. Melissa is an actual Ballerina and Ade is contemporary. Melissa is 29! I honestly thought that it would come out in her dancing that she was so much more "seasoned" than her partner (I'm only partly joking about that) but dear lord she's beautiful! It's a pretty typical contemporary routine choreographed by Mandy Moore who I swear to you is living in the '80's. The music is Right Here Waiting by Richard Marx, which I love, but seriously. Anyway it was fluid and graceful and I could watch Melissa dance forever because she makes it look so effortless. I'm sure Ade was good too, but I don't care, I LOVED Melissa. (A)

Kayla & Max. Kayla is a contemporary dancer and Max is ballroom. Max is the foreign, hot, male ballroom dancer of this season. There's always one, and they generally like to clothe them in next to nothing. Previously there was Pasha and Dmitri. I think they're always Russian. Anyway, they pick Samba and Holy COW, from the first beat that girl is on freaking fire. She's never done ballroom in her life and she was amazing. First off, they actually salsa'ed in this one instead of just writhing around on the floor and doing pretty lifts. The footwork was wonderful, and I mean, she looked just as good as Chelsea or Lacey from previous years (both trained as Latin ballroom, and currently on Dancing W/ The Stars). Adam Shankman's reaction was kind of priceless. I generally fast forward through Mary Murphy after routines like that because I like my hearing as it is. (A+).

So I think bottom 3 will be Asuka and Vitolio, Paris & Tony, and Karla & Jonathan, assuming that voters take the judges word for it that the Wade Robson routine was "brilliant". I put up in the descriptions who I would have as bottom 3. There weren't any real controversial judging comments tonight really, except that after that last Samba, I think they should've been harder on Jonathan's Cha-cha. They criticized Max for a flawless routine, but not Jonathan for a boring one? But there are rarely highly critical in the first episode. As the series goes on they expect the choreography to get harder and the dancing to get better, so routines that got praise tonight wouldn't get any in a few weeks. It's pretty hard to screw up the first week.

I will try to add some screen shots of the dances tomorrow along w/ the update of who got booted.

Feel free to disagree, discuss, or add to the critique in the comments.