SYTYCD

So I only watched half of SYTYCD last night. Sorry I didn't do a review of last week, but each couple was doing 2 dances and it all just seemed like too much. Also, I didn't really like the dances all that much last week (except for Jeanette and Brandon's as usual).

So this week each dancer will do a solo, there is a girls group dance, a guys group dance, and then each couple does a dance, but the couple's are new this week. I'm not going to do it in order, just by dancer.

First up all 5 girls do a Bollywood number. It's really really fun and the outfits, choreography, music, and lighting all go together so well. There's a lot of hard-hitting parts w/ sharp choreography that is really good and the girls mesh together so well that I had a hard time telling them apart. There were a few costume problems because they were so flow-y, but it was good.

Evan is paired with Kayla (the tallest girl) and they get the Viennese Waltz. They end up putting Kayla in flats and Evan in lifts to make them not look so awkward together. It is harder to dance in heels, so that seemed unfair at first, but if you look at Kayla's feet, she's on her toes during the important parts which must've been difficult. Kayla's lines are gorgeous and she looks stunning in her red dress. Evan did well. It wasn't my absolute favorite. I didn't believe the chemistry, and as Nigel notes, it's not a real Viennese Waltz -it's too fast and apparently doesn't do a lot of the right moves. I feel bad for the dancers when this happens because they just do the choreography they're given, but when other dancers have to do it on other episodes and it's more difficult it doesn't seem fair. Le Sigh. B

Brandon solo - impressive but a little too flail-y for me. He didn't show any control. However he does move really uniquely and the choreography is cool with the music. B+

Ade is paired with Janette. They are doing Hip-Hop. He's supposed to be giving her "funk". She's really adorable in this routine. I think she's one of the few girls I've seen do Hip-Hop that doesn't seem like a suburban cheerleader doing her regional dance competition. Also fun costume changes. Ade is pretty brilliant and they have a lot of chemistry. A

Randi solo - Oh, I love this song "Dream" by Priscilla Ahn. I do love watching her solos, it's pretty formulaic contemporary girls dancing, but she does do it well although she falls out of her most impressive move - a pirouette that she tries to make go around 5 times I think, but she really goes 4 1/2. I'm not even sure if that's the right term. Let's go with twirl. B

Kupono solo - Oh good grief, I just don't think what he does is dancing so much as it is coming up with interesting moves that you then put to music and call it (crappy) choreography. He seems to do ok when someone else choreographs him, but his own stuff sucks. On the other hand it is really interesting to watch and it went well with the music, so I think I'm just not his target audience :) B-

Jason is paired with Jeanine which I was nervous about, but they got contemporary by one of my Season 2 favorite dancers (runner-up, I believe) Travis Wall. LOVED IT! Good choreography, great dancing. They used this heart necklace thing as a prop throughout and I can't believe they didn't drop it. Especially when Jason threw it to Janine as she was running at him and she catches it one-handed, overhand - and made it look effortless. Man that was a sexy, freaking hot dance. It went with the music AND lyrics perfectly. This is the first time that Jeanine was really able to show off how good she is technically. I've always loved her, but now I think she's just amazing! Because the choreography is about friends falling in love (which apparently Jason and Jeanine have become pretty good friends) the chemistry seemed believable too (Jason just looks like this super-nice guy, so super sexy is hard for him to pull off). There was some neat synchronized side-by-side that you don't see in contemporary very much and the rest of it was contemporary without having a bunch of moves in it that I've seen over and over. It was unique and beautiful and I was mesmerized by it. They get a standing ovation from the crowd and the judges. A+

Melissa solo - She's on pointe and she's very good at extending and taking a moment between moves instead of just doing trick after trick, but it didn't hold my interest. I know, cerebrally, that she's a good dancer, but she doesn't do much for me. B

Evan solo - Whew! starts with a jumping splits off the stairs that he lands in on the floor. He looks so smooth and he has a lot of personality, but it needs just a little more zing. B

Kayla solo - pretty, but seems like mostly tricks and very little dancing in between. I think sometimes the dancers just aren't very good choreographers so they throw in a bunch of tricks because they know it's impressive. It is good and shows off her lines, but it seems a bit more like gymnastics. B

Kupono and Randi doing Paso Doble. Eek. Ooh, starts out a little clumsy and Randi is wearing the most hideous wig. They look like the couple off of the cover of a cheesy historical romance novel about spanish pirates. Oh, everything seems slow and clumsy, although Kupono is pulling it off better than she is. He actually looks sharp. This was so bad. D

Ade solo - to Unchained Melody by the Righteous Brothers -well his grade just went up by half a grade for that! :) Well Holy ****! He danced with his arms more than anyone I've ever seen, and did it well. All the choregraphy went with the music in ways you wouldn't imagine and he tops it out with a laid out full flip at the climax of the music (for lack of a better phrase). So neat. A

Jeanine solo - nifty, incredibly smart choice of music. It's instrumental and has a lot of sharp hits to it, to which she dances, sharply. She does the requisite number of jumps, but does some slow little sexy dancing in between that goes well with the music. This number is the equivalent of a sexy little black dress. Kind of sexy, kind of fun, and very sharp. A

Jason solo - huh. Don't know quite what to make of it. It's VERY laid back, but the jumps and dancing is very good, but not terribly showy. It's definitely more of a dance (or as much as you can do in 30 seconds) than anyone else's. I don't know if he'll get votes based on it, but he should be good based on his dance with Jeanine. B

Ade and Melissa do a Broadway routine that is to Hair which was apparently in the '60's and it's just odd. Like really odd and I didn't like it, but that doesn't mean it's bad, just didn't like the style. Very little of the dancing is either in sync or together, as a pair. There's a lot that looks like it's in that fake slow motion that people do to Chariots of Fire. Meh. But then I'm biased against Melissa. B I guess?

Janette solo - only ballroom dancer left and she salsas her little tata off. She pushes it hard and if you pay attention you will see some different moves, but no jumps (because it's not what she does). I liked it. A-

All guy dance is an African dance that is fine, but seems to go on forever. Maybe I was just tired by then. :)

So the rules change this time - the guy and the girl with the fewest votes go home. The judges have nothing to do! I think Randi and Kupono and Evan and Kayla might be in trouble.

Best solo of the night? I THINK Jeanine just barely edged out Ade because she made better use of the floor. Best couples dance - Jason and Jeanine. Jeanine had a stellar night.

As a note, I'm not going to watch the results show because there's nothing to judge and Masterpiece is showing Sherlock Holmes as played by Rupert Everett and I've seen it before, but he's so brilliant I'll be watching it again. Ciao!