EMMY Nominations for Outstanding Choreography 2015

Another year, another slew of Emmy nominations for the show and for alums of the show! SYTYCD picked up 8 nominations for the 67th Annual Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Reality-Competition Series and Outstanding Host for the wonderful Cat Deeley. Here are the SYTYCD-related nominees for Outstanding Choreography!

**For some reason YouTube is being funky about me uploading individual dances, but thankfully a helpful person uploaded videos including every piece the choreographer is nominated for. You're the best, La Cuaracha.

TRAVIS WALL

Nominated for:

WAVE
Music by Beck
Danced by Zack Everhart, Serge Onik, Ricky Ubeda, Rudy Abreu, Casey Askew, Emilio Dosal

WHEN I GO

Music by Over the Rhine

Danced by Jessica Richens and Robert Roldan

WIND BENEATH MY WINGS

Music by RyanDan

Danced by Jessica Richens, Valerie Rockey, Ricky Ubeda, Zack Everhart

SPENCER LIFF

Nominated for:

HERNANDO'S HIDEAWAY

Music by Ella Fitzgerald

Danced by Zack Everhart and Jessica Richens

I'VE GOT THE WORLD ON A STRING

Music by Frank Sinatra

Danced by Valerie Rockey and Ricky Ubeda

MAYBE THIS TIME

Music by Liza Minnelli

Danced by Casey Askew and Kathryn McCormick

SONYA TAYEH

Nominated for:

VOW

Music by Meredith Monk

Danced by Ricky Ubeda and Jessica Richens

SO BROKEN

Music by Björn

Danced by Valerie Rockey, Zack Everhart, Tanisha Belnap, Brooklyn Fullmer, Emily James, Casey Askew, Serge Onik, Emilio Dosal

EUROPE, AFTER THE RAIN

Music by Max Richter

Danced by Amy Yakima and Zack Everhart

SYTYCD Alum Witney Carson, now a Mirrorball-winning Professional on Dancing With the Stars, is also nominated this year for performances in her winning season with Alfonso Ribeiro. Here's one she's nominated for, It's Not Unusual, which everyone loves because who doesn't love seeing Alfonso Ribeiro perform "The Carlton"? 

Honestly, I have no idea who is going to take it this year. Travis Wall's Wave is my favourite Season 11 piece, but Spencer's pieces all knocked it out of the ballpark (how divine is Kathryn McCormick??) and Sonya had her best year yet with Vow and Europe, After the Rain. 

SYTYCD Season 12 Top 20 Perform #2 + Eliminations

A New Deru-low

Monday night's show reminded everyone of this season's issues, and the issues it will continue to copulate if the producers don't listen to the fanbase feedback and re-adjust. Here's the thing; the stage vs. street format is probably not bringing in a new viewership, so in order to survive, the show has got to cater to the loyal one it's got. In the first real show of the season we were introduced to another gimmick, a few disastrous trios, an unjust elimination system, and one shining reason to remember why we all love the show in the first place. Shall we get into the specifics?

(Also, I am very very proud of my pun in this week's title.)

This week, I decided to amalgamate my rankings and my recap - all performances are ranked in order from most cringe-worthy to most nostalgia-inducing;

7. HAILEE, YORELIS, AND DARION - Bluctu
Urban Salsa
Choreography by Jonathan Platero and Oksana Dmytrenko

WHO GREENLIGHTED A LATIN BALLROOM ROUTINE WITH A TRIO?? There's only so many formations and combinations a choreographer can think up with three people. What should have been a sensual, exciting routine became one riddled with sloppy transitions (what was that lift with Darion and Hailee?) Darion's movement was far too effeminate. Yorelis barely made it out alive while Hailee faded into her typecast of being overtly sensual. And what the hell is "urban salsa"?

6. GABY, LILY, BURIM AND EDSON - Dhol Baaje
Bollywood
Choreography by Nakul Dev Mahajan

Here came the easiest-looking Bollywood routine I have ever seen on the show. I usually LOVE Nakul's pieces because they're so high-energy that they render you breathless just watching them, but this one fell really flat for me. Edson's gonna be in huge trouble with the voters if he isn't given a piece that highlights his abilities more. Lily and Gaby definitely shone more than the boys, but they were also given more movement. It was nice to see a quartet instead of a trio, though.

5. KATE, ASAF, AND NEPTUNE - All About That Bass
Broadway
Choreography by Spencer Liff

Here's the thing - I really do believe Kate is a very skilled performer, and she lands in the bottom this week because of an entirely different reason than last. Last week her chemistry with her partner was a flop; this week, the choreography she was given was far too easy. The hardest technical step she had to perform was perhaps a double chainé. Kate and Neptune definitely took the piece, with Neptune stepping into his own and making your body into a trombone look cool. Asaf just got lost, but not without effort - he prepped way too early for lifts and fell behind in the quicker transitions.

4. ARIANA AND DEREK - Cry Me A River
Jazz
Choreography by Ray Leeper

Neat premise, decent execution. Derek and Ariana both caught the intricacies of the movement but fell flat when it came to chemistry and partnership. These two are too used to being solo performers, but the piece worked because they were more or less equal in terms of technical ability in this performance.

3. JJ, MARISSA, AND MOISES - I'm So Sorry
Jazz
Choreography by Ray Leeper

This reminded me of a Sonya-Tayeh-esque hard-hitting jazz routine. It was awesome except for the STORYLINE! This is the SECOND performance episode of the season and I am already so so tired of the two-girls-one-guy dominatrix shtick. JJ and Marissa were pretty equalled in this piece, which I'm really happy to see because I was afraid JJ would get lost next to Marissa's dominating presence. Moises seemed a little uncomfortable in his role of being thrown around by the girls, but managed to shine between the cracks of the storyline.

2. ALEXIA, MEGZ, AND VIRGIL - Until We Go Down
Contemporary
Choreography by Dee Caspary

This piece is a prime example of the creative use of an unlucky hand - getting a trio. Alexia definitely proved her prowess in the more technical genre of contemporary. Despite Megz's lines being quite a bit worse than Alexia's (*cough* hunched shoulders *cough*), she did NOT get lost in this piece and managed to pull off an awesome performance. Virgil continues to soar as Team Street's best male dancer.

1. JIM AND JAJA - No Woman, No Cry
Hip Hop
Choreography by Chris Scott

Amidst all the trainwrecks came Jim and Jaja descending onto the stage from the heavens. The performance reminded me of a Season 5-era hip hop - pure in the way that it was 100% focused on the movement and the establishment of a connection. No huge distracting set pieces or cumbersome storylines. Jaja demonstrated surprising vulnerability and softness in her movement, compared to her usual beastly krump. Jim continues to soar up slots in the competition after demonstrating his incredible versatility. This is why duets matter on this show. Now give me an Alex-and-tWitch style hard-hitting routine with these two and I'll be set.

As for the group routines; Travis's Team Stage piece was AWESOME (a reminder of his genius and his creative prowess), Chris Scott and Phillip Chbeeb's Team Street piece started out exciting but faded away once Asaf and Burim were once again given windmills, and Pharside and Phoenix's Top 20 piece was insanely high-energy but got a little lost within the crazy costumes.

SYTYCD Season 12 - Top 20 Perform

Here we go! First live show of the season. I'm currently overseas and trying to keep up with the show is pretty difficult - I only watched the clips of every performance and not Monday night's show in its entirety, so bear with me!

The Top 20 showcase can make or break a dancer's season on SYTYCD. Of course, there are some exceptions, but usually a strong performance in the showcase is a prelude to a strong performance in the season overall. As I recap each performance, I'll point out which dancer specifically stood out to me.

Oh, and Asaf Goren is back after Hurrikane had to bow out because of an injury. Spoiler: he won't last long.

TEAM STAGE's Group Performance - Body Language
Choreography by Warren Carlyle

This performance was pretty awesome. Very intricate, very classy, and a handful of very strong showings from individual dancers. It kind of reminded me of Christopher Scott's Architect of the Mind Top 20 group routine in Season 9. Loved Gaby and Moises's little tap cameo, although Gaby is stronger by a hair - don't look at your feet, Moises!

Standouts: Gaby Diaz, Jim Nowakowski, Moises Parra

Jason Derulo's musical performance - meh. It was most exciting to see some All-Stars (FikShun! Jasmine!), and when Jason joined in in their Thriller-type combination it was pretty cool. I hope that there won't be a musical guest every week because it completely feels like the show is grasping at straws to stay alive. It was neat to have Christina Perri and A Great Big World on the show because of their respective song's history on the show, but PLEASE, more dancing!

TOP 20 Group Performance - Revolt
Choreography by Chris Scott

Well, I suppose it was high-energy if anything. Chris Scott sometimes likes to play it safe by giving dancers choreography that's their "strong suit". Kind of disappointed with the amount of coffee grinders the B-Boys were doing in this performance. It was interesting to see who got placed in front, though.

Standouts: Gaby Diaz, Yorelis Apolinario

TEAM STREET's Group Performance - Ready Or Not Here I Come
Choreography by NappyTabs

This performance was ALL about Team Street's girls. After B1 and Asaf's third or fourth windmill, I pretty much gave up watching them all together. Also not sure why Asaf slid off the stage and waited out the choreography crouched in the back for a good twenty seconds. Jaja and Lily's popping and krumping gave me life. Count on those two to last a good long time.

Standouts: Jaja Vankova, Lily Frias, Virgil Gadson

Megz, JJ & Neptune - The Illest
Choreography by Dave Scott

Dave Scott, I always have such high hopes for you! This was quite a yawner, and it's hardly the dancers' fault when they were given such lazy choreography. What is with that "ball of energy" move where only one person dances at a time to kill a few counts of eight? The most interesting parts of this routine is when the three of them did synchronized choreography.

Standout: Megz Alfonso

Lily, Jaja, Asaf & B1 - Easy (Switch Screens)
Choreography by Dave Scott

Definitely more interesting choreography than Dave Scott's earlier piece. Lily's waacking had me on the verge of tears it was so amazing. Asaf had the tween girls in the audience shrieking - bad news since I'm convinced they make up the large majority of the show's voting base. The piece played out like a sped-up silent film and I loved it.

Standouts: Lily Frias, Jaja Vankova

Gaby, Derek, & Moises - Luminous
Choreography by Stacey Tookey

Very pretty, dependable choreography from Stacey Tookey. For most of the piece, I couldn't tell Derek and Moises apart unless I really concentrated, which is a definite positive for the two's synchronization and energy considering their physical differences. Gaby demonstrated her versatility. I thought this piece was beautiful and pretty creative considering it's only the showcase episode. All three had perfect rotation on their turns. No standouts, as this was a flawless execution of dancing as a team, in a trio.

Jim & Darion - Blood and Stone
Choreography by Benoit Swan Pouffer

I LOVE two-men duets, and this one didn't disappoint. Compared to the rest of the performances, this one was definitely the most technically rigorous. Jim has a lot to prove in this competition, given his comparisons to Travis Wall and Alex Wong, and so far he's living up to the big name he's been given. I found Jim to be a hair stronger than Darion in this routine; a little bit sharper, fuller rotation compared to Darion under-rotating in almost every turn, his legs extending a little bit higher. Both need to work on dancing with another person because at times it felt like two solos dancing on the same stage. All in all, though, a very impressive showing by both men.

Standout: Jim Nowakowski

Hailee, Marissa & Alexia - New Dorp. New York
Choreography by Brian Friedman

The choreography was really neat, but giving these three girls, who are all vying for exposure, a "sexy" number in the showcase episode is disastrous. Any of the three of them could be typecast from now on - I guess we'll find out how that plays out. This performance would have been monumentally better had the trench coats not come off to reveal the dominatrix-like garters. Props to the girls for dancing in those six-inch high boots, though. Apparently they got clocked by the judges for over-playing the sensuality in this piece and I definitely agree. No standouts.

Ariana, Yorelis & Virgil - Locked Out Of Heaven
Choreography by Pharside and Phoenix

Despite playing the tired storyline of two girls vying for the same guy, this piece was pretty cool. I'm very very happy to see Pharside and Phoenix are back this season. Virgil is definitely emerging as the strongest of the guys on Team Street, given he can actually execute choreography and not just coffee grinders and wind mills. Not sure which girl stood out to me - maybe Ariana popped a little harder? Also, how much did that enormous golden gate cost?

Standout: Virgil Gadson

Kate & Edson - Shaped Like A Gun
Choreography by Travis Wall

So, I definitely thought Kate and Edson would have gotten a leg up in terms of exposure with this lucky draw. Getting a girl-guy duet, the last performance slot of the show, and Travis as a choreographer should all have spelled success for these two. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a really unmemorable piece. We ALL know how amazing and creative and breaktaking Travis's choreography can be, so this was hugely disappointing. Edson got next to no movement, simply supporting Kate with her extensions, turns, and jumps, which were executed without emotion. The amount of contemporary "reaches" in this piece was almost hilarious. Travis, I love you, but I probably won't remember this piece come this time next week. No standouts.

Overall, this was a solid showcase week. I'm very interested in how people vote after these performances. There's a few contestants who have a very strong fanbase already, and those whose name recognition will let them sail past the first few weeks of the competition. I can't wait to see these guys paired up in different styles.

RANKINGS (all my personal opinion! :)

Team Street Performances
1. Jaja, Lily, B1 and Asaf
2. Ariana, Virgil and Yorelis
3. Megz, JJ and Neptune

Team Stage Performances
1. Jim and Darion
2. Gaby, Derek and Moises
3. Hailee, Marissa and Alexia
4. Kate and Edson

Individual Rankings - Team Street
1. Lily
2. Jaja
3. Virgil
4. Megz
5. Ariana
6. Yorelis
7. Neptune
8. JJ
9. B1
10. Asaf

Individual Rankings - Team Stage
1. Gaby
2. Jim
3. Darion
4. Derek
5. Moises
6. Hailee, Marissa, Alexia (honestly can't justify placing any of these three above or below each other)
9. Kate
10. Edson

Bottom 6 Predictions
1. B1
2. JJ
3. Asaf
4. Edson
5. Marissa
6. Hailee (Alexia's strong fanbase will probably tide her over this week).

xx

12th Time's a Charm

Welcome back! Tomorrow ushers in a new season of perpetual procrastination and snark on my behalf, inappropriate comments on Nigel's, shiny legs and stilettos on Cat's, and wishing for performances by dancers of previous seasons on everyone's. Isn't it great.

Sass aside, I'm very excited to tune into tomorrow's first audition show (FOX, 8/7c). Honestly, I wasn't sure whether Season 12 would occur or not and I'm very happy the show was renewed. SYTYCD is more than a Reality TV show - it places the spotlight on an underappreciated art form. The "Stage vs. Street" shtick begins as this season opens as well. This ploy at "reinventing" the show will either go over very well or be cursed into eternity.

I read a very confusing article here, with Nigel supposedly answering "all" everyone's questions about the new format. I still don't really know what's going on with the Vegas/choreography situation. I suppose we'll find out.

I do truly hope that this "Street vs. Stage" format works out for the show. Looking back on all the "reinvent" strategies (having 2 winners, squishing the show's content over only one night a week, the "crew battle" thing everyone had forgotten about by last year's finale, etc.) is interesting. To the show's credit, they have tried to continually reinvent themselves to keep up with the increasing primetime competition. I just hope it works this time.

What do I want to see? More Travis Wall choreographies with the genius himself dancing in them (see: his dance with Amy Yakima to "Wicked Game"). All my favourite All-Stars back; Kent Boyd, Robert Roldan, Neil Haskell, Melanie Moore, Marko Germar, Allison Holker. Less Tyce Diorio. More of Sonya Tayeh's contemporary. Anthony Morigerato. Tap in general.

Here's to a brand new season, fresh faces, late recaps and beautiful choreography!

xx

SYTYCD Season 11 Top 4 Analysis

Hello, I'm back - kind of!

After a month or so of no internet connection and being away from home, updating this ish was unfortunately not to be. Last recap was the Top 18 performance - yikes.

Anyhow, we've come a very long ways in the competition since then, with some fabulous routines churned out along the way. Instead of recapping every single performance last night (grand total of 15, I believe), I'll just thoroughly analyze and review each competitor's performance individually.

VALERIE

Background

Oh, Miss Val. Of the four, the one who feels most like your friend. She's managed to connect with audiences brilliantly through little clips of her life at home and her previous training. Valerie seems like the spunky girl you met at your dance studio. Her story of simply moving to California when she decided dental hygiene was not to be felt refreshingly normal. 

There's been lots of criticism that Valerie's spot in the Top 4 should have gone to Tanisha, a more polished performer and technician. However, Tanisha lacked one big piece that Valerie has in droves - personality that shines through the screen. 

Best Performances

Again, there's lots of criticism that Valerie only got this far because she was partnered with Ricky. There's definitely some truth to that, but who WOULDN'T have gotten far if someone else was partnered with Season 11's favourite? These are my favourite performance of hers throughout the season;

SING with Zack Everhart, Choreographed by Anthony Morigerato

TURN DOWN FOR WHAT with Ricky Ubeda, Choreographed by Pharside and Phoenix

PEARL with Zack Everhart, Choreographed by Tyce Diorio

Chances to Win

Frankly, I think Valerie's chances are pretty slim to win the competition (I'd peg her coming in at either 3rd or 4th). However, the exposure she got from this thing is unbelievable, and she will absolutely have a career in the biz. 

JESSICA

Background

To me, Jessica seems like the dancer who hasn't really found her niche in dance, either on the show or in her own personal style. Technically brilliant, this may be an asset companies and choreographers in her later career may covet, because she's kind of a blank canvas you can throw anything at. However, in a competition like this, you NEED to find your niche. Her solos, are, frankly, very uninspiring, bland, and often uncomfortably sensual. However, she has whipped out very solid routines and is 50% of Season 11's signature routine (her and Ricky's contemporary by Sonya Tayeh).

Best Performances

VOW with Ricky Ubeda, Choreography by Sonya Tayeh (expect to see this in the finale)

LIKE REAL PEOPLE DO with Casey Askew, Choreography by Travis Wall

HERNANDO'S HIDEAWAY with Zack Everhart, Choreography by Spencer Liff

Chances to Win

I think this year's girls were a little weaker than previous years, but of the bunch, Jessica still rises to the top. She's gorgeous and clinical in her movement, but I think her general immaturity in her dancing and her inability to be completely versatile (her West Coast Swing and her Hip Hop were both pretty lacking) will cost her the crown. Expect to see her in 3rd or 4th place.

Actually, now that I think about it, we didn't see her do any ballroom besides her initial West Coast Swing with Nick Garcia, right? Yikes.

Click to see my analysis of this year's top 2 guys