SYTYCD Season 10 Top 4 Recap + Review

So, we finally arrive at the last performance episode of the season. This season has gone by incredibly quickly, and hopefully the show feels it's done enough to gain another renewal when FOX doles them out for next summer.

Anyways, sorry about the extreme lateness with this post... Not only did I have to re-watch the dances like 48390 times to really pick out the two strongest to win, but life has been insane and now has really been the only chance I've gotten in a long time to sit down and complete last Tuesday's post. And so, because I am Canadian and cannot vote for this show nor can I listen to Pandora, I am hating my inability to vote while listening to Songza.

1. Amy and Aaron - Ray Leeper
JAZZ

What a strange, strange number. I'm sorry, but I really did not enjoy this dance. Amy was very obviously stronger than Aaron in this piece, although he was there for her every step of the way. For me, it was a really bizarre mix of technical aspects and more animalistic-moves. The song was absolutely disgusting; "Primitive", by Richard Vission vs Luciana. SIgh. Maybe it's just by this point of the competition that I feel like all the routines should be stellar, or that other routines last Tuesday shot way beyond this one.

2. Jasmine and Fik-Shun - Travis Wall
CONTEMPORARY

Such a gorgeous piece. Travis took the simple and familiar notions and aspects of water, and translated them to dance. Jasmine was particularly shining in this piece. The use of the wind machine and the choice of her dress were gorgeous. At this point, Fik-Shun is kind of out of his league in technical aspects, but he held his own without looking too amateur-like next to Jasmine. Another stunning Travis piece, and this partnership was refreshing.

3. Aaron and All-Star Melinda Sullivan - Anthony Morigerato
TAP

As soon as they announced Melinda's participation as an All-Star, it was so obvious she was there to do a routine with Aaron. Hopefully the show books Anthony Morigerato more for more tap routines in the future, because this was one of the most captivating Tap routines I've ever seen. The very, very beginning I found a little un-synchronized, but they soon both fell in step with each other. The emotion was so present it was shocking, but Melinda and Aaron are both stellar performers so I guess I shouldn't have been too surprised. So fun.

4. Jasmine and All-Star Comfort Fedoké - NappyTabs
HIP HOP

One of my favourite pieces NappyTabs have done recently. Jasmine actually out-popped Comfort in some places for me, and it just showed how far Jasmine has grown both emotionally and in dance. Her confidence in this piece was through the roof, and the banana-seat bikes and hipster-like costumes were so so fun. And, of course, what would be a strong, all-female Hip Hop piece without the music being Beyoncé?


5. Amy and Fik-Shun - Leonardo Barrionuevo and Miriam Larici
TANGO

The choreography to this was so unique- Leonardo and Miriam explained that this piece was kind of a paso doblé-tango fusion, and the pace to this choreography was amazing. Sometimes fast and fierce, sometimes slow and passionate. Amy, again, outshone her partner, and the judges touched on Fik-Shun's fall behind a bit technically in this piece, but otherwise, it was gorgeous.


Jasmine - SOLO
Every contestant got the chance to tell their life story a bit in a video package before their solos. And Jasmine made the entire continent fall in love with her simultaneously with her video package. She talked about how her relationship with Cyrus fell apart while he was on the show last season, and how her confidence at that time was unbearably low. This makes sense if you think about it; someone unconfident is usually incredibly needy in a relationship, and Cyrus obviously would have wanted to focus on the competition at that time. Needless to say, the relationship crumbled. They showed us her audition in her package, and you could completely tell how much she has grown up on her time on the show. She seemed vulnerable and fragile at the time of her audition, and yet now she has an incredible strength, as well as fragments remaining of that vulnerability which makes audiences fall in love with her. The best part to Jasmine's entire story was how genuine you could tell she was.

Anyways, her actual dancing was as beautiful as always. I always have fun determining the contestants' strategizing in choosing their solos. Jasmine stuck to her original formula for this solo, and it probably worked.

6. Jasmine and Aaron - Dmitry Chaplin
SAMBA

Yikesssdasdsadskda. What a hot mess. The transitions were choppy and awkward, the set piece was basically pieces of wood slapped up together with somebody's old Christmas lights, and Aaron just could not catch himself a break. I'm not sure if this routine hurt Jasmine as much as it did Aaron, but in any case, it definitely is a bit of an ouch when these routines decided who will win in like 4 days or something.


Fik-Shun - SOLO
Now Fik-Shun's turn to get us to fall in love with him. And it completely worked. He talked about his complete lack of training experience or expectations for Vegas Week, but his love of dance and his passion for performance shone through. Fik-Shun is basically an adorable class-act. He partially credited Amy for how far he got within the competition, and how he liked how her technical skills and his performance skills coupled together to carry them all the way through the competition. And finally, he said this line that made me actually cry, "I know I'm not America's best dancer. But I would like to think that I could be America's favourite dancer." 

SOB

Anyways, his solo was as good and entertaining as ever. He knew exactly what he was doing when he chose Gangnam Style as the song for this solo. And he dances the hell out of that song way better than Psy ever could dream of. This one is still my favourite solo of his, though;

Amy - SOLO
Amy probably had the hardest time choosing something to win over audiences; she went with her fall in Christopher Scott's waitress Hip Hop routine, and how she landed in the bottom the following week. Look, I love Amy to death, but that was the only time she'd ever even hit the bottom, and she made an enormous deal out of it. I get it that it's terrifying to have something go as wrong as falling on your face in a live performance, but she got right back up and kept dancing like a pro.

Amy's strategy; tap into the young pre-teen/teenage girl vote with a song choice that was a popular routine among them last season. Anyone remember Unchained Melody, with Audrey and Matt, the Titanic-themed Travis Wall dance? She's smart.

Fik-Shun and All-Star tWitch Boss - Luther Brown
HIP HOP

Fun, perfectly synchronized. It was like watching tWitch dancing with his little brother. Not much else to say, apart from I actually think Fik-Shun is a better popper/locker than tWitch.







Aaron - SOLO
For Aaron's chance to win America's hearts, he went with his I-was-the-21st-choice story. You do have to give him props for making it all the way to the end being the 21st choice. I still would have liked to seen Emilio Dosal as well, but Aaron blew everyone's expectations out of the water this season.

Fun tap routine to a song by one of my favourite artists; Jason Mraz.

Amy and All-Star Robert Roldan - Stacey Tookey
CONTEMPORARY

Love Stacey Tookey. Love Amy. Love Robert. Loved the storyline of Robert being stuck in the "friendzone", then Amy realizing she loved him too late. Loved the song ("Say Something", The Great Big World). Loved it, loved it, loved it. Stacey is a very close second for me behind Travis as the best contemp choreographers they have on the show. The part where Amy almost ran off the stage and Robert caught her just in time - stunning.

Aaron and Fik-Shun - Tyce Diorio
BROADWAY

As annoying as Tyce is, this is one of my favourite pieces of his. The conveyor belt as a set piece was an amazing addition, and Fik-Shun and Aaron are actually surprisingly compatible partners. Not much else to say.







Amy and Jasmine - Mark Kanemura
JAZZ

Okay. Mark's piece with Jenna was beyond incredible, and pushed the envelope just enough for it to be futuristic in a fun way. This one was just strange. Their disk-skirts just seemed cumbersome and difficult to dance in, the identical black bob wigs look uncomfortable and didn't seem to be put on right, the music was too weird to properly follow them. I kind of wish this one wasn't the last routine of the night.



Pant. Alright. Still with me? Finally, I've reached the end of Tuesday's jam-packed show. As for results, I personally hope Jasmine will win for the girls, because I think she has grown more, whereas Amy has been as strong as she was when we first saw her. As for the guys, for me it's a complete toss-up and it will be interesting to see how close the votes were.

Here's an e-mail I got about Paul about a week ago;

Firstly, thank you so much for your blog! You put so much effort into it and I love seeing another's perspective on things. Almost every single thing you say is what I feel as well which makes me smile (:
Anyway, I wanted to know how sad you are that Paul is gone. Like you explained in your post, I started to really really like Hayley a few weeks ago and I would have picked her over Jasmine.
As for Paul I am absolutely astounded that he didn't win, let alone make it to the finale! He is by far the best male dancer that was left and even compared to Tucker and others who were better technically because of their training in contemporary, he completely nailed every single routine he had. I can't remember a single routine in which he stumbled in any way. In fact, his hip-hop with Comfort was one of my favorites of the season. Fik-Shun and Aaron have both lost their spark they had at the beginning of the season while Paul has been consistently perfect emotionally and technically in every single routine. He puts more emotion into everything he does than anyone else. He has always been a standout in every group routine and has adapted himself to every style they've thrown at him. There is no way that Fik-Shun or Aaron are better dancers than him. In fact, Aaron, in my opinion, is one of the most overrated dancers they've ever had. Not to say that I dislike him, the thing is that he isn't as good all-round as Paul. As for Fik-Shun, as funny and committed he is, I would pick Paul over his silly grin any day. Jasmine is only legs, really, and doesn't connect too well for me and Amy is really great in everything she does but I sometimes find her routines forgetful. I really want to know how the voting dropped Paul the week that it counted.
Sorry that I'm rambling but I just needed to vent to someone who I think might be on the same page as me! How McKenzie and Paul didn't make it to the finale I am still banging my head on the table about. The best situation for me now would be Amy winning, what about you? 
Please let me know your take on my opinions with Paul and who the person out of the top 20 that you had or still want is to win! 

Thanks for your e-mail! <3 Well, I am still emotionally unstable after Paul's elimination. He has been one of the most underrated dancers in the show's history, and the only person on the judges's side of things who really praised his talent for what it is was Kenny Ortega. Makenzie, of course, as depressed as I am about her leaving, will have an incredible career regardless, although I would have picked her to win over the other two girls anyday. My preferred winners are at the end of my post above- but I really don't care too much at this point, since they're all pretty equally strong to me.

Till Tuesday, my lovelies. E-mail me with comments/questions/suggestions if you like; sytycdfansblog@gmail.com.

All pictures from www.fox.com/dance/

SYTYCD Season 10 Top 6 Recap + Top 4 Finalists Revealed

It's the Guyliner

Finally, and to lots of shock, the Top 4 finalists are revealed.

We open with a Sean Cheesman African-Jazz-inspired piece. I love seeing the more West-African-inspired pieces on the show. The white costumes were a bit of a strange choice for me, but this was a great opportunity to again see how the 6 fare in a totally different genre. I've trained a little bit in West African, and, as many people know, the fluidity and organic movement of the limbs are probably the most important in this genre. Amy definitely nailed this one, but the other two girls weren't far behind. Paul was the strongest (which was surprising, because Latin Ballroom is probably the direct opposite from West African), with Fik-Shun following, and then Aaron. I just couldn't keep my eyes off Aaron in this piece, and unfortunately it's not a good thing. He was stiff and had his shoulders raised THE ENTIRE TIME.

Oh, and just to clear something up- there was no voting at all last night because there are two more episodes. Next week's episode will feature the Top 4 dancing routines, with that night's voting deciding who wins. The week after that is the finale, where we will see the best routines danced of the season again, and where we'll see who wins.

I'm going to keep my recap/review short because I have a lot to talk about at the end...

1. Paul and All-Star Kathryn McCormick - Tyce Diorio
JAZZ

A very ballroom-infused jazz number. Danced well, but kind of boring choreography that is easily forgotten. Nice to see Kathryn McCormick on the stage once again, though.







2. Amy's Solo
I love Amy to death, but I find her solos a bit dramatic for my taste. Gorgeous costume choice, though, and those pirouettes were super impressive.

3. Hayley and All-Star Joshua Allen - NappyTabs
HIP HOP

LOVED this number so much. Tonight was actually my favourite night of Hayley's, and I actually have started really liking her. It was wonderful to see Season 4 champ Joshua again, and he and Hayley absolutely nailed it. The concept was fun, the choreography was wonderful, and Hayley proved her versatility and her ability to do Hip Hop extremely well, after her Chris Scott Hip Hop dud.


4. Fik-Shun's Solo
Again, Fik-Shun proved his worth as a wonderful performer and entertainer. Definitely funnest solo of the night, and he comes up with some really, really creative stuff. The part where he bent all the way down to the floor and came back up was mind-blowing.

5. Aaron and All-Star Melanie Moore - Spencer Liff
BROADWAY

It was kind of neat for Spencer Liff to insert some talking and conversation in this piece. Melanie is absolute magic. At one point, Aaron dropped Melanie to the floor and had trouble getting her back up again, which is kind of scary at Top 6, but since this week is basically useless in the scheme of things it won't impact him too much. Again, his shoulders come to play and are raised a lot of the time.


6. Jasmine's Solo
Such a stunning solo, and Jasmine has the ability to really stand out from the sea of contemporary girls this show has seen. The music choice (a jazzed-up version of Amazing Grace), I feel like we've seen before, but nonetheless Jasmine really knows how to choreograph herself.

7. Paul's Solo
As far as Ballroom solos go, this one was pretty entertaining. He added that parallel-to-the-floor twisty turn that's become his signature aerial trick since he and Makenzie's Sean Cheesman jazz routine where it was originally added.

8. Fik-Shun and All-Star Witney Carson - No idea who the choreographer was, sorry
FOXTROT

This choreographer went for the entertainment value in this foxtrot, and I'm not sure it paid off in the judges' eyes. Mary said Fik-Shun had some technical issues, and his shoulders did seem a bit raised in this, but overall it wasn't a bad Foxtrot. I've never really been a fan of Witney, and this routine kind of solidified that for me unfortunately. Sorry.



9. Hayley's Solo
Not much to say. Pretty contemporary piece.

10. Jasmine and All-Star Neil Haskell - Tyce Diorio
Billed as JAZZ

The reason I put the genre down as "billed as Jazz" is because this was really a contemporary piece, if you're going by the show's guidelines. It was really pretty, especially with the pieces of paper and the wind machine blowing them around, and Neil Haskell is just perfection, but it wasn't standing-ovation-worthy for me. As tall as Jasmine is, Neil seemed to have zero issue partnering her as well. The problem with socially-aware pieces (this one was about natural disasters), is that they kind of have to be talked up as WONDERFUL even though the choreography wasn't stellar. Pretty piece, greatly danced, interesting issue, but not one of the greats.

11. Aaron's Solo
Great opportunity to see Aaron in what he is good at, and Tap is obviously his best genre by far. Fun to see some really fantastic tapping this far in the competition. I love Aaron as a tapper, I just don't really feel him in other genres. You feel me?

12. Amy and All-Star Alex Wong - Nakul Dev Mahajan
BOLLYWOOD

Love seeing bollywood, and this was one of the most intensive ones I've seen in a long time. Amy and Alex are both beasts, so this was, of course, a success. Besides including one of the strangest kisses I've seen in a routine in a long time, it was fun and upbeat and they never seemed to lose steam.




13. Hayley and Paul - Dee Caspary
CONTEMPORARY

Definitely my favourite of the night. Dee's style is absolutely stunning - the costumes he always chooses seem to be kind of old-fashioned in neutral colours, and I love it. The song choice (a "500 miles" cover by Sleeping At Last, which seems to be a contemporary-favourite for band choice for this show) was so gorgeous, and Hayley and Paul's chemistry was absolutely spot-on. It's the only routine I've watched multiple times since the end of last night's show.

The thing I love most about Dee's style is his no-frills attitude. If there's any prop, it's simple and minimalistic, like a lightbulb or a ladder. And again, I kind of started to love Hayley and continued to do so with Paul. Nigel's comment about how he didn't like the point-to-flex in the feet was so unfair, because it was completely Dee's decision, and had nothing to do with critiquing either Paul or Hayley. And in any case, I kind of love flexed feet in contemporary.

14. Amy and Fik-Shun - Dave Scott
HIP HOP

Wonderful piece by Dave Scott. Amy and Fik-Shun killed it, especially because this was right up Fik-Shun's alley. I absolutely love the pieces Dave Scott has choreographed for the show so far.






15. Jasmine and Aaron - Sean Cheesman
BROADWAY

I'm gonna come straight up and say that I didn't like this piece whatsoever. Besides the beginning, neat trick in the mirror with Aaron covering Jasmine's reflection and then revealing it again, the entire piece felt disjointed. Sean's storyline about Jasmine being super vain and Aaron falling in love with her was nowhere to be found besides the very beginning. And I definitely don't think it was worth a standing ovation.

Anyways, Jesse Tyler Ferguson (this week's guest judge, and my all-time favourite), admitted to having a crush on Aaron, to which Cat replied "It's the guyliner. It's the guyliner." And there is this week's alternate title.

SYTYCD Season 10 Top 8 Recap + Partner Rankings

We were all surprised when the group number's choreographer was revealed. The number SCREAMED Sonya Tayeh, but surprisingly Mia Michaels came back and decided to make this part-burlesque, part-Rocky Horror Picture Show, part-gothic piece. It was definitely creative, but for some reason the guys seemed to do nothing more than swing off of the bars of the setpieces. Fik-Shun basically just swung on the bar on the setpiece for the last twenty seconds of the entire performance.

Bottom four this week; Jenna Johnson, Tucker Knox, Fik-Shun Stegall and Hayley Erbert. I found it surprising that Tucker was in the bottom instead of Paul, although if the bottom had included Paul and Fik-Shun it probably would have ended differently for Fik-Shun. We see all the solos, and Fik-Shun's was by far the most entertaining and interesting. Hayley's was standard contemporary (again, super reminiscent of Tiffany Maher), Jenna's was a strange ballroom concoction complete with a sparkly bustier and choker (although, to be fair, ballroom is super hard to dance solo), and Tucker's was, as impressive as all those tricks are and as much as I adore him, kind of a desperate last plea in my opinion.

Before I dive into the actual recap/review of all the performances, just a reminder that this week's pieces were choreographed by the respective All-Star which performed them. I still don't know how I feel about this, because in some cases it was nothing short of stunning, but in others unfortunately the choreography felt a little short.

1. Aaron and All-Star Chelsie Hightower
JIVE

I love watching a really good jive with a fun premise (best one off the top of my head in recent memory was Tiffany Maher's and Benji Schwimmer's; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AS_lrfPeTRw), and although this had a fantastic premise, Aaron sort of seemed to run out of energy halfway through or so. His jive kicks (I have no more ballroom-move-naming-expertise, sorry) were fantastic, in my opinion, and Chelsie is one of their great ballroom girls (incl. Lacey Schwimmer, Anya Garnis, Witney Carson...). Fun, but at this point in the competition, Aaron really needed to pull out the big guns and I'm not sure he did so. The judges seem to really still love him, though, as they kept mentioning his stunning contemporary piece last week with Kathryn McCormick in a last-ditch effort to remind voters of his talent. Again, I'm still super surprised at how well Aaron is succeeding. Actually, of the four guys left, outside of Tucker, they're all kind of a surprise.

2. Fik-Shun and All-Star Allison Holker
CONTEMPORARY

Love to see Allison choreograph something finally, as she has proved time after time that she is one of the best contemporary girls to ever grace their stage. The premise was gorgeous, and the lanterns were super effective. Their lovers-against-prejudice storyline was refreshing, and it just reminded me of how much I'm excited that tWitch and Allison are getting married. We just need a Lauren Froderman/D-Trix Sandoval engagement now, okay?

ANYWAYS, Fik-Shun fell short technically on this piece, but you can just feel how much passion he has for dance in every performance. As much as I love Cyrus Spencer (S9), I think Fik-Shun is way more versatile generally. He needs to work on his classical technique- toe pointing, leg straightening, etc. - but I still loved this piece.

3. Tucker and All-Star Courtney Galiano
JAZZ

Here's the thing about getting the All-Stars to choreograph. If they never have on the show before, if anything, they shouldn't be dancing their own very first choreographies, because then they lose half of their critiquing ability on the polishing of their performances because of having themselves in the performance (does that even make sense?) Anyways,  bit of background on Courtney Galiano - she was chosen as one of the All-Stars on the Season 7 tour, and after noticing numbness in parts of her body, she was actually diagnosed with MS (Multiple Sclerosis) and, as Nigel mentioned, lost vision in her left eye for a month. It is incredibly inspiring for Courtney to come back and dance nationally after such an experience. I can't imagine being diagnosed with such a disease if you're a professional dancer.

To be completely honest, as talented a dancer as Courtney is, she really needs to beef up her choreography. There was no creativity whatsoever in this piece, and the storyline we were given in the pre-performance package (a Romeo and Juliet love story), was all but absent within it. With that said, it was well danced, and Tucker did what he could. They're both fantastic dancers, I just wish we could see them in a routine with a different choreographer. Kind of forgettable.

4. Paul and All-Star Comfort Fedoké
HIP HOP

Really fun hip hop, and again, unsurprisingly, Paul absolutely kills it. I kind of hate myself for laughing out loud at the hoodies they were wearing ("HIP HOP LIVES"), but regardless, Comfort is an amazing choreographer. It showed off Paul's ability to become the chameleon he is and absolutely completely involve himself in every single genre he's been thrown... This guy has had his own style ONCE and he's never scraped the bottom in something like ten weeks. I'm just going to take a moment to appreciate how much of a surprise he's been to basically everybody - when he mentioned that he won SYTYCD Armenia in his audition, it was kind of impressive, but almost everybody immediately dismissed this fact. I actually originally found it to be kind of sketchy that he would be eligible to win in both. HOWEVER, I soon realized that not only are the two shows, although they share the same name, completely different audiences and competitions, but that absolutely everybody would soon fall head over heels in love with Paul. He's not flashy or obnoxious, yet he's been able to wow everyone with nothing but his seemingly limitless talent (his flawless physical features actually probably don't hurt, either).

5. Hayley and All-Star Dmitry Chaplin
RUMBA

Another successful routine because the All-Star is an amazing choreographer. Rumba's always been kind of a murky, undefined genre on the show for me (my confusion probably stems from Jordan Casanova and Jess LeProtto's barefoot rumba in season 8), but this was really, really beautiful. I think Hayley's found her niche - the classy-but-sexy. My two favourite routines from her this season have been this rumba and the Argentine Tango with Leonardo a couple weeks ago, and they both fill this character description. The "sexy" routines they do on this show fall into one of two categories for me; "classy", or "skanky". Hayley's done both (remember that terribly uncomfortable leather-clad Ray Leeper jazz routine she did with Curtis?), and the "classy" version she can pull off beautifully.

6. Jenna and All-Star Mark Kanemura
JAZZ

MARK!! Now, Mark's SYTYCD-famous for being Lady Gaga's favourite, and I'm so glad he came back to choreograph this fun piece. On the creativity spectrum, Courtney Galiano's routine is at one end and this one by Mark is at the other (sorry. sorry. sorry, I know I'll be hated for this). The eyes-and-mouth setpieces were the coolest, and Jenna could absolutely pull off the movement. One of my favourites of hers.


7. Jasmine and All-Star tWitch Boss
HIP HOP

I was originally beyond excited for this number because, well, tWitch. Who can go wrong with tWitch? Unfortunately, although his dancing was as above-par as it always is, the choreography kind of fell flat for me. The undercover-superhero premise, the dancers, the costumes, everything was lined up to go seamlessly, but somehow it didn't for me. I kept waiting for "the moment", when they would all of a sudden jump into perfectly synchronized tutting and creative movement or something, but it never really happened. Kind of anti-climactic, I guess.

8. Amy and All-Star Travis Wall
CONTEMPORARY

First of all, Amy Yakima, how do you get so lucky? Tonight's performance was the perfect storm; a CONTEMPORARY piece choreographed by EMMY-NOMINATED TRAVIS WALL partnered by EMMY-NOMINATED TRAVIS WALL danced to a song by none other than the most gorgeous voice on earth, JAMES VINCENT McMORROW. (Insert Arrested Development Gob "COme on!" here). It was beyond stunning. It reminded me of Melanie Moore and Neil Haskell's Total Eclipse of the Heart in season 8, except I loved this one more. Travis Wall is becoming one of the nation's premiere contemporary choreographers, and what I love even more is that he can dance the hell out of his own choreography. So beautiful, best one tonight by far. Expect to see this again at the finale.

Jenna and Tucker get eliminated. At this point in the competition, you can't complain getting this far, so they didn't look too crushed.

Top 8 Partner Rankings (all my own personal opinion :)
1. Amy and All-Star Travis
2. Paul and All-Star Comfort
3. Hayley and All-Star Dmitry
4. Jenna and All-Star Mark
5. Fik-Shun and All-Star Allison
6. Aaron and All-Star Chelsie
7. Jasmine and All-Star tWitch
8. Tucker and All-Star Courtney

Elimination predictions (remember, the guy and girl with the lowest amount of votes this week automatically go home, with no deliberation from either the producers, judges or choreographers);

GIRLS
Probably Jasmine based on tonight's performance, but overall, Hayley should probably go over Jasmine.
GUYS
Aaron

ANNOUNCEMENT - I was thinking of doing a reader-e-mail type segment every once in a while, especially as the show is heading into its final weeks. If you have any SYTYCD-related questions, comments, suggestions, etc., and if I get enough bi-weekly or so, I'll occasionally do a segment where I answer the e-mails. Sound good? This is basically because commenting on Blogger is such a pain in the ass, so let's make it easier, shall we? Questions, comments, etc. (SYTYCD-related please!!); sytycdfansblog@gmail.com 

all performance pictures from www.fox.com/dance/

SYTYCD Season 10 Top 10 Recap + Partner Rankings

AKA The Night of 1273829173 Standing Ovations

The opening number was a contemporary (??!!??) routine by Christopher Scott. It was an absolutely fabulous concept, which he excels in, but in my opinion he still needs to work out his contemporary muscle a bit to beef it up. Pretty, but not super exciting.

Bottom 4 this week; Makenzie Dustman, Jenna Johnson, Tucker Knox (because of his knee injury last week he was automatically bumped to the bottom for this week), and Nico Greetham. No solos, not sure why because there probably would have been plenty of airtime if they cut down the performance packages a bit.

Oh, and I thought an alternate title might be appropriate for this recap, because if you didn't tune in last night, I can't remember the last time I saw so many standing ovations. It actually got kind of annoying because I didn't think all of them deserved standing os, but whatever...

1. Amy and All-Star Brandon Bryant - Doriana Sanchez
DISCO

Besides the absolutely ATROCIOUS music choice (Whitney Houston music remixed to a terrible wanna-be fist-bumping rhythm?), this Disco was another high-energy Doriana Sanchez number. Disco is probably the most intensive genre of dance cardio-wise (second only to Bollywood), and Brandon Bryant seems to be the only All-Star they feel like putting through this. It was basically a carbon copy of last season's disco with Tiffany Maher and Brandon, and probably just as un-memorable. Amy danced the hell out of it, but it might land her in the bottom just because of the genre.

2. Aaron and All-Star Kathryn McCormick - Stacey Tookey
CONTEMPORARY

I love that Kathryn, now having starred in Hollywood blockbusters, is coming back to be an All-Star again this season. She is probably one of the best contemporary dancers to ever have graced that stage in LA (joined by such as Melanie Moore, Kherington Payne, Billy Bell, Travis Wall, Danny Tidwell), and I absolutely love her movement and pretty much all of her work. Needless to say, I kind of watched Kathryn more than I watched Aaron in this piece about unconditional love, but it was still so so stunning. The fluidity and strength that they both showed was gorgeous. I still can't get over how strong Aaron is, lifting Kathryn like she weighs nothing (even though she probably isn't shy of Malece Miller's 98 pounds or something). He's definitely proving to be a dark horse, and although I included him in my original Top 10 predictions, I never really expected him to succeed as much as he had. 

STANDING OVATION FROM JUDGES

3. Fik-Shun and All-Star Melanie Moore - Mandy Moore
JAZZ

Melanie Moore is probably the most universally-loved contestant of all time. Who doesn't like her? And plus, who doesn't like Fik-Shun? They are probably the most adorable couple that was paired tonight, but surprisingly, this jazz number was super hot and incredibly-well danced. Fik-Shun's biggest strength is his performance ability, and he was able to tap into it last night without being the tiresome goofy character they have had him play up again and again. Loved it. 

STANDING OVATION FROM JUDGES

4. Paul and All-Star Witney Carson - Jean-Marc Généreux
CHA CHA

FINALLY. Finally. Finally Paul gets his own genre for once, and the stakes were incredibly high. Besides Witney's outfit being at an all-time high for un-classiness, they obviously danced the hell out of it and Paul continues his winning streak. Not super memorable, but his leagues of female fans will probably keep him safe. If not, his versatility and all-around star quality will definitely keep him in.

STANDING OVATION FROM JUDGES

5. Hayley and All-Star tWitch Boss - Christopher Scott
HIP HOP

Meh. Is it me, or did Chris Scott water this Hip Hop down for Hayley a bit? Although I agree that she's incredibly talented, I just am not able to see what makes her unique from any other contemporary girl, and she hasn't really been able to solidify her personality on the show yet, nor has she been able to find her own niche to make her really stand out in the legacy on the show. She really reminds me of Tiffany Maher - someone who nails her routines enough to stay in the competition a long time, but never really really shines out from the competition. It was fun and fluffy and pulled off, but decidedly unmemorable in the scheme of things.

6. Jenna and All-Star Neil Haskell - Mandy Moore
CONTEMPORARY

A very pretty routine with everyone's favourite heartthrob (Neil Haskell) and again Jenna shows her all-around versatility and ability to pick up anything that gets thrown her way. Not much else to say, it was a pretty standard contemporary routine on this show, but it was nonetheless stunning and very flowy and it had impressive lifts. Must be really uninspiring for Jenna to keep ending up in the bottom, and I feel terrible that she has to go through the emotional rollercoaster of being in the Bottom 4/6 every week.

STANDING OVATION FROM JUDGES

7. Jasmine and All-Star Marko Germar - Ray Leeper
JAZZ

Fun routine, although I wish Jasmine had been given something different to wear than the same suit Marko was given to perform this in. They are so different appearance-wise that these costumes, probably designed to give them a homogeneous look for the piece, didn't really work. In any case, all eyes were on Jasmine, and as much as we all love Marko, he really faded in the face of Jasmine's incredible stage presence, even though he was probably doing his job as an All-Star. If Michael Jackson and Janelle Monàe had a baby, this is what he or she would choreograph.

STANDING OVATION FROM JUDGES

8. Makenzie and All-Star Jakob Karr - Spencer Liff
BROADWAY

Amazingly well-danced and synchronized between the two. Basically a tour-de-force Broadway number showcasing two of the show's most technically perfect dancers. Everyone knows Jakob Karr is perfection in a human dancer's body, and Makenzie just showed that she belongs to this league of dancers. Hard to keep your eyes off Makenzie, because she was basically clothed in this enormous piece of gorgeous red chiffon. Not much chemistry, but I'm not sure it was needed.

STANDING OVATION FROM JUDGES

9. Nico and All-Star Comfort Fedoké - NappyTabs
HIP HOP

Creative idea for a Hip Hop number, and Comfort is just an absolute beast and definitely the best Hip Hop girl ever on the show. Not much to say on this one as well, besides the music was kind of annoying and their costumes were beyond bizarre. Nico definitely has improved his "swagger" since his first Hip Hop ish-fiasco with Alexis way back in Top 20, and it was nice to see him in a different light.


10. Tucker and All-Star Robert Roldan - Travis Wall
CONTEMPORARY

This routine was about two brothers - one who has hit rock bottom and has been given a second chance, and of the other brother who supports him back up. Bit of backstory- Tucker and Robert have both been in life-altering (and almost life-robbing) car accidents, and Travis's adoptive brother Danny Tidwell had a terrible home life for the first decade or so of his life (while living with his biological family), so all three have had second chances personally impact them. Stunning piece with such raw emotion and talent and passion, and probably one of the most memorable this season. I was a bit shocked to see Robert, who was one of my favourites back in Season 7, because the last time we had seen him in S7 he was confident-looking and young, and it seems as though after his accident he's aged a lot mentally. The synchronization was not always spot-on, especially in the aerial stuff, but who cares?

Makenzie and Nico are sent home. So, so, sad, because in my Top 4 Makenzie would definitely be there. However, her emotional maturity and perfect technique (not to mention being absolutely beautiful) at such a young age will guarantee her a very long and successful career, as will Nico if he continues to grow in his confidence while dancing and growing his versatility in the different genres.

Sigh. Oh well.

Top 10 Partner Rankings (all my personal opinion :)

1. Tucker and AS Robert Roldan
2. Aaron and AS Kathryn McCormick
3. Fik-Shun and AS Melanie Moore
4. Makenzie (ELIMINATED) and AS Jakob Karr
5. Jenna and AS Neil Haskell
6. Paul and AS Witney Carson
7. Jasmine and AS Marko Germar
8. Amy and AS Brandon Bryant
9. NICO (ELIMINATED) and AS Comfort Fedoké
10. Hayley and AS tWitch Boss

Don't hate me for the rankings, it was absolutely terrible this week to decide which was better.

Predictions for people in danger next week;
GIRLS
1. Hayley
2. Amy

GUYS
1. Paul
2. Aaron

SYTYCD Season 10 Top 12 Recap + Partner Rankings

We open with a 2-minute Bollywood group routine, which takes an insane amount of cardio. I was especially impressed with Nico, who managed to find enough energy to fit in a couple backflips towards the end, where he should be basically panting. Kenny Ortega is the guest judge- why do they keep getting this guy? He's knowledgeable, but no fun. I wonder if they have some sort of contract with him or something.

Dancers in danger are Malece Miller, Alan Bersten, Amy Yakima and Tucker Knox. Amy and Tucker definitely had the standout solos, although I would have liked to see Amy dance to something different than the song she auditioned to, because they're really the only two solos we've seen on her part besides whatever she did in Vegas. Tucker still has a while to find his niche, because he doesn't quite have the body type to be Billy Bell-esque (of whom he reminded me of in some of his moves tonight), but he has the amazing potential to become another "big name" in the legacy of the show. Malece's routine was kind of strangely put together, with super choppy transitions and kind of unimpressive technical aspects (i.e. pirouettes), but maybe it was just because it's compared to technical powerhouse Amy.

1. Hayley and Nico - Sean Cheesman
BROADWAY

Why does Sean Cheesman basically keep replicating his broadway numbers that he did on the Canadian version? Honestly, take a look;

Hayley and Nico

Danielle and Sebsatian (SYTYCD Canada)

He did it with the hobo dance last week as well, copying something from I believe season 1, with the Triplets of Belleville music. Whatever. But I'm surprised Nigel or anybody hasn't said anything. In any case, they were amazing, and it was one of the funnest broadway routines on the show in recent memory. I don't even understand the physics behind that split-lift they did. With different partners, Hayley and Nico are definitely standing out to me.

2. Malece and Alan - Mandy Moore
JAZZ

Meh. It was fun and airy, but there was no substance. Every once in a while Mandy Moore pulls a bland one, and I couldn't even keep myself entertained in this at all. If she hadn't mentioned the inspiration from "Old Hollywood," honestly, I wouldn't even guess that that was the objective of the routine. I actually even thought Alan brought more personality and energy to this piece, but maybe that's just because Malece was shaken after her dance for her life solo.

3. Jenna and Alex Wong - Jean-Marc Généreux
PASO DOBLE

I swear to God, Jean-Marc Généreux makes my night every time he's on the show. If anyone ever watched the Canadian version of the show, Jean-Marc was a judge and he was absolutely hilarious; basically the SYTYCDC equivalent of Bruno from DWTS. ANYWAYS, Tucker had to sit this one out for some reason, and Alex Wong was probably kicking around LA somewhere a couple days before the show, so they called him up and asked him to step in instead. It was a creative idea for a paso, but the choreography was not mind-blowing nor would it probably even be considered an actual "paso doble", but they had cool costumes and they pulled it off.

4. Makenzie and Paul - Mandy Moore
CONTEMPORARY

Still kinda mad that this couple never got some sort of Latin Ballroom, to give Paul a bigger reason to shine, and they've gotten Contemporary twice, but this one was even more breathtaking than the Lindsay Nelko one. Holy god, Paul is probably one of the most versatile and strong dancers they've ever had on the show, and Makenzie is just stunning. And have you ever seen a more attractive couple? I'm sorry Anna Kendrick, I disagree, I think Makenzie and Paul should make a baby... but in all seriousness, Paul is my pick to win right now, if he can beat Amy Yakima to the title.

Just as a tally though - Kenzie/Paul had jazz 2x, contemp 2x, viennese waltz, and hip hop... would have been nice to have had a salsa or something thrown in there.

5. Amy and Fik-Shun - Jean-Marc Généreux
VIENNESE WALTZ

I really loved that these two were able to portray something other than their usual goofy characters. It was stunning, and Fik-Shun was especially surprising, although I shouldn't even be surprised anymore. Gorgeous. Not much else to say. Again, would have been nice to see this couple do a Latin Ballroom piece for a real challenge.

6. Jasmine and Aaron - NappyTabs
HIP HOP

Not my favourite NappyTabs piece ever, but there were some fun props thrown in there and the costumes were fun too, they just barely toed the kitschy line for me. NappyTabs were probably trying to replicate the "My Chick Bad" routine w/ Lauren Froderman and tWitch (S7) to some extent, but there was something missing in this one... Maybe Jasmine didn't have enough confidence or something? Aaron definitely out-hip-hopped her, but she wasn't terrible. Good hip hop, but overall not completely memorable in the whole scheme of things.

Top 6 (minus Tucker) Boys Routine - NappyTabs
HIP HOP

Fun, super athletic routine that showcased all the guys's strengths. Paul and Nico were definitely the anchors in this for me... Paul's shenaes (sp? I've been doing them for like over twelve years and still can't spell them) at the beginning were so incredible, especially when back-lit like that. Kind of neat for such an "emotional" storyline to be paired with a hard-hitting Hip Hop - the basic idea was that the rope in the routine was the metaphor for the struggle men have to deal with in relationships. We even got a somewhat unneccesary relationship advice gem from Alan; "I think men are afraid to be committed because they don't want to get hurt". I don't even know what to make of that. But hey, look at that, Nico even got to wear a beanie and Paul absolutely rocks plaid shirts, so not too shabby of a performance. Oh, and the reason Tucker had to sit two of his three performances out was because of a knee infection. Not sure why they made such a mystery of that at the beginning of the show.

Top 6 Girls Routine - Stacey Tookey
CONTEMPORARY

Holy moly, there's a reason why they chose this routine as last. Stacey Tookey is nothing short of a dance goddess, and this was a beautiful idea for choreography. Lana Del Rey's "Young and Beautiful" soundtrack from the Great Gatsby was absolute perfection for this piece. These six are so strong.

Malece and Alan are voted off. Sad, but necessary, and I think given the bottom this week they chose well. I'm really surprised that Malece didn't make Top 10 given her enormous fanbase, but unfortunately it was probably time for Alan to go, because he was never really able to connect to the audience and voters, although he's an incredible chameleon and tackled everything he was given.

Partner Rankings This Week; (all my own personal opinion :)

1. Makenzie and Paul
2. Hayley and Nico
3. Amy and Fik-Shun
4. Jasmine and Aaron
5. Jenna and Alex Wong
6. Malece (ELIMINATED) and Alan (ELIMINATED)

Next week is where the real fun begins - who do you think will be an All-Star next week? And here's to hoping that Paul Karmiryan will finally get something within his own genre. 

SYTYCD Season 10 Top 14 Recap + Partner Rankings

Here we are again. The thing about having only one episode a week is that by this point in the competition, you feel like you should know the dancers pretty well, whereas now they're mostly still just defined by their routines unless people know them personally. In any case, I'm looking forward to Top 10 and beyond so we can get to know these dancers better and better.

I wasn't too crazy about the opening group number by Sonya Tayeh and Dmitry Chaplin, but I guess it was a cool pairing to have a sort of hipster-goth contemporary/jazz choreographer and a ballroom choreographer collab on a group number. It mostly seemed like just Sonya choreo though.

We learn our bottom six; Curtis, Alan, Nico, Jasmine, Alexis, and MAKENZIE. Seriously. What is with people? This is basically the only time when I'm sad to be from Canada, because I'm not able to vote whatsoever. Makenzie has been pretty much flawless in all of her performances so far, she's gorgeous and seems very likable. What's not to like? The bottom is getting kind of tiring so far, because for half of the dancers this is at least their 3rd time at the bottom of the totem pole. Makenzie's saved right away, and the guys are told they don't have to dance because they "know how they dance their individual routines already". This is either because Curtis was injured this week and couldn't perform (get this; he injured his shoulder) and they wanted to make the playing field even, or the more likely possibility that they just didn't have the time in the programming for 5 solos. So we see Jasmine's and Alexis's.

1. Jenna and Tucker - Luther Brown
HIP HOP

Another Luther Brown number. This man seems to think that tight, black leather is the only possible material for his costume numbers. They looked pretty ridiculous in all that leather, not to mention I can't imagine how difficult it would be to dance with LITERALLY a second, thick skin on underneath the stage lights and beneath stage makeup. It was a pretty forgettable routine, mostly because it was nothing we haven't seen before from Luther. Jenna and Tucker did the best they could. And what was with those enormous black speakers or amps or whatever some poor stage crew members had to haul on and off??

2. Alexis and Nico - Sonya Tayeh
CONTEMPORARY

This is actually one of my favourite Sonya pieces ever, along with the Tiffany/George Jr. and Cole/Allison Holker routines from last season. It was gorgeous, creative movement we haven't seen from Sonya before, and it was the first time that Alexis really stood out for me. Really stunning, although I wish Sonya would dip her toes in something with lighter material again for a change. It's been a while since we've seen a gorgeous contemp piece from anybody with a happy mood or story.

3. Hayley and Curtis (INJURED) - Miriam Larici and Leonardo Barrionuevo
ARGENTINE TANGO

Because Curtis is injured, Leonardo stepped in with his enormous suit to partner Hayley instead. Again, one of my top all-time Argentine Tangos. (Others include Caitlynn/Pasha in S8 and Chehon/Anya in S9...). Hayley is just absolutely stunning, and for the first time I actually start to see her as a real contender. I always knew she was gorgeous in her own style, but she hit everything tonight with deliberation and sharpness and passion. Leonardo probably helped her a bit too, which I think is probably necessary in something as passionate as an Argentine Tango, to have at least one of the partners be a pro at it. The dress was stunning, the music was perfect, the lines were beautiful. And I'm no Argentine Tango expert, but this seemed like it had a lot of more traditional and technical steps to it, not just the fancy lifts that get votes. Guest judge Anna Kendrick basically nailed it when she noticed that Hayley was, thank heavens, not being portrayed as a vixen-sexy-dangerous character in another routine. SO beautiful.

4. Makenzie and Paul - Sonya Tayeh
JAZZ

Second jazz piece this couple have received, so far, and so far, it's 2 for 2. It was technically sharp and all-around entertaining and hot, and it shows that this couple are super super powerful. Unfortunately, the lack of storyline in this piece will probably make it more forgettable than their other ones to date, which makes me super nervous again next week for Makenzie, because I don't think the judges will be able to justify saving her again if she goes for a fourth round in the bottom. They already had to feed the audience a reason to save her again (WHICH MAKES NO SENSE BECAUSE WHAT REASON DO YOU NEED PEOPLE SHE'S PERFECT), saying that they had to save Eliana and Chehon numerous times and look, they won! Whatever.


5. Jasmine and Aaron - Justin Giles
CONTEMPORARY

This piece was based on the book "The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein, which apparently warranted an entire recap by Nigel before he could actually start critiquing. This was such a creative premise for the routine, and everything visual from the costumes to the lightning to the apple prop were perfect. Nice to see these two have something in one of their own genres for a change. Stunning piece, and just showing how much more of a surprise contender Jasmine Harper has been for me this season. Honestly, and terribly, I kind of pegged her as someone who would leave in the first couple of weeks because of her terrible playing-up of the Cyrus's-ex story, which was probably pegged on her by the producers. I am pleasantly surprised at her success though, and I just hope she can continue this winning streak. Aaron is fantastic, I just find his faces are pulled sometimes just a little too much, and exaggerated a little to be entirely sincere or believable. Stunning piece though.

6. Amy and Fik-Shun - Christopher Scott
HIP HOP

I love that Chris Scott is returning to his cutes-y, sort of retro pieces, at least for this routine. Dunno why they decided real water in the pitcher prop was necessary, because Amy's chair slipped and fell and the "SYTYCD Café"menus were dripping with water. They were adorable in this routine though, where Amy played the waitress, and Fik-Shun played the customer with a crush on the waitress, and they definitely pulled it off again. Two things though; they always play the same goofy characters in almost every routine they've been given (exc. Sonya's contemporary and the Paso), and they haven't gotten anything super hard yet, like a Salsa or a Cha Cha or Quickstep or anything ballroom-challenging.

7. Malece and Alan - Season 5 Alumni Jonathan Flatero 
SALSA

Loved this salsa. It was actually the first salsa in recent memory that has had a ballroom pro as one of the two partners. Alan was super confident in this routine and it showed, where this is probably the first routine where Malece stumbled even a bit. Granted, she's gone through the wringer with all the styles she's been given, and she's been basically killing everything.

MINI GROUP NUMBERS

I thought this was a good idea to get rid of the awkward space in air-time between not having enough time for each couple to do 2 pieces, but too much time with every couple doing just 1 (Basically Top 14/Top 12, because they can fill the rest with promos etc. on weeks before). So seven of the Top 14 were in each number...

Broadway - Spencer Liff
Fun Broadway piece by my favourite Broadway choreographer. And I love when the choreographers step into their own routines, whether it be by necessity (i.e. tonight, in Curtis's place) or by intention (i.e. Chris Scott in the insane animation number he did with Comfort, tWitch and Cyrus last season). Not much else to say, although it was next to cruel to have Alan and Malece do that insane, high-octane salsa, then pop backstage, quick-change, and pop back out for this high-octane Broadway. Probably because they wanted to keep the emotional routine for last, though...

Contemporary - Bonnie Story
Moving piece about bullying and anti-bullying, and although I'm not sure about how effective it will be to "stop bullying", it's good to keep the message out there and kicking, especially during the summertime when all schools are out, as it's probably where 95% of all bullying starts (not exact statistics but whatever...). Beautiful piece, and I mostly kept my eyes on Jasmine, Nico and Amy, as it's their domain.

At the end, to no one's surprise, Curtis and Alexis are cut. Sucks to lose two tappers at once, but it was really time for both of them. Before they cut to the last commercial break, they had Alan, Curtis, and probably a couple other of the Bottom 6 on that mini-step they have to showcase who's coming up next etc., and Alan looked absolutely terrified, while Curtis was completely relaxed. Curtis probably put two and two together and probably just decided his own fate when he first got injured. Injured, and has had solid critiquing for at least the past three weeks.

Anna Kendrick was hilarious. Hopefully she'll be another "regular" guest judge, à la Christina Applegate or Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and come back some other time, instead of having Paula Abdul for three weeks into the Top 8, 6, and 4.

Partner Rankings; this was super hard this week so don't hate me.

1. Hayley / Curtis (ELIMINATED) *Replaced by Leonardo
2. Jasmine / Aaron
3. Alexis (ELIMINATED) / Nico
4. Makenzie / Paul
5. Malece / Alan
6. Amy / Fik-Shun (just because she fell- I hate myself as much as you do right now).
7. Jenna / Tucker - by a long shot.

People in danger next week;

GUYS
1. Tucker
2. Alan

GIRLS
1. Jenna
2. Malece