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

My favourite SYTYCD GIFs in honour of National Dance Day

So National Dance Day is tomorrow. If you're interested in more about the actual celebrations and roots, the website is http://dizzyfeetfoundation.org/national-dance-day . There's also a couple routines to learn, including the "Everybody Dance Routine" with Adam Shankman and the Big Kahuna of the entire shenanigan, Nigel Lythgoe, as well as a "Hip Hop Master Class" with NappyTabs, Baby NappyTabs and Comfort Fedoké.


(Note; Tuesday's guest judge is Anna Kendrick, who's from Pitch Perfect and is generally all-around hilarious. So excited).

But really, what better way to celebrate than to spend hours on Tumblr finding the best SYTYCD GIFs? Here's some of my favourites from this year and beyond;

All right that's probably enough... Happy National Dance Day, and see you on Tuesday  after the Top 14 perform :)

SYTYCD Top 16 Recap + Partner Rankings

Anyone else follow the official page on twitter? They actually re-tweet every identical single tweet twice for both the east and west coasts... Kind of unnecessary... And super annoying hashtags. But I guess they're informative so whatever...

We first learn the bottom 6 - Jenna, Mariah, Makenzie, Curtis, BluPrint and Alan. Everyone basically predicted the men because it was so blatant last week, but Makenzie again? Seriously? It'll look bad if she falls to the bottom again and they save her again, but honestly, she's one of the two or three top talented girls in this competition and this is getting super ridiculous. They all dance for their lives after a lengthy declaration from Nigel. Alan's was dramatically impressive, but not sure how much actual ballroom technique was in that. He just basically whipped around that silky cape for the last ten seconds, and Curtis's tap routine was nothing special. BluPrint actually had the best solo, I think. Jenna's immediately saved and does not have to dance for her life.

1. Alexis and Nico - Tony Meredith & Melanie LaPatin

JIVE

Why do they keep placing ballroom numbers as the openers? Forget about the quickstep being the kiss of death, it's pulling a ballroom that's not a paso or an argentine tango as the show opener. Despite everything, this is the first performance that I was actually super impressed with on Nico's part, who's showing himself to be a really versatile dancer. Alexis kept up, but even in her grey shimmery dress she couldn't outshine Nico.

2. Jenna and Tucker - Travis Wall

CONTEMPORARY

Travis is really pulling out the big guns this season with creative numbers, and this was no exception. Tucker has a way of making everything look so flawless and effortless, and Jenna was incredible as her puppet-y character. Both will probably go super far. A couple prop issues with the puppet elastics, but they are obviously very polished performers and just kept dancing it beautifully. 

3. Mariah and BluPrint - Brian Friedman

JAZZ

What a totally strange routine. The premise was sort of interesting, but Brian Friedman must have totally ran out of choreography ideas about halfway through. The first half was energizing with the music, and the two hit the moves correctly, but then I wondered if the two like last-minute decided to do the next half of the routine at half-time. Why would you choreograph such slow moves to such fast music with no transition in between? And poor Mariah probably couldn't even see with the 7 pounds of fake eyelashes they glued on her.

4. Malece and Alan - Dave Scott

HIP HOP

First of all, let's talk about what a strange pairing this is. Alan probably literally weighs like two and a half times Malece's weight. Just the physics of their partnering doesn't match, because Malece has already done half the choreography because she can basically fly she's so light and weightless, while Alan has to put in like three times the effort just to keep up with her. I know this was just a pairing made out of convenience after last week's eliminations, but I just feel bad for the both of them. The choreography was refreshing and I generally really liked this routine. Okay, sorry, one last snarky observation - I think they spent like 98% of the costume budget on Malece's outfit and then hobbled together Alan's out of bits and pieces from the back of the costume department. Honestly, Alan's top looked like it was sewed out of the sort of felt kids use for crafts, and they probably just hauled those dumb harlem pants out from some other routine. 

5. Hayley and Curtis - Dee Caspary

CONTEMPORARY

I absolutely adore Dee's work - his lightbulb piece for Melanie and Marko in season 8 was pure magic. Unfortunately, he didn't get as magical a couple this time. Hayley was gorgeous in this piece, as to be expected because of her background, but I just cannot even understand what Curtis is still doing there. He's exceptionally talented, but when you get mixed in with 15 other world-class dancers it's hard to stand out. His feet were garishly flexed (unless it was a part of the choreo, which could be), his shoulders were absolutely raised too high, and he just doesn't have the confidence or the charisma to pull off a strong partnering stunt. The sushi date thing was adorable, though. 

6. Amy and Fik-Shun - Tyce Diorio

JAZZ

One of my hands-down favourite Tyce pieces, along with his wall piece with Sasha Mallory and Kent Boyd. Amy and FikShun proved once again they can basically pull anything off, and that they're well on their way to the Top 4. Not much else to say. One of my favourites of the night. 

Oh, LOL, just an insert to Nigel's Most Irrelevant Remark of the Night; "Fik-Shun, I wouldn't be surprised if Will and Kate named their baby after you!" 

7. Makenzie and Paul - Dave Scott

HIP HOP

Holy ahsdjasldlashshdajdhj. Paul Karmiryan, your hips are absolute magic. I'm just please waiting for some godly person to make a GIF of some of those hip moves he did. I know everybody loves Amy and Fik-Shun, and I love them too, I promise, but Makenzie and Paul just have that extra dose of chemistry. For heaven's sake, it was flawless and tight from start to finish and the only thing that ruined this perfect moment was Nigel's dumb comment about how this was really 20s and not 30s, but who cares? This couple can basically do anything, and are fantastic at making each other look good while playing themselves up as well. Hands down best of the night. 

8. Jasmine and Aaron - Tony Meredith & Melanie LaPatin

QUICKSTEP

WILL THEY STOP WITH THE "KISS OF DEATH QUICKSTEP" GIG ALREADY? Honestly, we have all heard 1780347830243940 times how hard quickstep is, just show us the routine... Anyways, Jasmine and Aaron are definitely the most charismatic on the show, and although their routine was not technically perfect, they just looked like they were having a lot of fun, and voters love that. 

Oh, I should probably talk about Carly Rae Jepsen guest judging, but honestly, there's not much to say. I love Carly Rae because she was my favourite on Canadian Idol when she placed 3rd (her cover of "Georgia On My Mind" is so stunning), but they really have no place putting Carly Rae in charge of judging something she has no experience in (as far as we know). I suppose there's the aspect that these sort of media-stars (Erin Andrews etc.) can judge the entertainment factor and speak for the rest of the non-dancing audience, but there's only so much they can say when they don't have the background to properly critique the routines. 

I completely disagreed with their sending home of BluPrint - I think he has had way way more growth on the program than Curtis - but I suppose his time was coming in Nigel et al's eyes anyways. Mariah gets sent home to no one's surprise after Makenzie's routine tonight. 

My partner rankings tonight;

1. Makenzie and Paul (NO MORE COMMENT ALTHOUGH I REALLY WANT TO TALK ABOUT THIS ONE MORE HOLY ASHDJSDJLJIP)

2. Amy and Fik-Shun

3. Jenna and Tucker

4. Jasmine and Aaron

5. Malece and Alan

6. Hayley and Curtis 

7. Mariah and BluPrint (BOTH ELIMINATED)

8. Alexis and Nico

Bottom predictions; I really hope they start with doing the Bottom 4 next week... But I added a third guy and girl just in case they don't...

GUYS

1. Curtis

2. Alan

POSSIBLE 3. Nico, if his fanbase doesn't hold strong enough for him through his jive tonight.

GIRLS

1. Alexis

2. Hayley

POSSIBLE 3. Jasmine 

Alright, I'm going to go watch the Paul/Makenzie routine again. 

EMMY Nominations for Outstanding Choreography 2013

As per usual, multiple SYTYCD choreographers were nominated in this year's EMMY awards. The nominations were announced this morning. Below are all the routines nominated by their respective choreographers; remember that all these nominations are for Season 9 choreography :)

Travis Wall

Where The Light Gets In
Dancers; Amelia Lowe, Alexa Anderson, Janaya French, Amber Jackson, Eliana Girard, Tiffany Maher, Janelle Issis, Lindsay Arnold, Witney Carson, Audrey Case

Unchained Melody

Dancers; Matthew Kazmierczak, Audrey Case

Without You

Dancers; Alex Wong, Eliana Girard

Tabitha and Napoleon D'Umo

The Love Cats

Dancers; Amelia Lowe, Will Thomas

Circle of Life

Dancers; Comfort Fedoké, tWitch Boss, Marko Germar, Allison Holker, Alex Wong, Melanie Moore, Kathryn McCormick, Ade Obayomi, Eliana Girard, Chehon Wespi-Tschopp, Cyrus Spencer, Tiffany Maher, Witney Carson, Cole Horibe, Lindsay Arnold, George Lawrence II, Audrey Case

Beautiful People

Dancers; Eliana Girard, Chehon Wespi-Tschopp, Tiffany Maher, Cyrus Spencer, Cole Horibe, Witney Carson, Will Thomas, Lindsay Arnold, George Lawrence II, Audrey Case, Matt Kazmierczak, Amelia Lowe, Dareian Kujawa, Janelle Issis, Brandon Mitchell, Amber Jackson, Daniel Baker, Alexa Anderson, Nick Bloxom-Carter, Janaya French

Sonya Tayeh

Possibly Maybe

Dancers; Cole Horibe, Allison Holker

Turning Page

Dancers; Tiffany Maher, George Lawrence II

Sail

Dancers; Tiffany Maher, Audrey Case

Mandy Moore

Wild Horses

Dancers; Lindsay Arnold, Cole Horibe

The Power of Love

Dancers; Tiffany Maher, Ade Obayomi

Finally, Allison Holker was also nominated along with Derek Hough for a number she did with Dancing With the Stars;

Dancers; Allison Holker, Derek Hough, Melanie Moore, Kathryn McCormick, Jessica Lee Keller

Congratulations to all the choreographers for their outstanding work and for their nominations in such an enormous awards ceremony! I'm a little surprised that Christopher Scott wasn't nominated for anything, especially the "Architect of the Mind" Routine with the entire Top 20 - that was magical. Based on these routines, I would pick either Sonya or Travis to win; but honestly, these are all gorgeous performances.