Wednesday, July 02, 2008

So You Think You Can Recap (Performances v.4)

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, we find ourselves in the clutches of yet another Wednesday night and another episode of SYTYCD. Well, that's where I find myself anyway. Though tempted to watch this week's episode from the treadmill, how on earth would I be able to keep my thoughts together in such an organized and concise manner, ready for your consumption with your morning coffee? It simply could not happen, dear reader. And so I sacrefice my health and fitness for your entertainment. Oh I do hope it's worth it. I can't even knit while I do this!

I've got dinner in the oven (a filet of flounder stuffed with crab- oh yes we're fancy like that) and 20 minutes till it's time to eat, so let's get this party started. I'm late tuning in, but plan to catch up during commercials. Oh DVR, how I love thee.

Cat Deely's raided Minnie Mouse's closet. GOODNESS. Dear Katee, Gwen Stefani called- and she wants her hairstyle back. Yikes. Thayne is working hard for that Colgate endorsement. Chelsie, The 80's called- they want their 'denim shorts over leopard print leggings' back. Actually I think those leggings might belong to Peg Bundy. Mark fancies himself a crumper these days, and that wink from Joshua- yeah that was for me. *MWAH* I actually koinda (oh yes, i see the typo but i like that too) dug Kourtni's little figure skater spin there, and I hope Comfort's outfit isn't the highlight of the evening for her. WOAH NELLY FURTADO!! (hi Ayana!) 14 dances tonight? Not sure how I'm gonna have to re-format the posting for this, but I suppose we'll see how it goes and roll with it.

Jessica & Will: Jive
(song: Choo Choo Ch'Boogie, Five Guys Named Moe Original Broadway Cast) Well, this certainly seems to be going well, despite Jill occasionally appearing to be a little lost. I wonder how dependent she is on Will to keep her on track through the performance, because it looks like a lot. She seems to reach too much into space, rather than connecting right with Will. Once she's solo, she's in trouble.
Agree with judges? I'm with Mary. I love how she is more critical of the ballroom-style dances; the waltzes, jives, foxtrots, etc.

Comfort & Thayne: Broadway
(song: Cool, West Side Story ) New pairing! Yay! They claim to have good chemistry already, but I'm looking forward to seeing it. Thayne seems to be in character, i just hope she can keep it.. oh too late. dammit. This is a little slow moving- but I also really like the concept. I don't know if the judges will think Comfort's going big enough with her movements and whatnot.
Agree with judges? Yes- they're giving Comfort credit for her flirtiness and character, which I like. I also agree with Mary that it could've been bigger/more, but at the same time it wasn't necessarily lacking. Nigel's getting hardcore this week, and though I think they did well, the pool is getting too narrow- they'll prolly find themselves in the bottom 3 again.

Kourtni & Matt: Hip Hop
(song: How Do I Breathe, Mario) Hmm... it does not bode well when your partner says he's gonna work on his solo mid-rehersal... HAHA Matt looks like Kevin Federline. Neither of them really pop. This might be too smooth. They're falling out of sync a little too often. That was another bubble-gum hip hop routine and I really didn't like it. I've seen some nice slow hip-hop dances in videos and whatnot (Ciara does it often) and it just wasn't poppin'.
Agree with judges? Yes. It wasn't making anyone feel anything. There was no feeling of chemistry, and like Nigel said, "hip hop on sleeping pills".

Chelsie & Mark: Jazz
(song: Kiss Kiss, Holly Vance) Oh no- you're gonna have to dance? BOO HOO. Seems to be a bit of a slow start so far if you ask me. Not much chemistry going on either, at least not from Chelsie. This should be sexier, but she's got a very cheerleader demeanor going on. Sort of a, "I'm gonna put a smile on and dance with you but I'm not gonna like it." The lifts are nice, but it's not as fast paced as I'd been lead to believe it would be.
Agree with judges? Not really. Maybe I need to watch it again? To be fair, it was technically great, they were very in sync, and Mark looked great- he seemed a lot more 'into it' than she was though. Chelsie was no where near as emotionally involved in this performance as she was last week.

Kherington & Twitch: Paso Doble
(song: Malaguena, Brian Setzer) This will be great or awful. A nice opening though, and my compliments to the costumers! Props can be tricky but they swing those capes in excellent sync- very attention grabbing. Twitch is looking strong and not a bit of apprehension from either of them. Both are very committed to their characters too- wonderful. I think that commitment to a bit can make up for an otherwise error-ridden performance.
Agree with judges? I disagree with the statement that Twitch wasn't in character till halfway through- he was in it from at least that first knee drop, post-cape. The judges are a bit harsh on Twitch, but the audience will keep 'em in.

Katee & Joshua: Contemporary
Oh you lucky lucky monkeys, getting a Mia Michaels routine. Sounds like this might hit a little close to home (for me) though, based on Mia's description of the characters she's set up for them.
(song: Hometown Glory, Adele ) That was incredible. Seems like Joshua practically made himself cry from his own performance, which makes 2 of us. Joshua coming in as a hip hop dancer was such a red herring.
Agree with judges? Yes. And they agree with Joshua that "it's so much more than dancing". They couldn't possibly have done it better. My beef with Katee is officially over. and Mia's a freakin' genius. A little hard to watch, but that's cause I think I've been doing this dance for awhile now.

Courtney & Gev: Hip Hop
(song: Lights, Camera, Action!, Mr Cheeks ) I hated this song the whole summer it was playing non-stop, and for all 5 remixes. s'all good though, and Courtney's already coming off harder than Gev. what gives Gev? His energy is no where near Courtney's- maybe because he's putting more work into making it look effortless?
Agree with judges? Yep- Gev didn't seem like he was really "in" it. Nigel's a dirty old man. haha

*INTERMISSION*


So now it's time for round 2, where each couple will dance again. This week they had to learn twice as much choreography, which may account for the lack of focus in some performances, but there are just as many who are killin' it, so maybe those couples just aren't up to par. This'll be a chance for some of the less praised pairings to redeem themselves, if they can. And my dinner- FABOO. I highly recommend the Trader Joe's crab stuffed flounder & organic foursome. That's right, we get it on organic style 'round here. Back to the show!

Jessica & Will: Lyrical Jazz
(song: Alone, Heart) Hey guess what? I hate this song too. oh jinkies- more props. Lyrical was a BFD when i took dance, and one of the ones I didn't do. It's characterized by a lot of floorwork, as is this routine. and HELLO WILL! they mayl never put him in a shirt again. Man, the floor work with the shirt was really labored. I think Jessica was afraid of it. dammit, can these two please stay in character? Apparently no. there is no passion, it's more like two giggly kids- which if they didn't keep trying to snap back to serious faces would be fine, but they need to take a lesson from pretty much every other couple- except Thayne, who clearly just has a crush on his dentist and wants to keep showing off the fine fine work that's been done in his mouth. Tangent + double entendre = NEXT!
Agree with judges? I'm not sure if they noticed the dancing because of Will's lack of shirt. Thank goodness Jessica's still getting called out, cause she is pulling him down. I think if she were paired with anyone else she'd be gone by now.

Comfort & Thayne: Smooth Waltz
(song: HovArek Sarer Jan, New Age Armenia) Oy- a long lost love? If only Thayne could maintain the emotion, they might have a chance. Comfort's really pullin' it out this week, and thank goodness; I was mad as hell that Chelsea went home last week and I think Comfort has finally figured out that her time is coming. I don't mind a smile from Thayne in the context of the story here, as long as it's not the big goofy one. Their lift with the turns and changing levels are loooovely. That was really really nice! Very graceful.
Agree with judges? It's mostly Mary's opinion I look for on these technical dances, and she loved it. Thayne is a solid partner, but he really needs to work on the chemistry and his expressions. I don't think the emotions that are supposed to be evoked are coming through him. But Nigel is right- solid carriage.

Kourtni & Matt: Mambo
(song: Ban-Con-Tim, Super All-Star) Something about Mark's face is very cartooney, and I have a hard time getting 'passion' from him- which is pretty much all the mambo is. And MAN was that lift ever labored. Likely very difficult for 2 very tall people. It feels slow, and more like they're marking time than dancing full out. There's just no excitement at ALL. A little trouble with the floor spin at the end, but I think if Matt could pretend to be straight for 3 minutes it'd really help.
Agree with judges? Yes. Too smiley, not sexy. No chemistry. Also- Comfort lost her eyebrow ring, so I think Nigel is fully within his rights to take a pair of pliers to Kourtni's face. LOSE THE STUD SWEETHEART.

Chelsie & Mark: Fox Trot
(song: It's My Life, Paul Anka ) I'd forgotten that ballroom was Chelsie's forte. And boy oh boy are those a lot of feathers. I haven't seen that much material on a ballroom dancer since the 90's. Mark's a little too bouncy; on his toes too much. Or maybe I don't know how the fox trot should be danced. (Holy crap- are they covering Bon Jovi, or did Bon Jovi cover Paul Anka? either way... weird.) Very dainty and smooth- I didn't even notice the feather in her mouth till the judges mention it.
Agree with judges? Yes- in fact the judges are making me appreciate it more. It's hard to get as excited about the ballroom stuff as the big leaps and flashy stuff, but it's really a necessary foundation for the show, which is why it's here. OOH- and Nigel agrees he was on his toes a bit much. That makes me feel better.

Kherington & Twitch: Contemporary
(song: Dreaming with a Broken Heart, John Mayer ) more Mia! Michaels! Oh but more sensitive subject matter. Eep. I actually didn't type anything during that performance, and just watched the whole thing. Much as I love Mia I kinda hate her this week, and would've appreciated a tissue warning. I'm really impressed with Twitch this week- he got nothing even remotely resembling hip hop, and is giving Will a run for his money like woah. The chemistry was so good it's ridiculous, and the movement was wonderful. I'll be watching that again.
Agree with judges? "Storytelling at it's best." yep. It was wonderful and amazing and everything they said it was. Slightly less depressing, which i do appreciate. Nigel says they committed to it, and they did. Something about Mia Michaels' choreography really seems to bring the best out of everyone. Maybe she can fix Thayne.

Katee & Joshua: West Coast Swing
(song: Shake It, Brother Yusuf ) choreographed by former contestants, Benji likes to pop back up on the show now and then 'eh? Why does Katee look so uncomfortable? Is it because she's dressed like she's in a children's beauty pagant? I just don't think it flowed very well, though I can't tell who's fault it was. The energy just wasn't coming from them equally.
Agree with judges? Not really. It makes me so sad that they weren't as hot as their first number, but no one else seems to think so.

Courtney & Gev: Broadway
(song: New York, New York, Bernstein, Comden and Green ) I love the tourist concept, very classic musical. I can totally see this number happening with a few dozen more couples filling the stage as part of a big Broadway number. And they're executing it wonderfully. This number on a real set would be magic. A+ from me.
Agree with judges? Yes for sure. Great characters and chemistry, and the costumes really gave it a period.

Summary

Favorite Couple of the night: Twitch & Kherington nudged out Joshua & Katee because of the 2nd numbers. I didn't wanna do it, but that West Coast Swing performance just couldn't top Twitchington's Paso Doble. And Kherington is so much stronger than Katee.
Favorite Song of the night: Dreaming With a Broken Heart, John Mayer. I hadn't heard that one before tonight, and now I think I might check out his more recent album.
Favorite Judge of the night: Nigel. He actually critiques the dancers, and gives them things to work on. I do wish the audience would be more respectful, but the dancers seem to pay attention- which is what's important.

It's not even 11 yet! I still have time for some knitting before I go to bed at a decent hour. All Wednesdays should be like this! Tomorrow night's results recap will be late (having dinner with the family), but hopefully none of my fav's will find themselves in the bottom. I'm almost tempted to vote tonight! That's right- I have YET TO VOTE this season. Not sure why really... perhaps I'll get a little more involved and toss a few votes to my aces. I'm looking forward to seeing who gets Mia Michaels next week, and if they can kill it too. I'm a little sad I spent so many years hating on Contemporary now that I've seen so much of her work. I'm gonna start seeking out productions she works on- these kinds of performances are everything I love about dance.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

That John Mayer track has been among my favorites on the recent album ever since I bought it a few months ago. The whole album is highly recommended.

Also, I officially don't hate Katee anymore. In fact, I kinda like her now. She's no Kherington though -- that girl is awesome.

And respect to Nigel for telling Mary to turn down the volume.

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