"So You Think You Can Dance" is Back!! — Page 5

I am late in posting this tonight, as I spent the evening at Ameriquest Field in Arlington, Texas to see the Texas Rangers play the Chicago Cubs. Most importantly, I saw Sammy Sosa hit his 600th career home run. It was a great moment. Now, you can ponder how odd it is that a post about "So You Think You Can Dance" begins with a sports story, while I offer this general note about tonight’s show: ATTENTION COSTUME DESIGNERS: what are you thinking when you are dressing some of those girls?!? Several of those costumes were unflattering and did nothing for the style or choreography (Lauren, Sabra, Anya, Sara).

With that out of the way, here are my thoughts on the performances:

Lauren & Neil: This surprised me, as Neil was better than I expected and Lauren was not as good as I thought she would be. In a clip last week, one of the judges, during the audition phase, said they were worried that Neil didn’t have much between the tricks. I have wondered the same thing while watching the audition clips that have been shown. So, I did not expect Neil to do well with hip hop. Their chemistry is developing. Oh, what is up with Neil’s tube socks (the show’s opener)?!?

Jessi & Pasha: Great sensual, fun choreography from Tyce (I think my favorite of his, since I am not a big fan), and they were great doing it. They captured the style and mood perfectly. So far, I think Pasha is the best all-around male ballroom dancer on any season (other than Benji, who is in a different category as a swing dancer). I know it is only week two, so I may have to eat those words, but I don’t think my boyfriend Dmitry could have pulled that off last season.

Jaimie & Hok: (Personality comments out of the way first: Jaimie bugs. A little too perky for me, but I love her as a dancer. Hok, however, is charming.) I am not sure how this was as a samba, but it seemed a little sloppy. (Thanks for backing me up Mary.) Jaimie, however, is a very sexy dancer, who I think will stick around for a while. Hok performed well.

Sabra & Dominic: Beautiful. Beautifully choreographed and performed. They both demonstrated such joy. There was one moment when they looked at each other, and you could tell that they were so glad to be doing what they were doing and to be doing it with each other. Sabra is still one of my favorites, and Dominic earned my respect tonight.

Faina & Cedric: Initial thought: "Cedric and the fox trot ... uh oh." Thought after seeing the number: "Cedric and the fox trot ... uh oh." Poor Faina was well brought down by having a weak partner. She is a beautiful dancer, but we have yet to see it because of him. This did nothing to change my mind that he should have been the one to go home last week. I am very disappointed. I think they again will be in the bottom three.

Lacey & Kameron: Okay, first of all, what exactly is "Broadway" choreography?!? Considering that "Spring Awakening" won the Tony for choreography this year, to use "Broadway" as a singular style seems to be a stretch. Lacey again leaves me with the impression that she can do anything that is thrown her way. She is a very mature dancer, especially considering her youth. Let’s see what happens when she gets hip hop. Kameron did well but was outshined by Lacey, who looked like Lisa Marie Presley tonight.

Anya & Danny: How does Anya, as a ballroom dancer, not know the Viennese Waltz?!? Beautifully performed if a little boring choreographically (except for the back attitude turn). They are well matched as partners. I have to agree with Mia about Danny’s hands, but I offer a caveat. He has beautiful hands, but, as I mentioned last week, I am afraid that they will carry over from his ballet background into every style and, ultimately, be out of place.

Shauna & Jimmy: Pretty good until the step section, which was pretty weak. At that point, it really showed that this was not their style. They fought against it until then, having a great time, but they suddenly really lacked the hip hop attitude. (That is not the word I want, but I can’t think of the one I want.)

Sara and Jesus: Paso doble, sexy and sensual, is one of my favorite dances. Choreographically, this was a great contemporary take on the dance. Jesus had great presence and passion. Sara, however, was weak. Her posture was poor, and she did not capture the style of this fiery Latin dance.

My top couples tonight are Jessi and Pasha with their Afro-Cuban inspired birds; and Sabra and Dominic’s contemporary routine. In addition, Neil, Lacey and Jesus impressed me tonight.

Faina and Cedric will be in the bottom three without question. I think Sara and Jesus might be there as well, along with Jaimie and Hok.

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I didn't see this last night, but I heard Daddy Yankee was on. How was he?

Anya and Danny were the couple of the night for me, followed closely by Pasha and Jessi, then Lacey and Kameron.

DBilly, I ditto your comment about some of the costumes. Especially Lauren's - she looked a little ridiculous doing hip hop in that tulle skirt.

None of the dances last night really wowed me the way Lacey & Kameron's did last week. I'm still pulling for Jessi & Pasha though, they are my favorites.

Matt, I agree about "Chicago." Fortunately, we have gotten it out of the way this season.

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Just saw DY,,,, that song was terrible, but he is hot hot hot.

I would F the hell outta Kameron and Neil... together or seperately :)

DBillyP- You nailed it! The show is called So You think You Can Dance- Not Are You Unique? Although I appreciate uniqueness, I don't appreciate excellent trained dancers being let go. Shauna wowed me! Her technique and athleticism were outstanding! She definitely did fight. The other two didn't show any leaps, turns, or flexibility. The guys race was a little closer though. My 12 year old daughter who is a dancer screamed at the TV! Jimmy's leaps were phenomenal. I guess Mia was getting back at the others for letting Ricky go.

I LOVED Shauna's solo last night. As for the other 2 girls, I really didn't care who went home. As for the guys, I don't think any of those 3 will win this competition unless they improve some. Nigel said it correctly when he mentioned the fact that the contestants are also against the great contestants of last season. Some of them have a decent way to go to even come close to beating someone like Benji, Travis, Heidi, or Donyelle.

And watching the recaps from the night before, I am so sick of that Mary scream. Please shoot me the next time I hear it.

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That was so wrong. I think the judges made a big mistake, and Cedric will just be going home next week, possibly taking his new partner down with him. I love watching the b-boys & b-girl do their thing, because it is interesting, but Cedric has not shown that he can also do other styles well. None of the b-kids have been perfect when faced with other styles, but Hok, Dominic, & Sara have all done decently. I understand what Nigel was saying about giving untrained dancers an opportunity to grow & to show their potential, but Cedric has had 2 chances to do that and he has not stepped up to the plate. I don't think Jimmy would have won the whole thing, but letting him go this early was wrong wrong wrong. Moving on...

Jessi & Pasha should not have been in the bottom 3. I will definitely be getting out the phone to vote for them next week, because Jessi is my girl. She looked like she was going to lose it while the bottom 3 girls were being told the judges decision. She wants this so badly, and that may end up hurting her performance if she can't pull it together emotionally.

i cannot believe what went down last night. i loved shauna's solo, and i fear for her immensely next week. she is going to have to really slap cedric into action. he should be ashamed of his performance this week, both his routine with faina and his solo. both were extremely sub-par, and far less than what jimmy is capable of.

i was so happy to see how excited sabra and dominic both were. they are both pouring their hearts into this competition, and he is growing (cedric should learn a thing or two).

i don't care at all for jaimie and hok or anya and danny. they all bore me to death.

So what did you think of Daddy Yankee? His performance really sucked,,, but he's pretty hot right?

Tonight, the delightful Miss Debbie Allen provided colorful commentary throughout the evening, beginning with the instant classic line, “Child, the hair comes off too ...” The dancers should have been glad to have her there since she seemed to love all of them ... especially Cedric, who will go directly from the theater into class at Miss Debbie’s Dance Studio when he gets booted tomorrow night. Now for the recap:

Sara and Jesus (Krumping): That was pretty awesome. It was, I think, as physical a routine as we have ever seen. Sara was good, but Jesus really stepped it up in this number. He gave the extra effort, and, like Debbie said, he kept my attention much more than Sara. Very well done. They should stay safe this week.

Shauna & Cedric (Mia Michaels’ contemporary): I am a big Mia Michaels fan, but I was very disappointed with this choreography. She obviously felt that she only had half a couple to work with, but how long did Cedric just sit there pretending to cry?!? When he did dance, he did nothing outside of his own style. Other choreographers have taken other dancers’ styles and played to their strengths within the vocabulary of the choreographer’s intent. (See Wade’s number for Jaimie and Hok later in the show.) Mia, however, seemed simply to give up. (Oh, did anyone else notice Cedric’s near fall?!?) Shauna, through no fault of her own, again will find herself in the bottom three tomorrow night. Here’s hoping that she has a partner next week that can match her energy and talent. And, in all seriousness, Debbie Allen’s scholarship offer, though perhaps influenced by Nigel, was a lovely gesture, and Cedric, who I thought at first was talking a little too much, was gracious in his realistic outlook for tomorrow night’s results show.

Lacey & Kameron (Quick Step): Once again, Lacey and Kameron keep themselves at the head of the class. Their performance level, which may be unequaled this year, combined with top-notch technique should keep them well safe this week. (Now, does anyone else think Kameron is gay despite his statements to the contrary?!? Or is that just wishful thinking on my part?!?)

Anya & Danny (Hip Hop): From a pretty solid start, this number fizzled for me. I think Anya realizes that her sexiness is her strength, and she used that to great advantage in this number. Her technique was pretty solid, and her sexiness added the oomph to cover that she was out of her comfort zone. Danny, however, seemed a little soft, a little graceful, for hip hop. In previous weeks, I worried about his beautiful ballet hands, but they were not in evidence this time. It was the rest of him that seemed to float when he should have been hitting it hard.

Sabra & Dominic (Rumba): Despite some minor flaws, this was very well done and very sexy. Sabra continues to be my favorite. With only a few years of experience, Sabra is proving to be a contender. (I actually think her limited years may be a strength for her. She has not had time to get mired in a single style, so her natural talent can be molded into anything that is thrown her way.) Dominic, who proved to be an extremely good partner, not surprisingly, was the weaker of the two. His carriage, arms and hands were a bit stiff, and beyond his solid partnering, did not shine on his own. His offstage personality, particularly during the post-dance critique, is going to wear very thin very soon. (However, I would watch him spin on his naked!)

Lauren & Neil (tango): Well, that was, quite possibly, the most boring tango I have ever seen. Once they left those chairs, there was nothing there choreographically, and neither one of them did anything with what they did have. During his interview, I kept thinking, “Gosh, Neil is pretty ... boring.” Well, that translated to the stage. There is simply no pizzazz when he dances beyond the incredible tricks that he can do, which, unfortunately for him (and us!), he hasn’t gotten to do yet in any of his numbers. Also, his posture was poor. I did think Nigel’s comment about Neil dancing like a “dude” was interesting. My friend Jim asked me if I think the show is homophobic, citing comments like this. There is a longer blog to be made from that question, but, for now, I don’t think this statement is homophobic. Male dancers are not often called upon to dance effeminately, especially when partnering women. So, he needed to dance like a dude.

Jaimie & Hok (jazz): Okay, to start, that was not jazz. However, it was beautiful and beautifully performed. I was very glad to see something so different from Wade Robson. Hok was lucky that Wade choreographed to his strengths, allowing him to really shine while stepping just outside his comfort zone. Jaimie is a gorgeous dancer with an extension that won’t quit. While I do not like her personality offstage, her onstage personae and energy are among the most engaging this season. (As for Hok, the more I hear him in his interviews, the more I like him. He seems to be a thoughtful engaging person. I would love to see more of his art.)

Jessi & Pasha (Cha Cha): (Jessi, honey, what the h*ll is on your head?!?) Okay, that was awkward. Um, yeah ... awkward. I really was looking forward to seeing Jessi and Pasha dance this. Something tells me we would have been in for one hot number. I was surprised that Tony’s assistant, despite being a past U.S. champion, wasn’t that good. However, having been in situations where I suddenly had to dance with a new partner, I give Pasha kudos for doing as well as he did. Whether he is safe tomorrow night or night should prove irrelevant, as Cedric should be going home.

The bottom three should be Shauna and Cedric, Lauren and Neil, and Anya and Danny, though Pasha could take a spot from one of the latter two couples. Tonight’s top couples, for me, were Sabra and Dominic, Jaimie and Hok and Sara and Jesus, with Lacey and Kameron safe as well. As for Jessi, if she returns, I think she will be sent home.

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