"So You Think You Can Dance" is Back!!- Page 9

[EmBg]

Posted: 7/25/07 at 10:09pm

Sara's solo made me cry, it was unbelievable and completely moving. I also loved Dom's solo.
I LOVE Sabra and I thought she danced teh best in her routine but I expected more from her with her solo.
Wade is just incredible and I thought the show was great tonight :)

[supportivemom]

Posted: 7/25/07 at 10:16pm

Great critique! I still can't believe that Sabra has only been dancing for 4 years- WOW! Also, it's a shame that when the choreographer has a vision that doesn't sit well with the judges- the dancers get punished. The choreographer ruined the Viennese Waltz. I do agree with the critique though. My favorites are still Lacey and Sabra- they can do anything! I also love Sara's stage presence! The boys just aren't wowing me emotionally and I think it may come down to that. Lacey and Sara are not only amazing dancers but they know HOW TO PERFORM!

[Jane2]

Posted: 7/25/07 at 10:34pm

I didn't watch the entire show so I really can't critique very much. However, I was able to compare Kameron and Neal, since they all did the same dance. I didn't think Kameron was as good as Neal on those steps. Did you see the height he got when he jumped and practically did an entire backbend in the air? Wow!

I just love the way Sabra dances.

Next time I really should watch the whole show!

[DBillyP]

Posted: 7/25/07 at 11:02pm

In case you did not see the press release, Cat Deeley will be taking over for Kerry Butler in “Xanadu.” She was in the middle of a costume fitting when tonight’s show started.

The Wade Robson solo concept is interesting. Everyone dancing the same choreography levels the playing field. I don’t think Wade could play to any particular dancer’s strength. Also, I think he crafted a beautiful dance, filled with emotion and meaning. (I think, however, that Mia may be right about no dancer truly owning the piece and making it his or her own.)

Lauren & Pasha (hip hop): You go, Pasha! Whatever shortcomings he may have in the style, he makes up for them with an almost unequaled performance level. I have said it before: Pasha is the best all-around male ballroom dancer that I have seen on the show. Lauren, as expected, also did very well.

Jaimie (solo): Dang, I wish I liked her better. She may be the best female dancer on the show this season, though I thought her emotion was a bit forced. (I agree with Nigel and Mia about Jaimie’s emotional quality.)

Dominic (solo): Not Dominic’s best effort. That was tough to be asked to follow Jaimie, a far more trained dancer. Apart from the obvious screw-up, Dominic was not quite up to this challenge.

Sabra & Kameron (contemporary): While I think they worked very well together technically, I expected more connection from them, especially after the lead-in montage. Sabra is definitely still my favorite. She is simply exquisite.

Sara (solo): Well done, but nothing special.

Pasha (solo): Not the strongest of the solos, but a good effort.

Lacey & Danny (samba): Very sexy choreography by my husband Dmitry! (He was thinking of me when he was working with them.) I disagree with Nigel; Danny needed to step it up to meet Lacey’s performance level. Step it up, or she will leave you in the dust in that regard.

Lauren (solo): Tremendous energy and emotion, with fantastic technique. Very well done. The best soloist tonight. (Ah, what a good point Nigel! I noticed that Lauren did have a different look at the end. Nigel said “hope.” That, indeed was it.)

Neil (solo): I cannot put my finger on why, but Neil is not my favorite. There is something odd in his technique ... but he sure is pretty. (It could be, as the judges said, his shoulders ... at least in part.)

Sabra (solo): I just love this girl. Her passion, her energy, her joy. A close second in the solos tonight. As much as I watch this show, I don’t always vote. I voted, I voted, I voted ...

Kameron (solo): Well done. The only man with powerful emotion behind his movement. I think this may be the best male solo tonight.

Jaimie & Dominic (Viennese waltz): Dominic and a Viennese waltz ... uh oh ... “Man of La Mancha” as a Viennese waltz ... uh oh ... nothing about this worked for me. Dominic looked like a little boy acting like a man trying to get the style of this dance. (And everything that Nigel said ... including not paying attention to Jaimie.) This may be the poorest number this season. (You gotta love Cat Deeley playing the big sister with these kids ...)

Lacey (solo): She did very well, but without a little something extra to set her apart from Lauren and Sabra. She is still a frontrunner.

Danny (solo): This was one of those numbers where Danny’s superior technique worked against him, in my opinion. Some things were too placed, too controlled, when he should have been really letting go.

Sara & Neil (disco): Hmmm ... I am not sure about this one. It left me a little cold, though it was well danced. They both did well, but neither one blew me away.

The top performers for me tonight were women: Lauren and Sabra. There was no real male standout for me tonight. Pasha did very well in his partner dance, but fell short in the solo. Kameron fell short in the partner dance and excelled in the solo. Danny did well in both, without wowing. Neil, as usual, left me cold, and, without a doubt, the weakest performer overall tonight was Dominic. He should be the male to go home tomorrow night. As for the women, it should come down to Jaimie and Sara.

[MarkCohen]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 12:36am

I think Jaime should be gone, but I really don't think Dominic should go because of one bad night. He has been amazing and a standout for every single other week, and has made incredible progression. For him to go before Kameron, and in my personal opinion, Danny would be a shame.

I didn't like the routine they were given, and no partner dances wowed me, so overall I was dissapointed with the show. Also, I wasn't excited by the partnerships themselves.

[djuno]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 10:38am

Neil and Sara's preperfomance clip left me rolling on the floor. And Neil and Sara's solos were amazing! And then the Disco. WOW! HOT HOT HOT and total greatness.

I was surprised that I liked Dominic's solo so much, and I didn't like that Danny didn't "hit" his moves in his solo. Flowy is nice but I liked the strength in some of the other ones better.

I feel totally bad for Jamie as she was totally held back last night by the partnering.

If you watch the solos without the music you can really see who can dance and who fakes it. Again Neil and Sara just kicked a**.

[erikaamato]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 10:56am

I thought Sara had the best solo of the night.

[DBillyP]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 11:18am

Mark, I agree that Dominic has done really well, though not every week. I think partnering with Sabra has kept him safe. He and Sara have both surprised me. However, I think his limitations will start to really show.

With that said, I would not be sorry to see Danny go before him. Danny may be exquisitely trained, but at least Dominic dances with passion. You can tell he truly wants to be there. The spark that we finally saw from Danny last week seemed to fizzle this week. It is interesting to me that Danny and Travis (from last season) are brothers, as I think they both are superior technicians with little passion or emotion.

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 11:34am

Sabra is exquisite. She needs to win this.

[DBillyP]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 12:20pm

Amen, doodle!

[apdarcey]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 12:51pm

also, jaimie only has 1 emotion when she dances and is a probably the most technically skilled of the girls. and she trained under travis' mom with travis and danny...

[DBillyP]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 1:48pm

Good point, ap! I now remember them saying that Travis's mother was her teacher.

Did anyone else see Donyelle in the audience last night, sitting with Heidi?

[apdarcey]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 3:34pm

i love both of them. and heidi was dmitry's assistant. so brilliant.

i say they have benji/travis/donyelle/heidi choreograph pieces for the top 4 this year, how about that?

[JohnBoy2]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 3:34pm

Yes, I saw Donyelle sitting next to Heidi. You can't miss those eyes! My favorite performance was from Lacey. I hated the solo routine, and found it tedious. 10 figgin times!

[DBillyP]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 4:18pm

Donyelle looked great ... in the split second that I saw her!

[Tom1071]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 4:54pm

I found the solos tedious too. I was living for Lacey though.

[Tchi4Lif188]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 5:32pm

Ahh, why did my VCR decide to not record on the night that Donyelle was there? I need to get a DVR asap. Thanks for the reviews guys!

[JohnBoy2]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 5:48pm

Belive me, Tchi, she was on less than a blink!

[Tchi4Lif188]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 6:07pm

Haha, ok, good to know. Thanks. Maybe she'll be on tonight and my VCR will decide to work.

[Jane2]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 10:03pm

Does anyone know if they repeat their episodes during the week?

[DBillyP]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 11:05pm

My heart is racing, and I have goose bumps. Mia Michael’s opening number made me wish I was still dancing, that I was a better dancer when I was still dancing, and that I could write more eloquently about dance. It was, for me, the best opening so far this season, and Mia proved that her Emmy nomination was no fluke. The section with the dancers on the floor using the stage for support was exquisitely choreographed, and the performance of it was precise and strong. I enjoyed it as much on a second viewing as I did on the first.

Who knew the Marines watch “So You Think You Can Dance”?!? I noticed the patch on Mia’s jacket last night, but, not being a Marine, it didn’t bother me. Nor did Wade’s anti-war routine. In fact, I rather liked that one of the choreographers was making a statement and taking a stand. I thought Nigel tried too hard to be diplomatic in his rebuttal to the criticism, but I did like this: “Art should be allowed to make statements, and until we find a way of living with people we disagree with, wholeheartedly and even their way of life, we’re never going to find a peace.” As a side note, as many of you know I work for the Cathedral of Hope and Hope for Peace & Justice (H4PJ), a non-profit ministry of the Cathedral. This fall, H4PJ is launching a new program called Art for Peace & Justice (Art4PJ), which will utilize the arts to educate, enlighten and inspire people and thereby create a cultural shift toward peace and justice. Art4PJ will enlist artists across the county to become ambassadors and educators, prophets and priests, for social transformation. Using music, drama, literature, dance and the visual arts, Art4PJ will challenge people to work together to create beauty rather than destruction, unity rather than divisions and cooperation rather than conflict. Wade’s piece is the kind of thing that we as artists need to be doing. My greatest respect is paid to him.

Jaimie in the bottom four was not a surprise to me, but Lauren being there was. I thought Sara would be the other girl. That reaction to being told he was safe was the first expression of real emotion I have seen from Danny. Bring some of that to the dance! Kameron and Dominic as the two men in the bottom four was not surprising.

The solos from this point forward won’t make a difference in the night they are danced, but they could affect the way America votes in the coming weeks. These kids still need to “dance for their lives.” Jaimie danced her usual technical piece. Other than taking those few seconds to put his hat on, Dominic danced his heart out! Lauren was a mixed bag for me. I give her points for dancing to one of my favorite songs (one that I want sung at my funeral, in a full choral arrangement), but I don’t think she danced as hard as she could and should have. She was criticized for this once before, and I thought she was going home that week based on her weak solo performance. Kameron definitely was outdanced by Dominic.

The dismissed: Although I have disliked her through this season, I think Jaimie is a gracious young lady. She handled her dismissal with poise beyond her years. She, indeed, was a class act. I am disappointed to see Kameron go, if only for that handsome face. Dominic is safe to dance another week ... but for how much longer?!?

[JohnBoy2]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 11:48pm

I'm okay with who went. I can't stand it when Mary, or any of the judges say "America got it wrong", or "I hope America doesn't get it wrong". No, American just doesn't agree with you! What's this wrong sh*t?

[chinkie azn jai]

Posted: 7/27/07 at 12:27am

I'm now addicted to this show. I really hope Neil or Lauren win this!

[apdarcey]

Posted: 7/27/07 at 11:32am

i was just so sad by the fact that kameron left. it broke my heart. i agreed with jaimie, but boy. what i would give to have had dominic or danny go.

but as you said, i hope danny puts that emotion in his dance.

[ComaBaby01]

Posted: 7/28/07 at 2:38pm

I'm OK with the dismissals. With Jaimie, I don't mind at all. Kameron, I thought, was robbed of another week. But then again, I think that's about how much longer Dominic will last anyway, so I'm not too upset. Lauren being in the bottom was a huge surprise to me.

I'm pulling for Neil or Sabra. All the way.