When we last saw our Top 6 contestants, they were finding out that none of them would be eliminated last week. But...there's always a but...TWO of them will fall short of the Final Four this week.
Cat...hair is down, dress is short and Roman-style over the shoulder, and LEGSSES. Lovely.
YES! All six dancers are in the introduction. Whew! No injuries!
Judges...Adam Shankman, Mia Michaels, and Nigel Lythgoe. They are joined by guest judge Toni Redpath, champion ballroom dancer and choreographer.
Our Top 6 have three dances tonight...with an All Star, with each other, and a solo.
Kent, 18 year old contemporary dancer, is paired with All Star Anya for Cha Cha Cha choreographed by Jean-Marc and France. Earlier in the season, Kent was swallowed up when he tried to play the aggressive, sexy role. Not this time. He was in control of that entire dance. That was really outstanding. I was surprised at how well he handled the technique in that routine. There were some issues, such as not extending through his lines and maybe hunching his shoulders a bit. I thought his connection with Anya was spot on, and as I said, she didn't over power his "Kent-ness" with her "Anya-ness". Kent is learning how to be versatile. I enjoyed the performance.
Robert, 20 year old contemporary dancer, is paired with All Star Kathryn for contemporary choreographed by Stacey Tookey. I'm surprised by my reaction to this. It felt flat to me. I didn't feel the emotion at all. It was supposed to be about a soldier going to war, and the emotion of leaving a loved one behind. But I just didn't feel it and that's disappointing to me. The dancing was lovely. It was well performed. The movements were smooth and beautiful. The lines were elegant and classic. But the dance just missed for me. Even the twist at the end...you expect it to be the man leaving for war. But it was Kathryn who played the one leaving. Even that didn't get to me. From the dancers reactions, they felt the emotion between them. The judges felt it. But I didn't. Sorry kids.Jose dances solo. As usual, full of tricks. But I need a bit more.
AdeChike, 23 year old contempary dancer, is paired with All Star Courtney for jazz choreographed by Tyce Diorio. Now this dance I felt. The music was clearly jazzy...Dizzy Gillespie for Pete's sake! If you can't get into it from those Cuban rhythms, then you need to find another career. The movement was spicy. I thought AdeChike was relaxed and controlled, but also powerful. I could see how much he enjoyed what he did. The thing I missed from him was kind of a classic 1950s Bohemian quality to his dancing. In a contemporary routine, I want to see AdeChike's beautiful lines. But in jazz I don't want to notice the steps or the correctness of his posture so much as I want the movement to be fluid and kind of languid. I did enjoy the performance. I think AdeChike has untapped potential in styles other than contemporary. Lauren dances solo. Joy and happiness...the girl makes me smile.
Jose, 21 year old break dancer, is paired with All Star Comfort for hip hop choreographed by Marty Kudelka and Dana Wilson. Sorry, I have no idea what Jose did. I couldn't take my eyes off Comfort. The choreography was funky and stylish, with a bit of old school hip hop in it. Really good quality in the way the dance was conceived. I'll have to summarize what the judges said about Jose. Nigel said his dancing was a little uncomfortable, while Toni was absorbed in the character. Mia thought Jose lacked swag, and he made the character bouncy and kooky rather than smooth. Adam recommended that Jose learn how to dance the intention of the character through the story, rather than dancing the steps and choreography. I think I understand what that means, and it's a very good note. I think that's what drew me to Comfort. She had the swag, and she interpreted her character's intent. Too bad she's not the one competing.Billy dances solo. I really don't have any superlatives left for this young man. He's my favorite dancer.
Kent dances solo. Tremendously talented and destined for greatness.
Lauren, 18 year old contemporary dancer, is paired with All Star Allison for Broadway choreographed by Tyce Diorio. They are such a wonderful contrast together. Allison is a mature female dancer. There's something complete and fully realized about the way she dances. I see Lauren developing that kind of polish and finesse each week. She already has the athleticism and attention to detail. She fills up the spaces with those little head shakes and shoulder twitches. Don't get me wrong...I don't mean to say that Lauren is less of a dancer or that Allison out-danced her. Not at all! I think Lauren held her own and brought just as much to the piece as Allison. What I'm trying to convey is that the differences between the two of them were complimentary...they succeeded in making the piece their own, instead of trying to make a copy of Fosse and Verdon, which is essentially impossible anyway.Robert dances solo. I'm not sure what's going on, but I'm not getting anything from Robert this week. Weird, because I like his dancing.
Billy, 20 year old contemporary dancer, is paired with All Star Ade for contemporary choreographed by Stacey Tookey. Oh wow. I couldn't take my eyes off of it. Powerful. Emotional. Stunningly beautiful. Billy danced with such a maturity, with less focus on lines and steps and shapes. Everything he is as a dancer was in this performance. It was movement set to music, interpreted into an emotional story. As with Lauren and Allison, we saw the incredible contrast between Billy's and Ade's styles. Billy is sinuous and smooth, whereas Ade is powerful and dramatic. The combination was amazing to watch. Stacey's choreography took the best of both styles, stretched them, wove them, and wrapped them up in a piece of art. I'm so glad we'll have this piece in the catalog of SYTYCD, whether Billy makes the finale or not.AdeChike dances solo. I appreciate his talent, and I'm glad he's been able to overcome some adversity to make it this far in the competition.
And now the Top 6 pairs up.
Kent and Jose dance Broadway choreographed by Spencer Liff. Jose is so out of his depth in this kind of work. The difference in ability and training between the two guys is glaringly evident. This is what Kent was born to do. Kent was asked to do most of the real dancing in that piece, while Jose barely managed what he was given. I loved the choreography and I loved Kent's performance. If this was only about dancing, I think it's time for Jose to go home. It'll be interesting to see if the fans vote him through.
Lauren and AdeChike dance Foxtrot choreographed by Jean-Marc and France. Foxtrot to Fever...yeah. Interesting. The music was sultry, but the vibe between the two of them never got to that sensual level. It was light like normal Foxtrot, so it didn't really interpret the music all that well. It actually was kind of confusing. I liked Lauren in the performance and I don't think it's going to hurt her. I think AdeChike was so focused on being a strong partner that he lost some focus on interpreting the dance.
Robert and Billy dance Bollywood choreographed by Nakul Dev Mahajan. These two were dancing with the Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre when they found out they were the 5th and 6th guys chosen for this season, so I would expect them to understand how to dance together. That was really terrific. The dancing was sharp, crisp, and clean. The choreography was so difficult. I can't believe Billy was able to make it through that on the gimpy knee. I was worried for him, but he had three solid performances. And Robert was also strong in this piece.
My personal Final Four is Kent, Lauren, AdeChike, and Billy. Pam prefers Robert to either AdeChike or Billy, but she doesn't know which one she'd replace. I voted Billy, because I'm locked in until he wins or is eliminated. Pam narrowed her choices to Kent and Lauren. She says she'll pick her ultimate choice next week.
Gosh gang! It's only two more weeks until we find out who we've chosen as America's Favorite Dancer!
