(S03E16) Cat kicked off the show reminding us that the decision is now in the hands of the viewers. That will put an end to the weekly musings about the judges curious elimination decisions. However, I don't think there will be any shortage of controversy with the viewers in charge. If the week six performance show is any indication, you could make a case for anyone to stay, so somebody is going to be disappointed with tomorrow's results. That's getting the cart ahead of the course though, there is a whole performance show to deal with.Viewer voting isn't the only change this week. There are new partnerships to take a look at, and along with those five partner dances all ten of the contestants danced the same Wade Robson choreographed solo. Witnessing all of this were, of course, Nigel and Mary. Mia Michaels was along for the ride as guest judge. It all made for a pretty impressive night of competition. We'll try and wrap it all up in a nice neat bow after the jump.
For the sake of organization, we'll go with the couple performances first.
Lauren and Pasha were first up with a Shane Sparks hip hop number. My reaction to this one was one of pleasant surprise. I wasn't sure how Pasha would adapt to Shane's style, and Lauren has been up and down throughout the competition. They pulled it together rather well though. I especially liked the robotic opening and closing sections. Pasha still seemed a bit out of his element on a couple of occasions, but it was a nice performance overall. For her part, this was one of my favorite performances from Lauren. I think she picked the right night to really shine. Nigel thought it was a great opening routine by Shane. He praised Pasha for the way he adapted to hip hop. Of Lauren, he said he was pleased that they kept her last week, adding that she was excellent. Mary thought this was a great new partnership. Mia was also pleased with how Pasha adapted, saying he did excellent. She also said that Lauren is blowing up.
Song - "Fuego" by Pitbull
Sabra and Kameron were up next drawing contemporary with Tyce Diorio. Going into the show, I thought that this would be a huge week for Kameron. There is the thought that he has been skating through with the good fortune of being partnered with Lacey. Now that we are down to individual voting, we'll find out if there was anything to that. Unfortunately, I didn't think he had his best performance. You can't call anyone bad at this point, because they really do have a remarkable group here, but it just wasn't up to the level of his competition. Something that was highlighted by his new partnership with Sabra. She just keeps getting better and better. This was another very good outing for her. Nigel said it was very well done, but he didn't believe the emotion from Kameron. Mary agreed that the chemistry between the two wasn't there. She also questioned Kameron's extension, adding that Sabra is 'perfection out there.' Mia said that she thinks Kameron has been exposed, calling the way he danced very immature. She also really liked Sabra, calling her amazing.
Song - "Amazing Grace" by Crystal Lewis
Lacey and Danny were the most anticipated pair of the night for me. Danny has had quite the interesting run in the competition. As we have talked about before, for whatever reason the level of votes for Danny just hasn't equaled the level of his dancing. So, the idea of putting him with the dancer that most connects with the audience is an interesting one. And I think it worked. They drew the samba with Dmitry Chaplin and it ended up being my second favorite of the night. Lacey was right at home and showed once again why she is such a threat to win. No matter the style, the girl is an entertainer. She has charisma by the bucketfull. Meanwhile, on the other side was Danny. This actually wasn't my favorite of his performances so far, but I think it might have been his best yet where the competition, and the securing of votes, is concerned. It's hard to gauge how the 8 or 9 million viewers are seeing him, but I thought he came across very well and with any luck that closed off/guarded perception will be going away. Nigel praised Dmitry, and thought Danny made up for what he lacked in technique with his performance. Mary said that Danny was lacking in technique, and Lacey was fabulous. Mia thought it was the sexiest dance of the season. She called Danny the stallion of dance, and Lacey ridiculously hot.
Song - "Hip Hip Chin Chin" by Club Des Belugas
Jaimie and Dominic were lucky enough to draw a waltz with Toni Redpath. Or so I thought before we actually saw the performance. I've long had this theory that the waltz is a great draw because it always comes across great on tv. It's a very approachable dance that lends itself well to beautiful moments, and one that a lot of viewers are familiar with. It would seem that's not always the case, because this one just wasn't very good. I'm not going to let Jaimie and Dominic completely off the hook, because they were the ones out on the floor, but I really think the lion's share of problems with this performance go back to the choreography. It was just all over the place and Toni might have thrown Jaimie and Dominic under the bus a bit with her creativity. Had she done a more traditional version of the dance, I think they both would have been in a much better position. The musical selection didn't help either as that is the worst version of "Man of LaMancha" I have ever heard. Nigel noted that they were putting a Spanish style on top of an Austrian waltz and he thought that Dominic oversold the characterization, adding that it didn't work for him at all, on any level. Mary said it was way over the top and almost cartoonish. She also questioned Dominic's footwork and the chemistry between the two of them. Mia said Dominic's carriage, technique, and lines were atrocious. She thought Jaimie's lines were beautiful, but she needs to be careful with her mouth.
Song - "Man of LaMancha" by Linda Eder
Sara and Neil finished off the couples performances with a disco by Doriana Sanchez. It started with a huge bang as Neil flipped his way into the performance, and it just kept going from there. This was a very fun performance and, all things considered, the most entertaining of the night. It was what I expected from Neil, but Sara once again surprised me. I still think she is a bit of an underdog, but given her performances over the last two weeks, she has put herself right in the middle of this competition. Nigel said that when it's like that, he loves disco. He even called it fabulous. Mary agreed, calling it corny, cheesy, and fun fun fun. Mia said she also had a good time and loved it.
And then there were the solos. It should be mentioned right off the bat that Wade Robson did another terrific job with the choreography for the solo. And thank goodness they picked a good song, since we had to listen to it ten times.
Jaimie - Nigel said that Jaimie has a single emotion and needs to find a way to bring more dynamism . Mary said she felt her expression. Mia thought she danced it really well, but she has hit a plateau.
Dominic - Nigel thought he was tight, but loved the emotion, adding that he thought the technique was lacking. Mary agreed with him. Mia thought he was committed and she believed him.
Sara - Nigel commented that she needs to make her dancing bigger. Mary thought she absolutely connected and called it terrific. Mia agreed, saying it was a great job.
Pasha - Nigel didn't see the emotion. Mary said she was surprised. Mia thought it was over dramatic and didn't work for her, calling it awkward.
Lauren - Nigel liked how well she worked with the music, and praised her for being the first one to come forward with hope in her eyes. Mary thought it was terrific. Mia called her wonderful and fabulous.
Neil - Nigel questioned Neil's carriage and didn't get enough emotion. Mary thought it was hit and miss. Mia agreed, saying it lacked emotion.
Sabra - Nigel said that Sabra is small, but dances so large. Mary loved it and bowed to her. Mia said that Sabra is now her favorite dancer in the competition.
Kameron - Nigel said he has felt a little let down with Kameron and that given the opportunity they would have already cut him, but he thought the solo was very well done. Mary said she connected with the solo. Mia agreed, saying he did a great job.
Lacey. Nigel said Lacey is great at everything she does. Mary agreed saying she has it all. Mia also thought it was amazing and that Lacey is killing it this season.
Danny - Nigel said he was smooth, but warned him not to lose the music. He also wanted more emotion. Mary thought it was terrific and said she felt the emotion. Mia said that Danny has great potential if he can break down those walls.
Cat wrapped up the judges comments with, of all things, a Buzz Lightyear quote. "To infinity, and beyond."
So there we have it. It's a lot to take in and makes choosing a favorite of the week very difficult as you try to weigh the couples performance with the solo. For my favorites this week I ended up with Lauren, for the first time, as my favorite on the women's side. Jaimie actually had my favorite solo for the women, but Lauren won out when you add in both performances. However, since we are down to individual competition, she doesn't get my vote because she was just edged out by my favorite on the men's side, also for the first time, Danny. His solo was excellent, and I think his samba with Lacey showed signs of a corner being turned that could make him the one to beat in the competition.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
7-26-2007 @ 9:02AM
sarah said...
it seems to me that the boys are being outshined by the girls. as a whole, the girls are performing better than the guys. as for the top four, its any girls game, but i know who i want to see leave the competition from the boys side. and by the way, im so over Lacey. she is so affected, its killing my appreciation for her dancing skills.
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7-26-2007 @ 10:03AM
Karen said...
I could go the rest of my life without seeing that "puppet" move again. I'm sooo tired of it. Stop dangling arms, heads, etc. I get it - there is an imaginary string. STOP! Yuch!
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7-26-2007 @ 10:33AM
cathy said...
can anyone tell me the name of the song and artist for wades solo performances
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7-26-2007 @ 10:52AM
squishdogg said...
Th solo was John Mayer - Waiting For the World t Change
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7-26-2007 @ 12:07PM
Jez said...
I don't know about you folks, but I'm getting pretty weary of the contemporary dances. Laletly, they've been boring.
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7-26-2007 @ 11:52AM
jessie said...
I think post 3 was kidding. I don't think I could listen to that same song ever again! My kids weren't watching, but would yell up from the basement - "Why is that John Mayer song playing over and over?" The song became very annoying after the forth time.
Though I do like them all dancing the same solo - would be interesting to allow the dancers to pick their own music and apply the solo dance - see their technique and stretch their creativity, adaptability, too.
Kameron has got to go - I can see the dance competition aspect of his dancing, plus he has the least amount of stage presence and does dance heavy, like he weighs a millions pounds.
As much as Jaime is a beautiful dancer, she should be the next to go. She has remained constant and hasn't really grown all that much on the show.
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7-26-2007 @ 12:37PM
bsgfan2003 said...
I really don't understand what Sabra's appeal is. Yes, she is a fine dancer, but I do not find her engaging. I do not see her in the top 5, but I know others will disagree.
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7-26-2007 @ 12:41PM
Rob said...
I'm kinda stunned that I'm the first one to say something like this but here it goes.... I thought the solo choreography was HORRIBLE! I like Wade R and the work that he does, but what was that crap?
First of all. I didn't like the idea that he created a "political" dance based off his own politics. Even then, I would have been fine with it if he said that it was a dance about 'Peace' and left it at that. But he didn't. He went on to say that it was an "anti-war". You know,.. if you want to dance a routine based on your own convictions, great, more power to you. But don't force 10 others to dance to your politics.
Secondly, the dance was way too literal. They might as well be doing sign language up there without the music.
Lastly,.. what the hell was up with the yelling? Was that really necessary? It broke up the entire routine and was just abrasive and out of place.
If this routine was created by anyone other than Wade, it wouldn't have made it up on that stage.
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7-26-2007 @ 12:54PM
David said...
The doubles part was fine, the solo part will be what I'm talknig about. And only Rob brought this up so far?
What do the creators of the show do in their off time? Try to think of ways to wreck and change the show every year?
That solo was the worst dancing I have seen on the show this year! it was terrible and we had to watch it and listen to it 10 times?!?! That was horrible, it looked like someone was drunk when teaching that. Then we had to listen to the song 10 times.
We are only going to have one winner, the solo should be done by the person and that's it.
If they want to have them all do the same then maybe do a different dance for a guy and girl because watching thatand listening to that... "dance"... was terrible and brought the whole show down.
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7-26-2007 @ 12:57PM
Michael said...
Horrible episode. The solo's were just awful. Totally agree with #8. We watched 2 of them and fast forwarded through the rest, it was just horrible. Which means that those contestants that came last were at a disadvantage because most people probably were tuning out or fast forwarding through the folks at the end and could have missed their voting numbers. Just horrible.
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7-26-2007 @ 1:01PM
bsgfan2003 said...
#8 Comments: Too right you are! I found it very political too. Wanting peace is one thing. The screaming and anger over and over was not pleasant on this kind of show. I fast forwarded through most of those "performances".
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7-26-2007 @ 1:01PM
Rob said...
Glad to hear I wasn't the only one who thought that.
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7-26-2007 @ 1:01PM
Ryan said...
I'm not a fan of Danny, but I thought his and Lacey's pair routine was the best of the night just in front of the really fun number by Sara/Neil.
As for the solos, I thought Sara had the BEST one because it had that rawness I was looking for. The problem with the solos, however, was that EVERYONE had a different criteria in judging them! The judges were looking for technique. I was looking for raw emotions. Others might be looking for something completely different!
I feel it would be an upset if Jaimie does not go home tonight just because she is largely forgettable. As for the guys Pasha *should* go, but since he is one of my favorites I'd say take any of the other guys. And yes, the girls did kick ass last night.
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7-26-2007 @ 4:11PM
MrsEldubya said...
Personally I think the bottom four are Sarah, Jamie, Pasha and Dominic. I thought Dom's solo was horrible. Jamie is a beautiful dancer but she doesn't engage me like the other four. Sarah has surprised me but I don't think she's as good as the other three. Pasha is just getting out of his element and making the tour is a good thing for him.
Neil and Danny are the best males. Sabra is the best female based on technique alone but Lacey has the best showmanship. Lauren is a nice blend of the two them. I just find her smile infectious and no matter who she is paired with, I usually end up watching her. The same goes for Lacey.... she has better technique than I thought she would and she just draws your eyes straight to her in every routine. She sells is better than anyone else in the show. Neil probably can sell it the best of any guy on the show. If Danny had Neil's personality he would win this thing hands down.
The solo didn't really bug me last night but I agree with Mia, I wished they had put their own twist on it more. Maybe the didn't understand or maybe Wade didn't really tell them to do that but after awhile I knew the routine well enough to dance.
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7-27-2007 @ 12:07PM
debi said...
I usually love Wade's choreography, but I have to agree with Rob (#8) - "Don't force 10 others to dance to your politics." Jaimie and Dominic were victims of some very bad choreography, and will probably go tonight, unless Kameron gets the least votes. Yes, Lacey's emotions seem contrived and affectated, and she sings the lyrics while she dances. She's coming off as kind of slutty.
Sara, Sabra and Danny had the best solos and were the strongest three dancers of the night. They are my favorites of the competition.
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7-26-2007 @ 3:32PM
Liz said...
I completely agree with Rob! What a horrible solo routine! I've really been a big fan of Wade up to this point, but this was awful. I do see the reasoning behind having them all do the same solo, however. It's much much easier to judge the dancers against eachother this way. But, I do think they need to give them a little room for creativity (I'm sorry but 2 measures is definitely not enough).
I've been a big fan of Jaimie, but I think she'll be going home this week. I'm starting to agree with everyone saying she stays at 1 level. I hope Kameron goes home this week- I think his time is up.
Sabra absolutely amazed me last night! That was a gorgeous performance. Ok, so I know that a lot of that was the choreography also, but she did a great job with it and really poured her soul into it. I've been more and more impressed with her over the weeks, and I honestly think she'll make it to the final 4 or better.
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7-26-2007 @ 3:40PM
gyzmette said...
I so agree with you about Toni Redpath's choreography on the Viennese Waltz. The spanish flavor did nothing for this normally beautiful dance & I'm surprised that Nigel didn't say something about the choreography being part of the problem, since he hasn't hesitated to point out issues like that in the past. If Jaimie and/or Dominic end up going home this week, it will be in part because Toni let them down by giving them such an awkward & unflattering waltz.
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7-26-2007 @ 4:22PM
Kristi said...
I thought the solos were a fine idea. It was nice to be able to see everyone do the same thing so we could compare apples to apples instead of disco to fox trot. Sara brought me to tears with her version! The choreography was no "Ramalma (Bang Bang)" but it was okay.
Dance isn't the expression of the dancer, it's the expression of the choreographer. Unless, of course, the dancer IS the choreographer and, let's face it, none of these kids are choreographers. I'd say that dancing was like most other jobs, you suck it up and do what the boss tells you to do.
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7-26-2007 @ 4:56PM
Pat in AZ said...
I agree that 10 identical solos were too much, although I like the concept of being able to compare dancers doing the same routines. Perhaps they should have different solos (and music) for the guys vs the gals next time, or make them same-sex duets so you can get a side-by-side comparison.
My favorites are Danny and Sara. Lacey plays too much to the audience and camera and not enough to any of her partners - I am so over this "favorite."
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7-26-2007 @ 5:14PM
kenm said...
I also thought the politicization of the solos was completely unnecessary, and detracted from my enjoyment of the show. I think Wade Robson is their best choreographer by far but he laid an egg with that routine. Whether or not I agree with his views, I just didn't think the movements were a good basis on which to judge the contestants. Plus, other than the peace logo on the t-shirts and the horrible screaming, I didn't see how it was "anti-war". It just seemed pretty juvenile to me - but then again, Wade is only like 25 years old. To paraphrase Mia Michaels, I think Wade was a little exposed last night.
FYI, I am anti-war as I think everyone who is not a power mad dictator should be. However, people should not be so anti-war that they believe there is nothing worth going to war over. Being a pacifist is completely useless if someone tells you they are going to kill you. Personally, as a former member of the military, I would not have been happy seeing that routine if I was still in the military now.
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