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So You Think You Can Dance: Top 4 Perform

Posted Aug 7th 2008 8:23AM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: Episode Reviews, So You Think You Can Dance

SYTYCD Top 4(S04E22) The two night season finale is here and there are only four dancers left. On the guys' side we have Joshua and Twitch, two hip-hop dancers with very different styles. The girls are representing contemporary and jazz this year, with both Katee and Courtney. I can't say I would have expected this top four at the beginning of the season, but with the range of talent we had this year, it was hard to guess who might make it here.

With Mandy Moore joining Nigel and Mary on the judging panel, we were treated to a two hour extravaganza of dance dance dance! Each of the four finalists danced no less than five separate times, sometimes with only a commercial break between them. Those whiners at American Idol talk about how exhausting that show can be, but can you imagine the physical strain these dancers go through? Especially as they ramp up to a show as demanding as this finale. Thankfully, it was packed from beginning to end with amazing numbers and amazing dancing!

THE PERFORMANCES (COUPLES)

Courtney & Twitch
--(Hip-Hop w/ Tabitha & Napoleon Dumo - "Church," T-Pain f. Teddy Verseti) Courtney is brilliant at character pieces, and Twitch always puts an element of humor in his solos, so when T&N described this piece as a jilted girlfriend finding her man at a nightclub and chaos ensues, I knew this would work well with these two. Unfortunately, I wasn't blown away by it. The choreography needed to be a lot tighter when they were supposed to be together. And let me get off track by saying the crotch of Twitch's pants was way too dumpy; it looked like he'd dropped a load. The characters were portrayed brilliantly, but I wanted more from the dancing.

Katee & Joshua
--(Lyrical w/ Wade Robson - "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room," John Mayer) You could tell that the emotion was real in this performance. Katee & Joshua have been a magical pairing all throughout this season, and to get the chance to dance with such raw passion for their final time together was such a magical treat for us and them. The trust that Katee has for Joshua is just astounding, and the brilliance of this pairing defies description. What can you say after something like that. It was raw emotion bleeding on the stage. So pure, so magical it actually boggles the senses.

Courtney & Katee
--(Broadway w/ Tyce DiOrio - "The Trolley Song," Rufus Wainwright) Courtney sold me more on the dynamics of her movements with the umbrella, and she seems more suited to the staccato motions broadway demands. And I would have liked actually a little better chemistry between them. There was a hand grab toward the end that Courtney set up for before Katee was ready to receive, exemplifying the fact that they weren't necessarily dancing well together or synchronized, even though they each danced well individually in this.

Joshua & Twitch
--(Russian Trepak w/ Youri Nelzine - "The Trolley Song," Rufus Wainwright) It was pretty clever how in the intro video piece Joshua and Twitch manufactured this long-standing feud to add an element of fun to an otherwise very strange piece for them to perform together. I don't recall this style having been on the show before, though that could be wrong. I will say that it is a style neither of them are adept at, but still it suits their hip-hop freestyle background well. It wasn't danced perfectly by either, but was done so with energy and power. Still, while it would have been just too obvious, wouldn't it have been great to see them do a hip-hop number instead. Reports have it that both Joshua and Twitch had to go to the hospital for dehydration after the show, and after this I can see why.

Twitch & Katee
--(Fox Trot w/ Tony Meredith & Melanie LaPatin - "Feeling Good," Michael Bublé) Katee is elegance and grace and was just beautiful floating across the screen and stage. The lighting was actually dark enough that you lost a lot of Twitch to it due to his black suit, but what I saw of him had him giving her the lead she needed to really shine. The dance didn't do much to spotlight him, but it didn't show him off as particularly out of his element either, so I'll give him a solid mark for being where he needed to be and looking as if he belonged in each motion and lift.

Joshua & Courtney
--(Jive w/ Jason Gilkison - "The Dirty Boogie," The Brian Setzer Orchestra) I would have liked to see something a little more dynamic with Courtney's costume; I'm sorry but I'm not impressed with a leotard and some tassles. Beyond that, you could tell that the night was beginning to wear on both of them as this was way too heavy throughout most of it, and even the lifts which Joshua excels at seemed heavy going into and coming out of them. There was energy; as much as they could spare; and all things taken into consideration it was still pretty damned good.

THE PERFORMANCES (GROUP)

Courtney, Joshua, Katee & Twitch
--(Contemporary w/ Mia Michaels - "Hallelujah," The Vitamin String Quartet) With Mandy Moore judging I knew we were going to get a Mia Michaels number. And befitting her general level of brilliance, she was giving the marquee final number of the season, with the added challenge of having it feature all four finalists. Again, I think the wardrobe department failed them as I don't think the costumes flattered the piece at all, though it may have been what Michaels envisioned. There was a great "joy of dance" throughout, with a lot of heart and passion on display from all four finalists. In the end, this has turned out to be a great season and possibly the most impressive Final Four yet on the series.

THE PERFORMANCES (SOLOS)
  • Courtney ("They Weren't There," Missy Higgins) I focused on her feet and extensions throughout this solo and she was really elegant and followed through all her motions. If that was a weakness for her going in, she's grown so much throughout the competition.
  • Twitch ("It Was All In Your Mind," Wade Robson) Twitch just about doubled the tempo of most of his solos to try and squeeze in as much of his singular magic in the allotted time as possible. While it didn't have the personality of some of his earlier routines, it was still Twitch-tastic.
  • Katee ("Hide and Seek," Imogen Heap) Honestly, I would have liked a lot more than that from Katee for her final solo. She's one of the best dancers the show has ever seen, and it just didn't feel like she really brought her A-game to this bit. It's not that there was anything bad with anything she did, but just that she didn't seem to do much.
  • Joshua ("(Not Just) Knee Deep," Funkadelic) I loved how he used the stage and even the judges' dais. He was strong and really gave an entertaining performance. And the way he picked up his show after it fell off and held it to his face like a phone, to solicit votes don't you know. That show's quick thinking!
BEST OF THE NIGHT
Well, Joshua & Katee's final number together was genuinely something that transcended dance and become something altogether different and more amazing.

WORST OF THE NIGHT
Surprisingly, Joshua came in this category as well, falling flat on his jive with Courtney. I put most of the blame on that on just how freaking exhausted both dancers were with such a high tempo number so late in the show. But, as Nigel said, it doesn't matter how tired you are you need to raise your game and they just weren't able to here.

PREDICTIONS
Well, I'll give it a toss up between Twitch & Courtney for third and fourth place. As for the top place, as crazy as it is to think that Joshua & Katee were paired up right from the get go, I think they stand now as the top two dancers in the competition. But in the end, I have to give the edge and the title to Katee. How amazing and beautiful was she in every single dance she ever performed? It defies imagination that she never faltered, not once throughout this season.

And now, if you'll excuse me, I think I'm going to join the judges and the audience in giving a standing ovation to the season, the finale and these amazing finalists: Courtney, Joshua, Katee & Twitch. You truly did raise the bar on this show.

Who's your favorite dancer?

Tags: courtney, joshua, katee, mandy moore, MandyMoore, mary murphy, MaryMurphy, mia michaels, MiaMichaels, nigel lythgoe, NigelLythgoe, tabitha and napoleon, TabithaAndNapoleon, twitch, tyce diorio, TyceDiorio, wade robson, WadeRobson

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