(S05E06) Not to be a hater, but my favorite thing about this first performance episode was the complete and total lack of Mia Michaels anywhere on the show. Now I actually enjoy some of her work as a choreographer, but her horrendous judging and her personality, in general, are becoming very off-putting to me. But we don't have to even think about her tonight because we got the delightful Adam Shankman on the panel instead.I like Adam because he's got such an upbeat personality, but he's not afraid to criticize when necessary. And when he does, he gives constructive criticism to generally improve the dancers. Tonight he revealed that Katee, Joshua, Ivan and Twitch all have roles in the new movie he's working on: Step Up 3-D.
THE BEST
Jeanine & Phillip - "Mad," Ne-Yo (Hip-Hop, Tabitha & Napoleon)
What a way to open the show. Phillip couldn't have been luckier to pull hip-hop to start his run on the show, and Jeanine couldn't have been luckier than drawing Phillip as her partner. The choreography was just beautiful, and you can see the beginning of what could be a very powerful pairing. Jeanine hung in there and Phillip? Just ridiculous!
Melissa & Ade - "Right Here Waiting," Richard Marx (Contemporary, Mandy Moore)
A good contemporary performance is all about selling emotion and story. If done right, you'll barely even notice that there's some amazing dancing going on, you'll just feel it. There were some genuinely beautiful moments in this performance. Melissa had a few ballet lines throughout, which seemed a bit out of place, but otherwise, it was very moving.
Kayla & Max - "Jum Buh Day," House of Gypsies (Samba, Louis van Amstel)
Well, you knew Max was going to nail this, and he did, so I found myself following Kayla more throughout. Other than a few footwork issues, I was very impressed that she was able to keep up with such a frenetic pace. I was hoping she would shimmy her shoulders and head down to the ground, but otherwise, it was great.
DISTRESSED
Asuka & Vitolio - "Hot Honey Rag," Chicago (Broadway, Tyce DiOrio)
I'm not sure why, but I really didn't like this performance at all; I found it rather boring. There was a chance for that magical spark of fun in this, but there was nothing dynamic happening up there. I wasn't drawn into the story they were telling. The choreography was rather bland and "safe," as well, offering very little in complexity.
Paris & Tony - "Let the Beat Rock," The Black Eyed Peas (Hip-Hop, Tabitha & Napoleon)
How did both of our hip-hop dancers score hip-hop in the opening week? Is "the fix" in? I enjoyed this about halfway through, and then they kind of lost me when Paris & Tony lost each other briefly in the choreography. Even worse, Paris out performed Tony through most of that.
THE REST
Janette & Brandon - "Come Fly With Me," Michael Buble (Foxtrot, Louis van Amstel)
Thank goodness for Brandon that Mia and Lil'C weren't in the building. That contemporary dancer was very fluid and elegant in this, with a ridiculous lift-spin combination coming out of the routine. Damn, he's strong. Both of them nailed the mood of this foxtrot and worked together beautifully.
Randi & Evan - "I Only Have Eyes for You," Jamie Callum (Jazz, Tyce DiOrio)
[Missed this entire dance, people were being blown out of their trailer parks across the Midwest, and I had to watch the brightly colored maps to confirm it.] The judges loved it, though.
Karla & Jonathan - "Poker Face," Lady GaGa (Cha-Cha, Tony Meredith)
Our first foray into ballroom is always nerve-racking, but these two pulled it off well. I was pleased to see that they were given challenging choreography for this first week. I thought both were sharp in their steps, sultriness and overall technique. This is another partnership I'm looking forward to watching grow.
Caitlin & Jason - "Jai Ho," Slumdog Millionaire (Bollywood, Nakul Dev Mahajan)
When I think of Bollywood, I think of Joshua & Katee last year. Unfortunately, this didn't live up to that at all for me, with Caitlin struggling from the very beginning. Jason was much better, but I kept being drawn back to her next misstep. Overall, I completely disagreed with the judges on this one, so maybe it was me that didn't get it.
Ashley & Kupono - "Felt Mountain," Goldfrapp (Jazz, Wade Robson)
[First things first, the weather forecaster has his suit jacket off, so this is serious business. That took up half of the dance.] When I joined this dance in progress, I thought I was seeing the Super Friends Wonder Twins. Too bad, I missed the majority of the dancing, as apparently, it was a weird crash test dummies type of thing.
BOTTOM LINE
How the hell did this happen? Unless I'm misremembering former seasons, this is far and away the strongest Top 20 we've ever seen. While there were a few people who faltered here and there, no one was particularly dreadful to watch. Either they all got styles they were relatively comfortable with, or the producers strategically gave everyone styles they could excel in to make a great first performance episode. Either way, we're in for some tough voting decisions. I have no idea who's going home tomorrow.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
6-11-2009 @ 6:38AM
Joanne said...
What a way to start the live competition rounds. I was very impressed with all of the dancers.
Yay that Mia Michaels was absent. She is rude and no help to these kids at all because all she can do is spit out snarky comments to those who do not deserve it.
I loved seing Adam last night. He is wonderful and has great constuctive criticism where needed..
Fantastic show last night.
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6-11-2009 @ 6:57AM
Lisa said...
First, wow, I thought everyone was terrific and enjoyed just about everything - what good TV the two hours flew by. The only dance I didn't love was the broadway with Asuka & Vitolio - not sure if it was their fault entirely as I now detest Tyce.
Second, strategic move to have Adam up first, from what I read and feel personally he's the fan fave for how he treats the dancers. We flove him.
Third, they absolutely stacked the deck for who got what dance. I think they wanted to come out of the gate with a bang and that they did. You know hat, it's all entertainment to me so it doesn't bother me at all.
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6-11-2009 @ 7:24AM
Nornny said...
I think most importantly, the pairings seem much more fair this year than in year's past. The producers' pets of the auditions and Vegas weeks are getting paired up with the unknowns instead of with each other. I think only Karla/Jonathan and Melissa/Ade are the most vulnerable with lack of screentime, but they both produced stunning performances. I hope they don't get taken out before their time, as Jonathan (salsa) and Melissa (ballet) both are underrepresented here.
That's not to say cannon fodder will stay into the Top 10, I think it just evens out the score for our favorites, it'll be good to see some dancing for their lives out of the ones we just assumed to be good based on tv time they had. I see a lot of broken couples/new partnerships heading into the Top 10 this season unlike seasons past.
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6-11-2009 @ 8:37AM
laura said...
asuka and Vitolio- my biggest dissapointment last night, it was boring, poorly choreographed, they should NEVER let these guys wear hats because it takes away from thier performances!
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6-11-2009 @ 9:12AM
Robin said...
I agree with you 100% on the Bollywood number. I felt like Kayla could never quite keep up with Jason. It was very offputting---the judges, however, totally loved both of them. Sometimes I wonder if we are seeing the same dance! I will give her props for that amazing handstand at the beginning of the dance---her gymnastics background comes shining through.
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6-11-2009 @ 9:28AM
Robin said...
Sorry--meant Caitlin in the Bollywood. Haven't seen enough of these dancers yet to really learn everyone's name!
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6-11-2009 @ 9:32AM
Kellian said...
You weren't the only one to be glad to have a break from Mia Michaels. She may be brilliant, but since when did that give a person carte blanche to be downright nasty? Oh wait.. it doesn't..
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6-11-2009 @ 9:42AM
Gian said...
Terrific show and with the slight exception of Asuka & Vitolio (two of my favorites heading in) a great first set of performances. It's really going to be painful to watch dancers falling short of the Top Ten. This is likely the strongest all-around Top Twenty ever; there's going to be lots of surprises as this continues and every performance will count....no one is safe.
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6-11-2009 @ 10:28AM
Bob said...
I think Asuka and Vitolio danced well, but their choreography put them at a real disadvantage. They will likely be safe, though, due to their generous screen time during the Vegas week broadcasts. Paris and Tony are the most vulnerable, I think. I'm not as impressed with Evan as everyone else seems to be. Adé and Kayla stood out in this episode as contenders. I loved the Tabitha & Napoleon choreography, and I though the crash test dummies routine was the most striking and original of the evening. (Too bad you missed most of it.) One final thing: my world is a happier place thanks to Mary Murphy.
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6-11-2009 @ 10:27AM
Julie said...
Kayla Radomski is awesome! Check her out before she was on So you think you can dance!
http://www.dancewearsolutions.com/kaylaradomski.aspx?utm_source=Blog&utm_medium=comment&utm_content=06_11_09
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6-11-2009 @ 10:29AM
Grover said...
If the did stack the decks by giving dancers their own styles, that's a smart move. What better way to start off the season than with phenomenal performances, which, for the most part, is what we got.
Jason- you missed probably the two best routines of the night. Randi and Evan were nearly flawless while doing everything right, and well... the other one was a Wade Robson routine, so you knew it was going to be amazing unless the dancers totally botched it. I was nervous seeing the choreography sessions, but after Ashley's first couple steps, i was sucked it... This was the only routine i rewatched twice... I rewatched 6 of the other ones only once.
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6-11-2009 @ 10:35AM
Sarah said...
if you would have actually seen Randi and Evan's piece, it would have moved it from "The Rest" to "The Best". it was really beautiful. it was bedroomy and smoldering, as Mary put it. such a shame you didnt get to see it. invest in DVR!!!
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6-11-2009 @ 11:03AM
Grover said...
i dont think it's a matter of dvr or not... i think the news interrupted the show b/c of weather related happenings; thankfully my news was nice enough to leave the telecast on, only shrunk a little, as they warned of the weather across the top of the screen
6-11-2009 @ 12:15PM
Sarah said...
ah! i see
6-11-2009 @ 12:09PM
RLP said...
When you watch any routine on SYTYCD what is on the stage isn't 100% the dancers. I don't know what percentage is dancers and what percentage is choreographer, but when a pair is judged by the panel 100% of the critique is about the dancers. The choreographers are never judged. Maybe the judges have hinted at a routine being a little disappointing, but they can't be sent home.
And I completey agree about Mia Michaels. I have a difficult time appreciating her choreography when all of her judging and comments come off as rude and arrogant. She acts like this TV show is the only place people appreciate dancers and their talent.
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6-11-2009 @ 12:25PM
Sarah said...
thats not necessarily true. Mia and Tyce have both been criticized for some of their pieces, where the judges said it didnt work because the choreography wasn't understandable. i specifically remember a waltz done by Dominic in season 3 where the dance was horrible and the judges laid most of the blame of the choreography and choice of music.
6-11-2009 @ 12:39PM
Erin said...
I remember the Dominic piece as well.
IT was like "The Sound of Music" meets bad choreography and awful music/wardrobe/makeup.
That being said, I didn't see a lot of the dances because the weather. And I can't STAND Sonja. I think he choreography is dreadful. So I am going to go ahead and assume that Asuka and Vitolio may have gotten stuck with her. I'm going to go google it now.
6-11-2009 @ 12:40PM
Erin said...
Haha. But it wasn't. Oh Tyce......
6-11-2009 @ 5:45PM
Rich P said...
I guess my point was that choreographers cannot be voted off by the judges or the public. The dancers are the only ones that can go home.
6-11-2009 @ 12:56PM
Tabitha said...
I thought last night was amazing. gendance featured an exclusive interview with Top 20 Karla Garcia in today's issue, so here's the link if you want to check it out. She's gorgeous and really talented. I think she has a really good shot and I'm curious to see who goes home tonight. Enjoy:http://tinyurl.com/mrhhwf
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