So You Think You Can Dance
Season 11
Top 14 Perform, 4 Eliminated
Top 14 Group Performance
Choreographer: Stacey Tookey
Song: “Last Moment “/Christophe Filippi
Performance: The routine is very serene and as ethereal like qualities to it. The performance really gives Ricky time to shine as he is the forefront of the routine. The girls are wearing waaaay too much skin toner for my liking, but I get it, they’re supposed to be Greek Goddesses. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if Nigel or Mary made some Game Of Thrones quip as they try to stay be pop culture relevant. Again, as I always feel in group routines the camera should always go wide. I’d love to take in the entire routine rather than have parts of it isolated for my viewing pleasure whether I like it or not. I can’t wait for the day where TV watching can be interactive and we can zoom in our out to our hearts content creating our own close-ups. But I digress…
Cat comes out looking great in that dress of hers. I know it’s a little weird and wacky but I like it. I almost get sort of an Asian vibe off of it. Her Instagram tells me it’s a Mara Hoffman dress which makes total sense if you’ve ever been to Anthropologie.
She announces that the Top 10 Dancers will be revealed tonight meaning 4 dancers will be going home. And I can’t believe it. I actually voted last week, I voted for Zack, Ricky, and Bridget with the majority of my votes going to Zack and Ricky. In a perfect world it would be: Brooklyn, Serge, Carly or Jacque or Emily (because those girls are kind of interchangeable to me) and Casey (because despite him being a good dancer, he hasn’t shown any personality).
Today’s guest judge is Christina Applegate who always makes for some fantastic quotes.
Who’s In the Top 10
Bridget, Emilio, Jacque, Ricky, Tanisha, Rudy, Valerie, Zack
My Reaction
I’m immediately LOVING IT. It was the right call America, my Top 3 are in, my bottom 4 are not “in” yet. Good call! (I’m a little embarrassed as to how excited I got about the reveal, especially when she announced Zack was in).
Who’s Potentially Out/Bottom Six
Brooklyn, Serge, Carly, Emily, Casey, Teddy, Jessica
My Thoughts
I’m glad we’ll get to see their solos, because it’s been so long. I really hope they do dance with for lives and we get to see some of their personality. It’s interesting to see that the people in the bottom are pairs still. I really hope that Jessica doesn’t get eliminated. I think the girl has a lot to offer and something amazing can happen when she’s paired with an all-star. She needs a Mia Michaels breakdown moment.
Couple #1
Who: Bridget and Emilio
Choreographer/Style: Ray Leeper/Jazz
Song: “Long Road To Hell”/Avicii
Performance: The routine actually seemed like a lot of fun. But there was something a little off about it. It’s as if their energy levels weren’t matched. Bridget was sharp and tight and slinky, and Emilio was a little looser in his movements. I found myself focusing more on Bridget because she just commanded my attention whereas Emilio seemed to disappear. He didn’t bring his personality into the piece. The choreography was great, it was very jazzy, but there was something off there.
Judging: Nigel thought Emilio was fantastic, but didn’t like what Bridget did. (Nigel, you’re crazy!) Christina is blown away by Emilio. Mary thought the movement suited Emilio…maybe I need to watch the routine again? Grade: B-
Couple #2
Who: Tanisha and Rudy
Choreographer: Mandy Moore/Contemporary
Song: “Seduces Me”/Celine Dion
Performance: Okay first of all, the choreography is stunning. Really stunning. I think Mandy Moore killed it. However, I don’t feel like it was performed really well. They didn’t have much chemistry. I didn’t feel the passion. Some of the tricks felt labored and I really wanted them to dance with such abandon. I didn’t see the passion in their faces, I saw it in some of the movements. They had a couple of moments there where it was really working, but unfortunately I don’t think it was performed as good as it could have been. I mean imagine if this piece had been performed by like Neil Haskell and Melanie Moore, or Chehon and Allison Holker…
Judges: All the judges loved it. Am I missing something here? Am I being too tough? Am I a hardass? Or are the judges super crazy today since all the dancers that have performed thus far are safe. Grade: B
Couple #3
Who: Jacque and Zack
Choreographer/Style: Jean Marc Genereux/Paso Doble
Song: “Dragula”/Rob Zombie
Performance: It was odd, it was cooky, it was crazy, and it was captivating. Just like Jean Marc Genereux. I liked it, I have to say. Though I wasn’t really crazy about the song choice, I thought they danced it was great intensity. Zack was definitely the all-star in the routine, I just can’t say enough good things about him. It was all very dramatic.
Judges: Mary loves that Zack gets into his character. Nigel loved that the concept didn’t overshadow the routine and thought they were fantastic. Christina loves Zack’s presence. Grade: B
Couple #4
Who: Emily and Teddy
Choreographer/Style: Warren Carlyle/Broadway
Song: “From This Moment On”/Kiss Me Kate (Original Soundtrack)
Performance: I actually really liked it. It was easy going. It wasn’t too showy. It took me back to those old school black-and-white movies where they couple is just dancing around in the streets. And I just love watching Teddy perform. He has this thing about him where you can spot his dancing from a mile away. He puts such personality into every move he makes. Emily also did a fantastic job, she was slinky and smooth. They were a little off in the end, they seemed to fall out of sync then stumble at the end, but overall I loved the feeling of nostalgia it brought.
Judging: Nigel acknowledges how tough the style was, but he wasn’t a fan of the performance and thought the ending was sloppy. Christina enjoyed it and the style but acknowledges they had some problems. Mary liked the routine, but thought they could have performed it better. Grade: B
Couple #5
Who: Jessica and Casey
Choreography/Style: Travis Wall/Choreography
Song: “Like Real People Do”/Hozier
Performance: Travis Wall has done it again people. He took me to another place. I felt like I was watching a romantic indie movie montage where the couple is running through a field of daisies all happy and in love. There were so many great moments in this piece that sent shots of warm fuzzies to my heart when they happened. The jolt Jessica felt all throughout her body when they first kissed. When she went spread eagle into the air as the music crescendo. When Casey swung her around from side to side like. This Jessica was the Jessica that we saw at the beginning of the show. She had this light inside of her that we saw during the Top 20 performance. And that light was also in Casey. He was definitely swoon worthy with this performance. He was so careful, and gentle, but masculine at the same time in the way that he took care of her during this piece. Plus there was one moment in the piece where he had a genuine loving smile on his face. I loved it. It was SO SO gorgeous. Now excuse me while I download this song and rewind the performance to watch it again, with the same goofy little, smitten smile on my face.
Judging: Christina believed everything that was happening in the routine and loved the little subtleties on the routine like Jessica just gasping. (I love everything Christina said about the performance. She’s just so eloquent) Mary loved the jolt during the kiss, and she was sold on it. Nigel called them both magical and said they were high on love. It showed throughout the routine. I love it when judges get so excited about a routine they get breathless. That is how you know a routine is really special aside from the cookie cutter comments. Did Jessica and Casey just solidify themselves in the Top 10? Grade: A+
Couple #6
Who: Carly and Serge
Choreographer/Style: Jean Marc Genereux/Quickstep
Song: “A Cool Cat In Town (Aerophon Mix)”/Tape Five feat. Brenda Boykin
Performance: Usually the quickstep is the kiss of death, so hearing they had this routine didn’t give me high hopes for them. That being said Serge was extra bouncy in this routine. He was so light on his feet, I really enjoyed it. Carly was a little heavier with her steps. While the routine was cute, there was nothing really WOW about it, and after the fantastic performance from Jessica and Casey, I don’t have high hopes for these two.
Judging: Mary thought they coped well with the steps. She loved their topline, but thought they could have worked more on their feet. Nigel loved that they looked like they are enjoying themselves. Grade: B
Couple #7
Who: Valerie and Ricky
Choreographer/Style: Pharside & Phoenix/Hip Hop
Song: “Turn Down For What”/DJ Snake & Lil Jon
Performance: At first I wasn’t too sure about it. I felt like the costumes and the styling was distracting. I felt like Valerie wasn’t really fitting in and felt more like a Raggity Ann Doll, but somewhere in the routine it just sucked me in. I think it was the leg wave. It looked like they were having a lot of fun, and there were a lot of cool tricks and things I’d never seen in there. It was interesting, inventive and entertaining.
Judging: All the judges loved it and thought it was a lot of fun. Mary thought they had great musicality. Grade: B+
Solo #1: Serge
Song: “Wicked Games (Radio Edit)”/Parra for Cuva feat. Anna Naklab
Performance: It’s always hard to judge ballroom solos, especially when it’s male ballroom dancers because most of the time they don’t have shiny outfits and fringe to distract us, but Serge managed to draw me in with his eyes. He was very sexy and was out in full force. Though nothing WOW happened, I got good vibes from it. Grade: B
Solo #2: Carly
Song: “Not About Angels”/Birdy
Performance: I thought her solo was just okay and I wish she showed off more of her personality. There was something subdued about it. Grade: B-
Solo #3: Casey
Song: “Kiss Me”/Ed Sheeran
Performance: This solo is how solo’s should be. He just looks happy to be dancing and has a completely different energy about his solo than Carly did. He was showed such range and control and was really just a joy to watch. Grade: A-
Solo #4: Emily
Song: “Infra 8″/Louisa Fuller, Natalia Bonner, Nick Barr, Ian Brudge/Chris Worsey
Performance: I loved the story that Emily was telling with her dancing. She had great musicality in the beginning there using her limbs to help us hear the beats of the music. I wish we could have seen just a little bit more, but her solo was elegant and pretty. Grade: B
Solo #5: Teddy
Song: “If I Ever Fall In Love (Original Acapella Version)”/Shai
Performance: He gets bonus points for using such a great (and old school Shai) song. His routine had a lot of personality in it. And it reminds me how original he is when he dances. I wish it was a little more energetic however. Grade: B
Solo #6: Jessica
Song: “Fever”/Beyonce
Performance: I think only this girl could perform a sexy song in a red dress while still keeping her face sweet and not resorting to just rolling around on the ground doing stripper moves. She showed great control and technique and looked cute to boot, but she needed a jump or trick in there to make it really memorable. Grade: A-
Group Routine #1
Who: Bridget, Jacque, Tanisha, Valerie, Brooklyn, Carly, Emily, Jessica
Choreographer: Mandy Moore
Song: “My Immortal”/Evanescence
Performance: Mandy wanted it to be powerful and I think it was. Those girls put their all in the routine and you can tell because they all come out of it crying. I thought it was both beautiful and powerful.
Judging: They judges all love the routine and call it Mandy’s gift for everyone. And you can tell it really brought everyone together, judges, and the dancer girls. Grade: B+/A-
Group Routine #2
Who: Ricky, Rudy, Serge, Casey, Teddy, Emilio, Zack
Choreographer: Travis Wall
Song: “Wave”/Beck
Performance: I don’t know what they guys are wearing, it looks like something Sonya would put them in. That being said despite this routine being done to such a serene song, it felt so high octane and high adrenaline. You can tell all the boys were going off an adrenaline high after falling off the stage. It was a great routine with some really cool movements and moments. And I really like the juxtaposition of a serene song with some strong, powerful movements.
Judging: They love it, of course they did. It’s Travis. I’m pretty sure he’s a wizard that can do no wrong. Grade: A-
Elimination Time
There’s only 5 minutes left in the show, so there’s no time to waste. It’s time to announce who’s going home. Nigel and the gang save Jessica and Casey meaning Emily, Carly, Serge, and Teddy are going home.
My Thoughts
After Travis’ routine, there was no doubt in my mind that the judges weren’t going to save Jessica and Casey. It was the right call, and frankly the only call. I really think these two dancers will thrive with the All Stars. While it’s sad to see Teddy and Serge go home, I won’t really miss Carly, sorry to say.
Top 5 Performances
- Jessica and Casey – Contemporary by Travis Wall
- Valerie and Ricky – Hip Hop with Pharside and Phoenix
- Male Group Routine – With Travis Wall
- Jacque and Zack – Paso Doble with Jean Marc Genereux
- Female Group Routine – With Mandy Moore
The Reveal of the All-Stars
Cat announces who will be paired up with which All-Star. And while I think it was cheesy to announce it with the dancers’ faces on camera I have to say I kind of love the fact that we know ahead of time who is with who.
- Rudy is with Jenna (Season 10)
- Jacque is with Chehon (Season 9)
- Zack is with Amy (Season 10)
- Bridget is with Brandon (Season 5) (Does this mean he’s off Britney’s tour?)
- Ricky is with Lauren F. (Season 7)
- Tanisha is with Ryan (Season 6)
- Emilio is with Jasmine H. (Season 10)
- Valerie is with Ade (Season 5)
- Casey is with Kathryn (Season 6) (I love this pairing!)
- Jessica is with Twitch (Season 4) (This will be one for the books people)
I’m particularly jazzed about the Jessica/Twitch and Casey/Kathryn pairings. I think it’s just going to make some great TV and I can’t wait to see Chehon and Jasmine dancing back on the stage. They are definitely two of my faves.
Final Thoughts
So come this (Thursday) morning, I have watched and re-watched the Travis Wall routine about 15 times. No lie. I’m pretty sure this episode will long stay on my DVR. I had Alex Wong’s performance with Twitch on my DVR for two years, until I realized (well not realized, more like remembered) there was this thing called You Tube that could replay my favorite routines to my heart’s content. Still there’s something comforting about great dance performances being saved on my DVR. Gotta go, time to watch Travis’ routine again…Until next week, my friends!
Rants Of A Crazy Person 