Trav's Thoughts

We're down to six couples...12 dancers. Who's left? These are the pairs as Pam and I rank them, in order from our most favorite to least favorite.

Kherington & Twitch
Chelsie & Mark
Katee & Joshua
Jessica & Will
Courtney & Gev
Comfort & Thayne

Remember, that's in order of our favorites and not who we think is the best.

This week, the kids are dancing for the tour. Only the Top 10 go on the tour, so this is yet another of those tough elimination weeks. Let's see how the kids do, shall we?

Our judges this week are Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy, and Mia Michaels.

It's two dances again, so here we go with round 1.

Chelsie & Mark dance Salsa by Alex de Silva. The side by side work was terrific. And there were lots of spins and some tough lifts in that dance. Chelsie was sexy and Mark was a terrific partner. He showed her off to most excellent effect, and perhaps he sacrificed a little of himself for her. We liked how intense Mark was as he listened to the judges' notes. It's clear to see that he wants to improve. Say 9 for her and 8 for him.

Comfort & Thayne dance hip hop by Tabitha & Napoleon. We expected Comfort to be outstanding in this style. She was good. And for the first time outside of a solo, we can see why Thayne was picked for top 20. They danced very well individually, but not so much as a pair. We enjoyed the performance although the judges felt that it was lacking. They entertained us. Say 8 for her and 7 for him.


Jessica & Will dance contemporary by Tyce Diorio. Beautiful in every aspect. This piece was a celebration of the movement of two bodies. It was extraordinarily staged and incredibly well performed. Will's technique, lines, and strength were just brilliant. And Jessica was right there holding her own. Excellent. They went to a different place, created a moment, and brought the audience with them. Say 9 for her and 10 for him.

Courtney & Gev dance Cha Cha Cha by Anya & Pasha from last season. Pasha! The choreography was just a bit better than the pair of dancers, but the performance was very entertaining. There were quite a few technique issues and the dance was a bit messy. But the chemistry between the two of them covers a lot of flaws. And since this is a search for America's favorite dancer, and there was nothing in that performance to disappoint fans of Courtney & Gev. Say 8 for her and 6 for him. After the dance, Pam said to me "Too bad we couldn't have watched Anya & Pasha dance it instead".


Kherington & Twitch dance krump by Lil C. This is not a style of dance we enjoy. But, having said that, it was raw and harsh and aggressive. And the choreography had more story and character than just crotch-grabbing and tricks. These two are so talented. They threw themselves into the style, and Kherington really embraced it and stepped up. Of course this is right in Twitch's comfort zone and he nailed it. It's true that she ran out of gas a bit, but this is such an intense kind of dance. Say 9 for her and 10 for him.

Katee & Joshua dance Viennese Waltz by Jean-Marc Genereaux. That was such fresh choreography...very modernized. But we wanted more extension and better lines from both of them. The dance was a bit awkward and clumsy. This was the first time we haven't seen a connection between them. There was no beauty or romance between them at all. We didn't feel the story. We thought Katee was more a part of the dance than Joshua. Say 8 for her and 7 for him.

So what do we have for round 2? Let's check it out.

Chelsie & Mark dance Broadway by Tyce Diorio. We didn't enjoy that as much as we wanted to. Chelsie was sassy and sexy and on fire. Mark danced his way seamlessly through suspenders that kept falling off his shoulders. It was a strong performance of strong choreography. And yet, we didn't like it as much as we wanted to. Mia said it...the dance exposed Mark's lack of technique, and she wanted to see more movement from Chelsie. Yes. But I guess their performance covered most of those problems, which made us want to like it. Say 8 for her and 7 for him.

Comfort & Thayne dance contemporary by Mandy Moore. This was a strong performance from Thayne, and if he goes home this week we're glad he got to dance this routine. Comfort has amazing potential, and we hope that she is encouraged by her time on the show to take class and expand her skills. She has the talent. The judges hated this dance. We enjoyed the performance, but we also recognize that the choreography was beyond her skill level although we appreciated Thayne. Say 6 for her and 8 for him.

Jessica & Will dance Quickstep by Tony & Meredith. Oh no. It's a shame to follow up such a brilliant contemporary dance with this. It seemed like they were behind the music for a lot of the dance. It's not a style you pick up with 5 hours of instruction and although they gave it a good try, it just didn't get there. The stuff they did outside of hold was better, but the Quick Step technique wasn't there. Jessica looked like all she wanted was for it to be over. Say 5 for her and 7 for him.


Courtney & Gev dance jazz by Mandy Moore. They dance like a real partnership and it is quite enjoyable to watch. This was fun choreography and they performed very well. They made it look effortless and playful. They are not our favorites, but this routine drew us in with the personalities. Say 9 for her and 8 for him.

Kherington & Twitch dance Tango by Jean-Marc Genereaux. Drat. The concept was interesting. But this was a style that required technique, and Twitch didn't have it and somebody locked his personality in a dressing room backstage. Kherington was fine...she was strong and graceful, and did her best to carry the performance. But it was flat and it wasn't their best work. This was the first time that the partnership didn't work. Say 8 for her and 6 for him. Ouch. I guess we figured out how to be critical of our favorites.


Katee & Joshua dance the first ever Bollywood, a dance style from India, by Nakul. We can't critique it because we don't have any idea what the dance is supposed to look like. We can say it had lots of energy and it was fun to watch. It's nice to see a dance from a different culture. We enjoyed it. Say 9 for the dance. They entertained us.

Did our rankings change this week? Let's see.

Kherington & Twitch - Yay for the first dance, but the second one was wobbly.
Katee & Joshua - We should probably put them on top because of that second dance.
Chelsie & Mark - Solid, but a little off this week for us.
Jessica & Will - The Quick Step wasn't good, but the contemporary was fantastic.
Courtney & Gev - A good night, but just not the pair for us.
Comfort & Thayne - She wasn't versatile this week and the pair didn't have any chemistry.

And just for giggles, let's rank the girls and the boys from our most favorite to least.

Girls
1. Kherington
2. Katee
3. Chelsie
4. Courtney
5. Jessica
6. Comfort

Boys
1. Twitch
2. Will
3. Mark
4. Joshua
5. Thayne
6. Gev

Of course it's always about fanbase. Is this the week that Twitchington slips to the bottom three? Not if we can help it. Our dialing fingers are flying!

Tune in tonight for results and you'll see performers from the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. And this season's Top 10 will be revealed.

Later babies!