And cue music...
Posted: Thursday, June 18, 2009 by Travis Cody inWelcome to...
Judges tonight are Nigel Lythgoe and Mary Murphy, joined by Lil C. One thing to remember about Lil C is that he is wordy and sometimes his point gets missed in all the extra syllables.
OK? Here we go!
Randi Evans, a 23 year old Jazz dancer, and Evan Kasprzak, a 21 year old Broadway dancer, are paired in a Jive choreographed by Louis van Amstel. The key word for Jive is fun! Technically the dance wasn't great. But it also wasn't awful. They had a good time and their personalities really came across. Randi had so much bounce in her step, and Evan again proved he's a terrific partner. Louis put a lot of cheekiness into the choreography, including some tushy grabbing. Mary really picked on technique, and I agree with Nigel that Evan's footwork was a bit heavy. Both judges had some very high expectations of Evan and they seemed disappointed that he didn't live up to them, at least in their opinions. But I still loved the routine because it was...uhm...FUN...which is what Jive should be. And that jump over Randi...terrific!
Melissa Sandvig, a 29 year old Ballet dancer, and Ade Obayomi, a 20 year old Contemporary dancer, are paired in a Jazz dance choreographed by Sonya Tayeh. Last week they made smooth movement look effortless and beautiful. This week they take staccato and sharp movement and make it look equally effortless. But as well as they did the movements, I didn't connect as well with this piece. The music bothered me. I definitely like these two dancers, but I can't say I liked that routine. They both dance with such confidence and strength. And technically they are tremendous. They compliment one another. This is a terrific pairing. My trouble with the dance was more with the choreography. I usually enjoy Sonya, but not this time. Lil C did suggest that everyone else may be chasing Ade. Possibly. 
Caitlin Kinney, a 21 year old Contemporary dancer, and Jason Glover a 21 year old Lyrical/Contemporary dancer are paired in a Hip Hop dance choreographed by Shane Sparks. Jason pulled my focus again. He commands the stage. He seems to have a star quality. I wasn't impressed with Caitlin this week. She wasn't able to hit the moves as hard, and that detracted from the connection between the two of them. They just weren't able to bring this dance together. Jason carried the piece. They did so well last week in the Bollywood number with sharp movements and excellent synchronicity. But that did not carry into this number. Collectively, the piece wasn't as good as I wanted it to be. But individually, Jason was excellent while Caitlin was fair.
Janette Manrara, a 25 year old Salsa dancer, and Brandon Bryant, a 19 year old Contemporary dancer, are paired in Disco choreographed by Doriana Sanchez. Wow that was fast! High energy. Lots of personality. Out of control tricks. Janette's flexibility added to the excellent execution of the lifts and tricks. And they both attacked the choreography. This is one of the better disco pieces I've seen on the show. There was a moment in the middle third where it kind of bogged down. A few of the connections between movements weren't smooth. And she had a bit of a slip or trip. But they picked it back up again toward the end. Janette was fearless in the overhead lifts. And Brandon's strength carried the day in that piece. Well done.
Asuka Kondoh, a 25 year old Latin Ballrooom dancer, and Vitolio Jeune, a 26 year old Contemporary dancer, are paired in a Waltz choreographed by Louis van Amstel. That was breathtaking. Louis made a deeply personal dance, and these dancers breathed life into the steps. They connected with each other, with the movement, with the music, and with me. It was quiet, emotional, and vulnerable. It was so much more than the fairy tale I expect from a Waltz. This piece was danced from within. And when dancers come from that center, from that home, the dance lives. Congratulations and thank you Louis, Asuka, and Vitolio. Bravo, brava, bravo.
Kayla Radomski, an 18 year old Jazz/Contemporary dancer, and Max Kapitannikov, a 26 year old Latin Ballroom dancer, are paired in a Pop/Jazz dance choreographed by Brian Friedman. The story is supposed to be about a princess and an evil prince trying to steal her throne. I did not like the costumes or the music. I didn't think that Max was strong in this number. He didn't seem to have any extension...almost like he couldn't be bothered to finish the movement. I did like Kayla. This kind of dance seemed to suit her very well. I didn't think I was going to like her at first, but she is so talented that she just draws me in. But I didn't really understand the dance. For me, it turned into an opportunity to watch Kayla dance rather than a cohesive piece between two dancers and the choreography.
Karla Garcia, a 23 year old Jazz/Contemporary dancer, and Jonathan Platero, a 21 year old Salsa dancer, are paired in a Contemporary dance choreographed by Stacey Tookey. My pal Anndi tells me that Stacey comes to us from SYTYCD Canada. Click here to see a bit of that work. This piece was very well done. What I enjoyed were some of the subtleties of the movement, like the way Karla drew her legs up during a few of the lifts. Those small details make the piece more accessible. Jonathan was a revelation. He buried himself in the character and the movement. He was there for her in every lift, and his body positions were instinctive. They became one dancer within this choreography, perfectly balanced and beautifully expressed. And Stacey...brava my dear. My pal Anndi said of Stacey's choreography, "...the routines reflect life...moments in time, snapshots taken at very specific points in relationships." I wish I had said that.
Jeanine Mason, an 18 year old Contemporary dancer, and Phillip Chbeeb, a 20 year old Popper, are paired in an American Tango choreographed by Tony Meredith. I'm very nervous for Phillip in this dance. I'm just not sure about how well he can take this kind of specific and technical choreography. The thing I appreciated was that they committed to the style. They worked hard at it. Tango is so difficult to do well. They had the aggressive attitude, and they were able to pull off some intricate steps and a couple of really tough lifts. But I can't call it a good Tango. It was a good effort, but technically it just wasn't well done. Janette had a few good moments, but in this kind of style the woman needs the man to be a strong lead. And Phillip wasn't able to get there.
Ashley Valerio, a 22 year old Contemporary dancer, and Kupono Aweau, a 23 year old Lyrical/Contemporary dancer, are paired in a Hip Hop dance choreographed by Shane Sparks. I didn't like that. Dammit. I wanted to. It didn't seem to have any continuity to it. They danced well in spots, and poorly in other spots. I didn't think Ashley hit it as hard as she needed to, and I didn't think Kupono ever looked comfortable in the routine. She was supposed to be his shadow, but I didn't see that story anywhere in the performance of the choreography. It just didn't work for me at all.
Did the dancing fall off this week from a great opening last week? I think we had some dancers work in styles that weren't familiar to them. In some cases they were able to overcome the unfamiliar movement and make the dances work. In other cases, they weren't.
And that is another thing I love about the show. It offers so many varied opportunities for dancers to experience the art, learn the technique, and hone the craft of dance.
The dancers last week set the bar so high. It's tough to top that week after week. So perhaps there has been a dip. But that just means there is opportunity to rise again next week.
My votes went to Randi and Evan. Pam rotated her votes between Randi and Evan, Asuka and Vitolio, and Karla and Jonathan. She's not really settled on any pair yet, so she went with the dances she enjoyed most.
Tune in tonight for results. And remember to leave any questions you might have in comments and I'll try to answer them in tomorrow's results post.
I just think Kayla is too talented for Max. I've not seen her do anything but near perfection so far this season. She was not on my radar early in the auditions, but she is "in it to win it", and she just might do that very thing.