Oh boy, oh boy, what a night! Lots of goings going on and dances being danced and jokes being joked with guest judge Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family). I mean, you watched it, you get what I'm saying.
I must mention a couple random things. First, Cat looked fabulous in her lace, knee-length dress and loose tresses; second, even though I didn't much care for the group opener, Chehon and his hair looked an awful lot like Bernardo from West Side Story.
Solos first. I thought most of the solos were good, but nothing special. Tiffany, Will, Lindsay, Whitney, Cole, and Chehon all fell into this category. Chehon's solo got the judges to their feet, but because the camera work/angles/weirdness were so low and far away, I'm guessing it was hard for the television audience to see the true nature of what was going on. But it was also adorable and endearing how he cried for the joy of his mother finally seeing him dance.
Dear SYTYCD producers,
Forget the "arty" angles; just make sure we see the dances at their best.
Sincerely,
Martha O.
The best solos belonged to Eliana, who I think is practically flawless, and Cyrus, who is always absolutely incredible in his own style.
As far as All Star dances go, let's break it down.
Whitney & AS Twitch (oh yes, he will be mine!) danced an East Coast hiphop. It is very difficult for me to say this, but this is the first time Whitney impressed me. She actually did an incredible job keeping up with Twitch. Plus I got to learn a new meaning for the word ratchet. As far as I can tell, it means to be down and dirty with positive connotations? Please feel free to correct me since Street is my second language.
Cole & AS Allison danced a Sonya contemporary number that was probably the darkest piece in SYTYCD history. In fact it was so intense and dark that it gave me the heebie-jeebies. It was so good. As we saw last week, Allison is so physically strong that it's almost unfair for her to be an All Star, because the guy dancers struggle to match her physicality and intensity. Cole did a fair job of keeping up, and this dance was probably my favorite of the night. (What? A Sonya piece my favorite? Shocker.)
Eliana &AS Ryan danced the dreaded quickstep, and guess what? She was great, as usual. She's so effortless in her movements, and her personality (and her fabulous hair) really made this number pop. That whole flipping under legs and flipping back thingy at the end looked like second nature to her. She has to win it for the girls, or I just might spit or swear or something.
Lindsay & AS Alex pulled a Sonja jazz routine. It was great that Lindsay's hair wasn't in her face, but it didn't do much to help the lack of chemistry between her and Alex. The number was fun enough, but the memory is already fading.
Will & AS Lauren also danced hiphop. I think this was my favorite from Will this season. As the judges commented, Will was so much more precise and sharp with his movements that I felt he looked more like a mature dancer than a kid with too much energy.
Cyrus & AS MELANIE MOORE! danced a Mandy Moore (no relation) jazz number. I will fully admit that I watched Melanie the whole time, because not only is she so skilled, but she's also magnetic. I didn't even try to watch it again because I knew I would just watch Melanie again, I love her so. And during the rehearsal tape when Melanie came into frame and whispered, "It's jazz...": priceless.
Chehon & AS Anya pulled the Argentine tango. I was nervous, but Chehon looked so strong and he actually performed instead of only dancing well technically. That's really the only thing that's lacking from him in general, so I thought he was great in this piece. And I don't think I've ever said this here before, but Chehon is a beautiful man.
Tiffany & AS Ade danced a contemporary number that was lift-centric! He's so strong and she's so tiny, so why not? That one lift where they're both lying on the ground then Ade picks her up and slowly lifts her over his body and to his other side was incredible! The strength and control it takes to do that is bananas. In the end, I don't know why, but I always forget about Tiffany even though I seem to enjoy her dances when they're happening. Maybe if she had hips I would remember her...
Lindsay and Will went home tonight, and I thought it was time for them to go, so I didn't feel any particular heavy regret.
There are always things I want to mention here until I read your entry and find out you have already mentioned it. And then I pretty much just have to say, yes Martha, I agree with all you have said.
ReplyDeleteI've gotta say, I was super nervous about Eliana being paired with Ryan because he creeps me put so bad! But she is so shiny and fantastic that I think she could dance with Oscar the grouch and still look effortless and perfect.
Cole's was definitely my favorite dance of the night. Allison is so consistently amazing, and I was glad to see that he held his own next to her. Sonya is the best!
Aside from those specifics, I was just so excited to have pretty much all great performances. It's always sad when some don't work out. And I agree with you, Chehon is pretty hott!
Ryan also always gave me the creeps! I feel icky just thinking about him.
DeleteAh, another week gone by and another SYTYCD to watch. What an emotional installment this was! Oh, I never noticed before until you posted this picture, but these are white guys with darker makeup on their faces, while their arms are white. My we have come a long way in the entertainment business now that things are much more diverse. I’m so glad I’ve seen all of this season though, because it has been difficult in the past having a busy schedule and missing episodes, so it is much better now that I can watch while getting ready for work using my PrimeTime Anytime recordings and watching commercial free with Auto Hop. My Dish coworker does the same thing, and that way we can talk about the show the next day but spend less time watching since it is without commercials.
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