SYTYCD Finale 2012

I always enjoy and loathe the finale's of SYTYCD. I enjoy seeing favorite numbers and whatever new they throw our way, but I loathe how they stretch it out into a two hour program for a 5 second announcement. C'est la vie.

The new numbers were all fantastic, and for me they got better as the night progressed. The first number with all top twenty dancers had a definite Firefly sound and feel, so I was predisposed to like it. I was even more entertained by the hip hop/animators poker number. I love it when the choreographers dance; it's incongruous and awesome at the same time. My mom had the winner comment of the night when she said that choreographer Christopher Scott "keeps up, but he's just terribly white." Congrats, mom! But the final Lion King number was the best of the new. It was strong and crazy, but it also had a touch of the cheesy. The weird cheetah/leapfrog jump over 3 dancers that happened towards the end was b-a-n-a-n-a-s. Lastly, I'm not sure that codpieces were necessary, but if anyone should wear one out of that group then it's Twitch.

Speaking of Twitch, I think he was in 5 or 6 dances, which I believe makes him the most featured dancer of the night. Drool.

Additionally I was so glad that the show featured Dragon House. I loved all those boys in the auditions,  they simply bowled me over, and I loved their number.

As to the results, I thought for sure Cyrus would win even though Chehon is the better dancer, so I was over the moon that my two ballet dancers won! Congratulations to Eliana and Chehon, they are both incredible and well-deserving. And congratulations America for making me happy with these winners.

P.S. I thought it was super awkward how they announced the winners. They should have announced them at the same time. Also what in the world was Eliana wearing for the announcement? Odd choice, indeed.

SYTYCD for 11 September 2012: Finale Performance

Well, well, well, here we is at the SYTYCD performance finale, and what a finale it was! It's tricky to break it down because all the contestants danced five times, or in other words, everyone danced with everyone plus more. I'll try to make it quick, yet chalk-full.

Quartet
I'll start with the worst first. Remember that quartet that was smack in the middle of the show that Tyce choreographed? I've been trying to forget it. It was messy and confusing, and once again the music was terribly off-putting and distracting.

Solos
Everyone had fantastic solos this time out. Eliana was graceful and elegant as always; Tiffany had a myriad of amazing turns; Chehon had so much effortless control, especially in his turns; and we all are fully aware of the insanity that is Cyrus in is own style.

All Star Partners
Tiffany & AS Will had a Sonja number, but Sonja was off for me again with this dance. Or maybe this time it was the fact that AS Will didn't do a great job. How did he struggle so much with that last lift?

Chehon & AS Allison danced an incredible Stacy Tookey number. It was like someone turned a switch on in Chehon two weeks ago, and the performance aspect of his dances went through the roof! He's an unstoppable train now.

Eliana & AS Alex pulled the glorious Travis Wall. I really can't get enough of how dance both oozes and explodes from Eliana. The power and control over just her feet in this dance were a sight to behold, not to mention the rest of her performance. She totally out danced Alex, which is as it should be in the finale.

Cyrus & AS Twitch. Need I say more? Yes, yes, I do. First, the fact that these two beautiful men dancing together was a little fever-inducing. Then they broke those "glass" panes and dance the bejeezus out of that number. In my notes: "Muscles McGees. Yipes!"

Partnered Contestants
Cyrus & Eliana pasodoble. Yawn. He didn't even really dance. She just danced amazingly around him.

Chehon & Eliana ballet! I was hoping and hoping and hoping for this, and I was not disappointed. Despite the fact that her tutu was...not great, they both looked ridiculously beautiful in this dance.

Cyrus & Tiffany hip hop. I frankly don't remember it, and my notes are subpar this time around. However, it was here that I realized that Cyrus is Twitch Jr. as far as my love of their faces go. I just want them both to smile at me all day long.

Tiffany & Eliana pole dance? Are you kidding me?! I was so scared that this was going to a place that I didn't want to be, but frankly it was entirely entertaining and impressive. I thought Eliana out-danced Tiffany, but not by much. It was probably that mind-boggling ending with Eliana turning around that pole with one leg forward, one leg back, and a wicked smile on her face.

Cyrus & Chehon danced a (finally) great Sonja piece. Well, overall it was great, but every time my eyes left Chehon, I was thoroughly disappointed in Cyrus's quality of movement. It's almost comical to see Cyrus dance next to the technically magnificent Chehon, so I just watched Chehon.

I'm sorry to end on ballroom, but Chehon & Tiffany danced a rumba. It was fine. That's it. Also Tiffany is a hedgehog; every time the judges say something good to her, she tucks her head down and her body arches like she's about to roll into a ball and hide. I realized that this behavior actually makes her forgettable, because instead of it being a humle and endearing action, it makes her seem unconfident and kind of...weak.

I'm wishing and wishing that Chehon and Eliana win, it is obvious that they are the superior dancers. But let's not forget what Simon said tonight: neither Tiffany nor Cyrus were ever in the bottom three, so their fan base may overtake the talent and skills of Chehon and Eliana.

SYTYCD for 5 September 2012

Full disclosure: I was so tired when I watched this episode and when I wrote the post, and I wasn't really in the mood to do either. I acknowledge that this probably affected my opinions of the dances as well as the quality of this post.

No dilly-dallying today.

The contestants each danced with another contestant, with an All Star, and by themselves.

Mostly the solos were fine to great. Chehon and Cyrus are both simply unbelievable in their styles, and Cole and Eliana were both very strong. For me Tiffany's was fine, but nothing extraordinary. Witney's solo was boring. There was way too much skirt popping and sexy posing and not enough dancing.

The All Star dances were a little all over the place this week. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I did not love Sonja's work tonight. I didn't particularly like the opening number, and even though the judges liked it, I didn't like Cole & AS Melanie Moore's dance all that much either. C'est la vie.

I'm also disappointed to say that Eliana & AS Twitch's hip hop was awkward and kind of terrible. First of all, that remix of "Please Mr. Postman" was awful and distracting, but in reality I don't think my darling Eliana was made for hippin' and hoppin' (just like me!). It simply didn't work.

The middle ground of fair to good was held by Tiffany & AS Benji's highly energetic and fun jive that I can't really remember, and Witney & AS Marco's jazz piece that I noted was "pretty good," but I don't remember it either.

Cyrus and AS Comfort did an amazing dubstep dance. The choreography was complicated and intricate, but this pair danced with power and precision.

The top dance in the All Star section 100% belongs to Chehon & AS Kathryn. I'm oddly so proud of Chehon for finally being able to show emotion and passion in his dance. Thank you, Chehon.

Just as Eliana is not meant for hip hop, Chehon was not meant for ballroom. The chacha he did with Witney was boring and technically subpar. I was happy that he was able to recover from the lift mistake and move on, because that's a sign of a confident and professional dancer.

Speaking of recovery, Cyrus also had an amazing recovery when he couldn't quite get his jacket off in time during is broadway number with Tiffany. He just kept dancing and supporting Tiffany, then shucked that sucker when he could. The number itself was very good.

But Cole & Eliana danced my favorite number of the night! First Mia Michaels choreographs a piece about anger inspired by rams ramming into each other, but then she pairs it with "Adagio for Strings." That juxtaposition of hard and soft alone was fantastic, but to have Eliana and Cole dance it with such emotion and strength and skill was a rare treat, indeed.

Drumroll for the final four: Chehon, Cyrus, Eliana, and Tiffany.

That means Witney and Cole are out. As you may know, I'm 100% fine with Witney and her dead eyes leaving, but I think it's a crying shame that Cole was sent packing. I wanted him in the top so badly! I mean, I get it, Cole's clearly a better technical dancer than Cyrus, but Cole doesn't have the same personal magnetism as Cyrus. And as Simon reminds us weekly, the prize is America's favorite dancer, not America's best dancer.

SYTYCD for 29 August 2012

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.

SYTYCD for 22 August 2012

Hooray for the all stars! I love it when the all stars are on SYTYCD, however there were so many that I didn't recognize this go around! I'm not sad about that (mostly because Twitch was on), it was just odd since I've been watching from Season 2. Some contestants just stick in your mind better than others. Like Twitch. Oh, did I mention that Twitch was one of the All Stars, because he was.

Fine, I won't torture you with my abiding love for Twitch anymore. Stop rolling your eyes and yelling at me through your computer.

First of all, the guest judge, choreographer Benjamin Millepied, gave the best criticisms I've ever heard on the show. He was honest, kind, and helpful. Bonus: I also enjoyed his French inflected English.

There was no dance that was awful this time around, which I attribute to the all stars, but let's break it down.

Tiffany & All Atar (AS) Brandon pulled disco. It was okay for me--nothing terrible, nothing noteworthy. Her Audrey's costume was terrible with all those cut-outs and the short bellbottoms, except  in that one section of the dance where the lighting was reflecting of those sequins like crazy.

Whitney & AS Nick pulled jazz? Maybe? It was choreographed for Whitney to be "very sexy," but I thought she was stiff and often had her shoulder up around her ears. We all ready know that I have a low opinion of her which my criticism of her is harsh, so take my comments on Whitney with a grain of salt.

Cole & AS Anya did some sort of ballroom shenanigans. It was okay, except for that ending with Anya twisting on the floor. Also Anya's costume was absolutely terrible. It was ill fitting and looked like it was an old girdle from the 50s and was dyed blue.

Lindsey & AS Jacob did a fun number to the song "Me and My Shadow." After last weeks Addiction number, Lindsey turned a corner for me and I'm liking her much more. I don't think she'll improve enough to win, but somehow blonds seem to have a longevity in competitions, even when they're not the most competent.

Nick & AS Kathryn pulled Bollywood, which was perfect for Nick. He's got to much energy and charisma that he just bounced everywhere that he was supposed to and looked like he was having a riot to boot;

Cyrus & AS Jamie danced a Travis Wall contemporary number, and it was one of my favorites. The way it began with the light behind them, and the way it ended with Jamie clinging to Cyrus as he walked forward was beautiful. Of course it was easy to tell the Cyrus didn't have the enough extension or the right quality of movement, but, as I've said all along, his efforts and total commitment without fear make him interesting and fun to watch.

Chehon & AS Lauren danced hip-hop. Oh man, Chehon tried so hard to get loose and down, but his ballet training just couldn't leave his body. His core was always so straight and...lifted. Or high, or something. He got a couple of good grooves in there, but one week of practice isn't going to cut it for him in this area.

George & AS Allison danced something. I don't even really remember even though I took notes. What I do remember is that Allison looked much physically stronger and in control than George did. I still think he's a beautiful dancer, but he just doesn't have enough oomph to get the votes, which is why he went home this week.

Eliana & AS Alex danced my favorite number of the night. From the music to the lighting to the choreography to the performance, it was beautiful to behold. The dancers gave so much attention to the minutia of their movement. We watched it twice. I still believe that Eliana will be the winner on the girls side. She's so fantastic.

Audrey & AS Twitch (!) aslo danced hip-hop, and I thought this number was really fun and entertaining. Twitch is really good at what he does, and I thought Audrey did really well. Just when I was really starting to love her she gets booted.

SYTYCD for 15 August 2012

Well, I was thoroughly disappointed in last night's episode. Part of the reason that SYTYCD is so fun is that you get to experience new and surprising ideas, music, and dance, but I've already seen all this stuff, man. These numbers were all ready endeared to me with other dancers, so of course I would like the original dancers better. The once exception being the Addiction number. That was hands-down the best number of the night, and completely stood up to and perhaps surpassed the original incarnation. It was so eerie and spooky and creepy and good. Cole was so intense and cold. I like Cole more and more, and this was certainly Lindsay's best performance. All the other numbers were pedestrian. And that's all I really have to say about the dance content.

We said goodbye to Janelle and Amelia. I think those were good decisions. Amelia wasn't really growing and I don't think Janelle should've been in the top 20 in the first place. We also said goodbye to Matthew and my beloved, bad-feet Dareian. I will miss his face and his tender heart so much. As far as wishful thinking goes, I think I would have rather seen Cyrus go. As you know, I love Cyrus' personality and energy, but he's really not improving enough. But, que sera sera, here we are with our top ten dancers.

I just wanted to add another picture of Dareian.

Predictions for the winners: For the gals I'm really rooting for Eliana, and I really hope that Whitney doesn't win. Is that mean? So be it. The guys are a little tougher. The judges seem to like George the best, but even though he's a strong dancer, I think he's too vanilla in the performance area. I think Cole is getting better and better, and if Chehon can convey any sort of emotion when he dances, he will be the man to beat, because his technical skills are stunning.

Lastly, I am absolutely thrilled for the all-stars to come back! It tends to up everyone's performances, and I get to enjoy some of my favorites from the past. I hope Twitch makes an appearance. I mean, look at him. LOOK! He's in the running for the man I choose to have my babies. What? I'm so grounded in reality.