7:51 PM
Salsa Circuit
Oh Canada! Is it just me or was that one of the best first SYTYCD performance shows ever, in Canada or the U.S.?
But before I go on, it turns out the shocking revelation we were promised on Monday was indeed another injury. Moses Layco, who I found captivating in his audition and during Finals Week, hurt a shoulder ligament, meaning he couldn't do lifts and couldn't carry on in the competition. Moses, a 26-year-old contemporary dancer from Winnipeg, was the show's first ever contestant from Manitoba.
With any luck, though, he'll come back next year and he can be the first Manitoba contestant all over again. After all, there was Shelaina Anderson among the top 22 on Monday. Last year, she was the one crying in the audience with a fractured foot as the first performance show went on without her.
The difference for Moses is that he was eliminated from the competition right away instead of having to wait for results night and Adam Asselin-Rioux, 20, a contemporary dancer from Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., was brought in to take his place.
I'm sad for Moses but glad for Adam, who was one of my favourite guys during auditions.
Tonight, I'm going to recap the performances in the order they occurred instead of picking favourites. Yes, I'm wussing out, but with 11 routines and so much quality to choose from, I could spend all night just trying to sort out rankings. So here goes:
Lindsay Leuschner and Christian Millette: Lindsay's a powerful contemporary dancer who really came into her own in Finals Week and, at just 19, there was also something very sweet about her. But that temptress who shook it all over the stage, who was that girl? And ballroom dancer Christian was right there with the Latin swagger turned up to 11, making the difficult lifts look easy in this Tony Meredith and Melanie LaPatin salsa. That ending, where he fell on Lindsay to kiss her neck and then she rolled over on top of him? Caliente indeed and continuing in the Canadian SYTYCD tradition of pushing the sexy envelope. The routine had the judges mock fanning each other. Guest judge Mary Murphy put the couple on the Hot Tamale Train and she and Jean-Marc Genereux stood and screamed together behind poor Blake McGrath, who had to cover his ears. Blake said the other girls should be very scared of Lindsay while Tre Armstrong praised Christian's "mad male swag." "You are the dream team to me of all dream teams," Mary told them.
Jordan Clark and Joey Arrigo: Speaking of dream teams, these two strong contemporary dancers got paired with choreographer Stacey Tookey for a contemporary routine. Jordan and Joey made the movements look effortless, plus it was a subtle piece with slower, softer parts, not all flying leaps and flinging oneself about, so it would be easy to overlook just how much the pair put into it. It was, however, very well danced. The judges all were won over. Mary even declared Joey the best male contemporary dancer on the show. "You two represent why dance is what it is today in Canada," said Blake. "We grow stronger and deeper and better year after year because you guys have been inspired and now you guys are the ones inspiring millions."
JP Dube and Denitsa Ikonomova: It's hard not to love hip-hop dancer JP, given how adorable he is. He and Denitsa, a ballroom dancer who's five years his senior, certainly seem to have chemistry, but turning JP into a "Justin Bieber vampire" in this hip-hop routine by Tucker Barkley emphasized the cute, sometimes at the expense of the swagger. Don't get me wrong, JP's a very good dancer and Denitsa did a really good job outside of her genre, but I agree with Luther Brown that they both needed to hit a little harder. Still, as Luther said, "You all look like the two cutest little situations that ever came out of that coffin" and, for that reason, I think they'll be getting plenty of votes.
Matt Marr and Shelaina Anderson: First off, I'm glad Shelaina finally got her chance to dance on that stage in front of the cheering crowd after the disappointment of last season. She and Matt are both deserving of their spots in the top 22. That being said, I didn't love this Sabrina Matthews contemporary routine about a man falling in love with a windup doll. It was the choreography rather than the dancing. Matt and Shelaina spent a lot of time apart, sometimes rolling and leaping, and the partner work included fairly aggressive lifts and spins, none of which said love to me. My opinion definitely differs from the judges', though, who all really enjoyed it. Jean-Marc said it was the perfect routine for Matt and Shelaina.
Yuliya Zavadska and Adam LoPapa: There was some impressive technique in this Melissa Williams theatre routine, including some lifts that Adam made look easy, but I didn't buy the connection between this jazz dancer and this ballroom dancer 100 per cent in this story about a girl who gets the cutest guy in school to fall for her with a magic coin. Maybe I'm being picky but at 29, Yuliya didn't look like a high school girl to me. I do concur with Blake, who told Adam, "You're strong and the girls think you're pretty sexy."
Francois Pruneau and Cassandra Flammini: I'll admit that I found Cassandra's emphasis on being a "sexy" jazz dancer in her video package off-putting, what with all the blown kisses and come-hither looks at the camera. But then she backed up her brag about being dubbed "Cassexy" by the judges with an impressive rumba, choreographed by Eric Caty and Kelly Lannan. The technique from both Francois and Cassandra was excellent, including the "crazy" lifts. There was one anxious moment where Cassandra lifted one leg up and her heel got caught in her siren-red dress, but the heel dislodged as Francois spun her around so she didn't have to pull a Kirstie Alley. It's no surprise the judges were smitten. Luther called Francois "a swag master ballroom festival" and noted that Cassandra was talented as well as pretty. Carlenaboneless
Carlena Britch and Dwayne "Boneless" Gulston: If I was ranking routines tonight, these two would be at or near the top. They brought the house down with this sexy Steve Bolton hip-hop routine about a girl trying to get a guy's attention. Carlena's presence in the top 22 was not a sure thing after she got called out for bitchy behaviour during Finals Week, but I'm glad she made the cut. Granted, she and Boneless were both dancing in their genre, but everything about them, their sharp moves, their swagger, the way they inhabited their characters, created a perfect little hip-hop storm onstage. Jean-Marc said Carlena and Boneless were showing a different flavour than everybody else "because you have a different background than everybody else; you have a story and you're not afraid to show it." (Carlena's story is physical and mental abuse and a childhood in foster homes; Boneless's is growing up without a father.) I just hope they can stay this good when they move into other genres.
Kevin Howe and Teya Wild: Props to hip-hop dancer Teya for not only tackling an unfamiliar style but for keeping up with one of the strongest contemporary males on the show. This Stacey Tookey contemporary routine was about a woman deciding whether to stay or go after she learns her partner has been cheating. Teya was emotionally invested from start to finish, even if the technique wasn't perfect. Kevin was as good as you'd expect him to be, even better when you figure he was dancing injured. "You can show your technique, but if you don't have a heart and a soul it means nothing, and that's what you have," Jean-Marc told Teya, giving her a standing ovation. As for Kevin, "I know you are deeply injured right now. It didn't show at all. The two of you are for me so far the biggest surprises for all for those reasons," Jean-Marc added.
Rodrigo Basurto and Lauren Lyn: In terms of raw sex appeal, you couldn't beat Rodrigo Basurto on Monday. I'm sure the technique wasn't flawless in this Gustavo Vargas cha cha but, as Mary said, who cares? Rodrigo was mesmerizing and not just because he was shirtless and in leather pants (although that certainly didn't hurt). There was an energy and a joyfulness to his performance that was really entertaining. And Lauren was pretty hot too. "Altogether, it's like a big jerk chicken (dinner) with everything," Luther told them. In other words: tasty.
Adam Asselin-Rioux and Geisha Chin: This Melissa Williams new disco routine was pretty darn good if you consider that Adam got parachuted in just a couple of days before the show and was dancing on a hip that he injured just a half-hour before the performance. The technique wasn't perfect: there were some gaps at the beginnings and ends of the lifts, but the energy was high and the chemistry was believable. The judges' verdict was that it was a fun routine. Blake complimented Geisha (who's a student of neuroscience when she's not dancing) on the commanding way she controls her body and told Adam he's "explosive and masculine."
Melissa Mitro and Shane Simpson: Last is definitely not least here. In fact, these two danced one of my favourite routines of the night, a Sean Cheesman Afro-jazz number about a couple "jumping the broom" in honour of his parents' 56th wedding anniversary. Melissa, a contemporary dancer, and Shane, a jazz contemporary dancer, both auditioned multiple times before making the show and the experience they gained while they waited has done them proud. I'm with Mary, one of the best Afro-jazz numbers I've seen. The technique was excellent, and Shane and Melissa had down pat that controlled abandon that sets Afro-jazz apart from other styles. "I have to say to you, Shane and Melissa, you guys are true testaments to what success is: perseverance and a hell of a lot of passion," Tre said.
I'm not going to even try to predict who'll end up in bottom three Tuesday night, but I think it will be a hard cut for the judges to make. Find out who goes at 8 p.m. on CTV and look for the recap here.
Source The Star
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