So You Think You Can Dance Review: It Don’t Mean A Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing ~ Salsa Circuit latin news| salsa music| salsa dance

I’m calling it now. This season may go down as the best crop of contestants ever. The judges may have taken the easy way out after the first episode by cutting no one and then swiftly cutting four the following week, but if my feelings for these contestants are even half as strong as theirs, I completely understand. Sure, some are weaker in other genres, but almost all are breathtaking in their own niches and very quickly pick up other styles. Somehow they feel a little more professional and a little less green than past seasons. So far, I’ve been sad to let contestants go because their potential is so evident and strong.

The fabulous and sunny Kristin Chenoweth joined Nigel and Mary on the judges’ panel, along with krumper-turned-rapper Lil’ C. No matter what Kristin does, she always brings a breath of fresh air with her and some laughs. Lil’ C, on the other hand, just allows absurdities to flop out of his mouth in the most genuine of ways. This is what I call good television.

We had an extra treat in the form of group numbers, each danced by eight dancers. Partners didn’t dance together, which I found refreshing. Tyce Diorio kicked things off with a Broadway number that had the girls kicking the guys’ butts. If you thought we’d hear any less about how outmatched the boys are/will be this season, you were wrong. The numbers would get no critiques but the dancers would still be judged on their performance. This week’s contestant interviews focused on baby pictures of the contestants and their earliest dance memories. Pretty adorable. So let’s see how our all grown-up dancers fared.

8. JORDAN and TADD | Hip-hop | Nappytabs | “Memories” by David Guetta (feat. Kid Cudi)

The judges applauded this number for being a fun routine about casual sex and binge drinking. Oh, so sweet. I agreed with Nigel that the “story of the dance overwhelmed the dance.” So much focus was put on taking off and putting on clothes and worrying about covering up with a big blanket, that there wasn’t enough time for meaningful dance steps. However, I can’t fault the dancers who appeared to take all the direction from their choreographers and execute the steps well. They also looked to be having a great time, but with such a fantastic crop of dancers and fantastic choreographers, these fluff pieces just aren’t going to cut it for me. Yet, I know there will be tons of young viewers and voters who’ll just eat up the number.

7. CAITLYNN and MITCHELL | Salsa | Jean-Marc Généreux | “Put It In A Love Song” by Alicia Keys (feat. Beyoncé)

Jean-Marc wanted these two to use their butt and hips as speakers, and those speakers needed to blow-out. At first watch, I felt those two looked stiff, and I didn’t get all the hoopla, but on a second viewing, I noticed how at ease these two appeared. They worked their hips and their feet and the body rolls, techniques so hard to dive into pretty well, though not exceptionally enough that ballroom expert Mary shouldn’t have had one bit of advice. She was so overwhelmed with excitement that she almost forgot Caitlynn’s name. Kristin repeated “Shut the front door!” And Nigel complimented Mitchell’s gait. Lil’ C thought they were the buckmasters of ballroom. There was no constructive criticism.

6. ASHLEY and CHRIS | Jazz | Soyah Tayeh | “Lights Go Down” (District 78 remix) by Telepathe

It wouldn’t be a true Sonya number without the creepy factor, but unfortunately this number just wasn’t creepy enough. Jazz, I think, is harder for hip-hoppers to pick up because it’s often less emotional, on this show, and in contemporary, when you miss the steps a bit, people are so enraptured that they don’t care. None of the judges seemed to connect to this zombie-fied number, and the camera did pan to her once during the critique. I thought, did she miss the performance? Was she pissed? Unequivocally, Soyah is a unique innovator, even if you either lover her or hate her, so please do not chase her off the show! Ashley got props, pretty much, just for her past performances, and Chris only got an “I see you” from Lil’ C. Really?! Mary understood the panel’s underwhelmed feelings, but felt that technically they performed admirably and that Chris has come a long way.

5. RYAN and RICKY | Contemporary | Sonya | “With Every Heartbeat” (Acoustic) by Robyn

Sonya’s story of how hard it is to let go of someone or something you love was well conceived and unconventionally so. Sometimes a prop will hinder a performance, but Ryan was wrapped completed in a piece of cloth, while Ricky held on for dear life as they re-twisted and unraveled it, and it worked. The cloth stood as a beautiful metaphor for their struggle and pain. I was close to tears before their rehearsal clips were even over, but then it got to the piece and no tears. Slow-mo storytelling really does do something to the brain because in real life I was underwhelmed. Sonya was crying though, and she also showed her face which means that she must have been ducking under her seat when the panel was ripping her last piece a new one. No Lil’ C, they are not another power couple no matter how little time (seven hours) they actually have to prep before performing. I agreed with Nigel that Ricky was the one I was watching, which leads me to believe that my lack of enthusiasm over Ryan’s dance ability. She just doesn’t pull at my heart strings.

4. SASHA and ALEXANDER | Contemporary | Dee Caspary | “Belong” by Cary Brothers

The judges adored this piano-focused piece about the memory of a loved lost. Sasha, especially, was complimented for her power and presence, or as Nigel put it, she turned “into a beautiful princess of dance.” Nigel did critique Alexander who’s having trouble connecting what he’s emoting with the audience. Unfortunately, I felt that these two were a little short of achieving the emotional depth of this number. To me, all I saw was absolutely beautiful moments and blank faces. Plus, a trapped woman inside of a piano is just creepy.

3. ROBERT and MIRANDA | Broadway | Tyce | “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)” from Sophisticated Ladies

Tyce is just full of sex. Every number is about bringing the sexiness. Miranda portrayed a lady of the night, while Robert was the groovy, cool cat she wanted. It’s frustrating to see the dancers nab a Tyce number because out of all the choreographers his storytelling is the flimsiest. He depends on flare too much, but I’ll say it was actually a great bridge to bring Robert and Miranda from Haterville to appealing. Miranda was technically enrapturing and fully in the moment. Lil’ C said Miranda has grown so much and transformed the most so far, and Nigel agreed. The panel loved Robert’s character, and Mary especially feels like he’s getting better and better. I would agree that his toned-down but still completely welcoming personality suits him better and is less annoying in this kind of competition.

2. CLARICE and JESS | Foxtrot | Jean-Marc Généreux | “Fly Me to the Moon” by Frank Sinatra

Jess was built for this Rat Pack-inspired number. And Clarice was total eye crack in her shimmery, fringey, barely there dress. I don’t mean to be such a sizist, and at least I’m mentioning Jess’ short stature in a good way this week, but for being so short, he appeared long as if stretching from toe to head. Mary thought Clarice’s lines were fantastic, and she felt no one in the competition could have performed the piece better than Jess, and Kristin called it was her favorite performance of the night. Did it really excite me? No, but it was fun to watch and superbly performed.

1. MARKO and MELANIE | Lyrical Hip-hop | Nappytabs| “I Got You” by Leona Lewis

For once, the girl got to carry around the guy, and I love it just because it proved we could do it! Take that Mr. Knight in Shining Armor. I haven’t seen a lyrical hip-hop number so well received since Chelsie Hightower and Mark Kanemura’s season four “Bleeding Love” number. Marko was the man left at the altar, and Melanie the comforting friend he realizes is the one. Anytime someone kisses on stage, I don’t think they’ve ever been sent home, but the judges made it clear that these two were the perfect couple, regardless of the kiss. Lil’ C called them a “power couple.” Nigel called them “the couple to beat.” Nigel even planted one on Mary as she discussed how scared she is to kiss on stage. Mayhem erupted as Kristin kissed Lil’ C, Nigel kissed Lil’ C. Marko tried to kiss Cat. A fantastic number also gave them the most memorable critique this season, and good screen time goes a long way. Plus, I just want to remind you that these are Jazz and Contemporary dancers.

To close out the show, another eight contestants performed a Dee Caspary group number that was like the contemporary dance version of Clue. Yet again, the girls were trying to poison and kill the girls. Let’s just pound these poor male dancers into the stage a little more.

Fast forward 24 hours, and it was time for the results show, and somehow I went from watching an intriguing group number to some ghastly Broadway mess. Tyce strikes again! But maybe I’m too hard on him or maybe I should have known that there wasn’t enough raunch to be Tyce. It turns out someone new, Michael Rooney, put it together, and it was pretty sloppily performed. There were flops and awkward transitions, and the dancers struggled to hold weird positions. The strangeness didn’t stop there as Cat, usually so ravishing, took the stage in a dowdy, strapless dress with a bejeweled phoenix glued to her chest and a weird pink braid that reminded me of something Christina Aguilera would wear. Why, Cat, why?

The AXIS Dance Company combines performers with and without disabilities, so a wheelchair-bound man and a flaming-haired woman rolled and twirled until it was time for the conestants to dance for their lives. Caitlynn and Mitchell, Ashley and Chris, and Miranda and Robert filled out the bottom six, and each impressed me and the judges when everything was on the line. Ashley was graceful and easy, while Chris showed his funky side, Miranda completely surprised me with her extensions, and Caitlynn might have paled in comparison to the other ladies, but she was still pretty breathtaking. Mitchell was techinically masterful, but looked a little tired by the end. I really had no idea how things were going to end up even though I could have guessed by past bottom performances.

Next, Eric Luna and Georgia Ambarian, two U.S. & World Theatrical Ballroom champions, took the stage to perform magic. Okay, there wasn’t any top hat and bunny, but their ballroom piece was chock full of tricks and illusions. My mouth was agape the entire time, but awe quickly turned to sadness as Miranda and Robert were sent packing. Once Miranda was chosen, Robert was a foregone conclusion. Together, they tackled hip-hop, jive and jazz, a wide spread, and though their early numbers didn’t grab me, they were towards the top for me this week. The judges, I believe, knew that these two would continually be placed in the bottom and cut the cord sooner rather than later, an act of dance mercy.

So You Think You Can Dance airs Wednesday and Thursday nights at 8/7c on Fox.

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