Tonight is the top six, and I’m still hurting from the elimination of Jason and Janette. I honestly think they both should be here, but I’m excited to see what the remaining dancers can bring to the table. Lil’ C is the guest judge and I’m just watching for the interesting plethora of vocabulary that he brings in his metaphorical purse of knowledge.
Each dancer will dance four times – two couple routines, one solo, and one group routine for the guys and one for the girls.
The night started off with a Willy Wonka-inspired Sonya Tayeh jazz piece. I thought the costumes, with the plaid and the unexpected pop of green fluorescent lightning bolts, really brought a night fantastical element to the number. I have to say my FAVORITE part of the piece were the incredibly sharp marching sections. They were perfectly robotic. I thought that Brandon and Evan were the shining stars, while Ade just faded. Even though Brandon stumbled out of the synchronized back flips, he really showcased his power. Evan was unexpectedly good with the darkness of the character. I think he is a really underrated dancer. He always nails it in my mind. Ade, while being good technically, didn’t bring the added bonus of personality to this wacky piece…therefore, he faded into the background a bit for me.
All in all, an amazing way to start of the night. :)
The first couple to the stage is Jeanine and Ade with a Louis Van Amstel Samba. Louis states that this is not a traditional ballroom piece, which frightens me because most of us laymen don’t even understand a traditional piece let alone a non-traditional ballroom piece. I have to state for the record, I am no Lady Gaga fan. I must be the only young lady in America with this opinion, but I don’t. In fact, I gagged and groaned when I saw the song listing at the bottom of the screen. That said, the good points of the dance were Jeanine’s costume (a la Showgirl, but with a classy twist) and the way she moves is just incredible. She’s one sexy gal. The bad points of the dance: the speed of the dance, which detracted from the movement, and Ade who just didn’t really nail it. Yeah, it was better then his Cha-Cha last week, but it just didn’t have the connection that I thought it could have. It made me sad for Jeanine, because I really think Ade brought her down in this one.
Kayla started out the solos of the night. She danced to “You Found Me” by The Fray. I LOVE THIS SONG. So much, so I was happy to hear it as the background for my favorite female dancer. But her movements were so repetitive, I’ve seen her do better. She’s a pretty hit or miss dancer with her solos. She’s still one of my favorites, but she just didn’t nail this solo. Sadness.
Evan and Melissa are up next with a Tyce DiOrio Broadway routine. It’s about a nervous groom who overslept and the bride is trying to get him to the altar. I love how Evan is trying to marry a married woman…oh bigamy, how awesome you are. I just have to start off by saying that I hated Melissa’s costume. It seemed like the “Slutty Bride” costume that women buy for Halloween…just not goo. I think the overpraise of Melissa and the underpraise of Evan is getting ridiculous. It was obvious to me that he completely outshined her in this piece, but apparently not. I thought it was great….the best that Broadway could be.
Ade’s solo was up next. His interesting quality of movement is starting to get repetitive. I think he has a good ear for music and a good feel of movement, but now he needs to give another side of himself to us. We need to now see a different kind of uniqueness.
Kayla and Brandon took the stage first with a Stacey Tookey contemporary piece. Kayla is a mistress who just can’t seem to leave her lover. Poor Kayla’s been through the ringer this season, what with being an addict, a zombie and a vampire. Nevertheless, she nails desperation as Brandon portrays the jerk who uses and abuses her. I thought the costumes, the music, and the depth and desperation of movement were just jaw-dropping. Can we please keep Stacey Tookey? Canada can’t have her back. :D
Melissa’s solo was next, en pointe and in black as usual. I’m still looking for more from her in these small exhibitions of talent. I just want some height from her….anytime….seriously. Like a jump, a leap, a trick….anything. Maybe I’m missing something from her pointe-work, something that I as a non-ballerina don’t understand. Seriously though Mel, I’ve seen you fly across the stage with other people on it, now just do it on the bare stage where you’re the star. Until then, I really dislike your solos.
Jeanine and Ade step up for their second dance together of the night. They get evicted by Tabitha and Napoleon. And for the first time on television, homeless is HOT. Just when you think NappyTabs choreograph soft-hop they pop out a jewel like this. I loved the box work, the strength that they both brought and the ending was just lovely. The boxes with the sad faces just cracked me up to pieces. It was great. I think Jeanine is on fire tonight, and she’s just taking Ade on for the ride.
I think Jeanine is a guaranteed finalist….I’m just throwing that out there.
That said, another guaranteed finalist is Brandon, because of his solo. Yes, I’m a little peeved it’s the same or almost the same solo he auditioned with. Yet, I can’t deny it’s greatness. It’s just flawless. He is like….a warrior of dance.
Amen.
For their second dance Evan and Melissa drew the quickstep. I personally like the quickstep…but not this one. I thought the height difference was the downfall. Although as I’ve said before, I think Evan handled it better then the judges stated. I think he looked dapper and sharp and his movements were lovely. Melissa on the other hand, could’ve been sharper on the kicks. I just don’t like the way they praise Melissa and rarely if ever point out her mishaps. I just don’t like it at all.
Makes me angry. I don’t think they’ll survive to the finale, but I’m still rooting for Evan. He’s my Broadway boy.
Jeanine’s solo was the last of the girls’ tonight. It was clearly the better of the three. This is the most personality and flirtiness she’s brought to a solo, and I love it. I just thought it was fun. I’m not even a Janet Jackson fan, but Jeanine made me love it!
The last of the solos is Evan. As I’ve stated in past postings, I love his solos, and he’s never let me down in that aspect. He’s just a time-capsule of refinement. I think from his sleepy eyes and jazz hands down to his shiny shoed feet, he’s just a loveable, goofy theatre dude who happens to be great at dancing. And that makes him my kind of guy.
Kayla and Brandon wrap up the couple dances with a white hot disco. I love them in white, although…Brandon’s has a bit too much glitter and sparkle for a dude, but hey, disco was a flamboyant movement. It was an incredibly physical routine, and it was great fun. I agree with Nigel that being able to go from an emotion piece like the one earlier in the night to this one was a feat that showcased an array of emotion from both of the dancers.
The dancing wrapped up with the girls’ jazz by Sonya Tayeh. They are portraying superheroes in this triumphant piece. Now I just have to congratulate Jeanine on displaying the best way to take out the competition…just whack them in the face during rehearsal! Lol. I loved the movement, and although it was not as cleanly delivered as the boys’ piece, those girls can dance. They nailed the characters and they created brilliant pictures in their movements. I thought it was a great, great way to end the night.
My predictions for the Top 4 are a statement of my ideal pairing of the remaining dancers. I think it will definitely be Brandon and Jeanine. Kayla is my personal favorite, so I’m hoping she doesn’t fall through the cracks. And while I’m hoping for Evan in the finals, I have a sneaking suspicion that it will be Ade.
In my ideal series of events one thing is for sure: Melissa is heading home.
We’ll see who my predictions pan out. Goodnight everyone!
