Break it down now!

Vegas Week is upon us in all its splendor! My soul was born a dancer and I love watching anything about dancing and So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD) is the perfect fit. Hubby is usually banished from the room to play some Call of Duty when I watch it because of his comments (he doesn’t truly appreciate dance the way I do). 160 of the country’s best dancers made it to Vegas and 140 of them will be cut by tonight, leaving us with the top 10 boys and top 10 girls (according to the judges). Here’s what happened last night in Vegas.

Host:
The ever beautiful, Cat Deeley


The Judges:
Nigel Lythgoe

Mary Murphy

Tyce Diorio (my favorite)
Adam Shankman (another favorite)
Debbie Allen
Robin Antin (creator of the Pussycat Dolls – but I don’t know why she’s here. I have yet to warm up to her. Sorry there's no picture of her, I was afraid of what would come up if I Googled her.)

Dance Areas:

Solos

Hip Hop

Broadway

Ballroom

Contemporary
Group Routines

SOLOS
There were a lot of familiar faces this season that made it to Vegas, including the German ballroom beauty, Iveta Lukosiute. She’s amazing with her killer legs and ballroom skills, and so was her routine. One thing you have to know about Nigel, he’s a great appreciator of the female form and steamy dancing. Which Iveta admitted to exploiting. And exploit she did! She’s a great dancer, the crowd was cheering, Tyce was smacking the table top and screaming, “I like her! I LIKE her! Nigel!” But we all know Nigel likes her too. When he looks like he might crawl over the judges table and eat the contestant, they’re going to make it through.

Then there was Marlon Pelayo with his unitard made by his mother and painted by himself. Uh, wrong move. He was cut right away. Solos were tough and a lot of my favorites from the auditions were sent home packing. Another dancer they focused on was Wadi Jones, a B-boy with killer flips with absolutely no effort. The judges loved him and moved him through. Sisters Sasha and Natalia were amazing again – and they danced to Adele (extra points there) – and made it through. Let me tell you, for Natalia’s size, she’s an amazing dancer with skills and moves I’m sure a lot of people didn’t think she had.

Highlights:

After Solos, there were only 114 dancers left.

HIP HOP with NapyTabs (Tabitha and Napoleon)
This is a hard one for a lot of people. NapyTabs like to bring attitude, emotion, and swag into their pieces and they’re not easy. China from Pocatello, Idaho pretty much stood around when it came time to dance (but she was given a second chance), my Irish dancer was cut here (really no surprise there), Wadi had leg cramps and couldn’t walk, but when his time came, he pulled through with flying colors. Princess Lockaroo and Hero were also cut here. For the most part, the Hip Hop routine was a nightmare. The judges were irritated and the dancers have been better. Iveta and China improved greatly on their second chance and were passed through to the next round.

Highlights:

BROADWAY with Tyce
I love Tyce. I want to be his friend. He is so passionate about everything he says and does. It’s great. One of my favorites is a girl named Jordan Casanova. She’s not stick thin like the other girls, she has curves and amazing talent. Which is why I was beaming when the judges thought that she (and another favorite, Jessica) was a natural with Tyce’s routine. Jeramiah made it through (temper-tantrum boy from previous season), Rebecca was cut, Woo-hoo made it, and the cocky krumper was cut (I’m glad).

Highlights:

JIVE with the Australian (I can’t remember his name right now)
Ryan Ramirez made it through (a veteran from last season who made all the way to the top 21 and was cut by Lil’ C). Natalia and Sasha made it through, and were so supportive of each other. They paired Natalia with The Professor because her original partner was too small. That way, both dancers got a second shot at looking better. Season 5 winner’s sister, Alexis Mason wasn’t as good as everyone hoped. She had to dance for her life, but was cut in the end. Which I supported, as did she.

Highlights:

74 dancers are left.

GROUPS
This is always an interesting part of Vegas Week. The dancers are given a random song. They work through the night coming up with choreography from all genres represented and costumes. There’s always at least one group that is horrible, but not this year. All of them were pretty stinkin’ good. But drama in DC’s group! He felt his voice wasn’t being heard and stormed off, hanging out in the bathroom for a half hour. He came back, they pushed through it, and all was well the next day. Natalia was so dehydrated she needed an IV. That doesn’t spell Top 20 to me. Which I hope is not the case.

Highlights:

After the groups, 7 dancers were cut (including my fiery red-head that danced with her dad!)

CONTEMPORARY (Tears! Unitards! Injuries!)
Sasha is a very good dancer and I think she’s gonna make it all the way (but cut early on, I don’t think she’s top 10 material). Natalia was still dehydrated and ended up being taken to the hospital in an ambulance. Turns out they think she might have diabetes. Arielle was cut, which was sad. She’s been to Vegas 4 times already. DC didn’t make it. He cried. Like a blubbering baby, he cried. Begged not to be sent home. He couldn’t go back home. But then Debbie Allen stepped in to save the day. “I’ll give you free lessons!” she promised! Magically, the tears were gone. We’ll see where that goes. 12 dancers were cut, including China.

Highlights:

55 dancers are left.

SOLOS
Solos again for the remaining dancers to prove to the judges they deserve the coveted title of Top 20. Natalia has a great spirit and talent. She is motivation and inspiration to so many people, and the judges passed her through to the next round. 24 were sent home after this, Amber Williams and (sniff, sniff) Chase Thomas were cut here, too) Alexis Mason left here, which she was okay with.

31 dancers are left, hanging out in the penthouse suite waiting to find out if they’ve made the Top 20. Tonight all of America finds out. This season is going to be TOUGH! They’re all amazing, and as hard to believe as it is, the dancers are better than last year.

That’s SYTYCD so far. I’ll let you know tomorrow who our Top 20 are!

--Me