break it down now!

In a couple more weeks, we’ll be down to the Top 10 and the All Stars will be brought in. It will be fun to see who they will be. National Dance Day is July 30th. Will you be participating? Take a look at the routines, here.


Okay, so, last night opened with a fun Baliwood group number by Nakul. Way to go, it was awesome and fun to watch, kind of lightening the weight of the night. No Carmen tonight on the judge’s panel and Mary looks like she’s been tanning a tad too often. Wait, was that a Kardashian I spotted in the audience?

Who’s in the Bottom?

The first couples on stage were Caitlynn & Mitchell and Melanie & Marko. I knew as soon as they paired these two up that neither would be in the bottom 3, and I was right. Both were safe from solos.

The next group though, Jordan & Tad (man, she likes outfits with fluffy things on her chest), Clarice & Jess, and Ashley & Chris. With that grouping, it was for sure going to be Ashley & Chris, and I was right. But, there also had to be a second couple. Comparing C&J’s dance to J&T’s number, I figured America would pick J&T, and I was right.

The final group had Sasha & Alexander and Ricky & Ryan. This was an easy choice, I thought. Even though I loved both numbers, I thought that S&A would be in the bottom 3, especially with what the judges had to say about their hip hop routine. But I was wrong! A total shock when Cat announced it was R&R! But, I guess I could see it. Their routine was a little out there, and America might not have seen and appreciated it for what it was.

Who brought it and who didn’t

Getting this close to the Top 10, the dancers in the bottom really need to bring it. They need to dance better than they did in their auditions, and it’s sad when some of them don’t do that. It almost seems like they have already admitted defeat.

Ashley had beautiful movement but was too safe with her solos. She didn’t put the “wow” factor in it at all. Chris BROUGHT IT! He is so amazing at what he does, and he puts his heart into his dancing. I knew he wanted to stay. He pulled all the stops out when he hit the stage for his solo. Jordan was Jordan. She did the same type of solo she always does, and it didn’t impress me. She really likes to do those standing spilt, turn things. I think she did about four in her routine, and I didn’t feel she brought it until the last 10 seconds. Tad is so fun and brought so much personality to his routine. It was great. It’s crazy to see the difference between how he dances from Chris when they’re in the same genre. Ryan truly danced for her life. I found respect and a little bit of admiration for her when she did her solo. She made me feel her emotion and fierceness and how much she wanted to stay on the show. Well done, Ryan. Ricky. All I can say is that he is such a talented dancer and technically very strong.



Guests

Alright! Now onto the entertainment of the night! I am officially in love with the Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet! I am a huge ballet fan to begin with. It is such a beautiful form of dance. This dance company mixes it with the more modern moves and costumes of contemporary dancing, and it really completes it. Not only did this company have the beauty and grace of ballet, but they also had the emotion and power of contemporary. Cat said they were in The Bureau with Matt Damon, so I think I’ll have to check that movie out just to see them. It really was great.

FLORENCE!!!!

Yes, you read that right! Florence + the Machine performed!!!! I was jumping up and down on the couch last night, I was so excited! I love Florence and she was amazing last night singing Cosmic Love.

Results

The girls were brought on first. Nigel warned Jordan that if she stayed, she would need to offer something new to her solos, the same old thing needs to change. He told Ryan that her chemistry needed to be better with Ricky if she was going to stay. And to Ashley, he said goodbye. That's right. Ashley was eliminated last night.

The boys were next, and continuing with the trend so far, one would think that Ashley's partner would be destined for the door. It seemed like they weighed heavily on Travis' input for this decision. Nigel said to the guys, "Travis still wants to work with you" or Travis feels you bring out the best in yourself in all your routines" or "Travis says that you're not fulfilling what the choreographers are giving you." Poor Travis. In the end, Chris was the one who went home. Poor guy, it really hit him hard.

So, now we have our top 12. Next week, it will be our top 10 and the All Stars!

--Me