Break it down now!

Okay – so a bit of a crisis last night. Hubby had us change satellite providers so we could get one pesky channel that no one else offered (our BSU Broncos’ games are being moved to there because they moved to the Mountain West Conference). Along with trying to learn how to use the blasted new remote, get familiar with how the menu is set up and basking in my new TV that was a bribe for me to say yes to said switch; I’d completely forgotten to set up my shows to record. Which meant, SYTYCD.

Wednesday’s I have my writers group. At the same time as SYTYCD. So, I’m sitting in the coffee shop, talking with Madi about all things great and wonderful when a thought hits me. I DIDN’T SET UP SYTYCD TO RECORD!!!! Seriously—and I’m not happy to admit this—I was freaking out. I called Hubby in a pre-teen, irrational panic and told him to start recording it for me (in HD, of course). I only missed the first 15 minutes (so only the first recording), but I have learned my lesson: get the app for my phone that lets me manage my DVR. Onto dance!

Judges: Sonya (yay!) and Jesse Tayler Ferguson (we’re Twitter buddies, now)

Observations: Cat had a ring on her left ring finger. A diamond and another band, to be more precise. Could it be that our Cat Deeley has finally said “I do”? Last night was the last night for our dancers and their partners to be together. So, naturally, we’d expect great things from them, right? Not so, my friends. Not so. It was sad. There were only a few good routines out of the 12 that were performed. But, M&M outshone everyone, as was to be expected. I think that Cat and Mary hung out over the weekend because both of them looked like a pair of cooked lobsters. Okay, so as I was watching and listening to the critiques, Jesse offered histarical comments, so, for fun, I decided to include something he or Sonya said in the title for each dance.

Sasha & Alexander
I didn’t see this one, so I’m not going to offer any comments. The clip, however, that they showed at the end of the show looked very promising.

Jordan & Tad – “It’s the typical hungry vulture seduces boy, boy kills hungry vulture that we’re all familiar with.” (Jesse)
They had a Travis routine about women taking control of weak men. Caw! Besides Jordan’s costume coming apart…wow oh, WOW! This was AMAZING! For once, I found myself not just watching the girl, but the boy, too! And from Tads performance, I never would have guessed he wasn’t trained as a contemporary dancer. Their extensions and toes were breathtaking and the musicality was untouched! From the first few bars I knew this dance was going to make history. Good job Travis, Jordan & Tad! Favorite Routine.

Ryan & Ricky “Not traditional Broadway” (Mary)
This was a Spencer Liff Broadway routine and Frank Sinatra is back! That was about the only good thing going for this dance. I know people are going to hate me for saying that, but it’s true. It was a little Breakfast at Tiffany’s-y with Ryan’s costume (which I loved, btw. I’d totally buy it and wear it. The necklace, too). Oh, and fedoras need to come back into style, too. I thought they did pretty well together, it was entertaining and fun, but that was about it. The judges didn’t like it very much, and I agree. It seemed like R&R were just sort of sloshing through it. They were missing their pizzazz. If found, please call…

Caitlynn & Mitchell – “The power of a tricycle vs. the power of a Mac truck.” (Jesse)
They had a hip hop routine from Christopher Scott. Cringe. That’s my warning to you for what is to come when you watch it. Okay, so, the choreographers always give us the story behind the dance, their inspiration. Chris’ was very deep and emotional – the child soldiers in Uganda. What we got in the dance was had NOTHING to do with the story. I didn’t see how it was intertwined at all and having that knowledge only distracted me from the dancing. Which wasn’t that good. Caitlynn hit it pretty hard. Mitchell too soft and dancey for the number they were given. AND they weren’t in sync. At. All. Just all around it was a bad number. Oh! The costumes. That was a big thing for me. Bad choice. I think that if they were dressed somewhat in the part…it would have worked better. As it stood, black cargo pants and white tank tops that say “invisible children” just weren’t enough for me. The number made me sad, but not in the way Christopher intended it to be.

Melanie & Marko – “Makes me lose my breath…Timeless dancers.” (Sonya)
They had the American style tango by Louie Van Amstel (such a smart choreographer). There was no story, just dancing. Finally! It was nice and refreshing. I love the tango and Melanie’s killer dress. Marko looked so debonair with his hair and clothes. They are both talented and amazing dancers (especially Melanie) and that little part at the edge of the stage was hot! There were a few out of sync head swivels and Melanie’s visible counting was distracting – but the end more than med up for it. Their footwork was so tight and spot on, their frame was a little faulty at times, but still well done. Favorite Routine.

Clarice & Jess – “Do you have a boyfriend? I do, too.” (Jesse)
Chris Scott lyrical hip hop routine about a woman’s insecurities. First of all, I didn’t like the cover of the song that was used. Second of all, I loved everything else. Lyrical hip hop differs from regular hip hop in that it’s a little slower and more “contemporary”, if that makes any sense. Clarice and Jesse were a-ma-zing in this number. The moves and they way they hit them was very impressive. I’ll admit that I was shocked and impressed at how respectable Jess pulled off the swag and hip hop. It was a very heart-warming dance.

Sasha & Alexander – “I can’t swear, can I? Tyce is the….bloop.” (Sonya, with Jesse providing the bloop)
A Tyce Jazz routine. Woot woot! Okay, so there were a few things about this dance that I thought would take it under, but they were strong and pulled out a great performance and number. First, in the very beginning, Alexander hit Sasha in the head. Then, he full-on grabbed her boob (please tell me that wasn’t choreographed). Then, at the very end, he dropped her. But, they made that part look on purpose. Then, Alexander’s end pose against the lamp post was a little girly. This was the dance that they finally connected as a couple. Too bad it’s the last time they dance together. They had great presence and energy throughout the dance, power and emotion. It’s amazing how diverse of a choreographer Tyce is.

Jordan & Tad – “I have a straight boy crush on Sonya.” (Jesse)

Broadway routine by Spencer. Okay, so, when Spencer talked about what the story was (a princess waking up after a long, long sleep) and when I saw their costumes, I got really excited! This is going to be a great number! I told myself. But then….eh. It wasn’t really that great. I felt like it could have been sooo much better. So very much better. It seemed a little slow and for what the story and costumes promised, it wasn’t quirky enough for me. I think that Sonya and I need to be best friends. Everything that she had to say to the couples, I thought the same exact thing myself. We’re on the same page, her and I. Plus, I love her hair. Spencer has gotten nailed on both his routines last night about closing in the dancers, about not giving them enough room to give their full potential. I didn’t realize, until tonight, how much is on the line for the choreographers when they do a piece. From the story, to the costumes, to the music, to the dancers, and finally the substance of the dance, if they don’t get it 100% right at every point, the whole thing can be ruined.

Ryan & Ricky – “Legs were too far apart.” (Nigel)

Yay! Another Amstel routine. A cha cha, to boot! Since I love Amstel so much, please, R&R, do him justice. They were dancing a story of fire and it was fast. For Ryan being so uncomfortable with the number, she really kind of pulled it off. The beginning, at least. I don’t think she has enough stamina. It always seems that towards the ends of her dances, she loses energy. Her steps were becoming really clunky and heavy and there were some misplaced hand grabs. It was fast and difficult, but I expected more. I’ll be honest. Ricky outshone Ryan. His chest rolls were respectable and he had so much energy and sass.

Caitlynn & Mitchell - "That was hot!" (Mary)
Jazz routine by Travis. I’m going to be up front. I didn’t like this number. It was supposed to be an angry dance—a rock star finds out her boyfriend is married. Okay, I want real anger, but also the sexual tension they have together. I want to see Caitlynn fighting it through her anger. But I didn’t get that. It was just…okay. There were a lot of cool lifts, but in the end: eh. Uh, did Tyce have a cigar in his hand when they did the crowd pan???

Melanie & Marko – “It’s like brail on my arm right now.” (Jesse)
Contemporary Dee routine (have I told you before he’s one of my favorites? A cross between Travis and Sonya). They danced a number about fighting to get out of the darkness and into the light. The opening few bars in any dance sets the mood and tone of the number. It tells you what to expect and can either make or break a routine. There was so much in the opening few moves of this routine. Dee is so very talented. And the series of hand and chest movements in the middle was just jaw dropping. The end was a little abrupt and unexpected. I don’t think the crowd was expecting it. But the emotion and just the quality of dance that M&M gave us was inspiring. Melanie is for sure going to make it to the end. I really wouldn’t be surprised if she won the whole thing. Favorite Routine.

 

Clarice & Jess - "The keys to Broadway."
Their last dance together as a couple was a Tony and Melanie Jive routine. It was so much fun! Jess really shone on this one. I ignored Clarice completely and just smiled and tapped my foot along with the little Broadway boy. The music was fun and the choreography was great. There were some places where it felt a little forced and rehearsed, but they had good feet and hands and the ending was perfect. Mary said she missed the joy that the Jive is supposed to have. Maybe I should share with her what I found.

So, who’s going to be in the bottom 3? It’s hard for me to make a clear cut prediction, because there were only a few standout performances for me. The rest were really very disappointing. M&M will be safe, for sure. I think that there were so many less than good numbers, that no one is really safe. But, if I had to pick, I’d say Caitlynn & Mitchell, Ryan & Ricky, and Clarice & Jess. What do you think?

Oh, PS - HP 7.5 comes out tomorrow.

--Me