So You Think You Can Dance Season 9 Episode 6 Recap: Top 20 Perform
Jul 11 2012 10:20 pm ET
So You Think You Can Dance - Top 20 Perform
The night immediately started with a Chris Scott LXD-esque performance that had a Mad Men flavor. I really liked the use of the table and chair but also appreciated that there was a mix of genders that was the boss/subordinate.
The top 20 had their mini solo moments as they basically had about five seconds to remind America who they were. Daniel definitely got a louder response than I expected. Lindsay, Nick, and Whitney (the ballroom contingency) managed to get some loud applause from the audience so I'm hoping that they won't get eliminated in one fell swoop next week.
Our guest judge was Kenny Ortega along with Mary Murphy (not Mia Michaels) and Nigel Lythgoe. Cat still managed to sound graceful as she bumbled through her opening. Nigel explained that there would be a quad-elimination (two boys and two girls) next week.
Witney & Chehon - Samba - Louis Van Amstel (one of my favorite DWTS pros) explained that he was looking for shaking. While the routine was natural for Witney, Chehon was quite awkward in practice. Chehon looked awkward whereas Whitney oozed confidence considering that she was in her element. Chehon had odd arm and foot positioning and looked a few seconds behind Whitney. Now that the voting is separate, this dance may hurt Chehon.
Grade: Witney - A / Chehon - B
Tiffany & George - Contemporary - Sonya provided a "lovers" routine, which sounds standard for the contemporary course, but not Sonya. I loved Sonya's lighter side to her choreography. There were some interesting assisted lifts that flowed. I appreciated Sonya putting a place where the two had solos. There was one moment where George dropped Tiffany like a sack of potatoes.
Grade: Tiffany - B+ / George - B
Janaya & Brandon - Hip-Hop - I was surprised that NappyTabs was choreographing because Tabitha is pregnant. The two had a routine that involved Brandon choosing beer or his girl. The routine was done well, but was forgettable by the end of the episode. There were nice smooth moments that were juxtaposed with really wavy motions. It wasn’t the lack of emotion; it was a poor choice of song.
Grade: Janaya - B / Brandon - B+
Alexa & Daniel - Jazz - Sean Cheeseman had a quirky routine where there were several tricks that failed in rehearsal. The two were on some scaffold and Alexa immediately looked uncomfortable. She always took an extra second to recover from moves. I prefer her with straight hair. Daniel could have been better if he had a less restricting costume. Some of the routine seemed hectic, but I blame Sean for creating something that lacked audience connection.
Grade: Alexa - B / Daniel - B+
Amber & Nick - Viennese Waltz - Jason Gilkison was happy to have someone in this genre, but Nick was slow at picking up the choreography. Jason was much more intense to Nick than he ever was to others. Nick looked quite natural, but I was more impressed by Amber's trust as she flailed around and how effortless she looked as she turned. This routine felt so much shorter than the others because of how smooth the routine was.
Grade: Amber - A / Nick - A
Amelia & Will - Hip-Hop? - NappyTabs explained that the routine is "Character-Pop" which was based off of The Aristocats. Will looked self-conscious getting out of the dumpster. If the routine was supposed to be hip-hop, I didn't see it. This was one of those moments where I wished "pop" was still a category. There was nothing that was standout in choreography except for Amelia's flip near the end of the routine.
Grade: Amelia – B+ / Will - B+
Janelle & Dareian - African Jazz - Sean Cheeseman wanted the rhythm of the jungle. The routine seemed quite intense for Janelle as she hurt her stomach during practice. Janelle's legs were insane during the routine as Darien basically dislocated her leg. The two could have been rougher and more synchronized, but by the time the two got to the faster tempo, it was visual candy.
Grade: Janelle - A- / Dareian - A-
Eliana & Cyrus - Broadway - Tyce had a piece from Hairspray and Cyrus showed that he has upper body strength. Tyce was pretty nervous for having Cyrus. Eliana looked like a different person and she managed to dance like a different person as well. I thought that Cyrus was given really easy choreography considering that Eliana was flipping around. The eraser choreography was cute, but unnecessary.
Grade: Eliana - B+ / Cyrus - B-
Audrey & Matt - Contemporary - Travis had a Titanic story that involved a couch and a lot of leaps. The routine was set to "Unchained Melody" instead of "My Heart Will Go On." Audrey surprised me on how flexible she was as her legs went everywhere. This routine did a disservice to Matt because I was fully focused on Audrey, even when he was supporting her leaps and holding her up the whole time. I loved that the routine maintained its maturity for such a quickly learned routine from two new partners.
Grade: Audrey - A+ / Matt - A
Lindsay & Cole - Paso Doble - Jason Gilkison's story was about a poison infecting Cole. Cole had an upper hand for having a character that was a "fighter." The routine had the perfect attack that Cole seems to need. I was impressed by the two because they weren't swallowed up by the swelling music, instead feeling every moment of the routine. Since I've only seen Cole in his martial arts style, I was mesmerized how Cole got into character.
Grade: Lindsay - A+ / Cole - A+
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