So You Think You Can Dance Season 9 Episode 11 Recap: Top Four Perform


Sep 12 2012 01:21 am ET

Another season is almost at it's end and with all the minor adjustments, I have to say that the season didn't turn out that bad. We've got Cyrus, who has been growing quickly in hopes of catching up with the rest of the more technical dancers. Eliana is probably one of the most versatile female ballet dancers while Chehon is one of the strongest ballet men. Tiffany is the true dark horse being the lone contemporary/jazz style dancer in a sea of contemporary dancers.

With the limited amount of time the group dance was inserted into the middle of the show as they became conductors. In the introduction Eliana and Cyrus were already in their first costumes. Along with Nigel and Mary was guest judge Rob Marshall.

Eliana & Cyrus - Paso Doble - Jason Gilkison wanted to twist the story as Eliana got to be the matador and Cyrus was the cape. The song wasn't a traditional paso doble, but it channeled the passion needed. Cyrus was holding up really well as Eliana oozed passion. There were some Argentine elements that made the performance even better. A great way to open the final.

Grade: Eliana - A ; Cyrus - A-

Tiffany & Will - Jazz - In this Sonya Tayeh piece, she wanted to emphasize Tiffany's dancing. I know we were supposed to be staring at Tiffany, but Will was amazing as he lifted and twisted her around. Tiffany was great at channeling Sonya's choreography as she danced. There were a few moments where the lifts were awkward, but it was generally strong.

Grade: B+

Eliana & Chehon - Ballet - Hey! An excuse to use Ballet! Why hasn't Eliana and Chehon been paired up earlier in the season? Ironically they both claimed to be rusty as they practiced. The routine was classical and beautiful. Eliana stole the show at the beginning of the routine, until Chehon was showing his strength as he lifted her with ease. Eliana really did steal the show, but it was beautiful for both.

Grade: Eliana - A ; Chehon - A

Tiffany & Cyrus - Hip-Hop (Lyrical) - Tessandra Chavez explained that she wanted a story about young love. This was probably the only time that Tiffany hit a routine as hard as possible. Some of the tricks looked a little sloppy, but Cyrus was everywhere as he lifted Tiffany. I was happy to see that Cyrus' choreography was clean and very close to Tiffany.

Grade: Tiffany - A- ; Cyrus - A-

Eliana - Solo - Eliana was an excited ball of energy the whole season and I thought her final solo choice was a great closer. She had the precision, height, and emotion. Her cartwheel looked almost alien. I found the dance to be almost her thank you.

Grade: A

Chehon & Alison - Contemporary - Stacey Tookey wanted a breaking relationship; she seemed to love having Chehon in the studio. Alison is always an amazing all-star, but Chehon held his own the whole time. The routine had a high degree of professionalism to it. Did you see the one armed lift? The whole routine was amazingly difficult and still so easy looking.

Grade: A

Eliana & Tiffany - Burlesque - This episode is really playing to Eliana's strengths. After she mentioned having a background doing some pole dancing, what do we get? Burlesque dance. I loved that Eliana did a lot of the higher work. The two did a great job in their side-by-sides. I loved that Eliana got to do her magic at the end of the routine.

Grade: Eliana - A ; Tiffany - A-

Cyrus - Solo - Cyrus' robotic motions were perfect tonight as he tried to win America's vote. It's funny that he doesn't have any real leaps or big tricks, but it's still amazing to watch.

Grade: A-

Tiffany - Solo - Tiffany was the dark horse throughout the season being confused with other dancers and not having as much camera time as the other girls. Her solo implemented the American Idol technique where she wanted one of those "I win" songs. Her end spin sequence was exquisite.

Grade: A

Cyrus & Chehon - Jazz - I'm not sure why the two were Power Rangers during the practice, but Sonya continued to push the two like she was Rita Repulsa. I loved that Sonya not only place lifts, but she pushed Cyrus as hard as he could go. I found the routine to be amazing to watch the whole way through. If I had to decide the winner from only this dance, I couldn't choose.

Grade: Cyrus - A- ; Chehon - A

Chehon - Solo - Chehon wanted to expand his horizons and he's grown immensely. I liked the use of the Vegas ticket as an emphasis of his journey. He got amazing height and his spins were insane. I was so invested that the routine felt so short.

Grade: A

Eliana & Alex - Contemporary - Travis wanted to make sure the routine was special, but the practice made the three laugh hysterically. Luckily, the two could immediately get into character. The routine was beautiful to watch and the two had this great chemistry. The lifts were so much to watch as Eliana's legs went everywhere. That final embrace was magical.

Grade: A

Tiffany & Chehon - Rumba - Dmitry wanted the steamy attitude that he wanted people to feel awkward. The beginning of the routine was sexy and I was actually surprised how much speed the routine actually had. I will say, the amounts of lifts and time separately from each other showed that Dmitry wanted to make sure that the actual rumba motions were only sprinkled into the routine.

Grade: Tiffany - B+ ; Chehon - B+

Cyrus & Twitch - "Animation" - Christopher Scott wanted the two to be genetic mutations. From the glass breaking, I knew the routine would be fun to watch. I think I was more surprised how well Twitch did when I normally consider him to be a smoother dancer. In the tempo change, I loved that the two were so synchronized.

Grade: Cyrus - A

After the last performance, I actually think that everyone deserves to win. I will be shocked if Eliana doesn't win for the girls, especially when production gave her not only ballet and a stripper pole, but brought her back with Alex Wong. It seems like Cyrus never hit the bottom in votes so why start now? The producers managed to give him two hip-hop related routines as well.

Michael Pascua - TVLatest.com


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