August 11th, 2010 by soullldiva

It’s the first of two finale nights on Season 7 of So You Think You Can Dance, and while I regret Alex not being here with all my heart, I wish Kent, Lauren and Robert luck as we launch into the first night of the Top 3 Performances! Who will win America’s Favor? Let’s find out.

First up is All-Star Lauren and Kent with a Nakul Dev Mahajan Bollywood routine. Can Kent deliver the cheese? And the lightning-fast hand gestures? Oh most definitely. There could have been even more cheese in my opinion, but the dance moves were simply too fast to deliver it. I LOVED the bit where they clapped hands together while Kent was behind her. Great visually, and lots of fun. Judges loved it but did not have too much to say.

Next is Lauren with Twitch doing a political NappyTabs Hip Hop routine. I’m sure she can hold her own against Twitch, so I’m looking forward to this. The first moment with them smiling and shaking hands is funny and very accurate for dueling politicians. Their movements at the podium are super brilliant, I think, and Nappy Tabs has come up with a very cerebral Hip Hop number. Probably not a fave with those who love old school, but a great piece overall. And well danced! Lauren is praised for her strength and trustworthiness as a dancer with a choreographer’s steps. High praise from Mia Michaels. And I love Twitch, he was a cutie-pie with his shaved face and glasses.

Robert drew a Tyce Jazz number with All-Star Mark, and they do it to one of the best songs of the early 80′s, “Whip It” by Devo (I’m still a Mark Mothersbaugh fan, and he’s appeared with Devo very recently on one of my son’s favorite shows, “Yo! Gabba! Gabba!”). Kitschy, flashy, hand shaking, silly, hair-sprayed hair, jazzy fun. And I actually thought that Robert was better than Mark and stood out by a mile. For Mia, Robert is the most improved dancer on the show. Adam Shankman “threw up” with happiness that he danced for the joy and not for the competition (the things that come out of Adam’s mouth…).

Kent’s interview one-on-one with Cat was very cute and funny, just like him. They talked about the “faces” and we got to see a lot of them through a little tape. He does a hilarious bit for Cat where she asked him for happy and he gives her his happy face. Then she asks him for sad and he doesn’t change it. Very Kent.

Kent’s solo is pretty amazing technically and full of pauses within his leaps and jumps and throwing himself on the ground, but I found it very frenetic and desperate. Something he doesn’t really need. Super powerful dancer, though.

The contestants are now paired up with each other (how are they going to do that, is one person going to dance twice?), and Lauren and Robert are doing a Dee Caspary Contemporary. Prop Alert!! Looks like they are dancing with a pillow. Let’s see if they are overshadowed by their prop or are able to integrate it seamlessly. The golden lighting on them is beautiful. And I like the concept of them as a couple just trying to get home, and there are some moves with the pillow (like the last move, and the move where she threw the pillow to him and jumped to him) that are really fantastic. Well done to both of them. Judges love them. I have a feeling that there will not be much negative commenting tonight and I am intrigued by this.

Lauren is now paired up with Kent (I guess they’re all dancing with each other, so how many dances is that, I’m no math major) for a Mandy Moore Jazz number and they are playing the kooky weirdos that they really are and dancing to “Hip To Be Square”, which I always loved for the Tower of Power horns. Fun, simple, silly. And I could have used even more silliness, over the top would have been completely fine with me. Nothing super remarkable about this dance, didn’t seem to be enough of a challenge for both of them, which is echoed by Nigel Lythgoe.

Robert’s sit-down with Cat, he cites his favorite dance as the Travis Wall piece with Allison, which I will concur. He found the hardest thing to be all the ballroom stuff (which he did amazingly flawlessly, btw). His solo was a great mix of everything that got him on the show to begin with, and a nice cohesion with the music.

To now confuse me further, Kent is paired up with Allison for a Stacey Tookey contemporary about a couple having difficulty with maintaining their “perfect” relationship. This is such an interesting piece. You see the love, the hate, the manipulation, the desperation and the emotion from both of them. Emotion Kent, way to go, very real. In fact, he’s still affected into the judges’ interview and I am very moved by him. Mia tells him she loves him. When he tells Adam “you get so invested with the movement and the story, that the steps don’t even matter, ” Adam tells him he just became an artist. CAN I GET AN AMEN???!!! I am very impressed with this kid.

Last woman standing Lauren talks with Cat, and says her favorite dance was the prom dance with Kent. She had never shared and experience like that with someone on the stage before (and she’s not just talking about the very real kiss at the end). Her solo is the most satisfying of the night for me, from the Mary J. Blige music to the to the luxuriously sensual movement and declaration of her womanhood and her saying “I’m here and I want you.” was simply perfection. Bravo. I just also love that Lauren has an affinity for the classic soul. My kind of gal.

Robert is up next with Kathryn for a Spencer Liff Broadway routine to “Cool”. Ooh, I just love that song. It’s so interesting to see this concept for this song since it’s really the Jet’s gang song (and one of the most awesome pieces ever written/choreographed). But SOOOOOOO cooooool. Amazing choreography and amazingly danced (so well, Robert split his pants). Kathryn and Robert shine like neon pennies and Robert once again proves that he can pretty much do anything they throw at him.

Lauren gets to do a Cha Cha Cha with Pasha! Oooh, good, we get to see Pasha again. And coincidentally, the dance is about Lauren seeing Pasha and not being able to contain herself. Pasha shakes his hips like NO ONE can as usual. Lauren is hot and strong and does a damn impressive body roll (I know that’s an odd thing to pick out, but it stuck out to me). Plus, where she jumped with her knee on his shoulder and then he flipped her completely over then set her down so softly–that thing you know? Crazy amazing. Mia said that if she was still dancing, she would want to dance like Lauren. Whoa. I think Mia is making up for a whole season of some really harsh comments tonight.

The last dance of the night I something new, I believe. A “Malevos” dance, which means “gangster” dance, but Miriam Larici and Leonardo Barrionnuevo (yea! I get to say his name twice this season). The guys are in zoot suits and spats and black hats as they do this. And it’s not what I expect, as they hold each other’s shoulder’s a lot and do some tango like-looking steps. The one moment where Kent jumps up on Robert and then he flips him over was spectacular. Interesting and new, huh. Very powerful from the two of them. Apparently, this is the dance the men do together to practice their tango before they go do it with their women. Even more interesting!

Well that is it, let the voting commence! Who will be crowned America’s Favorite Dancer? We’ll be tuning in tomorrow night to find out!

August 5th, 2010 by soullldiva

We’re here, the Top Four before the Finale to crown America’s Favorite Dancer! Let’s get started. Music Recap to follow this post, so if I don’t mention choreographers, don’t worry, I will!

All four start out in a Tyce DiOrio Broadway routine from Guys and Dolls. And they are excited to work with Tyce! This piece was decent, but nobody seemed to really shine in it. I also was constantly distracted by Lauren’s dress which looked like it was unbuttoned in the back, but I figured out it was just the design. This was a complete dud for me, unfortunately. I did like, however having all four of them perform together. Not much commenting from the judges on this one.

Lauren is up next with an Argentine Tango with Sexy Mr. Pasha. Argentine Tango is my favorite ballroom dance, so I’m anticipating this one. This dance is slow, so it’s deceptively simple (it is NOT, btw). It’s very smoldering, intricate, intense and long moments are taken. The one moment where lifts her up in a sweeping motion and her legs work a little dance was simply exquisite. Lauren does very well in this, I think, but I have to say Pasha is the eye catcher for me, just because he’s Pasha. He really gives on the dance floor.

We look back on where Lauren was before she started SYTYCD, and I didn’t realize she was SOOOOO young! I thought she was at least 23 or something. I give her even more props for growing up on the spot and being mature beyond her years.

AdeChike takes the stage next with All-Star Lauren for an Afro-Jazz number. I instantly love their outfits, that terra cotta color looks so great on them. The song is very interesting and tribal. Unfortunately, other than the beginning moments, this was a low-key dance for me as well, it wasn’t especially sparkly. AdeChike gets the note again to loosen up some more, especially in his back. I just remember his solo to “Woman’s Work” and I don’t agree with that note, but maybe he could let go some more. I didn’t see the celebration that Sean Cheesman’s piece needed here.

Robert gets to do the season’s first Viennese Waltz with Anya. And we get to see Dancing with the Stars’ Jonathan Roberts as a new choreographer! Yea! I love the dragging splits move. Once again, my opinion is that Robert actually LOOKS like a ballroom dancer. He also looks somehow older in this piece, more mature. I really liked this, the movement, the exciting moves that I’ve never seen, really pretty. They also had a great connection, very lovely. Judges marvel at the “straight arm” lift that he did and I realized how hard that was. Robert is good at ballroom!

Taking a look back at Robert, he really loves his mom and Step Dad. He also lives with Season 6′s Channing in North Hollywood and it’s fun to see them move all the furniture back and dance in their apartment.

Next, Kent gets a Dori Sanchez Disco with Courtney. Yea! I think there’s only been one disco routine this season and I’ve missed it dearly. Dori knows how to do it hard, hard, hard and fast, fast, fast, so I am anxious to see how Kent copes. There needs to be fun, party and hot moves for sure. I have to really admit that Kent is a good partner, very very strong for a smaller guy. This is a much slower Dori Disco than I’m used to and I’m wondering why! BUT–Kent’s super fast spin with Courtney across his shoulders is jaw-dropping. Crazyness! Kent’s comment about not being very big was cute. And Judge Nigel Lithgoe was right, there was no cheesiness from Kent in this dance. Amazing. Mia and Adam thinks it’s his worst performance.

Kent seems to not have changed at all since right before he came to the show, he’s still a ball of crazy energy. And a great dancer.

Lauren is paired with Ade to do a Sean Cheesman Jazz number, and she’s playing the part of a black widow. The lights are too bright again here, as they were for Sean’s first number. This is an interesting Jazz piece, I’ve never seen anything quite like it, mix of African and Jazz and Hip Hop. Lauren was incredible, though, and Ade’s lift of her from her upside down was mind-blowing. Could have used a smidge more sexual chemistry between her and Ade, as Tyce echoes. Nigel proclaims that Lauren will be in the finale. She gets extra points for dancing jazz in heels.

AdeChike and Kathryn are put into a Desmond and Dwight (Complexions) Contemporary piece. Desmond is AdeChike’s inspiration for becoming a dancer. This was a great piece that really showed their love for dance and their enjoyment of dancing together. Who wouldn’t love dancing with Kathryn McCormick? AdeChike is spanked again for not going to the limit of his abilities the whole time. The judges really want more more more from him. But it looks like unless America comes through, he won’t be in the finale.

As we look back on AdeChike, we see that it is not cool to be a male dancer when you come from Brooklyn. Glad he flourished and prospered and did not give up. He’s a doll and he deserves success.

Robert and Dominic pair up for a NappyTabs Hip Hop routine. They play two clowns in a circus who find out they’ve been fired, and it looks like this is a perfect opportunity for Dominic to cut it up and Robert to join. But this is also the “darker side” of clowning! This is super fun and I love the integration of clowns with hip hop, plus the balloon, very cool. Not super technical, but Robert does well. Judges love it and him. Mia loves the “Hip Hop Theater”. I love that term!

Last up, Kent joined Neil in a Travis Wall Contemporary. This is a story of friendship and betrayal. I adore male dances, so this should be good. I really, really loved this piece. It told such a story about friendship and love and what we can do to each other when the degree of love is so high that it can also be as equal the degree of hate. Very heart-wrenching and real and personal from these two dancers (and Travis). Excellent. Kent shows up with all heart and no cheese and inspires Mia to tears (wow). Kent is my late choice for the winner of season seven.

With that said! We move on to the elimination show tonight. Which dancer will NOT make it to the finale? Tune in tonight and find out!

July 29th, 2010 by soullldiva

Aaaaaaaaand Billy Bell is back IN! After getting spanked for not dancing on the results show, that is. Seems that he was better on Thursday and said he wanted to wait it out. Good for him, I say. Gave America a chance to drool over some other dancers for a change. Don’t get me wrong, I am a Billy Bell fan. It’s just…whatever–what happened last night you ask?

The top six performed again on SYTYCD, after the judges made a never before made decision to NOT cut anyone last week because they couldn’t make up their frackin minds. I don’t blame them, really, but in the back of my mind I’m thinking: “how much longer does Casanova Jose have? I mean really?”

Cat looked luscious in a drape-y python print number, much better than last week. Good work, kitty! This week the contestants get to talk and reveal secrets they now know about each other–which I find intriguing.

First up is little Kent, who has a Jean-Marc and France Cha Cha Cha with lovely Anya. His second Cha Cha! And I have to say, all face-pulling aside, the kid is an amazing dancer. Lots of head popping, though. And looks like a little slip in the lift near the end. The camera angle was wide, though, I could be mistaken. But a pretty exciting dance with a great song choice. Mia spanks Kent again for his face–which he still really needs to work on. He defends himself a little (guts, babe), but he agrees that he needs to change it.

Next on the floor is Robert, who drew a Contemporary with sweetie Kathryn and choreographer Stacey Tookey. I absolutely loved the very first movement of this piece with Kathryn’s leg coming up over the army bag (crazy extension) and Robert coming up behind her. Very tender and desperate. Very well danced by both and the story and emotion was right there for us to see. Robert is a super strong partner and this piece really showcased that. Did LOVE the twist at the end that it’s HER going off to war and not him. Great moment. Nigel praises Robert for his growth and maturity and I would have to heartily agree with him. He’s fab and definitely my second fave to win this season.

And then Mia went further with Robert to say this delicious item that pretty much all dancers should listen to: “Allow your emotions and the reality of what you feel be the catalyst of your movement. Allow that to let you begin to move from there. And then it won’t look like you’re dancing steps to then try to conform and speak through steps, you’re speaking through your soul. And then your steps are secondary. And that will take it even to another level.” Thank you, Miss Mia for that lovely Mia Michaels Dance Quote, that’s why I heart ya.

Jose’s solo is the first of the night, and here’s what his fellow competitors have to say about him:

• clueless in the cutest way (this is Lauren’s comment)
• he’s a fighter and like my brother
• smooth, explosive and kind hearted
• the most focused and determined person
• he’s like a wise tortoise

Pretty interesting. Safe to say they like him a lot. There’s that personality again. His solo is good and I love the music, but it’s so much more about his personality than his dancing now. I feel like his solos are exactly the same. Maybe that’s my unfamiliarity with break dancing but…

AdeChike picked a Tyce DiOrio Jazz routine with Courtney and Tyce says it’s the nightclub up in Spanish Harlem. Yummy! Dizzy Gillespie is the music, so here we go! This is fun and super well dance with a ton of sparks flying between the two. I think this some of Tyce’s finest Jazz choreography. I feel like I’m watching an early 60′s B movie with fantastic music and hot , out of control dancing where everyone wears shades and is possibly toking in the back room (you know those movies). And they looked like they had a ball. AdeChike is my babe, and his note from Nigel was to just let go. Have abandon and not make it look like moves. It’s a good note from him, because it’s what will give him the edge to win.

Lauren’s solo is next and here’s what her peers had to say about her:

• she’s the only girl
• she’s crazy, hyper, loving
• she has two bunny slippers she’s named Joshua and Leviticus
• she’s the baby sister, everyone wants to look after her
• she’s a ball of energy, hyperactive

Looks like Lauren is definitely the baby of the bunch that everyone wants to take care of. That’s good for the only girl in a group of guys. She does her “Natural Woman” dance, which is a great choice after all the things that were said about her. I love her when she dances to Aretha, she becomes part of the music and part of Aretha’s voice. Lovely.

Jose very luckily pulls a Hip Hop with Comfort choreographed by Marty Kudelka and Dana Wilson. From the video before you can see that Jose and Comfort have a great chase game kind of dynamic which should be great for the piece. They use “Try a Little Tenderness” by the great Otis Redding which goes right to my soul. Hip Hop to Otis? Love it more than words can say. Their costumes are just awesome, straight out of the late 60s old school, you think they just left a blues club and are ready to hook up or get a ride home. This is a great new spin on Hip Hop that is so refreshing. Low on tricks, high on story and charisma. I really loved this piece. As usual Jose loves and wants the girl, and his tone with her is very much the spirit of the dance. He does get smacked for the flappiness of his arms by Nigel, Mia thought there was no swag in him and Adam said dance from the intention of the piece (meaning Jose changed it). Ouch.

Now here’s what everyone says about Mr. Billy:

• he’s messy, leaves clothing all over the place
• he’s helpful and willing to lend a hand
• he’s focused but can crack a joke
• he’s loud
• he is a crazy, sarcastic, outgoing, nutjob

Hmmmm…interesting. I would have not thought all that of him. But then I see his solo and I get that extra layer of him with those comments. Can’t quite explain it, but there it is.

Now we get to hear what’s been said bout Kent:

• he is the cutest little competitive farmboy
• silly and oblivious
• kind, generous and a great person to have around
• (Billy has to think of something nice to say)
• he’s a cool kid and a ladies man
• he’s a baby brother to me

He dances solo to “A Song For You” covered by Eliott Yamin, which I didn’t know he did. Very nice and the best since the original done by Donnie Hathaway. No face pulling here for Kent. This is a damn good solo. It just kinda goes to show how a dancer can really fully connect with a piece of music. Really, really good, I was moved.

Lauren draws a Broadway number by Tyce with All-Star Allison. Yea! A two gal piece, been waiting for this. And Lauren needs to really pull it all out, Allison is really the queen of Broadway. Lauren is great here, but I just can’t take my eyes off Allison, she’s really got the Broadway style and feeling down and gives it all. Fun piece, but not my fave of the evening. Judges gush over her, they love it. Nigel thinks she’ll be in the finale.

**Side note: has anyone noticed that Mia is much, much harder on the guys than on the girls? Not that Lauren ever deserved a beating, but I’ve never heard Mia say one negative thing about her. Agree? Disagree? Let me know!**

Now here we go, listen to what the contestants had to say about Robert:

• the songbird of our generation
• always singing and surprisingly well
• arrogant sideburns (what?)
• the class clown of the group
• goofy

Now, class clown is way different than a crazy nutjob and it makes me like Robert even more. His solo is great once again, he really knows how to channel the music and express it. Well done.

Billy gets to dance this week with Ade to a Stacey Tookey Contemporary. Yea, I love Ade! This is the story of a homeless man and a high-powered business man. And then they realize they are old friends. I’m very interested. This was an outstanding piece and I really loved it. The moment when they realized they knew each other could have been longer, but their discovery of each other and the emotions and frustration and anger that came out of them after the moment of discovery were really wonderful. There are far more girl and boy in love routines than something like this, which is another thing that makes it so special. Nigel notes that he’s glad they made their non-decision last week and kept him. I agree.

What does everyone say about AdeChike?

• a man of many names (Cheeky is one)
• Mr. personality, best friends with everyone
• ladies man
• flirtatious, loves to compliment the ladies
• a magician, puts a spell on the ladies

So AdeChike is the lady killer. Cheeky does his solo in jeans and I am wondering how do dancers dance like that in JEANS? Will someone tell me, please? Because I sure as heck can’t do lateral splits in my Gap 1969 jeans.

Next Jose draws Kent to do a Spencer Liff Broadway dance where the two of them are girl watching. Jose claims Kent has no game but is jealous of how he can simply turn his head and the girls scream. Very cute. And the piece is very cute as well, no doubt. I love this 50s style Donald O’Connor/Gene Kelly stuff. I can’t keep from looking at Jose, but for all the wrong reasons. Kent kills this piece and Jose, while his personality is completely present, dances the entire thing like a break dancer, which is not really what the piece calls for. All of Jose’s jumps were very compact, with his legs very close and bent towards his body, instead of length and air underneath them. And oddly enough, I am harder on Jose than Mia is this time around. Kent is named a contender for the title.

Lauren draws AdeChike to do a Foxtrot by Jean-Marc and France. Is this the first Foxtrot of the season? Will it be the kiss of death? We’ll see. It’s a sexy Foxtrot to “Fever” covered by Beyonce, so it’s not the normal dance. Definitely not your normal Foxtrot, but it just didn’t light my fire as much. I liked the last few moments though. I think the judges were right in that it wasn’t danced like a ballroom dance and so it just didn’t go right.

Robert picks Billy and they get a Bollywood dance choreographed by Nakul Dev Mahajaan (love that name). This is Indian fused with western dance and the story is two actors vying for the same role in a Bollywood movie. The music is from “Bombay Dreams”, which I am excited to hear. They have to dance in sync in throughout nearly the whole dance and they are not always exactly together which is a little distracting. The two are super cute together and really attack the moves and this is a super challenging and endurance-testing dance form which they do really well. And apparently Robert is a big, cheesy hamburger. I will concur.

Hamburgers and Pizza aside, it’s not hard to deduce who will be going home tonight. Well, one at least. And I will be sorry to see him go. Who will be the second? Who? Who? ;o)

July 21st, 2010 by soullldiva

Yes, there have been a LOT of upsets on Season 7 of SYTYCD. Two of the best dancers are gone, and not because of lack of votes. My first pick for early choice to win is gone. The best female dancer on the show is gone. What NEXT? Billy Bell sidelined with a knee injury? Oh, what’s that? Billy’s injured? Oh.

Gorgeous, wonderful, teddy bear Kenny Ortega is a guest judge tonight which is really amazing and a great treat for us. Sa-weeeet!

Does anyone know what Cat Deely is wearing tonight? My husband said it looked like her original dress had static cling and picked up a red scarf. He has a point.

First up: Last girl standing Lauren and all-star Twitch with a Hip Hop routine. I’ll give this to Lauren she is one powerful dancer. She’s got muscles and she’s not afraid to use them. She works this dance within an inch of it’s life. What about that rollover she did–twice? What? Cool. Not my favorite NappyTabs number, but it’s pretty cool nonetheless. Judge’s love it and her. Nigel noted that Twitch looked like he’d been “ridden hard and put away wet.” Ooh, baby.

Jose is next with all-star Allison for a contemporary number with Sonya Tayeh. A sad, breakup contemporary number, which will be interesting to see Jose in, since he’s super good at loving the girl. And Allison says she melts when she’s around him. Hmmmm… The dance starts on the edge of the stage which is awesome, we’ve not seen that for a while. Jose really got nailed bad last week for his dancing and I’m not certain that he pulls it out here, either. He’s very into the acting and the moments with Allison, though, to his credit. But then again, there is not much dancing for him to do here. The piece is mostly acting. Very quaint and sweet. The judges have trouble critiquing it, as his performance was great but his dancing didn’t seem to shine because of what she gave him to do.

Robert is paired with Lauren for a Tyce DiOrio Jazz routine. The boys are fawning (or is that foaming) over Lauren and her juicy booty. Sexy dance indeed for the two of them, along with sexy music from My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult…although I am left a bit unimpressed with the entire thing. It was good, though, don’t get me wrong. I just wasn’t blown away. Mia noted that it was refreshing to see just a strait jazz piece with no story. The choreography was good, but I do miss story (that’s my thang and all). Judges loved it and Robert.

Little Kent is matched with Kathryn for another Sonya Tayeh number, but jazz this time. Hopefully Kent can contain his love for the audience this time. I love this piece from the music to the costumes, to the great choreography. The chemistry is there between them, but is more like sister and brother rather than romantic. But it works for them because the both of them are so sweet. This is just tons of fun. And the song, “Tightrope” by Janelle Monae is just first rate music, I’m checking into her right now. Mia gets on his case for making the choreography “juvenile” with his facial expression. I really see her point, but it seemed to work in this piece. The other judges love him.

AdeChike gets to do a NappyTabs Hip Hop with Comfort next. This one is a bit more serious than the cowboy one, so it should be interesting. Not to mention she really smacked the hell out of him in the rehearsal (did you see the slowmo?). Lyrical Hip Hop? We’ll see. Oooh, props on the stage! Alicia Keys’ “Fallin’” lends itself so wonderfully to hip hop, yet is not the usual driving music. I liked it. I think that it needed a bit more of the softer side of the love to match the violence, but it was very good, especially Ade, he really was moved by the scenario, you could totally tell. It was very raw and real, and very cinematic, as the judges said. Nicely done by AdeChike!

Lauren and Robert are the first contestants to be paired together for the night, and get to do a Dmitry Chaplin Samba, set at a beach party. Lauren’s butt is a lethal weapon, ya’ll. I’ve never seen a behind cocked up and rolled so much. Pretty amazing stuff. She shot me with her butt. This was a non-traditional samba, pretty cool, though. I love Dmitry. They did a great job, very clean, precise and lots of shaking and rolls. Robert really looked like a ballroom dancer, wow!

AdeChike and Jose get to do a…Paso Doble together? Two guys, very interesting concept. Will Dmitry and the boys be able to pull it off with the concept of them fighting over the girl? I think the Paso is the most challenging dance anyone will ever do on the show for so many reasons. It is unfortunately clear who the more technically accomplished and undoubtedly better dancer is here, folks. It is kinda unfair to pair Jose with AdeChike. But on the whole, it was not so bad, they were both committed to the piece and had connection.

The last contestant pairing is Kent and Billy. Will Billy bring Kent down to earth or will Kent send billy up into the stratosphere? We’ll never know, will we? Nor will we ever get to see Billy do Step. And I’m disappointed, because for two contemporary/ballet boys to do straight rhythmic movement would be something to see. Twitch gets to do the routine with him which is fine, but defeats the purpose of having two ballet boys do it. I much prefer stepping with a large crowd of men, I think it resonates better and has more power. But I think it’s great we get to see a new style on the show, one that doesn’t get much air time on national TV (Tahitian dancing, Russian dancing, what’s next?) Not my favorite thing, but done pretty well. The judges gush over it and that’s…okay. Mia says Kent is the one to beat. Mia, love ya, but we’re not on the same page.

The standout solo of the night is the only one I’m going to comment on and that’s AdeChike’s solo to the infamous “Women’s Work” covered by Maxwell. This was an absolutely superb solo, and I could not take my eyes off him. I was a little nervous for him using the song that was already “done” two season’s ago with Tyce’s cancer piece, but no. He ripped his heart out and left it on the stage. Perfection. Ade is officially my new front runner and favorite dancer on the show. Can I get an amen?

That’s all for this week, it’s whittling down to the best of the best. Who will go home tomorrow night? Let’s hope it’s due to votes and not an injury. Cross your fingers, people.

May 25th, 2010 by soullldiva

Finals night came in the blink of an eye on Dancing With the Stars last night. In fact, I was in the middle of a rousing rendition of “Ring My Bell” from the Wii game Just Dance with my family (we’re at a reunion) when I panicked and realized I was missing the show (DVR, I love you).

For the finals this year the stars need to perform an unprecedented FOUR dances (two on Monday, two on Tuesday). Tonight they must do a Redemption Dance, where they will attempt to redeem themselves for a dance the judges say they should have done better on, and the infamous Freestyle, who everyone says locks in the trophy.

SO! Were they redeemed or not? Let’s see…

First is Erin and Maks, and they must attempt to redeem themselves on the Samba. Ooh, tough one for the judges to pick for them. Bruno stops in to help her with her hip action, which (along with your arm work) is really the most important thing in the Samba (oh, along with the Par-Tay!). Bruno likes what he begins to see: “Look at the ass! So much better!”

As they begin the dance, Erin and Maks button UP Maks’ shirt. Very cute. Erin’s dress is fabulous, love the red flutters and her necklace. They did very well, but I feel this was not as earth-shaking as it needed to be. Improvement, yes, fantastic, no. Judges’ Scores: 10-10-9 (which will turn out for me to be the most surprising score of the night).

Evan and Anna is next. They get help from the Great Len Goodman for their Viennese Waltz, which they did all the way back in week one. Chemistry is what is needed here for the two of them here. Evan needs to put more focus and love on Anna, rather than thinking and going to the next move (yeah, Olympian).

Anna choreographed a really, really lovely intro for this Viennese Waltz (her dress is fab), and they kept the connection the entire time when not in hold. Truly lovely. Probably the best Viennese Waltz I’ve ever seen on DWTS. Great work and absolute redemption. Judges’ Scores: 10-9-9

Nicole and Derek have Carrie Ann come in and help out with their Rumba. When they did it the first time, Nicole’s nerves got the bes of her and it was probably her worst meltdown (among quite a few). Carrie Ann really pushes her to take the meltdown and convert it into vulnerability (so use it before rather than after). Really let go and show she’s more than a pretty face and a dancing machine.

Their Rumba is sensitive and beautiful. Nicole is vulnerable and connected to Derek, and Derek himself is more connected to any partner than I’ve ever seen. The choreography is solid and that hold at the end is new and very interesting (she wraps her leg around him and holds herself up, whew). They are completely redeemed here. Carrie Ann’s lift police rant is absolutely necessary here, and I wish she would have just shut up. Judges’ Score: 9-9-10

Freestyle: POP! or fizzzle…

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. This is the most highly anticipated dance of the entire season, and somehow it is always a disappointment. Either the couples go crazy and do stuff that is just “not them”, or they play it safe and do stuff that they would normally do (like a pop star does hip-hop). What will happen for season 10?

For the first time ever, there is a Contemporary/Lyrical freestyle on DWTS. WHAT?? Erin has decided to do something different, and more of what she would do (she had years of ballet and jazz). They even call the lovely Ms. Mandy Moore (woo hoo) in to help out with the choreography. This is unprecedented (there’s that word again, she keeps on using it), and I am anticipating the performance highly.

I expected to love it, but I just…didn’t. And I’m really sorry I didn’t. Erin took a real risk with this and really showed what she wanted to do. I suppose it just looked too odd to me on the ballroom floor, and I felt that contemporary should just stay over on the Fox So You Think You Can Dance set. Plus, there was a bed AND a sofa. Too much, even for a contemporary piece. Off the mark for me personally. However, this dance gave us the best Tom Bergeron moment of the entire season: “In ten seasons, ‘It’s not the bed I rehearsed on’ is the my favorite excuse ever!” Judges’ Scores: 9-8-9

We see Evan and Anna butt heads for the first time this seaon, over the steps for their freestyle. Evan wants to take more chances, and Anna wants to stick to what they do best. They both really want to win, you can tell. Things smooth out when they bring in a choreographer in to help out and be the go-between.

Their freestyle is a prom theme from “Footloose” (this made me think what a great freestyle the prom scene from “Grease” would make). Lots of fun and a huge crowd please. They looked like they had a great time. Technically speaking (except for the impossible lift at the end) that the choreography was a little light, but still super fun. The judges, however, were uniformly disappointed. Judges’ Scores: 8-8-8 Boo.

What, oh what will Nicole bring? Her Pussycat Doll card or something new? I adore their sparkle-y tux outfits with the chartreuse shoes and ties. Really popped. They chose “Little Less Conversation” by Elvis (love it) for their song and they just brought it ALL. This was super-fantastic and absolutely perfect (with a slight hesitation on the lift at the end). Clearly the Winner of the Freestyle Round, and Len hit it right on the nose: He saw all different styles of ballroom dance used together in a new and inventive way. Now THAT’S a freestyle! Judges’ Scores: 9-9-9

So in a surprise on the leaderboard, Erin and Nicole are tied for first with 55 out of 60 points. Evan is second with 52 out of 60 points. The stars and their partners will do their third and fourth dances on the Results show. What will they do? My money is on one dance will be the stars pick and the other will be the judges’ pick. We’ll see. It’s shaping up to be an exciting and very interesting show Tuesday night. My early pick for the winner? Nicole Scherzinger. And she would deserve it. Tune in tonight!

BTW, Spoiler Alert for Season 11: Hugo “Hurley” Reyes wins!!! (thanks to Jimmy Kimmel’s Aloha to LOST show, which helped stop my tears over watching the final episode ;o)