October 16th, 2009 by soullldiva
Evan and Ryan (right)
It’s the last elimination round in Vegas for So You Think You Can Dance season 6 and the talent is lining up. I was sad to learn that tap dancer Ryan (brother to Evan, finalist last season) was cut, and earlier than last year. You just wanna put on tap shoes of your own when he starts hoofing it, he will be missed this season. I hope he tries again.
Next up was the group challenge, where they were divided up into groups of 5 and given a random piece of music. They had overnight to choreograph a piece. The very first group up (with favorite Russell Ferguson) was probably the most notable. They drew a Broadway selection and did a just fantastic combo that melded the best of B’way jazz and street-like moves. Nigel Lithgoe absolutely loved it, and so did I.
Mia Michaels
After that was the (da-da-dummmm) Mia Michaels round. Before the break, they played snips of quite a few dancers saying how scared they were. I thought to myself “What? You get to dance with Mia Michaels and you’re scared????” But then I remembered, I’m not a pro dancer, and I’m not in Vegas with them. ;o)
Here’s the ultimate Mia Michaels dance quote: “Do not give me empty steps.” This she stated to the dancers on stage, knees knocking. And she’s right. Mia is of course known for flat out not liking people who do this and just cutting them. She tells dancers all the time that she cuts, and she likes to cut. This is a woman who means business.
This year, however, she injected a bit of love to her dancers, with a pep talk beforehand, and a meditation/prayer. What is this? A kinder, gentler Mia Michaels? Wow!
She was not kinder with her choreography, and I noted how much more difficult this year’s combo was than last.
A B-Boy contestant, Legacy, caught the eye of Mia and the other judges who were blown away by his street interpretation of the steps. He really got the flow and communication of the piece and was able to fill those steps like Mia wanted. Legacy was tremendously moved after his Mia experience, and was visibly emotional as he said she “changed something inside of me.” He told Mia “Your movement means something and you made me a better dancer.” I LOVE it when dancers really get it about dance. Legacy felt he came out of his comfort zone (which is always a dangerous place for a dancer to be) and moved on to the next round.
Mia, unfortunately, will not be back to So You Think You Can Dance after this round, and her choreography will sorely be missed.
Judges Tyce DiOrio (left), Mary Murphy, Nygel Lithgoe
Next was the Broadway round with Tyce DiOrio. The girls got “There’s Gotta Be Something Better Than This” from Sweet Charity and the boys did a selection from Movin’ Out (for more see my post on Twyla Tharpe). I love it when men dance together, all the macho comes out (and sometimes shirts come off, as with ballroom dancer favorite Matthew Hauer). There’s just something exciting and invigorating about a bunch of men doing a really strong piece with lots of jumps and moves where they leap up and down on their knees. Yum.
After the Broadway round, 38 dancers were left and from that will be the Top 20 for season 6. Break a leg to them all!
