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TV Recap: So You Think You Can Dance - The Top 20 Perform
By Kelly West: 2008-06-11 23:34:15
The audition rounds are over and now we’re on to the real deal. It’s time to get ready to see the best of the best take the stage so grab your remote (you’ll need it to lower the volume on your TV a bit whenever the adorable but loud-talking Mary has something to say) and let’s get this season started! Tonight we’ll get a proper introduction to the contestants as well as getting to see who they’re paired up with and how compatible they are on the dance floor. Set to judge alongside Nigel and Mary tonight is Dan Karaty. Cat is also on hand as always to host the event, exchange playful banter with the contestants and “jedges” and look absolutely stunning. Here’s the breakdown of tonight’s performances: Rayven & Jamie Dance: Hip-hop Song: “American Boy” – Estelle, featuring Kanye West The two start out the routine with some fun as Rayven pulls Jamie’s pants down, exposing his briefs. Their routine is peppy but it comes off almost mime-ish at times. That could be due in large part to the giant smile Rayven has on her face the whole time. Nigel wonders if the routine will be memorable by the end of the night. That’s always an issue in the earlier rounds but as I write this (after the full episode has aired), I’m thinking Nigel made a good point. Mary calls Rayven a strong, dancin’ machine. She goes on to say that this was like cotton-candy hip-hop and she likes cotton candy. O.K. Dan says it wasn’t quite “there.” And there was no funk – no funk at all. Susie & Marquis Dance: Smooth Waltz Song: “Dark Waltz” – Hayley Westenra Susie looks great in the ballroom gown and she’s surprisingly graceful. Perhaps it’s because we’ve really only seen her doing Latin dancing but I’m pretty impressed with how she’s pulling off this waltz. Unfortunately, Marquis gets lost in Susie’s dress during one of the lifts and when he picks her up there’s a pause while he adjusts her foot on his leg so that she could stand up all the way. Nigel doesn’t know if the audience noticed that (we did). He says Marquis’ technique is good and also compliments Susie’s skill. Mary says they pulled it off and did a great job. Dan also thought it was great. Kourtni L. & Matt Dance:Jazz Song : “Tainted Love” – Soft Cell Kourtni and Matt are dressed all in black and work the stage, with a sexy jazz number. I’m not crazy about the camera work though because I feel like we’re missing parts. Specifically, there’s a part where Matt leaves Kourtni lying on the floor and she puts her hand out for him to help her up but he dances away. The camera follows Matt and we don’t get to see Kourtni get up. Maybe we didn’t miss anything but the way it cut away made me feel like we did. Nigel says he wants to see more personality from Matt. He needs to “get into the routine” and relax a little bit more. Nigel reminds Kourtni that he said he thinks she looks like Uma Thurman. Tonight he says she looks like Princess Diana. Cat says she looks like Cameron Diaz. I think she looks like Dawn from the U.K. version of The Office but that’s irrelevant. Mary dumps buckets of praise on both of them. Dan seems underwhelmed with their performance and says they need to attack a routine like that. Cat points out that she feels almost normal-sized standing next to these two tall dancers. Chelsea T. & Thayne Dance: Cha Cha Song: “Oye Como Va” (Trance mix) - Celia Cruz Chelsea looks sexy in her purple sparkly dress (which is more like a scarf strategically wrapped around her body). And her looks match her dancing abilities because this chick is on fire. Thayne holds his own as well and can’t seem to keep his hands off Chelsea throughout the routine. The two definitely brought the sexy with this one. Nigel would like to see more footwork but thought the routine was very sexy. He tells them they’re standing on the platform of Mary’s hot tamale train. Mary agrees that they definitely get tickets for the hot tamale train. Dan makes a joke about Chelsea making eye contact with Nigel and him not knowing what to do with himself. Chelsie H. & Mark Dance: Contemporary Song: “Beautiful” – Me’Shell Ndegeocello During the rehearsal choreographer Mia Michaels says she thought Mark would be a lot better than he is. Ouch. The routine starts out weird with Chelsie dancing gracefully while Mark dances like a clown but it comes together when the two meet on stage and after that, there are lots of rolls, lifts and tumbles, all of which Chelsie and Mark perform perfectly. Chelsie’s dress is just as frilly (if not more) than Susie’s was but Mark doesn’t appear to have any problem navigating through it during the lifts. It’s frustrating that Michaels’ choreography is so great because it really does justify her enormous ego. Nigel is impressed by both dancers and says they danced it brilliantly. Mia gives Mark the thumbs up from the audience. I guess he won her approval. Dan and Mary are both equally pleased with the routine. Kherington & Twitch Dance: Broadway Song: “Too Darn Hot” – Kiss Me Kate A lot of us are pulling for Twitch to do well. Aside from having a really great personality, he’s also very talented. And he has the added advantage of being one of the dancers who seemed to get more than the normal amount of screentime in the audition rounds. He and Kherington start out the lively Broadway number, part of which includes us getting to watch Kherington’s feathery dress molt all over the stage. The routine is full of energy and the two seem to be really in sync with one another. Nigel praises both of them. He notes Kherington’s spirit and tells Twitch (reminding him and us that he’s a hip hop dancer) that he could be a Broadway dancer. Mary tells everyone to look up at the ceiling because she thinks the sprinkler system is going turn on because it’s “too darn hot.” Comfort & Chris Dance: Jive Song: “Boom Boom “ – Big Head Todd and the Monsters I’m not sure how I feel about these two as a pair. Comfort is great and adjusts well to this different style of dance but the routine feels awkward and stiff at times when two join up on stage. It also doesn’t help that Chris, who Nigel said has the “personality of a tree” has been teamed up with Comfort, who is chock full of attitude (in a good way). When the dance is over, Comfort says “You ain’t never seen me in bra and panties and beeds.” She’s hilariously candid (and totally pulls the look off, despite being a self-proclaimed tomboy). Nigel compliments both of them and mentions Chris having to keep up with Comfort. He tells Comfort she needs to work on how she bends her knees when wearing heels. Mary says they were flyin’ out there and comments on Comfort’s legs. Dan says they need to find a chemistry together. I agree with Dan. Katee & Joshua Dance: Hip-Hop Song: “No Air” – Jordin Sparks & Chris Brown I’m interested to see whether Katee will be able to keep up with Joshua in this hip-hop routine. As it turns out, she does. The two connect really well on stage and both of them hit every step perfectly. Not only that, but the choreography is great and totally succeeded in telling the story (about a guy going off to war and his girlfriend being devastated). Surprisingly moving for a hip-hop routine, I thought. I’m not alone there. Nigel seems blown away and says that was really, really good. He mentions what a great asset it is having Napoleon and Tabatha (the choreographers) on the show this year. He remarks on how he wasn’t sure about Katee until she and Joshua started dancing together. Mary is also impressed and moved by the performance. Dan says they killed it (in a good way) and that Katee held her own up there next to Joshua. And I make a mental note to rewind my DVR later and rewatch this one. Jessica & Will Dance: Tango Song: “Tango” – Cirgue Du Soleil I’m not a big fan of the tango. It always feels a bit robotic to me but maybe that’s more to do with the music than it is the dancing. That said, Jessica and Will definitely pulled off the routine. I wasn’t sure I felt the passion between them that we’re supposed to see with the tango but both are talented dancers and they moved together well. Nigel points out a couple of wobbly moments for Jessica but overall he liked it. Mary says they’re the couple, to beat right now. They were good but I’m not sure I agree with that (yet anyway). Dan says it was good and hot like fire. Courtney G. & Gev Dance: Disco Song: “Boogie Wonderland” – Earth, Wind and Fire These two get to go last, which has its benefits since they’ll be the most fresh in everyone’s minds when the voting starts. The two dive into the fast-paced disco routine and both are able to nail all of the spins and lifts. Nigel says he loves disco but he didn’t love that performance. He says it didn’t have the feel of disco. Mary says Courtney was on more than Gev in the personality department. Dan says it wasn’t the best disco he’s ever seen but he enjoyed it. And that covers all of the performances. Based on this first (official) impression, here’s my verdict for tonight’s episode: Best performance of the night: Katee and Joshua Favorite Dancers (so far): Joshua, Kourtni, and Chelsea Predicted to go: Rayven and Jamie (total stab in the dark. It’s the first round so it’s hard to say)
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