Hello!
It’s that time of the week again so here comes another So You Think You Can Dance chat! Last night was pretty exciting with pieces from some of my favorite choreographers, two mini group numbers and of course Mary destroying the ear drums of the entire audience. Misty Copeland was back for a third week of judging and continued to be wonderful. One of her best moments was when she reminded the contestants (and America) that there is still room for improvement no matter how great they are. She said (I’m paraphrasing here) that voters may see perfection but it is up to the judges to point out what needs to be worked on so the dancers can grow. At this point I may or may not have stood up in my living room and yelled “EXACTLY” at the top of my lungs. Take note, Nigel and sometimes Mary! These dancers are so young and while they are extremely talented, there is so much more for them to learn. Think about when the All-Stars come back and how improved they are after just a couple more years of study and maturity. Claiming that every performance was magnificent or fabulous and then leaving it there is not going to push these dancers to the next level. That being said, I don’t have anything negative or critical to say about my top three performances from last night (for the most part). Some of the other dances, sure, but I’ll keep those thoughts to myself. So here we go!
1. Bridget and Emilio, Travis Wall Contemporary piece to “The Leaving Song” by Chris Garneau
This piece about the past haunting us was just what Bridget and Emilio needed. Until last night, I was sort of ambivalent about these two. They seemed like they could be a pair to watch but they hadn’t really done anything that stood out at all. But then, in danced Travis Wall like a beautiful Santa Claus and gave them the best gift ever: amazing choreography. I loved Bridget’s coldness throughout the piece, particularly when she kicked Emilio down and simply walked after him with such confidence and control. The way she clung to him like memories he couldn’t shake was chilling and Emilio showed such range both in his dancing and his performance. Everything about this piece was captivating.
2. Carly and Serge, Mandy Moore Contemporary piece to “Foolish Games” by Jewel
I don’t know if these two will ever do anything I don’t love. And then to have Mandy Moore choreograph them is the cherry on top. Serge was perfectly manipulative in this piece about a man who can’t decide whether he loves a woman or not so he continues to play games with her emotions. My favorite moment came at the end of the piece when Carly fell into a backbend all the way to the floor and Serge watched her until finally catching her with his foot. Then he walked over her as she lay there. That moment was so cruel and heartless and performed perfectly. This pair has a maturity about them that some of the others lack and I think that’s why they stand out to me. They handled this piece beautifully.
For the third piece I couldn’t decide between any of the group numbers, which were all great, so I chose a completely different dance instead.
3. Jacque and Zack, Sonya Tayeh Jazz piece to “Back to Black” by Beyonce featuring Andre 3000
This piece was slinky and sexy and flirtatious. Zack continues to impress me with his versatility and he was particularly strong last night. I liked that the dance had nothing to do with love or hate or really emotion of any kind beside mutual attraction. So many of the pieces have deep emotional stories, which is fine with me, but it was refreshing to watch something different. I did agree with Misty that Jacque should be more aware of her feet, though I find it a little odd that a ballerina wouldn’t be doing this already. I also thought she could have been sharper in some moments so that the contrast between the sharp and smooth was more pronounced. But she still gave a good performance. This pair has great chemistry and I loved the music choice as well. I loved Zack’s handstand!
At the end, Marquette and Brooklyn were eliminated. It was the right call and both of them were very gracious about it. Were you surprised by the elimination at all or the Bottom Six (cough…Serge…cough)? Do you think Jessica will ever have a partner for longer than a week or is she…Cursed? Dun Dun Dun! Did anyone else think Jacque’s costume last night looked eerily similar to the one from her first performance as a child? Let me know!
Bye!
Thoughts From a Hidden Weirdo 