Thursday, June 10, 2010

...Set: SYTYCD S7 - Meet the Top 11

Tonight we got to see what this season's top 11 can do, in addition to getting reacquainted with the all-stars that are a part of this season. In case you didn't know, instead of having the contestants dance with each other every week, this season each contestant will dance with one of the all-stars in their own style, and then only one person gets eliminated each week rather than two. Got it? Okay. OH, and, Mary Murphy isn't one of the resident judges this season! No more hot tamale train?! Instead, Mia Michaels has taken her place. One MM for another!

This night was not about voting, but rather about giving us a chance to see the dancers in their own element before they get thrown into the "random" mixer (I don't think it's really random, you know). First up, we got a group number choreographed by Wade and Amanda Robson, which was basically a way for the all-stars to welcome the newcomers, set to David Bowie's "Fame." After that, it was on to the individual group dances.

Recap/review of So You Think You Can Dance - Season 7 - Meet the Top 11 by freshfromthe.comFirst up were Lauren and Kent with all-stars Kathryn and Mark, doing a Travis Wall jazz routine about creepy Parisians during the Renaissance, or something. Travis! I'm so glad they had him join up as a choreographer, because he is awesome. They performed it well, but I must say that I personally was the most drawn to Mark throughout the routine. He gets that crazy stuff so well, and heck, he was one of my favorites. Lauren and Kent were fine, but in those costumes it was hard to tell who was who sometimes, which is a theme of the night really.

Next we saw Melinda and Alexie perform a Tyce Diorio Broadway routine with all-stars Allison and Lauren. And, Allison? I had no idea that was even you. Anyway, the routine was kind of a snooze, to be honest. I am rarely a fan of Tyce's choreography, though, so it's no surprise. The girls seemed to perform it well, though Nigel told them they needed to find the fire that the other girls have.

Next was Jose, and being our only B-boy (and only hip hop dancer, period) to make it into the top, performed a NapTab hip hop routine with Twitch, Comfort and Dominic. And here NapTab did the best thing any choreographer could do. They actually showcased the contestant over the returning people! And I gotta say, I agree with Cat - Jose's smile lights up the room. The other story here, though, was Dominic's continual love for Cat, and I have to say, I'm still loving it too. The way Cat said "hello lover" as a greeting sealed the deal.

Cristina was up next in a Jason Gilkison latin number with Pasha and Anya. And this was really a routine where she got out-shined by the all-stars. Because Pasha and Anya? HOTTTTTTT. Anya's legs know how to work it, man! Cristina's legs, in comparison, felt really sluggish, which Nigel mentioned. She seemed kind of timid. I'd rather watch Pasha and Anya do some latin any day. Damn! Sorry, Cristina. Also making a reappearance here was Nigel's famed lechery. Gross.

Next we got to see Alex and Billy perform a Mia Michaels routine with all-star Ade. This routine was about time, and the journey of life. Billy was the child, Alex the grown man, and Ade the old man. It's really not fair to give Billy and Alex a Mia number to start out with, as they seem made for it already. Mia gave them the monikers of freak (Billy) and beast (Alex). They are certainly ones to be reckoned with.

And last up we had Adechike, Ashley and Robert perform a Sonya jazz piece with all-stars Neil and Courtney. And in this one I found it really, really hard to figure out who our new contestants were. Courtney and Ashley were pretty interchangeable, which isn't so great for Ashley since she's had no screen time before this. Neil was also given more of a showcased part in the piece, while Adechike really kind of melted into the background. Robert, however, popped a little more than the other two. It also helped that he showed some personality at the microphone with Cat. Personality wins votes, people!

Since this was not a voting week, I'm not going to give my official rankings, but if I had to pick who I think is going to have the hardest time getting votes next week, I'd say Ashley, Cristina, Adechike and Robert. Do you agree or have others in mind?

I would also like to make one final comment: I still hate that big stage. The dances were much better suited for the smaller stage. C'est la vie and all that, but ugh.

Next week: voting begins!

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