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So You Think You Can Dance 3: Ranking the Dancers – The Top 10by Asher Streets -- 07/25/2007
View Printable version of this article We now have our top ten dancers. I will stop including the results from the other top 20 dancers now that we’ve moved into this phase of the competition, but still include snippets of why Anya and Hok lost for this article. Entering into the top 10, we have a number of people at the top who still need to show they can do as well with solos as they have with partnered dances. Now that couples are broken apart, how will people like Sabra and Kameron fare without the chemistry they’ve built? I have vastly different opinions for these two. Only one thing seems clear: Lauren is the bottom-feeder. 1. Pasha Kovalev (1): Pasha keeps sailing through the competition, even as his partner left before her time. Pasha has a charisma and charm that set him above the others. He also has danced every style extremely well, and is the best male partner in the competition. Pasha has a natural chemistry with anyone he dances with, even if they’re twice his age. I don’t think solos will be as challenging for Pasha as they were for Anya, but he needs to prove himself. Also, it’s only a matter of time before Pasha gets hip hop, which will be his ultimate test of versatility. 
2. Sara Von Gillern (4): I love Sara. She faces each new challenge with verve, and the result is always great. Although I didn’t appreciate the jazz routine as much as the judges, I think she did a fantastic job with what she was given. Sara’s uniqueness will carry her far. We’ve only seen her perform a solo once, and although it was lackluster, I think she will be much better next time. 3. Sabra Johnson (5): Sabra is enigmatic to me. She is a star when she dances, yet she seems a little awkward when she speaks. I think she’s well-liked, although Dominic is probably more popular. Sabra has done every style well, and keeps improving throughout the competition. Sabra must find the fun and magic with her new partner immediately, and use her first dance to keep herself in a good position. Out of the top five, Sabra has had the most success with solos, which bodes well for her. If she keeps improving as well as she has been, she could be a surprise contender for the title. Yet, has she garnered enough popular support? 4. Lacey Schwimmer (2): Lacey is still doing everything right, but like Pasha, has yet to prove herself with solos. She’s done well with Kameron, and I expect that she will continue to do well no matter who is her partner. Lacey has not had one bad (or even mediocre) performance. But also, Lacey has not had a stand-out performance since week one, while Sara and Sabra have been improving weekly. Lacey is incredibly popular, but she needs to step up her game. 5. Dominic Sandoval (6): Dominic is a dark horse in this competition. He did an amazing jive this past week, and is improving very quickly with his partnering skills. The judges are solidly on his side, and America is too. Like Sabra, Dominic needs to quickly bond with his new partner and demonstrate the same level of confidence. Dominic should also remember what the judges said earlier and not execute the same tricks during his solos. 6. Danny Tidwell (3): According to raw numbers, Danny is actually number one. However, factoring in popularity and personality, he slips considerably. The only reason I can’t put him any lower is that I still must reward his amazing technique and performances. Danny is by far the best technical dancer, but no matter how many times he’s been warned about the negative vibe he gives off, he somehow can’t or won’t change. America is not on his side, and I won’t be surprised if he is the first male to leave; but for now, I still believe Danny has a shot. If he can reinvent himself during this first top 10 week, perhaps America can forgive the aloofness. Maybe losing Anya will rattle his chutzpah, or maybe his new partner can inspire him to humility. 7. Jaimie Goodwin (9): Jaimie has been getting high praise from the judges lately. She danced a very beautiful Broadway routine, but it was actually just another lyrical routine. My biggest problem with Jaimie is that she has not yet had even one good performance outside of her discipline. Jaimie is probably the best lyrical dancer remaining, but she has displayed neither versatility nor good partnering skills. Both the Wade Robson hummingbird routine and the Tyce Di Orio Broadway routine played to her strengths, and circumvented any partnering requirements. 
8. Neil Haskell (10): Neil has been doing well the past few weeks, but I’d not so much call it improvement as opportunity to shine in what he does best. Neil does great with solos. His gymnastics are impressive, even if his technique isn’t as refined as say, Danny. Neil is less of a diverse dancer than others in the competition, although he pulled off a decent hip hop routine a few weeks ago. What Neil needs is to kill one ballroom dance. 9. Kameron Bink (7): I’m not sure why Kameron lands way down here, except for the fact that he’s been blah. Dan Karaty may have intentionally given Kameron a solo in his hip hop routine, just to show that Kameron was the prop Dan said he was. Kameron has a breathtaking back flip, but he may lose the voting split with Neil, who is similar in too many ways. 10. Lauren Gottlieb (12): Lauren should have gone home two weeks ago. Shauna and Anya are much better than she is. Lauren annoys me. I have never understood what the judges see in her. I’d love to offer up some constructive criticism, but all I can do is rant. Her solo was good, but still not close to the caliber of Shauna, Sabra, or Jaimie. I don’t think Lauren will improve, and I think now that the votes are individual it will be quickly evident how the votes from Neil’s fans were the only reason Lauren has lasted this long. Hokuto “Hok” Konishi (11): Hok started the season with the positive momentum he had gained from previous years and captivating breaking moves. He was likeable and did well in his own genre. However, Hok failed to prove himself in other styles of dance and relied too heavily on his strengths when he should have been growing as a dancer. Hok’s lack of training put him at a disadvantage he was not able to overcome, and although we’ll remember him for years to come, we will not be seeing him on tour. That may mostly be due to the fact that Hok was not unique this year; another b-boy out-performed him. Anya Garnis (8): Anya was a terrific couples dancer, surprising everyone with her versatility, performance ability, and personality. Yet, she could not pull off even one solo in her own style. On top of that, she will be remembered for her gawd-awful wardrobe selections, making her solos one big all-around flop. The fact that she biffed three times in a row was a major factor in her ouster, especially in comparison to Lauren’s heartfelt dance for her life. Yet, on top of this, Anya was not unique this season and was not able to rally enough of a fan base to overcompensate for all of the voters who decided to boycott Danny. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out these other recent articles on Foxes On Idol:
Asher Streets is a food engineer and musician who lives in Madison, WI. He has a love for all things Italian, most especially gelato, wine, espresso, and cheese. You can email Asher at asher.streets@gmail.com. Be sure to sign up for the RealityNewsOnline/FoxesOnIdol e-mail update so you can stay informed about new articles on both sites! For all of our articles, check out our sections on American Idol, American Juniors, Nashville Star, and Canadian Idol. Also make sure to check out RealityNewsOnline for recaps and articles covering other reality TV shows. For more news about this show, be sure to check out SirLinksALot: So You Think You Can Dance! View Printable version of this article
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