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I’ll Be the Judge of That! – So You Think You Can Dance 5, June 17by Terri Smith -- 06/18/2009
View Printable version of this article I’m so excited about tonight’s show!! I’ve had the pleasure of hearing from people and what they thought about last week’s performances, and I told them that I’m curious about how people will do in styles other than their own. Part of me is nervous about potential train wrecks, but think of the surprises we may have in store. By now you’ve read Jenn’s RNO recap, so without further ado… Let’s get it on!
Randi & Evan – Jive Before I begin, I want share a secret of my own. I’ve developed quite the crush on Evan. He just seems like a cool dude, I like that he has a completely different dance style than anyone else, and his performance last week was just sexy. Tonight, he was absolutely adorable, which makes me love him even more! This routine was really entertaining! It helped the audience relax and enjoy the performance when they both nailed the choreography and the attitude. 
These two seem more like a cute couple than a sexy couple, and this really solidified it for them. They were fast when they needed to be, and they stayed playful without being obnoxious throughout the routine. After I listened to the judges’ comments, I watched the number again to see if, perhaps, my Evan love clouded my judgment of him in this routine and made me see him as better than he was. I really scrutinized it and I understood he didn’t have the jive double-bounce, and I DEFINITELY thought Lil C hit it on the head about perhaps being too smooth to the point where it seemed like a lack of energy. I only really noticed it during the little flicks and kicks. You’ll have to tell me if he was really bad and I just can’t see it because he’s so dreamy. Oh, and how cool was the toe touch!!
Melissa & Ade – Jazz I felt lukewarm toward the whole thing and I realized my lack of love came from the choreography (see comments below). Then I thought about whether I thought they did well even though I didn’t necessarily like what they were doing. They executed the choreography well. I wasn’t sure if feet were supposed to be pointed or flexed during certain moments, but if that’s the only thing I can come up with in the routine, that’s not bad. I was impressed with Melissa’s ability to let go. I don’t know the story behind the whole “naughty ballerina” thing, but it seems like she’s a laidback and cool chick. I wasn’t sure how her personality would have been conveyed in this number, but she did well with it. Kudos for her! I’m not a violent person, but if I see that pick again, I’m stabbing it in Ade’s eye. The people I’ve talked to (I know that means, like, five of you) side with me and think the pick is annoying and disrespectful. If you think the pick is cool, PLEASE let me know! I won’t give you crap for it, I just want to know if anyone out there seriously think that it’s cool or thug (I don’t know what that means) or whatever. It drives me bonkers, and I actually think it keeps me from liking Ade as a dancer.
Caitlin & Jason – Hip-Hop Holy crap, Jason! His individual stuff was awesome. Some of it was a bit predictable since we got the whole Michael Jackson bit during the intro, but I was surprised he could move like that. I blacked out for a bit because Mary took the words out of my mouth by comparing them to Michael Jackson and Britney Spears. Between the two, Caitlin was the weakest. Her solo was a little uncomfortable to watch, but I understood why Shane left it in the routine since we (the audience) needed to be aware of weaknesses. The analogy about the high school dance team hip-hop routine that I anticipated using for Jeanine last week perfectly applied to Caitlin tonight. The funk was significantly faked. Overall, I thought they did “fine.” They weren’t abysmal, but I wasn’t particularly moved. Not going to be memorable.
Janette & Brandon – Disco Okay. They did a really great job for about 85% of that routine. The energy was incredible, and their interaction was really cute. For moving as fast as they were, it took a lot of skill for them to keep up with the music and to stay in sync with each other. They both TOTALLY feel apart at the end, but I figured they were just exhausted. I saw Jeanette’s slip but she did recover from it really well. For a style I hate, they performed it well.
Asuka & Vitolio – Waltz For dancers who wanted to show a lot of personality, it’s too bad they got a waltz, huh? I don’t blame Asuka for not being attracted to Vitolio. I’m not saying the man’s a dog; I just don’t pick up what he puts down. Anyhoo, they did a great job with conveying the emotion of this routine. I was able to see the technical faults Mary pointed out, and it’s true that this was not a sound technical performance. They connection was great, though. I wasn’t moved to tears or anything; I’m not that crazy about this couple, but I can’t take this away from them.
Kayla & Max – pop-jazz I had to take it in, but I liked it. Kayla was really good, but what’s with everyone fawning over her? I mean, she’s done a great job so far these last two weeks, but I don’t know that we should be calling her a frontrunner. Max did really well and got into the character better than I thought he would. Whoever made his outfit is on notice, but he did a great job allowing himself to get absorbed into the story. Kudos for them!
Karla & Jonathan – Contemporary I am Mary Murphy-style freaking out about how good Jonathan was during that performance! Are you outside of your mind?! He was amazing. It made me think of the Allison & Ivan contemporary routine where Ivan blew everyone away or the Sabra & Dominic contemporary routine that did the same thing. Choreographers describe it as being “raw.” His movements looked genuine but most importantly, he executed them beautifully! This will strike an interesting discussion, because technique was put on the back burner during Asuka & Vitolio’s routine because the emotion was so strong. Even though the emotion was strong in this routine too, I was blown away by how well Jonathan did the routine. I wasn’t sure Jonathan had any great dance skill until this routine. His performances last week left me cold because I wasn’t impressed by his execution in his own style, but his execution here was stunning. I hope this inspires him to take ballet and jazz classes. He was really beautiful… Oh, and Karla did fine. (She better have; it was her style.)
Jeanine & Phillip – Tango Jeanine looked great! The attitude was hot, her movements were great, and she sold her character. Phillip looked BAD. Phillip’s feet were really terrible. His feet stayed flat the whole time so it looked like he was stomping when he wasn’t supposed to. He had good carriage in places, but it didn’t last very much. His facial expressions were a dead giveaway (I said that before Nigel!). I couldn’t tell if Phillip was being smug or not while he was receiving his critiques. Is that just the way he looks or was he being smugish? I need help on that. If he’s copping a ‘tude, I want to have a talk with him. Oh, but his knees were good! That’s great! (I’m trying to be happy for him.)
Ashley & Kupono – hip-hop I was worried about these two. Kupono definitely struggled, but he wasn’t terrible. He had the attitude, but the movements didn’t look natural for him, which is why it looked so uncomfortable. The swag was missing for me. Ashley’s quite the sassy one, isn’t she? She did better than I thought she would. I think she did a lot better than Kupono. Again, not saying Kupono did BADLY, per se, just that Ashley was that good. I think how good Ashley did was lost, though, in all the criticism. I noticed you, Ashley!
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