I’ll Be the Judge of That! – So You Think You Can Dance 5, July 22

Heading into tonight’s show, the bottom of the pack for me is Melissa for the girls and Jason for the guys. Kayla needs to show more personality during rehearsal footage and after performances so she doesn’t come off as an ice queen, and Evan needs to be amazing-bordering-on-perfection so he doesn’t continue to slip in the rankings. By now you’ve read Jenn’s RealityNewsOnline recap, so let’s get it on!

The Top 8 – Jazz

Okay, I know everyone says over and over again that this is the best top *insert number here* ever in life, but they are so great in groups. In past seasons, I could always tell who was who because there were those dancers that are really great and ones that are just okay, but this group does a great job of looking exactly the same during routines. There were one or two bobbles (Ade was one and I think Evan might have been another) but the dancing stayed strong throughout and was an excellent way to start the show. Can you imagine how cool this would have looked with more dancers?

Janette & Evan – Jazz

When Evan said it was a Sonya jazz piece, I got way excited. As long as Evan can let go and get into it, this could be awesome. I liked how closely they danced together and how well they maintained the energy throughout their piece. I didn’t think the routine was amazing, but I thought they danced it really well. I looked at Evan with a lot of scrutiny since he’s been getting flack from judges and viewers, and while this is definitely not his style, he got into it. I don’t think I like seeing Evan really sinister for all the reasons Mia gave, but I liked that he got into the character of this routine more than he did in past routines (like the really awful Broadway routine a few weeks back). Janette was solid as usual, and I’m glad she did well in this style, which is also way outside her comfort zone. The routine itself probably won’t be super memorable, but it’s not because they did a bad job. Hopefully they both have amazing solos to ensure their spots in the top six.

Kayla – solo

Did Kayla refer to the Kupono-style of solos tonight? I was shocked by how lame this routine was. Where was the substance? This was pretty stationary movements with I think two leaps. I think my jaw dropped when the music stopped because I couldn’t believe that was all she came up with. This was absolutely not good enough and if the judges could have made comments, I’ll bet she would have gotten a tongue-lashing for presenting a solo that didn’t look like she thought it was very important. Kayla’s weakness is emoting during a routine. If her strategy was to show how much she’s improved, then that’s fine, but she needs to incorporate the skill that got her this far since that’s where her strength lies.

Jeanine & Brandon – waltz

Umm… Yeah, not good. Neither of them did badly, but I agree with Nigel that this was not a good showing. Most of my critiques are for the choreographer, so you can look forward to that, below. The slow tempo of the routine showed their flaws. I agree with Mary that the lines left much to be desired, but the feet were way bad. I agree with the judges’ disappointments. Both of them are better than this, and while the majority of the blame lies in the choreographer’s feet, they need to do with it what they can.

Jason – solo

His leaps were absolutely beautiful. To get that much extension in skinny jeans is quite a feat, but I wish he put his face into it more. He picks great music, so I wish he just went with the feel of it more and just let go. The pirouette was not good as there was a pretty considerable hop that didn’t need to be there. He’s doing a good job of sticking to his strengths when he dances. Thumbs up!

Melissa & Ade – cha-cha

This had the potential to be so smokin’ but I sided with the judges that it wasn’t bad but I wanted more. I know they tried to get into it, but it was as if they were overcompensating for something and it looked awkward. I’m naturally drawn to Melissa because she looked stunning and I want her body, but I didn’t get the effortlessly sexy feeling that I got when she did the rumba. I know it’s a different speed, but it’s not that big of a stretch, is it? Ade didn’t do a whole lot and I wasn’t impressed with what he did. This sub-par dancing is not making me a happy judge, people.

Janette – solo

As soon as she was introduced, I thought to myself that I would hurl if I heard the word “Miami” one more time. Ooo… okay, I understand what she tried to do here. We all knew she could sizzle and she’s done plenty of that but just doing that in solos would have gotten really old so she tried to mix it up. While it didn’t completely work for her, I at least appreciate that she put some thought into her solo. Her jeté was just alright, but she’s at a disadvantage with only contemporary dancers with ballet training as her competition. I can’t imagine how much it must suck for ballroom dancers to choreograph solos since they never dance solos and the skills and tricks require another person for them to execute. So while it wasn’t amazing, I like that she tried to do something different to show versatility. Good for her.