Jose falls behind yet again in a style vastly different from his own, Toni Redpath joins the judge’s panel, and we continue the weekly trend of injuring dancers on this show when Lauren has to see a medic at the end of the show.
And what of Cat? You know I have to mention her. I have such a girl crush. Lovely hair and makeup. I like the black & white graphic one-shouldered dress. Very cool.
As we all remember (and I’d like to forget it) no one was eliminated last week. Instead, the judges will be sending two dancers home tomorrow.
Kent
All-star partner: Anya
Jean-Marc Genereux & France / Cha Cha
Rehearsal: This is Kent’s second cha cha. Anya is a schoolteacher and Kent is a bad boy.
My First Kiss / 3OH!3 feat. Kesha
Performance: It’s a fun story. Anya is amazing as always. I’m sure the guys watching this appreciate that she keeps taking things off. Kent is more than holding his own. I’m a little impressed that his face isn’t as out of control. A little, I said. Great job.
Judge’s critiques:
Nigel calls Kent a man. Good, strong base. Toni says it is better this time. He’s more grounded, earthier. He sacrifices his posture though. Mia says the whole piece is crunchy – it doesn’t flow. She says he’s not taking the note about his face. Adam calls it super solid. Kent needs to dance with more length and breathe.
Further comment: I am glad Mia mentioned Kent’s face. Kent claims he can’t help himself but I think he can. Despite that, I agree that it was a strong performance.
Robert
All-star partner: Kathryn
Stacey Tookey / Contemporary
Rehearsal: The piece is about the last moments before a soldier goes off to war and leaves a loved one behind. They’re connected the whole time. Stacey says the most important thing is getting the story told.
Heaven is a Place on Earth / Katie Thompson
Performance: I love that it’s a slow piece. Their connection – both emotional and physical – is pretty amazing. One kinda awkward lift but I’m loving this. Great emotion. Great technique. Beautiful and moving.
Judge’s critiques:
Nigel loves the connectivity. Nice twist at the end. Robert has grown enormously. He is growing and maturing to become even better than Nigel thought he’d be. Toni would want to be the woman Robert’s dancing with. Mia says the beginning of the piece is sacred and tender. It’s a mature decision to pull back and allow the story to go first. Mia wants Robert to speak through his soul. Adam is so proud of the way they supported each other out there.
Further comment: I am such a huge fan of Robert when he’s not being a goofball. I don’t want to see that. I want to see his wonderful technique and amazing partnering skills and he showed us those tonight. And let’s talk about Kathryn for a moment. She is amazing this year. I felt like she’s matured and upped her technique and now she’s a beast in the best possible sense of the word.
Jose
Giant Squid / RJD2
He does have a great smile. It looks like he’s throwing some fun new things into his routine. He has gotten better in his own style since the competition started. Loved it.
Adechike
All-star partner: Courtney
Tyce DiOrio / Jazz
Rehearsal: It’s at a jazz club in Spanish Harlem. It’s late at night and there are no inhibitions. Courtney feels sexy doing this dance. The music is timeless; the dancers have to find themselves within it.
Mantega / Dizzy Gillespie
Performance: Adechike is such a great acrobat. Very nice movement. I love me some Courtney. She is such a great partner. I like when they’re dancing with each other. When they’re separated it’s not as sexy. I really liked it.
Judge’s critiques:
Adam says it’s so much fun. That was balls-out dancing. Total joy. Adechike is such a tightly wound little muscle, Adam would like to see him loosen up. Mia says the music is everything. It is a great performance but he has to find the balance of style and finesse. Toni says it looked like fun. Great weight in Adechike’s connections. Nigel wants more abandon. He’s got to make it look like it’s not choreographed.
Further critique: I like most of what Tyce did with this piece but he did make a mistake in making Adechike’s part so acrobatic. I think we all know Adechike excels at that so now we’d like to see him dance in the style he’s given. But having said that, I still enjoyed the performance. I also wanted a little more sexy and a little more abandon as well.
Lauren
(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman / Aretha Franklin
I see the joy! As usually she’s a great technician. She’s got amazing control, but not perfect – I think we all saw that bobble. But she’s still pretty remarkable.
Jose
All-star partner: Comfort
Marty Kudelka & Dana Wilson / Hip Hop
Rehearsal: Boy meets girl. He’s trying to give her his pickup line, which is his dancing. Cat says Jose is back in his “Comfort” zone.
Try a Little Tenderness / Otis Redding
Performance: Comfort is killing it and by extension, she’s outdancing Jose. She’s matured so much in her own style. Jose isn’t bad but he’s not as precise and meticulous as Comfort is and I’m finding it distracting. Great concept but not so great execution by Jose.
Judge’s critiques:
Nigel loves the routine. It’s a cool vibe, a funky feel. It wasn’t quite there. Jose got a bit flappy with his arms. Toni was absorbed in what a schmoozer he is. Mia tells Jose there is no swag in there. Jose didn’t tap into Marty’s gift for him. Adam recommends that Jose dance the intention of his character; the steps are secondary.
Further comment: I agree with everyone except Toni. I’m so ready for Jose to leave the competition. Of course I think he’s got a winning personality but his smile has saved him too many times already.
Billy
Lights Go Down / Telepathe
I like the range he’s showing us. His movements are strange and cool. Will it make people vote for him? I certainly hope so. Maybe it was different enough to make people pick up the phone. When Cat asks about the story behind the piece Billy tells her it’s a hunt with a witty ending.
Kent
A Song For You / Elliott Yamin
A little too manic at the beginning for me. But after that it was really interesting. I feel like we just saw something new from Kent. Great job.
Lauren
All-star partner: Allison
Tyce DiOrio / Broadway
Rehearsal: Two girls are dancing together for the first time this season. The piece is about them being strong as opposed to sexy. They’ve got something the guys don’t: Girl power.
Who’s Got the Pain? / Damn Yankees (1994 original Broadway cast)
Rehearsal: They are so much fun together. Both Allison and Lauren are so strong in this style. Great technique. I’m glad I’m really enjoying this Broadway piece. Very acrobatic. Nice.
Judge’s critiques:
Adam thinks of Lauren as an all-star already. She’s graduated into that further level. He’s got nothing to criticize. Mia says there’s nothing to critique. Lauren’s so solid. She’s forged ahead of everyone else. It shows her strength and ability to dance. Toni says strong is sexy. Lauren hit it just right. Her body is a tornado but her eyes are calm. Nigel says it worked for him. It wasn’t as exciting at the original Fosse piece thought. He feels that Lauren will be in the finale.
Further comment: Lauren is killing it. She’s always been an amazing technician and each week I think she shows us just a little more of her heart. She continues to become better every week. I can’t wait to see her in the finale.
Robert
A Beautiful Mess (From A Raining Jane Sessions) / Jason Mraz
Great quality of movement to go with a smart piece of music. I am a huge fan. Especially since he’s not being weird.
Billy
All-star partner: Ade
Stacey Tookey / Contemporary
Rehearsal: It’s about observing two opposite ends of the spectrum in society: someone with everything and someone with nothing. Billy is playing a homeless man. The beauty is in how opposite they are.
Mad World (Alternate) / Michael Andrews feat. Gary Jules
Performance: I love that Billy starts the piece at the edge of the stage with Ade dancing in the background. This is kind of brilliant. Great quality of movement from both of them. I like their apartness and togetherness. Interesting lifts and partnering work. That was amazing.
Judge’s critiques:
Standing ovations from everyone except Nigel. Nigel is pleased. To have lost Billy last week would have been to lose the privilege of watching him perform that piece. He sees a maturity and emotion in Billy. Toni loved the contrast. She stopped seeing the steps and started hearing the dialogue and heartbeat. Mia says it is sheer perfection. To Stacey Mia says she’s evolving into some artist. This is Mia’s favorite performance of the season for Billy. Win or lose he’s respected as an up-and-comer. Adam says Billy was born on the show; he’s dropped into the zone. Shows great restraint. It was magnificent. That was art.
Further comment: Amazing, amazing, amazing. Billy does feel like he’s finally come into his own. I am such a huge fan of Stacey Tookey and I’d like to see more of her for the rest of the season and in the future.
Adechike
Pretty Wings / Maxwell
Nice levels. Wow. He is much a powerful dancer. Really nice technique. He let his personality come out a bit, which is always great.
Jose and Kent
Spencer Liff / Broadway
Rehearsal: It’s about two guys who work together at a moving company, watching the ladies go by. Who’s gonna get the girl? Kent’s the young eager one. Jose’s the older, more refined one.
From This Moment On / Kiss Me Kate (soundtrack)
Performance: This style is absolutely Kent’s strong suite. This piece has great character work and such a fun feel to it. Kent’s form is so good he’s putting Jose to shame. What a fun story. Highly enjoyable.
Judge’s critiques:
Adam tells Spencer he’s killing it. Totally in the style of Gene Kelly’s era. Adam is seeing it come down between Kent and Lauren. Kent is born to do this. Jose went on a journey. Mia says it’s amazing. Kent just found his home. He needs to live in this world. Jose isn’t the trained dancer Kent is but he keeps up and he does a good job. Toni doesn’t know if it was smart or lucky but the characters suited them perfectly. Kent’s a contender. Nigel says Kent has done everything brilliantly that they’ve thrown at him. He loves this style of Broadway. For Jose, the worst part is having to do it with Kent. Nigel hopes Jose is very proud of himself despite the fact that this may be his last week in the competition.
Further comment: Kent is really remarkable in this style. His facial expression here aren’t over-the-top and his technique is almost flawless.
Lauren and Adechike
Jean-Marc Genereux & France / Foxtrot
Rehearsal: It’s not a traditional feel or vibe. It’s sultry and sexy. They’re gonna have the whole audience sick.
Fever / Beyonce
Performance: I like their chemistry. I’m not a huge fan of Foxtrot so I’m glad this isn’t the usual fare. There are definitely Foxtrot moments but it feels more fun and much more free-flowing. Some nice lifts. I like their connection too. Great job.
Judge’s critiques:
Nigel thinks some of the steps they did better than a ballroom dancer but other steps don’t sit well. Good connectivity and it is certainly sultry. It leaves him a bit under whelmed. Toni says neither of them have the muscle memory of a ballroom dancer. Footwork is off therefore the gliding movement is off. The frame is off. But they got into the character of the dance. Mia says Adechike has great moments as a partner but there’s a disconnect when they separate. Lauren’s grace, sensuality, and presence make it look like she’s done this a million times. Great performance. Adam says Lauren is just dancing. Adechike looked too concerned with making sure Lauren was safe.
Further comment: I totally get where the judges are coming from but I still liked it. I can’t possibly critique form, and anyway Toni did a great job of that, but I will say it was fun to watch. I feel like they relaxed into it and had a great connection.
Robert and Billy
Nakul Dev Mahajan / Bollywood
Rehearsal: Bollywood is a mix of styles from all over the world. Indian forms are fused with western forms. It’s a big melting pot of dance. Two guys fighting for one role in the biggest Bollywood movie ever.
Ganesh / Bobmbay Dreams (soundtrack)
Performance: This is such a fun piece. I love seeing the different Western influences. And it looks like they’re having a blast and really nailing the technique. The only thing missing for me is the really fast part – it seems like every Bollywood piece has that.
Judge’s critiques:
Nigel calls is fantastic. It’s the best Bollywood routine he’s seen with two guys. Robert finished everything and his hands are fantastic. He hopes Billy’s knee is ok because he put it through some tough work. Toni says they’re both fantastic. It will come down to personal choice. She feels like Robert nailed it. Mia says that was so hard. No injuries! Everything was right with that and Billy nailed it. Adam says they just split the vote. This has been a huge night for Billy. Adam tells Robert that was brilliant.
Further comment: I really enjoyed the piece because I feel they were both technically strong. I don’t know if I can say either dancer won the role over the other. They both hit it hard and were fun to watch.
So, who do you think is going home? All I know is that one of the departing dancers had better be Jose. No, really.
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