Mia's new hair was trippy. I like it. Mostly. Its a new look, that's cool.
This week I'm going to write my thoughts after watching each dance only once, but before I've heard from the judges. I'll be pausing my TIVO a lot. I don't want to be influenced by what the judges say.
Thayne and Chelsea - Jazz - Mandy Moore - "Untouched" by The Veronicas
Personality - My feeling is that both of them are forcing the energy. Its a little too manic for my taste. But, that's okay; they seem happy and positive so its all good.
Song - I liked the song. I've heard of The Veronicas but I'm not familiar with their music. I might check them out after hearing this song.
Choreography - I didn't really like the choreography. Where's the story? It didn't gel for me. Is it because they're the first dancers and it takes me awhile to settle in? I didn't think the choreography did anything to enhance the music, and vice versa.
Costume - Since the story of the dance involved a prince it could bring to mind the Elizabethan age, which the costumes were reminiscent of. But, the prince could have been Prince William or Prince Harry - in which case, costumes that had more to do with the music would have been appropriate. I didn't think Chelsie's white bustle was flattering.
Dancing - they did a good job. It seemed to work out without too much trouble.
Overall - I wasn't moved by the performance.
Verdict - Keep 'em.
Mark and Chelsie - Argentine Tango - Alex DeSilva - "Mi Confesion" by Gotan Project
Personality - I still really like him. A lot. I love quirky people and he seems confident in his quirkiness - he's embraced it. To be honest, I haven't seen him do anything quirky yet - but he's cultivating that reputation. I liked that he notices her hair smell. Chelsea seemed younger this time. She was concerned about being too close to him; she feels brotherly towards him. I think that affected her dance - or at least my view of her dance. Still, she's very likable.
Song - I liked the song.
Choreography - I appreciated the choreography. There were familiar elements, but it was a little different. For the choreography alone I would have liked to see more difficulty, but I don't think that would have been fair to the dancers.
Costumes - He looked hot - I have a weakness for men in dark suits. She looked good in hers. They were perfect for the dance.
Dancing - the thing that stood out for me immediately in this dance is the way Mark was completely focused on Chelsea. It was powerful. His lines were classic and elegant, with a latin passion behind them. He did magnificently. I thought Chelsea did well, but she was very preoccupied with how intense he was, I think. It might have made her uncomfortable. She looked at her feet more than once or twice. That was what I noticed most of all. For the actual dancing, she seemed fine. I think compared to him, she wasn't quite as good.
Overall - Good dance, fun to watch
Verdict - Keep 'em
Will and Jessica - Hip Hop - Cecily and Olisa - 'Whatever U Like' by Nicole Scherzinger
Personality - I enjoyed both of them tonight. I like her happiness and his appreciation of it. I like that he's a focused dancer who can enjoy things sometimes. I liked seeing her a little vulnerable. I like them. Good job, there.
Song - I didn't like it. It was boring.
Choreography - I didn't like the first part, but later I liked that it developed. I didn't like the chairs. The stuff in front of the chairs was good. I think Hip Hop has gotten so mainstream that I'm not sure exactly what constitutes a Hip Hop style anymore. This seemed more pop than hop. Except the part in front of the chairs.
Costumes - this was a problem for me. They were fine, but I was totally preoccupied with Jessica's pants after about 1/2 way through. Are they falling down? Is that her shirt or is it part of her undergarments? Oh - no, her pants are falling down...no, they're not...but maybe, yes, they're falling down. No, they're not. OK. Whatever. I didn't like that. Otherwise, eh.
Dancing - Since the dance didn't require 100% funk, they didn't have to deliver it. Which is good because I didn't feel they had it. They were good though. I thought she hit the beats with good bounce, as did he. It was fine.
Overall - I thought it was fine. Nothing special for me.
Verdict - Keep 'em.
Matt and Kourtni - Foxtrot - Jean-Marc Genereux - 'A Foggy Day (In London Town) by Michael Buble
Personality - I like this couple. I just do. I didn't learn a ton about them in the taped piece before hand because it seemed like they'd plan what they'd say about each other so as not to be too serious. It doesn't matter. I like 'em.
Song - great song for the dance. It was light and breezy (even though it was foggy in London town). Excellent choice.
Choreography - The only issue I had with the choreography were some of the unnecessary parts - leg lifts, etc. that seemed out of place with the style of the dance. It seemed they were thrown in to show off a talent of the dancer. They didn't need to do it.
Costumes - perfect. He looked dapper in his outfit. Fantastic, both of them.
Dancing - Fabulous. They were great. This was a wonderful fun dance. They were having such a good time dancing it, and he, especially looked right at home doing it. I thought she looked just a smidge less at ease. Only a smidge. I was happy watching them dance.
Overall - Made me smile. It was a great combination of style, costume, music, talent, and choreography. It all worked together.
Verdict - Keep 'em.
Gev and Courtney - Contemporary - Mandy Moore - 'Lost' by Anouk
Personality - I like these two. She's cute as a button and he seems like a regular guy. I like that Mandy Moore sees his protectiveness of her and her trust in him. That was sweet. Awww.
Song - I liked the song. I've never heard of Anouk.
Choreography - It was good. I liked the positions they were in. Interesting. Fit the music. It was good.
Costumes - good costumes. I like that kind of dress Courtney was wearing.
Dancing - Gev got a break - he didn't have to dance too much in this. I guess I think he got a break because I'm not sure if he has the training to dance this kind of dance. But, I think people will like the dance and him or her and vote for them. Courtney did most of the dancing. That said, he did great on his lifts and he's partnering very well for someone with no experience. I like Courtney's style and I thought she put lots of emotion into the dance.
Overall - I liked it. I thought they expressed the love story well.
Verdict - Keep 'em.
Joshua and Katee - Broadway - Tyce D'Orio - 'All For The Best' from Godspell
Personality - Nice people. They seem like they're getting along well. I like them.
Song - I like other songs in Godspell better. Many of the songs have that style that I don't know the name of...like a dance hall song? I don't know. Anyway - it seems like they'd be hard to dance to.
Choreography - I liked it fine. I thought there were too many 'bits'. Too much change in tone they had to do so they didn't get to settle into something long enough to give it depth.
Costumes - they were appropriate for Godspell - especially the face makeup.
Dancing - I thought Katee looked a step behind during some of it. Joshua gave it 100% and outshone her. He was fully executing and I don't think she was.
Overall - I liked the dance but didn't think it was as fulfilling and interesting as it could have been.
Verdict - Keep 'em.
Marquise and Susie - Salsa - Alex DeSilva - 'Aguanile' by Willie Colon and Hector Lavoe
Personality - I like him because he seems young. I don't dislike her.
Song - I liked the song - it was fun.
Choreography - It seemed good for the Salsa.
Costumes - fine
Dancing - I didn't buy it. There was awkwardness all around. They definitely tried, but I don't think it came together.
Overall - okay.
Verdict - Keep 'em.
Twitch and Kherrington - Viennese Waltz - Jean-Marc Genereux and France - 'A New Day Has Come' by Celine Dion
Personality - how can you not like these two - they are guileless.
Song - it was fine
Choreography - beautiful
Costumes - sexy and beautiful
Dancing - wonderful - they was chemistry and there was lightness and there was bounce. They did a marvelous job.
Overall - this was another of the night's great combinations of song, costume, choreography and dancers. It was soothing to watch.
Verdict - Keep 'em
Chris and Comfort - Krump - Lil'C - 'Come and Get Me' by Timbaland f 50 Cent and Tony Yayo
Personality - I thought they were nice people. They both came across well.
Song - Were there a lot of words cut out of that song? It seemed like it was bleeped a lot. Otherwise - it had a good beat and you could dance to it.
Choreography - I liked the choreography. I like krumping. I thought it went well with the song.
Costumes - Why did he have that big kerchief around his neck? That didn't add anything.
Dancing - She was great - and I thought he kept up. The only reason I noticed she was better (with my untrained eye) is because of what they were saying in the taped segment about him being so unfamiliar with this style. It made me expect less. But, I wonder, if he were in a video doing that dance, would I think anything of it? Probably not, he looked good.
Overall - I liked the dance. I liked seeing her dance in a style she was comfortable in. I liked that he looked good doing it - I wasn't distracted.
Verdict - Keep 'em.
Alright - so now I've seen everything and I've had a chance to hear all the judges comments...
I had missed that Chelsea and Thayne's 'story' was a King and his forbidden love - I didn't see anything forbidden in the dance.
Hip Hop should be raw and dirty as Mia said. Yes, that's what's been missing in a lot of the Hip Hop dances we've seen this year.
I'm surprised by how much the judges didn't like a couple of the dances I liked and how much they liked Katee and Joshua's dance when I thought it was good, but not great.
Vaudeville was the style I was trying to think of.
Is it true that the dancers have only 1 1/2 hours with the choreographer and 2 days to rehearse? Wow - not much time.
I feel bad that Mia mentioned the smile thing. She might not have realized it would become such a big deal. I noticed her smile as well. But, I switched my expectation and decided it was about the joy of movement that the Genereux' daughter isn't able to experience, so it was perfectly acceptable to smile - even joyful.
For me...the top three dances were:
Kourtni and Matt - Foxtrot
Kherrington and Twitch - Viennese Waltz
Chelsie and Mark - Argentine Tango
And the bottom three would be...
Chelsea and Thayne - Jazz
Susie and Marquise - Salsa
Jessica and Will - Hip Hop
However, I think the bottom three as announced tomorrow will be...
Kourtni and Matt
Susie and Marquise
Jessica and Will (maybe) or Chelsea and Thayne (maybe)
I'm surprised I'm going out on a limb - only last week I felt it was too mean to pick. That didn't last long!
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