Rayven and Jamie - Hip Hop - Napoleon and Tabitha - "American Boy" by Estelle f Kanye West
Personality - I like that she's 28 and owns it and she seems nice. I don't understand the jacket he bought and he seems young.
Song - Eh
Choreography - Its a strange blend of hip hop and Broadway that doesn't fully realize the best of either. I didn't like that she pulled his pants down. What was that about? Was there something in the lyrics I missed? Strange - and a little too revealing for my taste, given the dance style.
Costumes - added to the mismash of styles. updated 30's newsboy? 80's Miami Vice? 90's boy band? I don't see how any of that worked well with the hip hop.
Dancing - Both dancers executed the positions well, yet there wasn't anything behind it. I felt no funk and I felt no hip and I felt no hop.
Overall - Neither of the dancers made the choreography mean more than the steps. Are the dancers a victim of the choreography? Or can great dancers make choreography transcend the steps? Did the choreographers see the dance they envisioned, or were they hoping for more?
Verdict - Keep 'em.
Susie and Marquise - Smooth Waltz - Hunter Johnson - "Dark Waltz" by Hayley Westenra
Personality - During auditions I was put off by Susie because of the clothes she was wearing (too obviously going for the 'sexy trashy' look) and I was irritated by her constant head rolls to swing her hair around. Ugh! After her interview on this show, I decided to let it go. She said she's 'bringing the Miami' by tossing her hair around. Its still not my taste (and if she starts flinging her hair around again it'll bug me) but its her style and she's got the courage to be on the show - so, who am I to judge? This is what she likes and I'll live with it. Dance on! Marquise - I hope his mother doesn't mind that he said 'it seemed like she had no heart'.
Song - I liked it.
Choreography - Seems nice. I liked it fine. It was definitely smooth.
Costumes - A flowing dress and a nice tux is always nice for a smooth waltz
Dancing - Neither of them were 100% controlled and steady, most noticeably on the lift at the end, but also on some of the turns during the dance. Otherwise, they did a good job.
Overall - I wasn't wow'ed.
Verdict - Keep 'em.
Kourtni and Matt - Jazz - Mandy Moore - "Tainted Love" by Soft Cell
Personality - I like Kourtni based on the auditions. I liked her solo when she threw herself on the floor - very emotional dance. I don't remember Matt from the auditions, but I liked him in tonight's segment. He seemed like a nice guy. Both Tall.
Song - familiar 80's song - getting a bit overused these days, I'd say. Mandy must like the 80's - she did Eurythmic's 'Sweet Dreams' last season. Anyway - in this case, the familiarity of the song helps me enjoy the dance more.
Choreography - I think the choreography was better than the camera angles made it look. It seemed like there were some lines they were creating that I didn't get to see because the camera was out of position. I didn't like the parts where they had to go back to walking and she hooked her arm into his. That repeat broke up the dancing and didn't help the story. Again, this dance was marred by the camera movements.
Costumes - I liked the black leather; made them look criminal and Matrix like.
Dancing - I think these are two talented dancers. They hit all the beats in the music (other dancers in the show didn't end with the music), there were crisp movements. Excellent.
Overall - I'd like to see the dance again with the camera in the front. Otherwise, I thought this was a good dance.
Verdict - Keep 'em. These two should be in the top of the pack and I hope they are. I think Matt got short changed by Nigel asking for more personality. Matt did a good job and showed the exact amount of personality for the dance.
Chelsea and Thayne - Cha Cha - Tony Meredith and Melanie - "Oye Como Va (Latin/Trance Mix)" by Celia Cruz
Personality - In the interviews Chelsea and Thayne seem like regular dance folk. Nothing outrageous or overly silly about their personalities. That's fine for me. Why does Thayne like to dance with one pant leg shorter than the other?
Song - Great song. Classic.
Choreography - The first time I saw the dance I was irritated by how many times Chelsea raised her right (or left) arm behind her head and swooped it over to come down the left (or right) side of her face (if that makes sense). I blamed her and it reminded me of Lacey Schwimmer last year. But after watching again, I think its the choreography. I think she was told to do it - eight times. Eight times! Ugh. I didn't like that. Also, in this dance (a lot of latin dances?) the male doesn't get to do much dancing.
Costumes - appropriate
Dancing - They did a good job. Although I think they could have been tighter and moved more quickly. Thayne was a good partner. Even though they know what their moves are going to be, Thayne was still leading - which is important in partnership dances.
Overall - I would give them a good score. Nothing about it stood out for me.
Verdict - Keep 'em.
Chelsie and Mark - Contemporary - Mia Michaels - "Beautiful" by Me'shell Ndegeocello
Personality - I like that Chelsie is working everyday to be the person she wants to be. Good for her. I like that Mark is a little off center. That's cool. His solo at the auditions was among my favorites. I'm a fan.
Song - Pretty song.
Choreography - I like the levels that Mia Michaels puts into her routines, they are interesting and unexpected. She also varies the tempo of the dance (with or without the music) which gives it variety and texture. Enjoyable dance; one of my favorites.
Costumes - I wish her dress hadn't been quite as poofy. It was great for the dance except it didn't show the lifts off. I think there were some great lifts in the dance but you couldn't really tell. Otherwise I thought the costumes worked well.
Dancing - Mark had a lot to prove with Mia Michaels saying before hand that she thought he'd be better than he was and he wasn't getting it, etc. Maybe she's frustrated with him at that moment? I appreciate her frankness but it can't have been easy for him to hear that. And the audience, who will be voting for him, heard it as well. Nevertheless, Mark did a fantastic job. Both of them danced well and gave the dance the emotion it deserved - and the quirkiness.
Overall - One of my favorite dances of the night.
Verdict - Keep 'em.
Kherrington and Twitch - Broadway - Tyce Diorio - "Too Darn Hot" from 'Kiss Me Kate'
Personality - Kherrington - good smile. Nice girl. Dedictated. Twitch - I have a lot of respect for someone who comes back after not getting the final spot last year. Good for him. He seems like a fine upstanding young man.
Song - Fun song. I liked it.
Choreogrpahy - I liked the dance and I don't think it lived up to the potential of the song at the same time. I'm not sure why...the transitions? the closeness? I liked it as a Broadway show tune. I just think it could have been more. How was she 'too darn hot'? I didn't get that.
Costumes - Fun and appropriate. Hmmm...upon further review I notice she didn't have heels on. I wonder why? Not that I blame her, but it would have been expected considering the rest of the costume.
Dancing - They followed the steps. They put personality into the dance. Their technique was there. I wonder, though, if Kherrington was not using her full potential, and Twitch was. On the other hand, he did a better job than I would have expected because he hasn't had a lot of formal training, right? Maybe I'm mistaken. I thought he was a little more heavy footed than she was.
Overall - Good dance, fun dance. I still would have liked to know why she is 'too darn hot'.
Verdict - Keep 'em.
Comfort and Chris - Jive - Tony Meredith and Melanie - "Boom Boom" by Big Head Todd and the Monsters
Personality - I don't relate to Comfort right now. I have a feeling she's less different from me than it might appear. I imagine she's very genuine and a hard worker. Chris seems nice
Song - Like it.
Choreography - I liked the beginning. Good choreography.
Costumes - Perfect.
Dancing - He did great. She was a bit awkward, but considering her experience with partnering - she did a good job as well.
Overall - Her awkwardness was the only issue I had.
Verdict - Keep 'em.
Katee and Joshua - Hip Hop - Napoleon and Tabitha - "No Air" by Jordan Sparks & Chris Brown
Personality - Regular hard, working, dancer folk. I like 'em. I didn't hold last week's problem with the judges against Katee at all. I think she was scared. It may be indicative of other issues, but I'm willing to let it go for now.
Song - Fine. Nothing that sparked my interest about it, but it was good for the dance.
Choreography - Excellent choreography. Captured the mood of the story.
Costumes - Regular clothes, appropriate.
Dancing - Each of them did a fantastic job. They were in synch. Neither one upstaged the other.
Overall - This is the best dance of the evening - owing a great deal to the choreography and that the dancers lived up to it.
Verdict - Keep 'em.
Jessica and Will - Tango - Hunter Johnson - Tango from Cirque du Soleil
Personality - Here's my problem with Jessica - she looks like Katee's roommate and it bugs me because I always think she IS Katee's roommate. I like that she says dance is her art; her voice. Will is Debbie Allen's protege. He seems like a nice guy.
Song - what I'd expect of a Tango
Choreography - again, what I'd expect of the Tango.
Costumes - and one more time, what I'd expect of the Tango.
Dancing - Their facial expressions didn't say Tango - she shouldn't have smiled. And then he got a bit of a grin on him. It takes away from the power of the dance. His technique was superb, but there wasn't any tango passion in it. Her technique was a bit less than superb. She also didn't have the tango passion in her. That made the difference for me.
Overall - It was a tango. What am I gonna say?
Verdict - Keep 'em.
Courtney and Gev - Disco - Doriana Sanchez - "Boogie Wonderland" by Earth, Wind & Fire
Personality - I like both of the dancers. I think both of them are victims of being the 10th couple. Song - Earth, Wind, and Fire classic. Good song.
Choreography - I've always thought the disco style was a little goofy. And yet, they keep doing it. I wonder if Doriana Sanchez has a story that would explain that? I guess the part that bothers me about disco style is that the only thing that makes it 'disco' are certain moves that get done over and over. John Travolta Saturday Night Fever moves. Ah - that must be disco style. Does that mean there's a Flashdance style? Anyway - this was a perfectly good disco dance. I thought some of the moves, however, didn't follow the beat of the music - they looked like they were just thrown in.
Costumes - appropriate
Dancing - They gave it their all. They weren't tight enough, but what are ya gonna do - they didn't have a lot of time to practice.
Overall - I liked it fine
Verdict - Keep 'em.
So, my verdict on everyone is 'keep 'em'. Every week the dancers switch partners. There are 10 dances every week. The public votes for the one they like the best. At the end of 10 weeks, whoever has the most votes, wins. That would be fun.
I tried to decide who I would put in the bottom three and vote out, but I haven't the guts. I wouldn't be a good judge. We'll see what happens tonight.
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