'So You Think You Can Dance': Tears of a creepy clown

I am reluctant to say who my new favorite guy is after Wednesday night’s show, because I did that last week and he got voted off. So I won’t name names, but I will say that one male dancer gave two very strong performances, and I hope he makes it to the finale (Thursday night the judges are powerless to save any dancers: it’s solely up to the voters).

Cat was dressed like a member of Jem and the Holograms as she danced out onto the stage. She’s been doing a lot of dancing lately, despite repeating her standby joke that if she danced on the show she’d “make people’s eyes bleed.” She introduced a cute group Broadway number from “Guys and Dolls” as choreographed by Tyce Diorio. Lauren, perhaps inevitably as the only girl, stood out in the group. Tyce was a strong guest judge and had honest comments for all the contestants. At the top of the show he proclaimed Kent a standout and implored Adechike to display a little more fight.

Lauren and Pasha kicked off the competition part of the show with a tango choreographed by Miriam Larici and Leonardo Barrionuevo. I really liked how the dance was an exercise in control and deliberation, when the choreographers could go really big and overdramatic at this stage in the competition. While it was still pretty clear to me exactly who was the All-Star here, Lauren paired well with Pasha, and her legs especially looked great in the dance's many slow lifts and twirls. The judges adored Lauren and the dance. I like her, and I liked the dance, but I don’t know if I was as over-the-moon about it as they were. Adam took this opportunity to celebrate the overturn of Proposition 8 by proposing to Nigel, who demurely asked for some time to think it over.

I wonder if Adechike is sick of hearing the same input again and again from the judges. Open up, loosen up, lose yourself in the dance, Just Forget It’s a Competition®!  I’m sorry to say though, I agreed with them. Adechike looked like he was having fun in Sean Cheesman’s African jazz routine, but for a dance that was all about joy and light, I don’t think Adechike brought the sense of transcendence that might come with getting this far in the competition. I wondered what Ade, for instance, would have done with the dance. It’s telling that Tyce Diorio’s first comment was telling All-Star Lauren how much he loved her in the dance (she was great).  Mia out-and-out told Adechike that she didn’t care for the dance, but it’s pretty clear by now that he’s just not her favorite. In short, I think Adechike danced it well, but he didn’t dance like a winner in the Promised Land.

I finally got the goosebumps going with the next dance, a Viennese waltz for Robert and Anya as choreographed by Jonathan Roberts, who to me resembles old-timey Superman. Aside from his old-fashioned good looks, Jonathan choreographed a gorgeous waltz for Robert. It somehow resembled a fairy tale, yet felt contemporary. Robert looked like a prince in the dance, and finally had that command of the floor that I had been missing to date. He was elegant yet manly, especially when he made Anya look like she weighed about 10 pounds with his lifts (she was wonderful as always too: I especially loved her in that white flowing dress). The judges agreed, Mia even stealing my impression of Robert as a prince. Adam observed that Robert seems to be going through a “surge” at the end of the season.  With Billy now gone I wouldn’t mind this at all.

Hmm, OK, so Kent and disco. On the one hand, it was the perfect genre for him, since you can be a little cheesy and over the top, but only a little. I thought there were some parts of the dance where Kent performed surprisingly well, specifically the spins at the end. However, I still think you need a bit of machismo to do a disco just right (I’m thinking Travolta here) and little Kent with his “O” face didn’t quite pull it off. I thought Courtney did a great job making him look good, though. The judges mostly agreed with me: Nigel didn’t think Kent was too cheesy, but Mia thought Kent was “childlike, bouncy, short and squashy.” I think Tyce was the most diplomatic when he (after complimenting Courtney first) advised Kent to do a bit more research on what disco should look like.

Lauren looked like she was Britney Spears in a hot new video in her next dance (and I mean that as a compliment, if that’s not clear). She played a black widow in a Sean Cheesman dance with Ade. I loved that the dance seduction was uptempo and dark at the same time. Ade was a great partner for Lauren, who literally had to climb him like a wall at times. It was a sexy, fun, slightly retro dance (hand choreography!). I only wish that the dance had ended on a bit more of a power move and that Lauren had been able to nail the face a little bit better: She’s still a little too young and sweet to really capture “evil badass” in her character sometimes. In addition to wanting more “ferociousness,” Mia also wished that Lauren and Ade had some more sexual chemistry, but overall the judges were happy.

I think that when the judges tell a dancer "congratulations" at the end of a dance, it means they think he or she is going home the next night, and that’s what happened after Adechike’s final performance. He danced a contemporary dance choreographed just for him by Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson, who had worked with him before. I wonder if Kathryn is simply a bad All-Star to draw this season because every time she’s danced I’ve had my eye on her only. As usual with Adechike, I have nothing specific to complain about, but I didn’t find anything to love about the performance. The judges all complimented him overall as a dancer, but only Adam really gave him positive feedback on the dance itself and not just his potential as a dancer. Even Cat didn’t have much to say about the dance other than “Well done!” and she usually has something specific to say about each dance.

I don’t want to sound like I’m psychic, but I knew Robert and Dominic’s Nappytabs hip-hop routine about demented clowns would be great before it even began. It was, as Mia said, “hip-hop theatre.” The guys were creepy and cool and the choreography was fantastic: I especially loved the sickly pendulum-type moves at the beginning. Most importantly, Robert nailed the weirdo character that normally I would say Mark Kanemura is best at capturing. This has been Nappytabs’ best season, in my opinion, and this was Robert’s best night by far. I knew before Nigel even said so that this would be a great dance for the tour.

I do think Kent redeemed himself after his disco routine with a contemporary dance by Travis Wall with Neil about two friends who split apart. The dance was beautiful, and I love it when Neil plays a bad guy, but Kent was really his own man in this piece, which was so elegant and clean. I loved it when the two of them danced together. I still think Robert’s my favorite guy after tonight, but Kent definitely proved why he deserves to be on this show. He didn’t look like Neil’s dippy little brother in this dance, he looked like his partner. The judges overflowed with praise (Mia claimed not to be able to find the words, but then she did, saying that Neil, Kent and Travis are a great team).  

I’ll just say that I hope the finale consists of a coed duo, but I don’t want to jinx anything beyond that. Who do you think should be eliminated tomorrow night?

--Claire Zulkey

Photo from left: Adechike Torbert, Lauren Froderman, Robert Roldan and Kent Boyd. Credit: Frank Micelotta / FOX

Comments

[The Original Jae]

Adechike seemed subdued tonight and will probably go home for it. Robert really brought it and Kent still looks like the probable winner.

[mj cole]

I was so moved by AdeChike's video clip! Makes me really admire the guy, knowing where he came from. I think he's a strong and graceful dancer, and I think he does dance with abandon, but it doesn't come across because his back seems so strong (almost too strong) it makes the movement not "flow" sometimes. But I think he's awesome.
Lauren rocked. What can't that girl do? Makes it all look so easy.
Kent's contemporary piece with Neil was just stunning. Loved the athleticism and the emotion. Did not care for the disco. Kent's a cute kid and a gifted dancer, and seems to have this thing sewn up. He'd be GREAT on Broadway. Hope he explores that.
Loved both of Robert's routines, because who am I kidding... I pretty much love everything he does. Someone on another site said he's a "moving piece of art." Well put! He is a beautiful man and I love how he moves. Was so glad he got hip-hop tonight. I knew he'd nail it!
Fun night! (and pssst: Go Robert!)

[talia]

I really wish you'd stop saying "nappytabs". It's plenty to have to hear it on TV.

[Jack Scribe]

Excellent summation! It was an odd moment when Adechike was offered congratulations and kissed off before the voting. I am a big fan of Kent - yes, his 'oh gosh' charisma works for me - but it was Robert's night. However, Travis Wall's choreography was a big present for Kent. Combined with the chemistry that Kent has developed with Neal, that last dance was a masterpiece. The finals next week - with Robert, Lauren and Kent - will be spectacular. This competition is up for grabs.

[Lady Jane]

I had a dream last night that Nigel Lythgoe asked me to sit on a panel judging So You Think You Can Dance. So here goes:

Change the voting to one vote per phone or device. No one with a life can be bothered to vote when it's skewed by speed dialing and speed texting. You don't have one or two or three million voters. You have a couple thousand enthusiasts with a lot of time on their hands.

Get a better cameraman. The group numbers are poorly filmed and hard to watch for that reason.

On that same score, get rid of that distracting polka dot backdrop of light bulbs behind the dancers. When the camera pulls back for a long shot, you can't really make out the dancers against the many dots of light. And come to think of it, the stage is too wide, too deep and too high for TV.

Change the focus of those human interest segments you film during the choreography away from the dancers acting goofy and falling and not getting the moves. Showcase instead more about the choreographers as teachers who are imparting a certain style. Help the audience understand what to look for in a tango or a jazz routine or whichever style is being taught. The dancers are young and inexperienced in front of a camera and when you focus on them as personalities, they tend to mug and act like children in home videos.

The girl/boy thing is a problem on this show. Dance is historically stereotypical and you have to acknowledge that, but I agree with Mia about the strong female dancer ideal being best. In tonight's group Broadway number, Lauren got passed around like a sack of stuff. That's old fashioned. Balanchine raised ballet to a higher level while still worshipping the female dancer, with never a whiff of sexism. Tell your choreographers to reflect on our contemporary world values and open the old idioms to new interpretations. (Loved the girl soldier going off to war.)

Don't listen to the voices who call for the judges, especially Mia, to be nice. It's universally accepted that Simon Cowell was the backbone of American Idol precisely because he was to the point and not nice. There's no need for a judge to begin a critique by saying "I'm sorry, but." At the same time, encourage your judges to be specific about the actual dance and the actual moves they have just watched. "You are brilliant" or "We love you" are just ammunition for those who think the judging is all about personal opinion and not dance critique. Don't make underdogs by trying to make overdogs! It just backfires and you get a recurrence of sympathy voting and one dancer survives over and over who isn't as strong, compounding your diplomacy problem.

It was obvious that your goal for this Final Four episode was to give the dancers choreography and a pairing that played, or could play to their strengths. There was no pretense of pulling a mystery dance and a mystery partner out of a hat. That was great programming on your parts. If there are other ways you overtly program the dancing, we'd like to know. Are those hat picks really picks or are they rigged? Are your ground rules written down or do you just make them up as you go along?

All that said, SYTYCD is a force for good in the world of dance. Adding the All Stars was a very good move. Thanks for asking me to sit on your panel. Now, about that honorarium . . . .

[Montie]

At the beginning of the season, I didn't think much about Robert, because he wasn't really featured during the audition process like Alex and Billy. However, now that I've watched him every week, I've been very impressed and would like to see him win. I think he is the best overall dancer - any style given to him he has done very well - and is beautiful to watch because he dances with emotions other than just joy. Yes, Kent is fun and goofy and a good Broadway and Contemporary dancer but he can't do ballroom, hip hop or other styles and seem believable. Those goofy faces he makes drive me crazy. My top three would be Robert, then Lauren, then Kent. But I know the teeny boppers will rule and put Kent on top just like they did last year when they put Russell above Jacob Karr, who was one of the best dancers EVER on SYTYCD.

[CaptainSora]

Lauren had a great night and was very lucky to be partnered with Ade, who had the power and grace to show her off beautifully.

Robert had the best night - both of his performances were excellent and showed great versatility.

Adechike did okay, but was unfairly pounded by the judges. Kent did horribly in the disco, yet was not pounded as much as Adechike was, even though Adechike had a better first dance. Kent looked like a little boy dancing with his sexy older sister because their parents are afraid of whom she'll dance with otherwise. And he obviously couldn't do the lifts, so the dance was horribly truncated.

Adechike did okay again in the 2nd dance, while Kent did slightly better. The Travis Wall choreography was great, Neal was great, and Kent got through it, but it made me wonder how much better that piece would have been with a stronger dancer, like Ade or even Mark Kanemura. Or, here's wishing, a recovered Alex.

So I thought that Adechike and Kent tied for the evening, but it was Adechike who got the undeserved pounding from the judges, while Kent got the praise.

[bettye198]

This is getting tough. Who is the best? As a friend of mine who danced all through the decades and still does in the showbiz world, "I love them all!" Best SYTYCD season.
I think we are now looking at appearance and versatility as if we are the audience and we bought the ticket for the performance. Lauren and Robert are my favorites because each surprise us every time and they have though young, a maturity on stage. Which is interesting because both have long limbs and gracefully use them. Kent is adorable but shorter and he seems to work too hard at it. If I had a ticket to the tour I would be most entertained from all, but this year I have to narrow it down.
Lauren.