‘So You Think You Can Dance’: Some tough conclusions reached

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The partners were split up this week on ‘So You Think You Can Dance,’ and its finest performers were unveiled as the weaknesses of the others were revealed. To wit:

• Mark Kanemura is very personable, but maybe not the best dancer: I’ve been a fan of Mark thus far throughout the competition for his quirky personality, dedication to the character in every dance and, um, attractive face, but in a recent episode, Mia Michaels pointed out that his lack of training shows, and when paired with Kherington Payne, who’s not quite as much of a virtuoso as his previous partner Chelsie Hightower was, his technical drawbacks were evident.

• Kherington Payne needs Twitch: Kherington is a beautiful, spirited dancer, but simply doesn’t measure up to dancers like Chelsie or Katee Sheean. When paired with hip-hop dancer Twitch Boss, the two made an interesting, contrasting pair, but Kherington seems to have lost some identity since she was paired with Mark, and has thus lost some luster.

• Courtney Galiano needs Gev Manoukian: Sure, Gev had a tough time keeping up with on-fire Chelsie during their jive routine, but the b-boy’s charms and versatility remain intact. Courtney’s an adorable little dancer, but like Kherington, it’s unlikely that she’ll match up to Chelsie or Katee Sheean. There was something of a little love story between Courtney and Gev, and while she and Joshua Allen seemed like decent partners, it didn’t necessarily seem like an improvement, especially when Josh had done so many memorable things with Katee. Also, was Courtney dissing Gev when she proclaimed that Josh is ‘a man!’?
• Will Wingfield may be the best dancer, but he isn’t the most personable. This may be a controversial statement. But while Will can dance beautifully, he has yet to move me by being himself, and not just doing well. His dances with Katee were both performed well, but weren’t nearly as fun or moving as the best ones she did with Joshua.
• The music by and large was weak this week. I know this is a matter of personal taste but Enrique Iglesias? Celine Dion? Luther Vandross, David Archuleta, Journey? It felt more like an episode of ‘American Idol’ in terms of musical creativity.

Some may feel I’m being too negative, but I think the mixing up of partners helped redefine who the front-runners are in the competition: Chelsie, Katee, Twitch and Joshua. And you could throw Will in there too, but while he may be more proficient than either Joshua or Twitch, I find him much less entertaining.

Whether you agree, disagree or have a completely different take on the whole thing, be sure to tune in Thursday at 1 p.m. PST to join Stephanie Lysaght and me as we chat all things ‘SYTYCD!’

-- Claire Zulkey