‘So You Think You Can Dance’ recap: 10 become eight
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
I feel like I’ve been ignoring poor Cat Deeley so far this season. I think I take her beauty and charm for granted sometimes. Didn’t she look pretty Thursday night in her cream-and-black outfit with the lace overlay? Wasn’t it charming when she said the phrase ‘Khaki army’ in describing Sasha, Marko and Clarice (did you wonder, like I did at first, what it was exactly she was saying?) My only complaint is that I wish she would stop trying to do impressions of Mary Murphy. Cat should only be herself. I liked it, for instance, on Wednesday night when she called Ricky back onto the stage after he had run off prematurely, claiming ‘Nobody noticed a thing!’
With that established, it was a pretty straightforward results show Thursday night. I didn’t care for the opening group number, Joshua Bergasse’s ‘Act One: On Broadway,’ that much, but I wonder how much of it had to do with the fact that I didn’t like the costumes. The sparkly hats and gold pants looked more show choir than Fosse.
I would say that 75% of the bottom four was predictable. I think both Clarice and Jordan have had and will continue to have a challenge competing against Sasha, Melanie and Caitlynn. Both danced fine on Wednesday night, but neither had the sort of transcendent ‘moment’ either of them needs to have to keep up with the other girls. Mitchell I predicted would be in the bottom because of the unfortunate ‘Take Off With Us’ dance that nobody seemed to like. But I was surprised that Ricky was down there as well: I thought he showed his worth in his dance with Allison Holker. I need to start voting for my favorite boys in addition to just my favorite girl because I personally would rather see Ricky in the competition than Jess or possibly even Tadd.
I adored the night’s first guest performer, ballet dancer Daniil Simkin, who played what I interpreted as an awkward nerd with delusions of grandeur in his elegant, quirky performance. I loved that it was so unpredictable and had a sense of humor. My husband, the non-dance enthusiast, opined, ‘He’s so pointy!’
I liked the idea of the next performance more than the actual performance itself. Blush is a band that came together through a reality show called ‘Project Lotus’ that strove to put together the first Pan Asian girl band. I think it’s great that ‘SYTYCD’ was giving these performers a national platform, but if I’m being honest, Blush has a ways to go. Aside from the fact that their band name is more 1981 than 2011, their music was forgettable (despite a boost from Snoop Dogg) and their look and stage presence needs some work. (Less winking, to start.) But who knows, maybe tonight we saw the start of something huge.
As for the solos, only Ricky’s truly stood out to me, with his combination of twirls, flips and funky elements. Fortunately, he got to stay: it was Mitchell and Clarice’s time to go home. I hope for her sake Jordan gets a really awesome routine to dance next week because I fear that otherwise she won’t last that long in the competition.
Did you agree with the judges’/America’s decision Thursday night? And aren’t you glad Gatorade was on hand to tell us that dancers are athletes? I always assumed that, physically, I could do exactly what they do, but just don’t feel like it.
-- Claire Zulkey