SYTYCD – Top 18
Stand outs this week for me:
Karla Garcia and Jonathan Platero – CONTEMPORARY
Choreographer: Stacey Tookey
“Falling Slowly” by the Frames
And not just because this routine used a song by one of my all-time favorite bands. I just thought it was so well done.
Asuka Kondoh and Vitolio Jeune – WALTZ
Choreographer: Louis Van Amstel
“Dreams Are More Precious” by Enya
How beautiful was that? This is one I had to watch twice. Go Louis!
Janette Manrara and Brandon Bryant – DISCO
Choreographer: Doriana Sanchez
“Loving is Really My Game” by Brainstorm
Some awesome lifts and tricks. When she somersaulted under his arm we had to rewind and watch it again. And then we had to rewind and watch it once more in slow motion. But the whole routine was fantastic.
I’m glad to see Brandon doing so well after how rude Mia and Lil C were to him during Vegas week.
Worst: Jeanine Mason and Phillip Chbeeb – TANGO
Choreographer: Tony Meredith
“Violento” (Up Mix) by Bailango!
Too bad, because I really like Phillip. I have a feeling he won’t be going home though. Everyone likes him too much.
What’d you think?
Posted on June 18, 2009, in Television. Bookmark the permalink. 37 Comments.
Steve Evans
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What about Ade and Melissa’s piece by Sonya? I thought that was REALLY impressive and strong.
Those two were definitely the worst for me, too. I have a feeling Kupono and his partner (can’t remember her name–Ashley maybe?) are in trouble.
Shane Sparks did not look happy with how his routines came off. I felt kind of bad for the guy.
About time! I was wondering if any Kultured Bloggers were going to post on SYTYCD.
Is there any way we can put Shane Sparks in the bottom 3? Even with great dancers, his choreography still comes off as something meant for a 1990′s music video.
Yeah, I was least impressed w/ both Shane’s routines. They were not good. I so prefer Tabitha & Napoleon’s work. I think Kupono & partner are the most vulnerable tonight. Philip was NOT good, but he’s a fan fav, so I think even if they are in the bottom three, they’ll be fine.
My favorite was Melissa and Ada’s. LOVED it. I thought the Falling Slowly contemp. piece was good, but for the second week in a row with that couple, I didn’t get the judge’s love. Maybe it’s not transferring via tv for me? I don’t know.
And, of course, I meant Ade. Ooops.
I thought Ade was good but wasn’t really feeling Melissa. I think she didn’t quite give it what some other dancers could have.
I thought Shane’s routines were pretty boring. I guess the judges can’t really knock the choreographers, but they probably should have.
I heard that two of the dancers are from Utah. anyone know who they are?
Susan – they’ve knocked choreographers before…
MCQ – one of them is Randi. The blonde married one dancing with Evan. I’m not sure of a second one.
I think Vittolio is from Santequin, UT.
I think the SYTYCD website says Brandon is from Salt Lake City.
Brandon is from Florida, but lists SLC as his current residence. He is with the Odyssey Dance Theatre.
Oh, that’s right. Brandon. I forgot about that.
Maybe it was just me but I just didn’t get most of the contemporary stuff last night. I really liked Vitolio’s waltz, but he really did have horrible technique. He just made up for it with performance.
I really liked the Jive and even though I agreed with their technical complaints I thought they pulled out the performance. They weren’t nearly as excusing for him as they were Vitolio. But they won’t be going home any more than Phillip will be.
It’s going to be a tough year. Every prior year there was a huge difference between the top 10 and bottom 10. And at least 6 were really out of their element. Not this year. There are a few who are a bit weaker, but nothing like in previous years. And maybe just 4-5.
Did they really use the Frames’ version of the song, rather than the Once version?
That’s kind of cool, just because it’s the less obvious choice.
I loved loved loved the contemporary dance to Falling Slowly. I’m only a casual watcher of SYTYCD and only saw 4 dances last night. The other that I saw and loved was the waltz with Asuka (sp?) and partner. Loved that one, too.
The two others I saw and didn’t love were the tango and the hip hop that have been talked about in the main post and comments. Seems that I saw the two best and the two worst!
As a very casual watcher of this and an avid watcher of American Idol, I have to admit that I much prefer the format of this program. I like that the dancers have the opportunity to work with a choreographer and be taught in that way. Also, the elimination process is excellent.
Anyway, after a comment this long, perhaps I should make the move from casual to avid!
Greg, it was the Frames’ version, not the Swell Season version.
Caitlin is from Orem.
Actually, I think Caitlin is from Maryland.
The SL Trib says both Brandon & Randi are from Utah. Randi is from here in Orem.
We sure have a disproportionate number of contestants considering our size and population.
Maybe dance is a Utahns drug of choice…
I thought chocolate was?
Ergh. Not this Utahn. (Wait. Did I just call myself a Utahn? I think I need therapy now!)
I feel so out of it. I had to come read the comments to figure out SYTYCD isn’t some kind of cd compilation.
BTW – bottom 3 prediction from me.
Randi Evans & Evan Kasprzak – two of my favorites and I liked the dance more than the judges but everyone is so strong that if you aren’t great you have a great chance at the bottom.
Ashley Valerio & Kupono Aweau – forgettable but like everyone else I thought Sparks steps were lacking. Kupono is just out of his league on the show. He’s one of the few who really are.
Jeanine Mason & Phillip Chbeeb – terrible. Worst dance of the night. But they are liked so I can’t see either leaving.
The shakeup might be Caitlin and Jason in place of Randi and Evan since I think Evan has a following.
As to who will go home? Kupono for sure. With the girls it’s more difficult and I think it’ll come down to their solo. I’m guessing probably Jeanine but I think it’s a crap shoot who actually will.
Jeanine Mason & Phillip Chbeeb – terrible. Worst dance of the night.
The tango is often really bad. It’s just—sorry to say—a boring dance to begin with.
Wish it were so! It’s sick that the judge would keep Asuka last week because they want “to showcase all the styles of dance” but cut Max this week. As soon as Kupono gets another non-contemporary style we’re going to see another flop. Remind anyone else of Mark from last season?
And to make matters worse, now Kupono, the worst male dancer on the show after Tony (cut last week), is paired up with Kayla, arguably the best female dancer in the top 20. I hope they get swing or jive!
I was surprised they didn’t send Kupono home. Maybe they thought he had the more TV-friendly personality. It’s not all about the dancing.
And Brian, the tango doesn’t have to be boring:
Susan: that’s a nice attempt, and the professionals they had on SYTYCD last week did some amazing stuff too, but it’s the structure of the dance that I don’t like. I dislike it for the same reason I dislike the Paso Doble: both dances rely too much on faux machismo (from both partners) to make the dance interesting because of some kind of tension between the partners. It just becomes tedious.
Brian – I thought the same thing. I couldn’t believe they didn’t keep Max – the only male ballroom. I love my Russian male ballroom dancers on this show and they took him away!
Wow. I was way off. I should have realized that some personalities drive the phone calls. There was no way Evan or Philip were going to end up in the bottom no matter how badly they danced.
That said I’m really shocked Max got eliminated. I didn’t expect him to make it to the final 10, but he danced fine both last night and last week. Admittedly he was a little soft last week, but still… I can’t fathom why Kupono is still here. He’s going to get a ballroom this next week and be in the bottom again I predict.
Of course I was pretty shocked Max and Kayla were even in the bottom 3. But given the competition and the focus on personality I guess I shouldn’t have been. Kayla is one of the stronger dancers but hasn’t had that personality that clicked with people. (This happened last year too)
As for the Tango, there have been some pretty spectacular tangos in seasons past. Heck, last week’s “pro” version of the Tango was great. So don’t blame the style.
BTW – can I say how much I hate the “it’s harder for ballroom to do solos” bit? It’s a copout because there have been some remarkable ballroom solos in the past. Benji Schwimmer and his cousin Heidi Groskreutz did fantastic solos that were very entertaining. It just means you’ve got to be able to choreograph yourself and a lot of strong dancers can’t do that.
Brian, great point about Mark last year. Of course one should expect some gaming by the producers to keep the show interesting. (I honestly sometimes wonder how much is “fixed” that we don’t see)
That said I think Asuka is a far better dancer than Mark and there was no way she was going home last week. Even her solo was better than Mark’s and the problem with her dance that week was just didn’t “emote” the way the judges love. (Emote enough and they’ll look past pretty egregious errors)
Also realize that the judges are thinking in terms of what they saw in the tryouts as well. If one person is slightly off in the solo that doesn’t mean the judging will base it on that. I think the group performances really have a big impact on the judges but because of the way they film it the audience has a hard time seeing who is dancing well.
It’s hard to compare Benji and Heidi to other ballroom dancers. Their style—west coast swing, right?—typically involves a lot of solo moves even when dancing with a partner. Contrast that with the waltz, foxtrot, and some of the Latin dances that rely on or even require contact with your partner. It’s just not the same beast.
That said, I thought Max did an amazing job bringing his ballroom style to life (though dancing to Kenny Loggins was a bit…dated. Or did Footloose just get released in Russia?)
As for not blaming the style for my dislike of the tango, did you read what I said in #27? Last week’s pro Tango was probably the most entertaining I’ve ever seen, and it was still tedious.
Oh, and good point about the group dances. The judges often make comments about how awesome someone was in those, but we just don’t get to see it because of the way it’s filmed. (Most of the time, we can’t even tell who’s who!)
Sorry, missed that somehow Brian. What can I say? I love Tango and always wished I’d learned it.
Typically ballroom dancers do several styles of ballroom though. So saying that because Benji did swing it gave them a leg up seems odd. Plus there were other good dancers who, while not as great performers, did fantastic solos. My point is that while ballroom dancers may not have it as easy as contemporary dancers it’s really no place for an excuse. Plus the ballroom people are used to partnering.
I agree that Max’s solo just wasn’t that bad. I honestly am suprised they cut him. But yeah, Kenny Loggins was a bad choice.
Not even a little excuse? That’s all I was asking for: to admit that all styles of ballroom are at a disadvantage compared to contemporary, popping, and other solo styles, and some ballroom are even more disadvantaged. I think you admit that when you say they “may not have it as easy.”
Nigel may overplay that disadvantage, but it is real. I know I’d much rather watch Twitch, Dominique, Caitlin, or Phillip solo than just about any other dancer—any other than Benji or Heidi of course! I know that sort of blows my argument to pieces, but it’s really not fair comparing anyone to Benji or Heidi….
Well yeah, I’d have to agree with that. But I think the point is that if you are going into this competition you better be thinking about solos and have looked at what past ballroom guys (or girls) have done. But you’re completely right that ballroom folks start off with a disadvantage.
My problem with the constant “it’s hard for the solos” refrain is that clearly the judges aren’t really taking that into account. (IMO) It’s sort of a “it sucks to be you, but there it is…”
I think the problem I have is that the non-ballroom dancers are given a lot of passes when dancing ballroom poorly whereas the opposite typically isn’t true. But maybe I’m just in a bad mood.
What did everyone think of Mia’s group routine last night? Usually I love Mia but I thought there was a big disconnect between the song (Stevie Wonder) and the dancing. Thought it was pretty bad as a result.
Interesting. Usually I hate Mia but I really loved the routine. But there were a lot of people out of sync in the performance. (Maybe Max was one? – no way you could have told on TV)
It certainly explained why they told Brandon to watch out with Mia the next day.