Can’t get any clearer than that. Phillip have not get any contemporary or jazz routine yet.

As far as Randi and Evan go, it wasn’t the choreography I had a problem with, it was the choreographer and the way she handled herself. From what they showed from behind the scenes, she wasn’t explicit in her instruction. It almost seemed as if she could picture in her mind what she wanted, but couldn’t explain it.

Kayla and Kupono – Jazz – Fabulous. Totally agree with Mary and the judges – I could feel the chemistry between them even when they were dancing across the stage from each other.

Randi and Evan – Broadway – I really liked this a whole lot. I rarely like Broadway performances (for some reason they just don’t work for me without the context of the show). But this piece worked very well simply because it didn’t look like part of a show.

Caitlin and Jason – Pop Jazz – I could not even finish watching it on youtube. Talk about self indulgent nonsense by a choreographer. I would love if we could vote out Brian Friedman after this nonsense. Sadly no, but I think we will see them in the bottom 3.

Jeanine and Phillip – Hip Hop – I liked the chain idea. And they worked well despite it. I just wish they would have worked more with it. Maybe pull it tighter, make it looser, whatever. More a choreography issue I think. I did like what they did though.

Melissa and Ade – Pas De Duex – about time we got ballet on the show. But please – give ballet to the ballet dancer? And the fans are supposed to believe that was by chance? It was very good, but I fear they may be in the bottom simply because it is obvious the audience is being played with this dance choice.

Karla and Vitolio – Quickstep by Jean Marc and France – I liked a lot. Loved the concept with the museum. Really loved the outfit quick change.

Bottom 3:
Caitlin and Jason
Randi and Evan – simply because someone has to be there
Jeanine and Phillip
though a surprise pick could be Melissa and Ade

I do think that the judges go over the top about Kayla, but that doesn’t mean she’s not as good as they say. I think it’s the Adam principle, the judges go ga ga and it makes people not like that person because of that. I liked her and Kupono’s routine, they move well together.

I think she’s a very good dancer, but she reminds me of Will whathisname from last season (?). They tongue bathed him all the time, too, and, again, he was a very very good technical dancer (maybe even a great one.) But most of the time he just didn’t *project* to me. And Kayla doesn’t project much, either.

In most of her dances, I have found my mind wandering, which isn’t a good thing. I don’t know what’s missing, but something is, from my perspective anyway.

And I think they see low voting for her and thus “pimp” her. I don’t vote for her, and don’t care whether she remains on the show or not, but it isn’t because she’s overly pimped. It’s because I think she lacks the “it factor.”

Now, why AI pushed Adam as much as they did (aside from the very large proportion of the pushing that was because he was just very very good), I have no idea, because he seems to have the “it factor” for everyone — some love the factor and some hate it, but he definitely has something that makes him stand out.

On the Randi/Evan choreographer: I thought she was a pretty good choreographer (worked well for me as an homage), but as a person she seemed like a real jerk (which could have been editing). So I feel very torn about her. I would love somebody different doing “Broadway” and such on the show because I think that Tyce is usually pretty mediocre at it (not as mediocre as he was on Fame when Debbie Allen brought him in as a supposed late entrant and he had to *sing* … but still). He has had a few moments but most of his stuff, especially his Broadway stuff….way too “meh” for me.

I almsot would have rather seen Kayla or Caitlin do the ballet as it would have been less predictable.

But if either had pulled it off then it would take the spotlight away from Melissa as THE ballerina. I like Melissa, don’t get me wrong. I’d like to see her do something out of her comfort zone though. Pulling off Hip Hop or Krumping would earn her tons of respect IMO.

Um’ ¦.it was a dance about vampires and it was danced to a song on the Twilight soundtrack’ ¦that’s enough for me!

That explains it. Linkin Park is the only group included in the soundtrack that I’ve listened to on a regular basis (I had to look it up). Never heard of the others (except Muse since Adam is supposed to be singing one of their songs). For some reason I thought Flyleaf was on the Soundtrack….. Oh I take that back… I have heard of Collective Soul too…. I think.

It’s hilarious to me that people are saying they liked the way Evan and Randi danced but hated the choreography. The Choreography was a complete homage to Fosse’ ¦ He does hold the record of 8 tony awards for Choreography.

Sigh, I feel ya. Especially when there was praise for Tyce’s gradeschool pillow fight last week. Tyce has been bastardizing Fosse for years and it was nice to see someone pay the man proper homage, so I aint hatin on Joey Dowling. The Rich Man’s Frug is a famous, brilliant, revolutionary piece of Fosse choroegraphy from the musical Sweet Charity. When the music started I was so excited, but Randi and Evan, more Randi, really, just didn’t nail the movements, and Randi was way too cutesy, too much like her character last week, instead of aloof. The wrist action is very particular, it’s almost like your hands are detached from your arms and your arms are detatched from your shoulder. Here’s the piece from the movie with Shirley MacClaine: Rich Man’s Frug dance from Sweet Charity. And here’s the stage company from the Fosse tribute: Notice the female lead in particular. When you compare those vids to Evan and Randi’s piece you can see how the performance was lacking, so the judges weren’t BSing. That said, I’m really kinda pissed for Evan. His speciality is Broadway, sure, but not Fosse-esque Broadway. Evan is all about the big Gene Kelly type of athletic dancing and emmoting, the stuff that’s almost vaudevillian, and Fosse is very stylized and especially this piece in particular all about body position and musicality and tiny precise movememts…the flicks of a wrist, the nod of a head. Not to mention the Frug is a piece for a female lead and her supporting cast. Giving the guy his “speciality” and then having it be an homage to the total opposite of what he does best and then calling him on it being his speciality is tricksy depimping at it’s SYTYCD finest, especially when the previous week they did an homage to Gene effing Kelly and Danny Kaye and gave it to…Phillip. Phillip! It’s like saying…Evan I know you love NY Strip. So, here’s a perfect NY Strip….psyche! We gave your NY Strip to someone else and swapped it for filet mignon. Why aren’t you eating it with gusto? Now, filet mignon is amazing, and many people prefer it. Many people would not see why you should complain about filet mignon because it’s all steak to them. But if you are a tried and true NY Strip kinda guy, that’s a little evil. I mean, really show. Really.

Conversely, Kupono and Kayla and Sonya were so in sync it was magical. How adorable was Pono showing up in a handmade I *heart* Sonya t shirt? I am going to make one. Also I *heart* Wade and I *heart* B Free. Okay, not really, but if I was on SYTYCD I would do it. Anyway, I’m a little worried about America getting it becaue they threw around so many vampire references. I wonder if people were expecting a more literal interpretation of a vampire story and then might be confused, because this was very abstract. Here’s how I saw it…Kayla is torn between life and death in some way, light and darkness, hence the costuming with the black and white for her, and the make up, all of it. Pono has made peace with death, darkness and is trying to bring Kayla around to his line of thinking. I could see the vampire interpretation, bringing someone over and all that. But Kupono could also be an angel of death, the grim reaper, a loved one who has already crossed over, something like that. Brilliantly danced, great choreography, and those two kids have got some chemistry, yes they do! (tm Mary Murphy.) I was impressed that Pono could pull off dark and masculine because he had been accused of being too feminine and quirky in the past. And Kayla, wow.

One note about BFree’s piece…of all of them, this is the one that I, personally, would have loved to dance. Right up my alley. Also, I love that song. The costuming was a little suspect, but what disappointed me was Caitlin. She was really trying to be fierce, but I wasn’t really getting dangerous or even alien from here. I just don’t think she’s the transformative kind of dancer, though her technique can be very pretty sometimes.

Okay I’ve never watched this before this yr. So only one wins? Not a couple?

Yes. When it gets to top 10, the public votes for individual dancers, even though they still dance as couples, and the bottom boy and girl get kicked off, without the judges picking. Then, the top 4 (two guys, two girls) are in the finale, and one by one they’re eliminated during the finale “results” show, until it’s just down to 2, and one of them wins.

Kayla and Pono where real good, Kayla is my pick to win.

Okay I’ve never watched this before this yr. So only one wins? Not a couple?

Why does any reference to vampires suddenly mean it’s Twilight?

Um….it was a dance about vampires and it was danced to a song on the Twilight soundtrack…that’s enough for me!

As for the dancers, I am also sick of Randi and Evan being criticized because they’re short. If they felt that way, they shouldn’t have put them in the top 20 or put Evan’s brother through to Las Vegas for next season! Their choreographer was rude and condescending. As a tribute to Fosse, that routine sucked. As choreographed, it didn’t come anywhere near the precision of his.

I am so with you on your assessment here 100%

^Yes! I was thinking the same thing! I can’t imagine being thrown into a new partnership at this stage of the game is easy, but Kayla and Kupono seem to mesh better as a “new” couple. That being said, I enjoyed Karla and Vitolio’s quickstep.

I do think that the judges go over the top about Kayla, but that doesn’t mean she’s not as good as they say. I think it’s the Adam principle, the judges go ga ga and it makes people not like that person because of that. I liked her and Kupono’s routine, they move well together.

I also think Randi and Evan got a bad rap. The choreographer for that piece was so full of herself. Why are most choreographers such delicate flowers?

* Who is the most/least popular
* Who had the best/most accessible choreography

I think Randi and Evan and Kaitlin and Jason should be in the B3 based on just last night, but I loved the others.

I especially think the cha-cha, quickstep, and pas de deux were great, and hope that they’re safe.

I DID NOT like that new choreographer. She was annoying, and the routine was not very good. It had no discernible story (and this is broadway!) no direction, just random movements and moments. What is it with this show and not so good Broadway choreographers (not a fan of Tyce either).