We’re back in LA. You here with me?
This is Los Angeles part two. Last week we saw some terrific dancers. Did they show us their cards, or are there more great performances in store?
Nigel is joined again by Mary Murphy and Vanessa Hudgens.
I wonder if we’ll actually see choreography round today.
1) Tristan and Jensen- 20 and 19 from Provo, UT- Ballroom
They’ve been dancing since they were kids. Jensen is the younger sister of Lindsay Arnold. obviously, she’s going straight through. DUH. Nigel recognizes her, of course, he has notes. Tristan makes it clear they are not romantic partners. They’re doing a samba. I’m not a huge fan of Tristan. Something is off about his arms. They’re not always straight. Jensen is as good as you’d expect Lindsay’s sister to be. I don’t think she’s better than Lindsay, but she’s worth a golden ticket. mary says it was great to see them, but not everything was nice and tight. Vanessa tells Jensen she’s a star, and that she’s adorable and sparkles. Nigel says it was girls like Jensen that got him into dancing. They’re both straight through to the academy. – Click to Watch Performance Video
2) Cody Ostrenga- Belly Dancing/Hip Hop Fusion
He’s a horse rider, professionally, in his “spare time”. There’s a really silly intro for him, where he’s walking through a wild west town ready for a gun duel. “The deadliest hips in the west.” He was bullied for being gay growing up, and learned to dance on the side. I’m feeling choreo for this guy. For an “untrained dancer” he moves well. He needs actual choreo though. There are some good parts, and some bad parts. Like I said, I’m thinking they’ll send him to choreo. Mary doesn’t think he has enough tools. Vanessa thinks he should train more. Nigel agrees. He’s actually a No. – Click to Watch Performance Video
3) Sade Keinu Austin- Hip Hop/Waacking
Her parents were both professional dancers. Dad danced with Michael Jackson and mariah Carey, and Mom danced also with Mariah Carey. It felt very music video/vogue for me. I think there are better hip hop dancers, to be honest. Mary says she was on fire. Nigel calls mom on stage, ad makes them dance together. mom is older now, but she’s still got some moves. She’s straight through to the academy! – Click to Watch Performance Video
4) Matthew DeLoach- Contemporary
He’s been dancing since he was a toddler, and attended a performing arts school. He used to cry every day as a kid because his grandma was forcing him to take dance lessons. Really good pirouettes. Nice front flip. He’s a really good dancer. The choreo for his solo doesn’t blow me away, but it checks off all the marks. He’s probably the best dancer we’ve seen so far today at least. Nigel says he has an amazing center, but he wants to feel more. Still, one of the best routines he’s seen today. Mary says the leaps felt weightless. Vanessa says she also wants to feel more emotion, but he’s a good dancer. He’s straight through to the academy. – Click to Watch Performance Video
5) Peyton Albrecht, Taylor Sieve, Chelsea Hough- Contemporary
Montaged together. All three made it to the academy.
6) Inyoung “Dassy” Lee – Hip Hop
moves to America so she could be on SYTYCD. She moved to NYC in 2012. And today is her birthday. This girl is a better hip hop dancer for sure. She hits hard, and her routine is creative and playful. My new favorite of the night. She did a really cool take on Big Spender. Mary says she was more than she could ever dream for. Then she went “BAM!”. Vanessa says she loved that she was both feminine and masculine and really original. Nigel used to choreograph Shirley Bassey, and he knows she would have loved that version. Nigel votes Academy. Vanessa and Mary follow. She’s straight through. – Click to Watch Performance Video
7) Blessing- Stepping
She grew up in the hood of Baltimore. She wanted to rise up. She started a step club at her school. Nigel thought only guys did Stepping. Blessing is all about female empowerment and giving back to the world. She’s a good stepper, for sure. But it’s weird that she did this without music, and lots of shouting. What a character. Mary says she has fire and passion, but is worried about her doing other styles. Vanessa feels empowered, and says she’s proud to be a lady. Nigel says it’s weird to see it in a solo, but would love to see her group do it on the show. Blessing is through to choreography. Regardless, we might see her later with her group on the show. – Click to Watch Performance Video
8)Frenchie Bossett, Bad Bonez- Triple Jointing
Two different soloists montaged together in a triple jointing montage. Basically, they can really bend. They both make it to choreo. – Click to Watch Performance Video
9) Dustin Payne- Hip Hop/Animation
Dustin is a street performer. He really wants to show the judges his personality. His mom started a dance ministry at his church, and that’s how he got started. He’s definitely got some good moves Very entertaining choreography. I can see why they saved him for last. I wonder if he can do other styles. Mary says his transitions were out of this world. She loves the vocabulary of movement he has. Nigel asks him if he does all that in church. Nigel says people will vote for him. Vanessa says he did stuff she hadn’t seen before. He’s straight through to the dance academy. – Click to Watch Performance Video
Mandy Moore is teaching the choreo to Blessing and the triple jointed kids. Blessing looks really rough. Nigel cuts Blessing, but says again that he’d love to see her stepping team on the show. Both triple jointed kids got cut. 23 other dancers made it through.
Join me next week for New York auditions. Hope you had a blast tonight. Who was your favorite tonight? Sound off below!
