Hey All :)
Welcome to an all new edition of World of Dance. Unfortunately, WOD will be our only dance competition show this summer as So You Think You Can Dance has been cancelled this year due to the pandemic. Hopefully it will return next summer. So let’s be thankful this program filmed the entire season before everything happened.
Tonight is the callback episode. All of the acts that judges Jennifer Lopez, Ne-Yo, and Derek Hough voted to return will dance for a spot in the duels. But the open slots are very limited. Ten will perform and only four will make it. These dancers really have to show improvement over their auditions in order to earn a chance at continuing in the competition.
With the duels starting in just a week, let’s see who has the goods to continue on the quest for the one million dollar cash prize and title of season four champion.
We begin where we left off last week, with The Rise. Well, better than the audition. There’s still something I feel is missing with this crew. It is that extra little spark that will really serve them well if they are up against a similar dancing crew. I think they improved on the story this go around and didn’t mess up any tricks as last time but still…I was just expecting more. It seemed…just alright.
Jennifer was impressed and called it compelling. Ne-Yo calls it an improvement. Ne-Yo signals out one dancer for being the highlight. Derek likens it to having a quarterback. Ne-Yo wanted a grand situation but it was kind of small. Derek wants them to beat their own ideas. They have to wait to find out if they did enough to make it through.
Next up are Project 21. One of the dancers talks about a crush on Ne-Yo. They are dancing with chairs this time. We don’t get to see too much of the routine. The chairs seemed to work (no big mistakes) but nothing stood out really. It was basic and I didn’t see anything super different from the audition. Then again, we only saw seconds of it.
Derek thinks the risk with the chairs worked but they were off time. Jennifer feels it was more in line with what they are looking for. Ne-Yo notes it was a lot better than the first one.
Avant Garde Collective is up next with their second chance. Once again, this group is quite creative and unique and did something totally different from their audition. However, it didn’t blow me away. Nearly everything in that routine has been done before and better. They had some cool moves sprinkled throughout but I don’t think they would stand a chance in a duel up against another group.
Jennifer thinks the routine made sense. Derek didn’t think the dancing was strong. Ne-Yo actually liked the first routine they did better. The judges agree they have a lot to talk about with this group.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTdoSIeZW8s
CBAction are up now. This is the group with one member who has an injury and couldn’t dance. They are bringing something different this time around. Damn. I wanted to see this. I actually enjoyed this group a lot when they auditioned and was looking forward to seeing this. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see much. It looked fun though with a different style and tone. A shame we couldn’t see all of it.
Derek liked the partner work but feels it lacked impact. Ne-Yo enjoyed it more than the first dance. Jennifer is still unsure about them despite strong moments.
The Difference is up now. The judges wanted to see more emotion this go around. Well, from the limited amount of scree time this routine got, I can tell they upped the emotional resonance of the story. So, that’s good that they took the judges notes. I didn’t see anything new and outstanding in the dancing but they were good the first time so I think they just needed to make sure they told a proper story to make the judges feel. And it seems like they did that.
Jennifer says they have heart. Ne-Yo loves them telling a story. Derek loves them as dancers but still wanted bigger. Damn, the judges are having some differing opinions tonight when it comes to what they want and what they are seeing.
GRVMNT are next. The judges wanted more from them and they have been practicing a whole lot. They worked until 2AM. They talk about how the judges wanted them to earn their grooving. Very good. This was the first routine tonight I can honestly say that I saw a complete 180 from the audition. Loved the dance because it was gritty, groovy, energetic, and had some killer transitions. They totally blew what they did in the qualifiers out of the water. You can tell they want this.
Jennifer tells them to come with that every single time they come out. She tells them they still have a ways to go but they should be proud of that. Derek found it clean and loved the transitions. Ne-Yo wants the whole group to match the young one’s energy. Jennifer wants them to play to their strengths. The people in the front should be the ones doing it the best.
Pumpfidence, the heels group, is up now. Jennifer wanted them in lower shoes. She felt it hurt the dance. Well, that was disappointing. They picked a JLO song to dance to and I felt like it was an audition to be a background dancer at one her shows. Just nothing about that really stood out. They are a heels group but the heel work (which can be fantastic to watch) was virtually non-existent.
Jennifer says a lot of it was better than the audition. Derek feels there were moments they weren’t together. Ne-Yo sees potential for improvement. Jennifer feels they need work in order to gel together. She’s proud of them though.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sivp0ESJvE
Show Stopper has their turn now. The judges told them about musicality, clarity of movement, and creating moments. Hmm. That suffered a bit from lack of cohesiveness. It came off sloppy at times and the energy was just a bit under for most of it. I expected more. The choreography looked good but the execution of it was lacking.
Jennifer and Ne-Yo think they did better but she feels they need bigger surprises. Derek found they started strong but nothing really went over the top. They are torn with them as well.
305, the Latin ballroom kids are up. They need to make sure they all keep the energy up and they worry about messing up because if one does, it will all look off. An absolute and clear improvement here. Much better choreography with everyone stepping up and doing their part. I go back to what I said previously- kids doing adult Latin ballroom will always look a bit funky to me but I gotta give this group props on coming back with a stronger and more concise dance.
Derek calls it fun. He wanted a little more energy in parts (he talks about the song). Jennifer feels like she saw more dancing but doesn’t know if they are all the way up to par. Ne-Yo tells them that everyone needs to match the energy of one specific girl who was on fire.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4L_sCmzf5l8
This installment could have really used a two-hour episode. I hope they don’t cut the routines in the duels short. It makes it harder to really mesh with the contestants when you don’t get to see everything. But that’s my little personal issue. :)
The Young Cast, a hip-hop crew will now be taking their turn at a second chance. The judges wanted them to be sharper and synchronized. What a cool opening. In fact, this whole routine can be called cool. They really took the judges notes. So clean. So together. Really appreciate the attention to meticulous detail. It was a very different hip-hop dance than we are used to and it worked. One of the few standouts tonight.
Jennifer and Derek both say “much better.” Jennifer says it felt strong, was clean and connected. Ne-Yo loved the introduction and the roll off. Derek doesn’t want to see the set up for the lifts. The judges want the lifts to come out of nowhere and look like magic.
Welp, that’s all ten acts. Now they need to pick four to move on and six to go home.
Let’s get to some results…
Show Stoppers, Young Cast, The Difference are up first.
The only YES in this group is the Young Cast.
Show Stoppers and The Difference are out.
Pumpfidence and Avant Garde Collective are next. Both groups are OUT.
The Rise and 305 are out next for results.
BOTH teams have made it through to the duels.
CBAction, Project 21, and GRVMNT head out.
Only one is going through and that’s GRVMNT.
MADE IT TO THE DUELS:
GRVMNT
305
THE RISE
THE YOUNG CAST
Next week- the DUELS officially begin. The acts will not know who they are dueling against until it is time to step on the dance floor. It is going to be an exciting first night of competition- as long as this show doesn’t cut the performances into montages. GRRRR. :)
Have a great week y’all.
