Hey WOD fans…
Tonight, World of Dance moves to its a regular time slot, each Sunday at eight on NBC. After Tuesday night’s season three premiere, the qualifying round continues tonight. Judges Ne-Yo, Derek Hough, and Jennifer Lopez will once again score each performance with an 85 being the cusp for advancing to the next round.
Scott Evans is back as your host, though we didn’t see him at all on Tuesday after he was announced at the beginning. I’m not going to lie, I miss Jenna Dewan and her backstage support of the contestants. Maybe that will change tonight. Let’s see who impresses us this evening and who makes it to the duels!
Kayla Mak, contemporary ballet from the junior division. She has been doing ballet for her entire life. She is here to prove that contemporary ballet can be competitive. So pretty. For those that aren’t big fans of ballet, adding a little contemporary flair to it might just be what gets them excited. I absolutely love Kayla’s power because underneath it, she still has that exquisite elegant movement.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLXg9uukSm8
Derek loved it and would pay money to go see. Ne-Yo says it looked easy. Jennifer says it was non-traditional and that is useful. Derek loved the control. Jennifer wants a little more musicality from Kayla. Ne-Yo lost himself watching.
Ne-Y- 92
Derek- 92
Jennifer- 87
Score- 90.3 and Kayla makes it to the duels‘
Fuego Dance Crew, hip-hop representing the upper teams. They have a boy band flavor and have been together since middle school. They never had a dance lesson as a group or a choreographer. They are taking this faux-boy band idea a bit too far, but we shall see. LOL. Okay. They got some cool moves, I’ll give them that. They know how to entertain a crowd. They also have really good synchronicity. I am eager to see how they do in a competitive match up against another skilled hip-hop crew.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uixIorXSy34
Derek marveled at the clarity and cleanliness. Ne-Yo called it amazing. Jennifer calls the routine arrogant but it worked. Jennifer approves of the song. She found a little part in the middle where the dance flat lined but they came back strong.
Ne-Yo- 92
Derek- 94
Jennifer- 95
Score- 93.7 and they advance
Time for a bit of a montage. One group just makes the cut to the duels. Another team receives praise for their attitude and makes it through as well. A cute young duo just misses the cut as Ne-Yo calls for some more maturity in their movement.
Aydin Eyikan, a contemporary dancer with the juniors. He loves dance but also loves just being a kid. He is fifteen but no one believes him. His dad is very supportive of him. Good dancer. A male Eva Igo he reminds me of. That seem powerful dancing and crazy flexibility. I loved his choice of song and musicality. He told a really solid story through dance. He could be a dark horse if he is able to show growth in the next round. A solid audition.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZxDALsqtO4
Derek thinks his technical foundation is supreme. Jennifer loves his limbs and feels he has an “x” factor. Derek advises him to match the choreography with the music more. Ne-Yo doesn’t see his age because he has so much skill.
Ne-Yo- 89
Derek- 89
Jennifer- 87
Score- 88.3 as Aydin heads to the duels
All Ready, a hip-hop fusion duo with the uppers. They met in Latin dance school. One is a mother, and she wants to be successful with both. They are excited to dance in front of Jennifer as a female duo. That was really cool. I’ve never seen some Latin steps fused so well with street dancing before. They make a dynamite duo. If anything, they need to work a bit on complicating those moves. Some of it was a bit pedestrian and if up against a stellar dance crew, they will be eaten alive I bet. But they brought something so different to the show that I look forward to seeing them again.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72XUy0ZdCgk
Jennifer coulhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72XUy0ZdCgkdn’t define what the dance was and she loved seeing that. She found it really cool. Ne-Yo loved the routine and wardrobe. He wants them to be careful of being a jack of all trades and master of none. Derek calls them refreshing. It made him smile through the whole routine. Ne-Yo thinks America will love them.
Ne-Yo- 89
Derek- 85
Jennifer- 90
Score- 88 as All Ready is in the duels
Quick, no introduction audition yet again as a crew is told they need to push it harder and they just miss the cut to the duels.
Exiles, a hip-hop crew with the upper teams. They are a Christian team. They are building a dance studio which they plan on using to help the community. They want it to be a safe haven. These guys are very good. Quite entertaining. Loved how they got a bit nasty with their moves in terms of swagger. You can tell they are pros at performing. They are a prime example of what I mentioned earlier in that if they are up against a team that perhaps better technically, they would win due to their ability to please a crowd and be memorable. And they make the tricks looks more difficult than they are. Good stuff.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdOhWLKulO4
Derek says they showed up to compete. Jennifer loved the energy. She enjoyed the tricks. She gives the lead advice to hold his center a bit more if he is going to be up front. Ne-Yo agrees about controlling the energy. He enjoyed the choreography. Derek also wants it to be a little more “showtime.” He wants the whole package to work.
Ne-Yo- 88
Derek- 89
Jennifer- 87
Score- 88 and they advance to the duels
Briar Nolet, a contemporary dancer with the uppers. When she was sixteen, her right hand started to shake. She had a severe seizure and almost died because she lost oxygen and she kept having seizures each time she danced. She refused to not dance because of her condition. So, she has epilepsy and wants to be here to push through her fears. Well, damn. Now you see, sometimes the contemporary routines all mesh together and it takes something special to stand out. This was one of those times. The sheer power on this girl in incredible. She was just bursting around the floor, sometimes hitting herself against the floor and making me cringe. It was that powerful. I love how she interpreted the music too. A definite stand out among the contemporary routines.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RkEqDJO2DU
Jennifer marveled at the athleticism. She loved the fluidity and sensual quality. She wants her to improve on the musicality. Derek calls it stunning. He loved how she went straight into the routine. Ne-Yo agrees that it was a great job.
Ne-Yo- 88
Derek- 88
Jennifer- 86
Score- 87.3 as Briar is heading to the duels
Vpeepz, a hip-hop crew with the junior teams. They have won back to back competitions. They all come from different backgrounds in terms of money and stature. But they are together because it doesn’t matter- they are teammates. They want this show to be what makes them succeed in life. That was so good. SO GOOD. The amount of work they must put into this to be so clean and so together is just amazing. They had a bit of last season’s winners, “The Lab” in there, in that they are young, surprising, and smart with the dancing and know how to entertain. Probably the most well put together routine of the night so far.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwgFShIoOBI
Jennifer says the kids at this age makes her realize that the world is going to be taken care of. She wasn’t thinking of the same things they are when she was their age. Derek loved the footwork and speed. Ne-Yo compliments the formations and says they were dancing with one mind. Jennifer says they look like a super professional group.
Ne-Yo- 89
Derek- 93
Jennifer- 89
Score- 90.3 as they make it through
No intro routine yet again as a dance crew is told they had no explosive moments and miss the cut to the next round.
Derion & Madison, a contemporary duo with the uppers. They met just in the past year. They have a rule where if you can name the dance step, it doesn’t go in the routine. Strength is the key word here. Dang. Explosively strong routine from start to finish. Mirrored dancing and awesome powerful control exudes from the both of them. You can tell they feed off one another as the natural skill just comes out organically. Absolutely loved that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuBD7M0NaoI
Ne-Yo says they are artistic athletes. Jennifer marvels at their physical ability and passion. Derek loved some of the improvisation that makes up the routine. Derek gets up to try a move he saw in the dance but decides he shouldn’t. All the judges pretend as though they can do it easily. LOL.
Ne-Yo- 89
Derek- 90
Jennifer- 92
Score- 90.3 and they make it to the next round
Ouch. A group of four contemporary boys are given some harsh criticism and even though the judges see potential, they need work. But they will have the chance as they make it to the next round. Derek tells them they better bring it in the next round. I wish we got to see that routine from beginning to end. :/
https://youtu.be/tO_MnchUbuQ
Another junior team is showcased and told by Derek that they need to finish as strong as they start. Jennifer notes she doesn’t think she saw anything she hasn’t before. And they miss the cut by three tenths. Last season, they would have made it through to the duels.
https://youtu.be/HdEuYjCD6uw
Dancetown Divas, ballroom group with the junior teams. Yikes, they all have stage moms. The girls are thrilled to be here but their moms might be even more excited to be honest. They talk about how they are very different in their styles and what they bring and they are here to go for blood. That was fun. Talk about energy. Little firecrackers these girls are. Really solid Latin ballroom steps. As one would expect, lots of shimmy and razzle dazzle. They are cool to watch. Could they be competitive? Hmm. Jury is still out for me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Itcg8UaR7YE
Derek loves the fringe pants. LOL. He found it to be so much fun. He wants it to be just a little bit cleaner. Jennifer thinks they are all very good dancers but she wants it to be more precise. Ne-Yo compliments how much fun it was to watch. He wants less things to nitpick about.
Ne-Yo- 87
Derek- 87
Jennifer- 88
Score- 87.3 and they make it to the duels
Tobias & The EZTwins, an urban dance with the uppers. They have had success individually but now they are coming together. They have danced for some major artists including Ariana Grande. Nice. They dudes are slick. They really mesh well together and have great synchronicity. They also clearly from their past, know how to perform. I really love how they made it look so smooth when you know what they were doing was damn difficult.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usJRfmN6ooI
Ne-Yo didn’t see a wow moment because the whole piece was wow. He loved the transitions and how they were dancing with one brain. Jennifer found it super cool and she loved that it had a specific style. Derek calls it intelligent choreography.
Ne-Yo- 94
Derek- 92
Jennifer- 92
Score- 92.7 and they make it
The Trilogy, a contemporary trio with the juniors. They have known one another for eight years. One of them had a sister who had a heart condition. She unfortunately passed. A few years later, his father passed out and he had the same condition as his daughter and also passed away. Geez. This is rough. He worries about having the same syndrome and declares that no day is promised. What a rough story. I’m so glad that dance met my expectations considering the story behind it. It was great to see proper use of a trio- no one played it safe while the two others performed. Everyone there had a part to play and all of them executed it beautifully. A really strong piece of musicality and technical dancing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbfkey-OLHg
Ne-Yo enjoyed the transitions. He found them seamless. He critiques that with some of the lifting, he saw the effort and he doesn’t want to see that. Jennifer enjoyed the configuration. She notes some transitions needed work. She is interested to see how much more they have. Derek found it creative. He wants it a bit more polished.
Ne-Yo- 87
Derek- 87
Jennifer- 85
Score- 86.3 and they make it to the duels
And with that, the second episode of qualifiers comes to a close. Next week, we are back again for another two-hour episode of outstanding qualifying performances. It is also the last episode before the duels. Thanks for joining me tonight and I hope to see y’all next week.
