"So you think you can dance" season 7 is in full swing and I'm pretty amped about it, for the most part. The introductory first episode started off with a gorgeous 'tea party' routine, which I nailed to guess the choreographers for (Wade & Amanda Robson). All-Star Mark owned the stage but everyone else really delivered too, giving a first glimpse as to how this whole 'contestants being paired up with All-Stars' would look like.
Other than the opening routine I took a shine to Mia Michael's 'Time' piece, with Billy/Alex and All-Star Adé. Perfectly cast, with beautiful dancing from all three boys.
This week we had our first competitive episode, starting off with Billy and All-Star Lauren. Billy did have the steps down but I agree with judge Adam who wanted him to 'fill out the spaces in between the steps'. Mia made a poignant request in saying that he "danced like a boy but now I want to see you dance like a man". If it hadn't been danced to "Footloose" and set up as a high school-esque routine I would've called his dancing borderline juvenile :x
Later on everyone was treated to the hilariously infectious pairing of Kent and All-Star Anya, dancing salsa. That guy threw everything he had into it, clearly trying to enjoy himself to the max, haha! Because of that he managed to mask eventual mistakes/lack of ballroom training, earning him great reviews from the judges and me. Can't wait to see more of Kent in other styles!
While Kent almost stole all of the spotlight with his jive Alexie didn't fare too well in her hip-hop routine with All-Star Twitch. Most of my attention was on Twitch (so much fun watching him dance!) and, sadly, Alexie came off too cutesy to take much notice of. There wasn't anything wrong with her actual dancing but her performance let her down :-/
Two people who fared even worse in that department were Adéchiké and Lauren. Both had brilliant support from their respective partners but totally missed the mark when it came to connecting with them. Lauren especially came off like she was dancing with a prop more than a person, barely registering All-Star Adé and flubbing real bad when telling the judges she was "thankful for their critique so that she knew what to work on to get their approval".... Ay, ay, ay. My liking of her dropped quite a bit after all that. Hopefully she can get her head straight by next week.
By comparison it was a delight to see Cristina fully committing to Sonya Tayeh's routine and All-Star partner Mark. This girl is a salsa dancer but looked every bit the contemporary/jazz dancer! She also reminds me a little of my darling Shaow, for some reason :) I was so happy when she wasn't cut this week, whew. It'd be fun if she got to dance hip-hop next and even better if it's with Dominic!
Speaking of hip-hop, b-boy Jose was out-danced by All-Star Comfort (in my humble opinion). If she was good in Season 4 then she can't be touched now. 4 real :p It can be a blessing and a curse to get your own specialty (or at least as close as you can get to b-boying) on your first competitive appearance.
However, the highlight of the entire night was Alex and All-Star Allison's performance. With gorgeous choreography delivered through pure and honest raw emotion; showcasing what a true partnership should be like; they (rightly so) earned a standing ovation from the judges. And evoked the season's first Deeley-chills, lol. Words cannot express how much I enjoyed and delighted in their routine. Alex made good on his word to 'perform' more by letting his heart emanate throughout his whole body. Awesome awesome awesome.
The biggest "SYTYCD" upset this week, though, erupted on Elimination night when Alexie ended up in the bottom three and was cut. After having tried out 4 years in a row (I believe), and finally making it onto the show, the judges decided to save tapper Melinda instead (despite her poor jive performance with All-Star Pasha the night prior and a rather uninspiring solo shortly before the judges' deliberation). We'll see if Melinda can justify her save and open up more next week.
PS: I enjoyed Robert and All-Star Courtney's routine quite a bit but didn't have too much to say about it nor could I word my reservations concerning Robert beyond that. Ashley and All-Star Neil's piece didn't grab me as much as it had potential to do because Ashley was too guarded to convey her feelings which only came out during the judges critique. If she'd tapped into that moment in her dancing it would've been another story.
