SYTYCD

[alonewiththemoon]

For both Katee and Joshua, because while I couldn't decide which one I wanted to win, I knew I definitely wanted it to be one of them over Twitch or Courtney.  Twitch I think at this point is getting a bit more credit than he deserves, and Courtney, while I think she is indeed a very good dancer and I admire her scrappiness no end, is not in quite the same artistic league as Katee or Joshua.

Loved Cat Deeley's shiny shiny dress :)

So there were a lot of numbers.

Courtney and Twitch:  hip hop choreo'd by Tabitha and Napoleon.  What is it with crazy girlfriends lately?  Twitch obviously was going to do this well, and he did.  I was very impressed by Courtney; I thought this was by far her best hip hop on the show.  It looked like she really got it.

Courtney's solo:  pretty much the same as her other solos, I thought, with a bit more poured into it.  You can definitely see a new confidence in her.

Joshua and Katee:  lyrical contemporary by Wade Robson.  Finally, a couple that makes up at the end of their relationship dance!  They were just beautiful together and that was a highlight of the season for me with its intense emotionality and physical expression.  I think it was Mandy Moore, or maybe it was Mary, who commented on being sold from the start by the way Katee was breathing before the music even began, and I have to agree.  She's a dancer who you know is going to do something impressive from the way she carries herself before she even starts dancing.  Nigel's comment about Joshua's uncontrolled control was a good way of putting it as well.  You watch the intensity of his spins and think he can't possibly get it together for a clean landing, and yet he does, strong and precise.

Katee and Courtney:  Broadway dance (was it ever) by Tyce DiOrio.  I wasn't overwhelmed, but it's not my cup of tea.  Technique and all that seemed fine.  I admire them for keeping those parasols more or less under control; props are hard, and they only had a few days to get used to them.  Funny seeing their big strong dancer feet under those big floofy dresses--shoes might have suited the costuming better.  Also, funny knowing that the instrumental music they used is really a love song :)

Twitch's solo:  some really impressive stuff there.  Despite what I said above, I do think he is a fantastic dancer, but I don't think he's shown as much adaptability as the other three finalists.

Twitch and Joshua's Russian dance off was a ton of fun, and gave them a chance to show off their sheer physicality.  I think Joshua jumps higher than his own head.  And for a man of Twitch's height to be able to do that low stepping and kicking is equally impressive.  I might have liked more ethnic music for this, but I suppose the Nutcracker music would appeal tremendously to the ballet dancers in the audience.

Katee's solo:  Imogen Heap was a great music choice for her, contained and elegant but emotional and heartfelt.  I see what the judges meant about her legs and feet, but it was still lovely.

Twitch and Katee:  foxtrot by Tony and Meredith.  Katee's dress was stunning, especially when she was up in that lift.  It was a very nice dance, though I think Twitch's carriage often looked a bit forced, probably what Nigel referred to when he said he looked too British at the start.  And you could see him exert himself under that deadpress lift, though once Katee was up it was solid.

Joshua's solo:  good for him for having the chutzpah to jump up to the judges' stage.  He doesn't have to impress them any more, so he did it for sheer fun, I'm thinking.  That split at the end was astonishing, even if he did lose his shoe.  Good recovery with the phone gag.  It does bug me that they keep saying he's an untrained dancer, when at the beginning of the show, I think even in the tryouts, he said he'd taken some modern and ballet classes, and they showed photos of him as a kid at the ballet barre.  They do the same of Twitch, too, who also said at the beginning of the season that after not making it last year, he went and studied other dance styles so that he'd make it through the tryouts this year.

Joshua and Courtney:  jive by I forget who, except that Nigel called him an Aussie.  Sadly, this was lacklustre, though you can hardly blame the dancers who had been dancing full out several times already.  Courtney at least had a little time to catch her breath, but Joshua did this right after his solo and not long after his Russian dance, so he must have been feeling the burn.  I know the show is taped on Mondays and there's editing going on so more time may have elapsed than it seems, but still, performance takes a lot out of a person, especially when the stakes are high.  I agree with atalanta  about Courtney's boots :)

Group number by Mia Michaels:  nouveau tribal Scottish rites of the celebration of life?  Or something like that.  Joshua rocks a kilt.  The piece was uplifting, though as the judges observed dancers were tired and not lifting or fling as high as they could.  You know, maybe Katee is the top dancer, since she seemed to have the most left in her.  It was a nice way to close the show.

I have no prediction for tonight; the judges seemed to be guiding America towards Joshua and Katee, though sometimes that backfires.  I will note that Joshua's number was busy the first time I tried to call though! 

edited to add: I just read that Joshua and Twitch both collapsed during a weekend rehearsal and had to be rushed to the hospital for treatment of dehydration. So the judges were not kidding about the level of exhaustion among the dancers. I hope they made it through this week without injury!


 
I did Jason Crandall's 77 minute full practice podcast last night.  It is just slightly beyond my level, really, but it's a good challenge and hoo boy did my hips and hamstrings get stretched in 5 billion different directions.  I got solid and seemingly much needed pops out of each shoulder in one of the binding poses--my shoulders and neck feel much freer today.  So, difficult, but the rewards are worth it.
 
Leopard pants still fit, and the promoter putting on the 60s surf themed night gave the Cramps the okay, so I'll be performing at that in a couple of weeks--more details when I get 'em!