SYTYCD

[alonewiththemoon]

This is going to be a super strong season, I think--I hate to see pretty much any of them go, because I want to see more from each of them!

Jordan and Tadd's Afro-jazz:  is Jordan really that much of a ditz?  Jazz done by people wearing afro wigs?  I hope not.  I thought it was very very good, but not excellent.  In the second half, both dancers really threw themselves into the movements and it got a lot more exciting, but the first half, beyond the initial few seconds, was surprisingly draggy.  That might have been as much the music as the dancers.  They did look for the most part like they were doing choreography, though.

Sasha and Alexander:  yay Sasha!  I am so excited to watch her all season.  I do agree with the judges that she outdanced Alexander, but he is very good and if he steps it up to meet her level, he could be excellent.  To some extent the story of the choreography as presented had him in a more passive role anyway, so he could be different with a different character assignment.  I'm not sure the choreography quite conveyed what it was supposed to, but it still functioned as a narrative of some sort anyway.  I voted for them. 

Clarice and Jess:  I actually liked Clarice's Broadway dancing better than Jess'.  He is technically great but I get such a vibe of smugness from him that he's not entirely pleasant to watch.  I also felt zero connection between the two of them, which I would lay more at his door than hers.  Those factors combined with generally wanting to smack Tyce D'orio made me not a fan of this number.

Ryan and Ricky, contemporary:  beautiful dancing from both of them, but Ryan's smile made absolutely no sense, even with her attempt to explain it away.  I wish we knew whether what she said was the choreographer's direction or whether she made it up. 

Caitlynn and Robert standing in for Mitchell:  would have loved to see Mitchell dance, but it was great to see Robert again.  And Caitlynn was really impressive, both technically and performance-wise.  The two of them partnered really well.  I voted for Caitlynn. 

Miranda and Robert Wooman's jive:  completely agreed with Nigel on this one.  It was fun and it was entertaining, but it wasn't technically that impressive.  Should be one of the bottom three, but probably won't be.  I loved Miranda's outfit.

Missy and Wadi's Lady Gaga jazz in a box thing:  wasn't this a Madonna video from the early 90s?  Anyway, while there was some good stuff in there, I thought their timing, particularly Wadi's, was way off.  Also should be in the bottom three.

Melanie and Marko's living statue piece:  LOVED it.  Agreeing with Nigel again, there were a couple of less than smooth moments in the first half, but it was a great choreography and they danced the hell out of it with tons of personality and artistry.  I've liked Melanie since the auditions, so I was really pleased to see her start out so strong.  I voted for them.  (yay for the new online voting, btw!)

Ashley and Chris's lyrical hip hop:  it was good, but not spectacular.  She was pretty fierce, if she shows that much versatility for all styles she will be a major factor in the show.

Iveta and Nick's quickstep:  I really like Iveta but I think she is going to scare all the teenybopper girls who make up a lot of the voting audience and they won't vote for her.  Regardless, those legs go on and on forever, don't they?  I was exhausted at this point and nodding off, so unfortunately missed a good chunk of the performance.  But what I saw, I liked.

So, shaping up to be an interesting season.  As noted above, I found all the dancers intriguing, even when I didn't necessarily care for the number they did.  The judging was okay--didn't think much of the guest judge's critiques, and Mary was too gentle last night, but Nigel was straightforward.  The constant pandering to the choreographers is a bit grating but hopefully they'll get over it as the season goes on.  Also, Nigel, it's not quite the done thing to nominate your own show for an Emmy while it is being broadcast.  It just isn't seemly.  Camerawork was a little improved but some of the overhead shots were a bit wtf.  But all in all, a great start.
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