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Episode Recap: The Top Eight Perform
I can’t believe we’re only two weeks from the finale! Can you believe it? It’s been a very exciting season so far. A few unexpected twists – but that makes it more fun.
And before I say anything else, I must mention the fact that the legendary Toni Basil is a guest judge on the show tonight. I only know of her from her Mickey days, but she’s gone on to do some very impressive things. Right now she’s working with Bette Midler and very soon she’ll be working with Tina Turner. And it seems as though she’s been nominated for almost every award known to man. I’m sold.
We start with the night with Will and Courtney performing a Samba choreographed by Jean-Marc Genereux.
Nigel: It’s gonna be a great night. When not thinking about technique, they’re great. Chemistry is good. Congratulates them on starting the night out on a high.
Mary: Thinks she’s being punk'd because she sees two Samba dancers. Terrific job. Will’s technique isn’t quite there all the time but their chemistry is. Courtney gets a scream.
Toni: For two contemporary dancers, she had so much fun. She forgot to judge. They bring life to the Samba.
I didn’t love it. I agree with Mary about the technique comment. There did seem to be a few times when they were concentrating too much on the steps and it weighed them down a bit. For me the best parts were the crisp movements and there was good hip action. I did think they were fun to watch but I wasn’t blown away. They did what they could with it. I’ll throw some love to Will by saying he partners well with everyone.
Next they dance a Lyrical (or Slow) Hip-Hop piece choreographed by Tabitha and Napoleon.
Nigel: Tab & Nap have done incredible stuff this season. He was emotionally affected by it. Got the feeling of being a voyeur. They are together emotionally and physically.
Mary: These two are tremendous dancers. She has very high expectations and unfortunately…they blew her expectations right out of the water. Emotion and passion were exploding. Made her feel great.
Toni: Street wasn’t considered an art form when she got started. Great art makes you feel something. America will never feel the same about dance again after this show.
This piece didn’t quite live up to my expectations. I didn’t think they were synchronized as much as the judges seemed to think they were. In fact, it’s very rare to see any dancers perform in perfect synchronicity. I just don’t think these two did. The emotional connection was great though and overall I really enjoyed the piece.
Twitch and Katee’s first piece is a Contemporary routine choreographed by Mia Michaels.
Nigel: Wow. Performance was fantastic but hard to critique dancing. You’ve gotta wonder what goes through Mia’s head. Danced it brilliantly. Wonderful characters. Entertaining.
Mary: Knock, knock. Who’s there? Two. Two what? Two of the best dancers we’ve seen on this stage. It was so much fun. She loved it. Brilliant. Congratulations.
Toni: Aren’t they lucky to be choreographed by the reigning queen of contemporary? Thinks this is Katee’s dance. Loved it.
I feel compelled to bring up the kiss Dom and his partner (what’s her name? help me out…) had to share last year during one of their performances. Whereas their kiss seemed awkward, this kiss wasn’t bad. I wasn’t feeling it, but I didn’t feel embarrassed for the dancers. And now I’ll talk about the dancing. I really enjoyed it. I think these two are hot together and hot tonight. We saw some great technique and a really great performance. They had great characters to play and made it really fun to watch. I think they did an outstanding job.
Twitch and Katee’s next performance is a Broadway piece choreographed by Tyce DiOrio.
Nigel: Loved the routine. This is a Broadway routine you can see the dancers doing on Broadway. Twitch has risen to every single challenge they’ve given him. Nigel enjoys his performances. There isn’t one minute this season Nigel hasn’t enjoyed Katee’s performances, which is the highest compliment he can give her.
Mary: Terrific. Really pulled it off. Well matched in movement, entertainment. Didn’t look like work. Amazing.
Toni: Twitch brings much more reality to the choreography; dances from the inside out. Katee is a beautiful dancer but she wanted to see a deep, rough approach that more matched the vocals of the song. But they both did wonderfully.
I really enjoyed it. When Broadway is performed like this, I think it can be enjoyed by all. I liked their characters and I thought they danced and performed it well. It was fun to watch and I always like it when the choreographers make sure to put a little of the dancers’ own style into the piece – although I don’t want them to go overboard. Great job.
Mark and Comfort start off their night with a Hip-Hop routine choreographed by Tab and Nap.
Nigel: Surprised by how much better Comfort dances hip-hop when she’s choreographed. He’s also surprised by how good Mark was. Loved the pick-up into somersault lift. Well done.
Mary: Great job. Liked the use of the desk, synchronization. Comfort is hitting it; great dancer. She wasn’t expecting what she got from Mark. They nailed it.
Toni: Loves the routine. She knows how difficult Tab and Nap’s stuff can be. Great. They’re rooted in the music, rooted in the beat. Brought it all together.
We got some great attitude from Comfort in this piece. Although I do think Comfort was hitting it harder, Mark did a great job of keeping up with her. We know he can do this kind of dancing (as evidenced by his lyrical hip-hop piece with Chelsie earlier in the season) so I’m glad to reaffirmed for us that he’s not a one-hit wonder in this genre. I really enjoyed it.
Mark and Comfort finish their night with a Fox Trot choreographed by Jean-Marc Genereux.
Nigel: Lady luck walked out of the room. No chemistry. Thinking so hard it was slightly amateurish.
Mary: Agrees with Nigel. Felt the choreography. Nothing melting together, transitions were rough.
Toni: Bad turn set the tone. Mark’s jazz parts were really good. Power and technique behind it is extremely difficult. Didn’t pull it off.
I have to admit I didn’t hate it. Was it passable? In my eyes, yes. I didn’t notice Comfort’s horrible hand position on her turn so it didn’t bother me. I think it’s very interesting that these two dancers ended up performing together. The pairing may have saved them if this piece was as good as their first. I said, may have. Although I believe they were both trying their best, I don’t think it was enough to make people pick up the phone for them.
Joshua and Chelsie’s first dance is the Argentine Tango choreographed by Dmitri.
Nigel: They picked the most technical routine so far. Chelsie’s legs are fast, snappy. Loved choreography. Used Joshua’s strength. Chemistry worked for the routine.
Mary: It all translated in just the right way. She finds Joshua believable. Chelsie is so much sexier in this Tango. Pulled it off. Still on the hot tamale train.
Toni: This is the most street of the ballroom partner dances. Need to feel it’s spontaneous and torrid. They accomplish that. The dance came together. Quite an accomplishment. Enjoyed it.
Chelsie’s footwork is amazing, and it had better be considering this is her style. I liked their pairing. They put on a nice performance and where one had technique, the other had strength. The lifts were great and together they are really hot. Although Joshua’s technique wasn’t quite there, he did a pretty good job of keeping up with Chelsie.
Joshua and Chelsie end the night with a Disco routine choreographed by Dorianna Sanchez.
Nigel: Superman lift is fantastic. Chelsie has to have the courage to do the lifts. Both carried if off really well.
Mary: Really good. Lifts were so tough. Dorianna trusted Joshua to nail the lifts. Chelsie made the landings work. Out of sight.
Toni: Joshua pulls together the spirit of Disco although his lines aren’t as long (and he wasn’t born yet). Chelsie has the lines. Really pulled it off.
This was a fun piece to the end the night on. More than anything, I think their great energy really made this work. Joshua was like a workhorse during this routine – he was mostly there for the lifts – and he did a great job. He did stumble at the top of the number when he didn’t come out of his turn correctly and couldn’t complete a jump. But otherwise, he was pretty amazing. Chelsie was great too. Some of those lifts looked scary and although I’d like to think I would have trusted Joshua, part of me knows that’s not true. Great job and great way to end the evening.
Overall, all the partner routines went very well. I was very pleased that almost everyone brought the level of their games up.
Solos:
Comfort: This may be the best solo we’ve seen her do. Now, it’s possible that I want her to go home so much I’m imagining things but I don’t think I am. When she was actually dancing – instead of walking/skipping/prancing across the stage – it was interesting. I think we’re ready for her to go home. Her hip-hop routine won’t save her this week.
Will: this James Brown-inspired piece was really fun. He got the crowd going and you could tell he was having so much fun. He had a lot of great tricks and managed to show us quite a bit of technique. His energy was amazing.
Katee: You know I love her but did her solo this week seem very similar to last week’s? I could be imagining things but I did get a slight sense of déjà vu. That being said, she still danced it beautifully. I felt the joy. She has great technique and nice emotionality. I also love the way she throws herself into her routines.
Mark: I don’t think I’ve enjoyed his solos since his crazy and quirky solo from Vegas. I just don’t feel like there’s enough technique there. Or if there is, I’m distracted by the odd little quirky things he does. I just didn’t love it.
Chelsie: Sigh. I don’t get ballroom solos. From where I was sitting, it looked fine. I wasn’t thrilled with it and I didn’t hate it. I wish I could say more good things because we know Chelsie is great in her own style. I guess I’ll leave it at that.
Joshua: He is always so much fun to watch. His movements are incredibly precise and he hits it hard. I’d love to see him do Krump next week. Very enjoyable.
Courtney: This may be the best we’ve seen her do her solo. I really enjoyed it. The emotion was great and I liked all her technical elements. Very good job.
Twitch: It’s also a pleasure to watch his solos. He made great use of the entire stage and had fun choreography. Loved it.
My favorite couple of the night is Katee and Twitch. I really enjoyed both of their pieces and while Katee is outstanding every week, I feel like Twitch proved again why he’s here after a rough go of it last week.
My two favorite performers for the season remain Katee and Will (even though I was a little down on his partnered pieces). They’d both better make it to the finale.
Who’s in the bottom? Definitely Comfort and Mark. Even though their hip-hop routine was fun and well danced, they were in the bottom last week and they are the logical choices to be sent packing. Who else deserves to be in the bottom? I’m not sure anyone else deserves to be there, but I think Courtney will find herself there and so will Twitch. I just don’t think they’re as popular as the other dancers, although they both did great jobs tonight. We’ll see.
I didn’t really mention how each dancer got started on their paths, but you can discuss that below if you’d like. Do you agree with my predictions? Who deserves to stay and why? Who needs to go? Did you vote?
I’ll see you back here tomorrow night for the results.
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Jul 24, 2008 3:56 AM
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What a great show tonight. 6 of the 8 dances were really stellar. Cat looked great in her hot little black number. I know she’s a legend but guest judge Toni Basil really didn’t do much for me. Her comments seemed to be rambling and she really didn’t give many constructive comments IMHO.
On to the dancers:
Courtney & Will
1.) Samba – What a great way to kick off the show with this hot routine. Both of them performed it very well, while I give the edge to Courtney on this one. They both had great showmanship and I loved the “handless” lift at the end.
2.) Hip-hop – After Will’s prediction that this could be the best hip hop ever, I was disappointed. That being said, I did like the dance and the choreography and they both danced well. I think Will outdanced Courtney on this one and I’m not sure if it was the white suit (vs. Courtney’s dark outfit) but Will just stood out so much more. My eyes kept going directly to him.
Katee & Twitch
1.) Contemporary – This was a lot of fun and very well done by both of them. What a kiss that Twich planted on Katee in the beginning… yowza! I really enjoyed this and I have to say that Twitch impressed me and I’m just blown away at the talent of Katee.
2.) Broadway – Another fun and lively dance in which they both gave 100%. I agree with the judges that it was good enough that I could see it being performed on any Broadway stage. Well done!
Comfort & Mark
1.) Hip Hop – This was awesome. Great choreography by Nappytabs. I expected Comfort to bring it (which she did), but I was very impressed that Mark more than kept up with her. They were in sync and it was performed well.
2.) Foxtrot – I was not expecting much given that Comfort has struggled with anything that isn’t hip-hop and tonight was no exception. The judges were pretty harsh (deservedly so to a point) but I felt that Mark was much better than Comfort and maybe he should have been given a little more credit.
Chelsie & Joshua
1.) Argentine Tango – Before I get into the dance, I have to say that while I feel that Chelsie is an amazing and gifted dancer, her personality really gets on my nerves. Tonight, she was in rare form acting immature and bratty and just annoyed me. I really felt for Joshua. As far as the dance itself, it was Muy Caliente!!! Chelsie’s legs go on for days and Joshua is an amazing partner. Loved it.
2.) Disco – Ugh, the dreaded disco with Doriana Sanchez. While I thought the lifts were great and very technically difficult, I didn’t love this routine at all and I’m not sure why the judges were raving about it. In the beginning, Joshua appeared to fall out of his turn and I thought I noticed a bunch of little errors that I figured the judges would point out later, which they didn’t.
Solos:
Courtney – I really liked her solo and the music.
Will – My favorite solo of the night. Hilarious… hopefully we’ve heard the last of Will not having any personality!
Katee- Good solo, but not her best. Shouldn’t matter, as she was brilliant tonight!
Twitch – Always enjoyable to watch him but it didn’t top his amazing solo from a couple weeks ago.
Comfort – Good solo but more of the same.
Mark – OK, but not memorable. Not my favorite solo of his.
Chelsie – It’s hard for a ballroom dancer to do a solo but I thought it was good.
Joshua- I liked it but there wasn’t a lot of dancing going on. He seemed to spend half the time walking around.
Going home:I think this week Comfort & Mark will be going home.
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Jul 24, 2008 5:22 AM
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ITA, gotta be Comfort and Mark going home this week. And is it just me, or do the dance style picks seem less random every week? First there was Will getting a piece choreographed by Desmond Richardson. And of course, there is Comfort, getting hip-hop every week and then another ghastly choice designed to make her look miles worse than everyone else and hopefully get her eliminated. The result is a wash, and so far she is barely squeaking by. Me, I am so ready for her to go. She is not bringing anything new. Last night's solo was actually boring, and it is no longer a novelty to see her get all purty for the ballroom dance. I would classify the foxtrot along with the quickstep as kiss-of-death dances. It's just really difficult to make them exciting, and no way to make them emotional.
Mark's solo also seemed like a retread of various elements from previous solos. He was OK in both the hip-hop and the foxtrot, but at this stage the other guys are miles above him.
My favorite couple of the night was also Katee and Twitch. Even though I wish Tyce would pick some more current Boradway numbers (don't think he's gone later than the 60s this season), the chemistry was adorable between them. The door piece was my favorite of the night.
The only solo that stood out for me was Will's. I enjoyed it, but how in the world can a guy get a Standing O from the judges for 30 seconds of dancing? In any event, whatever image consultant Debbie Allen hired for him has done a creditable job, and no one will ever accuse him again of not having a pleasing personality. I wasn't a huge fan of the samba, but I have to say the costumer was brilliant to give Will a big ol' belt buckle so our eyes were constantly drawn to his torso to verify that yes indeed, he was moving those hips. Really, my eyes were drawn way more to Will than to Courtney, even though she was dressed like Big Bird. Also during the lyrical hip-hop, and probably because of his white costume, my eye was continually drawn to Will and I thought he outdanced Courtney (I guess no surprise there).
Joshua and Chelsie's Argentine tango was really great. Josh was better than I expected and Chelsie showed everyone how it's done. This was where I noticed that Toni Basil seems inordinately fond of the word "street" and tries to work it into every critique. I didn't love her, I have to say. I don't know her work. Obviously she is a legend in the dance world, but as guest judges go I didn't think she was that great.
Regarding Chelsie and Joshua's disco, I think it's a really tough genre. From the start, Doriana made no bones about loading up the routine with lifts because she finally had a strong guy to execute them. Really, though, my favorite part of the routine was Joshua getting down, clapping his hands and strutting between the lifts. I thought the lifts themselves disrupted the flow of the piece. It was not my favorite routine of the night. However, Joshua is my favorite dancer of the season. He has done everything he's been asked to do, really exceeded expectations, and for the first time last night I felt like he has a pretty fair chance to win it all.
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Jul 24, 2008 7:47 AM
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A very enjoyable show. A lot of good dance. I thought the judges went really easy on the dancers last night. There were mistakes I saw and the judges were just all enthusiasm. Would have expected them to be a little tougher this late in the game. I actually don't think Comfort's limitation is her technique. I really think it is her attitude. Not in a good/bad attitude, but just the way she holds herself. She always seems cold and somewhat removed from her partners. Even in the group routines, she just never gels with the other dancers. It was always funny to me that Will was called out for his lack of personality, because I do not think we have seen any personality from Comfort, just a put-on attitude. Her partners struggle every week. It is a shame about Jessica and Kherington, I sure would have loved to see either of them out there this week.
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Jul 24, 2008 8:32 AM
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What a FABULOUS night! I loved, loved, loved it! Yes, even the fox trot. While it wasn't great, it didn't bother me.
I'm hoping Comfort and Mark go home this week, but after that, I can't imagine who I can possibly bear to do without next, especially of the three men. I adore them all.
Can someone please tell me what is with that movement where they lift their arm up and out to the side with their hand on their shoulder? They're all doing that now and I seem to have missed something. What's that all about?
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Jul 24, 2008 8:50 AM
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I think I'm probably going to have a different opinion than everyone else, we'll see.
Will & Courtney: Samba:It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great. I can't honestly tell you about Court, because she wasn't that memorable. Will was alright in places and really clunky in others.
HH:Been there, done that & better I might add. Epic? Def. not. It looked like to me that Will was a little late with all his movements, I kept yelling at the screen about it the whole time.
Twitch & Katee: Contemp:Twitch got REALLY lucky last night. All he had to do was strut around stage, lean on a door, make out w/ Katee & then learn like 16 counts of dance and he gets high praise from the judges. I think Katee was fab & I was impressed with her. But really, this piece had creepy (almost violent) over tones. And the Nigel/Mary banter was sick and wrong.
B-way:eh, not even memorable. I think I stoped watching half way through. I don't remember any Twitch dance in this one either.
Mark & Comfort: HH:WOW. Suprisingly my fav. dance of the night, & I'm not fond of hard hiphop. The flip that comfort did over mark was seamless. They didn't miss a beat.
foxtrot:After the spoilers, I was prepared for the worse on this dance, but I thought it was enjoyable. Way more than the samba or disco. I felt the technique wasn't any worse (or better in Mark's case) than some others we've seen. (Twitch (Josh?), I'm looking at you!)
Side note: Nigel and Mary, could you BE any more obvious? They've become less like judges and more like pimps as the season wears on. Its really turning me off. And Toni Basil, was, um, WEIRD. Yet she reminded me of Debbie Allen a bit, just more weird.
Joshua & Chelsie: AT:Could anyone else but me see Josh counting steps. I could see the wheels in his brain turn the whole time, and it ruined his character. I prefer the Marksie AT from earlier where Mark makes it look easy.
disco:seriously, Doriana needs to take some lessons on how to make lifts look flawless, because this was clunky. Lift, stumble, stumble, lift, stumble, repeat... Yeah, the lifts were amazing, but it was a mess.
Solos:The stand outs for me were Mark and suprisingly Chesie (she moves those hips fast!) I disagree that mark's solos all look the same. He's got great musicallity, how he manages to pull out beats from the harmonies of the music. If anyone looks the same its Twitch & Josh who pull the same tricks in different order (oh, and that iv real sign... OVER IT!) or the contemp dancers. Contemp solos always feel sterile to me. And Will this week? Um, where was the dance? I didn't realize I was watching "So You Think You Can Impersonate?" And it gets a standing O? I don't get it.
Sorry this is long winded, but I'm pretty grrr, about last night. Nigel consistantly ruins this show every week for me by his blatant favoritism, giving some couples passes and acting like its beneith him to talk to others.
Bottom Two: It should be Twitch/Josh and Comfort/Courtney, but it'll probably Twitch/Mark for the guys. I hope Mark's fans pulled an upset because I'd like to see them stick it to Nigel, and based on dancing (and not struting) Mark deserves to stay. Saying that, I'll have my tissue & comfort foods ready for after the show tonight.
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Jul 24, 2008 9:01 AM
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Thanks for the great recap Kara! I think this is the best I've seen Cat dressed this season. I agree with the previous comments made - Toni Basil was not that great of a judge; I felt that her critiques weren't very constructive; really nothing to help the dancers become better dancers on their next go-around. When she said, "I forgot that I was a judge; I forgot to take notes." I was thinking, "here we go..." And for the first time this season, Mary's yelling and screaming and whatnot made me a little embarrassed about watching the show. I think I'll take the route of the other folks on the boards and mute her from now on.
Okay on to the dancing:
Will & Courtney: I think that Courtney outdanced Will on the Samba routine. She was burning that dance floor. I think there were a couple of choppy moments but it wasn't a bad routine at all. The hip-hop routine was done pretty well, but it didn't make me feel anything. And it was certainly not the best hip-hop ever done on this show. I think Mark and Chelsie's lyrical hip-hop piece is still leaps and bounds better than this.
Twitch & Katee: Okay, now I understand where the Mia Michael haters are coming from. I felt that Twitch did almost no dancing, and when he did, the movements weren't even contemporary movements; just a bunch of body and arm waves. Katee, although she did some lines and whatnot, I felt that she was just jumping & kicking around in place and banging on that door for the most part. Mia could have done a much better job choreographing this piece. The broadway piece I enjoyed a lot. I really thought Tyce was tapped with his ideas but he took Mia's concept and made it better.
Mark & Comfort: Great hip-hop routine. I think the was right up there with Comfort & Twitch's hip-hop routine last week. I didn't think the foxtrot was that bad. I didn't think it was boring either, but I was thinking, "is that form right? was that turn executed correctly? What about his carriage? Aww well, it's up to the judges to know!" lol
Chelsie & Joshua: I feel the same as the previous blog member about Chelsie's personality - it sucks! This is the third partner (in three partners) that she seems to have somewhat of an attitude or issue against. If you want a dancer that doesn't seem to vibe well or support her partner, I can't say it's Comfort as much as it is Chelsie. I mean, her ballroom background and experience probably has gotten her to mask that lack of chemistry on stage but I'm hoping she leaves next. Okay, the Argentine Tango was done very well. I enjoyed it. I can't say I enjoyed the Disco completely. I felt like, "yes, Joshua got all the lifts, but it sure didn't look effortless" and I was crossing my fingers every time they transitioned into one, in hopes of her not flying off the stage or falling all over him. Plus, I can't believe the judges didn't call out Josh on falling out of that turn early on in the routine.
Solos:
Twitch's solo was pretty good; still not the best as that violin masterpiece he put out a few weeks ago.
Chelsie's solo was pretty good also; I thought it was less boring than last week's solo.
Will's solo was hilarious. That guy is not afraid to try something new.
Joshua's solo was OK... somewhat sloppy with a transition or two. He's starting to recycle old moves...making me question his versatility.
Courtney's solo was pretty good also.
Katee's solo wasn't good for me; I felt like she did this exact same solo in the past...maybe even with the same music.
Mark's solo wasn't enjoyable either. The moves looked recycled from previous solos.
Comfort solo was great; it was perhaps tied as my favorite solo of the night (along with Will's). She hit every single beat. I just wish she'd wear tighter jeans so that she wouldn't be pulling them up.
The bottom: I'm going to say that Mark & Joshua are at the bottom, with probably Mark going home. Joshua's disco routine, although done pretty well had notable mistakes; I would put Twitch at the bottom personally but many people are definitely going to enjoy Mia Michaels' piece & the broadway was made to be more entertaining than the ballroom-type dances Joshua performed. Of the ladies, I am thinking that Chelsie & Comfort will be at the bottom with Comfort going home, but I hope that Chelsie leaves because I can't stand her personality anymore. I know, this is a dance show and not a personality show, but she's just not my favorite at all.
Other thoughts: If I tried out, and didn't make it to the top 20, I would have taken Nigel's hip-hop comment to Comfort as an insult to my dancing(although it wasn't meant that way). For him to say that she dances the hip-hop choreography better than she does solos means that her lack of experience as a dancer really shows; it makes her no better than a typical young teenage dance studio student. That dancer usually doesn't have a feel yet of what it is to dance from "the inside out" in the genre assumed to be her best genre; pretty much a dancer that has no business being in the top 20. Okay... now I change my mind; Comfort definitely needs to go now. Maybe I can tolerate Chelsie for one more week.
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Jul 24, 2008 9:44 AM
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I thought last night was pretty stellar, although there were no routines that I would remember later as best of season types. The closest would be Mia's weird door routine, which Katee and Twitch performed incredibly.
I think the right 4 guys are still there and the right 4 girls if Kherington wasn't cut due to the Comfort/Jessica switcheroo drama (and K's weakest week at the same time.
Still Katie and Chelsie seemed to me destined for the top 2, with Katee potentially pulling out a win over what looked 4 sure to be a black male winner. I absolutely love Will, Joshua and Twitch. Mark has been great throughout (as had Gev).
The only disco that I have ever really loved was Neil and Sara's last year. This one was just middling for discos, so overall I think Joshua and Will had rather middling performances in couple dances. Certainly not bad, but Twitch had the best night (and Katee again had another best of group night, now with a third partner -- that's just what made Sabra win last year over two strong guys). Joshua has not been as good w/o Katee.
Will's solo was hysterical, though he looked more prince than brown. Plainly, Comfort should go and I think Mark (only b/c of strength of other 3 guys).
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Jul 24, 2008 9:50 AM
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For her solo, Katee actually used the same song that Courtney used for her solo last week. That's why it seemed familiar to most of you.
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Jul 24, 2008 10:21 AM
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Okay, Comfort is brought back to even things out and her first week she is given a hip-hop partner dance (in addition to her choice of a hip-hop solo). She makes it through. The next week she is given another hip-hop partner dance. What gives? Are the producers stacking the deck in her favor? Why are there 2 hip hops every week?
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Jul 24, 2008 10:51 AM
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Well it's about time!!
I was pleasantly surprised at how well the routines were performed last night.
While I really don't have a favorite dancer - I'd more shocked than I was at the Kherrington elimination if Will doesn't win. I really think it's going to be Will vs Katee at the end of the finale.
I'm really happy the show is finally enjoyable to watch - though I'm getting tired of 4 Real - For real.
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Jul 24, 2008 10:53 AM
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I thought Cat and Mary were a little more subdued in appearance last night and looked great! I really enjoyed most of last night. It had several really good dances even if none were among the best of the season for me. I also enjoyed the background videos and more time spent on the practice floor. I suspect Chelsie comes from a different background and her partners are dealing with how she interacts (hitting from a petite girl = teenage flirtation to help break the ice before jumping on her partner in front of millions of people). I think I understand her, but I also understand how it might rub some viewers the wrong way.
Courtney & Will: I think Will dances beautifully and looks great. There are times when I think he tries to dance to get the attention when he should be framing his partner. However, this probably is fine for this type of competition. I thought the Samba was good, although I did notice that Will's hip movements were inconsistent. While Courtney looked slightly better on the Samba for me, I thought she did not do quite as well on the Hip-Hop. I felt Courtney played the role better, as I did not sense as much of a sensual connection from Will on the Samba. The earlier Nap-Tab choreography for Chelsie & Mark as he goes off to work was more touching for me (similarly with Josh leaving while Katee holds his jacket/shirt).
Katee & Twitch: I loved the kiss at the beginning of the piece. However, trying to analyze Twitch's dancing in the Contemporary piece is only slightly more productive than trying to analyze Mel Gibson's dancing in Hamlet. Well, maybe there was a little more dancing in the Mia Michaels contemporary piece, but you get the point. It was a good performance, however. I agreed with the judges that the Broadway piece was interesting and fun and better than many we have seen in the past. This was the best partnership for me. Like Nigel, I do not remember any time not really enjoying Katee (although this week's solo was a little flat for me).
Comfort & Mark: Comfort was great on the Hip Hop. Mark was not quite as hard-hitting, but he was great and far better than I expected. I enjoyed the props use and thought Comfort's flip over Mark was really wonderful. While Mark was certainly better on the Foxtrot, they both were not great. They are both improving and doing well. I also agree that her main limitation may be her attitude, which may prevent her from connecting with her partner (and the audience).
Chelsie & Joshua: Chelsie and Joshua did an awesomely hot Argentine Tango. I love how Joshua (unlike Will) helps bring the focus to his partner, where it should be in most ballroom dances. Actually, this may have been the best Ballroom piece of the season for me. I really do not like Disco with Doriana Sanchez. The choreography between the tricks is almost always less than stellar and I think this was proven to me, yet again. I agree that there were a number of things that I did not love about the Disco - there seemed to be a wierd stop early in the dance. Chelsie seemed to turn much, much better in one direction than in the other. However, there tricks were great and both of them really did awesome with this. I liked Chelsie's hair the most for her this season.
Solos: I want to say that I thought Comfort had her best planned solo, yet. It really seemed to better choreographed with the music this week. Perhaps she was working with Twitch. I thought Chelsie did a better job with her solo, especially showing great turns. Katee was good technically, but I think the best girl's solo may have been Courtney, who always shows emotion. Not a lot of dancing from Joshua, who I enjoy. Mark was good, but the best solo of the guys (and of the night) for me was Will. That was a lot of fun.
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Jul 24, 2008 11:12 AM
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I have to agree with others on here who can't stand Chelsies "off stage"/real life personality. Bringing duct tape to rehearsal in case Joshua opened his mouth too much? That girl has a serious ego problem. 19 years old? I hate to think what she'll be like in a few years. Or maybe it IS just that she's so young. Either way, it turns me off so much.
Last Night:
Will and Courtney
Samba - without a doubt she out-shined him in this piece. Courtney seems to have a knack for picking up ballroom pieces rather easily. While her technique isn't perfect, she has great hip movement and seems to flow easily with her partners. Will did a good job, too, I just found myself constantly watching Courtney
Hip Hop - I'm not sure what it was about this piece. I really enjoyed it, I think the movement was all there, they danced it well and I felt emotion. Maybe I just didn't feel their emotion together so much as I felt it separately. Good dance, definitely not my favorite of the night.
Twitch and Katee
Comtemp - I enjoyed it. I actually agreed with Toni when she said this was the perfect fit for Twitch, incorporating some funk into it. I think they did a great job, were invested in their characters and danced what they were given. People will complain that Twitch slid by with little dancing but that's not on him. That's on Mia. He took what he was given and made it his own.
Broadway - certainly not my favorite piece by Tyce but I liked it. Again, I found myself agreeing with Toni, about Katee needing to feel the vocals a little more. While I think Nigel had a point, they could have come off Broadway with that piece, Twitch definitely has better stage presence with this style.
Mark and Comfort
Hip Hop - this was one of my, if not the, favorite dances of the night. People are probably going to compare it to Benji and Travis's dance from S2 but really, the only similarity was the backpack/school theme. Comfort really shined in this piece and I think Mark held his own. NapTab did an excellent job with this and the dancers really pulled it off.
Foxtrot - I had heard from spoilers that the judges would tear them apart for this dance and, well, they did. I have to say, it was not the best ballroom dance on that stage but it was in no way as bad as those 2 made it out to be. I actually think it was the best ballroom Comforts done. Her toes were always pointed, she extended her legs to finish a move; everything the judges have previously criticized her on, she really seemed to take note.
Joshua and Chelsie
Argentine Tango - eh, didn't do much for me. I actually have to disagree with the judges, I think the AT Chelsie did with Mark was better than this. It wasn't bad, just not memorable.
Disco - again, eh. As someone else pointed out, I, too, noticed a bunch of errors and expected the judges to point them out. Of course, they didn't. The lifts were cool but there were too many of them. Poor Josh looked like he was going to pass out halfway through.
All in all, I thought it was a great show. I think the judges actually HATE when it gets to the Top 10 because it's out of their hands how the public votes. So they decide to let things slide for some couples (Josh and Chelsie) and then just bash others (Mark and Comfort), as it is the only way they can even remotely affect the outcome.
I could keep going but I think I'll end with this - the boards (not necessarily these) seem to be claiming foul because Comfort keeps getting Hip Hop yet no one comments that Katee keeps getting Contemporary. Sure Katee does well in other areas but, really? We’ve seen her dance comtemp more than any other dancer this season.
I'd say Comfort and Mark are going home tonight although if Chelsie went, I certainly wouldn’t be upset.
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Jul 24, 2008 11:13 AM
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I may be in the minority here, but I thought Will's solo was a total gimmick to "prove" that he's got personality (like when Ivan used the wheel sneakers for his solo). He didn't really do anything fantastic with it whatsoever (just sort of bobbed his head around the stage), and he's no Benji, that's for sure. There was, however, actual dancing involved in everyone else's solos.
As for the couple dances, can it be anymore obvious Nigel & Co. want Mark and Comfort out? First they gave Comfort another hip hop and then they gave them the awfully difficult Foxtrot, when they know very well Comfort sucks at partnering. The judges could barely even praise Mark/Comfort when they did well with their hip hop. It was like they were just aching to critize them, so when they did the Foxtrot they got a little too harsh.
My top three performances of the night were Katee/Twitch's contemporary (even though I'm so sick of seeing Katee getting contemporary/Broadway routines each week - seriously, when was the last time she got Ballroom/Latin or hip hop?), Mark/Comfort's hip hop and Katee/Twitch's Broadway.
I thought Joshua completely messed up the Argentine Tango with Chelsie. It would have been one of my favorites if Joshua had actually gotten the steps right. How convient that the judges didn't even seem to notice the faults on that routine.
I think the bottom four dancers will be Comfort/Courtney and Mark/Will. I would love to see Mark outlast Will, the judges' "golden boy", but if Nigel has his way, Comfort/Mark will be gone this week.
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Jul 24, 2008 11:28 AM
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I've seen several posts talking about how Comfort keeps getting hip-hop and Katee keeps getting contemporary and ballroom. It made me think of Season 2 Top 10 when Heidi kept getting paired with Travis and Benji over and over.
One thing about Comfort though - she's had more ballroom dances than hip-hop! She's had 3 hip-hop dances versus at least 4 ballroom dances (jive, waltz twice, foxtrot).
I think Katee has been given the widest range of dances - hip-hop, ballroom, contemporary, broadway, bollywood, pas de deux. Not that I'm complaining about that - I think she's by far the most talented girl this season.
And I think people need to stop hating on Chelsie's personality. Every week they point out that she's a tomboy and in all the family clips they show only brothers, no sisters. I would probably be the same way.
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Jul 24, 2008 11:47 AM
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