So You Think You Can Dance Canada - The Final Four!

Wow. The Final Four. Hard to believe we've blown through a full season.

The entire Top 20 are with us tonight, with 16 of them watching from the balcony above.

We are informed right off the top that the Season Finale will NOT be tomorrow night, but instead will be aired on Sunday night. Damn! I was so looking forward to watching it with Kim and signing off the season together. It just seemed... fitting. Oh well - maybe we'll go catch a movie tomorrow night instead!

Our judges tonight are Luther Brown, Blake McGrath, Tre Armstrong - looking very glittery and shakin' her thang all over the stage, and of course, JM.

The Top 4 are greeted with the treat of Dan Karaty, here to choreograph the night's group number. It's a hip hop, quirky street jazz piece, on the mad hatter side... and Nico informs us that it's very natural to him to look a bit twisted. Miles says he's tired.

The song is Genesis by Justice and the guys are decked out entirely in red suits, complete with red top hots. They are both wearing eyeliner, just for Kim I'm sure. Natalli and Allie hold their own completely and the overall effect is fantastic.

This is a very cool number.



Luther gives a shout out to Dan and gives props to the dancers. It's been 9 weeks of non-stop dancing, and it's as much a competition of endurance as it is anything else. Blake says they were great in spite of all their injuries and congratulates them all.

Tre has a secret for us - Leah has won a Gemini for... I actually didn't catch exactly for what, but possibly for being hot? She goes on to tell the group that they have all developed into beautiful and versatile dancers. JM says Leah is not only hot, but also smart. Much like his wife. That's always a wise move. He also tells us that we have made SYTYCDC the new #1 show in Canada.

The first duo of the night is Natalli and Nico doing a salsa. Imagine Natalli getting salsa!

Choreographed by Gustavo Vargas, we have another briefcase number. Before they start we learn that Nico is very talented at... making noises. He acknowledges he had a lot of time on his hands as a kid.

Dancing to La Pelota by Ray Baretto, Natalli comes out looking really hot all dressed up in business attire. Very similar to how I dress for work, in fact.

This is a piece that seems very complex, lots of twists and turns and tricks - and ack! They kissed, but apparently it was an accident.



Luther tells them they look good together and that 'y'all move with ease'. And even though Nico is not a salsa dude, Natalli is a beast and they both bring the passion. Blake tries to fake them out, but ends up confessing that they were strong, hard and sexy. Tells them both that they are sex on the floor. There are so many comments for me to make, but I want everyone to please note that I have chosen to be graceful and I will just leave it at that.

Tre loved it and said that they both conquered the minor details. They have her heart for life. JM calls them the dream team. He says that Nico can handle any lady, and with a lot of flava... and again, I am just going to smile. He commented that the lead and follow could have been a bit tighter, but it was all good.

Time for some recaps and solos, with Allie up first.

Have we seen a lot a recaps this season or is it just me...?

Allie dances her solo to Hide and Seek by Imogen Heap. Donning her usual tutu, this was a good piece. She really does have great extensions.



Luther calls her a joy and then seems to get all bashful. Blake says she's the heart of the competition. Tre is all emotional and tells her she is beautiful and that her technique is flawless. JM feels she has transformed the most.

Miles is our next recap and solo, danced to I Can Make You Dance by Slick Dogg. He's still got the eyeliner on. He must have read Kim's last post.



Luther feels that Miles is the most improved dancer of the season. Blake tells him that he is the funkiest white boy he knows, other than himself and JM, and that he has endless potential. Tre says she would vote him the most entertaining dancer of the season and calls his hand isolation brilliant. JM calls him the Renaissance Man.

Our next couple of the night are Natalli and Miles, dancing to Let's Get Dirty by Redmen, and choreographed by Sho-Tyme.

As I'm watching I can tell this piece is a bit out of time, which seems to happen quite a lot in hip hop. But to be honest, I'm going to have to go back and watch again, because I really did not see Miles butcher it to the level he obviously thinks he has. His stricken face throughout the judging absolutely breaks my heart, and I give a shout out to Natalli for standing by him with such concern, because he is seriously melting down.



The judges all go well out of their way to try and get him back on track and yes, you screwed this one up, but no one is going to die, and Blake implores Miles to get that look off his face and just roll with it. He's got a couple more numbers ahead of him and he needs to shake it off.

Allie and Nico are up next with contemporary. And imagine THAT one. It'll be nice to see Nico be given the chance to do this type of dancing, because he really hasn't been given the opport... oh... wait... sorry. Nico getting contemporary is kind of like Natalli getting salsa.

However, we are learning a lot about Nico this week - he is apparently deaf in one ear.

To a piece choreographed by Stacey Tookey, they dance to Permanent by David Cook. I think this may be one of my favorite contemporary numbers of the year. By the end, pretty much everyone is crying.



Luther says it was seamless, with them flowing in and out of spirituality. Blake says it was Stacey's best work all season and calls it a breath of fresh air.

Tre is crying and gives them a standing O. She says they danced as a unit and they were brilliant. JM is extremely emotional and tells them they are very special, inspirational.

Back to recaps and solos with Natalli.

She dances to Spanish Lesson by Madonna, and I have to say this is my favorite of all her solos this year. Way to work that skirt, it was awesome! Worth posting, and I normally don't post solos.



Luther agrees that is was her best solo so far, and says that she's really pulled through. Blake commends her on having a different style of solo week after week and calls her a sexy wild child.

Tre says she's a superstar and that no one should hold her down. JM calls her a gypsy and a diva, and the most unique dancer in Canada.

And Nico. Mon Dieu. My crush on him grows deeper and deeper each week.

He does his solo to Blue Orchids by The White Stripes and it is raw and sexy, and just... Nico. Okay, I'll post this one too. Damn. To be fair, I'll go back and post the other solos.



Luther tells him he is every choreographers dream come true, and likely the most popular dancer on the show. Blake says that he has murdered everything he has been given this season, and that he is a blessing to work with. He asks Nico to pick him up some day in his new Mercedes.

Tre says she loves his positive, confident swagger, and that he is technically sound. JM says he is a sexy rock star, masculine and raw, and a true inspiration.

Then my phone rang and it was Kim calling from Las Vegas to see how the show was going and to say - ahem - that she had seen my previous posting... so I missed this one, and now must go back and watch it. So that's what I'm going to go and do.

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Alright, I'm back, and I took a few minutes to re-watch the Miles and Natalli hip hop piece. And yes, indeed, Miles did forget a portion of it, which was fairly obvious when you were looking for it. And at this stage of the game, he knows that's not cool... I suspect he will judge himself harder and longer than any of the judges ever will.

Now back to regularly scheduled blogging.

We have a theatre piece with Allie and Miles choreographed by Sean Cheesman performed to Move (You're Steppin' on my Heart) from Dreamgirls.

It's a battle of the remote control, and another battle of the sexes. I thought this one was fun, and that Miles really pulled himself together.



Luther gives a shout out to Sean and says it was a really cool concept. While some of the movements were a bit short, he enjoyed it overall, and commends Miles for stepping up. Blake also thanks Miles for getting back in the game, and that he enjoyed it a little, but not a lot. He didn't feel they owned the stage.

Tre says she enjoyed it - it was fun and lighthearted and that they had a great connection. She also comments on Miles comeback. JM said that the energy was cool, and that the stage and the audience loves them. He then goes on to make some comment about men owning the remote control, and for a moment I fear for him, as I think Tre really might beat him up. She's really very tall, so much taller than him.

And now for the interesting combinations - usually my favorite of the season. We start off with Natalli and Allie and they are dancing Go Go.

It's a piece choreographed by Melissa Williams and danced to Drums a Go-Go - sorry, I didn't catch who does that song.

The girls begin by dancing up on the tower and then work their way down the stairs and onto a platform. I'm thinking the guys will be loving this one. It's kind of interesting, but perhaps not that strong.



Luther is not really sure, but I think overall he wasn't blown away by it. Blake says they looked hot, but agrees with Luther and says they needed to command it. He didn't love it.

Tre says they didn't maximize the potential of the piece, and that it was good, but not great. JM loved it. Of course he did. He goes on to imitate Austin Powers, and I'm not sure he should do this again. He says it was fantastic - go-go boots, go-go dresses and go-go two girls. Huh.

The last number of the night is the two guys. I always, always think of the fantastic piece Mia Michaels put together a couple of seasons ago with Neil and Danny (danced to Are You the One? by the Presets - which I still listen to on a regular basis) when it's time for the two guys to dance together. Nothing has measured up since for me.

This one is a Capoeira choreographed by Paul Becker danced to A Amizade/Sacode A Poeira by Mestro Barrao (sorry if I butchered that!). And my oh my. They are both shirtless. What a way to end the night...

By the way, I looked up Capoeira and it is "an Afro-Brazilian art form that ritualizes movement from martial arts, games and dance. It was brought from Brazil to Angola sometime after the 16th century... The game is marked by fluid acrobatic play, feints and extensive use of sweeps, kicks and headbutts..." All this from Wikipedia.

I seriously cannot imagine how difficult this would be to pull off this late in the season. They are all utterly exhausted, and this piece looks like it would require so much strength.

They start off holding poses that make my muscles quiver at the mere thought of it. This one is full of funky moves, full of control. Very cool.



Me and Luther, again on the same page - he acknowledges the difficulty of this dance, especially at the end of the season. He says they smashed it. Blake says he's so proud to be a male dancer because of them.

Tre says she was entertained and that they gave the moves pure justice. JM makes a Stanley Cup reference I didn't quite get and then goes on to tell them it was a beautiful, well orchestrated fight. It blow his socks off. And to prove it, he showed us his socks.

And we're done for the night.

The judges do a recap. Luther - "proud". Blake - "blessed". Tre - "exceeded all my expectations". JM - "thank you for bringing your heart, soul and craft to this stage".

Nothing now until Sunday night - can't believe we have to wait this long to see Nico - I mean, the winner crowned Canada's favorite dancer!

Please take a moment to read the next posting, and since you're already in the voting groove (cuz I KNOW you all voted tonight, right? Right Canada?), please feel free to vote on our latest poll. Help bring Harry Potter to Kim!