Evening all! Happy Canada Day to my fellow Canucks.
Here we are for the Top 14 performance show! Let’s get to it.
Our third judge for the evening is Mia Michaels, so this will prove to be an interesting show all around, I think! During the opening chat, after much baiting, she does admit that her feelings have changed about Brandon which was pretty much expected (at least by me). Even if she wasn't feeling it, I can't see the producers letting her go out there and say 'Yeah, I still think Brandon's crap.' Although, that would be ridiculously funny.
We’re getting down to fewer couples, so we can plan on a lot of filler tonight. The dancers will be commenting on ‘the road thus far’ and I’ll be fast forwarding through it. Again, I’m here for the dancing.
Alrighty, up first we have Brandon and Janette dancing a Cha Cha with Jean Marc and France. It’s supposed to be sassy and sexy. Janette looks like she’s taking a beating in rehearsal.
They’re dancing to ‘Hush Hush; Hush Hush’ by the Pussycat Dolls. It starts slow but picks up right away. They’re very sharp and right together. There’s this crazy multiple spin thing in the middle that’s very cool, but Brandon’s doing something weird with his non-spinning hand that was distracting to me.
Nigel thinks it was the best Cha Cha ever done on the show. He’s very enthusiastic about it. There’s a lot of effusive compliments. Mary is actually quiet to start and that throws me off. She’s really happy with Janette’s skill and can’t believe Brandon (in a good way). Oh, now she’s standing...screaming....train...suffering all around. Mia says she’s toughest on Brandon because there’s so much potential. I think that’s a bit of a cover for perhaps an overly bitchy response in Vegas, but nevertheless, it makes Brandon cry. She also says Janette was on fire and the performance from both was amazing.
Okay, so I’ve been so looking forward to this one since I heard about it. We’ve now got Kayla and Kupono doing a Sonya Tayeh Jazz piece. It’s dark and vampiresque and about death. Exactly my cup of tea!
The music is ‘Eyes on Fire’ by Blue Foundation which I couldn’t be happier about. Both dancers are really into it right from the get go. There’s plenty of lurching and shaking which is great, but what I like best are the points where they come to a complete stop, because they do it so well with no residual movement. Kayla’s lines are fantastic; at a couple of points it looks like her legs go on forever.
Nigel lists of all the pertinent vampire influences for Sonya and says Kupono’s a new man up there. He compliments a few difficult moves and says the partnership really works well. Mary thinks regardless of the theme, the dancers are alive and kicking. She compliments their transitions and chemistry together. They’re staying on the train. Mia thinks they’re both gorgeous and comments on the brilliant costuming and says this is Sonya’s best piece, which Sonya looks sincerely touched by. She compliments Kayla’s lines and the ‘picture’ she presents. She says Kupono keeps getting better and comments on his ‘calm power’.
Next up we’ve got Evan and Randi. They’ve got Broadway this week with Joey Dowling. It’s apparently not traditional musical theatre. It looks like Joey’s a bit of a ball buster. This could be a challenge.
E&R are dancing to ‘Rich Man’s Frug’ from Sweet Charity. Randi’s right into her part for sure, but I’m not getting as much enthusiasm from Evan, which is surprising. He looks a little too heavy and I tend to think Broadway as a little lighter. I do like how they’ve done his hair this week.
Nigel thinks the choreography was great. He says Randi did really well but was a little disappointed with Evan. Mary says they did fairly well and says they both got their characters really well. Mia says they have to do better to accommodate for their height. She doesn’t think they took it to the choreographer’s level.
Now we’ve got Caitlin and Jason with a Brian Friedman with a Pop Jazz piece. This is going to be an out there piece...it has to do with aliens and pro-creating. Oooookaaay.
They’re dancing to ‘Creator’ by Santigold. I definitely don’t think Caitlin’s outfit is going to help anything. They’re both very together and strong. This is definitely going to be one of those pieces that not everyone gets. It’s weird for sure, but I can do weird. I like it.
Nigel says it was weird but they both committed themselves 100%. He comments on Caitlin’s costume calling it a dancing condom and he says condom in that way that the Brits do with the emphasis on the last syllable: con-DOM. Funny. Mary doesn’t get it clearly, but she still loves them and hopes they aren’t in trouble. Cat asks Mia for her critique and sounds especially interested because Mia’s “known to ‘go there’”. Hee. Mia thinks it was just out-there and fun, but she doesn’t like the tin-foil. She says they danced it well.
Phillip and Jeanine are up now with a Hip Hop piece from Tabitha and Napoleon. The dancers are locked together with a chain. I get the feeling that this will be less ‘lyrical’ than we’re used to seeing from T&N.
Appropriately, they’re dancing to ‘Love Lockdown’ by Kanye West. I’ll restrain my eye roll for now. Here’s where I think any partner would be kinda screwed being partnered with Phillip for a hip hop routine: Phillip’s pops are so amazingly sharp that anyone else’s are going to look sloppy. And Jeanine’ s do. All in all it’s a great piece though and they both do really well. Very hard hitting.
Nigel gives them a rave and says they’re a great pair. Mary thinks it was a fabulous routine and gives them credit for doing well with the prop. She says it’s going to be sad when these two are no longer partners. Mia says she got caught up in the ‘chain-ography’ and found it took away from the piece overall. She still thinks they did a great job.
In a moment of chit chat, Jeanine makes a comment about having chains all over their apartment and doesn’t clue in to the connotation with that statement until everyone starts laughing. Phillip tries to clear up the misconception, but I think it’s too late. Quite funny.
Drawing the second to last spot is Melissa and Ade with a Pas De Deux by Thordal Christensen.
I’m just going to take a second here and say, can we all acknowledge that the ‘random’ dance picks are not really random at all. Seriously, would the producers (and I’m looking at you, Nigel) have let, oh I don’t know, Phillip and Jeanine pick the Pas De Deux? Really? No. Wouldn’t happen. I’m hardly a conspiracy theorist, but I think we can all agree that there’s a little more orchestration going on behind the scenes than they’d like us to believe.
Aaanyway, the dance is a piece from Romeo and Juliet - ‘Prokofiev’s Suite No. 1 Op. 64b, 6th Movement’. I think I got that right. Melissa’s lovely in this, as she should be, and Ade is pretty equally impressive. His lifts are great and his leaps are done well. I’m hardly one to critique technique, but it all looks good to me.
Nigel thinks it was beautifully danced. He compliments Melissa, and while Ade’s feet need work, says his carriage was excellent. He also says this was a really big first for the show which has me confused. Didn’t Katee and someone do one of these last season? Oh well. Mary loved it and says their chemistry was excellent. Mia is excited about how well this piece was danced and she loves that it was a black and white Romeo and Juliet. She says it was bourgeois.
Before we get to the last couple, we’ve got a public service announcement for the Dizzy Feet Foundation. There’s lots of testimonials from all the choreographers and judges and Katie Holmes! Ahhh...that explains why Katie’s doing the dance on the 100th episode or whatever. It’s all good stuff by the sounds of it.
Finally we’ve got Karla and Vitolio with a Quick Step. Jean Marc’s doing the choreography again and I’m crossing my fingers for them. It looks like they’re having fun with it.
They’re dancing to ‘Puttin’ on the Ritz’ by Rufus Wainwright. So far so good. They’re together and bright and seem fairly smooth. The frame seems strong and the energy’s really good. Huh. Not as good as Nico and Nattali’s, but they seemed to do a great job.
Nigel says there were a lot of good things about the piece and says it was really entertaining. Overall it was very good. Mary says they brought the whole thing to life. She says Vitolio did a great job and says Karla was beautiful. Mia says Jean Marc is a genius. I agree. She says they both stepped up and did really well. Is anyone else noticing how unimpressed Karla seems with Vitolio?
So, that’s the end for tonight. Really tough to say who’s going to be in the bottom this week. I’m thinking probably Evan and Randi. Based on the weird factor, I’d say Caitlin and Jason are probably there too which could be real trouble for both of them. As for the third spot, I’d say it’s really luck of the draw. We’re at the point where nearly half of the dancers are going to be in the bottom, so it’s pretty much inevitable that a couple that was really good is going to end up there regardless.
We’ll just have to wait and see. I’ll be back tomorrow night for the recap. See you then.
Cheers!
Here we are for the Top 14 performance show! Let’s get to it.
Our third judge for the evening is Mia Michaels, so this will prove to be an interesting show all around, I think! During the opening chat, after much baiting, she does admit that her feelings have changed about Brandon which was pretty much expected (at least by me). Even if she wasn't feeling it, I can't see the producers letting her go out there and say 'Yeah, I still think Brandon's crap.' Although, that would be ridiculously funny.
We’re getting down to fewer couples, so we can plan on a lot of filler tonight. The dancers will be commenting on ‘the road thus far’ and I’ll be fast forwarding through it. Again, I’m here for the dancing.
Alrighty, up first we have Brandon and Janette dancing a Cha Cha with Jean Marc and France. It’s supposed to be sassy and sexy. Janette looks like she’s taking a beating in rehearsal.
They’re dancing to ‘Hush Hush; Hush Hush’ by the Pussycat Dolls. It starts slow but picks up right away. They’re very sharp and right together. There’s this crazy multiple spin thing in the middle that’s very cool, but Brandon’s doing something weird with his non-spinning hand that was distracting to me.
Nigel thinks it was the best Cha Cha ever done on the show. He’s very enthusiastic about it. There’s a lot of effusive compliments. Mary is actually quiet to start and that throws me off. She’s really happy with Janette’s skill and can’t believe Brandon (in a good way). Oh, now she’s standing...screaming....train...suffering all around. Mia says she’s toughest on Brandon because there’s so much potential. I think that’s a bit of a cover for perhaps an overly bitchy response in Vegas, but nevertheless, it makes Brandon cry. She also says Janette was on fire and the performance from both was amazing.
Okay, so I’ve been so looking forward to this one since I heard about it. We’ve now got Kayla and Kupono doing a Sonya Tayeh Jazz piece. It’s dark and vampiresque and about death. Exactly my cup of tea!
The music is ‘Eyes on Fire’ by Blue Foundation which I couldn’t be happier about. Both dancers are really into it right from the get go. There’s plenty of lurching and shaking which is great, but what I like best are the points where they come to a complete stop, because they do it so well with no residual movement. Kayla’s lines are fantastic; at a couple of points it looks like her legs go on forever.
Nigel lists of all the pertinent vampire influences for Sonya and says Kupono’s a new man up there. He compliments a few difficult moves and says the partnership really works well. Mary thinks regardless of the theme, the dancers are alive and kicking. She compliments their transitions and chemistry together. They’re staying on the train. Mia thinks they’re both gorgeous and comments on the brilliant costuming and says this is Sonya’s best piece, which Sonya looks sincerely touched by. She compliments Kayla’s lines and the ‘picture’ she presents. She says Kupono keeps getting better and comments on his ‘calm power’.
Next up we’ve got Evan and Randi. They’ve got Broadway this week with Joey Dowling. It’s apparently not traditional musical theatre. It looks like Joey’s a bit of a ball buster. This could be a challenge.
E&R are dancing to ‘Rich Man’s Frug’ from Sweet Charity. Randi’s right into her part for sure, but I’m not getting as much enthusiasm from Evan, which is surprising. He looks a little too heavy and I tend to think Broadway as a little lighter. I do like how they’ve done his hair this week.
Nigel thinks the choreography was great. He says Randi did really well but was a little disappointed with Evan. Mary says they did fairly well and says they both got their characters really well. Mia says they have to do better to accommodate for their height. She doesn’t think they took it to the choreographer’s level.
Now we’ve got Caitlin and Jason with a Brian Friedman with a Pop Jazz piece. This is going to be an out there piece...it has to do with aliens and pro-creating. Oooookaaay.
They’re dancing to ‘Creator’ by Santigold. I definitely don’t think Caitlin’s outfit is going to help anything. They’re both very together and strong. This is definitely going to be one of those pieces that not everyone gets. It’s weird for sure, but I can do weird. I like it.
Nigel says it was weird but they both committed themselves 100%. He comments on Caitlin’s costume calling it a dancing condom and he says condom in that way that the Brits do with the emphasis on the last syllable: con-DOM. Funny. Mary doesn’t get it clearly, but she still loves them and hopes they aren’t in trouble. Cat asks Mia for her critique and sounds especially interested because Mia’s “known to ‘go there’”. Hee. Mia thinks it was just out-there and fun, but she doesn’t like the tin-foil. She says they danced it well.
Phillip and Jeanine are up now with a Hip Hop piece from Tabitha and Napoleon. The dancers are locked together with a chain. I get the feeling that this will be less ‘lyrical’ than we’re used to seeing from T&N.
Appropriately, they’re dancing to ‘Love Lockdown’ by Kanye West. I’ll restrain my eye roll for now. Here’s where I think any partner would be kinda screwed being partnered with Phillip for a hip hop routine: Phillip’s pops are so amazingly sharp that anyone else’s are going to look sloppy. And Jeanine’ s do. All in all it’s a great piece though and they both do really well. Very hard hitting.
Nigel gives them a rave and says they’re a great pair. Mary thinks it was a fabulous routine and gives them credit for doing well with the prop. She says it’s going to be sad when these two are no longer partners. Mia says she got caught up in the ‘chain-ography’ and found it took away from the piece overall. She still thinks they did a great job.
In a moment of chit chat, Jeanine makes a comment about having chains all over their apartment and doesn’t clue in to the connotation with that statement until everyone starts laughing. Phillip tries to clear up the misconception, but I think it’s too late. Quite funny.
Drawing the second to last spot is Melissa and Ade with a Pas De Deux by Thordal Christensen.
I’m just going to take a second here and say, can we all acknowledge that the ‘random’ dance picks are not really random at all. Seriously, would the producers (and I’m looking at you, Nigel) have let, oh I don’t know, Phillip and Jeanine pick the Pas De Deux? Really? No. Wouldn’t happen. I’m hardly a conspiracy theorist, but I think we can all agree that there’s a little more orchestration going on behind the scenes than they’d like us to believe.
Aaanyway, the dance is a piece from Romeo and Juliet - ‘Prokofiev’s Suite No. 1 Op. 64b, 6th Movement’. I think I got that right. Melissa’s lovely in this, as she should be, and Ade is pretty equally impressive. His lifts are great and his leaps are done well. I’m hardly one to critique technique, but it all looks good to me.
Nigel thinks it was beautifully danced. He compliments Melissa, and while Ade’s feet need work, says his carriage was excellent. He also says this was a really big first for the show which has me confused. Didn’t Katee and someone do one of these last season? Oh well. Mary loved it and says their chemistry was excellent. Mia is excited about how well this piece was danced and she loves that it was a black and white Romeo and Juliet. She says it was bourgeois.
Before we get to the last couple, we’ve got a public service announcement for the Dizzy Feet Foundation. There’s lots of testimonials from all the choreographers and judges and Katie Holmes! Ahhh...that explains why Katie’s doing the dance on the 100th episode or whatever. It’s all good stuff by the sounds of it.
Finally we’ve got Karla and Vitolio with a Quick Step. Jean Marc’s doing the choreography again and I’m crossing my fingers for them. It looks like they’re having fun with it.
They’re dancing to ‘Puttin’ on the Ritz’ by Rufus Wainwright. So far so good. They’re together and bright and seem fairly smooth. The frame seems strong and the energy’s really good. Huh. Not as good as Nico and Nattali’s, but they seemed to do a great job.
Nigel says there were a lot of good things about the piece and says it was really entertaining. Overall it was very good. Mary says they brought the whole thing to life. She says Vitolio did a great job and says Karla was beautiful. Mia says Jean Marc is a genius. I agree. She says they both stepped up and did really well. Is anyone else noticing how unimpressed Karla seems with Vitolio?
So, that’s the end for tonight. Really tough to say who’s going to be in the bottom this week. I’m thinking probably Evan and Randi. Based on the weird factor, I’d say Caitlin and Jason are probably there too which could be real trouble for both of them. As for the third spot, I’d say it’s really luck of the draw. We’re at the point where nearly half of the dancers are going to be in the bottom, so it’s pretty much inevitable that a couple that was really good is going to end up there regardless.
We’ll just have to wait and see. I’ll be back tomorrow night for the recap. See you then.
Cheers!
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