SYTYCDC - Top 18 Performance!

Surprise surprise! A little earlier than I originally expected, here is your Top 18 performance show recap!

Whew, Leah’s hair is much better this week. Cute dress too. Whatever she had happening last week definitely didn’t work.

After the dancer intros (where Emanuel does some creepy staring, which I’m sure he thinks was alluring) we meet our judges for the night; joining Jean Marc and Tre this week are Mary Murphy and Luther Brown. Oh, I hope Jean Marc has toned down the uppers this week or it’s going to be a particularly loud show. I think Tre looks amazing tonight, like a 50's movie star!

First up are Melanie M. and Cody. They’ve pulled Krump with Lil’ C! Yay! I definitely noticed that this style was missing from the last season of SYTYCD US. Looks like Melanie’s definitely got a handle on this which is....surprising.

They’re dancing to ‘Buck N’ Roll’ by Tha J-Squad. ‘Kay, I gotta say it. Melanie is kicking the shit out of this thing! Cody’s not doing bad either, but Christ on crutches, whoever woulda thought that little wisp of a girl would rock this style! Nice routine (it feels wrong to use the word ‘nice’ when talking about krump, but whatever) and really well danced by both. This one was good, better than I expected... and wow did Melanie ever kick it!





Mary thought they were terrific. She thinks Cody was good but not great, but she raves about Melanie. Luther says Melanie was bucc, and thought Cody was pretty good. Tre (who’s got killer hair tonight) says Melanie was a star and saw Cody’s swagger. Jean Marc thinks Cody needs to be more gangster and that Melanie is a super dancer.

Up next is Everett and Tara Jean and they’ve got Salsa with Tony and Melanie (helped out by Natalli and Francis from last season). Looks like it’s going to be full of lifts and plenty of steam.

They’re dancing to ‘Ana Pa’ Mi Tambor’ by La Excelencia. Well, they definitely didn’t lose any of the wardrobe budget on Tara Jean’s outfit. I’m not sure if Tara Jean is fully in touch with ‘sultry’ yet. They’re a little stiff...some of the lifts seem a little...calculated, like they’re afraid of them. There’s some stutters here and there too. It was okay, a concerted effort for sure. A for effort. I thought it had some awkward moments as well, and wasn't totally blown away by it...





Mary says it was ‘really somethin’ and calls Tara a hot tamale. Everett was there for her every step of the way. Oh we’ve got screaming and the bleeding train is back. Luther thinks Tara Jean really stepped up and Everett was good when he had his hands on her ‘situation’. Hee. You don’t see Luther get flustered often. Tre is aroused and I’ve got nothing to say about that. Jean Marc’s back with the ‘COME ON’s. Tara was hot and Everett was in control the whole way through. They’re on the VD list. You mean... V... I... D... don't you...?

Leah’s got some news! For tomorrow night’s group routine, we’ll have a Bollywood number choreographed by Longinus Fernandes (fantastic name!) who worked on Slumdog Millionaire. Sheesh! Canada’s getting the big guns this year!

Back to business, we’ve now got Emanuel and Kim. They’ve got Theatre with Sean Cheesman about a ‘ditzy’ girl with a bad boyfriend. Oh dear. Poor Kim is spending a lot of time in the area of Emanuel’s ass during rehearsals.

They’re dancing to ‘Maybe This Time’ by Connie Fisher. Alright, I’ll admit it. Emanuel is doing really good with this. Although I do think the part of the arrogant prick is somewhat familiar to him. Seriously though, he’s doing well. Until he nails Kim in the face. Hopefully there’s no blood spilt this week. Kim’s doing equally well. Lots of good here all around. Sigh. I kind of feel like I'm coming around with Emanuel... I mean, his dancing is fantastic, virtually without flaw... and... he actually seems to be holding back the attitude, which has really been the problem all along for me... I'm not convinced yet that it's genuine, so I am reserving full judgment a little while longer.





Mary thought it was really terrific. She praises Emanuel’s abilities and says Kim rocked it. Luther says this showed us why Emanuel is here and says that Kim is one of his favourites. She was quirky and fun. Tre says Kim is a powerhouse and loves Emanuel. Jean Marc says they’re both artists. He says they’re both amazing and beautiful.

Back from the break, dancing next is Vincent and Amy who’ve drawn Contemporary this week with Blake! Can’t wait to see what he’s doing. It’s a dark love story about an obsessive, controlling partner.

Song selection is ‘When You Say My Name’ by Mario Spinetti. Wait, are they going to make Amy dance the whole thing with duct tape on her mouth?? And I’m not sure I get Vincent’s makeup. Costuming aside, they’re both right into this piece. Oh good, they took the duct tape off. Really great choreography here and they both danced it really, really well. I really liked the costuming in this one, very dramatic. And I must say - this, in my opinion? The best thing Blake has ever done. Loved. It.





Mary thought it was remarkable and memorable and they danced it so well and made it believable. Luther was speechless and says they made every detail so big. He says it was a brilliant piece. Tre says it was wrong and strong - and I actually get what she’s getting at here. The wrongness of it all made it exactly right. Jean Marc is choked up. He says they embraced Blake and brought it to another level.

Now we’ve got Daniel and Jayme Rae. They’ve got Dance Hall this week with Jaeblaze. They’re going to have to get grimy and into it.

They’re dancing to ‘So Fine’ by Sean Paul. They’re completely together in this. Jayme Rae’s definitely got ‘hot’ down pat. Daniel may be a little lacking in the ‘grimy’ department, but they’re both hitting it. Really well done. I was alright with this one... I must say Dance Hall just doesn't quite... I don't know! I guess I don't really know what I'm looking for!





Mary’s not familiar with the style, but she loved it. Luther says they committed to it and and thought it was fresh. Daniel’s creeping his way to the top and Jayme Rae’s a beast. Tre’s doing an awful lot of grunting tonight. Methinks someone needs to get laid post haste. She says they passed with flying colours on this one. We get another ‘COME ON’ from Jean Marc. He gives them VD for last week (he forgot) and this week too! A double dose of VD! Yay!

Corynne and Anthony are on deck now with a Paso Doble by Tony and Melanie. From the rehearsal piece Anthony’s definitely got this in the bag. Hopefully Corynne can step up too.

They’re dancing to ‘Fuego’ by Bond. Carra’s going to love that skirt. I TOTALLY loved the skirt!! In fact, it was the very first thing I wrote down... "LOVE skirt!!!!" They’re doing well, the lifts are good and they’re together and OH! They totally bailed! And not even on a lift! It looked like maybe Anthony tripped on her skirt during that dragging thing. They get right back up and keep going and finish on time (at least it appeared so to me). I played that one back, and it looked like he just got caught in the momentum and went over... They were moving so fast, and I think he just lost his balance. Damn. Until then, I thought they were doing really well.





Mary insinuates that it was in fact costume issues that caused the trip up. She credits them for being able to pick it right back up which is apparently difficult to do with the Paso Doble. She says aside from the fall, they were hot. Luther reiterates what Mary had to say and says they did a good job. Tre critiques Corynne’s running but says overall she was good. Anthony was strong and pulled it together. Jean Marc doesn’t make mention of the fall and praises them on a lot of technicalities.

Next up is Nicolas and Jenna Lynn doing Hip Hop with Sho Tyme. Jenna Lynn is having some issues but Nicolas thinks she’s up to it.

‘Blast Off’ by G. Dep, Loon, Mark Curry & P. Diddy& The Bad Boy Family is the song selection for this piece. Nicolas’ definitely in his comfort zone here. Jenna Lynn’s hitting it hard too although she seems to lose a little oomph about half way through. Overall really well done. I thought the music worked really well for this one, and yeah, Nicolas looks so natural here, it's great!





Mary says Nicolas did a great job and says ‘way to hang in there’ to Jenna Lynn. Luther gives much credit to Nicolas for getting all the bits and pieces in between the tricks. He says Jenna Lynn needs to get into it more and focus more. Tre says Nicolas was amazing and he was in it. She says he outdanced Jenna Lynn. Jean Marc gives a COME ON for Sho Tyme and the choreography. He loved Jenna Lynn and was convinced. He says Nicolas is very very special.

Second to last is Danny and Natalie. They’ve drawn Jazz with Melissa Williams. Danny looks like he’s getting his ass kicked in rehearsals.

They’re dancing to ‘Please Don’t Leave Me’ by P!nk. Natalie is clearly having a lot of fun with this. She’s right into it. Danny’s great too, right there with all the catches and grabs...and it does get grabby. They’re just attacking it. Great routine. Well done. Having trouble choosing a favorite tonight, there really have been a couple of fantastic ones, and this is sure one of them. I thought it was freaking fantastic, I was riveted the whole way through.





Mary says they had lots of passion and they were so committed. She says she expected more from Danny but his passion covered it. She was surprised by Natalie. Luther praises Natalie for putting everything into it. He says Danny’s dope but needs to take it further. Tre says it was special. She says Natalie was beautiful and Danny was very strong. Jean Marc says Natalie embodied it and says Danny is an amazing dancer.

Finally we’ve got Austin and Melanie B. who are a new couple this week. They’ve picked the Smooth Waltz with Danny Quilliam this week. There’s lots of spinning in this one and if Melanie doesn’t control the ticklishness, they’re going to have trouble with the lifts.

They’re dancing to ‘Nights In White Satin (Notte di Luce) by Il Divo. Melanie’s dress is lovely. The piece is very dramatic. Perhaps not quite as smooth as it could be. They’ve both got the performance factor down, though I foresee some nitpicks about technique. The beginning was cool with the dress and the fans and the music, very impactive.





Mary says the setting was beautiful, but the dancing wasn’t as strong as it should be. Melanie was bunched up in parts but was shocked by Austin. Luther says it showed that Austin put his heart in it, but he expected more from Melanie. Tre says the entertainment value was high and praises Austin for his ability to pick up the genre but wanted more from Melanie. Jean Marc says they had a ‘big overture, but a little show’ and he’s not happy about it. Melanie needed to bring more and Austin did pretty good. So definitely not a rave there.

That’s a wrap for tonight. There was definitely more energy from the dancers this week. They all definitely seemed more comfortable with the arena this week.

As to bottom three, I’d say Austin and Melanie B. are a pretty safe bet. Everett and Tara Jean maybe and maybe Corynne and Anthony because of the fall. All the rest were really excellent. If my bottom three guess is right, I’d say Melanie B. should be seriously worried, tough to say for the guys. I think you are probably gonna get this one right...

We’ll just have to wait and see. Carra’s back with the results show recap and a recap of the So You Think You Can Dance US special tomorrow night. As of next week, we’ll be juggling two separate SYTYCD’s...you’ll probably see some more guest blogging from Carly once that starts so we don’t go completely insane with scheduling!

Until tomorrow folks! Cheers! x2!