TV Review: So You Think You Can Dance - 9/14/05

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

So You Think You Can Dance came at us this week with an hour long program that was fast paced and full of great dancing. On this show, we saw two more go home, leaving the competition now down to eight. Competition was certainly hot and heavy.

Before we get to the competition, let's talk about which of the four dancers set for elimination last week were sent home. America had been given the choice between Destini and Melody on the female side, and for the males they had to choose between Jamile and Ryan. All excellent dancers, but America voted for their favorites, and in the end Ryan and Destini were sent packing.

I agree with America's decision. Ryan had been wonderful early on, but it was clear that as the competition continued, he didn't have the technique and versatility to keep up. When it comes to Destini, she might have some skill, but not enough to keep up at this point in the game. Her attitude might also have hurt her in the voting.

In order to fit everything into an abbreviated sixty-minute broadcast, the format of the show was changed just a bit. The weekly showing of dance preparations before the actual performances were cut, and the judges commentary was saved until after each couple's second performance. Other than that, the format remained the same. The random selection process stayed, and this week the men chose their partner, and the female chose one dance style. The male then chose the second.

During the actual competition, it was obvious each of the dancers had put a lot into their performances. Week after week, the male dancers have stood out. Nick, Blake and Artem all perform well. On the female side, Melody stands out for me, but each of the females perform well here.

This week, we saw Melody partnered up with someone that can match her technique wise. Previous weeks, her partner had hurt her in the competition, and this had led her to being in the bottom couples the last few weeks. Blake was her partner this week, and they selected lyrical and disco as their styles.

Blake and Melody are both lyrical dancers, so it is no surprise they did well with the style on tonight's show. Their disco was also fun and they received high praise from the judges. As I suspected, Melody's leg wasn't lifted once during her performances. Last week, one of the judges had made comment about her using her leg so much in her dancing.

Once all four couples performed, the judges had to select two of the four couples for elimination. Judges found this difficult, and there was disagreement when it came to the selection. Conflicts had also arisen during the judges comments earlier in the show, and it is plain to see things are definitely getting more heated at this stage.

Even though all the couples did well, the judges did find fault with at least one of their performances. The only couple with high marks all around was Melody and Blake. Since this is a competition, the judges had to make a decision. That decision put up Artem, Ashle, Jamile and Melissa up for elimination. It is up to America to decide which two of these four goes home next week.

During the forty-five second solos, Artem blew the audience away with his performance. Artem has danced well each week, and it would shock me if he were sent home. Jamile also performed well here, but it is starting to become apparent he doesn't have the versatility needed at this stage of the competition to continue on.

Melissa and Ashle are harder to choose between. Early on in the competition, I was wondering how long Ashle would last. I never expected her to be here at this point, but she is. With each week, she has shown improvement. Melissa, on the other hand, has done well consistently. They are both similar in style, and they both have performed well. Forced to choose, I would send Ashle packing.

This episode of So You Think You Can Dance didn't stop. For sixty minutes it came at you hard and fast. The dancers looked amazing, and I am definitely looking forward to seeing what happens next week.

We only have three more weeks until we know who wins this competition. What do you think America? Are your favorites still in the game or have they been sent on their way? Let me know what you think.

Music used on tonight's show


Set I:
Nick/Kamiliah - Mambo - Mambo Cool by Ernesto Marquez and his orchestra
Blake/Melody - Lyrical - Heaven by DJ Sammy
Artem/Ashle - Foxtrot - Fever by Michael Buble
Jamile/Melissa - Hip-hop - Can't stop, won't by young Gunz

Set II:
Nick/Kamilah - Contemporary - King of pain by the The Police
Artem/Ashle - Cha cha - El Sabroso Son by La Palabra
Blake/Melody - Disco - You should be dancing by Bee Gees
Jamile/Melissa - Pasa Double - Spanish Gypsy Dance by Tony Evans

Solos:
Ashle - La Corrida by De La Guarda
Artem - Don't phunk with my heart by Black Eyed Peas
Melissa - Gone by Kelly Clarkson
Jamile - You dropped a bomb on me by The Gap Band

1 comments:

Anonymous said...

We are left with Artem, Ashle, Jamile and Melissa. They all can dance as we see week after week, but its a competition and we are looking for someone who can dance what ever is thrown at them. That said, a dancer is not made overnight, so the dancer we are looking for would have dah many years of practice to become versatile or adaptable, I think at this stage of the game we should remember past performances and eleminate the 2 weakest dancers. This way we get to keep the overall top 2 of the 4. Also at this stage, we know who can dance, it appears that its the dance cheographers that are at fault. For example Artem/Ashle - Foxtrot, they showed that they can get close, and therefore Foxtrot, but the cheography moved them away from the requirements. The judges should give a list of requirements to the dancers and to the cheographers. With this, Artem will be crowned winner! For the girls, its between Kamiliah and Ashle.

 
 
 
 
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