So You Think You Can Dance: The Top 16

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Eight couples are left as the competition on So You Think You Can Dance gets ready to head into July. This will definitely heat up the summer months ahead as we get closer to finding out who America's favorite dancer is. On this week's performance show, we have Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy and hip hop choreography team Olisa and Cicely judging our dancers in everything from hip hop to the quickstep.

Tonight's show started with host Cat Deeley talking to our judges as she finds out what some of their favorite or memorable moments from auditions were. This is becoming a norm of every performance show. Following that, Cat took us behind the scenes on what happened to our contestants in the past week. Before we started our week's worth of performances, we had a special performance by Lindyhop champions - Hop, Swing and a Jump.

First up tonight are Ashlee and her partner Ben. He is a contemporary dancer, and she is a popper. Following last week's show, they picked hip hop for this week, and for their routine they work with choreographer Todd Sams. The past couple of weeks, these two have struggled, but they improved some tonight. Ashlee showed what she could do. However, Ben gets some critique from Nigel. Mary defends Ben, but the veteran hip hop judges Ben also receives some good remarks as well. They did well compared to previous performances.

Next up is what the judges call the couple to beat, even if they end up in the bottom three last week by America's vote. This week, Heidi and Ryan get to do a Cuban Rumba routine with choreographer Alex DaSilva. At first, Heidi feels she knows the dance style, but when she arrives the first day she knows that isn't the case. Heidi does pick up the style quite quickly though. Even though Ryan had some problems, the two came out on stage tonight and they were just amazing. The judges loved them, and so did I. If they end up in the bottom three again tomorrow night, America needs to have their eyes check.

Third up is a new couple formed from last week's eliminations, Aleksandra and Dimitry. There partners were sent home last week. This week the new pair will work with Heather Smith on a waltz routine. Will these two be able to connect in this new partnership? These two came out and Dimitry did amazing. Nigel commends him, but he compares Aleksandra's performance to The Corpse Bridge. He says she dances without a soul or center.

We're at the midpoint of the show. Up fourth is Allison and Ivan as they work with Alex Da Silva on an Argentine Tango. This worries them because their first Latin performance didn't go well. However, Alex feels this performance will be easier for them, and he was right. These two were just amazing after struggling the last couple of weeks. They even got the judges behind them. Yes, Mary did scream for Ivan, and his reaction to it was just adorable.

Up next is Donyelle and Benji. These two have amazed the judges the last couple of weeks, and this week they are dancing a Pop Jazz routine choreographed by Brian Friedman. This style is the one mostly scene in popular music videos. These two hit the stage, and they were just amazing. I'm starting to wonder if these two can do any wrong. Other than the eye make-up used on Benji, the judges had no complaints with him.

Sixth we see Natalie and Musa perform a quckstep routine choreographed by Heather Smith. This routine might give Musa some trouble with his limited dance training. However, he was determined to succeed. Even though, his footwork wasn't there, the judges are able to look at him and his performance for what it was. A great attempt with a lot of heart. Coming up next we have Jaymz and Jessica with a contemporary performance by Brian Friedman. These two have ended up in the bottom three twice already, but I don't think they have really belonged there. Will they end up in the bottom three again this week? With that performance, I certainly hope not.

These dancers as a whole are certainly making it hard to pick just who will make it to the bottom three this week. Last up, we have Martha and Travis dancing another hip hop routine choreographed once again by Todd Sams. These two were certainly happy to see this style when it was picked. However, Nigel tells these two they just weren't good tonight. I really enjoyed their performance tonight though. Mary agreed with Nigel, but what do the hip hop judges have to say on the routine? They agreed.

Could this mean we could see this couple make it into the bottom three? Possibly. Nigel declines to comment on who will make it into the bottom three, but Mary mentions Musa and Natalie and Aleksandra, and Olisa and Cecile also mention Aleksandra. Although this is no fault of her partners. Check back tomorrow night for just who is eliminated on the results show as we also have a performance by Natasha Bedingfield.

Hop, Swing and a Jump: Traffic Jam - Bill Elliot
Ashlee/Ben: Caught Up - Usher
Ryan/Heidi: Ruma Del Solar - Angelo Rodriguez
Aleksandra/Dimitry: If I Were A Painting - Kenny Rogers
Allison/Ivan: Libertango - Bond
Donyelle/Benji; Put The Needle On It - Dannii Minogue
Musa/Natalie: Zoot Suit Riot Cherry Poppin' Daddies
Jaymz/Jessica: Let Go - Frou Frou
Martha/Travis: Just Fine - Chris Brown

To find out more visit: http://www.fox.com/dance