So You Think You Can Dance: The Top 10

I’m baaaaack! And I’ve finally been given all the power. Okay, well maybe not all the power, but we’ve gotten to the SYTYCD point where the judges sit back and allow the viewers to choose which guy and girl will go home each week. (No matter how much they may disagree.) It’s the Top 10 already! Why does the best season always seem to be the shortest.

We’ve got the esteemed Debbie Allen judging. Everyone gets to dance a solo. The couples have been broken up, and everyone’s picking from the hat, not only for the dance but for their partner as well.

So now that things have been shaken up, let’s get down to it.

First, the Top 5 Girls perform as Nakul Dev Mahajan’s Bollywood Bombshells. I’m in awe of how beautiful the costumes are and the intricacies of the foot and hand movements. I never feel very apt to judge dance that I know very little about, especially ones that I won’t attempt for fear of embarrassment. But they must have done well because none of the judges can point out any flaws in the dance or any of the dancers.

Kayla and Evan are the first pair to mix it up, and they also happen to be the tallest girl and shortest guy in the competition. Tackling the Viennese Waltz with Tony and Melanie, the difference is so big between them that they opt for no shoes at all for Kayla and little man heels for Evan. I think they dance it well, but for the Top 10, it needed to be a lot smoother. I give them props for both their expressiveness though.

Nigel jumps right into the technicalities of the waltz (snooze), but he says, they dance it well. He also thought Evan was strong and Kayla’s lines were great. This is Mary’s field though so I believe her when she says that Evan’s glides were off and his turns weren’t strong enough, but his lifts were effortless. She still believes Kayla can’t disappoint and that the girl is growing. And for Debbie, man, she’s so existential when it comes to dance that she needs translation. Evan “handled his big woman,” while Kayla is “white lightning!”

Final Say: These two aren’t going anywhere.

Janette and Ade end up being the tallest guy and shortest girl pair! Is this thing rigged to try and make things as awkward as possible? But I don’t have time to ponder because it’s hip hop time with Tabitha and Napoleon. My favorite next to contemporary with Mia. Unfortunately, I’m a little so-so on this dance. I love the idea of Ade hypnotizing the less funky Janette and enticing her to get down with her bad self. And, overall, the choreography was cute and fun, but I don’t think Ade was as funky as everyone seemed to think he’d be, and I saw a little bit of Janette’s “dance” weakness for the first time.

Nigel thinks it was danced well, but he can’t even focus on the critique because he’s been funk-mesmerized.  I stopped listening when he got a little goofy trying to imitate Ade’s enchanting pick by putting two pencils in his hair. Mary thought it was pure entertainment. Debbie was worn out. “It was mesmerizing.” I think we got that, Debbie!

Final Say: I wouldn’t be surprised if either of these two were in the bottom.

Jeanine and Jason are lucky because they’re the first to be choreographed by Travis Wall, 2nd season contemporary runner-up and new inductee into the SYTYCD choreographer farm. The two are so in sync and connected; it’s beautiful and engulfing at the same time. And I want to cry. Seriously. Very few dances this season have made me want to cry, and this is one of them. (Sidenote:  Kupono and Kayla first dance last week was also one of those.) And hello! Did anyone else notice that there’s a lot more making out on stage this season? This is one freaky bunch of dancers.

By the time they’re done, the judges are on their feet with applause. Nigel thought they both were fabulous, and says it right when he said this is the first time she’s had a partner who could keep up with her technically. Mary is so speechless and so dizzy from the dance she could pass out. And the fact that Travis has grown so much since the show that he could come back and produce this almost brings her to tears. Debbie says this wasn’t a dance but a “conversation,” an “evangelizing dance” and that she’s “thrilled to be a witness.”

Final Say: No way, Jose! They’re here to stay.

Randi and Kupono dance a Tony and Meredith Paso Doble. One, Randi’s wearing a wig! I guess she figured people may not recognize her if it was danced poorly. And the way the dance went down, that may have been a great idea. All in all, I think it was rushed. Kupono didn’t control enough, and Randi didn’t give herself over enough. So just putting on some angry faces and switching it with some sultry ones just isn’t enough.

Nigel thinks there was some good choreography, but Kupono wasn’t strong enough. And Nigel didn’t like the wig and thought the chemistry wasn’t there. Mary doesn’t believe in the wig either, or the dancing or chemistry. She says they were too cautious with only a “slight, intense animation” on their faces. Debbie says there was awkwardness. Needed more time that they didn’t have. And didn’t feel like they trusted each other.

Final Say: Sorry guys, could be gonersville for you two.

Brandon and Melissa get Broadway with Tyce. Time to get their show on. It’s based on the musical “Hair.” You know the one that recently came back and is still as neato as ever. I think Melissa’s looks were made for the ’60s, and she’s absolutely beautiful in that far out costume. And from the get go they do a crazy, hard lift, and I’m feeling the groove. It’s hard to pick who to look at they’re both so good, but in terms of strength and smoothness, Brandon really stole my eyes away.

Nigel likes that Tyce used both Melissa’s ballet style and Brandon’s gymnastics beautifully. And Mary thinks it was unbelievable. “It was just groovy baby!” Debbie says they “evoke the real harmony.” Both were powerful and technical but different and “together it was seamless.”

Final Say: These two don’t need to stage a sit in. They’re nowhere near the bottom.

Now you know that one couples dance each could not fill up two hours! So we also got to see each contestant perform a solo. It’s especially useful since couples are not voted into the bottom and sent home, but solo contestants.

SOLOS

Brandon – There’s a lot of lashing out and tossing around. Any of his jumps in the air always astonish me and remind me how crazy powerful he is, but I want more emotional dancing.

Randi - She’s built like a gymnast to me which is fine, of course. I’m just always taken aback by how beautiful and graceful she is. She may look like a gymnast but she dances like a little angel. This solo, though, she seems so excited that her moves are a little sloppy, like she’s tossing herself around a little too hard.

Kupono – He always brings something unique and different. His solo seemed inspired by a gorilla since he was dancing like a monkey, and it definitely got me intrigued.  He also was less feminine, but I don’t think he showed off enough.

Melissa – First of all, she’s the best ballerina on the show ever! I could watch her over and over again, much like how I could watch Center Stage 10 times in one day, but you know that ballet doesn’t really bring you very far in this competition, no matter how good you are.

Evan – Debbie complimented him earlier when he said he reminded her of Gene Kelly, and he definitely channeled that tonight. He was cute and smooth and athletic. Good style, good stuff.

Kayla – Wow! That’s what they mean when they say a girl’s got legs for days. The judges are totally right that this girl can’t go wrong. She’s beautiful and graceful and captivating.

Ade – There’s no question that he’s crazy powerful, and has this strong, manly presence. He surprised me as someone I didn’t think I’d like of all the boys, but I actually do. Not just a little, but a lot. He wasn’t my favorite of the night, but I’d be sad if he left.

Jeanine - She’s usually such a ball of quirky, sweet fun, but I’m finally really seeing how much she’s grown as a dancer. Her technique is better, and her choices are better. She’s also bringing out her sexy, sassy side more.

Jason – Anyone who can dance to some bluesy Muddy Waters has my attention. It was different, though not tricky or overtly exciting. He needs to step it up, but it’s clear that he has the skills to.

Janette – Ms. Saucy, Sexy, Smooth. It’s hard to do ballroom on your own, but if you look that good doing it, I wouldn’t be scared.

Just like the show started, it closed with the Top 5 Guys performing a Jeffrey Page African Dance. And as he says, “This is not Hollywood African.” It’s all about the rhythm which the boys definitely didn’t have in rehearsal. And you don’t really get to see until they perform it, but it’s really fast. And it looks oh so tiring. Unlike the girls, not everyone is ON at the same time, but that’s to be expected when they just dropped five pound each by the end of it.

Nigel doesn’t hide that he loves him some African dance, and that routine was one of the toughest ever on the show. Mary thought there was so much energy, and Debbie points out that African dance is the “mother of all dance.” And it was “pure and authentic.”

On another sidenote, Nigel brings up again how much he hates the Russian Folk style. I wasn’t here to review it, but it was pretty bad. (It did Philip in!) But come on! They can’t change their cultural style. Either way, I don’t think they’re ever coming back, and they probably hate Nigel now as much as he hates Russian Folk.

THE RESULTS

This seemed like the shortest results show ever. Where was the cultural dance?! I thought they would make that a staple. And where’s Nigel?! I’ve never seen a missing judge. But apparently he was getting some honorary Ph.D. in England, which was WAAAY more important than SYTYCD. I can’t wait until I contribute so much to society that I don’t have to study for years and years or pay 10s of thousands of dollars to get a degree.

Oh, they also choose to lengthen the show by allowing the bottom four dancers to perform their solos one more time before they’re kicked off. I wish it was a different solo, but it’s the same one they practiced all week, so there’s nothing more to say about that.

The Black Eyed Peas are the best part of the show, performing their new song “I Gotta Feelin’,” and getting me all PUMPED. And I’m glad they did that because then some had to get kicked off, and it’s better to be up before you get down.

So not many surprises are in store. Randi, Kupono, Ade and Melissa are in the bottom. Though in terms of dance, I would have traded Janette for Melissa. Not that I would have wanted either to go home, but based on last night, I think Melissa didn’t deserve it, and Janette was a better candidate.

In the end, Randi and Kupono are the ones to go home. I think both of them are great dancers, but they didn’t grow enough where others dancers have grown leaps and bounds and are still going.

Summer’s going too fast, and we’re already down to the Top 8! Until next week…

For another take on this episode, check out Awww by Robin Reed.

Season 5, Episodes 16&17: Top 10 (originally aired July 15&16, 2009)

For more on So You Think You Can Dance, click here.

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