So You Think You Can Dance: So Tapped Out

There was no doubt once Noelle did that standing, split spinning thing at the tippy top of the night, a move that would fry even the dirtiest male teenager’s brain, that she wasn’t letting go of this chance to prove herself as a dancer very easily. I commend and appreciate her determination.

One thing I don’t appreciate are boring running gags like that empty Paula Abdul chair. Give it a rest already! If you offer enough cash, she will come. Believe it. Last episode, we also learned that producers have agreed to let Billy Bell join the top 100 in Vegas next season, while Brandon has to start the whole audition process all over again. It sounds a little biased to me, but I’d rather have Billy anyway so I’m not complaining.

THE TOP 18
Russell and Noelle performed a hip hop number by Jamal Sims to “Move Shake Drop Remix” by DJ Laz, Flo Rida & Casely
That was some hard-muggin’ tennis. I was a little weary of this concept, but the dance was actually fun. I thought Russell held his own. Sadly, Noelle tanked, and I was rooting for her to at least make a decent comeback. Nigel was the only judge who wasn’t sympathetic given Noelle’s injury. 6

Jakob and Ashleigh performed the Viennese Waltz from Tony and Meredith to “At Last” by Etta James
Ridiculously beautiful. I don’t claim to know much about ballroom, but it drew out a small tear from my eye. I saw perfection in both dancers, but Mary, the expert, brought Mr. Perfect down a peg. She also picked on their little, planned smooch. Watch out for Ryan, Jakob! Ashleigh is growing on me big time. Now that I’ve acknowledged her dance skill, tonight she showed me that she can be a believable actress. 8

Victor and Bianca performed a Broadway number by Tyce to “Maybe God Is Tryin’ To Tell You Something” from The Color Purple soundtrack
This is the first dance of the season that I didn’t enjoy. I believe Victor is a fantastic technical dancer, and Bianca has improved loads, but I didn’t feel true emotions. Shankman tried to give them inspiration by pointing to an Alvin Ailey production of Revelations which I’ve seen. And I can see why! That made me feel things from my toes all the way up. This didn’t, and it didn’t do it for the judges either. 4

Nathan and Mollee performed a Bollywood routine by Nakul Dev Mahajan to “Azeem O Shaan Shahenshah” from the Jodhaa Akbar soundtrack
There are no breaks for this couple, but what better fit for the pair with boundless energy. The dance was beautifully framed with the lights and background. Add a sword and some great dancing, and I’m fully enthralled. 8

Phillip and Channing performed a Samba choreographed by Tony and Meredith to “Maracatu Funk” by The Samba Squad
I wavered throughout this entire dance. Channing really put on a show and drew my eye. I agreed with Mary that the lifts were labored. Phillip has a look and attitude that makes him seem 20 years older than everyone, and he’s used to planting his feet firmly which should be perfect for this kind of dance. But with all that, it was still unbelievably fake in terms of emotion and sub-par in terms of dance. 5

Kevin and Karen performed a hip-hop routine by Nappy/Tabs to “Ice Cream Paint Job” by Dorrough
Kevin has it really hard. There’s rarely such a thing as too good, but when you’re being compared to that rarity, too good looks pretty sucky. Both these dancers killed the routine, but since it was out of Karen’s zone, she shone all the more. She really has become a favorite because of her skill and her charisma. 9

Legacy and Kathryn performed a contemporary piece by Stacey Tookey to “2 Steps Away” by Patti LaBelle
This is why SYTYCD rocks. Because there are 12-year-old kids who would have never watched or appreciated a contemporary number, loving every moment of this piece. And they should. As Shankman stated, a b-boy pointed his toes! Legacy really stepped up his game and proved how much he’s evolved with his strength, technique and partnering. Kathryn continued to defy all my preconceived notions and killed it once again too. Stacey, you and Travis give me hope for the fate of contemporary on this show once Mia leaves. 10

Peter and Pauline performed a Wade Robson routine to “Little Green Bag” by George Baker Selection
Wade is trippy, man. This was a ‘hate it or love it’ kind of dance, and Wade is famous for creating polarizing numbers like this. I happen to be on the love side. I think it was danced well, and I had been waiting for Peter to make me remember why I liked him during the audition process. Finally, he’s back! Pauline, I believe, is always a great dancer, but she’s just a little bit forgettable when it comes to personality. 8

Ryan and Ellenore performed an Argentine Tango by Miriam Larici and Leonardo Barrionuevo to “Violentango” by Astor Piazzolla
Of course, the final number of the night has to have a wardrobe malfunction. Sorry, no nudity, guys! I know you only watch for the skimpy outfits. Ellenore happened to get her heel caught in her dress, but you would have never known it. I really didn’t until the judges brought it up. Their dance had fire and passion, and this duo is giving the Ashleigh/Jakob pairing a run for their ballroom money. 9

THE BOTTOM FOUR
They did things a little different this week by picking three couples to put in the bottom, and then sending back the two contestant that they think don’t deserve to go home. This week it was Russell/Noelle, Phillip/Channing and Bianca/Victor. They then sent back Russell and Channing to safety.

Noelle danced like her life really DID depend on it, and it was like witnessing the determination of that spin-ey, standing split all over again. She put Bianca’s tap to shame, especially since Bianca chose that moment to focus more on fun and personality than her skill. Phillip spun in a circle, while tapping, over and over again, and it got old compared to Victor’s.

While I’m sad to see two tappers go home so soon, I’m not surprised. They had it hard from the beginning. Bianca was a breath of fresh air, but just not as skilled as many of the other ladies in multiple genres. And what did they show in Phillip’s exit video? Him tapping in a big circle over and over again. I knew then that they’d absolutely made the right choice. Okay, so I knew way earlier, but I was trying to be nice.

WRAP IT UP
I have to consider this week a step down from last week. This is just because there were so many low rated numbers, but the tops were just as fantastic. I know I’m going to start to feel every cut from now on because I really like the dancers left and totally love a lot of them. Oh, well. It’s time to cut that cord, isn’t it.

Season 6, Episodes 12:  The Top 18 Perform (originally aired November 3, 2009)

Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 8/7c on Fox

Photographs courtesy of Fox and IMDbPro