So You Think You Can Dance Review: One Foot In Vegas

Wow! If I had a dime for every floor wriggle and spastically unnatural hair flip that I watched this week, I’d be, well, not sitting at my computer. I’d like to picture a real Japanese garden or strolling down L’Avenue des Champs-Élysées or zip-lining through the Peruvian jungle. But here I am, still post-collegiately broke and fully engrossed in two more episodes of So You Think You Can Dance.

This week, hopefuls from Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas and Nashville had a chance to prove their talent and maybe tell us a little more about themselves. Hi Hit, a hip hop choreographer who’s collaborated with Kanye and Lady Gaga and likes to say “loved, loved, loved” a lot, joined Nigel and Adam in LA. Stacey Tucci picked things up in the Midwest, and Joey Dowling, a Broadway choreography, met up with the usual suspects in Nashville. Lastly, Tyce Diorio and Toni Redpath backed up Nigel in Dallas.

Here’s the lowdown on some of the more promising Vegas prospects.

Melinda Sullivan, 22, met Gregory Hines at her first tap jam, and she showcased some cajones by tapping to a pop ballad, but that didn’t impress Nigel. In fact, he said it was a little rude to Stevie Wonder to use his music but not draw from it. And I agree she tapped over it more than tapped with it, but she was confident and powerful and surprisingly wonderful in choreography.

There could be a conflict of interest with Ryan Ramirez, 17, who was discovered by Mia when she was 15. Her family had lost their house, and the idea that she could lose dance too almost broke her mother’s heart, but she was scooped up at the right time. She was, technically, beautiful but the judges missed the connection. Nigel rightly pointed out that the best dancers haven’t won but the best performers/dancers. The judges have to pretend like Ryan didn’t get special treatment, so they sent her to choreography, but of course, she was a shoe-in for Vegas.

Nicole Knudson, 18, can twirl her butt off, and Tyce called her “the kind of talent that comes every 100 years,” and though I appreciated her twirling ability and her individuality, she was a little gangly and awkward for me.

Andrew Phillips and his brother Tyler were two that nearly brought me to tears. As fraternal twins, the bond between them couldn’t be stronger, but in looks the two couldn’t be more different. Tyler has spina bifida, and Andrew dances for the both of them. Unfortunately, Andrew’s posture wasn’t great, and his arms were leaden. After choreography, Nigel said they put him through for the experience because they knew that he wasn’t ready but then admitted they were wrong. I stand by their first assessment that he has talent and is sweet, but nowhere near ready for the competition.

Cristina Santana has her first five seconds of fame as the girl who gave Billy Bell a bloody nose last season during the Vegas rounds. She auditioned previously with Pepe Alvarez, 30, who decided to try it out for himself. But he might as well have been invisible next to her. She goes straight to Vegas, while Pepe went through to choreography but then dropped out. Cristina reminds me of the ladies of West Side Story. Strong, sassy and sweet at the same time.

Ida Saki, 18, stunned the judges with her dynamic range and intensity, set to a classical piece. Her parents both immigrated from Iran, where her mother was not allowed o dance. And I like the judges idea that her mother pushed all her pent up frustrations into her daughter, imbuing her with the power of two dancers.

Lauren Froderman, 18, is a cheerleader who took a pit stop from a competition to try out. With a seductive number to “Let’s Get It On”, she semi-impressed me and most definitely caught Nigel’s eye. Though there’s rarely a naked woman that doesn’t.

Jordan Johnson, 26, brought some much needed energy to the stage. He has overcome being abandoned by his father as a baby and then, after meeting him for the first time, was abandoned again. With flips, humor and some smooth moves, he was fresh and exciting, and the judges loved that you never knew what he’d do next.

Other standouts included Alexie Agdeppa, 26, who made it to Vegas last year but missed out on the Top 20. Adam remarked she had gotten better. Alexie was very controlled and effervescent. Adrian Lee, 20, was as excited-nervous as excited-nervous could be. He couldn’t decide which, but it doesn’t really matter because his performance was as cool as cool can be. He literally took my breath away. Jarrod Mayo, 20, shocked Nigel with his extensions and lines, but really it’s his sweetness that shines through.

And, it wouldn’t be SYTYCD without flashes in the pan. Those characters who come out of nowhere and blow our minds, and we wonder where the producers have been hiding them. Lindsey McLewis, 26, Missy Morelli, 18, Cheryl Smith 21, all quickly-seen, flexible and graceful beauties. And Robert Rolden, 19, and Rebecca Hart, 21, also made big enough impressions to go straight to Vegas.

There were very few bright lights in Nashville, except for Brian Gaynor from season 3. You might remember him as the short, young man with scoliosis who is also ridiculously good at isolations. His motions come off robotic but you can see that he has so much heart.

LAS VEGAS WEEK: PART 1
The audition rounds flew by quickly and 122 dancers made it to Las Vegas. There they had a large panel, including Nigel, Mary, Lil C, Tyce, Adam, and Toni Redpath, to impress, and the stakes are even higher as the judges only need five girls and five guys. Each hopeful had a chance to perform a solo without receiving any feedback.

Two must-haves for this season roster performed at the start and set the bar high. Billy Bell, season 6, and Alex Wong, season 5, had a free pass and, as expected, both put in two of the best performances I’ve seen so far.

Then it’s on to hip-hop where Tabitha teaches everyone choreography. Rachel Girma, an extremely strong rhythmic gymnast, just couldn’t pick up the choreography while past mention Jose Ruiz sailed through.

Returnee Teddy Tedholm crashed and burned…again. After hurting her back during the interim, last week’s Sarah Brinson just couldn’t pull through. I got a little misty watching one of her dreams evaporate and seeing her breakdown and apologize for letting the judges down, but Tyce quickly consoled her, letting her know that she’s sill a beautiful dancer, but hip-hop just wasn’t her day.

After hip-hop, 69 were left and Tony Redkap then barked what seemed like torturous choreography. Not too many were cut, but two people were pulled aside and given one more chance after botching ballroom. Nicole Knudson, luckily, grabbed a ballroom dancer to partner with her for her ballroom do-over, and Adechike Torbert, the little-seen but mysteriously good dancer, does the first official “dance for your life” of the season. As with all slightly fabricated for “reality” TV, Nicole and Adechike pulled through.

And then there were 58.

CURTAIN CALL
So far this season’s auditions have been less mock-worthy than usual, but I’m not complaining. I could care less about the people that I know, with 100% certainty, will never make it on the show, let alone Vegas. And tensions are already getting high knowing that only 10 people, of the many I will discuss and have discussed, will make it to the big show. Still SYTYCD‘s prospects have to look better than Idol’s Top 10 right? And that’s all a back-to-back, reality recapper can ask for.

Season 7, Episode 2 & 3: Auditions #3 and #4 and Auditions #5 and #6/Vegas Callbacks, Part 1 (originally aired June 2 and 3, 2010)

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

Photographs courtesy of Fox and IMDbPro