So You Think You Can Dance Review: Bad Decisions are a Darn Shame

After watching both the performance show and last night’s result, this reviewer is not a very happy camper. I have no idea what that means, since I’ve never actually been camping, but I feel like it applies.

First of all, I have to mention that Kristen Chenoweth joined the judges, and she delivered an expectedly warm, wonderful, cheeky performance and displayed knowledge of both dance and the specifics of this show. An excellent choice for a guest judge!

The night began with a group performance that split the dancers into two sections and split up the established couples. The first group consisted of Clarice, Chris, Marko, Miranda, Mitchell, Ryan, Sasha, and Tadd, who danced a Broadway number choreographed by Tyce Diorio. I thought it was just okay, and the lighting annoyed me because it bathed the stage in shadows and made it nearly impossible to make out who took part in the dance.

On to the couple performances.

Sasha and Alexander drew Dee Caspary and a Contemporary routine from the hat, which should have worked out better for them than it ultimately did. The dance, set to “Belong” by the Cary Brothers, turned out nice but not inspiring, and after last week’s amazing Hip-Hop number, I expected more of a connection between the two.

Caitlynn and Mitchell didn’t have good luck with their draw (for the first time this season), and were assigned a Jean Marc Genereux Samba. The Samba, one of the dreaded ballroom routines, is all about the hips and I have to say, both of them really brought the wiggles, shakes, and attitude necessary to pull this off. I was (along with the judges) pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed their routine (to “Put It in a Love Song” by Alicia Keys and Beyonce).

Melanie and Marko, the show’s oft-proclaimed power couple, danced my favorite routine of the night. They were assigned a Hip-Hop with NappyTabs, who have been all kinds of on so far this season. Their routines have been some of my favorites of this young season and I hope they keep it up. Melanie and Marko played friends who realized they were in love (danced to “I Got You” by Leona Lewis), and shared a choreographed kiss toward the end that inspired all the judges to make out as well. I loved this performance. Loved.

Miranda and Robert picked a second Broadway routine and executed the Tyce Diorio choreography (set to “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)” by Sophisticated Ladies) with precision and personality. Somehow this pairing has become one of my favorites on the show, and they have handled each new style with determination and grace. The judges praised both of them for how much they have grown and how flawlessly they’ve jumped between styles.

Clarice and Jess also drew a dreaded ballroom dance, the Foxtrot. Jean Marc Genereux gave them a fantastic story, though, and included a ton of Broadway type personality and performance, which played to Jess’ strengths. Clarice is a gorgeous girl, and the costume and flowing style suited her as well. They pulled off a Rat Pack-eque story to “Fly Me to the Moon” by Frank Sinatra and wowed the judges.

Ashley and Chris got together with Sonya Tayeh for a Jazz number that included zombie makeup and a concept that never really took off and left me feeling cold toward the whole thing. The routine, to “Lights Go Down” by Telepathe, also didn’t resonate with the judges, but the criticism seemed aimed more at Sonya’s choreography than at the execution of the dance.

Jordan and Tadd received another NappyTabs Hip-Hop routine, and the concept had Jordan blushing as she played a girl who woke up next to a boy she doesn’t remember. The dance, to “Memories” by David Guetta and Kid Cudi, made everyone smile and laugh, and though I agreed with the judges that the concept overshadowed the dancing, it all played to the strengths of these two adorable kids. I agreed with Nigel when he declared neither of them were going anywhere.

Ryan and Ricky finished the night with a Sonya Tayeh routine, this time an emotional Contemporary piece to “With Every Heartbeat” by Robyn that touched a nerve with the choreographer and dancers alike. The dance told the story of a couple tied together even as they tried to let go, and they danced it beautifully and full of emotion. I have to say, I did feel sorry for Ryan because they scrubbed her clean of makeup and yanked her hair back into a tight bun. It worked for the piece but for a teenage girl, going out there like that must have made her feel naked.

The group performance to close the show was choreographed by Dee Caspary and set to one of my favorite songs, “Poison and Wine” by The Civil Wars. Alexander, Ashley, Caitlynn, Jess, Jordan, Melanie, Ricky, and Robert killed a medieval performance in which the women killed their men with poisoned goblets. Loved this routine.

Onto the results show, which for the first time featured two guest performances that I enjoyed, and one of which that completely blew my mind.

The bottom three couples were Miranda and Robert (which I thought was tragic), Ashley and Chris (which I expected and was deserved) and Caitlynn and Mitchell (which I could have gone either way on, but ballroom often lands undeserving couples in the bottom three).

I thought the Clarice and Jess should have taken Miranda and Robert’s place in the bottom. For me, the two of them have almost no chemistry and Jess’ fake expressions of shock and gratitude during his compliment showers from the judges turn my stomach.

The first guest performance was from the Axis Dance Company, and one of the performers was in a wheelchair. Their movement kept my interest with new combinations and partnering and I never once reached for my remote to fast forward. The second guest performance came from the reigning ballroom champions and whoa. Eric and Georgia Ambarian defied gravity with a routine set to “Calypso” from the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack. At one point my friend said, “good God, who are these people? They can’t be human.” That about sums things up, in my opinion. They were stunning and unbelievable in their strength and fluidity of movement.

In the end, the (not unanimous) judges sent home Miranda, which I thought was a damn crime. Not only has she shown the most growth, the most fire, and danced the biggest variety of styles since being added to the top 20, but her solo last night stood out clearly as the best of the bunch. Ashley is bland to me, and although she’s a pretty girl, her solo lacked fire and she hasn’t been asked to step out of her comfort zone at all. Caitlynn’s solo was the second best, and she didn’t really even deserve to be in the bottom. Ashley, for me, was the clear choice to send home and the judges got this very wrong. The rest of the season will suffer the loss of Miranda’s personality, if nothing else.

As for the boys, they gave Chris a hard time for not growing quickly enough but sent home Robert. I feel the same way about Mitchell as I do Ashley (that he is a very pretty dancer with no fire, no passion, and no personality) and would have rather seen him go instead.

All in all, the results left me angry and feeling as though the judges aren’t rewarding the dancers who have been forced to work the hardest at tackling new things. They seem to be enamored with no one but the Contemporary dancers which, is not only not the point of the show, but a darn shame.

For more on this week’s episodes, check out It Don’t Mean A Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing by Inisia Lewis.

Season 8,  Episodes 10 and 11 “Top 16 Dancers Perform” and “Two of Sixteen Voted Off” (original airdates June 29^th and June 30^th, 2011).

So You Think You Can Dance airs Wednesday and Thursday nights at 8/7c on Fox.

Pictures Courtesy of Adam Rose and Fox