Tag: Jeanine

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SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE SEASON FIVE FINALE

I know this will come as a surprise to everyone (not!), but I really agree with Mary when she commended Evan for having introduced young audiences to a dance style that was in danger of dying: good old fashion Broadway / classic MGM — Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly and all that. To me that has been the highlight of the season. To me, none of the dancers really had the sort of overall star power that Danny Tidwell, for example, had a couple of seasons ago, but Evan shone for what he excelled at. And I really believe audiences went for that — not for his cute face, as Nigel put it, or his good guy-ness, but for the way he brought that classic Broadway / Hollywood style of the ’40s and ’50s charmingly to life with character and intelligence — and with very good technique.

I don’t understand why all the judges kept harping on him. I actually thought he outshone Brandon in the Laurieann Gibson routine (at the beginning, they both jumped and his was sky high, with better lines than Brandon’s). I thought both he and Brandon did well at the more hip hop-y parts, but Evan outshone Brandon with the jumps and turns. But people will probably disagree with me on that…

And I thought he was technically better than Kayla in Tony and Melanie’s Jive. I thought her arms were way too busy. In jive your arms aren’t supposed to be swinging about wildly; your legs and mid-section are supposed to be doing the work. I feel that if you use your arms too much, it’s like your center and legs are weak — it’s like using your arms to haul your body up during sit ups or something. Outwardly you’re doing the movement pattern, but you’re not using the proper muscles. Anyway, I thought his legs were fantastic — those jive kicks had so much strength. And the lifts were spectacular — I love how they slowed them down mid-air to keep in time with the music. They almost looked like they were in slow motion. Difficult! I honestly thought that jive — and Evan’s performance in particular — was one of the best I’ve seen on the show. And how much do I love the audience chanting for him when the judges were being harsh 😀

I do think overall, though, my favorite dance of the night was Jeanine and Brandon’s Paso Doble. What a triumph for Louis van Amstel — holy cow! Normally I don’t like non-traditional Paso music, but this (from The Matrix) worked well — can you say intense?! Great razor sharp movement for both of them, he had some gorgeous turning jumps, and what a beautiful jete into an assisted slide for her. I totally agree with Adam Shankman’s comment that the reason this worked so well is because they focused on the transitions  — the movement between the tricks — and not only the flashy things. As my former teacher, Luis, always used to say to me, the actual dancing takes place between the tricks. Nowhere was that better demonstrated than with this Paso. Kudos to everyone involved.

My other favorite moment of the night was Jeanine’s solo — by far the best of the night, I thought. That modern-y tango was so original — part Latin, part American Modern with the staccato, angular movement, the sharp stops, the isolations. And, contrary to Adam, I loved the rose stem held between her teeth. I thought it gave the dance character, and was a bit humorous to boot. And those pirouettes — totally agree with Adam there — WTF! Those were incredible! She began with a group of fouettes to give herself speed, then wound down into a combination of pirouettes that she somehow slowed to a perfect stop at the end, holding her balance after the last one ended, in perfect form. Astonishing — that was like something you’d see from Gillian Murphy and it made me think she’s been holding back all season…

But then … when she danced the Mia Michaels routine side-by-side with Kayla, I thought Kayla outshone her. I thought Kayla had greater height on her kicks and jumps, and overall more precision in her body. I think Kayla has the best modern dance technique of anyone on the show, and it really shows in the way she is able to dance with so much expansiveness, so much breadth, yet still keep such a tight form. In the group routine I found her to be the most expressive, to have the greatest range of movement in her head, neck and torso. And she’s got such stunning leg extensions. That Tyce DiOrio routine she did with Brandon — she really blew me away when she swung her right leg up, held it nearly to her ear, and then he threw her over his head in a split.

I wasn’t as in love with Brandon’s solo this week as I was last (and as the judges were), but I did love how he ended in that sudden straddle split. That is kind of his thing — making these sudden and intense lines. And his solo last week was to die for — so he’s definitely had his moments on the show.

Again, I have no idea who will win tonight. I feel that everyone has something: Kayla’s a great mover, Brandon has strength and intensity and can really blow you away at times, Jeanine excels with original solos and really brought it on this week and did something astounding, and Evan I love for bringing back Gene Kelly. Maybe Evan’s popularity on the show will lead to increased appreciation of Jerome Robbins?… Okay, I can dream 🙂

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SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE, SEASON FIVE SEMI-FINAL

Is it really the semis already?!

At the top of the program Mary Murphy expresses shock about Janette getting kicked off last week since she “didn’t miss a single step throughout the show,” then urges the audience to vote based on the whole season, not just their favorite performer or performance of the week. Don’t remember hearing a judge say something like that before. Wow, they all really liked Janette (as did I, as everyone knows!).

Then Nigel says he thinks no one is really standing out as a star this season, unlike in seasons past; that’s why people are voting for the choreography and not the dancers. I agree with him to an extent. Generally, there haven’t been any standouts, which is actually making this season kind of boring to me. I do think Evan has stood out a bit, but mainly with his solos, where he kind of takes on a character like Charlie Chaplin, Gene Kelly, etc. But he hasn’t delivered with the duets.

The group routine for the men is choreographed by Sonya Tayeh. I thought, from seeing the three guys in distinction to each other — Ade, Brandon, and Evan, that Ade’s lines and form were much better than the other two. His jumps were higher, his extensions longer, and overall his movement more powerful and precise.

And all of what I just said above: ditto for Kayla on the women’s routine, also choreographed by Sonya.

My favorite solos of the night were by Brandon, Ade and Melissa.

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SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE TOP 8: JANETTE, EVAN AND KAYLA SHINE

Sorry I’m late in posting again. Another problem with Godzilla last night — our run-ins are slowly coming to a head…

Anyway, one highlight to me last night was Mia Michaels echoing my love of Janette! She pronounced Janette “my favorite, favorite, favorite this season”! I of course love Janette too. There’s nothing she hasn’t been able to do. I don’t think she’s really received a single criticism yet on the show. Since this show honors versatility, at this point she is my favorite to win.

I also think though that Evan and Kayla are two of the best things to come out of this season. I honestly feel that the past two seasons generally have been duller than the first three, and sometimes I wonder what good this show really does for the dancers who appear on it. American Idol contestants go on to do huge things — acting in movies (and winning awards for their work), going on Broadway and becoming sensations, and of course becoming recording superstars — but I haven’t seen the dancers from this show reap those kinds of rewards. I do think with Evan and Kayla, Broadway could have found some new stars. I could see both of them up there on the Broadway stage, especially if, as Mia Michaels told Kayla, they can sing and act. I thought Kayla and Jasons’ Broadway routine was the hit of the night. The judges didn’t all agree with me and I think Nigel said they were “flat” but I thought it was fantastic. I thought Kayla in particular showed real star potential.

To me, Evan always shows that star potential. Another great Gene Kelly-ish solo from him last night. He reminds me so much of ABT’s Craig Salstein.

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SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE SEASON FIVE, TOP TEN

Sorry I’m late with my SYTYCD post today. I’m having a little (well, a big, a huge) problem with my extremely noisy upstairs neighbor, aka Godzilla, and am hardly sleeping.

Anyway, so last night is the first night of this season where, now that we have the top five couples (top ten dancers) we switch to a different format. We now see each dancer perform a group dance, a solo, and duet with a partner chosen randomly from a hat. And now the voting is all up to audiences, no more judge votes.

The two group numbers were the Bollywood routine for the girls, and the African dance for the guys. Okay, I loved the African dance, but, honestly, if you’ve ever really seen true African dance, you know just how bad it really was 🙂 And not just Evan (who was rather cute I thought, making fun of himself for being the only white guy up there, sticking his stomach out and kind of making a joke of his dorky looks. This is the kind of thing that endears me to him). I mean, the movement wasn’t really there for any of them — it looked like a lot of flailing about. But it doesn’t really matter — it just matters that they tried and they (almost!) kept up with the stamina, and they had fun and gave it their best shot. And we got to see African dance. It goes to show how much technique that kind of dance requires, how much training is involved, to make it right. Anyway, thank you to new-to-the-show choreographer Jeffery Page for creating that.

I liked the dancing in the Bollywood routine better.

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DESMOND RICHARDSON ON SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE

 

 

What a nice treat to see Desmond Richardson dancing with Complexions‘ Patricia Hachey on So You Think You Can Dance tonight. I do so love him. I do wonder though whether that very adagio piece, choreographed by Dwight Rhoden, with all its slow, sharp, angular movement was right for this audience. Well, I loved it, and it’s always good to expose audiences to new things, right?

Anyway, pissed that Vitolio went instead of Kupono. I really don’t understand what the judges — and I think it’s particularly Mia Michaels — see in Kupono. I think he’s fine but nothing more. And when Nigel criticized his solo tonight, saying he’s got to do more than just stand there and smile, I wanted to shout, but that’s what he always does; not just in tonight’s solo. I don’t get it. Vitolio had stage presence, and good movement quality. This is the second time I feel Kupono’s stayed on and someone better has left. I haven’t been in love with Phillip’s work on the show, but I have to admit, his solo was astounding. He’s a real original; he really brought it tonight.

I guess I agree with the judges regarding the women. I thought Karla’s solo was sweet, and original if not earth-shattering. I agree that Kayla just kept kicking — what WAS up with all those kicks? But I also agree that she’s excelled so on the show, she shouldn’t have been kicked off for one crappy solo. And Jeanine really did a lovely solo tonight, although she did almost lose balance at one point and had to check herself. Still, her solo had a lot of depth, movement range, and passion, and choreographically it was very good, and executed almost perfectly. As for their work on the show, probably a toss up between Karla and Jeanine. So, I could see how they chose to axe Karla.

Since Vitolio and Karla went, there won’t be a new couple for next week.

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PROKOFIEV AND CLASSICAL BALLET ON SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE!

 

 

Well, I am sad and surprised that Nigel Lythgoe did not give any kind of tribute to Pina Bausch last night, the way he did Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett and Ed McMahon last week. Pina Bausch is a legend in the dance world; how can you have a serious show about dance and not mention something as huge as her passing?

I did of course love that the show had its first ever classical ballet routine– performed by ballerina Melissa and her partner Ade to Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet, a version of the famous balcony scene choreographed by Thordal Christensen. It was more Peter Martins than Kenneth MacMillan, but I mean, come on! Am I complaining 🙂 I keep forgetting what Ade’s dance style is, which is perhaps a testament to how well he excels at everything. But I do know it’s not classical ballet! She was beautiful it goes without saying. Those overhead lifts were difficult-looking and perfectly executed, the slide (that NYCB’s Robert Fairchild and Sterling Hyltin admitted they could never get down and so took it out when they performed 😉 ) was likewise perfect, beautiful continuous super-charged chaine turns for her, really gorgeous lines and pointe work. She was really lovely. And Ade did quite well too. I mean, I don’t think he landed the jumps in perfect position and he wasn’t turned out, but come on, he’s not a ballet dancer and I don’t know if he even has any ballet training. He did miraculously well with all of those jetes and twisty turning jumps. And he was the perfect partner with those lifts. As Mia Michaels pronounced, “GORGEOIS!”

I also of course love the newly-established Dizzy Feet Foundation scholarship for dance training for underprivileged kids. Can’t wait to see Katie Holmes dance on July 23rd. Love how Judith Jamison appeared in an interview to talk about the scholarship. Just like her to be involved in something like this!

Okay, the other couples:

Janette and Brandon’s Cha Cha choreographed by Jean Marc and France Genereux was excellent, I thought. Particularly Janette. That one can do anything. Like Mary said, she’s a salsa dancer and, though people may not realize it, salsa technique is far different from cha cha. Salsa’s much more bent-kneed and free-form, less stylized. Cha Cha has to have the straight knees and the super quick leg action, the quick hip shifting. She did so well with it; I really thought she was a competitive ballroom dancer. I actually didn’t like Brandon as well as I liked her or as well as the judges did. He looked a bit robotic, he didn’t have enough hip action. It looked to me more like a hip hop version of cha cha.

Kayla and Kupono’s contemporary Sonya Tayeh routine: so, they said up front she’s supposed to be trying to escape death and he’s trying to draw her to it? Wouldn’t it work better the other way? Like she’s attracted to the dark and he’s trying to help her out? Anyway, I thought it was so so. I thought she had very good lines and very good form. I don’t like Kupono though; I just don’t. I thought his lines in his jumps were clumsy, his form wasn’t good — especially compared to hers. They partnered well though, seemed comfortable together. And good in sync dancing.

I actually really liked Randi and Evan’s Broadway routine, choreographed by Joey Dowling. They danced to Rich Man’s Frug from Sweet Charity, which I love. I thought they did really well getting the character down, both of them. I thought the bent wrists were sufficiently pronounced; I thought the lines were all there; the character, the sexiness, the attitude, the sharpness — it was great fun. I don’t know what the judges were on about. Then again, I don’t see a lot of Broadway. Oh, my favorite part was when he lifted himself out of the chair. How did he do that like that? It looked like he used no leg muscles at all to get up! Like he raised himself straight from his center. Amazing!

I wasn’t into Jason and Caitlin’s Brian Friedman jazz routine. She was supposed to be an alien who’d blown up earth and destroyed all of humanity and was coming back to use him, the last remaining man alive, to impregnate her? Sounds fun! She was sufficiently robotic, great isolations for the both of them. I love when she was smacking him about, and his face reacted to her imaginary slaps of the hand. He had a good jump and she an astounding gymnastic flip. Not sure what the flip was doing there though. Like the judges, I wasn’t so into the choreography — sounded a lot more fun than it was. But the dancing was good.

Phillip and Jeanine’s hip hop routine choreographed by Tabitha and Napoleon. So, they’re supposed to be chained together by the ankles and said chain is to show how on the show you’re locked into a partnership — for better or for worse. I thought they had some great isolations — especially with the shoulders and chests, which I think the judges pointed out. I thought the chain could have been used to better effect, actually. It was so long, they really didn’t seem chained together. I just remember a ballroom routine — I think it was performed by Max Kozhevnikov and Yulia Zagoruychenko way back when and they were connected by their costumes, which wrapped around each other. They could unwrap themselves to an extent, but the fabric was connected, so they could only unwrap so far. It was mesmerizing watching how they worked that fabric, doing lifts even, connected the way they were. This was just not at that level, in terms of the prop.

And Karla and Vitolio’s Quickstep, choreographed by Jean Marc and France. I agree with the judges on this — one of Jean Marc and France’s best pieces on the show ever. Wow! That had everything — a couple of balletic jumps performed side-by-side with the batting of the feet (one of my favorite jumps in ballet), beautiful lifts, traditional Quickstep with all its fast, super-charged footwork with some fun social Charleston thrown in, excellent concept of him being a statue at a museum, she bringing him to life, and he placing her on the pedestal at the end. And of course excellent costume trick with one dress changing into another with the simple pull of a spaghetti strap. I thought they did very well with it too.

Except for the lack of a Pina Bausch tribute, I really enjoyed the show this week.

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SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE SEASON FIVE WEEK THREE: Live Blogging This Week

Since I’m not at ABT tonight (unbelievable, I know! — heartbroken to be missing Diana Vishneva and Marcelo Gomes though…), I can live blog the show.

Guest judge this week is Tony Basil. She says she is winning a hip hop award and is very happy that hip hop, popping and locking, street dance in general is being taken so seriously now, on stages / programs like this.

Jonathan and Karla’s hip hop: I thought that was really good! He had a great tumbling pass, wow. They both really had great rhythm and I just really liked it. Really in sync. What is Nigel talking about — it was boring and there was no chemistry? I don’t know what he’s talking about. Jonathan is so cute — he can do anything: hip hop, Latin, contemporary. Nigel says that wasn’t gangster at all. I thought it was enough — I mean, Jonathan doesn’t really have that look, you know. He did well with it, I thought. Tony says you gotta have the funk and the hard hit to do hip hop. I really thought it had both!

Asuka and Vitolio’s Jazz (choreographed by Mandy Moore):

Aw, they’re in Phoenix (my hometown) at the convention center this weekend for auditions!

Okay, back to Asuka and Vitolio: Wow, after that crying during practice, I thought they really brought it! Those two opening lifts — with her in the straddle splits and then the end overheard, wow — she has really gorgeous lines! And she had a great battement in there. He had a gorgeous jump. Hers weren’t all there (jumps that is), but Latin dancers aren’t really used to doing jetes, so it’s understandable she doesn’t yet have that kind of strength. He had kind of a Latin-y flavor to his dancing; his hips looked very Rumba-esque. I loved it.

Melissa and Ade’s Rhumba: Oh yay, a Rhumba with Tony Meredith!: Ooh, how passionate 🙂 I love watching ballet dancers dance rhumba. I thought she was really beautiful. Beautiful arabesques, the penchee (where she bent down to the floor and lifted back leg high, high). Gorgeous lines for her. It was hard to concentrate on him, but he really had the moves down too — the hip action, the slow walks. I mean, still, they weren’t a completely polished Latin couple, but so so good for people who don’t have ballroom training. I love how she turned her head toward his after the promenade and their lips nearly touched — or did touch. Sweet moment! Mary’s going nuts 🙂 Tony Basil talks about how hot Tony Meredith and Melanie LaPatin were in their day 🙂 (full disclosure of course: they are friends of mine).

Janette and Brandon’s hip hop (choreographed by Dave Scott): Whoa, Brandon! Wow, now I see what Mary and Nigel were so going on about during auditions! That man can MOVE! I really didn’t think the choreography was so great though — it didn’t have much to it. It was really a lot of rocking out, head-banging motions. I mean, if they did that a little bit, then fine, but it stayed the same throughout the whole thing. This may be unfair to Janette but I didn’t think she did anything with that choreography other than the actual moves he gave her, which is all I’d do too. But Brandon took every movement to its extreme and really did so much more than what was there. He’s the kind of dancer, I think, that every choreographer dreams of.

Kupono and Kayla (this week’s new couple) are doing a Viennese Waltz choreographed by Jean Marc Genereux.  Aw, really beautiful, very lyrical. I love barefoot Viennese Waltzes! I love the opening lift, where he carried her around while waltzing himself. Beautiful! He moved really well — they both did. His fluid movement in particular really surprised me, especially since last week I thought he should have been kicked off. I think he really stepped it up because of last week. I’m glad the audience stood up and cheered after Nigel said this routine wouldn’t make people stand up and cheer. Yes, people still can like things without pyrotechnics, Nigel. The only thing was that they weren’t close enough to each other in closed handhold, but that’s a teensy tiny thing overall. It was a really goreous routine. And now Mary puts them on the hot tamale train, to go against Nigel. Thank you Mary!

Evan and Randi are doing a Mia Michaels contemporary: Well, I love that Mia Michaels is not afraid to be really out there. Not sure how I feel about that routine, other than that it was starkly original, but I agree with Nigel that it was danced really well. That movement looked hard — all those hunched over jazzy, almost lazy-looking, but still very stylized, walks. Loved his sideways jump. And it wasn’t just for flash — it belonged there, because it was like his character was all excited about making a little breakthrough with the pretty girl. Very good acting too. Very Marilyn Monroe and — I dunno — one of those dorky-ish guys she dated?

Jason and Caitlin’s Paso Doble choreographed by Jean Marc and France Genereux: Wow, that was unlike any Paso I think I’ve ever seen. They dance to Carmina Burana. I love that arabesque penchee standing on top of his knee. And that opening turning lift. It was so intense, so dramatic, and so in character that I didn’t even really pay attention to the technique. But yeah, Nigel is right about them not being grounded enough. Still, they really gave a strong performance, as Mary says, and I love Jason! I like her a lot too. There were some hard-looking tricks in that. That crazy chokehold dip at the end! Big kudos to them.

Jeanine and Phillip’s Tyce DiOrio Broadway routine finishes the night. Wow, how afraid would I be to work with Tyce Diorio? He tells a frightened Phillip he has to jump the length of a couch — “it’s six feet, get over it,” he says. Then when the poor guy does, and does it right, he splits his pants. Pretty funny, but I mean, he could have hurt himself, forget the damn pants. He seemed to end up a little in front of the couch, right? Like he went diagonally to make it a bit easier. Maybe? If he did, I’d do the same! Anyway, so I thought it was really good — very good movement, especially from her. He was holding back a little, but it could have been, probably definitely was, the splitting of the pants during the damn couch hurdle up front. Other than the couch jump, I was focusing on her. She was damn good. I think people will keep voting for them — he has a bizillion fans — they’re not going anywhere this week…

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SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE, SEASON 5, WEEK 2

Wow, hip hopper Phillip got a lot of applause during the opening solos. Did you guys notice that too?

Guest judge tonight is hip hop choreographer Lil C.

We get to know the dancers more. Evan says his partner Randi has a dog who she treats as a human, talking to him on the phone, etc. Brandi says Evan is an amateur mechanic who built his own car. They’re doing Jive this week, Louis van Amstel choreographing. So, wait, is this a “fun” routine you guys?! How many times did they say that word! It WAS fun. That leap frog he did over her! Those continuous pivot turns (those are hard, they’re hard to do without looking stiff and awkward since you’re so close to your partner but are trying to look free), the jive kicks, that fun lift at the end. They were really having fun out there. And she has a great Latin body. They didn’t really look like a polished pro Latin couple, but, they still did damn good, especially considering they are a Broadway and contemporary dancer. Nigel and Mary are disappointed; I disagree with them.

Ade says Melissa has a sister who’s married to her brother’s something or rather — complicated, slightly incestuous-sounding family situation; Melissa tries to pronounce Ade’s full African name — four words long, the first about 12 letters. He pronounces it in full, then says, see, that’s why I go by Ade. They’re dancing a contemporary routine by Sonya. Well, that was interesting choreographically — it was kind of sexually aggressive, a bit robotic, impish as Cat Deeley said. It had a lot of intricate lifts, a lot of angular movement. What I actually liked about it was how differently they did on some of the side by side moves. There was one point where they both did a simultaneous jump, unconnected, and another where they lay down on their backs and lifted their legs in the air, making interesting shapes, and on both his feet were flexed and hers pointed. I just thought that was so interesting — his movements were more African-looking and hers ballet. It was really a beautiful distinction, I thought.

Caitlin says Jason has an obsession with Michael Jackson, and we see videos of him as a child doing Moonwalks — adorable! Jason says Caitlin does baby voices and has a scream like nails on a chalkboard. They have a hip hop routine

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