by Lindsay Strouse 

 

Due to baseball playoffs (Go Yankees!), So You Think You Can Dance put on a jam-packed show tonight of 10 couple performances, 4 solos and left us saying goodbye to 2 dancers. We are introduced to the judges once again…and Paula’s empty chair. Maybe it’s just me, but does SYTYCD’s desperation to have Paula Abdul on the show have anything to do with her leaving American Idol? Hmm...

 

Before performances start, we are given two unfortunate surprises—Billy Bell is no longer in the competition and Noelle Marsh has been in an accident, injuring her knee. Taking the place of one of SYTYCD’s most gifted dancers is hip hop dancer Brandon Dumlao. Taking the place of Noelle is one of our very own choreographers, Melanie Lapatin. Now THIS is going to be interesting.

 

Here’s how the performances went throughout the night:

 

Dancers: Channing Cooke and Phillip Attmore
Style: Jive
Choreographer: Jason Gilkison
Song: “Rockin’ Robin” by The Jackson 5
Fast footwork and adorable matching red costumes don’t always bring success. First off, it is apparent that the chemistry between Channing and Phillip is not there yet. Beyond that, the dance just didn’t do much for me. It was cute, but it reminded me of some of the dances I used to see at my amateur dance competitions. The judges gave mixed reviews and repeatedly noted on the laziness in steps toward the end of the number. So was it laziness or lack of energy? We may never know. 

 

Dancers: Ashleigh Di Lello and Jakob Karr
Style: Broadway
Choreographer: Tyce Diorio
Song: “Hit Me With a Hot Note” from Sophisticated Ladies
Now THIS is what I call chemistry! Sorry Ryan, but Ashleigh and Jakob were heating up the floor! Jakob’s incredible movement immediately set him high above the others which may put Ashleigh to a slight disadvantage by making it hard for her to keep up. Nigel even made the bold statement that Billy and Jakob are the two most gifted dancers So You Think You Can Dance has ever seen. Well, I guess when the time comes for us to vote for couples Ashleigh will come right along on Jakob’s coat tails. 

 

Dancers: Ariana Debose and Peter Sabasino
Style: Hip Hop
Choreographer: Tabitha and Napoleon D’Umo
Song: “Black and Gold” by Sam Sparro
Two of these things did not belong. Oh yeah, Ariana and Peter in the hip hop category. Neither one looked like they were dancing as a cohesive unit and brought too much of their individuality to the table, throwing off the whole piece. While their chemistry is fantastic, their messy footwork and stiff levels were too much of a distraction. 

 

Dancers: Russell Ferguson and Melanie Lapatin (Standing in for Noelle Marsh)
Style: Fox Trot
Choreographer: Tony Meredith and Melanie Lapatin
Song: “Vagabond Shoes” by Vic Damone
Don’t get me wrong, Russell did great considering he had to switch between two partners and has never done this style before, but watching the piece was just weird—it reminded me of someone dancing with my mother. Melanie is fabulous in her style, but it was a little hard to concentrate because of the variety in styles and umm…age. However, despite all the obstacles, Russell pulled through to put on a fantastic performance. Because of his lack of training, he still has a lot of work to do, but the amount of growth he has shown is incredible. 

 

Dancers: Bianca Revels and Victor Smalley
Style: Contemporary
Choreographer: Travis Wall
Song: “Wasted Time” by Me’Shell Ndegeocello
From the beginning, I knew this was going to be a great piece because it was done by the wonderfully talented Travis Wall. My assumptions were correct, for the confidence and chemistry brought to the stage were absolutely stunning. Victor’s technique clearly outshone Bianca’s, however, the effort and confidence shown was magnificent. 

 

Dancers: Karen Hauer and Kevin Hunte
Style: Cha Cha
Choreographer: Tony Meredith and Melanie Lapatin
Song: “Push It” by the cast of Glee
Tonight was the night of putting people out of their comfort zone and watching them magically push through it. Kevin worked very well in the piece and acted as a strong, reliable partner for Karen. Obviously in her comfort zone, Karen was the star of the number, and most likely made every male jaw in the room drop down to the floor. And for good reason! Looks like we have our first passenger on the Hot Tamale Train! Don’t worry, Kevin, you’re standing on the platform with your bags packed and ready!

 

Dancers: Ryan Di Lello and Ellenore Scott
Style: Contemporary
Choreographer: Sonya Tayeh
Song: “Arcadia” by Apparat
Sonya, oh how I’ve missed you and your creepy, mysterious ways. Dressed in some kind of feathered Lord of the Rings-like get up, Ryan and Ellenore took the stage for a routine about Darkness overtaking the Angel. They put on quite an exciting performance, full of energy and never breaking out of character. While ballroom dancers in the past have had trouble breaking out of their genre, Ryan’s movement and connection with Ellenore was effortless. 

 

Dancers: Pauline Mata and Brandon Dumlao
Style: Smooth Waltz
Choreographer: Jason Gilkison
Song: “You Light Up My Life” by Whitney Houston
I was really disappointed with this number. Granted, Brandon was only given 1 ½ days notice before coming back into the competition. However, you could see his struggle in nailing the steps which made both himself and Pauline appear smaller onstage. Pauline’s charm still poured through, although I was hoping for a little more from both of them. 

 

Dancers: Kathryn McCormick and Legacy Perez
Style: Hip Hop
Choreographer: Dave Scott
Song: “On and On” by Missy Elliott
Damn, Kathryn! For a southern, outdoorsy contemporary dancer, she held her weight right along with Legacy. Dressed as cavemen, these two hit the floor hard. Their isolations were precise and right on the beat. Yabba dabba doooo, I loved this number. It was just a lot of fun and definitely showed growth in both dancers. I think we’ll be seeing these guys for awhile. 

 

Dancers: Nathan Trasoras and Mollee Gray
Style: Disco
Choreographer: Dariana Sanchez
Song: “Turn the Beat Around” by Gloria Estefan
Even before the music started, I could feel the high energy and performance levels coming from both Nathan and Mollee. If I could put it in a nutshell, these two are like watching one of the Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus in concert. From the slides across the floor to all the amazing lifts, they were just phenomenal. Their adorable perkiness and obvious chemistry combines for a perfect pairing. Definitely a great way to end the performances.

 

But that’s not all. Judging on everything from the beginning audition up to tonight’s performance, the judges picked Ariana, Brandon, Pauline and Russell to perform solos in order to fight for their life on the show. After four passionate solos in their own styles, the judges ended the journey of both Ariana and Brandon.

 

However, while the rules normally state that anyone in the Top 20 is not allowed to try out in future seasons, Nigel announces that he is talking with Fox producers to let Brandon come back next season.

 

 

So You Think You Can Dance’s Top 18 return to perform next week on Tuesday, November 3, at 8 PM ET. Don’t miss out!

 

(Image courtesy of FOX)

 

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