by Kylene Hamulak

 

After a brief break for the Olympics, the dancers are back in action on So You Think You Can Dance. Another four dancers will be eliminated, leaving just the Top 10 by the end of the episode. Meanwhile, I feel like it's been a year since we've seen them dance, yet it takes less than two minutes for me to remember who were my favorites.

 

The show is dedicated to Mia Michaels, with the dancers performing the Emmy-winning choreographer's routines from previous seasons. The judging panel for the night includes Nigel and Mary (of course), joined by the "Ballet Boyz," Michael Nunn and Billy Trevitt.

 

In an extra bit of fun news, Cat announces the arrival of London Riley, Tabitha and Napoleon's newest edition. The baby boy was born on August 10th, and Cat has him penciled in for the 27th season of So You Think You Can Dance.

 

Before the pairs take the stage, the final 14 perform a brand new Mia Michaels routine to "Hanging On" by Active Child. There's swinging and ropes and Goth costuming and flowers flying on the stage...it's fantastically theatrical.

 

Dancers: Cyrus and Eliana
Style: Contemporary
Song: Mercy - Duffy
Choreographer: Mia Michaels
Cyrus and Eliana are taking on the "door routine" first performed by Katee and tWitch in Season 4. There's a lot of giggling when it comes to the kiss in rehearsal, but once they get past it in the performance, it's not hard to see why this performance is still so talked about. Nigel compliments Cyrus for adding himself to the routine, but urges him to drop his shoulders in the future. He also compliments Eliana for showing both technique and character. Mary thought it was fantastic. Michael and Billy apparently have never watched the show before (like, seriously - they don't know the dancers or the choreography), but they liked it too, and they're excited about the rest of the night.

 

Dancers: Tiffany and George
Style: Contemporary
Song: Hometown Glory - Adele
Choreographer: Mia Michaels
Another Season 4 feature - the "hometown glory routine" by Katee and Joshua - will get a makeover by Tiffany and George. Mary announces there's been a "murder on stage 36!", noting the flawless transitions and an unbelievable job. Michael loved it too, but thought it might be necessary to pull it back just a little bit so that it doesn't come off as two solo dances. Nigel says we may have seen the best of George so far and that they both did an excellent job.

 

Dancers: Amelia and Will
Style: Contemporary
Song: Koop Island Blues - Koop
Choreographer: Mia Michaels
Season 5's Emmy-winning "butt dance" - originally performed by Randi and Evan, so shout out to a Newsie!! - is the routine Amelia and Will take on, and Amelia feels a lot of pressure. "That butt of hers," she says, referring to Randi, "made that dance a CLASSIC." I love the routine because I enjoy these two, but Nigel wasn't too impressed - he calls it "ok." Mary liked it - she loved seeing them. Without anything to compare it to, Billy thought it was great. I'm wondering if tonight's dancers will be unfairly judged based on the previous performances.

 

Dancers: Janelle and Dareian
Style: Contemporary
Song: Dreaming with a Broken Heart - John Mayer
Choreographer: Mia Michaels
Another Season 4 number - "the bed routine" by Kherington and tWitch - will be performed by Janelle and Dareian. It's an amazing routine on its own, but Janelle and Dareian bring it to life even more. Michael criticizes the line of Dareian's feet but thinks everything else is great. And then he criticizes Janelle's hair. Her HAIR. He says there's times he watched her HAIR instead of her dancing. I mean, it's a legitimate criticism, but he can't even address them by name, so I'm annoyed. There are only two contestants in front of you - would it really be so hard to write their names down on your notes so you didn't forget? Nigel thinks that Dareian made it almost a solo piece and that Janelle didn't really stand out because there wasn't much for her to do. I'm not really sure how she was supposed to change that, but ok. Mary thinks Janelle was overacting just a little bit and that Kherington and tWitch did a better job bringing the story out, but she loves Dareian.

 

Dancers: Audrey and Matthew
Style: Contemporary
Song: Time - Billy Porter
Choreographer: Mia Michaels
Audrey and Matthew are taking on a Season 3 routine performed by Lacey and Neil in tribute to Mia Michaels' dad, and my heart melts a little when Matt promises Mia they will make it "everything you need it to be." I think the performance is exactly the gentle grace that the original intended but, of course, I'm wrong. Mary is choked up for her personal reasons and composes herself enough to tell Matthew she didn't feel real passion and truth, but Audrey is a shining star. Billy jumps on the bandwagon and tells Matthew he needs to disguise his effort better, and he praises Audrey. Nigel quizzes Audrey and Matthew on Mia's dad, and tells them they were a little too focused on the dance steps.

 

Dancers: Witney and Chehon
Style: Contemporary
Song: Calling You - Celine Dion
Choreographer: Mia Michaels
Witney and Chehon are taking on another Emmy-winning routine, this time "the bench routine" from Season 2's Travis and Heidi. I thought it was terrific (having never seen the original, I confess), and this pair is starting to grow on me. Nigel tells us he was pleased with the performance, and then gives a full backstory on how the flower represents Mia's love for a gay man. Mary calls it "hypnotic", particularly calling Witney "remarkable" and "fearless." Michael loves both Chehon and Witney.

 

Dancers: Lindsay and Cole
Style: Contemporary
Song: Gravity - Sara Bareilles
Choreographer: Mia Michaels
The final pair of dancers to compete is Lindsay and Cole, who will take on the "addiction performance" from Season 5's Kayla and Kupono. It's a very strong performance - probably the best of the night. Billy says he was very impressed, particularly with their versatility. Mary loves the routine and calls the two of them the best of the night (told ya so). Nigel admits he was disappointed with the evening as a whole, but that Lindsay and Cole have come out on top for their ability to take on the choreography.

 

It's nice to close out the performances on a high note, but when all the dancers return to the stage, we're reminded that four of them will be leaving the competition. Eliana and Cyrus quickly learn they're safe. Tiffany will be in the Top 10, but George is in danger. Will is put into the Top 10 next, but Amelia is also in danger, along with Janelle and Chehon.

 

Three sets of dancers remain - Audrey and Matthew, Witney and Chehon, and Lindsay and Cole, two of whom are in danger. So who has definitely made the Top 10? Audrey, Witney, Chehon, and Cole are all headed on tour, while Matthew and Lindsay are in danger. The judges ask for all the dancers in danger to dance again, as they can only save one boy and one girl. Guys - I'm not ready to lose Matthew yet.

 

Amelia, Janelle, Lindsay, George, Chehon and Matthew all dance their solos, and I'm pretty sure I want to keep all of them - it's hard to believe four of them have to be cut. The judges face the girls first and chose to save Lindsay, sending Amelia and Janelle home. With the guys on stage, Nigel announces that they will be saving George. I'm actually a little surprised at the results of the night, but since I can barely remember the last time So You Think You Can Dance was even on, I can't pinpoint why.

 

Well, the Top 10 has been determined, and half the people I expected to be in the top four are gone. It's a good thing I don't bet on dance competitions!

 

 

So You Think You Can Dance airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on FOX.

 

(Image courtesy of FOX)