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So You Think You Can Dance Season 9: Top 10 Performance and Elimination Recap

Posted on 08/23/2012 by Gina in So You Think You Can Dance

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So You Think You Can Dance Season 9

 

by Kylene Hamulak

 

For the Top 10 this week on So You Think You Can Dance, all-star dancers from previous seasons will be joining them! The show begins with a cute old Hollywood themed routine that's super high on energy in tribute to Gene Kelly. Cat also casually mentions that Cole is slightly injured, so that could be interesting.

 

Joining Nigel and Mary at the table today is world-renowned dancer and choreographer Benjamin Millepied. You might know him better as Mr. Natalie Portman. With the all-stars back and only 10 dancers left, each of the remaining contestants will be paired with a veteran.

 

Dancers: Tiffany, with Season 5's Brandon
Style: Disco
Song: You Make Me Feel (Disco Remix) - Cobra Starship
Choreographer: Doriana Sanchez
The theme of Tiffany's dance is apparently "lifts" - there are 11 of them in the routine. It's very entertaining to see Brandon and Tiffany both throw her tiny body around the stage. Nigel thinks it's fantastic and that Tiffany was sensational. Mary says she set the dance floor on fire. Benjamin loves it too, saying he really enjoyed the performance.

 

Dancers: Witney, with Season 1's Nick
Style: Jazz
Song: Sing it Back - Moloko
Choreographer: Travis Wall
Witney is excited that she can bring the ballroom back to this routine, as Travis challenges her to be as sexy as possible. It's a strong routine, and Witney doesn't miss a beat throughout it. Benjamin says Witney really "hit it" and that it was "great fun to watch." Nigel notes that she is able to live up to not only her great partner, but also Travis's choreography. "With work like this," he tells her, "there's no question that you could go all the way. There's no question you're a star." Mary agrees and calls her "a big winner tonight."

 

Dancers: Cole, with Season 3's Anya
Style: Cha Cha
Song: Glad You Came - The Wanted
Choreographer: Dmitry Chaplin
Rehearsing for his Cha Cha, Cole is having some difficulty with performing all the tricks and nuances of the dance cleanly. There's no mention of any injury, so I'm not quite sure what the story is with that, but he does well with the routine. Mary thinks he did a tremendous job, but she did warn him to be careful with his feet and wasn't really feeling the chemistry between the two of them. Benjamin thought he did great, but he suggests that Cole think more about the movements and contrast. Nigel also agrees with Mary, noting that he didn't feel enough of a connection with Anya, but that Cole did a good job.

 

Dancers: Lindsay, with Season 6's Jakob
Style: Broadway
Song: Dancin' Dan - Fosse
Choreographer: Spencer Liff
The concept behind Lindsay's routine is that she is dancing with her shadow, which is Jakob behind a screen. It's a cool routine that is fun to watch, as the two of them use the shadows and light to play off one another. Nigel calls Lindsay magnificent, though there's still a lot to learn. Mary puts Lindsay on the Hot Tamale Train, so she obviously liked it. Benjamin thinks it was fantastic too, ending in "great fireworks."

 

Dancers: Will, with Season 6's Kathryn
Style: Bollywood
Song: Ooh La La - The Dirty Picture
Choreographer: Nakul Dev Mahajan
I like that tonight's show is bringing some different styles to the stage - Will's Bollywood number is bright, energetic, and really terrific to watch. Mary calls Will one of the most likable guys in the competition and says "well done" for the performance. Benjamin likes his style too, complimenting his ability to express himself in each section. Nigel says that Will brings personality to everything he does, and that that "is a blessing."

 

Dancers: Cyrus, with Season 3's Jaimie
Style: Contemporary
Song: Outro - M83
Choreographer: Travis Wall
Every week seems to be a challenge for Cyrus as he conquers unfamiliar dance styles, and this week is no exception. Notice, however, that he CONQUERS them, which is attributed to his natural dance ability. Benjamin likes both his raw energy and ability to partner well. Nigel agrees, and notes that even though he has a lot to work on, his energy carries him through that process. Mary also says that Cyrus makes us feel something and that his passion makes up for the improvements that can be made.

 

Dancers: Chehon, with Season 3's Lauren
Style: Hip Hop
Song: Pretty Wings - Maxwell
Choreographer: Dave Scott
Chehon's challenge will be to translate his refined ballet training into hip hop moves. He gives a pretty convincing effort, and it's great to see him channeling another side of himself. Nigel thinks the performance was much warmer than Chehon's previous routines, and he's happy to see a less technical performance from him. Mary says it could've been a little more funky, but that Chehon personally accomplished a lot. Benjamin calls it a "spontaneous" routine and says Chehon was very charismatic.

 

Dancers: George, with Season 2's Allison
Style: Jazz
Song: Bahamut - Hazmat Modine
Choreographer: Tyce Diorio
George and Allison bring us along for a Paris rendezvous, and it's a great routine full of personality. Mary calls George an amazing dancer and says it was a lot of fun to watch. Benjamin thinks George is an amazing mover - he calls it exceptional. Nigel isn't quite as impressed, calling the character immature, but he does compliment George's technique.

 

Dancers: Eliana, with Season 7's Alex
Style: Contemporary
Song: Bang Bang - Nancy Sinatra
Choreographer: Stacey Tookey
As a huge fan of Newsies on Broadway, I have to be honest that this is the routine I was most looking forward to tonight, as Eliana is partnered with Alex, one of the original Broadway Newsies. It's a haunting performance tonight - Eliana seems to keep getting better every week and earns a standing ovation from all three judges. Nigel goes as far as to call Eliana his favorite girl this year, noting her perfection in both technique and performance. Mary also says it was by far her favorite routine of the night, saying Eliana has it all going on. Benjamin doesn't disagree.

 

Dancers: Audrey, with Season 4's tWitch
Style: Hip Hop
Song: Sincerely Jane - Janelle Monae
Choreographer: Dave Scott
Even Audrey knows she's got a challenge in partnering with tWitch, especially because Hip Hop isn't her strongest dance. She holds her own on stage - the two dancers are both such terrific personalities, they're just fun to watch - but, I mean...it's tWitch. It's hard to compete. Benjamin wanted more from Audrey - he thinks she has everything going for her, but could've brought more to share the stage with tWitch. Mary says Audrey made her watch her, and that she was totally engaged with her. Nigel agrees with Benjamin that he would've liked to have seen a little more from Audrey in personality, but thinks the dancing was great.

 

I'm always surprised by how quickly the show turns after the final dancer, but the numbers for Audrey are barely gone before they all return to the stage to find out who is in danger. For the girls, the bottom two are Lindsay and Audrey, while the bottom two boys are Chehon and George. With only five of each group left, I guess neither pair is a total surprise, but I'm a little sad about the choices.

 

Since there's still a half hour left to the show, it's not surprising when the judges request solos from each of the dancers. I get the impression that they've already made their decisions, but the four bring their best to the stage anyway. While the deliberation continues, LA Dance Project performs.

 

Bringing the bottom two girls and guys back to the stage, the judges choose to save Witney, sending Audrey home. After losing Matthew last week, Audrey's exit drops the cute factor of this competition down a few notches, but Witney has been consistently an impressive dancer. Nigel announces that they have decided to save Chehon, meaning George will be leaving the competition.

 

So we're down to the Top 8 - there are no surprises anymore, I guess. No matter who leaves the competition, she or he is going to be an impressive dancer who can do more with her (or his) body than I can even think about. At this point, I'd put Eliana and Will at the top of my list of favorites - we'll see if they can continue to bring entertaining routines!

 

 

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

 

(Image courtesy of FOX)


  


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