by Kristal Bailey

 

Paula Abdul is back on TV! It makes sense that she would be the lead judge of a dancing show, I always considered her more talented in that department than singing. 

 

The auditions kick off in the City of Angels and wannabe stars – Los Angeles.  But first, we get to meet the experts! Kimberly Wyatt, who danced with The Pussycat Dolls, Travis Payne, who choreographed some key musical acts, including Michael Jackson, and of course, Paula Abdul.

 

The show has a couple key differences from other dance reality shows. First, there will be no conferring between the judges on if someone gets through or not, they simply push a button on whether to give them a gold star or not. Two or more gold stars, means they’re through to the next round and are still in the running for the $500,000 grand prize. The other major difference is that there is no age limitations – there are contestants as young as 9 years old and as old as 90. 

 

To open the show, little Jalen auditioned, showing off his b-boy skills. Some may recognize him from his cameo with Super Crew on America’s Best Dance Crew. The experts quickly gave him three stars so we’ll be seeing him again later. A strong opening to the show! 

 

Unfortunately, the strength didn’t last. A montage of dance groups like One Night in Havana, The Academy, and few solo performances showed some sloppy moves and dance members out of sync. Their teary departures are only the beginning of the departures on this show. 

 

The next standout routine was by an adorable elderly duo, Bev and Hap. They’ve been dancing together for 20 years and warm up by doing push-ups and stretches. The act opened with what you would expect – a classical slow tune, perfect for waltzing. But soon, the music skips a beat and they break out into a funky tap dance set to James Brown’s “Get Up Off That Thing.” The experts loved their enthusiasm and the fact they really do live to dance. At 69 and 86, they have definitely dedicated the most years to dance. 

 

Jill and Jacob are a couple of teenagers who are not in love. They’re best friends, focused on dancing so they don’t have time to date. And after their performance, I agree with Jill on this – focus on dancing! They had a fantastic routine, blending hip-hop and contemporary that told a great romantic story. They had strong lifts and tricks, and Jacob is a talented popper. 

 

With so many dancers auditioning, there were a lot of montages. Here are the groups that made it through in the montage: 

 

Las Vegas native, Du-Shaunt Stegall, - a young popper and mad talented. He had fun on that stage and was quickly awarded three stars. 

Tap Sounds Underground -  a tap dancing male duo, was great and perfectly in sync. A former teacher-student, now they’re dance partners. 

Supertrix – large hip hop group that utilized batons for a portion of their routine.  

Dance in Flight – passionate ballroom partners, who are a little older than you would see on other dance shows. 

The Vibe - Large African tribal dance troupe. 

 

We get a longer look at Inside the Box, a large local dance team that brought playful Looney Tunes elements into their hip-hop routine. Their studio burned down a few months ago, so lately they’ve been regulated to practicing in parking lots or stolen hours in campus dance rooms. The experts liked them enough to get them through, but they are hesitant they can keep everything fresh. 

 

So far the show has been focusing only on good dancers, so it’s time to get some of those hilariously bad auditions that people so love to watch. Enter Stone Fleshman. He talked a big game, but I feel like he auditioned just to be this close to Paula Abdul. He “danced” to her song, threw her a rose and gave her googley eyes throughout. He didn’t get any gold stars, but he did get a hug from Paula Abdul. I think he got more than he every expected from this routine, some one on one Paula love! 

 

After a brief montage of bad dancers, it’s back to some quality with Jittin’ Genius, a hip-hop dancer with some great b-boy moves, and Beyond Gold. These ladies hadn’t seen each other for 25 years, but as soon as they heard of this opportunity, they called the group back together. They were on Solid Gold back in their peaks. Paula loved them and gave them a gold star, mostly based on their history. But the other two experts didn’t feel it was their best material and that it was too timid. After some thought, and the crowd’s chanting of “Change your mind”, Travis changed his vote and they will be going through to the next round. 

 

The last act in Los Angeles, Kendall Glover, is a very busy 11-year-old girl. She dances, does volleyball, cross country, softball, and a few other activities that make me tired just thinking about it. I was worried she wouldn’t be very good given her divided focus, but she was great! The experts thought she was a joy to watch, that her moves were fun and seemed effortless, and can’t wait to see what else she can do. And with that, LA auditions are over, now off to New York City! 

 

The day in NYC opens with a Bonnie, a 90-year-old tapper. She was nearly a Rockette, but World War II broke out and she met the love of her life, so things never worked out for her dancing career. She didn’t dance for 43 years, but when her husband died she found solace in dance once again. She put on a great show and the audience loved it, but the experts didn’t put her through to the next round. Paula pointed out that she exemplifies the title of the show and truly lives to dance. 

 

From a 90-year-old to tweens, next up is Shore thing – a group from New Jersey. They were beings stuck in a mausoleum for 1000 years, breaking out for this one routine. There was so much going on, with so many performers to watch. But from what I could see, they were great, keeping in sync with each other and exhibiting strong musicality. They nearly brought Travis to tears, seeing them dance to Michael Jackson’s song. Michael would have loved to see them perform, because he loved to inspire young people to dance and sing. 

 

The much talked about moment – when one dancer hit her head during her performance, was barely a moment on the show. They showed the snippet where the injury happened, but the girl didn’t even register the pain. All in all, I’d say it lasted less than a minute. 

 

C-Bunny is an inspirational story in the flesh. She’s hearing impaired, but doesn’t let that stop her from her pursuing her passion for dance. She put in a good performance, but her skills are not strong enough for the show yet. Maybe she can keep learning and working on her moves, and try for the next opportunity. 

 

Another performer who didn’t get through, Peaches, decided to use her rejection as an opening to showcase her comedy skills. Her popping was decent, but she should use her humor more in the actual dance routine to make her stand out more. 

 

One of the highlights so far, Chi Town Finest Breakers , is a family group of 5 kids who can pop, lock, and head spin like no body’s business. They all have awesome b-boy and b-girl names, but my favorite is the smallest one: B-Girl Precious Moment. They make it through, and I hope to see more variety from them and just as much personality and enthusiasm. 

 

There’s been a lot of hip hop, so it was a nice change of pace to see Dax & Sarah, a Lindy hop real life couple. They pulled a bunch of a high flying tricks and lifts, while exhibiting great chemistry. I’m glad to see they’ll be moving on. 

 

One of the most unique groups was the mostly girl contemporary group, Twitch. Travis knew they were going to be moving through after the first few moves. Kimberly was nearly in tears at how good they are and the promise they have. Paula loved that they acted out a brilliant ensemble piece, rather than just letting one-person shine. Not only did she love them, they inspired her. 

 

The last big group is Jazz Unlimited, a New Jersey girl group. While they had a lot of heart and energy, they did not make it through to the other round. The real story with this group is that their choreographer, Nikki, had an inspirational encounter with Paula. When Nikki was 12, she was hit by a car that jumped the curb and drove into her dance studio. After 200 stitches, surgery, and lots of recovery, she won back stage tickets to Paula’s show. Paula told her to keep dancing and to live to the fullest, and she’s done just that since then. After their routine, Paula went back stage and they reminiscence on the story. What a touching moment! And proof that Paula has always Lived to Dance. 

 

The last to perform give Jalen a run for his money on cuteness. D’Angelo, 9, and Amanda, 10, are a real life couple and ballroom partners. They were fantastic! They had impressive moves and made it look effortless. They were awarded three stars and I am not surprised. Kimberly boldly stated that they were born to dance, born to perform, and born to win. Paula loved their technique and especially their style. 

 

What makes this show stand out from other dance shows is the fact that there is no age limit. I love watching the young, elderly, and everyone in between perform to their fullest with such joy and passion. 

 

Tune in tomorrow to see who from The Shortlist makes it to the next round. 

 

 

Live to Dance airs on CBS Wednesdays at 8/7c. 

 

(Image courtesy of CBS)

 

 

Follow Kristal @kristal_bailey

 

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