The show's winner, Joshua, who was featured in the most dances, showed enormous versatility. He moved effortlessly between styles without missing a beat. His samba with Katee (to Angela Via's "Baila, Baila") was one of several quite sexy routines that displayed what great shape the dancers are in. Everyone seemed at the top of their game and more than prepared to be performing in front of thousands of spectators. The names of the choreographers of each routine were studiously mentioned, giving credit to the tremendous work they contributed.
In addition to dancing, each finalist performed comedic bits to introduce the next act. While it was obviously written dialogue, the bits seemed spontaneous and the audience loved it. This was a reminder that more is required of this type of performer than just being a good dancer. Particularly amusing was the running theme of the beleaguered Gev trying to woo the resistant Courtney. It was nice to see each performer involved with multiple aspects of the staging. It allowed the audience to really get to know each dancer, assuming they weren't already familiar with them. By the end of the show, I knew each of their names and what kinds of things they excelled at - without having followed the television program.
Despite the occasionally corny banter and interplay, dancing was always at the forefront of the show. As part of the wide range of styles on display, types of dance from other cultures were even included. Especially impressive was the Russian Trepak (from The Nutcracker), performed by Twitch and Joshua. Joshua achieved mind-boggling height in his leaps, essentially doing the splits in mid-air several feet off the ground. Twitch displayed a mastery of prisyatki, which is traditional Russian squat work. This routine, perhaps more than any other, brought the crowd to its feet in wild applause.
One of the most exceptional aspects of the show was seeing everyone excel in one way or another. It is amazing to watch what the dancers can achieve in fairly short routines, none lasting more than a few minutes. The skill and technique that went into their work was breathtaking.
I was easily able to pick up on which routines were fan favorites from the television program. The very mention of key props that would appear in certain segments brought waves of giddy anticipation from the crowd. One of these was a doorway, which featured prominently in a contemporary routine with Twitch and Katee. To the sounds of Duffy's "Mercy," they portrayed an obviously troubled - but passionate - couple. I was impressed by the amount of acting that goes into these performances; these dancers go further than mere choreographed movement. Their high level of emotional expression electrified the Tacoma Dome and elevated the show to a new level. Chelsie Hightower and Mark Kanemura provided another example of this with their "briefcase" hip-hop routine, set to Leona Lewis' "Bleeding Love." This was another noteworthy example of the storytelling within the choreography, this time depicting a doomed romance between a girl and "a jerk" (according to Kherington in her introduction to the piece).
Article comments
1 - Jcf
A very well-written objective review without any hype. Bravo!