Wow! And wow! Nigel cried, Mary cried, Mia cried, and Ellen said it was the most beautiful thing she’s ever seen and will remember it always. What a night for So You Think You Can Dance!
We are down to the final weeks of the competition and at this point, I will be sorry to see any of the final eight dancers go. Tonight’s was a very special episode, with guest judge Ellen DeGeneres. Ellen brought her own inimitable style to the show, with her quirky encouragement for all of the dancers. I loved the way she would say after each of the performances, “I can do that.” She was great.
After a glow-in-the-dark, neon performance of a contemporary piece choreographed by Travis Wall, the competition got off to a slow start. First up were Evan and Jeanette doing an unusual “shut-up” dance choreographed by Sonya Teyah. While it was danced well by the couple, I wonder if America will be able to embrace this particular style of choreography.
Next up: Brandon and Jeanine, doing a very slow waltz. I had to agree with the judges on this one – the waltz was almost too slow and seemed to drag. The difficulty for the dancers was to control their steps and show lines to match the beauty of the choreography, but for the first time in the competition I was disappointed in these two dancers.
Melissa and Ade were paired up again, for a cha cha that did not match the heat and sensuality of the rumba they did earlier in the season. For the first time in this competition, it seemed that Melissa’s ballet training interfered with her ballroom technique, and Ade seemed to lack the earthiness needed to pull off the sexy dance.
Last up in this first round of couples’ dances were Jason and Kayla. This is where the show finally started to take off for me. They danced to the song “Mr. Monotony” from Jerome Robbins’ Broadway, which is one of my favorite numbers. In the stage show, the song was accompanied by a very sexy ballet. Tonight’s performance, choreographed by Tyce Diorio, was full of the jazzy feel and sexy style of the original choreography. Like Mia Michaels, I wondered if Kayla could also sing and act. Should she decide to perform on Broadway, Kayla would be a powerful force to be reckoned with. She could command any stage with her legs, her lines, her grace, and her talent. Jason was a wonderful match for her in this number. He has grown so much in this competition and is a joy to watch.
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