TV Review: So You Think You Can Dance

I am not a big fan of reality competitions, but I have to admit that I love this show. For me, it ranks just above America’s Best Dance Crew, and is head and tails above Dancing With The Stars. I love watching talented dancers being put through their paces, and unlike ABDC, the dances here are more approachable for someone of my generation. With So You Think You Can Dance, I don’t have to have my children around to explain the steps or the meaning of the judges’ critiques. I have had enough classical, ballroom, jazz and theater experience to know what the judges may be looking for, and thanks to Shane Sparks and ABDC, I think I know the basics of how the hip-hop routines are supposed to go.

This is not to say that I do not sometimes get it wrong. My favorites are not always the judges’ favorites and sometimes I am stumped as to why America chooses some couples over others. But, I can always count on the show to keep me entertained and Wednesday night’s episode was no exception.

My favorite number of the night, and possibly of the whole season, was a contemporary piece choreographed by the incomparable Mia Michaels and expertly danced by Kayla and Kupono. The dance was a lyrical interpretation of the horror and desperation of addiction and was full of raw, powerful emotion.  I have always been struck by the power of Kayla and Kupono’s dancing, as well as the connection the two seem to have as a couple – synchronized to the point where after doing a leap or complicated jump, their feet always touch the ground on the same beat.

I had to disagree with Nigel’s comment that Kayla’s hair was in her face too much for him to see the passion of her dancing. For me, the passion of the piece was inherent in the muscles of her arms and legs, and even in the extension of the fingers in her outstretched hand as she reached for freedom from her addiction, malevolently embodied by an unforgiving and grasping Kupono. Prior to dancing, we heard an emotional Kupono discussing how addiction had touched his life and family, and his reluctance to represent addiction in the dance, yet he superbly filled the role. Their dancing combined with Mia Michael’s choreography made for an unforgettable piece that brought tears to my eyes. Bravo!

After dancing this moving story of addiction, I was eagerly anticipating Kayla and Kupono’s second number. However, I was sadly disappointed with it. The dance was supposed to represent a couple struck with love at first sight and was set to the music of Leonard Bernstein’s “Dance at the Gym” from West Side Story. The choreography had enough elements paying tribute to the original choreographer, Jerome Robbins, but like the current Broadway production, the dancers lacked the raw quality of the street element and jazzed feelings of the time that West Side Story is supposed to represent. I thought the judges’ comments were spot on in directing the dancers to get more grounded to the floor and embody the contraction and release inherent in Robbins’s original choreography.

Article Author: CindyC

Cindy's interests include books, music, charitable work, musical theater, the arts, Hugh Laurie, and House. She is now a member of the Connecticut Critics Circle.

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