So You Think You Can Dance

Thanks, SLA.  It's good to know I didn't miss an episode!

Well, I'm wondering what happened to mustang.  There's no point in dissecting this show on my own.

I'm also wondering if there's some force of nature that's putting a crimp in my viewing.  The baseball game did, indeed, preempt the show.  But for three episodes in a row, a storm rolled in and knocked out my satellite feed for a portion of this program - as if on schedule!

So, to get to the program:  I'm feeling a strange sense of nothingness this season.  Some of the dancers are good but have forgettable faces.  Amy and Jasmine are fantastic.  Other than that, I'm feeling a great deal of "meh."  I find most of my critique going to choreography, costuming, music and the judges' overtly obvious favorites.  And last night they had the girl who sang "Call me Maybe(?)."  Who IS she in the world of dance?  She had NOTHING to say about technique - just thought everyone danced well.

mustang, are you there?

Hello!!  I am back.  My life has been a bit hectic the last few weeks.  Finally finished the 7-month streetwise MBA course I was taking.  The "final" was a 10-minute presentation (plus 10 minute q&a with the "judges") that I had to prepare for.  Very nerve-wracking.  But I managed to get through it, and everyone said I did a good job, so I'll take their word for it.  I didn't realize everyone had been rooting for me.  I was the only one who wasn't there because I had started a business.  Our business was supposed to be my husband's until the recession sent him back to a corporate job to support us until things picked up.  So I really felt out of my element.  But it was nice to know that the rest of the class was pulling for me to do well in my final presentation.

Anyway, I digress.  I have been watching the show every week, although sometimes I have to watch it a day or two later since my class was on Tuesday nights.  I'm really enjoying the season.  There's no one I really want to see gone, and I think all of them have been doing mostly a good job.  My favorite couple is still Aaron and Jasmine.  I like Fikshun and Amy, but their "cutesy"-ness is starting to bore me.  I wish the choreographers would give them something better to work with.  I like Alan and am sorry to see him keep getting thrown in the bottom 3.  I am excited to see Nico and Hayley together. I think their partners were the weak links in those couples, so it'll be interesting to see if they break out now. 

Loved seeing the choreographers dance last week, although I was sorry that Curtis was hurt.  Still, that tango sizzled, and it would not have been anywhere near that good without the choreographer in there.  Spencer Liff was great as well.

I don't think there has been as much stand-out choreography this season as in the past.  Very few really strong, memorable routines that I want to go back and watch again and again.  Not sure why because it seems like the dancers should be good enough to handle whatever is thrown at them. 

I'm looking forward to seeing who ends up the winner.  Right now I think it's still almost anyone's to take.

SLA44 - thanks to the links for TV Grapevine.  I am not familiar with that site.  Another good place for reviews and conversation is Television Without Pity.  It's a snarky kind of site, but they do in-depth reviews and commentary and have an active discussion forum.  I don't post there often but I do love to read what folks have to say about the show.  They do DWTS there as well and the Bachelor/Bachelorette and a whole bunch of other shows.  www.twop.com

Glad to see you back, mustang.  I didn't post last week because I felt like I was talking to myself.  LOL.  And I'm so proud for your doing well in the course!  I didn't realize you were in the midst of this while still dealing with issues surrounding your mom.

For some reason, I'm not as enthused with the show this season as I've been in the past.  I can't put my finger on what it is, but something seems "off."  Perhaps it's the choreo as you suggest.  That's what I find myself critiquing this season.

I'm still at a loss as to why they took down the FOX board when there was such active participation.  I've always believed that the enjoyment of shows like these is the ability to share opinion about the performances.  A recap on other sites doesn't cut it for me.

I agree that Amy's cutesy wears thin.  I was sorry to see Alexis go on the night she gave such a good example of her skills.  I was rooting for her.  Curtis had a captivating smile but I thought his dances were a little rougher than the other contestants.

Nico (facially) reminds me of a dancer from a past season but I can't put my finger on "who."  And between raven-haired Hayley and Makenzie, I'm still not able to put the faces to the names. Nothing distinctive or quirky in those beautiful faces.  Both wonderful dancers, but no "star quality" for me.  I wouldn't have remembered them in making a list of who's left.  Alan and Paul are the two guys I feel this way about.  I think all four will go - or did Paul already bite it?  See?  They're all four forgettable for me.  I, too, like Aaron and Jasmine best.  I was surprised to see her in the bottom - and I knew my little pet Alexis would be the one to go once they saved Makenzie.

With the exception of Lil Wayne, I also miss seeing the rotation of judges we've come to know.  In particular, Adam Shankman.  I've enjoyed Christina Applegate's input.  I wouldn't have thought she'd be so knowledgeable about dance.  Now that you've had your class final, I hope you'll be back on a regular basis.  Missed you, mustang.

Oh, about the Tango.  Had Curtis been her partner, I don't think that performance would have held a candle to the one she did with Spencer.  How could you NOT do well dancing with him?  That was a freebie tossed her way.  LOL

Okay, every time I try to post, my messages disappear before I'm done.    Third time's the charm, right?  Anyway, I understand a bit about the "meh" for the season because, as much as I'm enjoying it, I haven't voted once this season.  To me there's no real standout the way there has bee in some past seasons, and I think the choreography is mostly to blame for that.  Jasmine and Aaron have done some beautiful dances, and they both sell the heck out of them, but neither one has a really outgoing personality off stage to really pull you in.  Fik-shun is just cute as a button, but all the "cutesy" dances haven't grabbed me either.  So while I look forward to each week and enjoy the show (except when Nigel is talking usually ), there's no Benji or Joshua or Twitch to make me really invested in the individual dancer as opposed to just enjoying the show.  And I do think the choregraphers have not been doing their best work this season.  There aren't many dances that really stick out in my mind from this season.

No, Paul didn't already bite it, but he is one I keep forgetting.  He won the Armenian SYTYCD, but he's sort of non-descreipt.  He fades away for me most of the time.  Alan stands out more for me, but he and Paul are very similar.  I can't tell most of the girls apart except for Jasmine and Jenna.  The rest are mostly a blur for me. 

I too miss when the choreographers would sit in as judges.  The last two have been exceptionally bland, I think.   Christina Applegate is always good as is Jesse Tyler Ferguson.  Lady Gaga was surprisingly good when she did her guest stint.  Would love to see Debbie Allen back again as a guest judge.  And I agree that Adam Shankman is always a joy.

Adam was around during the auditions and Vegas week, so I'm thinking maybe he's involved with a new project right now?

I get what you're saying about stand-outs, mustang.  And it might have been Amy - if we hadn't gotten so much hype that it turned me off on her.  Too many brunettes with standard beautiful faces to make any of them memorable.  Even Jenna's face is now a blur for me.  The people I found distinctive, like the other Jasmine and Curtis, are gone.  So... at this point, I'm sticking with Jasmine and Aaron.  Yet, here we are with Jasmine in the bottom last week.

Let's see what happens tonight!

Once again, the powers of the universe knocked out my satellite during this show (fourth week, I believe) and I had to reset the box.  Missed more than five minutes toward the end.  DirectTV will be getting another call today.  Anyway, my thoughts:

Haley & Nico:  Broadway (spider lady gypsy).  They gave them a standing "O" but I personally wasn't crazy about the routine.

Malece & Alan: Jazz (old Hollywood).  Though Alan didn't look too bad, Malece's dress didn't work in that dance and her performance was disappointing.  I knew this would be her ticket home.  This little girl was really growing on me.  Shame.

Jenna & Alex Wong:  Paso (Pirates).  I know she's your fav, mustang, but I really hated this choreo.  I thought our pirates looked more like the gypsies they were going for in the night's first number.  It was "no-fault" dancing in what I felt was a bad piece.

Makenzie & Paul: Contemporary (Private love).  Sheer poetry.  Mandy Moore created magic.  I didn't see one break in transition - simply continual flow throughout.  I actually felt the freedom of the lovers to be themselves in private.  It sang "freedom."  Probably the best choreo of the season for me.  Well crafted and well danced.  Five Stars.

Amy & Fik-shun:  V Waltz.  I thought the beginning of it had a lot of contemporary thrown in.  I'm beginning to think Nigel has me biased against her.  But even my 8-yr-old granddaughter noticed Amy's cheesy smile in the intro number tonight.  I'm getting where I can't stand her face.

Jasmine & Aaron:  You KNOW I don't like Hip-Hop, particularly the music that goes with it.  HOWEVER, I was oblivious to the rapping as I watched them move.  Jasmine KILLED it!

Six Guys:  Again, hip-hop.  I REALLY liked this piece.  Looked more like jazz to me.  And the music was cool, too.  LOL.

Six Girls:  This is when the satellite feed died.  I missed the whole number.

I knew when Amy was in the bottom that something was up.  Malece could've levitated and still gone home - and Amy could've crashed and stayed.  When I watched M's disappointing performance tonight, I knew it was the kiss of death.  Nigel didn't need an excuse to keep his pet Cheshire cat.

Hi Singly - we had a little bit different take on last night's show.    I thought Hayley and Nico's piece was wonderful, and I really enjoyed it.   It had some amazing lifts in it.  Loved the one where he pulled her over his shoulder by the leg.  Had to go back and watch that one again.

Malece and Alan - I thought Alan did a very nice job of channeling Gene Kelly, but something was off with Malece.  I don't know if it was the dress or the shoes with the ankle socks or what, but she looked awkward through a lot of it.  Once they did the critiques, I figured it was Alan and Malece going home.  I don't mind Malece leaving, but I will miss Alan.  I thought he was one of the stronger males left, especially in partnering skills.  Oh well. 

Jenna and Alex - again we differ on this one.  I thought it was great.  I do like Jenna, and she is one of my favs, and I love Alex Wong, so it was all good for me.  I really liked that I could see so many traditional paso moves, but it felt fresh to me because it wasn't the usual bullfighting. 

I know that I liked the piece Makenzie and Paul did, and there were some parts that were really good, but I've forgotten most of it already, so I can't say it was one of my all-time favorites.  But honestly I always find Makenzie and Paul forgettable.  I don't know why, but I always have to dig to remember them, even though they're very strong dancers.  Not sure what's going on there.

Amy and Fik-shun - very pretty waltz and finally something not terribly cutesy, but I didn't think it was great.  Danced well but not a stand-out. 

Jasmine and Aaron - this is my favorite couple, and this was my favorite dance.  Jasmine was amazing, but I thought Aaron did a good job of keeping up given his size.  He was going all out, and it was a fun and thoroughly entertaining routine.  Loved the ending. 

I liked both of the mini-group pieces.  Thought the guys did the hip hop well, and the girls were lovely.  At this point I have no idea who will or even should go home.  I hate to say it but maybe Amy and Fik-shun only because they both dance kind of "young" to me.  Even in the V.Waltz, they didn't come across as "adults" to me.  But they're both good.  It will be interesting to see what happens when they dance with the All Stars.  I thought they were going to announce who the All Stars were last night, but they didn't.

Well, the powers of the universe finally deigned to allow me a full show.  LOL.  No storms - no disconnect.

Amy's disco was, as discos are, energetic.  I'm sorry.  I couldn't get past her mugging.  And Nigel praised her for more time than it took to dance the number.  Aversion to her keeps growing.

Aaron was smooth and strong in this contemporary number.  But can ANYone dance with Kathryn and NOT look good?  LOL.  She and Lauren are my two favorite all-star girls.

Fiks-shun's jazz number was (surprisingly) the most memorable dance of the evening for me.  I loved the choreo.  I smiled all the way through it.  Nigel is obviously still in love with Melanie.

Paul did a solid cha-cha but I still find him a snooze.  The precision was there.  I dunno know.  He's just not my cup of tea.

Haley's hip hop sucked for me.  But Twitch is always a pleasure to watch. 

Jenna did well in this contemporary piece.  It was beautiful choreo.  And Neil - bless his heart.  He's put on just enough weight in his face that I was seeing Chandler Bing (from Friends) as he danced it.  LOL.

Jasmine?  I can't fault her for this jazz piece.  But OMG, I HATED the choreo and the Michael Jackson costuming.

Makenzie was growing on me by leaps and bounds - and this Broadway number was great.  She was rapidly becoming one of my top two.  I hated to see her go home.

Nico's hip hop was pure torture for me.  Music and dance alike.  A certain bullet after being in the bottom.

Tucker is amazing.  He has great legs.  I find them as fascinating to watch as Maks' "sweep" on DWTS.  Despite the emotion portrayed in this number, I found it just "okay."

And what was the bit about Travis and Danny Tidwell being brothers?  Is there a backstory to this?  I've obviously missed something.  Danny's black and Travis is white.  Foster brothers?  Danny is my all-time favorite dancer from this show.

The ball is in your court, mustang. 

Shoot - I was just at the end of a long post and it disappeared.  Don't have time to re-do the whole thing right now but just want to say that yes, Danny and Travis are foster brothers.  Their mother is a dance teacher who apparently also taught Tucker for a few years.  From what little I've read, it seems that Danny had a substance abuse problem a while back and stopped dancing for a while.  But he is doing well now and is
a soloist with the Norway National Ballet and living in Oslo.

I don't know why your posts are disappearing on you, mustang.  I've never had that problem here.  I hope you'll try it again.

It was probably me.  I was working on my laptop and even using a mouse, I have that issue.  It's not just here.  Facebook does it to me all the time.  Half a message will disappear or the site will freeze on me and reboot and I've lost everything.  You'd think by now I would have learned to type my messages in Word or something and then cut-and-paste them, but I haven't!  :\

I'll probably try again tonight, as I have things I need to get done now.  Just swung by as a quick break to see if anything was happening. 

Are you watching The White Queen?  And how's your mom?

mustang, I HAD to post this here for you to see.  The dance was so amazing, it made me cry.

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Attraction+Shadow+Theatre+Dancers+%5bHD%5d+Britains+got+talent+2013+(auditions&mid=A9A50E3F76C833A3D6DFA9A50E3F76C833A3D6DF&view=detail&FORM=VIRE4

Oh my!  That was incredible!