Time again to share your love for your favorite dancer. You’ve seen them all perform (if you’re on the east coast) and outlast all of the other dancers. So, the question just remains which of the SYTYCD top 4 will be America’s favorite dancer. Vote for your favorite and it will be interesting to see if readers of Pure SYTYCD can predict the actual winner of So You Think You Can Dance season 5.
I’m going to steal part of another great comment from Christine to talk about the routines you’d like to see from the SYTYCD top 4. Here’s the routines Christine lists that she’d like to see from the So You Think You Can Dance top 4.
Kayla Brandon: Paso Doble
Kayla Evan: Lyrical Jazz
Jeanine Brandon: Contemporary or even Bollywood. (As much as I like the soft hip hop by Jeanine, I have a feeling Brandon will dance too hard and will lack connection with his partner.)
Jeanine Evan: BROADWAY or even west coast swing if they can pull that off without pulling their face too much (bring Benji back!) … but I have a feeling it might be some waltz or if Evan can just keep his frame straight)
Brandon Evan: hmm…not sure yet. Broadway is the only thing i can think of that’s broad enough (no pun intended) to incorporate their strengths
Jeanine and Kayla: Hip hop might be interesting here and Contemporary would be battle of technique and strength. (This pairing makes me worried for Jeanine because I feel like Kayla could definitely outdance her depending on the choreography. If this was a Wade Robson routine, it would take both acting and skill to make it a great piece where I think Jeanine might outshine Kayla. It’s just whether or not their connection with each other and to the audience will be achieved)
Top 4 dance: Something with a lot of power. I have a feeling these are amongst the Strongest dancers we’ve had. Chuck full of muscles from top 6 and down.
Personally, I don’t have many preferences for this one. My only thought would be that I’d love to see Brandon and Evan do a Krump battle of some sort. Put Lil’ C with the cliche broadway white boy and the muscular black boy and I think they could create a pretty entertaining Krump battle. I mean the difference between what Brandon and Evan would do would be hilarious and great to watch I think.
What styles would you like to see from our top 4?
Well here we are. Probably the most important power rankings of the whole season. And on one hand, the most obvious and on the other, the most baffling.
According to John’s SYTYCD top 6 poll the last time I checked, you’ve ranked the contestants thusly: Kayla, Jeanine, Brandon, Ade, Evan and Melissa with each of the pairs being fairly close (i.e. Kayla and Jeanine not too far apart), but with some pretty large gaps between them (i.e., the difference between the K/J pairing and the B/A pairing and…biggest of all, the E/M pairing).
Before last night’s show, I was prepared to count Evan out of the Final 4. Not because that’s my personal choice, but because it really seemed like his fan base was dwindling a bit (does this relate to the absence of Brother Blogs for a few weeks?) while Ade and Brandon were picking up steam.
But. I anticipate a lot of debate, because I have to go with my gut here.
1. Jeanine: As one commenter said, she seems to be in the majority of people’s best guesses for Top 4. Her samba wasn’t her best performance, but she did well and the both of them showed a lot of charm and personality throughout. Her solo wasn’t spectacular or much different than her others, but it was cute. And then there was that great Nappytabs hip hop about getting evicted where she successfully jumped through Ade’s scissoring legs. And then, I really got the feeling that Sonya gave her a lot of “center stage” time in the group piece, she really stood out to me (as did Cat and Nigel’s comments about her costume, after). I think she’s the best combo of skill and personality this season, so she’s my pick to win and my first guess for the Top 4.
2. Kayla: She’s started to show a lot more personality, slowly but surely and she’s always been pretty precise. Some people don’t dig her, but a lot of people do. Her Stacey Tookey contemporary with Brandon really impressed me and I thought these two “cold” dancers actually brought out a lot in each other. Her solo was nothing new and a bit boring, but it was a’right. I didn’t love the disco as much, but then I never do. Sorry, y’all. 🙂 This one almost one me over in the first half, but then got really awkward at the end, where it seemed like most of the time they were pausing to set up jumps and lifts and not actually dancing. My mom and I debate heartily over disco.
So these are the two I feel fairly confident about. Let me talk about the girl I think is going home:
–Melissa: Beginning with her Broadway with Evan and through her solo, I was digging Melissa a bit more than I had before, wondering if I’d given her a raw deal. And then there came the quickstep OF DOOM! DOOM! DOOM! (Sorry, there’s an echo in here). I was actually pretty happy with their performance. But you know what? Melissa LOST me when she seemed to be throwing Evan under the bus. She admitted in the intro video that she doesn’t trust him and she didn’t say this in a way that indicated it was something *she* needed to improve on. And has anybody noticed she seems to roll her eyes a lot – check out the intro video for the girls’ routine if you don’t believe me. She’s had a good run on the show, but now I’m ready for her to go.
The top 2 boys are a really tough call. Really, really tough. And no matter what I say, there’s going to be some heated disagreement (which I’m excited to see, bring it on!), so I’m going with my gut here.
1. Evan: I think he didn’t just “stay visible” as Lil C said. I couldn’t stop watching him! I agree with Nigel that he stood out for me in Sonya’s group number. His Broadway was fun and strong. I honestly felt like he probably spent a lot of energy helping Melissa shine in the piece. While he didn’t switch up his solo either, I loved the enormous flip across the stage that he did. And, he’s “dancing bigger,” all the time. I love the commenter who pointed out that Brandon’s not much taller than Evan, who’s been getting all the “short guy” heat. Clearly, Evan isn’t as muscular as Brandon, so perhaps that has something to do with it. When I heard that Melissa and Evan had the dreaded quickstep OF DOOM! DOOM! DOOM! (dern echo!), I was very, very, very worried. But they did a good job and it was enjoyable. All in all, I feel like Evan had a strong night in both his dancing and his personality. With Ryan rallying with a new, great Brother Blog and then certain other issues with the other contestants…I think we might find Evan in the finale. I just love watching him dance, so how can I not predict that? It IS America’s Favorite Dancer and I think a lot of people just really enjoy Evan, as I do.
2. Ade: His work in the group number was solid. He wasn’t as strong as he could have been on his second Latin dance this season, but even so, I enjoyed him and Jeanine in their samba. He’s been picking up steam all season. Again, his solo wasn’t terribly new (to him), but it showed us his style. And then that Nappytabs hip hop with Jeanine, which was just pure pleasure to watch. Probably the stand out routine of the night (the group routines and the Tookey contemporary are the only other standouts to me). He’s become such a front runner for me over the course of the season, from someone I never really paid any attention to, to somebody I’d love to see dance whenever I get the chance.
–Brandon: He’s picked up some steam in the last few weeks, so I may be really wrong about him going home this week. However, while I tend to enjoy his dancing, he seems really cocky and arrogant to me and I just don’t like it. One of the commenters pointed out that he doesn’t seem to be really generous to his partners (though I think he sensed a bond with Kayla, so maybe it was different with her), and that really nailed it for me, that ambiguous thing that wasn’t working for me about Brandon. I lost a lot of liking for him in between Vegas week (with Natalie, it has to be said) and Top 20, it almost seemed like he shut down his personality a bit. Then, there’s the fact that the judges stood for his solo, Nigel called it the best on the show, but *no one* was fooled that it was his audition routine all over again. It’s a pretty awesome routine and of course, with the music and the little to no clothing, he pulled out all the stops to demonstrate he wants to be in the Final 4. But when it comes down to it, I don’t think his messy disco and his fabulous contemporary and all of this calculated arrogance-humility is going to be enough. I may be completely wrong here, but this is what my gut says.
I think a Jeanine, Kayla, Evan, Ade finale will be pretty fascinating to watch and I’d be sorry if any of them left.
Thank goodness I follow Ryan Kasprzak on Twitter, so that I could be the 79th person to view the newest Brother Blog, which is really funny and awesome – especially the rapping (Really. Would I kid you?) If you are a new Kasprzaktivist, John had a post a while back with a menu of all the Kasprzak Brother Blogs up to that point.
Here’s the latest Kasprzak Brother Blog:
You can always declare your Kasprzaktivism with a “Kasprzaktivist” t-shirt from the Pure SYTYCD store. [And yes, I did challenge myself to see how many different times I could drop the K-bomb in this one post.]
I meant to post this earlier, but didn’t get a chance to post the list of the top 6, so you can vote for your favorites. I’ll leave it open so you can vote for as many of the top 6 as you want. Probably best to vote for who you’d like to be in the top 4. This should provide some pretty interesting results. Let the SYTYCD top 6 voting begin:
I must admit that I’ve been reminiscing about the 100th episode and enjoying the whole experience thoroughly. My list of past So You Think You Can Dance routines (only the amazing ones) was my favorite part so go check it out.
Now on to thoughts about tonight’s show. Plus, tonight I’m including some videos. It seemed the right thing to do in honor of the 100th episode.
I must admit that I wasn’t surprised at all when I heard that Jason and Janette were going home. Don’t ask me why, but I just had a feeling that Kayla and Brandon were going to make it through. That said, figuring out who’s going to be in the bottom 2 is so hard. Week to week it changes depending on their partners and the routines they get.
Now about Jason and Brandon…
With that said, I’ve kind of not liked Jason this whole time. He just never really clicked for me. As I watched the recap of his best moments I decided that I think it was the producers fault that we didn’t really get to know Jason. Everyone’s loved how he was the first one to hug whoever was safe. I also noticed when I think it was Kayla was safe, she went over and Brandon didn’t even acknowledge her, but Jason reached out to greet her. I think we missed this side of Jason and I think I would have liked him better had they shown more of that side of Jason on the show.
At the end of the day, I would have been very happy if Brandon had been sent home and Jason stayed. However, when I was watching it, I was surprised that I had kind of turned around to almost liking Jason. Plus, Brandon just has never been right for me. Tonight Brandon proved in his solo that he’s an amazing dancer. I’m just afraid he’s an amazing solo dancer and not very good in partnering.
Think back on Brandon’s dances. I can’t think of one moment where I can say that Brandon totally connected with his partner. The only one that comes to mind is in the Vegas auditions when Brandon and Natalie did that Sonya routine before Natalie was sent home. For me, Brandon just fails to connect with his partner. Yesterday hit that home when I saw no chemistry between Brandon and Jeanine. Add in something about his head (some people say it’s his big neck) and let’s just say I’m not a huge fan. Although, I will be excited to see Brandon’s solo next week.
While we’re on the boys….
Evan is unique. He has a Benji like following. However, it doesn’t feel quite as strong and it does seem to be waning. Plus, Benji had very few people that wanted him gone. Evan isn’t so lucky. I’ll be a bit surprised if Evan makes the top 4. I think the tide is turning for those not called Kasprzaktivists.
What can I say about Ade? It’s the pick. It’s the pick. Definitely a possible dark horse. He surprised me out of the chute with a few good routines with Melissa and some great choreography. I don’t see him winning it all, but won’t be surprised if he wins the top boy prize (assuming they do that again this year).
Now my dear Janette…
I must admit that I like Miami. However, I’m going to stick with the tweet I sent as they announced the girls “I’ll be very sad if Kayla or Jeanine goes home.” Janette will be missed. Some people suggested to me that it might be an Allison-ed. I don’t think it’s quite the same. In fact, it’s probably closer to a Kherington-ed. Allison was a GREAT (and probably still is) technical dancer who was sent home too early because she probably lacked in the personality department a little (or at least it wasn’t shown). Kherington was kind of the opposite. Solid technically, but oozed personality. Janette is definitely more like Kherington. Do I dare admit that Brandon’s popularity was keeping Janette on the show? Hmm…Miami will certainly be missed.
Seems like a lot of people are unhappy that Melissa is still there. As I watched her during the announcements I couldn’t help but think that if Melissa was a 21 year old girl, she’d have never made it to the top 20. I can’t think of really any dancer before Melissa that has embodied the more mature dancer this way. It’s been a nice storyline that I’ve enjoyed this season. It’s crazy to think that the “naughty ballerina” is now the “mature dancer.” I will admit that Melissa was a bit lucky to have gotten a couple Impressive routines at the start of the show and then of course yesterday’s Tyce piece. I’ve liked Melissa a lot, but it will be a sad finale if it doesn’t include both Kayla and Jeanine for me.
Speaking of Kayla and Jeanine…
Kayla has become my favorite dancer. Yesterday I couldn’t take my eyes off her as she danced. Plus, little pieces of her personality have really started to show through for me as the season progresses. Maybe it’s just her smile. Kayla does seem to be enjoying herself more as the season progresses. Yes I’ve become a real fan.
Jeanine has been the surprise of the show for me. She was hidden in the shadow of Phillip to start, but ever since that broadway routine she’s stood out to me. Even her less than stellar Waltz her face still had that star quality for me.
Of course, just don’t make me choose between Kayla and Jeanine.
Now I promised you videos. Read more..
While it’s never been easy (in my experience), this week’s Power Rankings are TOUGH! I kinda know what Nigel meant when he said the show felt pretty flat for a bit, though I didn’t completely agree with him. There were some great performances last night, but it kinda feels like maybe everybody (including the judges and Cat) felt their attentions flagging before the big 100th episode blowout (see John’s SYTYCD reminiscing post too). I’m kinda surprised they’re going to pack everything into an hour (if anyone knows differently, let me know) cause it seems like with Katie Holmes and the favorite routines and an extra judge making jokes AND regular elimnations, they’re going to need more time.
Loved Ellen on the show, especially when she said, “I just wanted seats and these were pretty good, so I said yes” and Travis Wall’s group routine. I’m kinda horrified to see if Mia and Ellen will actually wear costumes from the routine, though. Though I really adore a calm Mary Murphy. She really is well-spoken and intelligent, which just annoys me all the more when she begins the hysterics.
Alright, let me get down to it.
Solos: Jeanine, Brandon, Janette and Ade all had really strong solos, for me (in that order). However, I feel like Evan, Jason and Kayla were all giving us more of the same old same old and I was rather bored (as cute as I always find Evan, sigh). Melissa tried to give us something different, but it didn’t work for me, so I’d put her between Jason and Kayla there.
SYTYCD Top 8 Girl Power Rankings:
1. Janette had a great night. She had a strong solo and two solid routines. I feel like she did bring out the inner Latino stallion in Evan, as she promised. And they were strong together in that Sonya jazz routine. She shone, no matter what you think of Evan.
2. Jeanine had the best solo, in my opinion, and the second routine, the hip hop, was really good. I enjoyed it. The first though, that waltz, was so incredibly boring. I don’t feel like that was really the dancers’ fault and there were definitely some lovely moments. I loved the twirl into a lift they did, where Jeanine’s yellow dress proved itself a gorgeous wardrobe choice. But overall, because the “weak” routine was the first one, I think she’ll be fine. She’s my favorite dancer at the moment, hands down. She’s even beaten Evan for me.
3. Melissa really tried to stretch and do something different in her solo. I gotta give her props for that. I don’t dislike her as a dancer, by any means, but I tend to like the way she moves the least. I was bored again during her cha cha with Ade. I really wished they’d each gotten new partners, especially during that cha cha (hated the music, hated it). I wanted to see them with new people. However, they were gorgeous in Tyce’s contemporary. Simply gorgeous. It was the perfect song choice, the second I heard the opening notes to Maxwell’s “This Woman’s Work,” I was there. It was the first time I saw Melissa dancing outside her usual movements and it felt more true than anything else I’ve seen her do. And I don’t suppose they could’ve done what they did if they’d had new partners – I didn’t realize just what a leap Melissa made into Ade’s arms till the playback, but imagine the courage that has to take when her body is her entire career. If he’d slipped just a little, she would nose-dived into the audience. I actually felt twice as affected when I re-watched the routine, if that’s possible.
4. Kayla’s routine was more of the usual from her. I really like her and I think she’s starting to show a lot of personality. But she’s been so cold and buttoned-up so much of the season, and so on-the-ball, that I worry people connect to her the least and haven’t seen her “grow” (because she’s already been there, at least technically), so they won’t vote. I really liked her in Broadway, as the judges did. She was lustrous. And I really liked her in the hip hop with Jason, though a friend who was visiting my house during the show (and dances) did remark that she wasn’t hitting the movements as cleanly or with as much punch as Jason. It was a cute piece. I would’ve said Melissa after the cha cha, but after the contemporary, I suspect Kayla’s the most in danger.
SYTYCD Top 8 Boy Power Rankings:
1. Ade had a strong solo (as always), a kinda awful cha cha and then that AMAZING contemporary I’ve already talked about at length. It’s the most memorable routine of the night in many ways (even if you hated it, you have to admit that having an entire studio audience and the judges sobbing is memorable). He is such a quiet, solid dancer, Ade. Hope everybody voted for him, because him being in the bottom last week was unforgivable. 🙂
2. Brandon had the strongest male solo. I was pretty impressed with him. The waltz was boring, as I’ve said, but it was first and he really was strong and sexy on that hip hop. He had pretty good chemistry with Jeanine, so I’m thinking he generally had a good night.
3. Evan, oh my Evan (or Evando as Cat clearly enjoyed calling him last night), kinda disappointed me with his solo, as I’ve said. It was cute and good, but he’s not really incorporating any of the other styles into his solos, as some of the others are doing. He’s learning *a lot* on this show, so I want to see him use it. I really liked both his routines with Janette. They had really good chemistry and as the judges said, he was there for his partner (as he always is). I felt like he came a long way on the spectrum of sexiness – he moved his hips!, did you see that? And Mia has a good point – he may not be the most diverse or technically the best of the dancers, but there is something about him and the way he moves and his personality that makes it wholly enjoyable to watch him. I almost think I’d rather watch him struggle with a dance than a technically perfect but boring routine. But I do recognize that he’s not growing as fast as some of the others, so despite my personal love for him and his ENORMOUS fan base, I’m putting him in the bottom two.
4. Jason disappointed me with his solo, too. There was nothing wrong with it, but it was just too much like most of his others. It was around his solo that Mom texted, “Is it me or do the solos seem the same mostly?” Right as I was texting her the same thing. I agree that he was very charming in the Broadway and pretty awesome as a hip hop zombie. So why’d I put him in the bottom 2, at the very bottom? I guess I just haven’t the heart to put Evan here and I suspect that perhaps Evan’s fanbase might give just a bit of an edge.
But darn, this is HARD! I like everybody at this point, so it’s hard to predict who’s gonna stick around, when I’d really just love to keep watching them in new configurations. Do you suppose SYTYCD may lay off eliminating people this week, in light of how much they’re doing on the 100th episode? But I guess 4 would be quite a lot to leave all in one go next week…
And I know eventually there can be only one. My top 4 at the moment? Jeanine, Ade, Janette and Evan. Can’t wait to see the 100th episode tonight.
Hi everyone! I’m new here, so wanted to introduce myself. I’ve been watching SYTYCD since season 1 and every season I make a mix CD of my favorite tunes. Unfortunately, I had no idea until this year that John has been listing and linking to all the music since season 2, so I’ve been furiously writing down song names and artists as they fly across the screen! Phew, now that I found this blog, I can just enjoy the show!
Among the many awesome moments on tonight’s show, Laurie Ann Gibson was introduced as a new choreographer. I could hear it all across America… “Where do I know her from???” If you love watching reality dance shows, then you might remember her from Making the Band 3, the show that spawned pop group Danity Kane. Laurie Ann is tough and often makes people cry because she pushes them so hard. But as you could see from Jeanine and Brandon’s performance, man does she get good results from it!
Here’s a clip of her in rehearsals for Making the Band 3:
John’s UPDATE: Thanks to the nice people in the comments they also mentioned that Laurie Ann was in Honey and also has an instructional DVD called Breakin’ It Down With Laurie Ann Gibson
What an amazing show!! First, let me say that I loved both the girls’ and boys’ numbers, especially that each featured a “foreign” dance style that was so high-energy and that both included all five linking arms and dancing together. And the FAME trailer got me sooo excited. It’s been too long since my last Kherington fix.
So, the rankings. Here we go.
Girls –
1. Jeanine had a terrific contemporary with Jason, choreographed by Travis Wall and it was stunning. Her solo was also incredibly strong. I think she acquitted herself quite well.
2. Janette and Ade had a wonderful Nappytabs hip-hop that was a lot of fun. More amazing chemistry here. Her solo was the last and pretty strong and she showed a lot of personality when Cat asked her, “So where are you from again?” and she whipped out, “New Zealand!”
3. Kayla continued her “flawlessness” with Evan. I really enjoyed her personality a lot when she and Evan discussed the height differences, switched shoes and after the performance revealed the “shoe fix.” Flats! On a waltz! That’s pretty neat, actually. Her solo was good.
4. Melissa has a cute personality and did well tonight with Brandon and in her solo, but I never seem to feel much variety from her. Of the girls, she’s my least favorite and I suspect that though she was gorgeous, she’s probably surprised us the least and showed the least growth (probably cause she has the most experience and is pretty technically trained). She’s my vote to go, though she probably performed better than –
5. Randi unluckily drew Kupono and, I think, suffered for it. I think the wig and the awkwardness of the routine (though there were some pretty elements) might hurt her. I suspect it’s between her and Melissa and I’d rather that she stay so I can see her with more partners. She’s my mom’s favorite, so I know she wants her to stay as well.
Boys (mom and I were in 100% agreement here) –
1. Evan has an enormous fan base, as well as a lot of flair and personality. His solo was strong and he did admirably in the African dance, though Nigel said he looked like a “dancing milkshake.” But I was actually never in any doubt that he would do well here, as he’s always been adept at leaping. He partnered Kayla with incredible strength (THOSE LIFTS!!!) and I think he’s learning more about masculinity and strength and sexiness every week. Which is great, cause he’s always been cute and charming.
2. Ade just wowed me tonight. He’s won me over more and more each week and I was excited to see him dance with Janette. What a wonderful partnership! So much chemistry. His solo rocked as well. Love that he got to demonstrate the power of the pick. Lol.
3. Jason was in the strongest routine of the night, with Jeanine and I’m thoroughly impressed with him. I hope he can keep it up. He gets major cool points from me for solo-ing to Muddy Waters 
.
4. Brandon had a good night, good routine with Melissa and a good solo. But he’s still a bit cocky and he’s almost too proficient. It’s kinda boring sometimes. Not all the time, but I think that people have latched on to people like Evan and Ade so much more at this point, and Jason just had such a great routine with Jeanine.
5. Kupono needs to go. He really let Randi down with all that awkwardness in the Paso Doble. I was proud of him in the African dance and liked his solo. But of all the guys, I think he’s probably the weakest (least consistent, at least) partner, which puts the girls in danger.
I can’t wait to see what y’all think!
I just created a list of forgotten dancers on So You Think You Can Dance season 5. Now take a look at the list of other people who we saw a lot, but I hope will still come back on So You Think You Can Dance Season 6.
Ryan Kasprzak – I don’t think I have to explain myself here. His brother made it and he didn’t for the lamest reason Nigel has ever given. I’m not a huge fan myself, but I think it would fulfill a dream for him and I’m all for people living their dreams.
Megan Kinney – We didn’t get to know her as much as Caitlin. Probably because Caitlin was in the top 20 and she wasn’t. I don’t like her as much as Caitlin, but she’s still a nice dancer and I’d love to see her back.
Erik “Silky” Moore – I was really surprised when Erik was sent home. Check out these videos of Erik “Silky” Moore and you’ll see why I was surprised. He has some real versatility and personality and I think the show will miss a personality like Erik. Maybe next season.
Gabi Rojas – I don’t really need to explain this one. Everyone that’s watched her knows she has some unique choreography that was interesting. Can you imagine her solos?
Nobuya Nagahama – I loved this guys passion for dancing. I’m sure he wasn’t the most refined dancer, but he kind of reminded me of Hok who was good at his style, but just loved stretching himself to do other dances. Looking forward to seeing him come back and perform again.
Natalie Reid – I think that some people don’t want to see her come back, but she was so passionate last year about coming back that I hope she does it again. I like seeing people like her beat the odds or at least try. Luckily she doesn’t have to wait a whole year to try.
Sex – Oh wait No!!
