Again. I’m very busy today so this recap is going to be on the slim side. With a bunch of dance routines and 6 solos, we have a lot to get through…so let’s just get on with it!
Oh yay! Christina Applegate! Oh boo…Lil J…looks like I’ll be fast forwarding through his comments. Honestly, it’s getting old. His wordiness is really annoying.
Season 8 contestants with the all stars!
Melanie with Twitch – They danced a Nappytabs Hip-hop to Nicky Minaj’s “Roman’s Revenge”. Oh no no no no no. I really did not like this at all. One, the choreography sucked. Two, the choice of music sucked. Melanie, herself, wasn’t as bad as those two elements…but she was still far too slow and didn’t pop and lock moves as much as she should’ve. The difference between her and Twitch was too big. And the theatrics were just too distracting. I don’t get it…
Sasha with Kent – They danced a Tyce Diorio contemporary to “Fool of Me” by Me’shell Ndegeocello. I feel like Sasha’s finally been given the contemporary showcase she’s been looking for. She was just really beautiful and strong. I mean she climbed all over that wall! If it wasn’t for that “wall prop”, however, I’m not quite sure this dance would have been all that. But I still thought this was a very lovely piece, and I couldn’t keep my eyes of Sasha the whole time (sorry Kent!)
Marko with Janette – They danced a Dmitry Chaplin Pasa Doble to “Zorongo”. So good to see Janette back! She was spectacular! Naturally, I could only focus on her…but Marko did a pretty good job also. Actually, I would say this was strongest ballroom performance so far. However…is that saying much? He was out danced by his partner, but it was still a noble effort.
Ricky – His solo was to Justin Nozuka’s “After Tonight”. A very current spin to the standard “slow contemporary”. I liked it!
Tadd with Ellenore – They danced a Sonya Tayeh jazz routine to Beirut’s “The Gulag Orkestar”. I thought this was actually a very good routine. It was interesting and exciting with the use of the chandelier. I’m not sure what to make of it in the sense that this is a “dance competition” and Tadd spent a lot of time handing on a chandelier…but I enjoyed the hell out of it and that’s all that matters, I suppose.
Caitlynn – Her solo was to Katie Thompson’s “What’s Love Got to do’. More focused than usual…but I just don’t know…
Ricky with Jaimie – They danced a Dee Caspary Contemporary to Trent Dabbs’ “Inside these Lines”. I really wanted to root for Ricky but…I dunno. I really want to love this piece…I did. It was an interesting idea and Ricky was so graceful and musical. However…in a season of so many wonderful slow contemporary dances…I just don’t think this one was as memorable or made much of an impact. I was left wanting more. But it was still very lovely.
Tadd – His solo was to “We No Speak Americano”. Tadd was just…Tadd! What can I say? He worked it (but the handstand move thing he does at the end is becoming numerous).
Sasha – Her solo was to Lady Gaga’s “Teeth”. Spicy, sexy performance, y’all!
Caitlynn with Pasha – They danced a Dmitry Chaplin samba to Kat DeLuna’s “Drop it Low”. This isn’t the type of performance that general audiences will understand…but I seriously thought this was hot and just all around amazing. I guess when you mix Pasha and Caitlynn together, you get this magic because this is the second time they have knocked it out of the park. Amazing!
Marko – His solo was to James Morrison’s acoustic “Wonderful World”. His moves are like butter. Very very good.
Melanie – Her solo was to “Cracks”. She is such a cutie! This is how you dance a solo to a weird song. Nice job!
Ricky and Sasha – They danced a Kumari Sulaj Waacking routine to Beyonce’s “Schoolin’ Life”. I don’t think audience was feeling this dance. F#$k that! This dance effin’ awesome! One of the best I’ve seen all season! This was so much fun. Ricky was made for this dance. And so was Sasha. Perfect pairing. Just…perfect! Time to repeat!
Tadd and Melanie – They danced a Spencer Liff Broadway routine to Shirley Bassey’s “Love Story”. Another stellar routine. Wow my god! Melanie is on fire. And Tadd is too. The two best dancers in the competition, y’all! I just loved the emotion and the story. Melanie especially does an amazing job emoting. There was a little bit of everything here. Some contemporary. Some jazz. Some ballroom. And they worked all the styles. Why doesn’t Mary do the “hot tamale” train anymore? ‘Cause I think this is definitely hot tamale worthy!
Marko and Caitlynn – They danced a Sonya Tayeh Jazz routine to Florence and the Machine’s “Heavy in Your Arms”. Wowza. Strong, powerful. Much better than the Soyah piece with Melanie and Sasha from last week. There was nothing wrong with this. I was a little upset when Christina Applegate acted like this was the only great Caitlynn dance. Kind of a back handed insult. I think Caitlynn’s had a lot of great moments throughout but…besides the point. A cool way to end the show!
Overall, a night of a lot of hits…and maybe one or two misses. The contestant pairings were much better overall than the all star pairings. Let’s break this down.
Favorite solo: Melanie
Favorite routine: Melanie and Tadd’s mirror-themed Broadway piece.
Other stand out routines: Caitlynn with Pasha (samba), Sasha with Ricky (waacking) and Marko with Caitlynn (jazz)
Who should go home: Ricky and Sasha (I know I know)
Who will go home: Ricky and Caitlynn
Considering tonight, both Sasha and Caitlynn had two great partner routines. Melanie only had one. However, her second routine with Tadd was the best of the night. And her solo was magnificent also. So those two factors save her. Sasha has been consistent all season…but there’s a spark about Caitlynn that makes me root for her. And Caitlynn has tackled the ballroom routines better than Sasha. I wouldn’t be upset if Sasha stayed because she is worthy of a top 4 spot…but I think Caitlynn is underrated and just better. Also, at this point, Marko is overrated, but I can keep him over Ricky. Honestly, Tadd is just better than both the guys so it doesn’t really matter…
Check back tomorrow night for the results! (It may be a bit late though. Goin’ to Boston for the weekend!)
PS…I skimmed through the judges comments this week so I actually don’t really know how Christina Applegate did. She seemed fine, but not spectacular or memorable but…again, don’t really know.
