So…yeah…let’s do this!
Interesting judging panel. Loving Kenny Ortega (that guy who directed like the best movie in the world) and Katie Holmes. Hopefully, they’ll be, like, critical. (One too many likes?)
Season 8 Contestants with All Stars.
Marko and Melanie – They danced a Doriana Sanchez disco routine to Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love”. These dancers have tackled much more difficult dances, so why do they look so uncomfortable and clunky? The choreography sucked, that’s a fact It was cheesy and hammy (Sanchez can do better.) But Marko and Melanie just didn’t bring it this time. Once again, Melanie stood out…but this was a definite miss for me.
Sasha with Mark – They danced a Sonya Tayeh jazz to Deadmau5’s “Raise Your Weapon”. Can we give it up to Mark? That first shot…wow…he looked so scary and intense. And Sasha was, well…strong and powerful. I wasn’t feeling the choreography (Tayeh’s done this a million times)…but I was definitely feeling the dancers and Sasha really worked.
Tadd with Joshua – They danced Lil’C Hip hop to Ace Hood’s “Hustle Hard”. There were some really cool moves in this dance. They’re both really really great dancers (Joshua is hands down my favorite contestant ever and I’m so glad he’s back as an All Star). However, there was very little connection between the two of them. I know it would be difficult to achieve that without any “partner work” in the choreography…but it felt like they were two dancers dancing separately, rather than two dancers dancing together. In short, they needed to be more in sync. At times, it seemed like they were just doing their own thing. But, still very enjoyable.
Melanie with Robert – They danced a Stacey Tookey contemporary to Sinead O’Connor’s “Sacrifice”. Very very beautiful dance. She looked like a…lost angel or something. Will it stand up against the other slow contemporaries she’s done on the show? Definitely not. But…still very lovely dance that showed her strengths with emotion.
Sasha and Marko – They danced a Spencer Liff Broadway to Ella Fitzgerald’s “Whatever Lola Wants”. I actually thought this dance was awesome. So funny! So quirky! So cute! In my opinion, the best so far (I think). They worked well with the props and the table.
Melanie – Her solo was to Peter Bradley Adams’ “Song for Viola”. This 30 second limit does the dancer no justice. This was definitely very very lovely…but I wish it had been longer!
Marko – His solo was to Joshua Radin’s “The Fear You Won’t Fall”. Very good. Very musical. But not very memorable.
Sasha and Tadd – They danced a Mark Ballas Cha-cha-cha to Basement Jaxx’s “Raindrops”. Another big blunder for the night. This was bad. Again, the choreography was awful…but they looked uncomfortable. I was bored and the only thing that was really interesting was Sasha’s outfit.
Marko with Lauren F – They danced a Tessandra Chavez Contemporary to…um…a song called “Shirk”. All I can say is…I got lost in this piece. The bodies moved and I forgot where I was and what I was doing. It was just so crazy manic. Lauren Froderman is one of the best dancers in this country. But Marko held his own. Who is this choreographer and where has she been?
Tadd – His solo was to Jessie J’s “Mama Knows Best”. Musicality. There I said it! I especially loved that move when he-…what am I saying? It was ALL good!
Melanie and Tadd – They danced a Ray Leeper jazz routine to Sister Monica’s “Show Me What You’re Working With”. A decent routine. Melanie stood out for me. She was on fire. Even when she walked across the stage she showed so much power. And dancing with one high heel for a chunk of the routine was pretty impressive.
Sasha – Her solo was to Rachel Yamagata’s “Be Be Your Love”. Her legs are a mile long and she has the flexibility of a piece of wool. Great job!
Melanie and Sasha – They danced a Stacey Tookey contemporary to Ahn Trio’s “Heart Asks Pleasure First”. I actually loved this piece. Much better than the slightly overrated Sonya Tayeh piece during the Lady Gaga episode. It was beautiful. It was different from most contemporary dances. And, once again, these two girls know how to work together. It didn’t feel like they were competing against each other. It felt like a real performance. LOVED IT!
Tadd and Marko – They danced a Chuck Maldonado Stepping routine to Outcast’s “B.O.B.” Y’know…I thought this was pretty bad. They were so out of sync. Marko was especially disappointing. But considering they had to dance 4 routines before this…I’ll just give them the benefit of the doubt.
BTW, why did the dancers dance so many routines? All they needed is like two. And then we can give them a full minute for their solos. I felt like there were one too many mediocre routines that could have been eliminated. Not the most thrilling finale, but that doesn’t take away how talented these 4 are…
Favorite Routine: Melanie and Sasha’s Stacey Tookey routine about trapped housewives. Beautiful.
Who should Win: I’m honestly rooting for Melanie at this point. Most consistent dancer. Best personality. The others are conflicting. While Marko and Sasha improved a bit, Tadd was pretty disappointing.
OK…so tonight is the finale. I’m not going to do much of a recap. I’ll make a couple reflective notes. Comment on the winner. And, more importantly, countdown what I think are the best routines of the seasons. Stick around and thanks for reading!
