Sasha and Alexander
Dance: Paso Doble, Tony Meredith and Melanie LaPatin
Song: "Alley Dash/March of the Trolls" - Taylor Long/Rick Powell
This would have been a fairly brilliant routine for the next time two dudes have to dance a ballroom routine together but instead they played to the fact that Sasha is a sort of over-powering dancer in her partnership with Alexander. Rather than a man and his cape, this was like two people fighting over who was in charge. It was strong and dramatic but I thought he was a little steadier than she was.
Sasha: B+
Alexander: A-
Choreography: A-
Overall Grade: A-
Dance: Jazz, Tyce DiOrio
Song: "That's Life" - Aretha Franklin
This was the Broadway-iest Jazz routine I can remember seeing on the show. There was a lamp post and some kicks but mostly it was one of those dances that disappears from my memory as soon as it's over. What I remember was that Alexander once again out-shone Sasha in this routine. She danced it fine but there was no moment for her, no spark. Alexander had moments and sparks. And then Sasha tripped and fell at the end but the camera work (which continues to be the very worst thing about this show) kept us from seeing her feet to know exactly what she tripped over, and then Alexander dragged her away. In the end my reaction can best be summed up as "well...that happened."
Sasha: B
Alexander: A-
Choreography: C
Overall Grade: B
Jordan and Tadd
Dance: Contemporary, Travis Wall
Song: "Brotsjór" - Ólafur Arnalds
Jordan is a vulture of a woman, swooping in to take advantage of and mistreat the broken shell of a man that Tadd has become. The wardrobe department, having an uncharacteristically weird week all-around, went sort of literal with Jordan's feathery costume but the dance was amazing. It was powerful and dark and sort of teetered on the edge of complete weirdness without ever becoming too avant garde for the average viewer. Tadd's lines and extensions and toes were insane and I had to remind myself on three separate occasions that he's a break dancer. Jordan was very strong in the routine as well.
Jordan: A
Tadd: A
Choreography: A+
Overall Grade: A
Dance: Broadway, Spencer Liff
Song: "Out Tonight" - Daphne Ruben Vega from Rent (Original Cast Recording)
In the past, I've advocated for Spencer to do all of the Broadway routines for the show but this was an off night for him. This routine was limp and uninteresting. I suppose the dancers could have done something more with it if their performances had been extraordinary but it wasn't and so this whole number was perfectly lack-luster.
Jordan: B
Tadd: B
Choreography: B-
Overall Grade: B
Ryan and Ricky
Dance: Broadway, Spencer Liff
Song: "All I Need is The Girl" - Frank Sinatra
The choreography here was a touch better than his Rent routine. This had a very Breakfast At Tiffany's feel to it but the energy from the dancers wasn't great and Ryan's kicks were very tentative. The performance as a whole was boring and worse than that, it was an unfortunate reminder that these two are still here while Ashley and Chris aren't. Ashley and Chris had pizazz and pizazz is exactly what this number lacked.
Ryan: B-
Ricky: B+
Choreography: B+
Overall Grade: B
Dance: Cha-Cha, Louis Van Amstel
Song: "Tonight (I'm Lovin' You)" - Enrique Iglesias feat. Ludacris
I enjoyed the choreography on this one which felt complex and energetic. I also thought Ricky danced his ass off. But Ryan started out strong but very quickly became awkward. She was tentative and wobbly in a way that felt as though she was unsure of the steps and didn't believe she could do them right even if she knew them. I spent much of the routine thinking about how awesome it would be if danced by someone else.
Ryan: C+
Ricky: B+
Choreography: A
Overall Grade: B
Caitlynn and Mitchell
Dance: Hip Hop, Christopher Scott
Song: "Break the Chain - Lupe Fiasco feat. Eric Turner and Sway
I have nothing against a choreographer making a political or socially conscious statement through a routine. They're artists and if they want to use their art to say something significant, they should absolutely do that. On the other hand, if you're going to tell me the statement you intend to make and the piece is so abstract (or in this case, kind of generic) that I can't see what it has to do with what you told me it's about - it's only going to seem puzzling rather than powerful. Such was the case with Chris's piece dedicated to the invisible children of Congo and Uganda. I was getting "anger" from the piece but other than that, I didn't see what it had to do with anything. If that were the only problem with it, it might have been salvageable but Mitchell and Caitlynn weren't in sync, they were dancing it with vastly different degrees of emotion (Caitlynn looked overcome with anger and grief, Mitchell looked thoughtful and introspective) and none of it looked anything like hip hop.
Caitlynn: C
Mitchell: C
Choreography: C-
Overall Grade: C
Dance: Contemporary, Travis Wall
Song: "Piece of My Heart - Janis Joplin
This was a steamy, provocative, interesting number that I thoroughly enjoyed because it was well choreographed and they danced the hell out of it. Caitlynn is incredibly sexy without ever once trying to be sexy which is a notable contrast in a season when Jordan won't stop telling us how sexy she is while putting all her effort into it and only coming off as slutty or trashy. Both Caitlynn and Mitchell have perfect kicks and enviable extension every time. They were able to more than make up for their poor showing in the first dance with this number.
Caitlynn: A
Mitchell: A
Choreography: A
Overall Grade: A
Melanie and Marko
Dance: Tango, Louis Van Amstel
Song: "Triptico" - Gotan Project
I won't lie to you, even to my un-trained eye, it wasn't perfect. I caught some tentative and awkward footwork in a couple of closed-hold turns and at the very beginning they were both a bit stilted. But they worked through it really well, they performed it with confidence even when their feet seemed unsure and by the end, they looked completely amazing. Particularly the lift at the end was un-fucking-believable.
Melanie: B+
Marko: B+
Choreography: A-
Overall Grade: A-
Dance: Contemporary, Dee Caspary
Song: "Skin & Bones" - David J. Roch
The concept is that of a couple who are in different places in the relationship - her wanting to move forward and him afraid to change anything. They dance around a single, hanging light bulb which is the light that acts as a metaphor for moving on which means she's trying to drag him toward it while he tries to pull her away from it. It was powerful and sad and danced with conviction and grace as all of their dances are. I loved it.
Melanie: A
Marko: A
Choreography: A
Overall Grade: A
Clarice and Jess
Dance: Hip Hop, Christopher Scott
Song: "Just The Way You Are" - Boyce
The conceit is her looking in a mirror and feeling less than beautiful while he paints her. The entire thing with the painting was cheesy and unnecessary but the meat of the dance was great. It was inventive and sweet and they danced it perfectly in sync and with admirable accuracy. I was particularly impressed with how well he handled himself in this style because I didn't expect him to be remotely believable.
Clarice: A-
Jess: A-
Choreography: A-
Overall Grade: A-
Dance: Jive, Tony Meredith and Melanie LaPatin
Song: "Ain't Nothing Wrong With That" - Robert Randolph & the Family Band
This jive was quite a bit more fun to watch than most jives and I give a lot of credit for that to the dancers. They don't have the best chemistry I've ever seen on the show but they do manage to play off of each other and appear to have fun with what they're doing in a way that brings the audience in. I thought she was a bit heavier; a bit less bouncy and light than he was but not so much that she looked totally out-matched.
Clarice: B+
Jess: A-
Choreography: A-
Overall Grade: A-
Predictions:
Bottom Three: Ryan and Ricky; Jordan and Tadd; Caitlynn and Mitchell
Will Go Home: Ryan and Ricky
Should Go Home: Ryan and Alexander
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