SYTYCD Season 4 Week 1

[Beto]

MASSIVE, *HUGE*, SPOILER WARNING

Routine spoilers have been posted here so click at your own risk. Otherwise, wait till tomorrow evening to find out the couplings and dance styles:

http://www.duckydoestv.com/2008/06/10/so-you-think-you-can-dance-season-4-routine-spoilers-week-1/

[tj]

Thanks, Beto!

An update - according to the BSYTYCD site, Phillip Chbeeb posted on his myspace account that he caught pneumonia right before Vegas week, and had to drop out of the competition.

[wooh]

Loved the jive music. That's one of my absolute favorite bands. And Comfort in her "bra and panties and beads" was too adorable.
So far nobody's really blown me away though. Everyone has just been ok.

[RickRS]

Just caught the last three dances after my Wednesday night group dance class.

Was thinking of Katee's and Joshua's hip-hop was and wasn't. There were some hip-hop moves, but it looked like somehow it has actually became a partner dance. Amazing!

[kwa445]

Was not a fan of the chacha...I was hoping at least Mary would say something about how not so good Chelsea's chacha locks were, but alas, she just said she was hot. I also wasn't a huge fan of the waltz, although I was surprised by how graceful Suzy was. Did anyone else think they were off time in some spots though? I couldn't tell if it was just my tv having the sound and image off or if they were rising on all the wrong counts...overall, not too bad of a first episode, but I wasn't overly impressed by anyone.

[BrownSkin818]

Really Enjoyed
Susie & Marquiz' waltz
Kourtni & Matt's jazz
Kaytee & Joshua's hip hop
Jessica & Will's tango

Didn't Enjoy
Rayven & Jaime's hip hop
Chelsea H & Mark's contemporary
Comfort & Chris' jive
Courtney & Gev's disco

Predictions for the Short Lived
Gev
Chris
Courtney
Chelsea H

Miscellaneous thoughts
I hate that they paired Joshua with Kaytee. I LOVE him, but was turned off from her after her Top 20 drama.

Twitch and Kherington seem to make a good couple. I need to get over my unfounded dislike for her. And the judges need to critique her more on her dancing as opposed to her beauty.

Comfort is HIGH-larious! How fitting that they pair the personality "tree" with her. Hoping she'll rub off?

Matt doesn't get much elevation in his leaps for him to be so tall.

I was surprised at the judges' lukewarm reception of Kourtni & Matt's jazz. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

[ChaChaMama]

Joshua and Kaytee were the standouts of the night for me. The choreographers deserve a lot of credit (in addition to the dancers), because having a story to that routine also helped make it compelling.

I thought Susie and Marquis did a really nice job with that waltz, despite having the most visible mistake of the night in the lift. I'm not a guy, nor do I do smooth (other than socially at parties), but I would think getting the upper body carriage as nice as that would be a big challenge for someone trained in other styles.

***
My least favorite routine of the night was the disco. Not sure how much of that was the dancing and how much the choreography. It's funny, because I really enjoy doing hustle, it's obviously a showy dance, and "Boogie Wonderland" was a good choice of song, but that routine did not do it for me.

***
I'm still a little worried that this season won't be as compelling as some of the others. I felt like the judges went out of the way to tell us what a fantastic season this is going to be about four times too many. It will be interesting to see what the Nielsen numbers do going forward.

[mamboqueen]

Geez, I completely missed this...I see the show has been airing on different days; have they now come to just one day a week? Weds?

[tj]

Geez, I completely missed this...I see the show has been airing on different days; have they now come to just one day a week? Weds?

No, the performance shows will be on Wednesdays and the results show on Thursdays, I believe.

[Beto]

I was surprised at the judges' lukewarm reception of Kourtni & Matt's jazz. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
I agreed with them. The routine didn't blow me away. It wasn't in the same league as Sabra and Neil's jazz (well, not much can be at this point) or Sara and Pasha's jazz from last year. It was, in my opinion, "okay", at best. Dan's comment about them not attacking it enough was dead-on.

Nice posting format, D. I think I'll borrow it. ;)

Absolutely *LOVED* (gave me goosebumps)
Kaytee & Joshua's hip hop

Really Enjoyed
Jessica & Will's tango
Chelsea Traille & Thayne Jasperson's cha cha

Didn't Enjoy
Rayven & Jaime's hip hop
Susie & Marquis' smooth waltz
Kourtni & Matt's jazz
Chelsea H & Mark's contemporary
Comfort & Chris' jive

Not a good routine for the first week
Courtney & Gev's disco

I *heart* Courtney and Gev's not so bad either but my god this show needs to drop Doriana. I don't recall liking any of her disco routines but then again some dancers are able to rise above the choreography that they're given and make it work somehow.

Joshua and Kaytee were the standouts of the night for me. The choreographers deserve a lot of credit (in addition to the dancers), because having a story to that routine also helped make it compelling.
Totally agree. From the moment the routine started, with Kaytee opening the note and doing her small solo, I was glued to the screen. I had goosebumps so props to Napolean and Tabitha for their choreography.

I'm still a little worried that this season won't be as compelling as some of the others. I felt like the judges went out of the way to tell us what a fantastic season this is going to be about four times too many. It will be interesting to see what the Nielsen numbers do going forward.
I agree with this as well and I fear it's a bit like Dancing with the Stars in the first week where the judges heap on too much praise on the first night in order to drum up enthusiasm. I think by week 2 this will probably stop, or hopefully stop, and the judges will focus on their job.

Geez, I completely missed this...I see the show has been airing on different days; have they now come to just one day a week? Weds?
Do I need to start posting reminders again? Okay, I will. Heck, I'll even write on your Facebook wall so that you do not forget. :D Two hour performance shows on Wednesday night from 8-10pm, EST and one hour results shows on Thursday nights from 9-10pm, EST.

[LucyDiamond]

I really enjoyed last night and think this group of dancers are the strongest so far. This is going to be a good season. Here's how I saw things:

Absolutely Loved
Kaytee & Joshua - Hip Hop

Really Liked
Jessica & Will - Tango
Kherington & Twitch - Broadway

Liked
Chelsea T & Thayne - Cha Cha
Susie & Marquis - Smooth Waltz
Rayven & Jaime - Hip Hop

Did Not Like
Kourtni & Matt - Jazz
Comfort & Chris - Jive
Chelsea H & Mark - Contemporary

Did Not Like At All
Courtney & Gev - Disco

[salsera_alemana]

(LucyDiamond, I borrowed my format from you, hope you don't mind):

Absolutely Loved
Kaytee & Joshua - Hip Hop

Really Liked
Chelsea H & Mark - Contemporary
Kherington & Twitch - Broadway
Jessica & Will - Tango

Liked
Susie & Marquis - Smooth Waltz
Rayven & Jaime - Hip Hop
Chelsea T & Thayne - Cha Cha

Did Not Like
Kourtni & Matt - Jazz
Comfort & Chris - Jive

Did Not Like At All
Courtney & Gev - Disco

The Cha Cha for me was not too hot, though. I thought, yes, she can shake her booty but for me the dance did not have enough cha cha. I did not like the jive, there was not enough foot work and the kicks were not great, either. I liked Matt but did not like Kourtni, I thought she looked heavy on her feet. The disco was missing the disco/hustle spirit, I thought, did not like it. However, I like disco, especially Sabra's and Dominique's routine last season.

[suburbaknght]

First off, let's get over the, "but they're amazing for someone who's never done waltz/tango/hip hop/Mongolian yak dancing before and they did this all in a week!" factor. Everyone has to deal with that so no one gets a free ride for it. Now, on to comments.

Ugh. I detested the waltz. Susie's lines were harsh throughout the whole dance and I never felt like she connected t Marquis. Moreover, Marquis looked far too effeminate, something I can't stand in partner dancing; the leader should look like a man.

Jaimie and Raven's hip hop was surprisingly fun. I don't know how long they'll stick it out but I'll be personally cheering for them.

Jessica and Will's tango was the best partner dancing of the night, hands down. They had the character of the dance down perfectly. It was sharp, dramatic, and they connected as partners. She needs to work on her facial expressions a bit - the piece was supposed to be angry - but I admit I'm nitpicking.

Chelsea T & Thayne's cha cha was excellent technically but I wasn't sold on the flirtations/playful nature of the dance. It felt more like they were each doing their own thing. Still, worth keep around.

Kourtni and Matt's jazz was the best drama of the evening. Honestly, I couldn't focus on the dance because they had so much going on on stage. But definitely enjoyable.

Comfort and Chris's jive was just bad. Let me clarify: Chris was fine, if not great, but she looked like she was walking through the whole routine, the kicks were weak, and I felt she just did not want to be there. That makes me agree with her.

[wooh]

First off, let's get over the, "but they're amazing for someone who's never done waltz/tango/hip hop/Mongolian yak dancing before and they did this all in a week!" factor. Everyone has to deal with that so no one gets a free ride for it.

I'll go for that as long as we also get over the, "But I've seen Eugene Katsevman do much nicer cha cha locks and Yulia Z. do much better jive kicks, so this just didn't do it for me.":)

[anp73ga31]

I loved Kherington and Twitch together! And I actually like her. I dont know why....its just something about her when she dances....she just radiates joy or something. Its not really anything physical like her looks, its more the look on her face when she dances. Its just, well, joyful. I cant come up with anything other than that.

I was surprised that Susie could be so graceful. Yes the waltz wasnt perfect, but she did look waaaay more graceful than I thought she could/would. Liked her partner because he reminded me of Danny from last season.

Did not like Jessica's tango. Will did really good, but I thought she brought him down a little with all her stumbles. And I hate it when people smile during tango....

Did not like the "cotton-candy" hip hop couple. They were too smiley or something and I didnt much like the choreography. The other hip hop routine was nice but it didnt do anything for me either. I liked the sentiment in it and the idea, but it just didnt do anything for me dance-wise.

Comfort is hilarious! Would like to see more of her. Liked her partner too.

Also liked Chelsea T and Thayne though it wasnt a great chacha....I think I more like them as dancers(or her, rather).

Disco: why do they always make disco look boring? Why dont they just ditch disco and instead do a fast hustle and have everyone do all the cool arm-twisty-spining things that you do in hustle and it would go over much better with the crowd.

Chelsea Hightower: I actually liked mia's routine AND the poufy skirt, which is saying alot because I'm not a huge mia fan (other than the bench routine with Heidi and Travis).

The only routine I truly did not like was the jazz routine with the "diamond". Did not like it at all...

[suburbaknght]

I'll go for that as long as we also get over the, "But I've seen Eugene Katsevman do much nicer cha cha locks and Yulia Z. do much better jive kicks, so this just didn't do it for me.":)

Fair enough, but one still needs standards if it's going to be a competition. Kaytee wasn't a hip hop dancer, for example, but she synced to the music, exploded where she should, and softened where she was suppsoed to. I'd be worried for Yulia's career if someone who'd never done jive was out-kicking her after just one week, but this goes beyond just one move. In this sort of situation, I think all one can compare is the character of the dance, how well the feel of the dance was captured. Some of the dancers got it, and some didn't.

[vcolfari]

I thought the Tango was a technical mess. I didn't agree with the judges at all.

[Beto]

Thoughts on the eliminations last night?

I was surprised that Will and Jessica had been placed in the bottom two and that Courtney and Gev were saved by the voters at home.

I found the judges' feedback to the saved and eliminated dancers pretty insightful.

[LucyDiamond]

I was very surprised about Will & Jessica and even more surprise about Courtney & Gev. Very interesting.

[Beto]

I'm wondering if dancers that we did not meet until Vegas, or, worse, until the very end of the episode when the Top 20 were announced, will be at a disadvantage with the viewers at home. :idea: Clearly this wasn't a problem for Kaytee because of her hiphop with Joshua and the fact that she was highlighted throughout the Vegas ep.

With the two dancers that went home, well, unless my memory fails me, we didn't meet them until the scenes where they're told about making the Top 20.

[LucyDiamond]

Interesting point Beto. Hopefully, with the process of the judges actually choosing who goes home, this won't be a major factor.

[BrownSkin818]

good observation beto. im sure that lack of airtime doesnt help them. but like nigel said, their routine wasnt memorable to begin with (i didnt like it at all), so the lack of rapport wasn't the deal breaker.

on the results last night, did anyone else take note when nigel said this would be the ONLY time they'd make the exception for technique over personality? i thought it was a bit early for that line to be drawn.

i thought all three girls' solos were lacking a bit. kourtni didn't nail hers, but was noticeably better than the other two. i thought jessica's was horrendous. i didn't hear the comment nigel made to rayven when questioning why she danced on demi point though. what was his issue with that?

i thought will was magnificent last night. unlike most of the talent we've seen on the show, he's not just a dancer, but an ARTIST. i enjoyed him in his audition but thought his "method" might take too long to get across in a dance-for-your-life situation. i stand corrected. brilliant.

jaime's solo was trash. i would have preferred jaime and jessica to go because they were both the worst, and because i like to see partnerships switched up.

and was it just me, or was that popping exhibition weak?? we've seen much better popping talent at the audition rounds.

[Beto]

good observation beto. im sure that lack of airtime doesnt help them. but like nigel said, their routine wasnt memorable to begin with (i didnt like it at all), so the lack of rapport wasn't the deal breaker.
The routine was cute, at best. Other than that it was not memorable.

on the results last night, did anyone else take note when nigel said this would be the ONLY time they'd make the exception for technique over personality? i thought it was a bit early for that line to be drawn.
Far too early in my opinion. Perhaps he and the other judges are still haunted by keeping Cedric around and sending Jimmy, and other dancers, home too early?

i thought all three girls' solos were lacking a bit. kourtni didn't nail hers, but was noticeably better than the other two. i thought jessica's was horrendous.
Though I like Jessica, her solo reminded me too much of Lacey's solo where she blanked out right at the start.

i didn't hear the comment nigel made to rayven when questioning why she danced on demi point though. what was his issue with that?
I believe his point was that the judges already saw her do that in her audition to make the Top 20. They wanted to see what *else* she could do and since she didn't, that sank her.

i thought will was magnificent last night. unlike most of the talent we've seen on the show, he's not just a dancer, but an ARTIST. i enjoyed him in his audition but thought his "method" might take too long to get across in a dance-for-your-life situation. i stand corrected. brilliant.
Agreed. From his opening leap, I forget the ballet technical term, I was like WOW! First I was shocked that he even got placed in the bottom two as, aside from his uncharacteristic smiling during the tango, I enjoyed his performance with Jessica. His solo clearly told the viewers at home that they screwed up by not voting for him. I also liked Nigel's constructive criticism about engaging the audience and including them when he performs. The more you can engage the viewers at home the better your chances that they'll vote for you and keep you safe.

jaime's solo was trash. i would have preferred jaime and jessica to go because they were both the worst, and because i like to see partnerships switched up.
While I was hoping for a mix-up as well, I think the first week or two may see couples eliminated instead of individuals.

and was it just me, or was that popping exhibition weak?? we've seen much better popping talent at the audition rounds.
I fast-forwarded through it this morning as I had to get ready for work but the first 30 seconds of it bored me anyway. It was pretty weak. If you want to see better popping, or better yet, some boogaloo, check out Demi & Jack's boogaloo from So You Think You Can Dance Australia.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xg3bSh8Ok5c

[Beto]

Here's another amusing recap of the performance and results shows. Love the sense of humor that this blogger has with their comments and screen captures.

http://tybe.blogspot.com/2008/06/so-you-think-you-can-dance-top-20-4x06.html

:D

[ChaChaMama]

Yuck. Did not like the opening number of the results show at all. So they take Nigel hostage and bind and gag him. Hmm. Yeah, I guess it's probably a sign I spent too much time today thinking and talking about the September 11th and Its Aftermath course I'm teaching this fall, but people really ARE tied up and held...oh, never mind. Let's just say I didn't like it. And the camera work was annoying.

I am surprised the disco number wasn't in the bottom 3.

Brownskin818, I completely agree with you. The girls' (women's?) solos were all pretty "meh." I hope the women bring it next week.

[BrownSkin818]

Far too early in my opinion. Perhaps he and the other judges are still haunted by keeping Cedric around and sending Jimmy, and other dancers, home too early?
but in drawing this line, it's like theyre saying YES to the cedrics all over again.


I believe his point was that the judges already saw her do that in her audition to make the Top 20. They wanted to see what *else* she could do and since she didn't, that sank her.
odd line of thinking. u wouldnt expect a "strictly" contemporary person to do another style to sport his/her versatility. remember when that contemporary guy from S2(?) did a latin-ish thing for his solo? they trashed him for not going with his strong suit. but now theyve trashed her for not showing another another suit. eh. ok.


Yuck. Did not like the opening number of the results show at all.
cant believe i forgot to comment on this. hostage angle aside, the routine was messy. as i watched it trying to guess who did the choreography, i was thinking, it's dark like a wade piece, but it's all mishmashy like a failed copy cat attempt.

[Beto]

but in drawing this line, it's like theyre saying YES to the cedrics all over again.
I thought it was the opposite? I thought Jamie had the personality and Matt had the technique? Cedric, last year, had personality but couldn't pick up the other techniques.

odd line of thinking. u wouldnt expect a "strictly" contemporary person to do another style to sport his/her versatility. remember when that contemporary guy from S2(?) did a latin-ish thing for his solo? they trashed him for not going with his strong suit. but now theyve trashed her for not showing another another suit. eh. ok.
I based my comments on what the judges said. Rayven actually gave an interview explaining why she chose demi-point instead of pointe.

http://www.buddytv.com/articles/so-you-think-you-can-dance/exclusive-interview-rayven-arm-20519.aspx

What do you think happened with last night’s solo? Why did you decide to go on demi-pointe instead of pointe, as Nigel said?

The floor was really, really slippery and I didn’t want to injure myself. At a point like that, in a state like that, when you get a little bit nervous and you’re not sure if you’re going to have to do your solo or not, you have to do a balance. I think it was a perfect balance, I think my jumps were better. When you’re in pointe shoes you’re not able to extend your toes and I really wanted to show the strength of my jumps. So I just change it up a little bit, like ballroom dancers, you know? They do the jive or they do the samba. It’s the same thing just a little bit different.s

You're talking about Jaymz from season 2, the ballroom specialist. I think the judges were more annoyed that he had copied Dmitri's paso doble solo more than anything else. Maybe I'm wrong?

cant believe i forgot to comment on this. hostage angle aside, the routine was messy. as i watched it trying to guess who did the choreography, i was thinking, it's dark like a wade piece, but it's all mishmashy like a failed copy cat attempt.
Not one of Wade's better routines. I agree that it looked sloppy and the camera angles were not well blocked out. I'm surprised that they did not catch this during tech rehearsal. :-| Also I think Nigel's overacting ruined the humor in the piece. On a positive note, I *did* like the emo/punk outfits that the dancers wore.

[BrownSkin818]

I thought it was the opposite? I thought Jamie had the personality and Matt had the technique? Cedric, last year, had personality but couldn't pick up the other techniques.
Maybe I misunderstood Nygel, but I thought his comment was... "this is the only time we're gonna do this" and that he was referring to choosing technique over personality. So here forward, they intend to keep the likable ones (like Cedric had been).


I based my comments on what the judges said. Rayven actually gave an interview explaining why she chose demi-point instead of pointe.

http://www.buddytv.com/articles/so-you-think-you-can-dance/exclusive-interview-rayven-arm-20519.aspx


oooooh. got it. see i didnt even know the difference between point and demipoint. i thought they were expecting her to do another style (like ballerinas should automatically have some contemporary inclination??), which was why i was confused.

[naturallove]

Okay, just got back from Italy (and then NC), so I am catching up on Top Chef and SYTYCD. I have just finished episode 1 and results show. Some thoughts:

My taste must be bad, because I actually kind of liked the opening number (running and hiding now). LOL I was worried at first, because the first few numbers were meh for me. But things picked up for me after a few routines.

My favorites were:

Joshua and Kaytee-That was the first hip-hop routine that I've seen in awhile that I really enjoyed! (And I like hip-hop!) It told a story, the two of them have chemistry, the moves synced up well, and had some really difficult elements. Wonderful start for the two of them! (Brownskin, I think after watching that I can almost forget what a brat she was on the top 20 results show!)

Twitch and Kherington-I think 'Twitchington' has chemistry and that that jazz routine was fun! I especially liked that rollover move.

Jessica and Will-Loved the tango--well, I won't lie. I love Will. ((But I thought they were both quite good!)

Liked:

Comfort and Chris-Maybe Comfort's technique wasn't the best, but they definitely had some nice moments together, and they were just fun! (And I think that counts for a lot!)

Kourtni & Matt-I thought their jazz routine was fun. I like Mandy's choreography.

Okay:
Chelsea and Thayne-I couldn't believe the raves for that cha-cha routine (especially from Mary)! Maybe I've seen too much powerful booty shaking on the salsa floor. LOL Either way, other than a few moves, I was rather underwhelmed. I didn't see enough cha-cha and she took what seemed like a lot of big steps to me.

Susie and Marquis-Okay for me. I'm not a Susie fan, but I have to get over that. I did think there were some nice lines here and there, but did anyone else feel that it was heavy in places? I loved seeing Anya dance because I always felt like she was floating on air. That lift was really hard though--kudos to Marquiz.


I didn't like:
Courtney and Gev-But not sure that was their fault, though their partnering technique wasn't tight. Maybe I just don't like disco (though who doesn't like Earth Wind and fire?) Can we puleaze bring back Maria Torres and hustle if we want to go retro?

Rayven & Jaime-Boring hip-hop lite. 'Nuff said.

Chelsea H and Mark-Mia Michaels and her crazy choreography! Kudos to them both for getting through it though.


Solos:
Does anyone dance to the music? I feel like I'm looking at a collection of moves rather than someone telling a story with their body to the music. I'm pretty sure EVERYBODY can do a backflip/cartwheel/handstand but does it fit into the dance??? Though it was incredible to watch Will's solo. I knew he wasn't going home but I love seeing his artistry. I thought the girls' solos were pretty mediocre, as were the guys besides Will. I'm not attached to most of the dancers yet, so I'm not disappointed that anyone went home.

Randomly:
I would only admit this here, but Cat has really grown on me. Maybe it's the fact that she's pretty but still awkward in her 10-ft high heels. And she really does seem to care about the contestants.