Fire, Ice and Magic

SYTYCD Top 18

ARTicle by chairo

First up folks I have a little explaining to do. I know you all tuned in expecting to see some pretty righteous guest judges but all you got was me. Well with the cushy new chairs we got at the end of last season finding guest judges was not such a problem, narrowing them down to a manageable number was. However the fates were not on our side.

With the exception of me, who had to arrive early to get those great new chairs arranged the rest of the judges decided to carpool due to the high cost of gas. They were totally psyched about giving you all their expert opinions of tonight’s dances and dancers. As we all know though, the best laid plans often fail.

On the way to the theater, our judges saw this huge creature running across the road. Instantly thoughts of a million dollars popped into their heads … (this is the reward for proving Big Foot really exists) and the fact they were to judge SYTYCD popped right out. They chose to follow the trail of this mythical creature in hopes of capturing the big money and that dear reader leaves you with just me to recap tonight’s competition.

The most important business should come first. The Cat came out in a stunning black dress. Not something I myself would choose because of that boa looking thing around the bottom, but Cat pulled it off magnificently.

Judging the competition tonight were Mia Michaels, Mary Murphy and of course Nigel Lythgoe.

First up on the dance floor were Thayne and Chelsea dancing a jazz routine by Mandy Moore to Veronica’s “Untouched” and I must say, though I was a fan last week, I was not this week. I didn’t like the costumes or their performance. They were ice for me tonight and should be in the bottom of the pack.

But what did the official judges think? Mia thought it was a great concept that was poorly executed. Mary said it didn’t work for her. There was no impact and no chemistry. Nigel agreed with the others saying it was good concept that wasn’t real and he didn’t believe it.

Chelsie and Mark’s Argentine Tango brought fire to the competition. The number was choreographed by Alex DeSilva and they performed to “Mi Confesion” by Gotan Project. It was a fun to watch and the chemistry between them was magical. A little mishap on the way off the stage however had Cat kneeling down and helping Chelsie get her little toe back into her shoe. This seemed to impress Mia the most, that Cat would kneel in her dress and heels to help Chelsie out of her predicament.

As for the dance Mia agrees with me. She said she loved them. Mary loved everything about the dance and Nigel said it just needed to be a little sleazier.

Cecily and Olisa choreographed the Hip Hop routine danced by Jessica and Will to “Whatever You Like” by Nicole Scherzinger. I like Jessica and Will but didn’t like this performance. I wouldn’t exactly place them in the region of the ice but there was no fire.

Mia liked the choreography and Will’s performance but was not a fan of Jessica’s. Mary agreed, Will is a dancing machine but it wasn’t there for Jessica. Nigel sort of disagreed. He thought Jessica did a good job but that Will was great and should be in the top four at the end.

Next up were Kourtni and Matt. In the beginning, as far back as the tryouts, Kourtni has been one of my all time favorite dancers. I would like to give her kudos but I can’t. This was semi-icy performance. They danced a Jean Marc choreographed Fox Trot to “A Foggy Day” by Michael Buble. An appropriate song choice because they seemed to be caught in a dance fog. However, I did enjoy watching and was entertained. I just felt something I couldn’t quite name was off. (Since I don’t know much about dance techniques I cannot judge on that, only on what appealed to me)

Mia felt Matt did a great job and had Hollywood elegance. She felt he stepped it up and showed strength. Kourtni she felt was only showing strength when she lifted her leg into the air. Mary felt it was a mixed bag. Charismatic but a disappointment. Nigel was NOT disappointed at all he, totally enjoyed it.

Courtney and Gev drew the Contemporary dance with Mandy Moore as choreographer. They danced to “Lost” by Anouk. It was fun, lots of lifts and fantastic chemistry. A fire storm for me, though it appeared to be a fairly simple but enjoyable routine.

Mia felt Courtney played the part of the man more than Gev did. She praised Gev however for being a good partner. Mary loved it and thought it was hot and the chemistry was killer. Nigel thinks they are a well balanced couple, but didn’t feel the emotion was there. He did think they danced it well.

Katee and Joshua finally brought a little magic. I was captivated by their Broadway performance by Tyce DiOrio. They danced to “All For the Best” from Godspell and they did it so well. This is my favorite performance so far this evening. The judges agreed. They were all out of their seats clapping and Nigel was in heaven saying this is what he had been waiting for all night. He said it was entertainment, incredible and fantastic. Beautiful to watch. Mary said they should have come with a warranty … satisfaction guaranteed … she loved every second and believed it totally. Mia said it was amazing.

After that performance Susie and Marquis delivered a very icy Salsa. What a letdown … going from the highest high to the lowest low. Alex DeSilva choreographed this number which they performed to “Aguanile” by Willie Colon and Hector Lavoe. Susie, a Latin street dancer should have rocked this dance but she didn’t. It all looked so contrived and ackward. It isn’t necessary to go into the details of the judges opinions. They were all disappointed and letdown.

Praise God for Kherington and Twitch. They brought the real magic to the stage tonight. I was mesmerized and even disappointed when the performance was over. Jean Marc (who’s last name I can’t pronounce let alone spell) created a magical piece dedicated to his handicapped daughter. He explained that she lost all motor skills and can only express feelings with her eyes. He said movement makes her happy. So he and his wife created this master peace for her and Twitch and Kherington danced it to perfection.

The Viennese Waltz was performed to Celine Dion’s “A New Day Has Come.” I can’t say enough how moved I was by the choreography, the song and especially the performances by Kherington and Twitch. It was worth the two hours of sitting on my backside taking notes, just to witness this piece of perfection.

Mia was upset that Kherington smiled throughout the dance. She felt that due to the nature of the dance she should have been more ‘real’ with less smiling .. at this point Nigel jumps in and says it was uplifting and the smile was appropriate. Cat asked Kherington what Jean Mark had told them as to how to dance and she said that it was to bring joy to his daughter. Jean Mark and his wife stood and applauded .. it was exactly what they had hoped for. Mia however would not back down on her opinon.

Mary, holding back tears said she felt touched by an angel. Kherington brought joy and it touched her. Twitch was insane (in a good way) and said he partnered Kherington like a real man. Nigel thought it a beautiful routine and that he was amazed that the two of them were actually breathing together. He concluded nobody could ask for more … it was excellence.

Now before writing about Comfort and Chris I have two things to say. First I like them last week. I liked Comfort’s energy. Second I am not a Krumping fan and that is what they drew. It was choreographed by Lil’c and danced to “Come and Get Me” by Timbaland. I didn’t like it. But since I probably wouldn’t have liked it no matter who had been dancing let’s hear what the official judges thought of it.

Mia was not overly impressed. Mary was not overly impressed and Nigel was disappointed.

There we have it dance fans. The fire, the ice and the Magic. The icy couples were Susie and Marquis, Chelsea and Thayne and Comfort and Chris … if this were a perfect world these would be the bottom three couples tomorrow night. The fire couples were Jessica and Will, Chelsie and Mark, Kourtni and Matt and Courtney and Gev (some of these had more fire than others). The magic of the evening was brought to us in the way of two totally different performances: Katee and Joshua’s stunning Broadway routine and Kherington and Twitch’s mesmerizing Viennese Waltz.

Now I don’t have a recipe for you though if she has the time maybe Funnygirl will post one for you and you can expect her back at the helm next week … at least I believe so.

Me, I am going back to my coffee and root beer (not mixed together) and go back and watch the Kherington/Twitch number again. I need a little magic before bedtime.

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