I Like...INSANELY talented dancers. And B-Boys. And Yellow Shoes.

I meant to post this last week, but Lil C's dance troupe "The League of Extraordinary Dancers" (completely cheesy name? Yes) performed on the SYTYCD results show last night, and I have watched it approximately 6 times since then. Prepare to be amazed:

Ahh, the dancing

I haven't been posting about TBSOFT aka The Best Show of All Time aka SYTYCD aka So You Think You Can Dance because let's face it, when the show takes place during the third semester of grad school, there just isn't time to write all-important, earth-shattering recaps that EVERYONE reads. Um. But anyway, I have been feeling pretty good about the season so far, but now it's the top 10 and I am starting to get attached to a few of the dancers.

For Top 2, I'm predicting it's Ellenore and Jakob, and here's why:

Overall I think Jakob is my favorite...he reminds me a lot of Travis and even Danny in some ways because he flies and he is just. darn. amazing.

I am also a big fan of Katherine, and Legacy has really grown on me in the last few weeks. I don't think Russell will win, but he is fun to watch, and his solo last night was CRAZY.

Dang. Krump it yo.

I'm not a big fan of Mollee aka High School Musical Miley Cyrus My Little Pony 1990s Flashback girl who dances in denim leggings with crimped hair...and I think Ryan aka look at my large muscles and leather pants and cheeseball solo moves dude is on his way out.

There have been some great routines this year - nothing earth shattering, but enough to still make me wish I could dance. For now, I'll have to stick to interpretive dancing in front of my Christmas tree. Oh well.

Song Obsession of the Week

1) So You Think You Can Dance is BAAAAAAAAAACK!!!!! Here's hoping to a more exciting season this time around.

2) SYTYCD always provides me with amazing music. Case in point:



Ahh John Legend, you are grand.

If Sparky McBellKick Wins This Thing, I'm Boycotting

Okay, we all know that I would never actually boycott the best show ever, but I will be pretty upset if Evan pulls this thing out...and I'm not gonna lie, based on the judges (fair, overdue, and accurate) ripping of him last night and the fanatical chanting of his name that occurred shortly afterwards, I won't be shocked tonight if Evan wins. Annoyed and yelling at my TV, yes.

Last night was pretty good as far as finales go, but I must admit I'm tired of seeing the jive (wasn't this Evan's THIRD time?) and Broadway. I was hoping for some crazy hard hitting hip hop (what happened to Krump this season?) or an off-the-wall jazz routine, and we didn't really get much. I did enjoy the opening group number, and Jeanine continued growing on me to the point where I think she might win, and I won't necessarily feel like Kayla got robbed, even though technically Kayla is stronger. Jeanine pulls out stuff that makes you go WOW I wish I could dance that beautifully and creatively that Kayla does not, such as this (skip through the interview portion:


jean 4 @ Yahoo! Video


And my favorite piece of the night was Mia Michaels' "Layers" routine for the two girls - just beautiful:



jandk 4 @ Yahoo! Video


The Paso Doble by Jeanine and Brandon was also a piece worthy of the finale, with a lot of jaw-dropping moves, and I think they definitely pulled off the characters and did it believably. Come to think of it, I actually think the only reason I felt "blah" about this finale was because Evan was in so many of the dances. GRRR. Someone please explain to me the growing annoyance I feel towards this chipmunk-cheeked, fedora-wearing young chap who is probably very nice in real life.


Sooo, here are my final predictions:

For the Win: Jeanine! I really think she's going to pull it off.
Who SHOULD Win: Brandon, because he has the whole combination - he is the best guy (and probably best period) by far technically, he pulls off every character and challenging role he's given, and he does it with a flair (and crazy death-defying leaps and dives) that makes you root for him.
In Fourth: Kayla, because despite her technical superiority, she hasn't connected as well as the others.
In Between: It's hard to say. Like I said, I won't be shocked if Evan wins or even beats out Brandon, but I also wouldn't be shocked if the majority of people watching the show finally realized last night that Evan cannot, in fact, dance as well as the other three on stage with him, and perhaps all will be well. So basically, anyone but Evan and I'm golden.


Hoo-rah for Season 6!

Disco fever, an awkward wedding, and Skippy needs to go home

AKA, my SYTYCD recap of the week. Overall, I still wasn't super impressed this week...as Nava the Dance Expert stated so accurately in our weekly group recap email, I think the disappointment has been in the routines this season, not necessarily in the dancers. So many of the dances just don't have the conceptual meat to carry the story combined with the WOW factor that so many from past dances have had...there's just an oomph factor that's missing.

Sooo, we'll start with the best:

Brandon and Kayla - I think these are the two best dancers left on the show, hands down. The contemporary routine was pretty and extremely well danced, and the choreography was pretty great, but I just couldn't feel connected to the whole mistress-of-a-married-man storyline. Drug addiction, breast cancer, AND extra-marital affairs? Come on people, this is a dance show, not a Lifetime Original Movie marathon! But they did a great job with what they were given. Their disco was pretty great (even though those death drops or whatever they look like looked quite painful), and they kept the energy up and nailed all of those crazy lifts, which most couples can't do without the audience thinking AHH SHE'S GONNA FALL ON HER FACE WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN. The synchronized arm shimmies or whatever you want to call them when she was on top of his shoulders was great...but I still couldn't help but compare it to the disco that Brandon and Janette did, because that was just completely awesome. I miss Janette.

Ade and Jeanine - I agreed with the judges on their samba, something just looked OFF. But the routine wasn't that great either. I did enjoy the Nap/Tab hip hop routine...and I think Jeanine definitely has the best solos of the girls (but Kayla is stronger overall). Ade is really good, but sometimes I feel like there's a disconnect between him and his dances. I don't know. Maybe he's not eating the music or feeling the music or sitting on the music with his ears or whatever Lil C kept rambling on about.

Evan and Melissa - To me, it couldn't be clearer that these two need to go home. I'm sorry and I feel bad for saying it, but Evan is just BLAH. I'm sooo over him. All he does is make cartoony facial expressions, shrug his shoulders, hop around a lot, and do several bell kicks. Every. Single. Time. Their Broadway routine was gimmicky and not challenging at all, and it just felt awkward (could it be their weird half-dressed garter costumes?). And clearly the quickstep fell short. Melissa's a great ballerina, but the other two girls are wayyy more versatile.

However, in all of this mediocrity, there was this:



This is the reason I watch this show. Um, no, not to watch extremely muscled men dance and flail and crawl in boxer briefs...but seriously, this is an art form. It's official, I'm on Team Brandon. And no, I did NOT vote for him over 20 times last night after he danced this. Absolutely not.

I Like...Dancing

This past weekend, Scott's BFF-partner-in-crime-roommate-best-man-all-around-crazyperson Rob married his longtime girlfriend (and good friend of ours) Jen. Seriously, these boys have been friends since the fifth grade when Rob invited Scott to stay for dinner after working on a school project, and they have pretty much been through everything in life attached at the hip ever since. They are COMPLETE opposites and yell at each other a lot, but their friendship is pretty adorable. So the weekend was full of toasts and parties and food...and dancing! We had a fantastic group of dancing fiends on the floor at the wedding, and it was a BLAST. I love dancing, and I really really really wish I could do it with any inkling of talent, but this is what I look like when I do it:

Apparently me dancing = awkward facial expressions and lots of pointing?

Oh well. We can't all be professionals.......like these people:

(SMOOTH TRANSITION, eh?!?)

Last night's episode was pretty blah until the final three routines. I will say that while I appreciate the sentiment and while the intent of Tyce's piece about breast cancer was touching, it didn't grip me or move me like Mia's Addiction piece did. I think a huge part of it was the song, but it felt more contrived and "Beaches"-ish than raw and heartwrenching like it could have been...But it was still a beautiful dance. Here are my two favorites:

Kayla and Jason dancing a Shane Sparks hip hop routine (loved the Thriller references)



Brandon & Jeanine dancing a routine by Laurie Ann Gibson (yes, the crazy choreographer from Diddy's Making the Band awesomeness).

I think Brandon and Jeanine are my favorites at this point, with Janette coming in a close second. I'm calling Evan or Jason and Melissa or Kayla for elimination this week. If Melissa stays it will be because she happened to draw the tearjerker of the week. Also - I'm not gonna lie, I'm pretty intrigued to see if Katie Holmes can actually sing and dance tonight. Innnnteresting.

And this is where I shall end the post of endless rambling.

First goosebumps of the season

This Mia Michaels "Addiction" routine literally gave me goosebumps...this is probably my favorite of the season so far. (It doesn't hurt that I'm obsessed with that song anyway).

Also loved Brandon and Janette's Wade Robson routine - amazing!


Predictions: this week is a toss-up. The only couple who I think is safe for sure is B/J. I think Randi and Evan will be in the bottom 3 for sure. Caitlin and Jason will probably be there since their routines were just okay. Kayla and Kupono's Broadway was meh, but their first dance was amazing enough that I think they'll be safe (although Kupono is in trouble if he's in the bottom). So that would probably mean Jeanine and Phillip over Melissa and Ade.
Who's going home: Caitlin and Jason or Phillip.

p.s. i am way too obsessed with this show.

Love it

Last night's episode was definitely better than last week. Loved the pas de deux, the cha cha, and Kayla and Kupono's routine above. Even the quick step was fun and not painful like it usually is. I think right now my favorite couples are Brandon & Janette and Kayla & Kupono.

Who will be in the bottom 3:
Caitlin and Jason, because the alien-impregnating-human routine was just STRANGE, and Caitlin was covered in pointy tin foil hats, so it was hard to see any of the actual dancing. Weird choregraphy aside, they haven't really impressed me so far.

Randi and Evan, because their Broadway routine was just okay, and Randi looked like she was faking the fun and wanted to be somewhere else.

Vitolio and Karla, because even though their quick step was good, they don't have a big following, and that genre is not one that will make people jump up and down screaming on their couch spilling their root beer floats. Not that I've ever done that while watching a dance. Never.

Predictions: this is tough. I'm thinking Jason and Karla, because even though Caitlin hasn't been awesome, the judges seem to love her, and her solos have been better.

Dancing Predictions

Sooo, last night's episode was pretty good. There were definitely more lows than in the opener, but it has to happen at some point. Does anyone else notice how Lil C sounds increasingly like Yoda when he critiques the dancers? The path to progress is easy not. Or something. Here were my favs:


Karla & Jonathan dancing a contemporary routine to "Falling Slowly." I've already talked about how much I adore this song, so I might be biased, but it was a beautiful dance.


Brandon & Jannette's disco routine, probably because my jaw dropped for the whole routine at how insanely flexible that girl is...even though that one Barbie-legs move was quite a bit of crotch.


Kayla & Max's jazz routine...definitely strange, but very cool.

Predictions for bottom 3: Phillip and Jeanine (because their Tango was not very impressive), Kopono and Ashley (because their hip hop was not buck, as Lil C would say), and Caitlin and Jason (because, again, no hate to the great Shane Sparks, but their hip hop was pretty bland).

Who's going home: Kopono and Jeanine or Ashley...it really could be any of the 3 girls, but the judges seem to fancy Caitlin. They would NEVER send Phillip home at this point in the competition, and they seem to love Jason, too.

Thoughts?

I Like...THE BEST SHOW IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD

Yes, it is the best show in the history of the world. That is NOT an exaggeration in the least. So You Think You Can Dance is amazing and it has made the world a better place and don't no one argue with me. Haha. But really, it's such an inspirational show, and as I've confessed in previous ramblings, I am completely and pathetically obsessed with it.

Last night was the first episode with real dancing, where the Top 20 performed in pairs for the first time. Granted, I am no dance expert (despite what my know-it-all comments and strong opinions about various routines might suggest), but it seems like this is one of the strongest Top 20 groups we've seen so far on this show (plus the judges keep saying that, so I'll just repeat it). But seriously, I was REALLY impressed last night. There was really only one routine that was just kind of meh for me, the bland hip hop routine by the hip hop dancer who should have made it a hip hop sensation but was just meh.

Here are my favorite routines from last night:

A non-meh hip hop routine by Jeanine and Phillip (Napoleon and Tabitha are geniuses, by the way):


The beautiful Foxtrot that Brandon and Janette pulled off so effortlessly:


And the contemporary routine that Melissa and Ade danced to the admittedly cheesy Richard Marx song of my middle school years...but it was gorgeous.


So far, no favorites for this season. It usually takes me a while to really get attached to someone, but I think Ade, Brandon, Jason, Janette, Kayla, Phillip, Asuka, and Caitlin all have great potential.

Predictions for bottom three girls: Paris (for her meh hip hop routine), Ashley (because despite his obvious talent and creativity, Wade Robson's choreography is WEIRD and out there, and most people don't connect very strongly to crash test dummies), and Asuka (because of the annoying Broadway routine she was forced to dance...really, Tyce?).

Predictions for bottom three boys: Tony (for the aforementioned meh-ness), Vitolio (seriously, that Broadway routine was dumb and I felt sad for them), and Kupono (because of the weirdness of Wade).

Who's going home? Tony and Paris.

P.S. One of these dudes, I forget which, started dancing when he first saw this show, i.e. 4 YEARS AGO!!! IT'S NOT TOO LATE, PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!
P.P.S. yes, I do vote. Don't hate.

I Like...So You Think You Can Dance!!!!!!!!

It's true. It's time. For the. best. show. EVER. period.

This show seriously makes me happy. Just like with the Lion King, there is just something about people using the creativity God gives them to do something so beautiful with such passion that is incredibly inspiring to me...yes, this is cheeseball.com if you were wondering which website you mistakenly landed upon. But for realz y'all, I wait ALL year for this show and I'm so excited to see what amazingness the choreographers come up with this time around. I wish I had danced as a kid so I wasn't just jealous of their mad skillz.

So, to usher in the new season, here are a few of my favorite dances from seasons past:


"Bleeding Love," Chelsie & Mark


"No Air," Joshua & Katee


"Hometown Glory," Joshua & Katee


"Hummingbird," Jamie & Hok


"Time," Neil & Lacey


Some Celine Dion song, Lauren & Danny


Park Bench dance, Travis & Heidi

And soooo many more!! Can't wait to blog about this season and hear everyone's opinions :)

Song Obsession of the Week

So I must confess, I have watched American Idol this season. I know, lame. I watched David Cook's season, but other than that the only one I ever followed was the first one, with the brilliant KC. But this season I decided, meh, I guess I'll watch it...and Kris Allen is amazing! Yes, Adam Lambert can pull off the rockstar thing, and yes, he played Fiyero in the LA cast of Wicked, but pretty much every song Kris sings makes me want to go buy his album. Here are my faves:



"She Works Hard for the Money"

"Falling Slowly." LOVED that he took a risk with one of the best movie songs ever!


"Heartless." Love that he covered Kanye AND The Fray's versions.

So there you have it, I watch American Idol. I do not, however, vote for American Idol. I save that ultimate lameness for So You Think You Can Dance...WHICH PREMIERES NEXT WEEK PEOPLE!

Joshua Sure Can Dance

Let me just quickly say that I was so ridiculously happy that Joshua won last night...he did SUCH an amazing job all season, poured his entire heart into it, and has such an amazing story.  What an inspiration. I was equally inspired by his top-2 competition, Twitch, and his reaction when Cat announced that Joshua was indeed the winner. He looked so genuinely HAPPY and excited for his friend, and what an incredible picture of friendship it was when Twitch and the others lifted the winner onto their shoulders to celebrate with him. These people are so talented, and it makes me think that I can dance. Too bad that's not actually true. I realize this is rambling, but my computer is about to die and I left my charger at home...but I couldn't end the day without giving a shout-out to Joshua and his incredible victory!