SYTYCD
Could Nigel's "you will get rejected your entire careers, handle it like pros please" have been any more targeted at Twitch? I wonder though how much of his breakdown last week was genuine histrionics and how much was calculated to get out the sympathy vote, because as far as I can see that's what saved him last night. Mark was far better in both of his routines on Wednesday night, and having now seen what I missed, I agree that he gave the best male waltz performance of the season. I think he's a very versatile dancer, deeply kooky but also deeply elegant--frankly, I identify with that a lot, says the woman performing shamadan this weekend and ma na ma na meleya two weeks after. I do favor Joshua over Mark, but I think Mark deserved to be the second to last male dancer standing.
Group dance by Mandy Moore was very nice, though the dancers weren't always in synch in the parts where they should have been (as opposed to the parts where their movements were staggered). Chelsie really stuck out like a sore thumb between contemporary dancers Courtney and Katee, and I felt pretty sure then that she ought to go home--I'd been debating between her and Courtney, but I think Courtney has shown a bit more flexibility in learning new forms. I think Katee is head and shoulders above her, but I do admire Courtney's scrappiness. Also, Chelsie just isn't that mature or professional in general, not yet anyway. The men all did well--I thought Mark and Joshua were better than Twitch, but I'm willing to admit that might be bias on my part.
Cat was cute with Lil Demon, the six year old b-boy--I loved that she scooped him right up, despite her heavily beaded dress. The costuming department was probably crying. He was pretty impressive for a kid; sometimes you could see the choreography, but I thought for a child he did have good musicality. Though you worry about children focusing so intently on just one thing so early in life--what else are they missing out on, and what is the effect of all that training on a growing body?
The solos were all entertaining and it seemed like each dancer was trying something a little new, stretching their stylistic boundaries.
I did not know they still made over the top dance music like Lady GaGa's, but I guess they do. Either that, or it's now retro, which I suspect might be the case. I am impressed that she seemed to be actually singing rather than lip synching, as you could occasionally hear her breathing against the microphone. She had the best crew of back up dancers of any performer yet.
So, right call with Chelsie, but I am disappointed that Mark was sent home rather than Twitch. And not to keep up with the Twitch bashing, but what was up with Mark being put in the position of having to comfort Twitch for *not* getting cut, when he himself was just cut and maybe could use a hug or pat on the back himself? Twitch, I am concluding, is a big selfish baby, or if that's not his usual persona, he's certainly not coping well at all with the stress. I'd be more sanguine about Mark getting cut if Twitch had behaved at all professionally, especially after that lecture.
Anyway I expect/hope the top two will be Katee and Joshua, and I think either of them is a deserving winner. They are both excellent dancers and have both grown so much over the season, really becoming professionals. Also, Joshua is cute without his braces :)
I am very sad that the Blogging SYTYCD blog has gone on hiatus--that was my reliable source to check music sources, choreographers, etc., as Fox's site for the show is pretty bad.
I got more than seven hours of sleep last night and I feel like an entirely new human being. My TMJ syndrome has been raging out of control since my dental work on Tuesday but ibuprofen for the last 24 hours or so has put a dent in it. Hopefully it will be much better by tomorrow's show...