So if you follow dance, you should know by now that hip hop/popper Joshua Allen won this season’s SYTYCD. I couldn’t be happier for the guy. I’m actually happy about the results, unlike in seasons 2 (when I thought Travis should have won) and 3 (when I thought Danny should have won). This time around, I can see how Joshua totally wowed America with his magnetic personality, boyish charm, undeniable chemistry with his partner, total humility, and powerful dancing talent. His hard-luck history didn’t hurt either. I see really great things for this guy in the realm of dance/music/acting. Here’s to you, Josh! **raises glass**
Now let’s talk about the actual show itself. I posted a rant-ish commentary on TWoP and the Fox boards, but all in all, I enjoyed the finale. Okay, here come the listmaking again:
Things I Thought Were Notable:
- Will and Katee nailing the pas de deux. I gotta rewatch this because I was so caught up in trying to see if they were going to flub the turn again that I couldn’t pay attention to the overall performance. And when they did nail it, I was so joyous for them I was blinded to the rest of the routine.
- Nigel’s tap number with the kids. That was…surprisingly entertaining. When Nigel stepped out I thought it was going to be all sorts of cheez-whiz, but the old man actually pulled it off. The cheese factor was greatly reduced by the fact that (a) he surrounded himself with kids (Aw, Nigel’s dancing with kids! And babies! And puppies! We have to like the routine!), (b) he was actually genuinely good, and (c) it was a tap number so we were forced to focus on his feet instead of his toothy smile.
- “No Air” and “Bleeding Love.” Just as good (and in the case of BL, better) the second time around.
- Chbeeb vs. Muraine. That was ah-mazing! Makes me love Nigel even more for bringing this type of dancing to the same stage where a Desmond Richardson, Debbie Allen and Mia Michaels routine were performed. In Li’l C parlance, it totally pushes the legitimization of the art form to new heights of imagination. Did I do good?
- Mark. Mark. And more Mark. Despite the fact that no judge picked his Argentine Tango with Chelsie (Die judges, die!), I loved it that he got to dance five times last night — two pairs dances and three group numbers. So what if the camera cut him off during parts of “Five Moes?” (Die cameraman, die!)
- Loved seeing the alums, esp. Donyelle, Travis, Ivan (who is really growing into his überlong limbs), Sara (backup singing AND dancing? You go girl!), Dom, Pasha, Dmitry and Anya. And I loved seeing the early-eliminated dancers (Chelsea T! Jaimie!).
- Loved Shane’s hip hop number. It was definitely a highlight.
And now, for the Top Things I Hated the Most:
- I said it already: why didn’t any judge picked the Marksie Tango?
- Jonas Bros: Get the fuck off my stage and leave the performance to real, legitimate artists!
- Mary’s dance number. Sigh…I know she sprained her ankle the week before, but if she was going to give a subpar performance, she really should have bowed out of the number.
- Where was Danny? Sabra I cared not for (and I hear on the Internet grapevine and Nigel has all but disowned her), but I wanted my Danny during either the montage of former contestants and/or onstage! Where was he?
- Uh, wtf was up with that dead rabbit routine? I found it to be subpar Wade. If he was trying to channel Gillian Lynne and Cats, he needed to have studied the natural movement of rabbits more. I found nothing rabbit-y about the dancers’ movements, unlike the choreo in Cats where every twitch, twirl, whirl and arabesque of the dancers was unmistakably feline.
For next year, I’m hoping they’ll show a segment of the dancers finding out who their partners are, a complete set of choreography for the elimination rounds of Vegas week, more Shane Sparks, less Mary Murphy (as in, get rid of her altogether), more Melanie LaPatin (on the judges’ panel), less contemporary boys, more ballroom guys, more women with personality, more Brian Friedman, more behind-the-scenes footage (what about shots in hair-and-makeup? In wardrobe?) and a week-long break for the dancers before the finale week to give them time for R&R.
Next post…let’s analyze some routines. Good weekend, all!
