Previously, the competition started with a Top 20 (ten women, ten men). For season 7, past competitors have returned, the "SYTYCD All-Stars", to perform with the "Top 11" finalists.
The Format of the Season 7 Performance Episodes
In this first live episode of season 7, Wednesday, June 16, 2010, each Top 11 dancer performs with an All-Star whose name they drew out of a hat.
Because this season starts with 11 competitors, the judges no longer choose a "bottom" list of dancers. Starting tonight, the audience at home will call-in to vote for their favorite dancer. The judges are choreographer and director Adam Shankman, Emmy award-winning choreographer Mia Michaels, and executive producer Nigel Lythgoe. Hosting this season is Cat Deeley.
The Top 11 Dancers Perform
The first competitor is contemporary dancer Billy Bell, with Lauren Gottlieb. They perform a Tyce DiOrio Broadway to "Footloose" by Kenny Loggins. While entertaining and energetic, the chemistry is slightly off between them. Adam advises Billy to concentrate on character, and filling out space between the steps.
Second is latin ballroom dancer Cristina Santana, with Mark Kanemura. They perform a Sonja Tayeh jazz to "Starstruck" by Santigold. Mark overpowers Cristina, being more in his element, but Cristina showcases her extensions. The judges feel that the movement was good, and that Cristina surprised them.
Next is street dancer Jose "Full Deck" Ruiz, with Comfort Fedoke. They perform a Tabitha & Napoleon hip hop to "Beautiful Monster" by Ne-Yo. The judges are pleasantly surprised with Jose, since choreographed hip hop is different from breaking. Adam advises him to work on more power moves, since his go-to tricks have been slower.
The fourth competitor is AdeChike Torbert, with Kathryn McCormick. They perform a Travis Wall jazz to "Addicted to Love" by Florence + the Machine. The piece portrays AdeChike as a businessman, who creates a fantasy sequence with Kathryn swooping in to seduce him. While Kathryn nails the character and passion, AdeChike's performance falls short. The judges agree that his technique is flawless, but his character and chemistry were not believable.
The fifth couple is tap dancer Melinda Sullivan and Pasha Kovalev. They perfom a Tony Meredith & Melanie LaPatin jive to "L.O.V.E." by VV Brown. The judges feel that Melinda looked like she was out of her element. Her moves were not crisp, and her facial expressions took away from the performance. Nigel cautions Melinda to get her taps ready, because she may be in the bottom.
Next is ballet dancer Alex Wong, with Allison Holker. They perform a Sonja contemporary to "Hallelujah" by Jeff Buckley. After a standing ovation from the audience and judges, Nigel says this routine sets a new standard. While the rest of the competitors had technique without performance, Alex brought both to the stage. Mia feels that this may be the best contemporary routine ever on the show.
Seventh is contemporary dancer Alexie Agdeppa with Stephen "tWitch" Boss. They perform a Tabitha & Napoleon hip hop to "Butterfly" by Jason Mraz. The judges feel that Alexie was too cutesy, juxtaposed with Twitch's hard-hitting, but smooth, technique. While Alexie is charismatic, she was not powerful enough.
The eighth couple is contemporary dancer Lauren Froderman and Ade Obayomi. They perform a Mandy Moore pop jazz to "Oh Yeah" by Yello. The judges agree that there was technique, but not enough chemistry. Lauren sometimes performs to the audience when it makes more sense to connect with her partner.
Next is contemporary dancer Kent Boyd, with Anya Garnis. They perform a Tony & Melanie cha cha to "Lady Marmalade" by Diva Invasion. Kent brings out the character in this cha cha. The judges are impressed with his performance, saying that he blasted through his weaknesses.
Next is contemporary dancer Ashley Galvan, with Neil Haskell. They perform a Tyce contemporary to "For All We Know" by Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway. The technique is there, and the judges feel that Ashley did show emotion, but it was unclear where that emotion was coming from.
The final competitior is contemporary dancer Robert Roldan with Courtney Galiano. They perform a Sean Cheesman African jazz to "Norweg" from the Cirque du Soleil Saltimbanco Soundtrack. Nigel thinks Robert is a dark horse. Adam comments that Robert may be one of the best contemporary dancers they have had on the show.
America Votes for their Favorite Dancer
Cat reminds the audience to call and vote for their favorite dancer. In the next episode, Thursday, June 17, 2010, at 9pm EST on Fox, the bottom dancers will be revealed. Those in the bottom will need to "dance for their lives", performing a solo in their own style.
While the judges deliberate, Usher and the cast of Twyla Tharp's "Come Fly Away" will perform. At the end of the episode, the judges will decide which dancer will be leaving the competition.
Terry Finch - Terry Finch is a dance teacher and choreographer in Central PA with an extensive training and teaching background in many forms of ...
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