Last week, tap dancer Melinda Sullivan was eliminated. This week, the remaining eight will dance with eight of the All-Stars, and with each other.
Achilles Tendon Injury for Alex Wong
Ballet dancer Alex Wong will not perform tonight, as he injured his achilles tendon in rehearsal. Until the doctors have the MRI results, they will not allow him to perform. Alex will automatically be put in the bottom three, and if he is unable to continue, he will be sent home.
Seven of the Top 8 Dancers Perform with All-Stars
The first competitor is contemporary dancer Lauren Froderman, with Pasha Kovalev, and a Jean-Marc Genereux cha-cha to "Telephone" by Lady Gaga and Beyonce. For the first time, Lauren danced with maturity. Pasha, for possibly the first time, was matched in performance level. The judges did not mention technique, but loved the performance.
Second is street dancer Jose Ruiz, with Lauren Gottlieb, and a Mandy Moore contemporary to "Never Tear Us Apart" by INXS. While the judges once again praise Jose for his spirit on stage, Jose did not dance in this routine. The choreography had him doing all the heavy lifting, and a lot of shuffling around the stage, while Lauren did all the dancing.
Next is contemporary dancer Kent Boyd, with Comfort Fedoke, and a Dave Scott hip hop to "You're Not My Girl" by Ryan Leslie. Overall, the routine had a slow and smooth feel that evoked a boy band (Cat and Nigel both referenced Justin Timberlake). There were points where Kent may have been too smooth, but there were also moments where Comfort toned down her hard-hitting style to compensate.
The fourth competitor is contemporary dancer AdeChike Torbert, with Courtney Galiano, and a Mandy Moore jazz to "Is You or Is You Ain't My Baby (Rae & Christian Remix)" by Dinah Washington. The choreography was sultry, but the chemistry wasn't. While Nigel loved it, Mia thought the dancing was mediocre, and called out AdeChike's technique. The large teal "bar" with stools and Courtney's ill-fitting dress may have been distracting.
The fifth couple is contemporary dancer Billy Bell and Allison Holker, and a Spencer Liff Broadway to "Macavity: The Mystery Cat" from Cats. Allison's old rib injury flares up in rehearsal, and she is unable to perform, so Season 4's Katee Shean is the new All-Star. The routine is simple in style, but Spencer shows off their training by filling it with turns and extensions. Unfortunately, Katee falls out of the turns, which may have detracted from Billy's performance.
Next is contemporary dancer Ashley Galvan, with Dominic Sandoval, and a Tabitha & Napoleon hip hop to "How Low" by Ludacris. The ninja theme ends with the two scaling the judges' stand to attack, which the judges love. This may make them forget that Ashley was a little too smooth in her approach, or they may just be happy to see her doing something other than contemporary. Overall, she almost matches Dominic's style.
The final competitor in this round is contemporary dancer Robert Roldan, with Kathryn McCormick, and a Sean Cheesman jazz to "Sinking Feeling" by Roisin Murphy. The concept has the dancers as Ken and Barbie dolls in life-size boxes. The routine is fun, but Robert misses the lifts and drops Kathryn on her tailbone. The judges explain to the audience that any perceived arrogance from Robert is not true to his personality, and shouldn't be a reason to put him in the bottom three. Whatever the reasons have been, his execution of this routine didn't measure up.
The Competitors Perform with Each Other
The first couple is AdeChike and Alex, performing a Nakul Dev Mahajan Bollywood to "Mourya Re" from the Don: The Chase Begins Again. With Alex injured, AdeChike performs with Nakul's assistant Marla. This piece has a lot of last-minute changes, and the dancers seem to be off in style and timing. Cat points out the inconsistency between the judges' critiques of AdeChike and Jose. Mia explains that Jose has a star power onstage that AdeChike lacks, that makes up for technique misses.
Second is Lauren and Kent, with a Travis Wall contemporary to "Collide" by Howie Day. With a theme that is closer to their personal experiences (high-school prom), they make the chemistry work and portray the characters well. Lauren and Kent step out of their "competition style", although it could have used an extra spark that more mature dancers could have brought to it.
The third couple is Ashley and Robert, with a Jean-Marc & France quickstep to "Man with the Hex" by Atomic Fireballs. The quickstep is called the SYTYCD "kiss of death", and this routine may not change that. Ashley pulled it off a little better, but Robert's face exposed his nervousness. Their strong lines hid a lot of technical missteps, but Robert looked like he was afraid of the piece.
The final couple is Billy and Jose, with a Sean Cheesman African Jazz to "The Drum" by Mickey Hart. Nigel says Billy's style looked more like Broadway. Compared with Jose's sloppier movements, the two seemed mismatched. If Billy had danced with a little more abandon, and Jose had hit a little harder, the piece would have fared much better.
America Votes for their Favorite Dancer
Cat reminds the audience to call and vote for their favorite. On Thursday, July 8, the bottom two dancers will join Alex, and will "dance for their lives", performing solos in their own styles. At the end of the episode, the judges will decide who will be sent home.
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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