SYTYCD: Week 4

Hmm... Cat's dress doesn't bode well for the rest of the show. Let's hope things improve.

Why is Carmen Electra sitting on the panel. WHY. I can hardly enjoy the presence of El Presidente de Awesome-o up there with her sucking all the decency out of the lineup. *sigh* At this point, there's really nowhere for this night to go but up. Here we go, up up & away!

Guys' group number: (just took me about 9 tries to type those 3 words; I need some surrogate fingers to come type for me.) Nope, we're still grounded. That piece was a bunch of interesting chords that came together in the wrong order, in the wrong way, and the resulting number was entirely discordant.

Melanie & Marko: Yay, this is sure to lift my spirits! These two are just golden; they elevate the quality of whatever material they're given. I would've felt much differently about that piece coming from two other performers. But coming from them, I loved it.

Sasha & Alexander, hip-hop: It's a dang good thing Sasha was up on that stage - even so, I was, once again, this close to DVRing past their whole dance. Alexander definitely wasn't earning any kisses up there, just a quick ticket back to his Miami Vice role-play club. And even though Sasha handled the hip-hop much better, neither of them did anything to bring the number to life. It certainly had no business being on a SYTYCD broadcast.

Jordan & Tadd, waltz: Yay, let's give Jordan a seductress role to play. She really needs something to help encourage her sultry, sexy side. :)  Considering this was a "smooth waltz" it felt quite jumpy & stilted. They needed to focus much more on using their core strength to give the movements more stability and continual flow. But, it was also beautiful and enchanting at times, so I'm not totally disappointed.

Clarice & Jess, contemporary: Man, this is such angry contemporary - it's like "Crump"temporary! Definitely an interesting hybrid of a few different styles. I really liked it, though! I think they did an excellent job of using the choreography to tell the story, and using the story to connect to the choreography. AND, surprise of the night! - I loved Jess in this dance. :O! Cats & dogs, mass hysteria, I know... He took some big steps with that number, and I for one appreciated his performance.  Congratulations, universe; you win.

Ashley & Chris, salsa: Oh good, yet another dance that requires an adult, mature presence - let's give it to Ash & Chris! *deep breath* Okay, let's keep an open mind Kristen... yeah, no need. I mean, okay here's the straight-up - I think these two are both terrific dancers, and I respect & envy their talent. But when it comes to delivering a real performance with genuine emotional impact, they do not belong on the same show as the likes of Melanie and Marko, there it is! That's just the honest truth! Thank you, judges, for keeping them around for another week. *grrrrrr*

Ryan & Ricky, jazz: The upside - they were wonderfully committed to the story & the characters, and they really sold me on the concept! I enjoyed the portrayal of a pair of "fashion zombies", so to speak, and it was surprisingly enjoyable as a whole. The downside - in their quest for character, they sacrificed quite a bit of technical finesse; Ryan fell out of no less than 3 pirouettes, which is unforgivable from her. So I enjoyed the ride & loved their performance, but they needed to strike a better balance with caliber of movement.

Caitlyn & Mitchell, contemporary: Hey, that was pretty good!! Have I mentioned how much I j'adore Caitlyn?! 'Cause it's true. That was really breathtaking; they literally looked like they were flying through the entire piece, it soared & then soared higher. Dance of the night, without a doubt. I just hope that keeps them out of the bottom 3 tomorrow, but I'm sure it'll at least keep them from going home.

Girls' group number: Aren't girls allowed to be dainty and genteel anymore on this show?! Moving on... teeheeheehee  That was cool. That was very cool. I may have to call that dance of the night instead... At least much better than the guys' number! It reminded me very much of a certain "made of awesome" dance from high school dance company, choreographed to Peggy Lee's "Fever" - you know what I'm talking about, Jen. :) Slinky, Subtle, and Simply Sizzlin'!  Pity the foo' who crosses their path!

Okay, time for bottom 3:

• I don't know. I really don't know. 
• Okay, I guess I have to put something.
• Sasha & Alexander (one can only hope)
• Ashley & Chris (one can only assume)
• Jordan & Tadd

Yes, no, maybe so - we'll see! Thanks for stopping by!