Episode 2, May 31
So You Think You Can Dance 2, May 31: Dancing in L.A. by Sting7 -- 06/01/2006 Los Angeles is the city of big dreams and big dreamers – but can they dance? On night two of So You Think You Can Dance, we see people overcoming plenty of obstacles to take their shot. And then there are others who should just be shot. Who’s joining Juliya and Stanislov (l-r) in Las Vegas? Check in and see! Last week, we met some talented hopefuls who were sent directly to Las Vegas, namely Juliya Tamarkina and her hamster-looking (her words, not mine) boyfriend, Stanislov Savich. There were also the very powerful Krystle Harris, the flashy pop of Michael Kim, and my immediate Pick To Clicks, James Payne and Travis Wall. So what does episode two have in store? Let’s just see, shall we? Before we begin, a brief reminder that that auditions do not necessarily get straight “yes” or “no” answers this year. The dancers could be asked to stay for a little dance class to see just how versatile they are and how well they take direction. An interesting change. The judges change almost as often as Paula Abdul changes pharmacists, so keep your scorecard handy. Host Cat Deeley schmoozes with the crowd and reiterates what I just said about the rules. She also reminds us of the prizes: a year contract with Celine Dion’s Vegas show, a new car, and $100,000! The auditions begin tonight in Los Angeles. Your sitting judges on this leg will be Nigel Lythgoe, Dan Friedman, and Mean Mary Murphy. First, we are reintroduced to none other than: Jules Sanchez – who appeared on the first season American Idol and was unceremoniously dumped by Randy, we see in flashback. Jules says it was Nigel who said he was too fat. Jules also seems to forget he acted like a jerk at the audition too, despite the fact that he had a rather pleasant singing voice. Jules dances to “My Humps” (doomed) and shows he move his body pretty well. Pretty well, but not well enough. Brian asks him if he had fun and commends his courage (such a diplomat!). Mary says it didn’t do anything for her. Nigel says he has no talent for singing or dancing, Jules says Nigel can’t either, either. (Jules forgot that Nigel was a dancer too.) Nigel says Jules is just being rude (he wasn’t really, but I think Nigel remembered to hate him). Off he goes. Julia Szymanski – says she’s bringing a mix of jazz and hip-hop and strangely, as the words pour from her mouth, I know it’s going to be bad. It is, but not as bad as I was expecting. She too shows she can move her body, but not really on a professional level. Nigel thinks its “pageanty,” Mary finds it “amateurish,” and Brian thinks it was a time-warp to the ‘80s with some of Julia’s movement. Julia takes the criticism like a champ, and, to us, graciously thanks everyone involved and will still support the show. And, she’s still going to dance! Good for her! We see a montage of good-natured “No” victims. Then: Donyelle Jones – who believes in working for her dream. She works two jobs, sometimes 16 hours a day! She walks in the room and just looks like a dancer. The judges think so too, as they are adjusting in their seats. Donyelle does not disappoint. She moves with frightening precision and complete control of her body. She’s danced for ten seconds when Nigel mumbles, “I’m sending her to Vegas.” It’s unanimous, she’s going to Vegas! Benji Schwimmer – is the son of the King of Swing, Buddy Schwimmer. Benji says he is competitive when it comes to his father because Benji wants to make his own mark. Buddy likes to call Benji the Prince of Swing, and Benji truly hates that. Benji, with the help of an unnamed partner who is not auditioning (maybe because she’s 12), does a blistering little set. Nigel knows Benji’s father and advises Benji not to gain as much weight as Dad. He also cautions Benji about the facial expressions. Mary knows of Benji’s father and thought Benji was great. Brian liked Benji but hated that he seemed to be lip-synching along. Benji understands the criticism. He is asked to stick around. Cortney Shaffer – tells us that she likes tap because of visual element, and I believe she mentions “face-music.” Well, while Cortney can certainly tap from the waist down, the other presents problems. Not only because her arms are just limp, her “face-music” is rather one-note. And it’s a creepy one. She stares intently at the judges throughout. Nigel finds it “stalkerish.” It’s a no. We get a montage of tap dancers who are really selling it with the facial expressions, juxtaposed with Cortney’s… eh, glare. We get the point. We see our old pal Ryan Conferido, a finalist from last season, who is here to support his crew. They came to play! But will the judges think so! Hokuto “Hawk” Konishi – is dazzling with his hip-hop routine. He has Brian’s jaw agape and Mary squealing with delight! His body control is just impossible! Nigel reminds him that he was put through last year and the couples’ dancing did him in. Nigel gives him another shot! Mary agrees, it’s a stick around! Chris Cuenza – shows he’s no slouch in the body control department! Stick around! Steve Terada – just has no knowledge of gravity. He’s breaking the laws all over the place! Judges love him! Stick around! That leaves just one more of Ryan’s charges. Victor Kim. Cat asks if he’s feeling the pressure? “No,” he says: Victor Kim – definitely not feeling the pressure! He does a dazzling slide on his head about eight feet and that is just the start! He has Mary squealing again, and Nigel is smiling so big, the top of his head may just bonk the back of his chair! Stick around! Time for the choreography sessions. First, Brian’s hip-hop class. Sadly, Steve and Victor look like Bambi facing the hunter and Nigel cuts them quickly. How was it, asks Cat dimly. “Pretty terrible,” says Victor, showing that skill he has with a sound bite. Then, Mary’s salsa class. And more cuts. But, not Hawk, Chris, or Benji! They are all going to Vegas!! Day two of Los Angeles’ auditions brings us: Ivan Koumaev – who says he had a heart defect when he was young and is lucky to be alive. He does a smoking routine of hip-hop and popping. The judges are thrilled, though Brian thinks Ivan will eventually “grow into” the bigness of his dancing. Nonetheless, Ivan is straight to Vegas! John Arviso – dances for a metropolitan ballet company and wants to dance while he can because he could get hurt and it all could be over tomorrow. Makes sense to me! The rest of what he says doesn’t, so we’ll leave it there. There’s a bad moon over John, who drops his numbers as he walks on stage, and you just know its going to unravel badly. It does. He looks very unsteady on his legs (nerves?), his music is a bore, and he tends to roll his eyes up in his head. Not pretty. Less pretty are the judges’ comments. Mary says his outfit turned her off from the jump. Brian calls his technique “hideous” and for a ballet dancer to fail to do one clean pliet was inexcusable. (Brian??) John has heard enough and takes his leave, while Nigel claims that he would have said yes. Doubt that. Brian drops his head to the table. Daniel Cabrera – we join in mid-routine, and mid-groan from the judges. Brian commends him for being “in the zone,” but it was a zone of badness. Nigel says it just wasn’t good. Daniel can’t believe his ears. Outside the audition room, to us, Daniel expresses his feeling for Nigel, “I hate him sooo much!” Nigel cares. Cat tells us that the dancing has taken a turn for the worse by mid-afternoon. Xufei “Sophia” Wang – seems to know next to nothing about dance. Her dancing confirms it. Sure, she’s having fun, but is she a good dancer? No. Not even at a club. The judges are not amused. Nigel says it’s like she came on a dare, and she wasted her time and theirs. Sophia is a bit astonished at the reaction when she came with such light, such joy. She tells us in her peculiar English that they “did not appreciated what I be. But, that’s okay.” Hours later, says Cat, it was not okay. Sophia cries, “When you are faced with sensitive people you have to care about their feelings.” (Thanks, subtitles!) Buck up, Sofia. You got on television at least. Henry Graham – has a story to tell. He was born addicted to PCP and raised in the L.A. County foster care system. He was adopted by his foster parents and seems well adjusted. As he begins, Brian mumbles, “I hope he’s good,” while reading Henry’s back story. He is! Dancing to one of my all time favorite songs, Sia’s “Breathe Me.” (Did you see the Six Feet Under series finale? Then you know the song! Don’t get me started on how much I loved that! I just can’t believe we saw all of the main characters – what am I talking about??) Henry is lyrical deliciousness. Mia will adore him! Nigel says he was “superb.” Brian loved that Henry is a masculine dancer. He’s going to Vegas! Right on cue, Henry does a dramatic flop to the ground (not masculine) that Sasha Cohen would envy. Nicole Yates – says she thinks she can bring a certain level of sexy that she’s just not seeing among the others. She certainly is bringing a level of sweaty! Huge sweat rings on that lavender leotard! She brought the sexy too, and Nigel thinks she’s a good performer. Note: not dancer. Mary didn’t like it. Brian thinks its all wrong for the show, but she should keep doing what she’s doing. The dance classes yield another handful of Vegas graduates, and all told 35 dancers advance from Los Angeles.Source: http://www.realitynewsonline.com/cgi-bin/ae.pl?mode=1&article=article6185.art&page=1
So You Think You Can Dance 2, May 31: Dancing in L.A. by Sting7 -- 06/01/2006 Los Angeles is the city of big dreams and big dreamers – but can they dance? On night two of So You Think You Can Dance, we see people overcoming plenty of obstacles to take their shot. And then there are others who should just be shot. Who’s joining Juliya and Stanislov (l-r) in Las Vegas? Check in and see! Last week, we met some talented hopefuls who were sent directly to Las Vegas, namely Juliya Tamarkina and her hamster-looking (her words, not mine) boyfriend, Stanislov Savich. There were also the very powerful Krystle Harris, the flashy pop of Michael Kim, and my immediate Pick To Clicks, James Payne and Travis Wall. So what does episode two have in store? Let’s just see, shall we? Before we begin, a brief reminder that that auditions do not necessarily get straight “yes” or “no” answers this year. The dancers could be asked to stay for a little dance class to see just how versatile they are and how well they take direction. An interesting change. The judges change almost as often as Paula Abdul changes pharmacists, so keep your scorecard handy. Host Cat Deeley schmoozes with the crowd and reiterates what I just said about the rules. She also reminds us of the prizes: a year contract with Celine Dion’s Vegas show, a new car, and $100,000! The auditions begin tonight in Los Angeles. Your sitting judges on this leg will be Nigel Lythgoe, Dan Friedman, and Mean Mary Murphy. First, we are reintroduced to none other than: Jules Sanchez – who appeared on the first season American Idol and was unceremoniously dumped by Randy, we see in flashback. Jules says it was Nigel who said he was too fat. Jules also seems to forget he acted like a jerk at the audition too, despite the fact that he had a rather pleasant singing voice. Jules dances to “My Humps” (doomed) and shows he move his body pretty well. Pretty well, but not well enough. Brian asks him if he had fun and commends his courage (such a diplomat!). Mary says it didn’t do anything for her. Nigel says he has no talent for singing or dancing, Jules says Nigel can’t either, either. (Jules forgot that Nigel was a dancer too.) Nigel says Jules is just being rude (he wasn’t really, but I think Nigel remembered to hate him). Off he goes. Julia Szymanski – says she’s bringing a mix of jazz and hip-hop and strangely, as the words pour from her mouth, I know it’s going to be bad. It is, but not as bad as I was expecting. She too shows she can move her body, but not really on a professional level. Nigel thinks its “pageanty,” Mary finds it “amateurish,” and Brian thinks it was a time-warp to the ‘80s with some of Julia’s movement. Julia takes the criticism like a champ, and, to us, graciously thanks everyone involved and will still support the show. And, she’s still going to dance! Good for her! We see a montage of good-natured “No” victims. Then: Donyelle Jones – who believes in working for her dream. She works two jobs, sometimes 16 hours a day! She walks in the room and just looks like a dancer. The judges think so too, as they are adjusting in their seats. Donyelle does not disappoint. She moves with frightening precision and complete control of her body. She’s danced for ten seconds when Nigel mumbles, “I’m sending her to Vegas.” It’s unanimous, she’s going to Vegas! Benji Schwimmer – is the son of the King of Swing, Buddy Schwimmer. Benji says he is competitive when it comes to his father because Benji wants to make his own mark. Buddy likes to call Benji the Prince of Swing, and Benji truly hates that. Benji, with the help of an unnamed partner who is not auditioning (maybe because she’s 12), does a blistering little set. Nigel knows Benji’s father and advises Benji not to gain as much weight as Dad. He also cautions Benji about the facial expressions. Mary knows of Benji’s father and thought Benji was great. Brian liked Benji but hated that he seemed to be lip-synching along. Benji understands the criticism. He is asked to stick around. Cortney Shaffer – tells us that she likes tap because of visual element, and I believe she mentions “face-music.” Well, while Cortney can certainly tap from the waist down, the other presents problems. Not only because her arms are just limp, her “face-music” is rather one-note. And it’s a creepy one. She stares intently at the judges throughout. Nigel finds it “stalkerish.” It’s a no. We get a montage of tap dancers who are really selling it with the facial expressions, juxtaposed with Cortney’s… eh, glare. We get the point. We see our old pal Ryan Conferido, a finalist from last season, who is here to support his crew. They came to play! But will the judges think so! Hokuto “Hawk” Konishi – is dazzling with his hip-hop routine. He has Brian’s jaw agape and Mary squealing with delight! His body control is just impossible! Nigel reminds him that he was put through last year and the couples’ dancing did him in. Nigel gives him another shot! Mary agrees, it’s a stick around! Chris Cuenza – shows he’s no slouch in the body control department! Stick around! Steve Terada – just has no knowledge of gravity. He’s breaking the laws all over the place! Judges love him! Stick around! That leaves just one more of Ryan’s charges. Victor Kim. Cat asks if he’s feeling the pressure? “No,” he says: Victor Kim – definitely not feeling the pressure! He does a dazzling slide on his head about eight feet and that is just the start! He has Mary squealing again, and Nigel is smiling so big, the top of his head may just bonk the back of his chair! Stick around! Time for the choreography sessions. First, Brian’s hip-hop class. Sadly, Steve and Victor look like Bambi facing the hunter and Nigel cuts them quickly. How was it, asks Cat dimly. “Pretty terrible,” says Victor, showing that skill he has with a sound bite. Then, Mary’s salsa class. And more cuts. But, not Hawk, Chris, or Benji! They are all going to Vegas!! Day two of Los Angeles’ auditions brings us: Ivan Koumaev – who says he had a heart defect when he was young and is lucky to be alive. He does a smoking routine of hip-hop and popping. The judges are thrilled, though Brian thinks Ivan will eventually “grow into” the bigness of his dancing. Nonetheless, Ivan is straight to Vegas! John Arviso – dances for a metropolitan ballet company and wants to dance while he can because he could get hurt and it all could be over tomorrow. Makes sense to me! The rest of what he says doesn’t, so we’ll leave it there. There’s a bad moon over John, who drops his numbers as he walks on stage, and you just know its going to unravel badly. It does. He looks very unsteady on his legs (nerves?), his music is a bore, and he tends to roll his eyes up in his head. Not pretty. Less pretty are the judges’ comments. Mary says his outfit turned her off from the jump. Brian calls his technique “hideous” and for a ballet dancer to fail to do one clean pliet was inexcusable. (Brian??) John has heard enough and takes his leave, while Nigel claims that he would have said yes. Doubt that. Brian drops his head to the table. Daniel Cabrera – we join in mid-routine, and mid-groan from the judges. Brian commends him for being “in the zone,” but it was a zone of badness. Nigel says it just wasn’t good. Daniel can’t believe his ears. Outside the audition room, to us, Daniel expresses his feeling for Nigel, “I hate him sooo much!” Nigel cares. Cat tells us that the dancing has taken a turn for the worse by mid-afternoon. Xufei “Sophia” Wang – seems to know next to nothing about dance. Her dancing confirms it. Sure, she’s having fun, but is she a good dancer? No. Not even at a club. The judges are not amused. Nigel says it’s like she came on a dare, and she wasted her time and theirs. Sophia is a bit astonished at the reaction when she came with such light, such joy. She tells us in her peculiar English that they “did not appreciated what I be. But, that’s okay.” Hours later, says Cat, it was not okay. Sophia cries, “When you are faced with sensitive people you have to care about their feelings.” (Thanks, subtitles!) Buck up, Sofia. You got on television at least. Henry Graham – has a story to tell. He was born addicted to PCP and raised in the L.A. County foster care system. He was adopted by his foster parents and seems well adjusted. As he begins, Brian mumbles, “I hope he’s good,” while reading Henry’s back story. He is! Dancing to one of my all time favorite songs, Sia’s “Breathe Me.” (Did you see the Six Feet Under series finale? Then you know the song! Don’t get me started on how much I loved that! I just can’t believe we saw all of the main characters – what am I talking about??) Henry is lyrical deliciousness. Mia will adore him! Nigel says he was “superb.” Brian loved that Henry is a masculine dancer. He’s going to Vegas! Right on cue, Henry does a dramatic flop to the ground (not masculine) that Sasha Cohen would envy. Nicole Yates – says she thinks she can bring a certain level of sexy that she’s just not seeing among the others. She certainly is bringing a level of sweaty! Huge sweat rings on that lavender leotard! She brought the sexy too, and Nigel thinks she’s a good performer. Note: not dancer. Mary didn’t like it. Brian thinks its all wrong for the show, but she should keep doing what she’s doing. The dance classes yield another handful of Vegas graduates, and all told 35 dancers advance from Los Angeles.