Episode 20, August 2
So You Think You Can Dance 2, August 2: …and Down The Stretch They Go! by Sting7 -- 08/03/2006 There are only six dancers remaining, and it is a horserace! Everyone has their favorites, but the decision on who advances to the finals all comes down to what happens tonight! Close as it is, Ivan and Natalie have to be considered the dark horses. Can they pull an upset? Cat introduces us the remaining six dancers: Heidi, Travis, Natalie, Benji, Donyelle, and Ivan. They do their usual choreography for performance night shows, but the stage suddenly looks so empty. Cat appears in a heavenly white dress with her hair up. She is quite Aphrodite! Intro the judges: Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy, and Mia Michaels. Ivan draws Natalie, and they wonder what took so long for them to be paired. They draw Jive, and for all the energy Jive requires, the pair look quite drowsy. Can they summon the strength? Natalie and Ivan, Jive Dancing to “Route 66” from the Cars soundtrack, if Natalie and Ivan are destined to leave us tonight, they aren’t going without a fight! I expected Natalie to be adorable, and she is, but Ivan does some kicks that are Benji-high! I had no clue he had that in him! Synchronicity is sharp, a few moves look a bit sloppier than they probably planned, but you’d to call this the gauntlet being laid down! Judges? Nigel congratulates them on being six finalists, and no holding back. Nigel thinks Ivan started to die at the end, and he didn’t feel like Natalie was dancing with Ivan, he thought she was doing a solo routine. Mary thinks Ivan’s leg action was very heavy, and they just didn’t quite get the chemistry together. Mia feels like it was fake fun, and she thinks the energy felt false. Cat asks the pair if they were having fake fun. Somewhat taken aback by the critique, they swear they were having a blast. Oh, we’re squeezing solos in again this week. Travis is first. Dancing to Lifehouse’s “You and Me,” Travis is stage-command personified. You just can’t take you eyes of him, and on some level you think, “I wish I could dance like that.” My boy. Picked him from the beginning. Travis, being Travis, lifts his polo shirt to reveal a brilliant yellow t-shirt with his number “01” for ease in voting. How thoughtful. Benji draws… Donyelle, his longtime partner on this series. They are overjoyed! They meet with Tice Diorio who can only let their excitement rule the day. They are dancing to Broadway this time, and Benji tells us to beware of the “Benjelle!” Donyelle and Benji, Broadway Dancing to Victor/Victoria’s “Le Jazz Hot,” Benji and Donyelle radiate so much chemistry, it is almost unfair. They nail this Tice Diorio routine like it is almost beneath their gifts. For money, their spot in the finals was secured. Nigel says he loves their chemistry, but for the first time, he thinks Benji is starting to outdance Donyelle. He notes a point in the dance where she was not finishing off her moves (and he was right). Not as together as he wanted. Mary says she sees Nigel’s point, but she enjoyed herself. Loves them together. Mia says they are getting by on personality. She thinks Donyelle isn’t hitting it strong enough, and Benji actually came down to her level. Time for Natalie’s solo. We know she’s going to sell the charm, and she does, to Goldfrapp’s “Ooh La La.” But beneath that charm is Natalie’s surprising power, and her musicality that she doesn’t get enough credit for. She ends with some coquettish eyelash batting, and my grieving for Allison is showing a definite end. Travis has Heidi, of course. Ron Montez says there is the need for grace and elegance. Heidi and Travis have the giggles. Travis worries that some folks may find the waltz boring, but they will make America fall in love with their dance. Heidi and Travis, Waltz Dancing to Cait Agus Sean’s “Flying,” Travis is miles improved from his Quick Step last week. Even I can see the up-down the judges are talking about in this waltz. But Heidi’s extension and flow are somehow powerful and graceful. I will ignore the obvious stumble Travis has while circling Heidi because everything else is so amazing. It isn’t the “Calling You” routine, but I like it. So does Nigel. He loves seeing Travis’ contemporary style doing ballroom, and Heidi is the most improved dancer in the competition. Mary says that Heidi was simply perfection, and considering how she ripped into Travis last week, she doesn’t know who this is standing in front of her! Mia loves the routine as well, agrees about Heidi’s improvement, and notes that Travis has a charisma and intensity that can’t be taught. She says it’s the sort of thing people pay money to see. Her only critique is she wishes they were a little bit more airy. Ivan does his hip hop routine to “It Was All In Your Mind” by Wade Robeson (he does music?). Ivan’s work in other disciplines has definitely helped his hip hop. He was always entertaining, but there is much more showmanship and confidence in his dancing! Ivan is not going away quietly! Get used to it! Donyelle and Benji are ready for their hip hop routine. Shane notes he did their choreography at the beginning of the top twenty, and here he is, pretty much at the end of it. He promises a different kind of hip hop, but Donyelle knows there will be a booty shake in their somewhere. They are looking to steal home. Can they do it? Donyelle and Benji, Hip Hop Dancing to Ciara’s “Hotline,” this is one of those dances that will star Donyelle, and she knows how to carry the title role when it comes her way. A flirtatious but volatile routine, I notice some synchronicity issues in the beginning, but when the song crests, Benjelle (I kind of like it) is right where they were three weeks ago. Nicely done. Nigel notes that last week, we saw hip hop can be romantic, but we’re back to aggressive (he fairly sighs) and thinks they danced it well. Mary loves it and says Benji has a funny bone, back bone, and wishbone. Mia thinks it’s great, but thinks Benji is funny when he’s street, and she and Donyelle need to form a big butt dance coalition. Heidi’s solo now, and she is a twizzling demoness to Blackout Allstars’ “I Like It Like That.” Considering Heidi is a latin dance specialist, there is no question that she is on the measure of those complex rhythms. It’s kind of hard to imagine I thought she was doomed a few weeks ago. Tice welcomes Natalie and Ivan for their contemporary routine. He’s planning something that features a couple in the midst of a relationship. Ivan and Natalie feel sure they can bring the needed chemistry to the dance, though they’ve never partnered before. Are they right? Natalie and Ivan, Contemporary Dancing to Cascade’s “Everytime We Touch,” there is something very Mia Michaels about this routine. That could be trouble. While Natalie conveys the love very well, Ivan is impressive with some of his moves, and kind laughable with others. Contemporary is not his thing. Oh boy. Nigel says he saw no chemistry and still doesn’t. He thinks Ivan has grown more than anyone imagined he could, but he really was exposed on this number. Mary says the dance made her feel good, but can’t say it was at the level finale dancers need to be. Mia says Natalie’s facial expressions feel contrived to her, and Ivan’s lack of training really, really showed. (I am wondering if the beating Natalie and Travis are taking is going to inspire some sympathy voting! With a field this strong, that would be a shame.) Benji dances to Jackie Wilson’s “Reet Petite” for his solo, and he lights up the stage, as Benji always seems to. It’s come to the point that seeing Benji in his specialty, dancing solo Swing, is kind of disappointing. He’s so good at everything, it’s almost like he coasts when he gets to his wheelhouse. Hey, there is Wade Robson, choreographing for Heidi and Travis’ pop routine. Wade has something deep and emotional in mind. Travis thinks its gritty. Heidi thinks it’s animalistic. Is it good? Let’s see. Heidi and Travis, Pop Dancing to “W’hammy Mama” by Zap Mama (me neither!), there is a definite African/Tribal influence at play. Very strong, large movements, in equal measure of small intense ones. It would be very easy to look like an idiot doing this. Heidi and Travis do not! For those of you who challenge why I am a Travis fan vs. a Benji one (though I am), Benji couldn’t do that! And, Heidi, just get out of town, if I could throw roses at her feet, I would. Very, very impressive. Nigel thinks it was the best dance of the night, and Heidi and Travis were the best couple of the night. He acknowledges the difficulty of the choreography and says they were never off-balance or out of synch. Mary says if America doesn’t vote for them, she is going to cry. Mia says she loves this style of choreography, and both of them dug deep to grasp it and she loved them. Donyelle is the last solo of the night, and what a way to end it! Dancing to “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going” (there’s a statement!) from the Dreamgirls soundtrack, Donyelle has never, ever danced with such passion and abandon, including a running leap to roll on the ground that could only inspire “wow”! But her ending pose is kind of limp and she looks greatly unhappy. I think she may have aggravated an injury. She musters a wan smile and stands next to Cat, but I think there could be a story here. Prediction time. Despite the ass-whooping Ivan and Natalie took from the judges, I’m going to hope that Travis and Heidi and Benji and Donyelle advance. There is no boy-girl next week, there is just one winner, whatever gender they may be. For Ivan and Natalie, I loved them both, and will look forward to seeing them on the So You Think You Can Dance tour.http://www.realitynewsonline.com/cgi-bin/ae.pl?mode=1&article=article6313.art&page=1
So You Think You Can Dance 2, August 2: …and Down The Stretch They Go! by Sting7 -- 08/03/2006 There are only six dancers remaining, and it is a horserace! Everyone has their favorites, but the decision on who advances to the finals all comes down to what happens tonight! Close as it is, Ivan and Natalie have to be considered the dark horses. Can they pull an upset? Cat introduces us the remaining six dancers: Heidi, Travis, Natalie, Benji, Donyelle, and Ivan. They do their usual choreography for performance night shows, but the stage suddenly looks so empty. Cat appears in a heavenly white dress with her hair up. She is quite Aphrodite! Intro the judges: Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy, and Mia Michaels. Ivan draws Natalie, and they wonder what took so long for them to be paired. They draw Jive, and for all the energy Jive requires, the pair look quite drowsy. Can they summon the strength? Natalie and Ivan, Jive Dancing to “Route 66” from the Cars soundtrack, if Natalie and Ivan are destined to leave us tonight, they aren’t going without a fight! I expected Natalie to be adorable, and she is, but Ivan does some kicks that are Benji-high! I had no clue he had that in him! Synchronicity is sharp, a few moves look a bit sloppier than they probably planned, but you’d to call this the gauntlet being laid down! Judges? Nigel congratulates them on being six finalists, and no holding back. Nigel thinks Ivan started to die at the end, and he didn’t feel like Natalie was dancing with Ivan, he thought she was doing a solo routine. Mary thinks Ivan’s leg action was very heavy, and they just didn’t quite get the chemistry together. Mia feels like it was fake fun, and she thinks the energy felt false. Cat asks the pair if they were having fake fun. Somewhat taken aback by the critique, they swear they were having a blast. Oh, we’re squeezing solos in again this week. Travis is first. Dancing to Lifehouse’s “You and Me,” Travis is stage-command personified. You just can’t take you eyes of him, and on some level you think, “I wish I could dance like that.” My boy. Picked him from the beginning. Travis, being Travis, lifts his polo shirt to reveal a brilliant yellow t-shirt with his number “01” for ease in voting. How thoughtful. Benji draws… Donyelle, his longtime partner on this series. They are overjoyed! They meet with Tice Diorio who can only let their excitement rule the day. They are dancing to Broadway this time, and Benji tells us to beware of the “Benjelle!” Donyelle and Benji, Broadway Dancing to Victor/Victoria’s “Le Jazz Hot,” Benji and Donyelle radiate so much chemistry, it is almost unfair. They nail this Tice Diorio routine like it is almost beneath their gifts. For money, their spot in the finals was secured. Nigel says he loves their chemistry, but for the first time, he thinks Benji is starting to outdance Donyelle. He notes a point in the dance where she was not finishing off her moves (and he was right). Not as together as he wanted. Mary says she sees Nigel’s point, but she enjoyed herself. Loves them together. Mia says they are getting by on personality. She thinks Donyelle isn’t hitting it strong enough, and Benji actually came down to her level. Time for Natalie’s solo. We know she’s going to sell the charm, and she does, to Goldfrapp’s “Ooh La La.” But beneath that charm is Natalie’s surprising power, and her musicality that she doesn’t get enough credit for. She ends with some coquettish eyelash batting, and my grieving for Allison is showing a definite end. Travis has Heidi, of course. Ron Montez says there is the need for grace and elegance. Heidi and Travis have the giggles. Travis worries that some folks may find the waltz boring, but they will make America fall in love with their dance. Heidi and Travis, Waltz Dancing to Cait Agus Sean’s “Flying,” Travis is miles improved from his Quick Step last week. Even I can see the up-down the judges are talking about in this waltz. But Heidi’s extension and flow are somehow powerful and graceful. I will ignore the obvious stumble Travis has while circling Heidi because everything else is so amazing. It isn’t the “Calling You” routine, but I like it. So does Nigel. He loves seeing Travis’ contemporary style doing ballroom, and Heidi is the most improved dancer in the competition. Mary says that Heidi was simply perfection, and considering how she ripped into Travis last week, she doesn’t know who this is standing in front of her! Mia loves the routine as well, agrees about Heidi’s improvement, and notes that Travis has a charisma and intensity that can’t be taught. She says it’s the sort of thing people pay money to see. Her only critique is she wishes they were a little bit more airy. Ivan does his hip hop routine to “It Was All In Your Mind” by Wade Robeson (he does music?). Ivan’s work in other disciplines has definitely helped his hip hop. He was always entertaining, but there is much more showmanship and confidence in his dancing! Ivan is not going away quietly! Get used to it! Donyelle and Benji are ready for their hip hop routine. Shane notes he did their choreography at the beginning of the top twenty, and here he is, pretty much at the end of it. He promises a different kind of hip hop, but Donyelle knows there will be a booty shake in their somewhere. They are looking to steal home. Can they do it? Donyelle and Benji, Hip Hop Dancing to Ciara’s “Hotline,” this is one of those dances that will star Donyelle, and she knows how to carry the title role when it comes her way. A flirtatious but volatile routine, I notice some synchronicity issues in the beginning, but when the song crests, Benjelle (I kind of like it) is right where they were three weeks ago. Nicely done. Nigel notes that last week, we saw hip hop can be romantic, but we’re back to aggressive (he fairly sighs) and thinks they danced it well. Mary loves it and says Benji has a funny bone, back bone, and wishbone. Mia thinks it’s great, but thinks Benji is funny when he’s street, and she and Donyelle need to form a big butt dance coalition. Heidi’s solo now, and she is a twizzling demoness to Blackout Allstars’ “I Like It Like That.” Considering Heidi is a latin dance specialist, there is no question that she is on the measure of those complex rhythms. It’s kind of hard to imagine I thought she was doomed a few weeks ago. Tice welcomes Natalie and Ivan for their contemporary routine. He’s planning something that features a couple in the midst of a relationship. Ivan and Natalie feel sure they can bring the needed chemistry to the dance, though they’ve never partnered before. Are they right? Natalie and Ivan, Contemporary Dancing to Cascade’s “Everytime We Touch,” there is something very Mia Michaels about this routine. That could be trouble. While Natalie conveys the love very well, Ivan is impressive with some of his moves, and kind laughable with others. Contemporary is not his thing. Oh boy. Nigel says he saw no chemistry and still doesn’t. He thinks Ivan has grown more than anyone imagined he could, but he really was exposed on this number. Mary says the dance made her feel good, but can’t say it was at the level finale dancers need to be. Mia says Natalie’s facial expressions feel contrived to her, and Ivan’s lack of training really, really showed. (I am wondering if the beating Natalie and Travis are taking is going to inspire some sympathy voting! With a field this strong, that would be a shame.) Benji dances to Jackie Wilson’s “Reet Petite” for his solo, and he lights up the stage, as Benji always seems to. It’s come to the point that seeing Benji in his specialty, dancing solo Swing, is kind of disappointing. He’s so good at everything, it’s almost like he coasts when he gets to his wheelhouse. Hey, there is Wade Robson, choreographing for Heidi and Travis’ pop routine. Wade has something deep and emotional in mind. Travis thinks its gritty. Heidi thinks it’s animalistic. Is it good? Let’s see. Heidi and Travis, Pop Dancing to “W’hammy Mama” by Zap Mama (me neither!), there is a definite African/Tribal influence at play. Very strong, large movements, in equal measure of small intense ones. It would be very easy to look like an idiot doing this. Heidi and Travis do not! For those of you who challenge why I am a Travis fan vs. a Benji one (though I am), Benji couldn’t do that! And, Heidi, just get out of town, if I could throw roses at her feet, I would. Very, very impressive. Nigel thinks it was the best dance of the night, and Heidi and Travis were the best couple of the night. He acknowledges the difficulty of the choreography and says they were never off-balance or out of synch. Mary says if America doesn’t vote for them, she is going to cry. Mia says she loves this style of choreography, and both of them dug deep to grasp it and she loved them. Donyelle is the last solo of the night, and what a way to end it! Dancing to “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going” (there’s a statement!) from the Dreamgirls soundtrack, Donyelle has never, ever danced with such passion and abandon, including a running leap to roll on the ground that could only inspire “wow”! But her ending pose is kind of limp and she looks greatly unhappy. I think she may have aggravated an injury. She musters a wan smile and stands next to Cat, but I think there could be a story here. Prediction time. Despite the ass-whooping Ivan and Natalie took from the judges, I’m going to hope that Travis and Heidi and Benji and Donyelle advance. There is no boy-girl next week, there is just one winner, whatever gender they may be. For Ivan and Natalie, I loved them both, and will look forward to seeing them on the So You Think You Can Dance tour.