SYTYCD Weds 7/25

The top 10! The format changed a bit tonight. Everyone got mixed up into new partnerships.

And the new idea of all of them doing the same solo was interesting. From the standpoint of someone trying to critique it, I would have prefered to see those all back to back. But I understand that breaking them up between the couples dances makes better TV. I think having them all do the same solo may help the audience members better understand some of the notes the judges give them because of the comparisons that become possible when we see the same piece of work on different bodies.

Lauren & Pasha - Hip Hop
For once I liked the lighting! The effect with the gobos at the top of the number was very nice. I loved the way it started with the "spider-like" pose. I felt that it was fun, energetic and well syncronized. These two look like a pretty good pairing.

Sabra & Kam - Contemporary
Sabra is just so beautiful! I really think she'll make it to the finale. The lift was beautiful. The roll through into the pose at the end was amazing. I thought it all flowed rather nicely. I did feel that Kam was perhaps holding back a bit? His extension just wasn't there.

Lacey & Danny - Samba
I wasn't sure I would like this pairing at first but they were HOT!!!!! It really looked like Danny was having fun for once. Lacey's footwork was amazing. I thought it was very polished and well performed. Dimitri did a really nice job with the choreography.

Jaimie & Dominic - Viennese Waltz
That was a waltz? Seriously, the choreographer really did these two a HUGE disservice. In no way did that resemble a Viennese Waltz to me. They tried to impose a Latin style on top of a dance that these two aren't used to dancing to begin with. If the style had been "Broadway" then I might have bought it. (After all, they were dancing to Man of La Mancha.) But ugh! Jaimie's use of her skirt was very nice. The lifts were pretty good. Dominic was trying to do some acting and MAN was it BAD. All that mugging and making faces?!

Sara & Neil - Disco
How fun! It was a full out performance. His flip was absolutely amazing, both the elevation and the control he had in his landing were impressive. The low camera angle that the flip was shot from was also a nice choice. The dip with her sassy little hip action was great. And remember, Sara is a B-girl. She handled those high heels like she's been dancing in them all along!

The solos -

Dominic had good energy and was really committed to the piece. His emotion was very powerful and engaging. There was something that was not quite there with his body tension. The emotional connection to the piece made up for the lack of technique for me though.

Lauren really seemed to move well with the music. Her extension on the leap was also very nice. I didn't get the emotional connection with her as well as some of the other dancers.

Nigel finally mentioned those shoulders of Neil's that creep up to his ears all the time! His leaps were amazing though! If only he could achieve the same kind of flow that Danny has when he dances.

Sabra was so passionate. The moment Wade gave them where the music stopped and they had to scream was a huge test of who was really connected to the piece. She dove in head first with complete abandon and absolutely connected best of everyone with that moment. She found that raw, primal emotion inside of her. I think one reason I enjoy watching her so much is that her extension is probably the most amazing of all the girls. That leap was just beautiful. She absolutely eats up the stage as she moves. She was my favorite of all the solos.

I liked the little punch that Kam added in and his reaction to it afterwards. Not much else to say about him though. I don't expect him to make it to the final four.

Lacey did a pretty good job with it but I felt she wasn't really emotionally connected to what she was doing. She didn't have the depth of Sabra and Sara.

Danny gave the piece a much smoother flow than the others. I felt he got off rhythm just a little bit towards the middle, but he recovered it. And of course his elevation in the leap was probably the best of all the dancers. That boy can SOAR! Of the boys, he made the best use of the space, really covering the stage well. But once again I think he was emotionally hollow. His scream was so fake, something that seemed imposed on him instead of something that came from deep inside of him. I still want to see Mia get her hands on this boy and break down his emotional core.

Sara had a wonderful emotional connection to the piece.

Pasha did OK with it, but not fabulous. I didn't feel the emotional connection with him. I didn't particuarly care for how Jaimie danced it.

I'm predicting Jaimie and either Dominic or Pasha will be the ones who go home tonight.