Dance Dance Meh-volution

My first foray into So You Think You Can Dance was over the summer. Not knowing a damn thing about dance, I had never really been all that inspired to give the show a chance. My hatred for American Idol left me with the sour assumption that SYTYCD would be the same show, only with dancing... Thankfully, I couldn't have been more wrong. :)

I was a little hesitant at first given my total lack of dance knowledge, but I figured, I enjoy Top Chef without knowing anything about cooking, so hopefully the same principles will carry over. So if you've never given either show a chance based on a paucity of expertise, fear not, you'll still enjoy the show and quite frankly, learn a whole lot. I have found that going to restaurants (real restaurants) is a lot easier because I'm familiar with a lot of the terms, actually know what they mean most of the time, and most importantly, know how to pronounce everything so you don't sound like a moron while ordering.

Anyway, back on topic. I watched season 5 of SYTYCD over the summer and absolutely loved it. I didn't have any prior knowledge of the show, so I couldn't really compare and contrast. This season, I have the luxury of experience to rely on when critiquing the newest crop of dancers. So far? I'm a little underwhelmed... I have heard from SYTYCD aficionados that last season wasn't all the great, but I didn't know any better, so I loved it. I'm not sure if it's first time nostalgia that is giving my perceptions of last season a warm soothing glow or if it was genuinely better, but that's how I'm feeling so far.

We'll get to the actual dancing in a minute, but first I must give credit where credit is due. The best part of season 6 so far? Adam Shankman! Holy hell he should have been made a permanent judge ages ago. He was always my favorite guest judge, for oh-so-many-reasons. I've hated Mary with a white hot passion since even before I started watching the show (indeed, she was one of the contributing factors in my refusal to watch for so long) and Nigel is kind of a dour wet blanket (whose jokes are generally pretty labored), but decent enough, I suppose (at least he sticks to his guns), but up till this season, the show has rotated the third judge spot (among the choreographers and assorted other guests) so you were never too sure who you'd be stuck with. I say "stuck with," because with rare exceptions, the guest judge kind of sucked most of the time. Let me count the ways:

• Lil' C: It would be one thing for him to try to sound smart if there were even a kernel of actual knowledge behind his comments, but it became very clear very quickly that he doesn't have a clue in hell what he's talking about. He just talks in ridiculous circles that he thinks sound profound until he spirals out of control. I'm sure he thinks he's some sort of genius and that he has the audience fooled into agreeing with him, but that's just not the case. The only style he ever really has anything substantive to say about or on which he can offer an informed opinion is hip-hop (and even then he usually just spins his wheels till he runs out of words from his word-a-day calendar (which he generally uses incorrectly)). I knew he was out of his depth in other styles when he ripped Phillip apart last season for his tango with Jeanine, not because it was bad (and it was--mostly due to Phillip), but because his knees were bent the entire time. Thankfully, Mary (for whom ballroom is the only style on which she has an informed opinion) totally called him out and she and Nigel went so far as to ask the choreographer what was correct. Turns out? Phillip's knees, which were bent the entire time, were supposed to bent. The entire time. Oh, Lil' C. Of all the problems with that routine, you picked out the one that wasn't actually real. Nice job. He was hilariously cowed by this whole event though, and that was quite satisfying to watch. :)
  
  
• Tyce D'iorio: I'm not even sure how to really define why he's a mediocre guest judge. His chinstrap of a beard is almost too distracting to pay attention to what he says. His comments, like his choreography, are generally constructed in a fairly decent way, but doesn't leave you wanting more. I guess he just doesn't really make much of an impression. Although, when he's trying to be fabulously bitchy, he makes an impression, but it's not a good one. He ends up with mostly just bitchy, and with no where near enough fabulous.
  
  
• Debbie Allen: I actually kind of like Debbie as a judge, but she seems to rely a lot more on down-home charm than on actual critique. She likes entirely too many of the dances and doesn't express criticism very well. To boot, when she expresses praise, it sometimes goes a little something like this, "You handled your big woman, yes you did!" Um... thanks? That was possibly very... sweet... of you... She's entertaining enough, but is a bit lacking in the critique end of things (which would be fine, but Mary's kind of out of her depth a lot of the time and that leaves all the heavy-hitting to Nigel... which isn't optimal).
  
  
• Mia Michaels: I quite enjoy Mia's choreography, but I'm always a bit underwhelmed by her criticisms. Aside from generally having the appearance of having just gotten out of bed, her critiques are kind of lazily delivered as well. She knows what she's talking about and when she gives praise, it's hard won, so it's satisfying, but she tends to set up shop in the dour, slightly listless end of the spectrum... I'm pretty bummed that she's left the show as a choreographer though... and I'm sure all the contemporary dancers this season who were swooning at the chance to work with her are pretty bitter--which I guess softens the blow. Heh. I'm not much of a fan of contemporary, in case you couldn't tell. Not that watching people throw their arms around as they show us how much emotion they can pretend to have isn't riveting, but well... yeah...
  
  
• Ellen Degeneres: ...apparently knows even less about dance than I do. She tried too hard to be funny and couldn't temper the bad jokes with actual, knowledgeable critiques. Overall, her appearance was a flop for me.
  

Which brings me back to Adam Shankman. Not only is he genuinely funny and entertaining to listen to, but he offers criticisms that are justified and might just help the dancers be better dancers next week. He has constructive things to say about every single style imaginable and does so in the most charming, energetic possible way. He clearly has a wide breadth of knowledge not only of dance technique, but of dance history and performance. Regarding Bianca and Victor's Color Purple number: While Mary and Nigel basically echoed his sentiments in vague and unoriginal ways, Adam pulled out very real references that totally supported his argument and informed on his critique. Mary generally just says something like, "It just didn't quite do it for me." Thanks, Mary. That was very informative and constructive. I'll take that stirring critique and use it to improve for next week... Adam, on the other hand, makes it very clear why is didn't quite do it and what the dancers can do to improve things in the future.

When I started this post, it was actually going to be about dance, I promise, but somehow I got derailed along the way...

Hopping back on the track, this show actually has people who dance, not just people who judge. Shocking, I know. So far, I haven't exactly been blown away by anyone really, but there have been a few surprises and there are several people on my radar... Here's how things are stacking up:

• Channing and Phillip: Perhaps my overall "meh" with this season so far started out off with their lackluster, zero-energy, poorly performed jive in episode one. Add to that the most awkward, potentially dangerous samba I've ever seen in episode two and I found myself very thankful that Phillip was sent packing. For as awful as their jive was, the judges weren't nearly as brutal as I had expected. Evan and Randi's jive last season was a million times better and they got skewered for it. Somehow Channing and Phillip got by with tepid reviews and weren't even in the bottom for it. Redemption was had last night though. Channing actually did a pretty respectable job with the samba and was willing to take her life into her hands with those lifts. Seriously, Phillip is not the guy I'd want lifting me six feet in the air, thanks... Bad. He didn't support her at all and I'm pretty sure she banged her head on the floor at the end. He won't be missed.
  
  
• Mollee and Nathan: Mollee is pretty much the embodiment of everything that's wrong with humanity, so I'm having a really hard time appreciating anything about this pairing. Nathan is fine, but he seems to be feeding off some of Mollee's perkiness and it's making them pretty nauseating. Their dancing is fine, if not spectacular. The judges seem to like them a lot more than I do, but then often have more to say about their youth and energy than their actual technique. I'd like to see Nathan stick around, but Mollee needs to be thrown out of a window. I thought their Bollywood number was stronger than their frenetic disco last week (I don't know what Dorianna is smoking, but is certainly doesn't mellow things out), but that may be because I hold all disco numbers to the standard set by Brandon and Jeanette last season.
  
  
• Pauline and Peter: After Brandon was used and abused and sent packing by the show last week, and Ariana (was it?) got the boot before she really had a chance to break out from the crowd (and who should have stayed instead of Noelle), I was very interested to see how Peter and Pauline would pair up. Apparently, they pair up quite nicely because I thought they totally rocked their crazy-ass Wade Robson routine. I love Wade Robson, what can I say? Like Adam said, you have to give 1000% to one of his routines and they absolutely did. It ain't easy portraying a blob of paint that has come back to haunt Vincent van Gogh after he excised you from The Starry Night (that's Robson for you), but they pulled it off. I like this pairing and was surprised to find just how much I'm liking Peter (who is the only remaining tapper, after last night).
  
  
• Bianca and Victor: Speaking of tappers, Bianca rather unjustifiably got the boot last night. Don't get me wrong, her performance wasn't great, but it was good. And a hell of a lot better than Noelle. My primary gripe with getting rid of Bianca, aside from her superior performance, is the fact that if America were actually voting, there's no way she would have gone home. As the judges say time and time again when someone controversial is cut, this is America's favorite dancer, not America's best dancer. Bianca would have outlasted Noelle by a long shot--on talent and on popularity. Sigh. As for Victor, he'll be dancing with Channing next week. Unlike Phillip, Victor will actually be able to do the lifts without endangering Channing's life, so that'll be nice.
  
  
• Russell and Noelle: Speaking of Noelle, she should have gone home. Again. I understand that the rules allow for a one week's reprieve when the doctor has ordered, but she didn't perform last week and kind of sucked it up this week. She should have gotten the boot. I don't think they should allow for a week off, personally, but whatever. Everyone seems to claim that she's a wonderful dancer, but I have yet to see it. Her and Russell's tennis hip-hop routine was pretty bad. Russell held his own (both with the hip-hop and the tennis), but Noelle struggled with both. Add to this the fact that she's friends with Mollee (with two e's--gag me) and I'm really starting to hate her. I adore Russell and think he deserves better.
  
  
• Legacy and Kathryn: All together now, "I did not see that coming!" I was unimpressed by anything but Legacy's b-boy skills in Vegas and was sick of Kathryn's crying after about 10 seconds, but somehow, inexplicably, they are one of the strongest couples on the show. Their caveman hip-hop routine last week was excellent, but I was a little afraid of the thought of Legacy doing contemporary this week... I needn't have worried. His performance was very strong (as was hers) and somehow they make for one hell of a team--a team that appears to genuinely like each other. I'm as shocked as you are, peeps, but they've really brought week to week. I hated them both at first, but they've really grown on me. I'm not counting my chickens, though... we'll just see how things go when they draw the quick-step... yikes...
  
  
• Kevin and Karen: The judges keep telling me they're amazing (well, mostly Karen), but I just don't seem to care... I think my favorite aspect of this couple is Adam's reaction to their routines. He cracked me up after last week's cha-cha as he noted that she was insanely hot ("And for those of you who know me, that's not usually my thing") and this week, fell out of his chair (literally) twice. It was cheesy, but totally perfect. The speed with which he hit the deck was the funniest part. Anyway, Karen is certainly more interesting (and more talented) than Kevin, but so far, they kind of bore me. It'll be interesting to see how they fare when it's up to America, not the judges.
  
  
• Ashleigh and Jakob: I'm not all that thrilled with this couple, but they've honestly performed much much better than expected. The show seems to feel the need to remind us that she's married every ten minutes, which is annoying, but not necessarily her fault (read: Dear Show, please stop reminding us!). In Vegas, I really didn't think she had the technical skill to make top 20 and was sure her inclusion was based solely on Paula dropping out, but Ashleigh has actually performed pretty well thus far. Jakob is obviously a better dancer, but she's been able to keep up (more or less). Jakob's technique is impressive, but I'm not wowed by his personality thus far. It's an odd pair, but somehow seems to be working. I'm a little sadistically excited for them to draw hip-hop though... I don't think either of them is suited for that. At all.
  
  
• Ryan and Ellenore: Ryan (who's married to Ashleigh, in case you forgot) has always been more talented than his wife, but I was pleasantly surprised at how he has parlayed his Latin ballroom skills into other styles. And Ellenore, who is way taller than I remember, is a beautiful dancer all around (kooky, but very talented). Their modern, contemporary, jazz-y, uh... Sonya Tayeh routine last week was bizarre, but very well done. I was interested to see how Ellenore would handle ballroom, and as it turns out, she's a pro. Ballroom and hip-hop are the areas where contemporary dancers generally struggle, and if she's this awesome at ballroom, odds are she can handle hip-hop as well. Extra points? Her dress was caught on her heel for about 40% of the routine (according to Kat) and she never faltered. Im-press-eeve.
  

Anyway, this post has somehow turned into the mother of all posts, so I'm going to wrap things up. I generally have a lot of opinions about this particular show ("...as opposed to your other shows?"), so I'm going to be posting about it more and more, methinks. I'll be glad when it finally goes back to audience voting though. It should make things a lot more interesting and will hopefully liven up this season for me. If Bianca had made it on to any of the previous seasons for which she auditioned, I have no doubt she'd have made it to the top ten.

Sigh.