SYTYCD Top 20 Start There Journey

Hello one and all, the Reverend is back and in full force to talk to you about So You Think You Can Dance. I hope you have all been following along with the audition shows. If you have not, then shame on you. But it’s okay, I shall forgive you.

Tonight we start the season’s competition with the top twenty. Just like Idol, we have the judges. As always we have Mary Murphy and Nigel Lythgoe, and then we have a rotating group of choreographers that sit in as judges, this week being Dan Karaty. For those who may be new to the show, here is how it works, the top twenty are each paired up, one boy and one girl. The ten couples will dance a specific genre of dance, usually chosen at random, and they will have to perform for America. After that, we vote. Tomorrow night, we find out the three couples that got the least amount of votes. The six contestants will then have to dance a solo in there own style, which they call dancing for your life. Once that’s done, the judges will deliberate and they will send home one of the girls and one of the guys. That’s it. Now that I have bored you sufficiently, let’s get into the show.

First up are Rayven Armijo (Contemporary) and Jamie Bayard (Ballroom) doing Hip Hop from Tabitha and Napoleon D’Umo. For a couple that don’t do Hip Hop, they did a pretty good job with hip hop. It wasn’t the greatest of performances, but for the first one of the season, I thought they did pretty good.

Next we have Susie Garcia (Salsa) and Marquis Cunningham (Contemporary) doing the Smooth Waltz from Hunter Johnson. This is one of those dances that most people can not enjoy, because it is insanely slow and deliberate, that a lot of people look away. This is one of my favorite styles, because it is so patient and beautiful. These guys did a great job with it. They missed a lift at one point, but as the judges said, most people would never notice.

Next we have Kourtni Lind (Contemporary Jazz) and Matt Dorame (Lyrical) doing a Jazz routine from Mandy Moore (no, not the singer). I thought they did a good job. Nigel did mention something about Matt having a broom shoved somewhere. It was a visual I really didn’t want. Dan was really not impressed either. I personally liked it. This really is a hard night to judge, because it is the first one, and everyone, from the contestants, to the judges, to even the audience are just trying to get there bearings.

Then we have Chelsea Traille (Jazz Funk / Contemporary) and Thayne Jasperson (Contemporary) doing the Cha Cha from Tony Meredith. The Cha Cha is one of the sexiest Ballroom dances out there. And these two, as sexy as they may be, didn’t do it the best justice. However, I am not a professional dancer, because Mary, being a competitive Ballroom dancer, loved it. Maybe my problem was that Thayne was distracting me with his stiffness. When I watched it a second time, she was really good, very sexy. But he was a little too off for me.

After that, we have Chelsie Hightower (Latin) and Mark Kanemura (Contemporary) doing a Contemporary piece from Mia Michaels. Mia is one of the hardest and most amazing choreographers on the show, and that number is another perfect example of how hard she really is. These two did an amazing job with the performance and I was totally impressed.

Next we have Kherington Payne (Contemporary Jazz) and Twitch (Freestyle Hip Hop) doing a Broadway number from Tyce Diorio. Broadway is another one of the hardest styles to do, and Tyce is another really difficult choreographer. These two guys did an astounding job. They looked like they have been doing this for a long time. This show has just gotten better as the night went on.

Comfort Fedoke (Hip Hop) and Chris Jarosz (Contemporary Lyrical) are next doing the Jive with Tony Meredith. Being a Hip Hop dancer, Comfort was amazing and sexy. She did such an amazing job. Chris was really nice too. I think she stole the performance though. There were some flaws, but it was very enjoyable to watch.

Then we have Katee Shean (Contemporary) and Josh Allen (Hip Hop) Doing a Hip Hop routine from Tabitha and Napoleon D’Umo. Josh is a Hip Hop dancer, so he is almost expected to do a good job. Not only did he do great, but Katee also did a wonderful job. Nigel said this was his favorite routine of the night, and I actually agree. These two brought it with a vengeance, and really made it fun to watch.

The Next couple is Jessica King (Contemporary) and Will Wingfield (Contemporary) doing a Tango routine from Hunter Johnson. Very impressive indeed. These two did an awesome job. A couple stumbles here and there, but absolutely stunning.

Finally, we have Courtney Galiano (Lyrical) and Gev Manoukian (Break Dancing) Closing the show with a Disco number from Doriana Sanchez. Nigel really hated this performance and the other two liked it well enough. I thought, for a Lyrical dancer and a B-Boy, they did awesome. Was it perfect Disco, not even close, but I still think it was great to watch.

I have to say, after all that, I love this show for a few reasons. One, it really does expose the general public to some amazing styles of dance that most don’t get to see on a regular basis. Two, in the two years I have been watching this show, I have found so much music you don’t normally hear on the radio, but is so outstandingly good. And three, it shows all these performers that there is more to dance than just one style, and it shows young people that it is still cool to dance.

So now the hard part. Who do I think are in the bottom three. This is actually a hard one for me. I thought they all did a decent job as couples, but I have to pick two, so I will go with Chelsea Traille & Thayne Jasperson, Rayven Armijo & Jamie Bayard and Kourtni Lind & Matt Dorame. Tomorrow, whoever is in the bottom three couples will have to “dance for there lives”. As I said earlier, they will have to dance a solo in there own style and the judges will then choose a guy and a girl to go home. At this point, I have no idea who I would go home without seeing the solos. However, if I had to choose two now, I would send home I would have to go with Kourtni and Thayne.

So that’s it for tonight. Tomorrow, we shall see who you don’t like, and who they send home. Until then, have a good night, and I will talk to you all tomorrow.