sytycd top 18

The So You Think You Can Dance judges totally got it right last week and sent Paris and Tony home. Wow! I was very surprised. And pleased. They were definitely the weakest performance of the Top 20.

Tonight’s episode was a little underwhelming compared to last week. BUT. Shane Sparks is back (darn ABDC for keeping him away) and he choreographed 2 awesome routines! Too bad the dancers who got hip hop were disappointing. UGH, what a waste. I think I got spoiled last season with all the great hip hop dancers (Joshua, Twitch, Comfort, Gev).

I have to wake up really early tomorrow so I’ll try to write up some quick comments…

LOVED
Melissa and Ade – I haven’t been a fan of Sonya’s jazz choreography in the past but I *really* loved this. And these two were so great. Everything looked so effortless and they were totally in character. I have to agree with the judges that in watching this routine you wouldn’t know Melissa is a ballerina. Ballet requires “lifted” posture and elegant port de bras (arms), which is pretty much the complete opposite of what this jazz piece required.
Karla and Jonathan – This contemporary routine was my favorite of the night. All the lifts and partner work! So beautiful. But Karla really carried the performance — Jonathan is good (not great) and I’m worried he’s going to hold her back.
Kayla and Max – Yay, Brian Friedman’s back! I’ve loved him since he choreographed for Britney and NSync back in the day. I have to admit that I watched Kayla for most of this pop jazz routine. Max just isn’t as charismatic on stage. Kayla is a beautiful dancer with fantastic technique and I thought she really pulled off this dance.

LIKED
Janette and Brandon – This disco routine was HARD. Damn, Doriana. But I thought they did really, really well. And that spread eagle lift! WHOA. They did have a couple of slip ups so that’s why it’s not in the “love” column for me.
Asuka and Vitolio – Beautiful waltz but for me, kinda forgettable. Which is too bad because I really like Vitolio.

OK
Randi and Evan – I had high hopes for them but their technique just wasn’t there. Their leg flicks made me sad. But their personalities and high energy saved this jive for me.

EHHH
Caitlin and Jason – This routine reminded me of Shane’s hip hop routine in s3 for Dominic and Sabra, which I LOVED. I can’t even think about this one because Caitlin and Jason didn’t do it justice. They weren’t even synchronized most of the time.
Jeanine and Philip – I cringed through most of this tango. Jeanine was FAR better than Philip but the whole thing was really sloppy.
Ashley and Kupono – There were parts of this hip hop that were promising but overall it was disappointing. Kupono didn’t have any flair at all and poor Ashley being the “shadow” couldn’t carry the routine on her own. This routine should have been so good.

Predictions for the Bottom 3: Caitlin/Jason, Jeanine/Philip, and Ashley/Kupono. I got 2 out of 3 last week… tomorrow will be interesting!