For the first time, the performances are eliminations were rolled into one
show – and it was a jam-packed box of sweets. But even the best box of
chocolates has a few nut clusters you’ve got to suffer through to enjoy the
goodies.
The opening routine started out with a disturbing “Mirror, Mirror” moment,
with Cyrus creepily staring down the camera. The image quickly dissolved into a
quirky, creepy group routine set to “The Beautiful People” by Marilyn Manson.
The dancers hit their sharp, zombie-like movements perfectly in synch. I loved
when they all created a pyramid and collapsed as one dancer rose up. Very
effective. The group melded together again, pulsating and sporadically spazzing
out in unison. The darker, quirky number (which was pre-taped so that the
dancers had time to change out of their red, black, and white costumes) was
choreographed by Napoleon and Tabitha.
On the judging panel this week with Nigel and Mary was one-time “permanent”
judge Adam Shankman. It didn’t take long for them to pimp his new “Step Up”
film (they’re up to seven or eight now?). I think they managed to get in at
least two references in only 90 seconds – and Adam was definitely all aboard
the shameless promotion train.
The night’s first routine went to Lindsay & Cole, who
blew me away with their powerful Paso Doble last week. This week, they were
only lukewarm. I actually double-checked my notes to make sure it was the same
couple. Dancing a Christopher Scott routine to “Teeth” by Lady Gaga, the two
flipped in and around a dentist chair. Cole jumped straight into character as
the uber-nerdy patient. Lindsay was only middling as the saucy, sexy dentist.
The piece never seemed to pick up steam, which could have had something to do with
the song’s slower tempo, and the pair’s popping sequences were a bit off at
times. So-so reviews from the judges.
Amelia & Will were supposed to be dancing as if they
were carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders in the Sonya Tayeh
contemporary routine. Amelia’s leg extension is simply incredible, even when
she leaned so far off center for her arabesque that the only thing holding her
upright was Will. That’s trust. Will partnered her masterfully, lifting and
spinning her around like a rag doll. She flopped over, and then emerged in a
stunning develope. There was a great moment when Amelia desperately tried to
run forward as if she were in quicksand, as Will lunged from the stage floor
after her feet. Wonderful bit of choreography. For me, Will sold it
emotionally, which surprised me since his personality seems a little less
mature than most. Amelia didn’t seem to get the emotion of the piece until the
very end, but when she got it, it was powerful. Strong reviews from the judges
for both dancers and chorographer. Sonya really is growing on me, and growing
as a choreographer more and more each season.
Nick lucked out again, getting a ballroom routine for a second week in a
row. Nick & Amber took on a tango that was chock-full of
fast, intricate footwork. Even though she was largely forgettable last week,
Amber sizzled tonight. Her un gancho series was perfection and her carriage
wasn’t too shabby either. Nick was largely forgettable (again) in his own
style, which doesn’t bode well for him. He did a decent job partnering her, but
that’s about the best I can say for him. Amber got a glowing report from the
judges again this week. She should be fine for eliminations, him not so much.
The show’s producers didn’t keep us waiting too long for our yummy man
candy. Matthew & Audrey were barely clothed for their evil
robot-inspired routine from Sonya Tayeh. She can call it what ever she wants,
as long as Matthew is shirtless. The dancing matched. It was full of freezes
that showed off Audrey’s flexibility (she’s the queen of knots in my mind)
interspersed with spastic leaps from him (holy height, Batman!). The routine
still had a creepy-crawly vibe too it – the two of them prowling across the
stage in unison, necks cocked forward in an unsettling way. This was a huge,
yet brilliant, departure from the pair’s flowy, romantic “Titanic” number last
week. That will probably work to their advantage, since it shows their
versatility. These two are the couple to beat in my mind.
I still have mixed feelings about Dareian & Janelle’s “hip-hop” routine. Choreographer Christopher Scott set it to “My Girl” by The
Temptations. No doubt an iconic song, but how it relates to hip-hop, I’m still
not sure. Janelle’s poofy tutu of a dress and his gold starter jacket weren’t
doing the couple any favors either. The dancing didn’t seem to fit the song.
Some moments where the intricate hand movements were slowed down to match the
music worked well. Dareian & Janelle milked all the chemistry out of those
moments, but were left scrambling when the popping picked up its pace. Overall,
the routine felt too frantic for this romantic anthem. The ending was adorable,
with Janelle finding a ring in Dareian’s coat pocket and the two embracing in a
kiss (did I mention they were supposed to be a couple in love? That’s OK, I
think Christopher Scott forgot too). Adam told Janelle to make sure she lived
in the small, in between moments (good advice for all the dancers). Nigel
slammed Scott’s choreography, calling it “uninspired.” Let the claws come out,
Nigel!
Apparently choreographer Sean Cheesman does Broadway now. He choreographed Janaya
& Brandon’s routine about a couple of love-struck bookworms on a
bench. Janaya got the energy and comedy out of the routine, but the pair of
them lost me in the dancing. It didn’t do it for me, although there was one
cool moment when Janaya hooked her foot on Brandon’s shoulder, crept up
backwards and did a somersault mid-air. The judges gave Cheesman a tongue bath
(ugh), but only gave the dancers a lukewarm critique. I feel like the styles
this season haven’t been as pronounced as in seasons past. Tony and Meredith
and Jason Gilkinson have carved out a niche for themselves in the ballroom
realm, and Nakul’s got Bollywood nailed, but the other choreographers seem to
be all over the place. Jury’s still out on whether that works for me.
Poor Cyrus & Eliana got stuck with a jive routine this
week and they didn’t seem happy about it – way out of both their comfort zones.
But they bucked up, dialed the energy up to about a 13, and muddled their way
through it. Eliana actually fared surprisingly well. Her kicks and retractions
were sharp and dead-on for a jive. Cyrus was clearly trying, but was simply out
of his element. I think the choreographers may have actually toned down the
footwork for him a little bit. He seemed to have the energetic spirit of the
style down pat, though. Eliana got the footwork pretty well – light and over
the toes — but Cyrus was stopping short and forgot to point his feet. That’s a
big no-no in this style. Still, they did look like they did have fun. And they
got through some very tricky partnering and hand switching sequences very
smoothly. The judges were gentler with Cyrus than they should have been, but
praised Eliana for the routine.
Daniel & Alexa had to redeem themselves for me after
last week’s bizarre jazz-in-the-box routine. This time, they started off
trapped in a bathtub, but emerged, gracefully and beautifully. The pair had
stunning lines that complimented each other well, but Dee Caspery’s
choreography didn’t really go anywhere. There was no real rise and fall to the
piece. There was a nice moment when they seemed to be imitating the water –
very fluid – but the rest fell kind of flat for me.
Last week, it was the dreaded Paso, this week, the Foxtrot. Could the
Quickstep be around the corner for one unlucky pair next week? I think Tiffany
& George could nail it. They certainly nailed their Foxtrot this
week, set to “I Wanna Be Loved By You” by Sinead O’Connor. The routine oozed
the glamour of old Hollywood. They became a modern-day Fred and Ginger before
our eyes. Their topline was the top, their partnering was near perfection, and
their chemistry with one another and the audience was sublime. I was very
impressed by these two, and the judges were too. They should be good for next
week.
The final routine of the night was a spirited Bollywood routine from Nakul
Dev Mahajan. Witney & Chehon seemed a bit overwhelmed with
the intricacies in rehearsal, but they got it down in time for the performance.
The routine started with a “call and answer” section – anything he could do,
she could do better. That made their fast-paced hand work even more effective.
And how Witney didn’t manage to wrap herself into a knot in that flowy,
gorgeous red and gold costume with that many knee spins, I’ll never know. Adam
picked on Witney’s posture (yeah, I can see that), telling her to pull up in
her neck and broaden her shoulders. The judges said Chehon’s personality beamed
and that he redeemed himself from last week’s near-train wreck of a samba. Good
on them.
Immediately after the critique, Cat brought all the dancers on stage for
elimination. It was a very “Chorus Line” moment, all 20 contestants standing in
a line, as Cat called six forward who would be in danger. This week it was
Janaya, Alexa, Witney, Nick, Daniel and Chehon. I wasn’t sure the judges would
have enough time to weigh all their options, but apparently Nigel and the crew
knew who was in the Bottom 6 going into tonight’s episode. I wonder if that informed
their critiques tonight. That lets the judges decide ahead of time if they need to see any of the contestants “dance for their lives.” Ultimately,
the judges thought they had seen enough from the six dancers in danger this
week. I think it’s a smart move to get rid of the mandatory “dance for your
life” segment. Even though these are all tremendously talented dancers, they’re
not all necessarily strong choreographers too, and that made that segment
unnecessarily painful sometimes.
Before we found out who would get the ax, we got a behind-the-scenes look at
the film Shankman had been pimping out all night (I counted 13 references) –
“Step Up: Revolution.” The cast features S6’s Kathryn McCormick in the lead
role (get it, girl!), as well as S5 alum Phillip Chebeeb and S4’s Twitch. It
was a shameless promotion, but the dancing was top notch and bursting with
energy. Great popping and isolock movements from Phillip in the beginning. The
spectacle really picked up momentum in the middle with sharp, precise footwork
and upper-body movements. The chair dance section with Kathryn was a little
stripper-ish, but she really served it, and it was at least brief, so I can
deal with that I suppose. The audience was definitely feeling it, and
surprisingly by the end, so was I. So here it is, Shankman: “Step Up:
Revolution” hits movie theaters Friday, July 27.
Right to the results – no sugar coating it. Nigel said they were all great
dancers, but hey, someone’s gotta go. I love how blunt this is. Ladies first,
and the two girls going home were Alexa and Janaya. Boom. Done. The two guys
going home were Nick and Daniel. Ultimately, there weren’t really any surprises
here. Both weeks, Daniel and Alexa did a so-so job with bizarre routines, Nick
botched his own style in Week 1 (that’s practically an automatic elimination)
and Janaya had a weak week with hip-hop. I wouldn’t be surprised if people
confused her and Janelle (I know I did). And now we’re already down to the Top
16. We’ll resume next week with just eliminating two dancers, but still, this
season’s gonna fly by fast at this pace!
This article appears in 2012 Jazz Fest Guide.
