Pure World of Dance Season 1, Week 5 (Duels) – Power Rankings

So I really had to take some time to ruminate on Tuesday night’s episode, because it felt like the first time that I got suspicious of this show’s motives.  Don’t get me wrong – I still love the show, and I think the level of talent is unparalleled; and I am fully aware that this is a reality tv show, and a certain amount of manipulation is to be expected to create suspense and draw in viewers.  But some of the other night’s results made me feel a bit icky, because I felt like a few of the acts got a bit exploited in favor of propping up a judges’ favorite – I feel like Kyle kinda got the shortest end of the stick (pun intended, in light of his performance), with The Posse and Royal Flux also being treated a bit like redheaded stepchildren. Given that all three were given quite truncated spots in the qualifier rounds (with Royal Flux not even appearing on the show during those rounds), I think we already had an inkling that they weren’t long for this show – but it just felt like adding insult to injury sticking some of them in duels with powerhouses they didn’t have a hope and a prayer of beating, and then potentially editing out footage that might have helped them save a bit of face (won’t say any more, but if a routine seemed short to you – perhaps it’s because part of it was missing).

Which brings me to the picking of the duels – and let me state for the record that I still can’t say with certainty that the proverbial man behind the curtain might not be telling the acts who to pick. But c’mon – pitting the highest-scoring qualifier performance OF ALL against the second-lowest-scoring qualifier of all??? It just becomes glaringly obvious who was going to win the Les Twins vs. Kyle duel – if it was Les Twins that picked him, sorry, but that was a d*ck move on their part. If they’re so sure of themselves and such amazing dancers, then it would have made a lot more sense for them to pick someone like Fik-Shun, who is closer to both their particular style and skill level. You’re so big and bad? Take on someone that might actually be a challenge for you.  If it was the producers that opted to pit Les Twins against Kyle? Then I have to wonder just what kind of deals were made to get Les Twins on the show in the first place. Like Jabbawockeez (and to a lesser degree, Fik-Shun, Super Cr3w, D’Angelo & Amanda, and the Miami All-Stars), Les Twins were pretty well-known coming into the show – probably second only the Jabbawockeez in terms of how popular they were already. They were touring with Beyoncé, for pete’s sake. And modeling for Jean Paul Gautier. Also worth noting: they’ve appeared on the World of Dance tour. Did they really even NEED to do this show? I’m gonna go with “likely not”, and wonder if they were asked to do the show in order to draw in viewers, much in the same way that Jabbawockeez and some of the other names I mentioned would. In which case, I could see how it might behoove a brand-new show looking to get renewed to keep a popular contestant around for awhile. Yes, I might have my suspicion-glasses on from so many years of blogging DWTS and the rampant manipulation on that show – but I’m trying to make sense of something that seems ridiculously unbalanced.

Anywho – seems like they might be setting it up for a final three of Les Twins vs. Jabbawockeez or Kinjaz vs. Eva Igo or Diana Pombo. In which case, I’ll just be enjoying the rest of the acts leading up to that point, because it seems a bit anti-climactic.  Should be interesting to see how things go down next week, as there’s gonna be a lot of loose ends to tie up – from the looks of the preview, there’s gonna be a 3-way duel between some of the acts from the team division (Jabbawockeez, Ian Eastwood & the Young Lions, and a group of girls that doesn’t look familiar – I’ll give you one guess who probably ain’t winning that duel), and it looks like it’s gonna be Luka & Jenalyn vs. DNA, D’Angelo & Amanda vs. Mihacevich Sisters, Kinjaz vs. somebody, and who knows what else, given that there’s STILL other acts that were called out as contestants prior to the beginning of the season, but didn’t get shown during the qualifier round. Never a dull moment 🙂

The duel winners:

1.) The Lab – Probably my second favorite act of the junior division, after D’Angelo & Amanda, and who I’m hoping is able to make it to the finals for that division. Once again, I was just astounded at how confident, committed, and clean these kids were – on top of being multi-talented. They give some of the adult hip-hop groups a run for their money, in terms of stage presence. I actually loved the storyline, and the little girl with the blonde/multicolor pixie cut was giving me LIFE. I also have to give props to their choreographer/coach, as they seem to have some of the most cohesive and interesting choreography on the show.

2.) Diana Pombo – *sigh* Ok, the positive: Diana seemed to slightly (like, really slightly) change up her costuming this time, which gives here a slight (very slight) edge over Eva Igo in my mind.  But like Eva, I go back to my litmus test of “But how was that any different than your qualifier performance? Did you show us a different side of you?” And I don’t think Diana really did – plus, we got more of the same “So You Think You’re a Contortionist” choreography that I complained about with Eva & Nick Daniels, in both rounds.  “Contemporary” does not mean “show me how far you can work your leg above your head”. And I know I’m starting to sound like a broken record, but it seriously bugs me that contemporary dancers nowadays seem like they can just go do a gymnastics floor routine instead of actually dancing, and people just GUSH. I think it’s gonna be interesting just how things shake out between her and Eva in the next round – only one of them can advance to the finals, and I still think there’s an outside chance The Lab could oust them both. I’ll root for whichever one can just show me something DIFFERENT…

3.) Les Twins – Yes, Les Twins are good – but I’m not seeing the greatness that many of their fans seem to be.  Could just be that I’m unimpressed with them for coasting through the duel round up against someone that really didn’t have any hope of beating them, but I felt like a good chunk of the routine was just mocking Kyle – and I don’t actually find that to be very creative nor very sporting of them. Yes, I get it – part of hip-hop culture involves challenging rival dancers and throwing in subtle disses in choreography; but given the spirit of this competition and how respectful the various acts have been towards one another during the duel round, this was uncalled for. Sorry not sorry, and I’m glad Derek put it out there that he finds their confidence “borderline off-putting”.  I would say it IS off-putting – we’re past borderline, given some of the stuff they were saying about being “the best dancers in the world”.  I will say that I found their isolations impressive – but I also find Fik-Shun & Jabbawockeez’ isolations impressive, and they aren’t turning me off with their attitude.

4.) Super Cr3w – I’m finding myself becoming more critical as the season wears on, because while I actually really liked their qualifier performance, this…was just ok.  I think Super Cr3w’s strength lies in their athleticism, and in that respect they delivered – I loved the trick where the one guy slid across the floor, underneath all of the other guys in a line.  But between all of those cool tricks, the rest was a bit disorganized. Definite synchronization issues at a few spots, and their filler choreography felt a bit basic. I also find myself just visually disoriented watching them at times, because there’s just so many of them and there’s so much going on to pay attention to.  I think they’re likely to fall to Kinjaz and/or Jabbawockeez in the next round – they’re enjoyable, but just not clean enough to win, I think.

 

The duel losers:

1.) Kyle Van Newkirk – Talk about still coming to play, despite nearly hopeless odds – Kyle didn’t roll over and die, and for that I give him a tremendous amount of respect. I get such strong Derek vibes off this guy – just a ton of drive and raw talent, and heaps of showmanship.  The thing about tap that makes it so much harder compared to other genres is that all the action is in the feet, so it’s a bit more limiting in terms of the vocabulary.  Admittedly, other tap acts on SYTYCD have left me a bit bored at times, because it just seems so…repetitive.  But with Kyle, I’m engaged the whole time – he’s finding new ways to work in props, ways to add in moves from other genres, and interesting ways to interpret the rhythm of the dance. I’m really hoping he comes back next season even stronger – this show needs tappers. And there is NO UNIVERSE in which I buy that Les Twins were a full 6 points better than this kid – I feel like the judges may be letting the name “Les Twins” blind them a bit…

2.) The Posse – This was the one duel result that I really disagreed strongly with – I thought that The Posse’s routine was a lot more creative and interesting than Diana’s, and I’d argue it was equal in terms of difficulty, given that they were also doing some acrobatic stuff AND had the added complication of a prop.  Would have also been nice if just ONE contemporary group made it through to the next round, as we already had a contemporary soloist (Eva Igo) that isn’t much different than Diana. Is it so much to ask for a little variety??? Anywho, one of the young ladies in The Posse was kind enough to tweet me and thank me for supporting them, and I told her I really hoped to see them back next year – like Quickstyle, I see a ton of potential to go far there, perhaps in a season without so many established names and more room for lesser-known acts.

3.) Boys of Temecula – I’d say this was an improvement from their initial qualifier – they seemed to tighten up the synchronization and use of floor space, and everyone seemed like they were having a really good time. I just think their choreography is still a bit juvenile, and they could stand to mature in their creative vision a bit more.  Another act I think could fare better in a future season, given enough practice.

4.) Royal Flux – Poor Royal Flux – my AGT “If they don’t show your initial audition, it’s probably because you didn’t make it very far” rule held up, and they just seemed like they were trying in vain to stand out against the more-established Super Cr3w – I thought their concept was cool and they were actually doing some pretty cool tricks and lifts, but I don’t know that the end result was particularly memorable.

 

The duels themselves, ranked:

1.) The Lab vs. Boys of Temecula – I thought this one was one of the more evenly-matched duels, despite the fact that The Lab were the high scorers of the junior division, and the Boys of Temecula the lowest *eye roll*.  I just thought their skill sets were similar, and they had the same kind of energy to their performances – it didn’t feel like a powerhouse group trying to take on an individual, or a high-scorer taking on someone in a completely different (and more limited) style.  They felt like peers.  I agreed with the outcome, though – I thought The Lab’s concept was just a bit more fully-realized and they were cleaner.

2.) Diana Pombo vs. The Posse – Another pick I had to roll my eyes over a bit – Diana was the second-highest scorer of the junior division, and picked the lowest scorer remaining when she got to pick. On top of that, Diana had gotten an extended segment and a tongue bath from the judges in the qualifier round, while The Posse got a much shorter, partial segment. So right of the bat – my guess is that Diana probably had this in the bag.  But man – The Posse put up a great fight, though.  So while it was still a predictable outcome – I think The Posse actually made the duel interesting.

3.) Les Twins vs. Kyle Van Newkirk – Probably the most blatantly unfair duel we’ve had – and made doubly-irritating by the fact that the previews made it seem like Kyle actually stood a chance of beating the judges’ pet of the season. I give all the credit to Kyle for actually making this duel interesting – he left it all out on the floor, even if he was doomed from the jump.

4.) Super Cr3w vs. Royal Flux – Another kinda unfair pick, on top of just being a rather tepid duel, anyway.  It felt like Royal Flux was fighting a losing battle, while Super Cr3w only seem to aim for adequacy.

So what are your thoughts about the duels this week? Any predictions for next week?