So we got to see six more acts throwing their hat in the ring last night, and I think we’re starting to see the competition really take shape: seems like it’s going to be a strong season for ballroom duos, between Karen y Ricardo, Pasha & Daniela, returning season 1 acts DNA and Luka & Jenalyn, plus the other Castro sibling – SYTYCD finalist Ruby – and her partner Jonas. I think we’re probably also going to see some tough competition among hip-hop teams – particularly those who do animation/robotics, as I see both Poreotics (from ABDC) and Dragon House (which includes SYTYCD alum Cyrus) on the roster. I wish I could say I was excited to see Eva Igo back, but given that I was not always impressed with her brand of contemporary flailing last season (and would have rather seen The Lab advance over her), I’m skeptical of whether or not they’re going to send her to the finals of her division again. But shall we focus on last night’s acts? 🙂
The OTHER Ones To Beat (Maybe): Charity & Andres. This is about the only act I could see giving Karen y Ricardo a run for their money so far – these kids are THAT GOOD, and in the grand tradition of most of the Utah dancers, they appear to be cross-trained in contemporary, ballet, ballroom, and gymnastics, which gives them a serious edge since they can fuse together multiple styles. That’s probably why I enjoyed this routine so much – it was contemporary-heavy, but there were enough lifts, attention to technique, and partnering to round out the routine that I wasn’t left going “Christ, here we go again with the flailing & flipping.” However, I will say that Karen y Ricardo have Charity & Andres beat in terms of chemistry – and it’s not just because the former is an actual couple; Charity & Andres give me a bit of that “uber-polished & trained” competition vibe, which can come across a bit too perfect and a tad robotic at times…hope they can show us a bit more vulnerability in the coming weeks.
The Excuse to Get the Judges Arguing: Pasha & Daniela. Last week, the judges were pretty warm & fuzzy and generally in agreement about the acts they saw; this was the first time we saw them split pretty noticeably with their opinions on the act. Ne-Yo seemed altogether unimpressed; J-Lo gushed about how much she loved it; and Derek fell somewhere in the middle, complimenting their technique but cautioning them about their choreography. I tend to side with Derek on this one – their technique and chemistry really was impressive, but I think they did waste a bit too much time stretching out their moves and probably could have benefited from using a song with more potential for musicality. They kind of have the opposite problem as DNA (ballroom act from last season, who also appear to be back this season): DNA got called out for trying to cram too much into their routines, while Pasha & Daniela maybe didn’t have enough. I like Pasha & Daniela – I remember Pasha when he was competing in pro 10-dance with onetime DWTS pro Inna Brayer, and I remember watching Daniela perform a showcase at the Ohio Star Ball when she was dancing youth Latin like 12 years ago – but I’m not sure I love them, and I’ll be interested to see how they hold up against some of the other ballroom acts this season.
Dey Aight: Connection. I don’t have a problem with this hip-hop group, other than the fact that I just simply don’t find them to be as memorable or unique as the other hip-hop groups we’ve seen so far this season (Desi Hoppers, S-Rank). They were pleasant to watch, but I didn’t find myself wildly impressed – thought they could have been a bit cleaner, and their choreography more…distinct. I know Jennifer threw out the term “hip hop with Latin flare”, but where I see Desi Hoppers really making an effort to combine traditional Indian dancing with their hip-hop, I don’t think that the effort was as apparent with Connection trying to really combine Latin dance with hip-hop…I have a feeling they’ll probably get ousted in the duels, especially if they’re up against ABDC champs like Poreotics.
WTF Did I Just Watch?!, Redux: Fabulous Sisters. Where as I was saying “WTF?!” in a bad way with Flip last week, I found myself saying it in a positive sense this week – ’cause Fabulous Sisters were everything that Flip was trying to be: they had the fusion of dance styles, the drama, the bold costuming, and the right staging & coordination. I’m not quite sure what to call the style they were doing – it was part modern/contemporary, with almost a paso doble-like feel and a little bit of waacking thrown in – but I was buying what they were selling, and found myself wanting more. Probably my favorite act of the night.
You Mighta Picked Wrong, Jenna: Bdash & Konkrete. I didn’t even really watch SYTYCD with any sort of regularity last season, but I did make an effort to watch some of the clips of Jenna – and I still find myself shaking my head in disappointment that she brought Konkrete all the way to the final cut before doing the predictable thing and picking Kiki, the ballroom dancer with about as much personality as a wall, over the much more interesting and unpredictable krumper, Konkrete. Well it looks like Konkrete is getting the last laugh, because he seems to have found a pretty nice niche for himself on WOD – he & his partner, Bdash, were giving me Les Twins vibes, without the swaggering arrogance that I found so off-putting in the latter. Thought their choreo was fun and interesting, and they sold it well – hope they can hold their own in the upper division.
Reunited And it Feels So Good: The Lab. These kids are both adorable AND wildly talented – it broke my heart to see them get eliminated last season, so I’m glad to see them back this time, and with the added protection of the junior division getting split into teams and individuals, so they won’t be up against junior finalist Eva Igo again. Loved their routine – the colorful outfits reminded me of individual bags of chips that my mom used to put in my lunch when I was a kid (not complaining!); and I feel like all of the kids in that group just have such strong, confident personalities even at their young age – loved all the faces they were pulling, particularly the two little boys who were up front for most of the time. Also loved that we had a girl doing b-boy moves 🙂 And I what I find most impressive is that these kids are actually cleaner and more synchronized in their choreo than most of the adults in this competition – which is harder, considering that you’ve got a ton of kids of varying heights and builds, trying to do the exact same moves, and having them look identical onstage. Really hoping they can take the junior team division this year 🙂
That’s a Cute Top…Wait, No It’s Not: So yeah, J-Lo’s ruffly sequined top I was admiring last week? It has a price tag of $2200. Either I need to sell a kidney on the black market, or starting learning my way around a sewing machine, if I ever wish to possess it…
Shante, I Hope This Stays: Just a general observation – I feel like we’re starting to see a lot more waacking and voguing moves thrown into other styles of dance this season, and I’m not mad about it. Love seeing the hip-hoppers do death drops, and the jazz dancers doing waacking moves. Worlds colliding for me – Rupaul’s Drag Race and WOD 😎
Favorites from tonight’s acts? Any thoughts on how the divisions are shaping up so far?
