It wasn't just you, Krank. When Mia Michaels described what the routine was about, I was expecting something to blow me away like the park bench routine. I was most decidedly not blown.

I love this show and am usually blown away every week but last night- not so much. Only Sabra really impressed me. I think if Danny and Lacey danced Dominic and Lauren's routine it would have been much sexier, but who am I to jidge, right?!

I didn't cry during the Mia Michael's routine, but I did shed a tear or two of happiness when Neil came out with his shirt off. Yummy.

Wow -- that was a fast recap! I really appreciate it!

About the Mia Michael's routine: I didn't think the routine itself was so interesting, as it seemed to be not a lot of dancing and a lot of standing around. But I really liked two things about it: one, Neil had an expression on his face at the beginning that seemed very fatherly (proud, loving, non-sexual) -- I was sort of surprised, actually, at his ability to project that. It didn't last long, though.

And second, I really enjoyed watching the softer version of Lacey who wasn't posing or acting or mugging, but was just playing, as if a child. I did like that -- I often don't like her mugging/posing, so I really liked seeing that side of her. I thought she looked quite beautiful in that softer state, too.

Two other things: I forgot to say, in addition to being fast, GREAT RECAP! (as always!)

And second, a question: what is UP with those knee high athletic socks? It seems like most of the dancers have worn them, often by choice, at some point or another. Is this what the kids are wearing today? Most unattractive. Can someone enlighten me?

KM - Thanks for such a quick (and wonderful!) recap. As usual, you managed to get a couple screen caps in there that made me laugh out loud (Damn, girl, what did you eat for lunch?! - hysterical!)

And I have to say, I am 1,000% on Team Sabra. Is there anything she CAN'T do?!

I agree that overall, this was an "meh" night. I do have to talk about the Mia contemporary, though.

First off, I have to say that a) I am a complete softie, and b) Like Mia, I lost my own father to lung cancer five years ago. So right off the bat, you all know that I sobbed absolutely uncontrollably through the whole thing. :)

Seriously, though, what this dance was about wasn't so much the choreography. It was about what the judges keep harping on - performance. The movements were incredibly simple, and left that a lot of blanks for Lacey and Neil to fill in. And I was completely amazed at how well they did it.

What I really took away from it was the idea of being reunited with a lost loved one. They moved with such sheer, unabashed joy, it was absolutely nothing short of incredible to watch them.

Was it perfect? No. But did they nail it anyway? Abso-friggin-lutely! That, to me, is what makes a great performance unforgettable.

I'm tearing up again right now just thinking about that routine.

Great recap.

I'm curious about what Mary is going through...

I kept wondering how difficult it was to dance with those fake flowers all over the floor.

I hope Nigel was serious about the dancers having to adapt to the choreographers from now on.

I think the flowers are what distracted me from the dance. The entire time I was way too focused on the flowers and the fear that one of them would slip. I get the same way every time someone tosses a jacket or loses an earring.

Great recap Krank.

Don't worry, wasn't just you. I thought the Mia routine was a disappointment. I was expecting to be bawling by the end of it, but was just left thinking "Was that it??"

This recap was up pretty quickly. Thanks Krank! I thought the Mia Michaels routine was very sweet; or maybe I just liked Lacey's dress? I'm really hoping for Lauren's dismissal tomorrow; how was she able to make it to the top eight?

I'll start this off by saying that I am in no away a dancer or have studied dance. However, I did work as a stage manager at a theater for 4 years that worked with many dance companies so I've seen how these things are put together and here are my thoughts on the Mia piece:

1. That piece was all about performance and atmosphere; about creating a world and a feeling which I think they accomplished. It wasn't about Lacey mugging or Neil being corny. Say what you will about the technical difficulty of the dancing, the true heart of it was if they made you believe it. I think they did.

2. With regards to creating the world that I mentioned above, it doesn't translate well through the camera. I've watched video taped performance of some very well done dance routines that I personally stage managed and they fall completely flat on a screen (even in HD). If you’re not in the theater, in the dark, seeing how the movement plays across the space (side to side and front to back) you lose some of the impact. Remember, choreography isn’t just about the individual movement; it’s about the use of the space and the spacing of the dancers (to each other and to the audience). You loose that sense of spacing with changing camera angles and close-ups.

3. With all the defending I just did in points 1 and 2, I do wonder how the piece would have been received if they hadn’t shown Mia crying and all the “how important this is to us” bits from Lacey and Neil. Were the jidges biased by that intro is the same way I think they were biased against Hok being an old man in his piece a few weeks back. (If they hadn’t known he was supposed to be an old man would they have bashed him for not being elderly enough or would they have critiqued is actual performance which I though was one of his best.)

As for the rest of the show, Sabra and Sara continue to amaze me. Pasha is fun to watch but I don’t think he’s in Neil or Danny’s league. Dom, I’m ready for him to go; he could be good with more training for right now I think he’s faking too much of it to be considered for the finale.