Great Recap, Potty Mouth!

Re: Kupono-He's like Mark Lite. I'm kinda over him.

Re: Evan saying he's not African. WTF? Does anyone feel the need to comment that they're not Viennese when they pull Viennese waltz or that they're not Argentinian when they pull Argentine Tango? To answer your question about if anyone is African, PottyMouth, Ade is half Nigerian.

While I'm on the subject, how the fuck is "African" a dance style???? Do they think we all get together, all the thousands of tribes in over 50 countries on the continent and perform one SINGULAR style of dance naked with antelopes and lions and stuff? What the fuck? Can they also have a dance style called Asian? How about one called European?

Re: Mary paying someone to write her lines- if she is, she needs to fire that person stat.

This season is falling a bit short for me in general, although the girls Bollywood number I thought was amazing, as well as Travis' routine.

Rock Star, I 100% agree with you on the African thing. It's one of my pet peeves when people lump such a huge continent with so many different countries into one mold.

PottyMouth, I hadn't even noticed that spot on Cat's dress. Now I also wonder what it was.

When Debbie made the comment about the best dancer not always winning, I imagined she meant her protege Will. BOY did that man have a body to die for. But even with that, he didn't replace Danny in my heart.

PM- great recap, as always, but I have to respectfully disagree with you about one thing with the "African" dance. I think it was much harder than it looked, because even though most choreographers use those stupid BoomBoomKat noises, there's always an underlying, steady count of 8 to nearly every dance that the dancers can pick up on. With this dance, the rhythms changed frequently and there really was no way to get it right except to memorize the music, especially in the parts where the guys were separated and had to perform in groups of 2 and 3, some on the down beat and some on the up. I agree, though, that just because Evan is white he shouldn't have been singled out, and I also agree that "African" is not a dance style. Stupid show.

I loved the Russian's captions again this week-- "We hate that fat rat bastard." LOL!!

How is it possible that Danny didn't win when he's got so many fans. Nobody goes, oh when Sabra did this..., etc, that result was bs! I'm not usually a conspiracy theorist, but I wonder if they just let a girl win that time.... Danny was robbed!
Ok back to this season... Oh Cat, always picking dresses that are almost fabulous. I wanted to Photoshop it right off the entire time. If only everything can be....

that single stripe was the most annoying thing i have ever seen on this show. ok that was a bit of an exaggeration but it was SO distracting. everytime she was on stage i couldnt help but stare at the one pleat. it looked like a stain! but you know it was totally done on purpose

Ok - how do you clean coffee off a flat screen - cause I spewed it there after reading the caption to Kapono's dance - "I present to you....my penis!! ". Potty mouth - you are too funny. I do however have to pick a fight with you. Peter Gabriel's "in your eyes" is the best song EVER (that version did suck however).
Now for a little bitch session - why oh why do amazing dancers have to ruin their solo's by gyrating stupidly to the "so you think you can dance...dance...dance..." at the end of their dance. It looks stupid and completely ruins the flow of the dance we just witnessed. And since I am bitching about annoying things the dancers do, why, when Cat tells us what number to call for each dancer or couple, do the dancers feel the need to flash the number of fingers and mug for the camera. I find it really annoying and just want to slap them when they do it. It seems to me the dancers I like most do this the least.
Lastly, does anyone else think the nickname Nappytabs sounds like some sort of feminine hygiene product? "Stay fresh and clean with new Nappytabs. From Platex". Maybe it's just me
Pottymouth, your reapc rocked as always - you never disapoint (well except the whole disliking the best song ever ;)
Cheers

Pottymouth, another awesome recap! If I had been drinking coffee while reading your caption of Debbie Allen (But not sober, honey) my laptop would have been ruined!

Very nice on the Hugh-quotient this recap too -- that first pic in particular *sigh*

I thought this week's show was much better than last week's show. The only real dud was that sad paso attempt Randi and Pono made.

I'm tired of the judges nitpicking poor Evan. They don't nitpick other dancers the same way, and I'm not sure why. For example, Janette and Ade's hiphop was entertaining, true, but they were almost consistently off-beat from each other the whole time (I also just can't get behind the choreography on this one)

The whole time I was watching Janette's solo, I enjoyed her energy and attitude but kept thinking she was fighting to keep up with the music -- and how she does not have Heidi's lightening fast legs! Well choreographed though.

I think I'm the opposite from everyone else on Melissa. This was the first week I felt she had real energy and danced with freedom rather than just placidly and stiffly moving semi-gracefully around the stage. Both her solo and her dance with Brandon were the first times I've really enjoyed her on this show.

I think the reason I enjoyed Tyce's broadway for the first time is that it was really more of a jazz-style broadway -- and it was a better music choice than he usually makes for his broadway. I love his jazz and think that's what he should stick to. I do not miss that Joey chick! May she never return!!! (The EW recapper actually likes her by the way - obviously he does not share your superior taste or writing skills ;) )

I had to catch the Bollywood group number on youtube, but I thought Jeanine, Kayla, and Janette showed themselves clearly superior to the other two in that routine. I thought Jason totally outdid the other boys in the African routine. I expected more from Brandon and Ade so I was slightly disappointed, but I thought all the boys did relatively well, despite not looking quite loose and powerful enough in their delivery.

Oh yeah, and I forgot to say that I LOVE Debbie Allen and wish they would have her on more often. I'll take her style of craziness over Mary's any day! I want to adopt her as my grandmother :)

Warning: comments from someone who knows nothing about dance!

I do like watching dance, but it seems that I usually have opinions other than those who know the technique. I love watching various forms of dance and I think that I may "feel" a dance more than I look for how well a technique is done. I liked Evan in the waltz. And I liked Janette in the "hip-hop." Most times when I listen to the judge's comments or read a recap, I am going, "Huh? But I liked that dance." Or, "I didn't think that was anything special."

That being said, my favorites are still Brandon, Janette, Janine and Ade. The Kayla and Melissa love I just don't get. Maybe their technique is great, but we haven't seen them do anything out of their comfort zone, really. Can we please see Melissa and Kayla do some hip-hop or something more challenging for them. Most of the other dancers have had a variety of styles except for them. Or maybe I missed something because I just don’t feel those two.

And why haven't we had krump this year? Is it because this year we have a field full of comtemporary dancers and they think they can't do it? The hip-hop we've had has been watered down and the one time we had more old school hip-hop (was it Dave Scott that choreographed?) dances, they weren't so great.

I dunno. I loved Wade's "Theif" routine, but did not like the "Crash Test Dummies" one, so I guess I am fickle.

ps. Loving the Hugh. Keep it up!!

I have to say that I loved Jason this week. I thought he had all this talent and technique bottled up in him and with Caitlin, it wasn't able to show. This week he let it all out now that he has Jeanine as his partner.

Also, the spot/pleat on Cat's dress was annoying. I just kept thinking throughout the whole show "What the heck is that thing?"

Thanks for another great recap PottyMouth.

By the way, do you know if you'll be recapping Hell's Kitchen on Tuesday. There seems to already be a Jen and PrettyGirl this season.

Dancing: B
Choreography: B+
Judging: B-
Recap: A
Hugh Jackman: C-

LOL, I think Cat should win an award for Most Scrutinized Dresser On Television.

brat -- If the dancers don’t mug for the camera they get slammed for having no personality. It really is a no win situation.

razzbeth -- It’s possible we haven’t seen Kayla do anything outside of her comfort zone because she makes every style look as if it's within her comfort zone. I’ve come to the conclusion that this is what the judges have been praising her for all along. She might not always blow me away with her dancing, but I have yet to see her fail in any routine. I would agree that Melissa has been largely unchallenged as far as dance styles go, except for the disco routine, where she did a decent job.

I agree with you on pretty much everything, as per usual. Except I really liked Melissa's solo this week. I like her and I think it's probably because she's a ballerina. Being an ex-ballerina myself, I have a soft spot for pointe, especially considering that they have rarely ever had ballet dancers make it.

Also, I too hate Travis' new hair colour!

What a great recap. I love that in addition to the requisite amount of (necessary) snark, you include intelligent remarks about the actual dancing (with proper understanding and the right terms.) Oh, and Hugh. Thank you for that.

"While I'm on the subject, how the fuck is "African" a dance style???? Do they think we all get together, all the thousands of tribes in over 50 countries on the continent and perform one SINGULAR style of dance naked with antelopes and lions and stuff? What the fuck? Can they also have a dance style called Asian? How about one called European?"

I said the same thing, only without the "we," as I'm just an American with German heritage. The dances throughout Africa are varied...intricate...and dispay an incredible variety of styles to reflect the different experiences of the people. But maybe lumping the continent all together is Nigel's clumsy way of saying "they all look alike." Vaguely racist, and certainly rude to act like Africa has the diversity of 3 square blocks in the heart of Iowa. (No offense to the MidWest intended.)

The solos were disappointing...except for Evan and Jeanine. But I don't like Evan's partnering work (especially his "signature" head bobble he had in three dances in a row, starting with the "Randi's Butt" dance.) Part of the problem with the solos is too many contemporary dancers, and not enough creativity among them. And I'm a little tired of Melissa trying to play "cutesy."

As for Hair...that was my favorite musical already when I was 3. No 3 year-old should sing the lyrics to most of the show, however, so shame on my parents for that. Wouldn't you love to see someone use a lesser-known song from the show and really freak people out? Let's see Cat keep a straight face as she says "Here's Melissa and Brandon...dancing to Sodomy from Hair!"

Rock Star: Yeah Evan’s comment annoyed me, but the fact that the judges felt the need to comment on how well he did for a white guy just pushed me over the edge. Completely ridiculous.

NatPatBen: I’m sure you’re right and she did mean Will, but I also completely agree that he did not come close to Danny. I will forever be bitter about those results.

here4beer: I hear what you’re saying. Part of me still thinks that they should be able to interpret those rhythms, but I get what you’re saying about the difficulty inherent in doing that. Glad to hear you liked my Russian! ;)

Chibby: I have always thought that that season’s results were rigged. I mean, Sabra was a really good dancer, but Danny blew her away! I really think it was all about a girl winning that year. Watch out! The same thing may happen again! Only one girl winner in five seasons?? Bet that doesn’t happen.

preppyboy: Ugh. It bugged the shit out of me every time she was on stage.

brat: No need to pick a fight with me. I LOVE the original “In Your Eyes” by Peter Gabriel. What I hate is all these emo remakes of awesome songs. Sorry to make you think I hate that song, but I most definitely do NOT. Oh and Nappytabs as a feminine hygiene product? LMAO.

Lizbot: I agree about Tyce – I usually love his jazz routines, but not so much the Broadway. He has had a couple that I’ve really liked and this week’s was definitely one of those for me. I hope Joey never comes back. Oh, and I love Debbie Allen too!

razzbeth: You don’t have to know anything about dance to know what you like. I completely agree that we need to see something more hard hitting from both Kayla and Melissa – at least one of them had better get a hip hop number next week or I’ll be pissed. I don’t know what’s happened to krump this year – maybe they’re afraid of what would happen if any of these people attempted it!

hm21: I also loved Jason this week, and I didn’t think I would ever say that. That dance was made of awesome. I will not be recapping Hell’s Kitchen this season – it would be too much between this, that and then this show again. But a little birdie told me that Cherie is going to be your recapper for Hell’s Kitchen, and she is FANTASTIC. I’m excited to see what she has to say about Gordon et al.

ohhhyeah: I beg to differ. Hugh gets an A+ from me. ;P You are dead on about the mugging for the camera. Danny never mugged for the camera and they ended up telling him he was arrogant. LOL – I think the Emmys should add a category for Most Scrutinized Wardrobe – they couldn’t ignore our Cat then!

georgiababe: I’m with you on loving that a ballerina has made it this far (Ballet has always been my favorite of all the genres I’ve danced), but I just wasn’t feeling Melissa’s solo this week. I love that we’re seeing pointe work, and she does a good job, I just want more from her.

cattyfan: My favorite musical at three was Pippin. Also inappropriate but more in subject matter than song lyrics, LOL. I agree with your assessment on the solos. I think another problem with them is that they’re too short. I really wish they would expand them to a minute long. We might see some more interesting stuff instead of people just trying to cram a bunch of crap in.

Wow. You guys are fan-freaking-tastic. LOVING all these comments. Keep ‘em coming – I love to hear what you all are thinking!

SWAK, PottyMouth

Nooooooooooo!! I can't believe that you're not going to be recapping Hell's Kitchen this season...Noooooooo!!

However...I will give Cherie a chance....but you set the bar high PottyMouth!!

As far as dances Kayla has had, I did some (very brief) research to see what she has danced so far. Samba, Pop Jazz (which to me is just faster comtemporary), Waltz, Contemporary, Contemporary, Broadway, Viennese Waltz. Hmmm. At least Melissa had to do a disco. But I would guess looking at her list of dances, which includes ballet, it wouldn't be much different than Kayla's. I don't feel like looking it up right now.

I like Janette and Janine because they have had different styles and did them well. Janine had a handicap with Philip, but I never really watched him dance anyway.

I really like Janette because she looks physically different in each dance. The girl is a chameleon. I had a hard time finding her in the Bollywood number and thought they had replaced her with a different dancer. It took me a while to figure out it was her. Each dance she looks totally different!

"She thinks the show has now gone beyond being a competition. It's a conversation that's connecting a community of dance around the world."

Seems to me this show is proving how small, insular and hard-to-break-into the dance world can be. :-|

And Kupono..wearing the 70's ugly curtain tassel rickrack. My goodness.

Memememe said "Seems to me this show is proving how small, insular and hard-to-break-into the dance world can be. :-|"

I have to agree with this. How many times have we heard the choreogaphers or judges comment on having known a certain dancer for years...having had a certain dancer at their school...knowing a certain dancer's mother or father or other family member...or having a certain dancer previously be an assisitant to one of the choreographers.

Did I understand correctly that Travis's mom was a teacher at Debbie's school? Sure...no advantage there. And we all know how Lauren got on the show.

Additionally, contestants who show up at auditions with a previous contestant seem to have immediate access to airtime and a better chance of getting through.

Just like so many other things in life, this show is very much all about who ya know. But it's the same story over on American Idol...many contestants are producer plants. And on Survivor, they recruit contestants instead of drawing from the applications.

**sigh**

Hm21: Awwww, thank you! You are too kind.

razzbeth: You are correct – their listing of dances is pretty similar in that neither f them has yet had anything really hard hitting. You’ve got disco for Melissa and Samba for Kayla, other than that, a lot of softer styles. I agree about Jeanine and Janette, and for me, the fact that Jeanine had the least trained dancer as a partner and still shone sets her above everyone else for me.

Memememe: LOL – When I saw his costume I thought “Someone got a gift card to JoAnn Fabrics for his birthday!”

cattyfan & Memememe: I agree about the insularity to a certain extent, and that we see it more and more in casting this and other reality shows. A lot of the kids that make it onto this show probably have a long history of attending workshops and competitions, which exposes them to people such as Debbie, Mandy, Mia, etc. My niece is only nine years old but she’s already taken classes with Mandy, Brian, Travis, Nick and Ivan in different workshops that she’s done. Cu-razy!

SWAK, PottyMouth

Oh dear. I usually agree with almost everything that you type up in your recaps but I can't agree with your love for the Bollywood piece.

Every single person in my house hold was appalled over how WHITE WASHED the Bollywood number was.

Only thirty percent or so was actually authentic. The rest of it. shittfuck. I can't even describe how terrible it was and how much I wanted to throw something at Nakul.

I've been dancing Bollywood since I was a little kid and I choreograph pieces for myself and my temple for the Annual Lower Mainland Hindu Cultural Society Competition in Vancouver. I also choreograph numbers for the Diwali and Holi shows every year.

That dance to Dholna was gross.

I think the Western World has a huge misconception as to exactly what Bollywood is and it's frightening to think people like Nakul are presenting it to the mass public.

Bollywood is more than just movement. It's the telling of a story using facial movements and every square inch of a person's body. It's about imbuing the song and dancing to the lyrics. No orangutan movements to a portion of the song talking about how love's pulse.

I think this number was around a C+ at best. None of the girls were dancing to the beat and there was very little cohesion in the number. You could clearly see how uncomfortable they were with the movements and I wanted to laugh at how often the look of concentration passed on their faces.

I personally do not think the props were used as well as they could have and that the jump was ill timed.

Melissa can't dance Bollywood. Nor can Kayla (her movements were so soft instead of hard hitting and clean). Janette danced too swiftly and didn't seem to carry the grace that should have accompanied parts of this number and Randi was too heavy. I usually love Jeanine but even she couldn't keep up.

Great Energy though. But no grace. Or connection to the music.

Though I do want to give Janette props for her turns. Those were beautifully done and I enjoyed the portion of the song with the masks quite a bit.

And my discontent/like for this number also extends to every other Bollywood number ever done on this show in the States.

I don't like a fair bit of the ones done in the UK either. All white washed.

Something i forgot to mention in the last post is that Bollywood does not equal FAST. Or furious. It's passionate. Whether fast or slow.

Saueya: Thank you for sharing your comments on the Bollywood piece. Obviously I am not an expert on that genre, so without your comments I would never have known that Nakul was Bollywood's equivalent of Tabitha & Napoleon.

Do you have any recommendations on movies or video that would show a better representation of the style? I'd love to be able to see something more authentic.

SWAK, PottyMouth

Ye be pleased to know that I have been asking Bollywood dancers what their ideas of Bollywood are and that I shall get that lovely list to you ASAP.

Nakul needs to burn.