Mathieu Young/FOXIn tonight's SYTYCD return, the top 18 dancers performed a dazzling array of styles, from hip-hop to pop-jazz to tango and back again. But who dominated and who dipped a little? And which old-favorite choreographer returned for the first time in two seasons?
We've got the rundown of tonight's competition show, plus the story you didn't see on TV about who fainted during the taping...
WHAT YOU DIDN'T SEE
Bend Your Knees: There was a fainting incident during the taping of this second competition show—but it wasn't one of the dancers. An audience member who was standing in the pit passed out during the second dance. Nigel joked that it was because she saw Adam Shankman on the screen, but the stage manager said that it was a common consequence of spectators standing too long without bending their knees. The kid was OK, luckily, and we all learned a little something about proper posture.
Who Was There: From our catbird seat in the stands we saw several old SYTYCD faves in attendance at the taping, including season-four champ Joshua Allen (resplendent in purple), Dmitry Chaplin from season two (and now a regular fixture on Dancing With the Stars) in the company of Hok Konishi from season three (plus two other guys with the exact same distinctive hair as Hok), as well as Pasha Kovalev and Anya Garnis from season three. (Pasha and Anya sat together but disappointingly insisted on conducting their discussion of iPhone hacks in English instead of their native Russian!) Also in the audience were two season-five siblings: Evan Kasprzak's brother Ryan and Caitlin Kinney's sister Megan.
Vocabulary Lesson: Should you ever wonder what choreographer-judge Lil C means when he calls something buck (alternative spelling: bucc), he took a moment during a break in filming to define buck as being where or when "internal artistry meets external expression." According to Lil C, nondance things that qualify as buck include LeBron James and the new Black Eyed Peas album.
Spoiler Alert: In the midst of critiquing the fourth dance Nigel let slip that our heroine Mia Michaels will be choreographing Thursday night's opening group dance. Yay!
TOP NINE COUPLES
Randi Evans & Evan Kasprzak
Choreographer: Louis van Amstel
Dance Style: Jive
Toll-Free Number: 888-83676-01
Cutie-patooties Randi and Evan kicked off the night with a gymnastic jive that featured an absurd number of pivots and Randi in an adorable blue fringe dress. (It was fun, but was it fun to the 14th power, as per the introductory video?)
What the Judges Thought: Lil C said they were "out of the box with a bang," but more technically oriented judges Nigel and Mary were less effusive. Mary said that Evan "didn't quite capture the triple step" and Nigel pontificated on the "hydraulics of the knee" and then brought in an organic metaphor saying that the step was supposed to be like a "snake's tongue...in and out." Ew. Nigel said tongue. Gross. All in all though, Nigel thought they were "tremendous" as a couple.
What We Thought: The performance probably landed them solidly in the center of the evening's field, but their personalities are irresistible. (Especially Evan, who can apparently dance and build cars from scratch!)
Melissa "Naughty Ballerina" Sandvig & Ade Obayomi
Choreographer: Sonya Tayeh, she of the radical mohawk
Dance Style: Jazz
Toll-Free Number: 888-83676-02
Did you know that Sonya had a huge fan following? We didn't, but when her name was announced as the choreographer of the evening's second dance she got what amounted to the second-most-intense dancemaster applause of the evening. (Only Shane Sparks did better, as far as the applause-o-meter was concerned.)
What the Judges Thought: Lil C said "Thas was buck," and Mary Murphy offered up, "Tough love...tough to find anything I didn't love about it."
What We Thought: Ding-ding-ding! We have a winner. This Day Glo pink routine was by far the most explosive and exciting dance of the night. Melissa and Ade absolutely owned the stage and every single movement, from the elaborate holds to the leg extensions.
Caitlin Kinney & Jason Glover
Choreographer: Shane Sparks
Dance Style: Hip-hop
Toll-Free Number: 888-83676-03
Two nightlong trends were launched by this '80s-ish hip-hop: (1) Lil C talked much but said little and (2) underwhelming work by star choreographers was not transformed into something better or more electric by the dancers charged with performing it. (Both Shane Sparks routines wilted, and the response to Brian Friedman's routine was also fairly muted.)
What the Judges Thought: Lil C said something that involved yams and nectar, Mary Murphy said the two were not in synch, and Nigel damned the dance with faint praise of sorts, calling it "pretty hip-hop."
What We Thought: That thing where Caitlin made herself into a human circle? That was awesome.
Janette Manrara & Brandon Bryant
Choreographer: Doriana Sanchez
Dance Style: Disco
Toll-Free Number: 888-83676-04
According to Brandon, "The only thing I bench is girls." Erm. Um, to quote Chandler Bing about Joey Tribbiani in a Santa's elf outfit: "Too. Many. Jokes." As for the dance, it was a typical Doriana Sanchez disco, just accelerated to such a point that it was less a dance than a race to the finish.
What the Judges Thought: Lil C thought Brandon did a "phenomenal job," Mary complimented Janette's "eagle split" and screamed, and Nigel thought it was "absolutely brilliant."
What We Thought: Have to disagree with the judges on this one and say this was a mess. Both dancers looked harried and clumsy (not least because of Janette's stumble), and it was unpleasant to watch.
Asuka Kondoh & Vitolio Jeune
Choreographer: Louis van Amstel
Dance Style: Waltz
Toll-Free Number: 888-83676-05
You can tell it's a waltz because the girls put on filmy gowns and the lighting designer does something with sparkles.
What the Judges Thought: Mary said Vitolio's dancing was the "most honest" she'd seen from him on the show, Lil C credited the two with "authenticity of emotion" and gave Asuka props for her "dominant submission." Nigel thought a person would have to be "heartless" not to be touched by their performance.
What We Thought: Just call us heartless. (Sorry, but Asuka's diamond-honed ambition is so sharp it lacerates innocent passersby and/or distracts from her performances.)
Max Kapitannikov & Kayla Radomski
Choreographer: Brian Friedman
Dance Style: Pop-jazz
Toll-Free Number: 888-83676-06
The genre specifics of pop-jazz are not exactly clear, but this definitely could have been a music-video piece, don't you think? Max and Kayla danced a story about a princess and the usurper of her throne.
Note to Fox sister station Fox Reality Channel: Please hire Brian Friedman to do a DVD-commentary-style SYTYCD companion series where we just listen to him talk about the show and dance in general. He and Mia Michaels are tied for Opinions Most Worth Hearing. BTW, for you newbies, B.Free used to choreograph Britney Spears and was a judge/choreographer during the first two seasons of the show. The series has lacked for his presence in recent years and it's wonderful to have him back.
What the Judges Thought: Mary Murphy said to Max, "Did you fill the throne? I don't think you did." Kayla, on the other hand, got a Mary scream and a "nailed it." Lil C declared that he "wasn't bored" but questioned whether the dancers had mastered Friedman's challenging vernacular in the time allotted for them to learn the piece. Nigel said, "The pair of you bring a lot to this program."
Karla Garcia & Jonathan Platero
Choreographer: Stacey Tookey
Dance Style: Contemporary
Toll-Free Number: 888-83676-07
This was choreographer Stacey Tookey's first appearance on SYTYCD's American version, but according to Nigel she is the best choreographer they have on SYTYCD Canada, and this dance seemed to bear that out.
What the Judges Thought: Cat got chills (always a good sign), Mary said it was "amazing," and that she was "spellbound" and that "I'm dizzy right now." And Lil C give it his highest possible award (a favor he'd declined to give Asuka and Vitolio's waltz earlier in the evening) by calling it "buck."
What We Thought: It was beautiful and in close competition with Melissa and Ade's contemporary for top dance of the night.
Jeanine Mason & Phillip Chbeeb
Choreographer: Tony Meredith
Dance Style: Tango
Toll-Free Number: 888-83676-08
What the Judges Thought: Mary said Phillip got an "A+ in attitude" but a "C- for technique." Lil C had his wisest bon mot of the night when he told Phillip that "a lack of confidence is the heaviest anchor you can put on yourself and your art." Nigel was surprisingly gentle, saying it was a "good effort," although he also suggested to Phillip that he not "strain your face...when you lift your lady."
What We Thought: A+ for attitude and effort and earnest boyish charm from Phillip, C- (or worse) for technique. We're no tangueras, but we do know the feet and the kicks need to be sharp.
Ashley Valerio & Kupono Aweau
Choreographer: Shane Sparks
Dance Style: Hip-Hop
Toll-Free Number: 888-83676-09
Is it possible these early competition shows just spread the choreographers too thin? This hip-hop by Shane Sparks lacked, yes, spark. In other news, this dance kills our conspiracy theory that Nigel plans the show so the most blockbuster dances always land at the end of the show.
What the Judges Thought: Mary "didn't hate it...didn't love it." Lil C told Ashley that she needed to "find the serenity within the [hip-hop] chaos." And Nigel said, "That stopped just at the point that I started to enjoy it."
What We Thought: We join Nigel in being disappointed, but in the same way that the previous schlumpy performance ironically made us root for Phillip all the harder, we find Kupono and Ashley too hard-working and earnest to lose this soon.
And that's all they danced for week two's competition show. What did you think? Did you like Melissa & Ade's jazz and Karla & Jonathan's contemporary as much as we did? Vote in the poll below and then share your thoughts in the comments below!