Mollee and Nathan
Style:  Hip Hop
Choreographer:  Jamal Sims
Song: Ring-a-Ling by Black Eyed Peas

Oh goodness, this could be another overly conceptual hip hop pieces from Jamal. It's about Alexander Graham Bell inventing the telephone and the first call he made, for real. Does he not remember the critiques of his tennis inspired routine? (I do!)

In this routine we are finally seeing the Nathan we saw during auditions, hitting it hard, performing and dancing his heart out. Mollee still looks like a pre-teen dancing, there's something about her dancing, no matter what she's doing that reads too cutesy. She'd be my favorite cheerleader on the high school squad, but her movement doesn't really move me. It is very very Mickey Mouse club and I need more. Without a doubt Mollee and Nathan's best routine since their Bollywood piece, but I'm still not wowed by it.

Judges Say: Adam thought they were really selling it. (Agreed.) He thought Mollee wasn't as strong and she was dancing tentatively thanks to her injury. Mary thought the routine picked up steam as they went along, she wanted it to hit harder, but she still enjoyed the performance. "It was fun. It was mostly synchronized.." (Ouch, but true.) Nigel can't wait for Mollee and Nathan to separate, because they danced it a little twee and immature. (Couldn't agree more.)

Russell and Noelle
Style: Samba
Choreographer:  Tony Meredith and Melanie La Patin
Song: Hips Don't Lie by Shakira

Ahhh any song but this, it screams dance recital samba. Yikes, so does the dancing. Noelle is fairing better than Russell, who looks more tentative than he has all season. There's some solid movement in a promenade, but the pair looks awkward in hold and they didn't do their samba rolls with abandon. Yes, there's a lot of hip shaking, but there's also a lot of awkward and some moves that just needn't be in a samba routine. While Noelle and Russell are obviously having a good time,I'm not as much as I hoped I would be. This routine was a step back for the couple, and unless they kill their second routine, it could land them in the bottom two.

Judges Say: Adam thought it was too nice. Mary gets all technical on the routine, saying it seemed shallow, but the performance level was phenomenal, but she was just a little disappointed. Nigel said he needed more sexiness from Noelle, saying her hips felt homogenized and clinical.

Jakob and Ashleigh
Style: Lyrical Jazz
Choreographer:  Sonya Tayeh
Song: "Time Flies" by Lykke Li

Finally Jakob dancing somewhere near his style, I want to get popcorn and tissue for this, it should be absolutely beautiful to watch.

Seriously, Jakob is the definition of stunning. His photo is next to flawless in the dance dictionary. His movement, especially when turning or leaping is jaw dropping. It's not often one gets chills from pure technique, but Jakob does it for me. This routine is obviously meant to highlight him, even in the lifts he is doing the heavy lifting. I could barely see Ashleigh for all of Jakob's gorgeous technique, but what I did see was light, airy, and lovely. None of the face pulling and over performing of past weeks, she just was and it was gorgeous to see.

Judges Say: Adam says it was so beautiful he didn't even know what to say, he ultimately says it's a privilege to watch Jakob dance and I agree.  Mary says that Jakob is technical genius and that it's going to be heartbreaking to see the partnership to break up, she even gets teary thinking about it. Nigel says that this is his new favorite routien of the season and wants to take the time to profess his love for Sonya's work, which gets Miss Mohawk misty-eyed.


Ellenore and Ryan
Style:  Broadway
Choreographer: Spencer Liff
Song: "Razzle Dazzle" from Chicago

Two great character pieces for Ellenore and Ryan tonight, which is awesome. Ellenore is a star, doing the dead doll routine tonight, this routine is absolutely perfect for her. She has incredible and quirky quality of movement. Her movements are angular and lovely and demonstrate amazing control and spend. You can tell that Ryan is really feeling his character tonight, he's giving it from his face to his pointed toes. Unlike his wife, you can still always tell that Ryan is a ballroom dancer, but the flashiness helps with the feel of the character he's playing in this routine. Another great routine by this season's golden couple. One of my favorite Broadway routines in the history of So You Think You Can Dance.

Judges Say: It was beautifully done in true Broadway vocabulary. Shanks says: Ryan you were great, but Ellenore you were a rock star out there. Mary says the routine played perfectly to Ellenore's strengths and that she is the "it girl" of the season. Nigel loved it too, he thinks the couples are setting a wonderful standard with their performances.


NEXT >>

<< PREVIOUS