The New Season Is Finally Here!!!!

Tonight was the first competition for the top ten couples on "So You Think You Can Dance?"  I felt like a child trying brush sleep off of my shoulders while hiding in the dark waiting to hear some bells and hooves signaling the arrival of Santa Claus dropping down the chimney so that I could catch him leaving my gifts.  Needless to say, I was more than ready for Wednesday to get here! There were a couple people in the top twenty that I had remembered auditioning last season, but they had not made last year. I'm always impressed with seeing individuals who are relentless in their pursuit of their dreams.

The first partners up were Jeanine and Phillip. They definitely set the tone for the rest of the show.  They did a routine by Tabitha and Napoleon D'umo.  Amazing!!!!  I love these choreographers and their lyrical hip hop dance routines!  They never disappoint me and I love them about as much as I love Mia Michaels.  They danced to Ne-Yo's "Mad" song.  Their dancing was believable and you could clearly see that there was tension between the two lovers that Jeanine and Phillip were depicting.  Moreover, at the end, the final not "wanting to go to bed mad" line was so clean and sexy and just on fire! I was like, get it!! 

Asuko and Vitolio did a broadway sort of routine where Vitolio was the director of the movie and Asuko was the actress.  It was okay...just...okay.  I was not all that impressed with it, especially after it coming right behind Jeanine and Phillip's performance.  Maybe I could have felt it a little more if they had gone after the foxtrot was completed, but coming after such an on fire performance, did not go in their favor.  Mary Murphy said that the dance was just safe, but Nigel gave them more credit than that by saying the lines and dancing were beautifully performed.  However, he followed that comment up with the routine lacking personality.  I concur.

Jamie and Randi performed a Tyce Diorio piece to Jamie Cullum's "I Only Have Eyes For You."  The routine was unbelievably enchanted and authentic!  I was surprisingly pleased.  Tyce has some really good routines, but I think that the dancers that he is given fail to convey the message that he trying to get across in the songs he has chosen and the routines that he has choreographed.  In stark contrast to previous dancers, these two worked this song and Tyce's routines like they learned this out of the womb.  It was as natural and fluid as breathing.  You couldn't help but love how these two floated across the floor and maximized the most of the space between them.  It was literally like the song says--they only had eyes for each other...the audience did not exist!

My favorites were back again, much to my delight!  Tabitha and Napoleon also taught another routine to Paris and Tony.  They danced to "Let the Beat Rock."  Tony who is a hip hop dancer failed to bring it like I thought he would. I was like, "boy, pop and lock." Pop and lock.  He could pop it, but he couldn't lock it.  Paris, who is not a hip hop dancer, came hard with it.  I mean she was moving in and out of those hip hop moves with ease and you would never have known that this was not her thing.  With all that being said, I thought that the routine was hot, but not fierce or on fire.  Apparently, my idea of what dancing is completely different from the judges' perceptions.  Adam thought they were cool, but that the clothes were too distracting.  I thought the clothes that Paris and Tony wore were very appropriate for the dance style and song that they were performing to.  Nigel and Mary both thought the dance was not memorable and that America would not remember who they were or what dance was done.  I would have remembered them.  Additionally, Tony was supposed to have this hard persona and this supposed "stank face."  This came back to get him as Nigel said, "your stank, stank."  Hilarious.

Last, but not least, the bollywood routine was something worthy of some long-standing applauses.   I commend anyone who has danced this style, because it looks difficult and is extremely fast spaced.  The moves switch at random and it's just something that you really have to dedicate time to and practice, practice, practice.  Jason and Caitlin performed to a song from the Academy Award winning Slumdog Millionaire.  This was the first duo that Adam jumped out of his seat, literally, for.  He was like, "you rocked!"  Mary was screaming her head off as usual--no tamale train, but she was still yelling.  Nigel was on board as well and you know it takes a lot to wow this guy. 

For all of the other couples, I didn't mention, it doesn't mean that their routines were not good or great.  It just means that I need to save something else to write about next week (God willing that I will still be here) when I'll be excited for Wednesday night again! I'm so excited to see tomorrow's results and who will make it on to the second week of competing.

So you think you can dance, dance.