So You Think You Can Dance 7/1- Top 14 Kinda Rock It

Hey folks,

Wow. I'm kind of surprised we're already at top 14 week. I can't remember past seasons quite moving this fast. That may just be my spotty memory though. I’m hoping for a good night, so lets see if we can’t make that happen, shall we?

Note: As always, this is the abridged recap. For a more complete rundown of the nights events (now in fancy live-blog style!) head to sytycd.ca

Janette and Brandon: They’ve got a Jean-Marc Genereaux (and France! Hi France!) Cha-Cha. I'm just not 100% feeling this. t gets significantly better as it goes on. Brandon gives great face and lots of great winks to the audience. It picks up by the end, but I was expecting something a little bit stronger. Nigel thinks it was the best damn cha-cha the show’s ever had. Mary gives them two first class tickets on the Hot Tamale train. Mia has changed her tune on Brandon because he’s amazing.

Kayla and Kupono: They’ve got a Sonja Tayeh contemporary. I like it, quite a bit. Kupono is actually impressing me quite a bit, and Kayla, despite, being a little bit of a prop, is also great. It's not like crazy "The Garden" banoodles, but it's really really solid. I could have used a touch more grit in it, but quite good overall. Nigel is happy to see them reach their potential. Mary says Sonja played to their strengths and they’re staying on the Hot Tamale train. Mia calls it Sonja’s best and makes the umpteenth incorrect comparison between Kupono and Mark.

Randi and Evan: They’ve got a Broadway routine choreographed by Joey Dowling. It's like 15 seconds into it, and I already think this might be my favorite Broadway routine ever. They're both BANOODLES and fantastic. I love the movement. I get a little bit of a mad scientist feeling from his face occasionally, but it's just like awesome in pretty much every way. Sheer awesome. All the judges are idiots, because they didn’t love it as much as I did and weren’t impressed with Evan. Yet the only thing they can find to nitpick is their wrists. C’mon people.

Caitlin and Jason: They’ve got Brian Friedman pop-jazz about an Alien destroying the world and then impregnating the last man on earth. So it’s gonna be light and happy this week. What in the hell is Caitlin wearing? I can't even focus all that much on the dance because I'm completely distracted by her... ensemble? What I see of the dance, I kind of like. It's not jaw-droppingly good, and they're probably heading to the bottom three again. But the more I watch the routine, I like the movements. There's a lot of cool in there. Nigel likes that they committed 100% to it, but wishes Caitlin were dressed skimpier, calling her a human condom. Cat says "Safety first." Cat is full of win. It didn’t sit right for Mary. Mia says Brian probably doesn’t think this is his best work, but thinks they danced it well.

Jeanine and Philip: They’ve got a NappyTabs hip-hop involving a chain. Well, Phil is crushing this, as is completely expected. Jeanine pales in comaprison to him, as expected. But she's doing her best to hold her own, and thankfully, they've got one of the better NappyTabs routines. I have to say though, the chain is a distraction, because I'm watching it to see whether it's going to mess them up. Didn’t love it in the end. Nigel calls it tremendous, Mary found it to be incredibly creative, but Mia kept on getting caught up in the chain-ography.

Melissa and Ade: They’ve got a Thordal Christensan Pas-De-Deux. Utter. Beauty. Melissa's pointe is fantastic, as expected. Ade is there mainly for her, but when he's given things to do, he does them with aplomb. Pas De Deux needs to be on this show a lot more. These two are still the most connected couple on the show, and nail the emotions of the routine perfectly. Nigel mainly pats himself on the back for having classical dance on the show, but calls it superb. Mary just loved it and didn’t want to wake up. Mia found them to be brilliant.

There’s a video package introducing the Dizzy Feet Foundation, which will award scholarships to talented, underpriveleged dancers. My mean heart can't say anything bad about this, so I’ll keep this brief. You can go to dizzyfeetfoundation.org to find out more.

Karla and Vitolio: They’ve got a Jean Marc (and still France) quickstep, aka the kiss of death. Awww, Karla just looks utterly terrified. She keeps looking down at her feet. They put on a brave face despite knowing their fates, but I mean, it's the quickstep. Better dancers have tried and failed to conquer it. They put as much personality as they can muster into it, but it's just fighting a losing battle. Nigel loved the choreography, Mary liked it overall, and Mia thinks Jean-Marc is a genius and they danced it well.

My Rankings for the Night:
1)Randi and Evan
2) (in a virtual tie) Melissa and Ade
[big jump]
3) Kayla and Kupono
4) Janette and Brandon
5) [very close to 4] Caitlin and Jason
[medium sized jump]
6) Jeanine and Philip
7) Karla and Vitolio

Who’s In Trouble: Karla and Vitolio are guaranteed a bottom 3 spot. Jason and Caitlin are pretty much too. I’m confounded as to who couple number 3 is gonna be. Kayla and Kupono? Melissa and Ade? Will Phil’s fanbase fail to save him this week due to perceived safety?
Who’s Going Home: Obviously, Karla and Vitolio. Not even a question.