Friday, June 17, 2011

Happy Dance Friday #52 - SYTYCD Season 8, episode 1

...in which there is much awesomeness, Nigel predicts an Emmy nomination, and judges are stumped. This should be an extremely memorable year.

Oh dear mercy, this is going to be an interesting year, and I mean that in the very best way. Drama right from the start, as we learn Mitchell, one of the top twenty, was sidelined due to an injury sustained in rehearsal...though that did get us Surprise Bonus Robert Roldan from season seven as a substitute. I think they keep the all stars on deck in case someone's needed, and I can't call that a bad thing. Of course, Mitchell sitting the performance out meant he'd have to perform a solo on elimination night, so I had high expectations, but more on that later.

We had two Travis Wall routines, both amazing. Sasha and Alexander's performance was raw and poignant and angry and relatable

but it was the lovelorn statues coming to life and reforming themselves into a single sculpture that earned Nigel's prediction of an Emmy nomination for Mr. Wall, and I one thousand percent agree. It's performances like this that make me proud to be a romance writer:


Anytime Iveta and her partner draw ballroom as their genre, I expect it to be a slam dunk; after all, she is world ten dance champion, so I'm betting she could get a perfect score if her partner were a life sized Raggedy Andy doll. Fortunately, she gets tap dancer Nick instead, and the results more than satisfied me:


Jess and his partner, Clarice, drawing Broadway should also have been a slam-dunk. Seeing a dancer as young as Jess with such a firm grasp of his voice as a performer is rare and gorgeous and how they ended up in the bottom three...yeah, bottom three, what the firecracker? No. Flat. Out. Wrong. At least that meant Jess solo, so some consolation there.

Bottom three? Seriously, America? Seriously?

Then the drama started. Mitchell and Robert were called back to reprise their solos. My first thought = phew, Jess must be safe. My second thought = ack, we have to lose Mitchell or the Woo Man. Nooooo. Cat seemed both interested and a little off kilter by this first time ever development, so time for the girls to perform so the judges have more wiggle room on their decision about the gents. Girl solos, then back to judges to deliver verdict on boys.

Verdict was...there was no verdict. First time ever, nobody would be eliminated, which naturally means two couples go home next week, slicing the cast by four. Augh, the tension. Plus debut of a new Lady Gaga video, the promise of Guest Judge Gaga yet to come and I didn't catch the name, but someone in the music department having a stroke being rushed to the hospital. Yikes. Prayers for a full recovery, for sure.

What stood out the most for you for the start of season eight?

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