So You Think You Can Dance -The Top 10

Last week we saw the departure of street dancers Ashlee and Musa. Coincidentally, the Dance Powers that Be decide that this is the week that everything gets shaken up. This week all the couples are broken up and a NEW partner is chosen at random. The new couples will dance two routines. Additionally, each dancer will perform a solo. Looks like I picked the wrong week off. The judges only offer input tonight and the dancers will be eliminated on the basis of votes. Got it? Okay our figurehead jidges with absolutely no direct effect on the outcome are Nigel, Cicely and Olisa, and Jean-Mark Generaux. Here we go...Soyouthinkyoucandance


Cat's hair looks like she was tussle before the show...it looks good on her, thank goodness for no filler this week

We start the couples break up this week with Ivan. Too bad, I really liked the pairing of Allison and Ivan and after seeing their contemporary piece last week, I thought they had a ton of momentum. They displayed so much chemistry that apparently there was some message board smacktalk directed towards Ivan's girlfriend which he wrote about on his MySpace
He chooses Martha and she's not too psyched about leaving Travis as a partner. Now I had a feeling that the partner switching would suck a lot of the fun out of the show and it's starting already.

They are doing a hip hop routine by Shane Sparks which is what enjoy most on this show. I mean, I had a jonesing so bad for Shane Sparks choreographed "You Got Served" a few weeks ago that I ended up watching it...in Spanish...it was actually better that way. Martha's attitude is reminiscent of Jessica in that her attitude just acts like an anchor to mood of the piece. The routine itself is very laid back and Ivan is a really strong hip-hop dancer and Martha just seems to be going through the motions. I was disappointed that the song Cassie's "Me and You" was laid back and not about booty, gettin' crunk, or dimes that are top of the line.

Nigel thought Ivan danced very well and Martha allowed Ivan to outdance her and that Ivan shone. Olisa says Martha has just stayed the same level and Cicely wants her to pull the blood out of her heart. They agree that van was great. Jean Mark Generaux...sound a lot like Joe f'n Pesci and he was looking for more.

Next up we have Donyelle doing her first ever solo. Word is that she has a broken toe. We'll see how this affects her dancing. She does a hip-hop routine to "Git it" By BUN B featuring the Yin Yang Twins...here's the hip hop song I was looking for. Have the Yin Yang Twins ever done a song about anything but strippers?

Donyelle rocks it and looks good. She's wearing army boots and that's gotta hurt on a bad toe. She limps over to Cat. Nigel says that she was brilliant. Cicely shook her junk in approval. Olisa says she's a natural dancer. Jean Mark says she's a money player when it's time to perform and "the two utes your honor."

Dmitry's solo is next. Now if you'll remember last week, Nigel warned Dmitry that he's gonna have to do more than show his abs and that he needed to step it up. Dmitry, the ballroom specialist, does his solo to Black Eyed Peas "Pump It"...k. It's just a bizarre 30 seconds until the end when in an act of defiance Dmitry rips open his shirt. Heh a blatant FU to Nigel. Nice work.

Nigel laughs it off and says sarcastically that ladies aren;t going to pick up the phone for that. Cicely and Olisa give him a that was great and a Stran-jay! Jean Mark says that he has added more personality to his body and cover up. He also says: "I mean, funny like I'm a clown, I amuse you? I make you laugh... I'm here to fuckin' amuse you? What do you mean funny, funny how? How am I funny?" Okay I'll stop now...

Next up is Travis and Heidi and they should be a strong couple. They pick Paso Doble choreographed by Mary Murphy. For those new to the show Paso Doble is the Latin dance in which the man is the matador and the woman is his cape. Travis spends the rehearsal clip working on making his macho face mas macho. Mary says that this dance is so intense that at the end "someone may die" Oh STFU Mary geez.

Travis and Heidi compliment each other well and just seem to fit together. For a matador-cape dance they sure spend a lot of time apart. The dance finishes with no casualties. Nigel thought it was stunning and the technique is brilliant and says the chemistry was there. Cicely says she saw a bull and a cape. Olisa highlights the intensity. Jean-Mark said they rocked. Someone in the audience had this sign...why?

My favorite to win this whole contest, Allison, has been paired with Ryan this week. The two contemporary dancers get...Contemporary. Mia Michaels is choreographing this piece and as Nigel put it "represents the art" on this show. Mia is a taskmaster and Allison and Ryan are frustrated with the moves they have to perform. At one point Ryan smashes his face into Allison's butt. Is it just me or is he always getting poked in the eye or something. Anyway his teeth marks end up on Allison's backside and yes my mind is going there, but I'm trying to be good.

Okay, I've seen a lot of things...but WTF? Allison Ryan come out wearing all black and...eyepatches? Why? Did they both have monocle accidents? Anyway they jiggle all over the stage violently. Ryan reminds us that his taint is just insane. They end by leaping off the back of the stage. Seriously yo, I didn't get it at all.

Nigel didn't seem to get it either, but he thought they gave it 100%. Olisa thought it was crazy and wanted Ryan needed to melt into each move. Allison nailed it. Olisa thought they did really well, but needs Ryan's insides to come out. Jean-Mark called them both true artists.

Martha does her solo to Gwen Stefani's "What you Waiting For" that just seems flat. The big-ass green hat was a terrible idea. Nigel thinks that Martha is in trouble, Cicely and Olisa need more from Martha as well. Jean-Mark liked it a little more than the others and likes her smile.


Ivan is up next with his solo to Donnell Jones' "This Luv" and Holy Crap he's wearing heelies, the shoes with the roller skate wheel in the heel. He does a pretty good hip-hop solo while skating around the stage.

Nigel thought It was fun but gimmicky, but reminds people he was great last week. Olisa thought he needed a bit more personality. Cicely wants him to connect more. Jean-Mark thought it was fun but thought he could do better. Ivan takes the biggest risk any reality show contestant can take, by opening his goddamn mouth. He said he wanted to entertain and thought he did. Eh. Not gonna hurt or help too much.

Next we have the destruction of Ameriker's Sweethearts Benjelle. Dmitry selects Donyelle and she is very happy about it she says she loves Benji but she also loves Dmitry. She fondles him to the point where Natalie starts speed dialing her Intellectual Property attorney for possible infringement. They get the Lindy Hop choreographed by Nick Williams and Kristin Sorci. I'm not sure if they were two of the Lindy Hop performers earlier in the season, but really does it matter?

I can't help but pay attention to Donyelle and her broken toe. I have no idea how this is supposed to be danced but I swear she looks flat-footed and it bugs. It's a routine that's fun to watch and I swear that Dmitry's the only guy left in the competition that could have made this work.

Nigel thought it was fantastic to watch but Dmitry didn't have the double bounce. He thought Donyelle was dynamite. Cicely said Donyelle was good but Dmitry didn't have the character of the dance come across. Jean-Mark thought it was just okay.

So that leaves us with Natalie and Benji and the irony that the couple that thousands wants to see hooked up are now paired with Dmitry and Natalie who have both relied heavily on teh sexay. I swear I heard the angry "whatever" of a teenage girl off in the distance. They get jazz choreographed by Tyce D'orio. Natalie has focus problems and Natalie has toned down the French Maid attitude which is probably the best thing she could have done.

The routine is to India Arie's "Wonderful" lot's of leaping and prancing but not a lot of dancing together. The wardrobe people did wonders for making Benji look more normal. At one point they seem to be dancing over conversation. Nigel thought it was joyful. Cicely thought they felt the music. Olisa thought they meshed well. Jean-Mark thought it was great.

Heidi's next with her solo and like Dmitry pretty much does a pairs dance by herself for her solo. It's to "Dum Diddly" by Black Eyed Peas where Fergie lifts the "Pass The Duchee" line. I dunno something about Heidi just bothers me. I ain't feelin' it.

Nigel thought the solo was well thought out. Cicely said she dances with strength and power. Olisa starts a spunk chant. Jean-Mark though it was a smart solo.

Second round and we're gonna breeze through . Martha and Ivan get the smooth waltz for the second dance. They make a point that Martha is buffer than Ivan. They waltz to a Dolly Parton song and it really looks like Ivan has problems with the lifts. It really is just MEH.

Nigel didn't expect much and get much from the pair. He says the lift wasn't there. Cicely says their feet left the floor when they shouldn't have. Olisa didn't think it wasn't the best. Jean-Mark thought the frame wasn't there and thinks they will need some help.

Travis does his solo to "Belief" by Gavin DeGraw. He really gets to show case here and he really is the strongest male dancer left. Too bad he doesn't have a chance against Benji in the fan's eyes.

Nigel says he's one of the best dancers ever on the show. Cicely says he's doin it fer real. Olisa loved the turns. Jean-Mark was very happy.

Allison gets to work with Tyce D'Orio again as she and Ryan get Broadway. He says it's quirky, cute, and fun which seems to be right up Allison's alley. They Dance to "Bye Bye Blackbird" sung by Liza Minelli. They are wearing fedoras which screams FOSSE! There's a bit where Allison loses her fedora, stays in character and picks it up in stride. Seriously yo, adorable.

Nigel doesn't think Ryan got the nuances which Allison did. Nigel brings up the hat bit. Olisa didn't think Ryan was playful while Allison gave it what it deserved. Jean-Mark said that he doesn't know if they felt the performance in the back. This, of course, leads to a standing ovation from the back to which Jean-Mark calls out as bullshit.

Natalie's solo to "Lamentation" by Leah Andreone is next and she takes about ten seconds to start. She's crying so I guess she was plucking a nose hair or something. I know it's not fair but everything now seems contrived with that girl. It also doesn;t help that the song sucks ass.

Nigel thinks she's sensational. Cicely thought it was great. Olisa thought there was alot of emotion. Jean-mark calls her electric.

Benji's up for his very first solo ever. He dances to "Land of 1,000 Dances" but it's not done by the WWF All-Stars so this doesn't count. I swear every time I hear this song I keep expecting Mr. Fuji to start out with "You got to know how to poh-kneee" Benji ends with a butt wiggle and a Dr. Evil pinky. He gets a hayooge Benji chant at the end.

Nigel says he actually looks like a solo dancer. Cicely says "great balls of fire" Olisa threatens to smack dat azz. Jean-Mark said he owned it. Nigel snarks about wheels and open shirts.

Donyelle and Dmitry dance the samba. We get an Artem sighting and Dmitry threatens "You want some samba, I'll give you some samba". Boo. They samba to the THIRD flippin' Black Eyed Peas song "Hey Mamma", the steel drum version. I don't buy it. It looks like a political fundraiser gone wrong.

Nigel says a woman must dress Dmitry and that Donyelle must be a fan. Nigel compliments Donyelle's facials. Jean-mark thought it was a great performance. Cicely thought it was excellent. Olisa ...gets her comment cut.

Heidi and Travis get sucked into the world of Mia Michaels and Heidi has a meltdown when she can't really adapt to contemporary all that well....WAAAHH suck it up! Hell, even Jaymz never actually cried. Anyway they dance to "Calling You" to Celine Dion and it revolves around an innocent, awkward, courtship on a bench, well I have other theories but I'm tired. It is a "gettable" piece though.

Nigel says that he was touched by the piece. Said that Heidi grew the way Ivan grew last week. He credits Travis a lot as well. Cicely said that made her fall in love. Jean-Mark says that it was very deep and fantastic.

Allison solos to "We Belong" by Pat Benetar. Lost points with me there. She flows through the 30 seconds and looks great. She leaves her soyouthinkyoucandance shimmy at home though.

Nigel says she needs to emote more. Cicely says she needs to show her funky more. Olisa thought it was good. Jean-Mark uses this opportunity to say the ladies are ahead of the men.

Benji and Natalie are our last pair and they get Shane Sparks and Hip Hop. NAtalie learns the intricacies of booty poppin'. Shane wants Nat to get the booty bouncing to the music down. They get "She's Freaky" by Pitbull. Reggaeton in the hizzay. Lots of energy, but once again they fail to "coordinate". Natalie's hip hop was off last week, it's off again this week. Maybe it was her and not Musa whoo couldn;t get counts in the hip-hop right. We're also deprived of seeing the booty pop since she's wearing coveralls.


Nigel says it wasn't very good and gets booed lustily. He also said there was no chemistry. Cicely said as a couple was not together. Olisa said Benji was believable. Jean-Mark loved it and said the movements were sharp.

Ryan is in the pimp spot this week and he's dancing to the Napoleon Dynamite song...can we please retire this song from this show please??? Or at least make everyone who uses it wear a "Vote for Pedro" shirt...GOSH! Yes you can make me retire that last bit too.

Nigel says Ryan can be a soloist for most companies in the country and should have a good solo career. Olisa said he's great in his element. Jean-Mark says he needs to pick the right element to sell what he wants to sell.


Predictions

Girls: I'll be shocked if it isn't Martha

Guys: Toss-up between Dmitry, Travis, Ivan, and Ryan. The only lock is Benji. If I had a choice I would say Ryan based solely on the likeability factor.

Tags: So You Think You Can Dance, TV, Reality TV