The Wednesday, July 15, episode of the dancing competition marks the day America gets to start deciding on who will stay and leave, as well as new partnering for the dancers.
- Jul 16, 2009
AceShowbiz - As the competition gets down to the final 10 of "So You Think You Can Dance" season 5, new rules are set, placing the judges out of the decision-making and giving America a chance to vote for individuals. Though the dancers now have to fight for American votes individually, they will still perform in couples, but there's a twist: each week they will get different partner. For this week, Kayla was paired with Evan, Ade with Janette, Jeanine with Jason, Kupono and Randi, and Brandon with Melissa.
Before all of the couples took the stage, the top five girls opened the show by performing a Bollywood routine choreographed by Nakul Dev Mahajan. Working as a group instead of trying to outshine one another, the girls stayed with the music the whole time and earned praises from judges. Nigel thought the group's performance was fantastic and said they were "five of the most beautiful girls working together", and Mary dubbed it "young, hip and fresh".
After that, the first couple, Kayla and Evan, performed a Viennese Waltz. Paired with Tony Meredith and Melanie Lapatin, the two worked out their height differential as Kayla danced barefoot and Evan had some men's heels on. During the dance, Evan managed to lift Kayla flawlessly and generated positive feedback from the judges. Brandon followed Kayla and Evan's performance with a solo number.
Then, Janette and Ade took on hip-hop. Dancing to Ciara's "Love Sex Magic", the two performed a funk by Napleon and Tabitha D'Umo. Nigel thought they both danced great, while Mary said "that was funky!" and a lot of fun. Debbie commented they made her want to go dance with them. After the second couple showed their dance, Randi performed solo followed by Kupono's.
Third couple, Jeanine and Jason, exhibited a contemporary piece about two friends who start to like each other but aren't sure. Working with Season 2 contestant, Travis Wall, they performed to Jason Mraz's "If It Kills Me" and seemed to be in characters from the start, which ultimately made Mary speechless and Debbie to say that the show has gone beyond being just a competition. The performance was followed by three solo number by Melissa, Evan and Kayla.
Kupono and Randi were the fourth couple to take the stage. Teamed up with Tony and Meredith, the two worked on Pasa Doble. Their performance draw criticism from the judges. Though complimenting the choreography, Nigel said the performance wasn't strong and passionate as it should have been. Mary chimed in, saying the couple didn't take it where it needed to be. Debbie, in the meantime, suggested that the problem may lay on the fact that the two are new partners.
Ade, Jeanine and Jason performed their solos before the last couple, Brandon and Melissa, went on with their number. Set up with Tice DiOrio, the last pairing showed off a Broadway routine based on the musical "Hair". Embracing the let loose attitude of '70s people, they garnered rave reviews from the judges. Nigel loved the style and how Tice put the act together, Mary thought it was unbelievable and groovy, and Debbie thought they "evoked the real harmony" and a joy to watch.
Janette was the final soloist before the top 5 boys closed up the show with a group performance, dancing a routine choreographed by Jeffrey Page. They took on an African dance which story was about them bragging to a lovely woman out in the crowd. Nigel stated he loves African dance, while Mary said she adored it and the energy. Debbie noted it's so important to have African dance on this show.
The result show exposing who gets eliminated from "So You Think You Can Dance" will be aired Thursday, July 16.
