Another Tuesday night, another thrilling night of competition on Fox's So You Think You Can Dance.
This week, the top 18 performed before two dancers were cut at the end of the show, a noted change from last week's hotly contested eliminations at the top of the program. This way, the dancers in danger were given one am extra chance to impress the judges and remain on the show.
After an electric Sonja Tayeh and Christopher Scoot routine in which dancers jumped into a fire that encompassed the stage, host Cat Deeley announced that animator Jade, suffered a serious injury in the last week of rehearsal. He tore his meniscus, and after being advised not to dance for three months, was forced to withdraw from the competition.
That meant good news for tapper Curtis and animator Blu Print, who were in the bottom three with Jade after America's votes were revealed. Neither boy was sent home, and the judges decided not to send one of the bottom three girls to safety. Tapper Alexis, contemporary dancer Jasmine M. and ballroom dancer Jenna performed solos before the partner dances began.
Couple-to-beat Fik-shun and Amy were pushed outside of their comfort zone with a paso doble. Dubbed a "paso war" by choreographer Jean-Marc Genereux, the duo were dressed in all black leather in their dance to the death. Judges Nigel and Mary, joined by sportscaster Erin Andrews and singer-dancer Paula Abdul, loved the duo and commended their ability to conquer any style thrown at them.
From one power couple to anotherm Aaron and Jasmine H. tackled a Broadway routine by Spencer Liff with an intricate story line. Aaron played a detective investigating the murder of Jasmine, whose spirit comes back to dance with him. As the judges said, Broadway needs to be all about emotion, and both dancers were praised for their submersion into the roles they were given.
A new choreographer was introduced to the program and worked with Paul and Makenzie on a contemporary routine. The dance dealt with terminal illness, and the judges loved, with a few of them even shedding a few tears. Most praise was aimed at Makenzie, a mostly under-the-radar competitor who Nigel deemed one of the best technical dancers in the competition.
Endangered dancer Jasmine M. and her partner Alan were next with a quirky jazz routine from Sean Cheesman. The two played royals letting loose, and the routine was filled with staccato movements and intense lifts that showed off Alan's impressive strength. While the judges praised the duo's technical abilities, they all agreed the piece could have used more quirk and fun.
Tucker and Jenna had a hip hop routine strongly influenced by--and soundtracked to--Michael Jackson. Jenna was meant to dominate her partner--as she's done in nearly every routine they've been assigned, Tucker jokingly pointed out--and they couple had tons of style and beats to hit throughout the routine. The judges loved it, even saying they saw traces of the King of Pop in both dancers throughout the routine.
After her partner's sudden withdrawal from the competition, Myleece performed her Sonja Tayeh contemporary routine with season 6 All-Star Marko. The performance was dubbed a "moment" for the contemporary dancer, and she earned her first standing ovation of the season. The judges praised her fluidity and and captivating performance, saying she'd finally matured.
Ballroom choreographer Jean-Marc was back with another routine, this time a samba with Hayley and Curtis. Worried about the hip rolls and death drop, the duo were met were mixed reviews. While Hayley's technicality and sex appeal shone throughout the number, the judges agreed Curtis came off too young for the routine and was encouraged to work on controlling his sexy partner.
Another returning choreographer, Spencer Liff worked with Alexis and Neko on a hypnotic jazz piece. Alexis' character hypnotized Neko, and the judges were hypnotized by the performance from the two. They all agreed Neko was great and were surprised by Alexis and could not understand how she ended up in the bottom.
The duets ended on a hard-hitting note with new partner combo Mariah and Blu Print performing a hip hop routine by Luther Brown. Mariah predicted the performance would be "sick," but the judges had a slightly different opinion. While they loved the energy from Mariah, they said they still wanted more of a performance out of Blu Print in his routines.
After talking it over with choreographers and analyzing their work thus far, the judges said goodbye to Jasmine M. They noted her self-doubt as one of the major factors holding her back and encouraged her to work on that throughout the career.
Tune in next week when they top 16 perform, new couple Myleece and Alan perform, and two more dancers are eliminated.
Photo courtesy of Fox.