The eighth season of So You Think You Can Dance kicked off its tour in Orlando on Saturday night, and as I do every year, I searched youtube, forums, and tumblr for videos on Sunday morning.
Having done this for six seasons, I thought I knew what to expect: The season's best dances, introduced by two of the dancers. I was surprised, then, to find the introductions eliminated from the show, and that the dances transitioned from one to the next as though it was all one story. I've embedded an example below, in which The Circus Sets Up transitions into The Vulture Dance (the transition happens between 2:57 and 3:15.)
There are two stories here: The circus, and in Jesse Tyler Ferguson's words, "the classic vulture stalks boy, boy almost succumbs to vulture, boy kills vulture story that we all know so well." Tadd (hot shirtless man) and Jordan (vulture) are in the circus, so how do they get from there to their own story? The transition shows that Tadd gives his mask to Jess (ringmaster), and that makes him weak/compels him to remove his shirt (thanks Jess!) That's when Jordan notices him, and their story begins.
You'll notice the transition wasn't that Tadd went home, ate some dinner, and then found Jordan on his porch. The story continues though, and even hinges on, the transition, and it still gets the characters from point A to B. Beyond that, it also develops character--it shows that Jordan's curious and didn't just happen upon Tadd, as the dance by itself suggests--and creates suspense.
All of this translates to writing. We need to get our characters from the fight with their mom to the fight with their boyfriend, and sometimes it's difficult to know what to put in-between. It's tempting to have them take a shower and move to the next exciting incident, but there's no reason that shower can't be exciting, too. Why are they taking the shower? Are they thinking about what happened/what could happen as they do so? What does their shampoo say about their character? Answering those questions and ones like them ensures that your story continues throughout the text.
What themes, settings, motifs, scenes, or other elements do you find recurring in your work?
Sibling Relationships
I have a great relationship with my brother, but it's not like the sibling relationships I write about. The ones I write about tend to be ones where at least one sibling is totally dependent on the other.
Dance
This one's an obvious one, as I love dance as much as I love writing. This was the first dance video in my youtube subscriptions today, and it represents how I like to write dance well. It's a classroom opposed to a stage, it's messy and honest and raw, it hasn't been polished to perfection.
Small Towns
I love intimate settings, places where a story feels close and quiet.
Self-Worth
This is huge in all my novels. My characters determine how much they're worth based on their popularity, grades, body, relationships, and so on. Ultimately, the coming-of-age moment for them is realizing how destructive that is, and that they are awesome just as they are.
Remember that WIP of mine, Duets? Remember how I wrote two posts about it, excited to explore music and the ocean and messy love with three characters I loved, a setting I loved, a story I loved?
...Remember when I wrote 2.5k and couldn't write any more? No?
I was embarrassed that I'd abandoned a novel so early on, one I was so excited about, but it wasn't the right time for me to write it. I knew that when I danced so hard one night that I had to laugh afterwards, because it had made me that happy.
I knew that I wanted to write about dance. Again.
And from there I remembered Tiffany, a dance team captain, her boyfriend Ethan, her best friend Adelle, her rival Tessa, and her town. That was as far as the idea when I first brainstormed, but as I struggled through Duets, I gave Tiffany two sisters and a brother, a krumper to figure out life with, and a football field where she danced the way I did that night.
My last novel was, in a sense, about dance, and I was worried that I'd be repeating myself with this one. But, Tiffany is not Callie (my MC in Duets was much closer to Callie than Tiffany is, and I think that's partly why I found it so hard to write), dance team is about as far from improv as you can get, and there are no car crashes or wheelchairs or random sex. It's a different story, and it's one that I love to write, which is why I feel comfortable with it as my current project.
So, I thought I'd share some visual inspiration for this WIP, through both pictures and dances. The order of these pictures and videos, while not chronological, is definitely intentional and meaningful. I'd love to hear what you think of these and, in turn, what kind of sense you have of the story!
That picture of the boy and girl starting to slow dance? They look exactly like the couple they're meant to represent, and it freaked me out so much when I first saw the picture! So cool when stuff like that happens. Let me know what you guys are thinking in the comments!
This Week's Topic: How do you beat writer's block?
Look what Calvin did to us, folks. Just look.
I struggle with two types of writer's block:
My muse is taking a nap/I'm not inspired.
I've pantsed the entire novel and now find myself in my underwear with nowhere else to go/I don't know what should happen next.
If my muse is asleep, I bribe it with artistic activities that will inspire it, such as reading and dancing. Reading's good if my muse is fully rested, but if they're groggy from an hour-long sleep, I need to dance. Dancing makes me raw--though I'm not as big of a fan of her as others, Adele's music is the best for this--and that naked, pumped-on-adrenaline state allows me to write with the honesty I need to.
If I'm in my underwear, I look for pants. I recently realized that writing through blocks does not work for me, because the plot either goes nowhere or somewhere ridiculous (gosh, I love plot-twists far too much), and my frustration causes my writing to fall flat. So, I close my document, hide my computer, and go for a walk, out to coffee, to my couch to watch Big Brother, anything that will distance me from my novel. Even I leave to do something mindless like the dishes or laundry, I don't intend on focusing on my novel. But, if I'm bored, I default to thinking about my novel, from there I brainstorm, from there I come up with plot points, and from there I write. The most important thing is that I take time and space away from my novel.
In both scenarios, I also like to act out my scenes. When I had to play Romeo in a performance for my Shakespeare class (this paragraph gets better and better, doesn't it?), I struggled to project my voice. To practice, I acted out a fight in my novel, and because I knew it would be easier for me to project as characters I cared about, and I'd go from there. That exercise did more than help me with my performance, it inspired me to write. Even if I don't go as far as acting, I'm always talking to myself through my stories.
Like anything else, sometimes these methods work, and sometimes they don't. They're a start, at least, an attempt to move the block Calvin gave us.
If you got to choose a celebrity narrator for the audio book of your WIP or your favorite novel, who would it be and why?
When I hear my narrator talk, I don't hear the tone of her voice. I do, however, hear her attitude and emotion. So, this choice is more about the way my character speaks than it is about how she sounds.
Chelsie Hightower, of So You Think You Can Dance and Dancingwith the Stars fame, is who I would choose to narrate Building Forts as Callie. I have no idea if she can act--her dancing suggests that she can, but that doesn't involve her voice--but her attitude matches Callie's well enough that it wouldn't be much of a stretch.
I've posted a collection of Chelsie's quotes, many of which match Callie's personality. The most important part of Callie's voice is her snark, which I hear in how Chelsie's sarcastic with others and herself. Callie's also not the most eloquent of narrators, and Chelsie has multiple moments where she realizes what she's saying isn't quite right halfway through. I also think how Chelsie's sexy when she dances, but jokes about her sexuality and is a little tomboy-ish off stage, would translate well to how Callie can be so awkward during flirting and foreplay, but ultimately knows how to, uh, get the job done.
Who would you choose to narrate your WIP's audio book?
I do all the moves pictured on the left every night in my basement. Seriously.
In elementary school, I enrolled in every week-long summer dance camp I could, the ones taught by high school students in gymnasiumsthat claimed to be combination of hip-hop, jazz, modern, and contemporary, all at the same time. The first age appropriate song I performed to was "Waiting for Tonight" by Jennifer Lopez, and a couple years later, I made my debut as a co-choreographer with a piece to "Space Cowboys" by N*SYNC. I did not gain any technique from these experiences, but they were fun, and a huge part of why I decided to look for a studio.
The first studio I joined is one of the most respected ones in my city, and I joined a hip-hop class like any suburban girl would. And I loved it. The class was small, my teacher was awesome, it was fun, and I was half decent at it. Problem was, the class was so small that the studio had to cancel it, though they encouraged me to sign up for the intermediate class when the next term started. So, I signed up.
I was so intimidated during the first intermediate class that it became my last. My classmates were real dancers, who were older, taller, skinner; who dressed like dancers and wore their hair in ponytails; who picked up choreography like that; who could perform moves I only saw in So You Think You Can Dance.
I wasn't an intermediate dancer, so I quit. My friend, who actually is a wonderful dancer, was part of a different studio, and from her recitals and competitions, I knew their choreography was easier than what I'd tried to do. I joined their hip-hop/jazz class, and took it for two years. The class was really a jazz class--with the occasional booty shake--yet I learned little technique beyondpointing my toes. But, that was what I signed up for, and though it always took me awhile to pick up choreography, hitting the moves was rarely the problem.
When I watched the DVD of my performance back, I realized why I didn't struggle with the steps in class. Unless we were doing a move that required the use of our arm, we were told to put our hands behind our back, because we'd look messy if we didn't. The problem with that is there were moves where we needed to use our arms, and mine looked more like spaghetti than anything else. They were weak, flimsy, awkward, and everything else a dancer shouldn't be. In class, we never worked on strengthening our arms, because they were hidden most of the time, anyway.
You can't put your hands behind your back when you write.
My weakness as dancer was my arms, and one of my weaknesses as a writer (definitely not my only, and the easiest one to fit into this analogy) is setting. When my hands were behind my back, that didn't matter. When setting isn't important to a scene, it doesn't matter.
But, when I had to use my hands? My weakness showed, and it was so obvious that it ruined my entire performance. When I get to a point where I have to mention setting? Well, in revisions for my current project, I realized my paraplegic character left the hospital much sooner than he should have, which of course affected the time-line of the entire novel.
It's easy to ignore our weaknesses, to put our hands behind our back and hope no one notices. But, if there's one element of writing we should focus on (especially in revisions), it should be the one we least want to confront, the one we're worst at.
It's important we stay in the intermediate class, even when we're intimidated by it, because we won't grow as writers if we stay in a class where we're comfortable, and our flaws are hidden behind our backs.
What are your weaknesses as a writer? Are you working on them? How so?
This Week's Topic: If your WIP or favorite book were music, what song(s) would it be?
I love this topic so much. I posted Building Forts' playlist awhile ago, and though those songs are still on it, it has changed from a focused playlist of twenty-three songs to a mess of, uh, 161 songs and counting, which you can see here if you're interested. Any song that reminds me of a scene in my novel makes the cut--whether because of music, lyrics, or both--and I can justify every song on that playlist (yes, including Like a G6), even if the connection's a bit of a stretch.
Needless to say, it was difficult to narrow my novel down to one song for this post. Many of the songs in the playlist represent specific scenes, so those are out, but there are also a fair number which fit the overall theme. So, honourable mentions go to every song by Thriving Ivory, "Car Crash" by Wakey!Wakey!, "Fix You" by Coldplay, "For Blue Skies" by Strays Don't Sleep, "Teenage Dream" by Katy Perry, and "Falling" by The Civil Wars.
The song I think best represents my novel, however, is "Corner of Your Heart" by Ingrid Michaelson.
This was not the first song that came to mind when I read the prompt, because I don't write to it near as often as I write to the songs above. But, it is exactly what my MC, Callie, does throughout the novel. She has two romantic relationships, and though one is considerably healthier than the other, in both she gives the guy everything she has for next to nothing in return, her whole heart for a corner of his.
I also want to share this dance to this song, because I discovered it long after I began this novel, and was shocked by how the male dancer just is Chase. It's kind of ridiculous. He even has the right hair!
The past month or so has easily been one of the craziest ones of my life, for both good and bad reasons. However, I finished exams on Wednesday and moved out of my dorm room yesterday, and now I feel a bit like someone stopped me mid-marathon and said, "It's ok, you can rest now." But, since I'm halfway through the marathon, I want to finish.
I'm currently unemployed open to opportunities, which means the best way for me to maintain my momentum is to write. Yet, I haven't opened my novel's document since I've been home.
The next scenes I have to write are big, messy ones, which have to drain me in order to be effective. The problem is, right now, there's nothing left to drain.
Of course, sleep will help with that, and I've convinced myself Boy Meets World marathons will as well. Then, I'll at least have the motivation to unpack, search for a job, and all those other things I need to do. But, to write? Not only to write, but to write scenes that will drain me all over again? I'll need more fuel than that to return to my novel, and to start my summer writing schedule where I'll spend more time with my novel in a day than I do in a week throughout the school year.
Above all else, I write my novel because I care about my characters, and need to tell their story. But, when I need motivation beyond that? I, shocker, turn to dance. Yesterday, though, I did more than just dance. I made a dance playlist for my novel.
And it was so much fun. I've come across dances before which remind me of my novel, as well as ones which have inspired dance scenes in my novels, but I also hunted for videos that would capture the moments I needed captured. Most of those scenes are dance scenes, and it was so cool when I found videos that looked like what I imagined. The first video, for example, just is the first scene of the novel.
I spent an embarrassing amount of time putting the dances in order, thinking about which ones best represent each moment, and how the playlist itself flows as a story arc. I cut dances which reminded me of my novel, but were fillers as opposed to scenes, just like I do when I revise. I made sure the dancers I used represented my characters in the way they danced, and in some cases, taught. Sometimes I had to ignore the fact that the dancers in the videos are, well, better dancers than my characters, but I did try to match skill level where possible.
Every time I watch the playlist, I get excited about my novel, and want to write it. Not all the dances look exactly as I imagined, of course, but the emotion behind them is always the emotion in the scenes they represent. That's all the fuel I need.
Beyond your love for your story and your characters, what fuels you write it? Is it a music playlist, pictures, videos, etc.? Let me know in the comments!
So, hi. It's been awhile, and I honestly am sorry for that. Excuses, excuses, but the past two weeks or so have been insane, and for once, it wasn't (entirely) because of schoolwork. I've had to make multiple decisions this week--some which I expected to make and others which were a total surprise--that will have a great impact on my life for the next twelve months or so, which meant that even when I had free time, all I wrote were pros and cons lists.
My novel is slowly--oh, so slowly--but surely on its way to becoming a coherent manuscript, which is something I have never had before. The plan was always to finish this round of revisions, put it away and draft a new project, then to revise it again. But, as all my plans for my summer and third year of university changed, I wondered if my plan for my novel should change, too.
I wasn't sure if I should even finish this round of revisions, because the novel has a lot of problems, I don't see it as that marketable (I know, so not a valid reason not to finish a project), I'm not sure I'm mature enough to handle the subject matter, I have better ideas and a better sense of how to execute them, etc. I could--and did--give myself a million reasons not to finish this novel.
Then I watched this video, and knew that I had to finish the novel:
Dance, and especially improv, play a major role in my novel. And, because I'm a cliche, Fix You is my novel's song. And, because I'm a dork, I often improv to it as though I'm my characters to get inside their heads.
These dancers are honest, vulnerable, and fearless with their emotions. And that's hard. But, from what I've experienced, I know that I'm happier, and that I have better relationships with people when I'm that open with my emotions. The novel's love interest is also an improv teacher, and what the dancers in that video demonstrate is exactly what he wants for his students, and for his girlfriend.
It's exactly what I want for myself, not just a dancer, but as a writer, and most importantly, as a person. And I'm learning how to be like that as I write him as a teacher. If by some miracle someone else who reads my novel wants that for themselves, and my novel helps them get there, well, I couldn't ask for anything more. But, even if that never happens, I'm learning so much more than how to write from this novel. I'm learning how to live.
I'm honest with myself when I dance. I'm less honest when I write. I'm even less honest as a person. The honesty of dance helps me to write this novel honestly, which then helps me to live honestly.
All those other ideas I have? They don't include dance, which is fine, but I'm not ready for them yet. They're advanced classes. First, I need to pass the prerequisite.
I need to finish this novel.
What aspect of your novel keeps you writing it, even when you want to give it up? What does your novel give you that you need?
Sometimes we're struck by stories that aren't in books, but in music, in photographs, in film.
In people.
This dance has hit me in a way that's like that breathless feeling you get after you read a book, one that worked its way right into your heart, that somehow found a home in you. I won't say anything else about the dance. It is what it is, and just like with books, you'll like it or you'll won't. I'm posting this in hopes that someone else will get knocked out by it like I did.
Dancers:Leah Moyer and one of the most underrated dancers ever to be on So You Think You Can Dance, Thayne Jasperson.
Music: "The Moment I Said It" by Imogen Heap, and "I Don't Feel it Anymore (Song of the Sparrow)" by my favourite artist of all time, William Fitzsimmons.
Enjoy.
I'd love for all of you to share what stories (that aren't found in books) have left you breathless.
On the Playlist: I Don't Feel it Anymore (Song of the Sparrow) - William Fitzsimmons & Priscilla Ahn (My favourite song to dance to!)
If you’re anything like me, writing exhausts you. After you’ve put in your BIC time, you may feel the need to down a litre of Diet Coke, but today is the day to dance as a substitute for caffeine.
Nigel Lythgoe, executive producer of So You Think You Can Dance and co-founder of the Dizzy Feet Foundation, had declared today, July 31, as National Dance Day. The description of the day is as follows:
“As part of his commitment to support dance education and physical fitness in communities throughout the United States, Nigel Lythgoe is launching National Dance Day on "So You Think You Can Dance." National Dance Day will take place on July 31, 2010. National Dance Day will include a variety of dance themed activities for people of all ages. It will empower, challenge and inspire everyone to try various styles of dance ranging from hip-hop to ballroom to anything that moves. Above all, it will encourage everyone to DANCE as a means to stay fit and be healthy.”
So, get up and dance. It doesn’t matter if you’re a dancer or not; all that matters is that you move. You can learn the hip-hop choreography NappyTabs created for Dance Day, which was designed to be easy enough for anyone to learn. You can rescue your Dance Dance Revolution mat from your closet. You can do the Chicken Dance with your children. Just move!
On the Playlist: United State of Pop 2009 (Blame it on the Pop) - DJ Earworm
Since I’ve had no reason to wake up before noon for about a month (out of school for the summer and looking for a job. I finally got a job the other day :)), I haven’t. This also means that it became rare for me to go to bed before three in the morning. Last night, however, I tried to go to bed at eleven because I had to be up at seven this morning to go to first-aid training. I changed my sleep schedule every day in university, so I thought I could do it again, but it’s hard to break a habit once you’ve created one. So, I needed something to help me to fall asleep.
I put on the playlist for Building Forts, which may not have been the best idea, as of course it just sent my mind intro overdrive with thoughts about the story. But, that’s pretty much how my mind is all the time anyway. Confession time, Building Forts is actually a SUPER reworked version of a fanfic I started to write (it was an AU fic, and the characters in BF are original. I just kind of reused the plot. I say kind of because a lot has changed.) So, I already had a playlist, and I never deleted the songs that fit the fic well but didn’t really fit BF.
Fix You by Coldplay was one of the songs that I always associated with the fic, and not so much BF. I mean, I knew there could be a connection, but it just wasn’t a song I heard in BF (does that make sense?) Before it came on, I’d been choreographing dances for Callie and Chase in my head, while conveniently ignoring the fact that Chase is in a wheelchair for most of the story (because that obviously helped me sleep.) Then, I choreographed to Fix You, and it was perfect. Not from a dance standpoint, because I’m certainly not a choreographer or even a trained dancer, but for the story. Callie danced like she would: absolutely no technique, and with an equal amount of heart and hesitance. Chase danced like he would: in a wheelchair, and with an equal amount of passion and frustration. And, the dance told their story. Before Fix You, all the dances I choreographed in my head told one story, either Callie’s or Chase’s. Fix You told both; it told their story.
And it was really, really cool to see their story told without words. It helped me understand it.
Of course, we’re writers, and words are how we want to tell our stories. But, I’m wondering if you ever try to tell your stories without words? Do you draw characters or scenes? Do you make book trailers? Do you compose music for your story? Let me know in the comments!
Welcome to the first So You Think You Dance recap! From now until the finale, I will post my thoughts on each week’s performance and results show on this blog. I will rank (from worst to best) and comment on all the routines, as well as give out super prestigious awards for the best music, all-star, and dancer of the week.
So, let’s get started!
Season seven is different from all the other seasons, because instead of having the dancers partner each other, all-stars from previous seasons will partner them. Thursday night’s show was an introduction to the eleven finalists, and a re-introduction to the twelve all-stars. As excited as I was to see the likes of Mark and Allison on my television again, I wish the showcase would’ve just showed the new dancers, as it was hard to watch them and not the old favourites. However, the inclusion of the all-stars, the superb talent of the top eleven, and the incredible choreography made the showcase one of the most enjoyable hours of SYTYCD since season three. So, who knew I’d ever say this, props to Nigel. The all-stars twist is not without its flaws, but it’s nice to see that he realized SYTYCD needed a change after the failboat that was season six.
Now, the routines, dancers, and choreographers that made this such an incredible show:
6.Broadway– TASTY OREO a.k.a Tyce Diorio
Dancers: Alexie and Melinda / All-Stars: Lauren and Allison
How awesome is it to see Allison on stage again? She’s so fierce, and I can’t wait to see her in a contemporary piece. This routine, though not bad, was just a bit of a snore. And, I’m one of the few SYTYCD fans I know who loves Broadway numbers and Tyce’s choreography; it just didn’t do it for me this time. The dancers all did what they were supposed to do, and did it well, but the piece wasn’t memorable. I believe Melinda and Alexie are both capable of much better than this, and I look forward to seeing it.
5. Hip Hop – NappyTabs a.k.a Napoleon and Tabitha
Dancer: Jose (Full Deck)/ All-Stars: Comfort, Dominic (!!!), and Twitch
NappyTabs, unlike the other choreographers (with the possible exception of Mia), understand the point of this show: to showcase the finalist, and use the all-stars as supporting dancers. The all-stars killed this dance. I was especially impressed with Comfort; sometimes the awful memory of he contemporary routine with Thayne blocks out the amazing one of her hip-hop with Twitch. Jose, however, just couldn’t keep up with them. This is one of my fears about the all-stars twist: the all-stars may make the dancers look worse than they actually are. Keep in mind that most of these all-stars have been dancing professionally for a few years, and were not at the level they’re at now when they were on the show. Of course, this could work the other way and force the top eleven to raise the bar, but that’s now what I saw tonight. I always love the untrained b-boys (what’s up Dom, Gev, and Legacy), so I still have hope for Jose, but he’ll need to step it up. Also, I know that many find Dom to be annoying and obnoxious, but I absolutely love him, and loved seeing his bit with Cat again.
4. Ballroom – Jason Gilkinson
Dancers: Cristina / All Stars: Pasha (!!!) and Anya
From here on, I love all of the routines. How hot was this routine? It’s always a treat to see Pasha and Anya dance together; they have so much chemistry. Plus, Pasha took his shirt off! Always a good move, Pasha, always a good move. However, Pasha and Anya were Cristina’s downfall. It was hard to buy her chemistry with Pasha next to Anya’s chemistry with him, which is understandable as Pasha and Anya have danced together for years. Also, Cristina just doesn’t have the technique that Anya does, which Nigel pointed out (I need to stop giving Nigel props) in regards to their feet. That doesn’t mean that Cristina’s a bad dancer, but rather that Anya’s a fantastic one. If Cristina gets ballroom with Pasha alone, it may be more of a success. I also look forward to seeing her in different styles, as she proved in Vegas that she’s a pretty s-i-c-k (that means sick. I wish Chelsie could’ve gotten out of DWTS to be an all-star, she’s my favourite female to ever be on SYTYCD) contemporary dancer.
3. Jazz – Sonya Tayeh
Dancers: Adechike, Robert, and Ashley / All Stars: Neil (!!!) and Courtney
This routine was set to the SONG OF THE WEEK, which is Freak by Estelle and Kardinal Offishal. The song hasn’t left my head since the show. Plus, it’s so fun to dance to (after SYTYCD airs, I always go back and dance to the songs, because I’m just that much of a dance dork). As for the routine, I loved it. Sonya’s been boring me as I feel like her pieces all look the same, and though this was very clearly a Sonya routine, it still felt new. But, Sonya, why did you highlight Neil? We already know and love him. Highlight the newbies! The dancers werked this routine, both the finalists and all-stars. I feel bad for Ashley though, as it was hard to tell her and Courtney apart, and we don’t even know her from auditions. Hopefully she can prove to be more than fodder! You know who’s trying really (too) hard not to be fodder? Robert Roldan. I wish he wouldn’t have grabbed the microphone at the end, because it was a little obnoxious. His dancing in that piece, I think, was more than enough to prove that he’s more than fodder. In fact, he’s my DANCER OF THE WEEK. He shone in that piece like no one else, including Courtney and Neil (and trust me, it’s impressive when I love someone more than Neil in a routine). Not only did he execute it well, but I felt as though he was the most expressive of all the dancers, and really dancing in the music as opposed to with the music. So, Robert is well on his way to becoming one of my favourites. Last but not least, we have Adechike. I was impressed with his leaps, but otherwise, I felt that Neil and Robert out danced him. And, Adechike, you’re not an underdog at all. You’re a favourite. Big difference.
2.Contemporary – Mia Michaels
Dancers: Billy and Alex / All-Star: Ade
Oh, Mia. I’m so glad you’re a judge, but I’m so sad that means we can only get group routines from you this season. This routine was genius, moving, and heartbreaking. The roles were perfectly cast; Billy’s flexibility (not to mention his appearance) makes him a great child, Alex’s maturity makes him a great adult, and Ade’s incredible quality of movement makes him a great senior. Billy is just incredible. Like Mia, I was in awe of what he did with his body. Alex’s technique is impeccable, and unlike in the auditions rounds, I felt his passion. He played the character perfectly. Ade is such an underrated dancer, and it’s a shame, because he’s absolutely insanely incredible (yeah). This will sound strange, but it’s not easy to quiver and shake well, but he did. The music was a perfect fit for this routine, too. I have absolutely no complaints. I loved it.
Contemporary – Travis Wall
Dancers: Lauren and Kent / All-Stars: Mark (FANGIRL EXPLOSION) and Kathryn.
What a great way to start season seven. There is something really inspiring about seeing Travis sitting at the judges’ table after being a contestant on the show. I am so, so happy for all his success; he is an incredible dancer and choreographer, as tonight proved. I love me some dark routines, and this certainly was one. The dancers nailed the feel of this routine. Mark’s performance wasn’t a surprise, as this has always been what he does best. He’s my favourite dancer to ever be on SYTYCD, and I just love seeing him in his element. Honestly, I had to watch this routine about a billion times to watch the other dancers; the first few million times I watched, I only watched Mark, which really says something as I love Kathryn, and Lauren and Kent are my favourites from the audition rounds. So, naturally, Mark receives the ALL-STAR OF THE WEEK AWARD (and I promise he won’t always win it. Neil might too! I’m kidding…kind of. It’s hard to beat Neil and Mark, because I’m that much of a fangirl). When I finally looked away from Mark, I wasn’t disappointed. Kathryn was creepier than I thought she could be. Lauren was fantastic. The biggest surprise for me was Kent. When I read what the concept of this dance was in the spoilers, I worried for him. How could the sweet, small-town boy pull off something so dark? But, did he ever. He was creepy, and it was awesome. The strong cast of dancers and amazing choreography (set to the perfect piece of music, may I add) made this the best routine of the night for me.
As of now, this is my ranking of the dancers. I really do like all of them at this point. It’s going to be a great season:
1. Kent
2. Lauren
3. Billy
4. Alex
5. Robert
6. Melinda
7. Alexie
8. Adechike
9. Cristina
10. Jose
11. Ashley
What did you think of the top eleven showcase? Do you like the all-stars twist? Who’s your favourite dancer/all-star? What was your favourite routine? Do you, like me, have hopes that this season will redeem SYTYCD after The Season That Should Not Be Mentioned (minus Jakob, who should've been an all-star)? Let me know in the comments!
I'm a twenty-year-old YA writer who loves to dance, jam to showtunes, and fangirl over fictional characters.
You can get in touch with me through e-mail at: brianne(dot)carter(at)msvu(dot)ca
