Did you know Salt Lake City is THE place to find dancers? Or that at least it is if you”re “SYTYCD”? Me neither. But six top twenty performers have come from Salt Lake, and for tonight”s show we”ll be seeing the Salt Lake auditions and the New York auditions. Take notes, because I”m pretty sure we”ll be seeing a chunk of our future top twenty tonight, at least if the producers pick their footage wisely.
[Full recap of Wednesday’s (June 1) “So You Think You Can Dance” after the break…]
At the audition, everyone parties like a big reality TV flash mob. They”re so excited! And they can”t have a drink to take the edge off before the audition unless they join a private club! Not that I”m advocating that or anything! Dry state! Whoo!
Judges! Robin Antin, creator of the Pussycat Dolls, makes her judging debut. It”s kind of the season of the Doll judges, as Nicole Sherzinger is doing “The X Factor.” Remember when there was that reality TV show competition to become the next Pussycat Doll? Really? Yeah, didn”t think so, so I”m glad they have other things to do that don”t include a remix of “When I Grow Up.” Mary Murphy comes out, looking blonde. And there”s Nigel, looking like Nigel.
First up, Devon McCullough of SLC and Micah Clark, also of SLC. They step. Their routine is fun to watch but it isn”t really dancing to me. Mary thinks they”re a lot of fun. She loves that the show celebrates so many different kinds of dance! Robin loved that they had their routine down. Nigel loves stepping. They”re moving on to choreography.
Chyna Smith is a super fan. And she”s danced with a number of previous finalists. She sucks up to Cat. She”s a shoe-in, I”m guessing. She”s from Pocatello, Idaho where the potatoes grow and she brought her mom and grandma. And her mom danced for the Osmonds. Okay, alright, dance already. She is friggin” adorable. And hey, she”s really good. Top twenty is written all over this girl. I would have liked to see more dancing and less posing. Nigel thinks she”s sexy and he was captured by her right from the get-go. Mary thinks she has technique and she thinks she”s very exciting. Robin would want her as a Pussycat Doll. Chyna is about to cry. She”s going to Vegas. Nigel yells at her to go hug her family. Way to go, Chyna!
A redhead, Annie Gratton of Phoenix, is next. She”s here with her mommy, poppa and sister Emily. Does everyone bring their parents to auditions? I love that the Eurthmics are the go-to group for audition music this season. Mary thinks Annie came in fighting for it. Annie was eating them up! Robin thinks she took the bull by the horns. Nigel thought she was fiery. Nigel invites dad to the stage. He wants to see father and daughter do their first dance on the stage. I”m not sure “Boom Boom Pow” was the right thing for a father-daughter dance, but okay. Dad”s good! Let”s see the senior version of “SYTYCD”! Yes, lots of broken hips, but it would be fun, wouldn”t it?
Robin wants to turn every dancer into a Pussycat Doll. Which isn”t a bad thing, really.
Tadd Gadduang of West Valley City, Utah is a b-boy. He”s cute, his choreography is fun and he”s charming as hell. I”m not usually sold on the b-boys, but he makes good use of space and shows some real creativity. Mary thought it was fantabulous. Robin thought it was fun to watch. Nigel thought it was utterly entertaining. He gets a ticket to Vegas.
Samantha Hiller of Atherton, California is the final dancer of day one. Three weeks ago she had mono, fainted and woke up with amnesia. She didn”t know her sisters, family or her own name. Oh, and she doesn”t remember the show. Boy, mono is a bear! But hey, she remembers how to dance. We keep cutting to her mom crying during her audition. Really, I wish they wouldn”t, as she”s a decent dancer and we don”t need the soap opera worthy storyline. Robin thinks she has a lot to learn but is very good. Mary thinks her story is extraordinary and this she did a relatively good job. Nigel thinks she has a lovely style but her elevation isn”t good. She gets put through the choreography.
Samantha is a no. Micah is a no, but his pal Devon is a yes. Ouch. That”s got to put a damper on your friendship.
Day two!
Chase Thomas of Provo, Utah shows up mostly naked, which delights Mary and Robin who cackle like cougars. His fiancée cheated on him, but he”s now married to someone else. Nigel wants to know why the piece was so short. Mary wants to see more. So, they send him to Vegas. Hey, he has clothes!
Oh, goody. It”s time for the weirdo. Brittany Morgan Starr claims to be the daughter of Ringo Starr. And she is a lesbian. Oh, and the original Ringo Starr disappeared after John Lennon died. Wee-ooo-wee-ooo-wee-ooo. She also thinks her twin in life is Lady Gaga. You know, seriously, let”s not encourage the mentally ill but try to get them the help they need. Robin tells her to go for it. Mary thinks she”s slightly delusional. Nigel thinks she”s a really good entertainer. Nigel, stop it. Don”t encourage the crazy! It”s a no. And she urges us not to forget it when she dies. Oh yay, Cat says they”re sending a camera crew after her! No!
Oh ma lord, we meet the original Ringo Starr. Who looks nothing like Ringo Starr. And can”t play drums. Glad to see crazy runs in the family.
New York! Not as flash mobby, but energetic.
Judges are the choreographer of “Burn the Floor” Jason Gilkison, Mary Murphy and Nigel.
Samara “Princess Lockeroo” Cohen of Brooklyn will be Whacking. When a person whacks, you can see the music. She”s influenced by helicopters. God, I hope she”s not crazy because I”m about full up on that. You know, I kind of loved this. It sounded crazy in theory, but in practice it”s pretty awesome. Nigel thinks it”s absolutely tremendous. Mary calls her a diva. Jason liked that she showed many characters. She”s going to Vegas!
Brandon Jones of New Brunswick, New Jersey will be doing a contemporary lyrical performance. I wouldn”t want to have to follow Princess Lockeroo, so I hope he”s good. And he is. Nigel loves his technique and thinks he”s a joy to watch. Jason tells him the audience loved him and thought he was soft and powerful. This is a good thing. And now the sad story. His father died in a trucking accident. And his dad was his biggest fan. Nigel gives him a ticket, not because his dad died, but because he”s good.
Brian “Hollow Dreams” Henry of Brooklyn is a krumper. He says Lil” C brought krump to the mainstream, and he”s taking it back. And he doesn”t think Russell is really a krumper. Ouch, Brian. You don”t take the piss out of a judge, you just don”t. Takes off his shirt to show his eight pack. And his underwear. But he is good. And fierce. Nigel would like it to look a bit more masculine next time. He”s joking. He thinks he had a lot of passion. Brian says he krumps for Christ. Mary asks him to put on his shirt so she can focus on her critique. She warns him not to knock other dancers. Mary thought his krumping was fantastic, though. Jason can”t picture him doing a cha cha or a Viennese waltz. He wants to see him in choreography. Nigel is, too, because he wants to see if he can put his feet where his mouth is.
Mary Kate Sheehan of Brooklyn is doing Irish step dancing. She helpfully explains the whole hands by the side thing. Now, if she can explain Michael Flatley, we”ll be good. You know, I was prepared to hate this, but she really takes this outside the realm of Irish dancing and moves. Good job. Nigel says she had nice bounce. She”s top five in the nation for Irish dancing and in the world as well. Well, that explains it. Mary thinks she”s powerful. Jason thought it was a pleasure to watch. It”s yes to choreography.
Nigel starts getting frustrated. Lots of sucky people montage.
Virgil “Lil O” Gadson of Philadelphia hits the stage and Nigel starts feeling better. He breaks, but he can move across that stage. This may be a street dancer who can cha cha, no joke. He”s a live wire and has mad skills. Nigel likes that he”s a performer. Mary thinks America will fall in love with him. Jason thinks he”s top twenty. He”s going to Vegas. He does a little Irish dance off the stage. I agree with Jason. He”s top twenty.
Choreography. Mary Kate is a going to Vegas. Brian is going, too. He cries and he loves his mom. Aww.
Day two! Jess LeProtto of Little Falls, New Jersey is a jazz dancer. He smiles now that his braces are off. I could see him on Broadway, because he definitely has technique. It”s a little serious, but he”s definitely Vegas worthy. Nigel would like to see him to enjoy it more. Mary feels the same way. Jason loved it. I”m with Jason. He”s a yes to choreography. Really? I will say, I think the standard of talent (at least what we”ve seen) has been very, very high, so I guess they can afford to be picky.
Kristin Dobson of Warren, Ohio is a Latin dancer. I”ll admit, my barometer for Latin is off after “DWTS,” in that I think you”re pretty good if you don”t fall on your ass or break your shoe, but I like this. The weird leg stretch, not so hot, but the rest of it looked solid. Jason thought she was engaging but felt she was closed off to her partner. Mary thinks she”s doing a remarkable job for someone who”s only been dancing for three years. Nigel said it”s a yes to choreography.
Robert “The Woo Man” Taylor, Jr. is a hip-hop dancer. He has three woos, which I”m sure is more interesting to him than it is to us. He”s fun. He”s not as fierce as, say, Brian, but he”s fluid and has the moves. Nigel loved that his personality was in the dance. It lifted his spirits! Mary thinks he was the most entertaining person of the day. Jason thinks he remembered to entertain us. He”s going to Vegas.
Choreography! Jess gets a ticket to Vegas. Yay! Kristin is going to Vegas. Not bad!
The competition in Vegas is going to be stiff – Los Angeles is the last stop, and I know there”s gonna be some tough dancers in SoCal. Whoot!
Do you think you”ve seen the winner yet? Did anyone get through who you don”t think deserved the golden ticket? And what do you think about Brian slamming Lil” C and Russell?