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Whew! What a night! Nine, count 'em, nine dances: bam, bam, bam, bam! Very exciting and breathtaking, I could barely take it all in. For sure there was absolutely no bad dancing tonight, just a lot of shining, and some instances of brilliance. Shall I recount? Let's get to it then.
With absolutely no pomp and circumstance at the intro, we went directly into an absolutely sizzling Samba from Ryan and Kathryn. They crackled like they did last week with their Cha Cha Cha, again with choreography from Jason Gilkison. Fantastic, exciting and dynamic with the slow lifts and arabesques in the intro that flowed right into the frenetic sexy gyrations for the main part of the dance. And the lift/throw of Kathryn over Ryan's head to land on his back was completely jaw dropping. Bravo.
Next was Ellenore and Jakob with a Tyce DiOrio Broadway routine, a classic Fosse number "I Gotcha." A classic, was classy and had a ton of class and style. Fosse choreography is a fave of mine just because Bob thumbed his nose at the dance establishment when he started as a dancer. He didn't have perfect turnout, so he turned his toes IN. Ellenore's style really matched this dance and she and Jakob oozed charisma, almost like a machine. It was quite mesmerizing to watch. This piece was hip and happening.
Ashleigh and Russell came next with a Sonya Tayeh Lyrical Jazz piece that was beautiful and flowy, with Russell playing a troubled man with his guardian angel Ashleigh helping guide him. I really liked this piece conceptually, because there was a great reverse flow with Ashleigh doing much of the catching/lifting/throwing/carrying as she attempted to help Russell. And Russell was also just stunning with his portrayal of anger and passionate frustration. There was a measure of Russell's "style" thrown in to pique interest. Great story and excellently danced.
Ellenore and Ryan had what was my least favorite piece of the evening, a very odd yet facinating Jazz routine from Gary Stewart. This dance once again suited Ellenore's style as it was quite robotic and quirky in it's movements. I saw what the choreographer was trying to do with the interesting way the dancers would connect with their legs and arms into the next movement, but it was completely devoid of any emotion. A for effort!
Ashleigh and Jakob were up next with a really solid Fox Trot. Nothing extraordinary here, just really great fox trotting by both of them. It always seems like Jakob wouldn't be able to be a good lifting partner, just because his body seems a tad slight, but he is always a really fine and strong partner for the girls. Looks can be deceiving, I guess. They both sparkled in this and looked like they had a lot of fun. Plus, any time you use a song with the singular voice of Eva Cassidy (unfortunately no longer with us) I'm happy as a clam.
Next was a fantastic Paso Doble from Jason Gilkinson for Ellenore and Russell. Ellenore had fire from the get go with her silohette against the red screen background (the one good use of that damn screen that I wanted them to just completely turn off this entire season), arching backwards and doing the Spanish hands. This was a great choice in music as well, from the Blood Diamond soundtrack. The two of them danced it fast and hard and were right there with each other for that push and pull the Paso calls for. The last moment was milked for every dramatic second as he landed over her on the ground. Solid work by both!
Then--Kathryn and Jakob practically stopped the show with their Contemporary number (choreographed by Desmond Richardson and Dwight Rhoden of Complexions Dance fame). Their music was "At This Moment", covered by Michael Buble. The beginning seemed to be reminiscent of a slow dance with all it's continual swaying lifts in the beginning. Then it broke out of that and told a story of a frustrated and heart-wrenching relationship. The choreography was phenomenal and VERY physical. They had this great moment where they stopped and looked across the stage at each other, really made contact, then proceeded to fall to the ground on top of each other and roll across the floor. Emotion was translated directly into movement and I love to see that. Bravissimo.
Then came the dance I was waiting for:
