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Sparkle (1)
Julie here, filling in for Elisa who's traveling this week. Maybe she traveled into the minds of the So You Think You Can Dance producers with last week's plea for expert guest judges. Well, kind of: We still have a guest celebrity judge (squeakster Kristin Chenoweth, here to huck her new country album). But we also have a guest expert judge, Lil C.
For seasons now, I have been all, "Lil C, stop trying to make buck happen. It's not going to happen." But this season, I've changed my mind. I think Lil C has stopped using "buck" to mean (as I read on Wikipedia) "a level of intensity that a dancer reaches when krumping; this level of intensity is shown in the form of more expressive and creative moves." Instead, it now means "whatever the hell Lil C wants it to mean."
Case in point: Here's what C's been up to lately: "I have been a busy little buckster, maintaining my buckness, I decided to take my elocution to music, getting my rap on, the lyrical content and whatnot."
That was fetch. I do love Lil C's elocution, music or not. Or whatnot. I think I'll try to transcribe everything Lil C said verbatim.
A jazz-baby-looking Cat Deely explained that the dancetestants were broken up into two groups for an extra two numbers. The judges will take the performances into account when deciding who to send home. Also: It's time to share supercute pictures of the dancers when they were wee.
Group One Danced a Tyce Diorio Broadway Routine
It was girls vs. boys vs. chairs, as Ryan, Clarice, Miranda, Sasha, Marko, Chris, Tadd, and Mitchell slinked around to "Hit the Road, Jack" by Ray Charles. I was perturbed by the combination of very Broadway costumes with aviator sunglasses. It's like someone threw Liza Minelli into the Matrix. But I was also just plain scared for the dancers -- the lighting on this new stage is dark and distracting anyway. If you're going to put your dancers in sunglasses in the dark, don't make them jump over chairs. (Nobody got hurt -- the routine was danced well, though the choreography was unmemorable -- but I worry.)
Sasha and Alexander Danced a Dee Caspary Contemporary Routine
Tiny Dancers:
Sasha was a tomboy whose first performance was as a frog in Thumbelina. Alexander was a nerd who wore bow ties.
The Dance:
Dee explained that Sasha was representing Alexander's lost love, or soul, or something, evoked by the piano music ("Belong" by Cary Brothers). That's pretty cheesy, but Sasha had such a fluid ferocity to her movement that I didn't care. Alexander was very technically proficient, again, but he just doesn't have Sasha's charisma. I'm already impatient to see Sasha with an All-Star. But still, I thought this was haunting … right up until Sasha's hands suddenly wormed onto the keys from inside the piano, Carrie-style, and turned "haunting" into "horror." It was creepy -- just look:
Judges' Reactions:
Nigel: "Sasha, I really feel your movement with you" (I agree); thinks Alexander needed to control the audience's emotions better (I agree).
Mary loved Piano Hands.
Kristin got peed on by a frog once. Also, she loved it. (The dance, people.)
Lil C Verbatim Review: "It's very difficult to achieve that in which Dee Caspary has requested of you, but I must say I don't think I've ever beared witness to seeing it done quite so effortlessly. You two are the perfect representation to how mellifluous the piano keys are. Sasha, you are eight notches above perfection, oh my gosh. Loved the piece, loved you guys dancing, love to see you even more. Amazing."
Caitlynn and Mitchell Danced a Jean-Marc Genereux Samba
Tiny Dancers:
Caitlynn was also a tomboy. Mitchell took up dance late but his first performance was as Leroy in Fame. Buckness!
The Dance:
Jean-Marc gave the pair a "hot and spicy" samba (to "Put It in a Love Song," by Alicia Keys featuring Beyonce) and said something about Speaker Hips that broadcast the beat. To me, Caitlynn was a little slow in the leg, but Mitchell nailed the super-tall samba stance. He looked the part -- and shook the part. As a couple, this team doesn't have zazzle yet, but I think they'll grow into it.
Image courtesy FOX
Judges' Reactions:
Mary thought it was great -- they were living the samba.
Kristin loved it and went off on an extended riff on "Shut the front door." I
