The Top 10 Deliver

Usually I would babble on about Cat’s fabulous clothes and shoes, but with each couple dancing twice and ten different solos; we have way too much to cover. Let’s get to the dancing, shall we?

THE NEW PAIRINGS

Noelle & Ryan

"Give It to Me Right," Melanie Fiona (Hip-Hop w/ Tabitha & Napoleon D'umo)
I was shocked when, after a brief introduction, we launched right into this dance. Noelle straight up out danced Ryan this time, although I did think they were able to get the chemistry going once they abandoned the desk and got out on the floor. The judges thought Noelle was smoking hot and that Ryan did a respectable job outside of his genre. There were a couple of moments for me where I found Ryan to be a little awkward, but Noelle was so distracting in a good way, that she pulled most of the attention away from him.

"Jeux D'eau," Cirque du Soleil (Smooth Waltz w/ JT Thomas & Tomas Mielnicki)
Everyone who reads my blog knows that I normally hate the waltz in whatever form they are calling it each week. Maybe it was because Ryan is a ballroom dancer or maybe because Noelle looked so gorgeous, but I really enjoyed this Waltz. At times they looked regal and the entire performance floated and made you hold your breath. I have decided that I haven’t seen enough of Noelle yet.

Ashleigh & Legacy

"Poison," The Prodigy (Contemporary w/ Garry Stewart)
I have seen Garry Stewart’s company do this style of dancing and it is pretty unique and amazing. It was way too much of technical dance for these two to pull off. It felt like a lot of hard work which I found exhausting to watch, and they weren’t completing their movements. I will give them a huge E for effort, but I did not feel that this piece was right for this show. It did nothing to make you root for them as a couple, and reminded me more of a company piece that should be part of a larger work. Adam tried to be kind by saying “best ending ever” and that probably was the best part, but not just because Legacy was in a head stand.

"Slow Down," Bobby Valentino (Hip-Hop w/ Dave Scott)
Although the judges hated it, I did not mind Ashleigh in this piece. I thought she had the humor and the movement that Dave Scott wanted from her. Unfortunately, it did not work with Legacy. Dave Scott let these dancers down. He used the cape as a gimmick when he could have utilized Legacy’s b-boy style. Legacy was given a lot of walking around and posing, and his movement never quite matched Ashleigh’s. Nigel let Dave know that this was not challenging enough choreography for this point in the competition.

Kathryn & Nathan

"Choreography," Danny Kaye (Broadway w/ Spencer Liff)
This was one of my favorite dances from the night actually. I loved how stylized it was, and I thought they both absolutely nailed it. I did not agree with Nigel that there was no chemistry, and I felt like I had stepped back into a 40’s movie. Spencer Liff is really talented and this was probably one of his best moments on the show so far. Unfortunately, Nathan looked ready to have a nervous breakdown during the comments. Landing in the bottom, and Adam’s comments about his film from last week really worked on him, and he looked close to tears all evening whenever the music stopped.

"Walk on by," Aretha Franklin (Rumba w/ Tony Meredith & Melanie LaPatin)
This music was just a wrong choice for a Rumba. If they could have put that choreography with a sexier song that wasn’t about a poor woman’s broken heart, it might have worked for me. Kathryn was fabulous, so much so that I didn’t really look at Nathan. I don’t really know what a Rumba is supposed to look like, so Nigel’s comments washed right over me, but I do think if you are in a partner dance of this style; your song shouldn’t be about a girl who is alone.

Ellenore & Jakob

"Four Brothers," Manhattan Transfer (Quickstep w/ Tony Meredith & Melanie LaPatin)
This was one of the better Quicksteps on this program, and putting these two together for this week is a great pairing, as they both are phenomenal technical dancers, but even better entertainers. It was pure fun from beginning to end. Will I rewind and re-watch? It is doubtful. Quickstep just doesn’t do that much for me.

"Tore My Heart," OONA and Dave Tweedle (Contemporary w/ Sonya Tayeh)
This was a great Sonya piece, and these two were perfection performing it. I got completely lost in the routine and found Sonya surprising me with some of the elements in the characters. There were still some moves that Sonya uses to death (grabbing the leg and bouncing the head) but I got so lost in the story and did not want it to end. It deserved the standing “O” that it received from the judges.

Mollee & Russell

"It Must Have Been Love," Roxette (Lyrical Jazz w/ Mandy Moore)
Oh Mandy, you and your 80’s music. She pulled out all of the stops on this one, and Russell had to lift Mollee so many times and so many different ways that it caused your head to spin. I really enjoyed the technical perfection of the number. I did not feel the chemistry that the judges did, probably because there were no quiet moments in this dance. Russell actually terrified me with a couple of the lifts, I thought he was going to drop her on her head at one point, but they were both in complete control.

"Land of 1000 Dances," Jimmy Barnes (Jive w/ Anya Garnis & Pasha Kovalev)
This was a great end to the night, and I appreciated that Mollee delivered a cute little Anya finger point during the piece. In this performance I actually felt the chemistry and thought they brought the high energy and character that is required to make a jive entertaining. Russell made Mollee look like a different dancer this evening, and her trip to the bottom calmed some of that silliness that she usually has going on.

SOLOS

Mollee Gray ("Rock the Beat," LMFAO) – I think Mollee has proved that she has great technique, but this solo felt a little like pom camp to me. I loved her curls, and her interview at the beginning was much more mature then in her previous film. I can already tell that these parent interviews are going to wipe me out.

Russell Ferguson ("Outros," Black Milk) –I am normally not a fan of the Krump, but that is probably because no one ever does it correctly. This was hard hitting and dirty and put together with great use of stage. He owned his minute thirty and I loved it.

Noelle Marsh ("Every Time It Rains," Charlotte Martin) – Noelle dances with pure joy every time she steps on that stage, and that, along with her gorgeous lines, made this a moving performance.

Ryan Di Lello ("Rock You like a Hurricane," The Scorpions) – Ballroom solos stink. Ryan may be in trouble, even with the muscles.

Kathryn McCormick ("Beautiful," Bethany Dillon) – This was a well put together solo that was just like the song title. I am really impressed with Kathryn’s dancing these last couple of weeks. I think after tonight she deserves to be here another week.

Nathan Trasoras ("Golden Train," Justin Nozuka) – Whatever is going on with Nathan emotionally tonight was utilized to perform a brilliant solo. I thought his was the best of the night. His turns were amazing and he managed to be in such control of his body while letting go completely in the performance. I hope he gets a chance to pull it together and perform another week. He has amazing potential.

Ellenore Scott ("Beatbox Harmonica," Yuri Lane) – I love this girl. Hands down, the best girl solo of the evening. She may be a little too weird for some, but she brings true artistry and individuality to the stage. She was able to give us technique, confidence and humor, all with her quirky unique twist.

Jonathan "Legacy" Perez ("No Air," Jordin Sparks & Chris Brown) – Legacy took some of the things he has learned about musicality and incorporated them into his solo so that it became more than street dancing. I have a soft spot for this guy and although he isn’t as strong as his competition, I am pulling for him to get another week.

Ashleigh Di Lello ("Batucada Por Favor," Bob Azzam) – Again, ballroom solos stink. She did better than her husband, but only because her music was faster and she was able to distract us with a lot of fancy footwork and shimmying.

Jakob Karr ("Always Midnight," Pat Monahan) – Jakob is excellence in dance, no question, but I guess because of his accomplishments before tonight, I had expected to be blown away by his solo. The fact that he was last only built up my anticipation. It was all of the typical Jakob flexibility, showcased with multiple leg extensions, but I guess I wanted something more. Don’t get me wrong, he is one of my favorite dancers, but I thought tonight, Nathan was technically as strong, and gave more of his heart on that dance floor.

Bottom 4? Ashleigh, Ryan, Nathan and Kathryn.
Going home? It could be the end of the road for our married couple. I think Nathan had much stronger performances than Legacy, but I think his nervous emotional time in front of the camera may have made some viewers uncomfortable. Ryan just can’t dance a solo. I still think Ashleigh has ton to offer and I have enjoyed her time on this show, but out of this line up of fabulous women she is the weakest dancer.
Tune in tonight…..