#nigel lythgoe

[sytycdinternational]

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE USA SEASON 4 // Gev Manoukian / Joshua Allen / Mark Kanemura / Stephen "tWitch" Boss / William Wingfield / "Five Guys Named Moe" from Five Guys Named Moe / Broadway / Choreography by Nigel Lythgoe / Top 10 Perform

[sytycdfeelz]

S15: Top 10 Guys

Cole - He’s picture perfect for this show, so I think with that strong contemporary performance, he’s a lock. I didn’t feel a real emotional connection to the routine, but it was danced beautifully and authentically, and I liked it! 

Jay Jay - First of all, welcome back, Chelsie Hightower! It’s been a MINUTE. I thought Jay Jay performed the heck out of this Cha Cha. His feet were flying, his arms were strong, and he had a blast. He exudes confidence, and I can’t wait to see more from him. 

Slavik - I definitely got “Why” vibes from this routine, but really, it’s almost impossible to look any good next to Allison. She’s too good. I felt the chemistry between them, and I thought he danced it well, but I’m not sure he’s quite ready yet.

Justin - Love me some comfort, always. She’s another one. I thought the routine seemed really short compared to the others, and I didn’t feel like he ever got the real feel of the routine. I actually agreed with Mary that he needs to work on the acting part a bit. 

Peyton - Peyton definitely has the look and feel for the show, but there was just something off about the performance to me. You could almost feel how hard he was trying, as if he was dancing to not get kicked off rather than to dance into the Top 20. Glad the judges felt the same way, and I’m not crazy. 

Kyle - I adore Kyle. He was 100% committed to that performance, and even when there were minor slip ups, he remained in the moment and there for Frody. He is basically the whole jist of the show - an untrained (and by that I mean not formally trained in expensive classes his whole life) artist who will benefit the most from each week of learning. I want to see him in the live shows for sure. 

Evan - I know I’m historically biased towards tappers, but I was super impressed by Evan. He held his own with Allison - those turns at the end! I also feel like he committed emotionally, and it was truly captivating. GREAT choreo from Brian too.

Dustin - I adore Dustin too! His smile lights up a room, and even in a non smiley routine, I feel like other facets of personality came out. I didn’t love the music , but the routine itself was good and Dustin danced it well. He held his own with a very good dancer in Jamie, and it seems like he had a great Academy week. I’m 100% down to watch him on the live shows.

Allen - I feel like Allen is Kiki 2.0, and even though I ended up liking Kiki, I don’t really feel the need for that journey again on this show. It’s become such a trope and I don’t like it. There was nothing really special about his jazz performance with Frody, except for Frody of course. He was fine, but I don’t need him in the Top 10. Which probably means he’ll be there. :|

Darius - They daed the best for last, because that was great. He was completely on Comfort’s level, and they were so cute together. He sat really well in the choreography, and you could tell he was actually having fun. If the judges can tell him “no more sad routines”, can they also tell the contemporary girls “no more angsty solos” please? Because if THAT comes out of it, we’ll have a lot better of a competition. 

My gut feeling about the Top 5 - Cole, Jay Jay, Evan, Kyle, and Darius. (I promise, I guessed these before I watched)

Actual Top 5 - Evan, Jay Jay, Cole, Darius, Slavik

I’m so sad about Darius, but if Season 16 happens, I’d say he’s a lock. And I’m crushed about Kyle. UGH. HE WORKED SO HARD. Slavik was good, but stillll. 

This is a beastly Top 10, and I’m pretty excited to see the live shows next week. 

[tonoescapes]

Have any of you ever wondered if raven tried out for sytycd and thought she’d get a ticket due to her “sob story” but Nigel & Co. saw through her bullshit (and poor dancing skills)?

[vanessahudgensuniverse]

[chmerkovskiyvalentin]

CTGLA: Hope you enjoyed getting your dance on with MarkBallas and the #JerseyBoys, dizzyfeet!

[rmtndew]

Hugh Jackman, Rebecca Romijn and  Nigel Lythgoe at a taping of American Idol, 2006

[sytycdinternational]

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE USA SEASON 15 // Cole Mills / 24 / Latin Ballroom / Darius Hickman / 19 / Contemporary / Jay Jay Dixonbey / 20 / Jazz / Slavik Pustovoytov / 19 / Hip-Hop / «Juice» by Yo Gotti / Hip-Hop / Choreography by Luther Brown / Finale Reprise / Original Performance

[sytycdfeelz]

New York Auditions

eWell if the episode is as good as the intro montage, we are all in for a real treat!

Emily Carr, Contemporary - She is super cute, and so is her sister. Right off the bat, amazing song choice. #QUEENBey Her musicality was impeccable, and the performance aspect of it was top notch. Her dancing was also incredible, but it almost wouldn’t even matter because she is magnetic. I can’t believe she’s only 18 because she comes off as a seasoned, mature dancer on that stage. Her jete back up the aisle was also insanely high - WOW! I can see her on the show, or at least making it pretty far into the Academy. I hope she’s trained in ballroom...

Gabriel Alvarez - I liked his hoop performance, but I agree that it wasn’t enough dancing. His breaking was good, but like NIgel said, nothing we haven’t seen before. He was probably good enough to go through but I doubt he would have gone too far in the Academy.

Evan Debenedetto, Tap - He was amazing last year and he’s amazing again. Such incredible tapping. I have no idea how his feet move so fast, and he is charming AF. It’s going be a battle of the tappers though, because we’ve already seen two good ones...who will make it?!?!

Rachel Blanchard, Jazz - I didn’t think I was going to like this because it was a little competition performancey, but there was definitely something about her that was captivating. I did agree with Vanessa’s comment about the 80′s dance movie vibes - she is SO Baby! I definitely think this girl is better than her audition though, so I am excited to see more from her. 

Kyle Bennett, Jr., Animation - He was so excellent last year, and I was sad that he didn’t make it. That solo was SICK. His isolations were insane! There was so much nuance in that performance, and every single fraction of each beat was thought through so well. 

Victoria Neukom, Contemprory - Shall we just call her Taylor Sieve 2.0? She was literally the definition of effortless any time she did any physical move. It looked like it was nothing to lift herself around. She has the feel of the early “chosen one”, but I appreciated that Nigel called her out for doing more gymnastics than dance. 

The Hip Hop Twins - This may be the cutest intro package they’ve had on this show. I may be slightly biased because I love twins, but they are just so tiny and have the best accents. I so wish they were better at dancing because their spirits just soared!

Elan and Jordynn Lurie, Salsa - First of all, GREAT Cat Deeley impression from Jordynn. That Bar Mitzvah footage was also PRICELESS. I actually liked these two a lot more than I thought I would. Solid dancing and great tricks! Some of those splits were FIRE. Jordynn especially has some great poise and maturity for her age. Elan was good as well, but Jordynn was certainly the stronger of the two. 

That was a great audition episode, and I can’t wait to see the second round from NYC! It’s looking like this is going to be a pretty solid season!