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SDOC4 Episode 9

Continuing the marathon...

This post became so long and has taken so much time I'm going to do the Let's Chat episode separately.

SDOC4 Episode 9

Choreography Battle Round 1

I always enjoy watching good choreographed performances.

First and foremost I have to give full props to Yixing's jacket. What a sparkly jacket, and it looked great on him.

I also absolutely love DD's 'match, fuse, BOOM' thing. So cute cool.

Team Yixing - MT Pop, Poppin C and Kenken

I was more excited about the grouping than I was by their performance. It felt a bit restrained and lacked some spark or energy. The concept was interesting and there was a lot that could be done with it, but it ended up coming across as a bit of a missed opportunity.

Kenken kept everybody in a tight little clump the entire time, and it began to feel claustrophobic. There was no use of the stage there was no real movement. I kept waiting for something to happen, and it just didn't go anywhere. It felt a bit repetitive by the end, and it fell a little flat for me.

The intro was exceptionally good, with the way the fabric was moving, and they had good coordination with the background sound and Kenken's movement (which I'm sure the guys couldn't see under that blanket). I was impressed by that part, but I would have liked to have seen more movement and to see the performance open up a bit. It just never got there.

Team Boom! - Liang Liang, Toozin, Jr Taco and Keven

Strong concept, clever, judicious use of props without letting them become crutches. The intro was excellent and set a tone, but I felt the dance gradually lost a little bit of coherence toward the end. It was excellent and very well executed, I just would have liked to have seen a slightly more coherent story being told.

If these are ghosts or spirits or invaders of some kind, then why are they dancing with the watchman? I would have liked to see more of an oppositional force at work between them. For a story that started out so scary and suspenseful, there was very little tension by the end.

This isn't the only performance of the night to make that mistake.

I feel Jr Taco is a bit of a weak link when it comes to hanging onto and executing choreography, or getting the timing of the steps right. He was off at times, and burdened his attention/immersion with watching the others to try to follow what they were doing and keep on track. As a result he was out of step and didn't give as convincing a performance.

Still, this was clearly the superior routine. It had good energy and a trajectory of emotion, and pacing that made it interesting and engaging and involved more variety of movement than the other performance.

I was not at all surprised by the vote outcome. It was a good reflection of where I felt the level of the performances were.

I couldn't help but notice that the rattling jug had a red cloth cover tied with a yellow ribbon under a green spotlight... 🤡

Team Henry Lau - Tao Tao and Cici

I admit I came into this performance a bit cynical. It was pretty predictable for them to do a duo performance, and I was prepared for it to be very similar to what we've seen from them before. I didn't feel it was as much of a departure as some of the captains were claiming in their feedback.

I get that they work well together, but there's a point where presenting the same sort of dynamic over and over again gets a bit tired. It would have been nice to see them challenge themselves by adding a third person into the mix to create a more interesting atmosphere.

I didn't feel the concept came across as well as it could have, either. Another missed opportunity. I didn't get enough of a strong sense of Tao Tao's fire or of Cici's water. The behavior of two elements was too similar. It was kind of cool that it made me think about the similarities between fire and water - they both have wave-like motions, they both ripple - but I think it would have been better if we could have gotten more of a clear sense of their differences. It would have made their similarities stand out more.

I also completely agreed with everything that DD said. The performance could've benefited from opening up a bit and having a bit more individual movement so that when they came together those connected movements would have had more impact. As it stood it was too harmonious throughout, when I think a bit of discord would have made the eventual harmony stand out more and would have given the audience more of a sense of discovery at the end.

Overall I feel like if you're going to create a performance that is visually understated and moody like this, it needs to have a lot of emotional impact in order to be effective. This was a bit flat for me. I'm also a bit 'over' the whole Tao Tao and Cici thing. It's been done to death. I stopped short of rolling my eyes...

They are excellent dancers who work exceptionally well together, but they've been leading us across the same ground over and over again and my eyes are glazing over.

The discussion about their personal relationship didn't sit right with me. It felt irrelevant and out of place, and trying too hard to be cute.

Team Han Geng - AC, Ibuki, Eleven and Yu Wan

When I saw the beginning of this I was so excited. I thought, "Who doesn't love a good bar fight?" Unfortunately it's just didn't come together. The story started out feeling clear and coherent, and then kind of got chaotic and lost as it progressed. The reconfiguring of the prop walls became an unnecessary distraction and really detracted from the performance.

It would have been so exciting to see 'dance battle meets sword battle', and they had the opportunity to do that with their movements, but they didn't. Another missed opportunity.

AC missed some of his choreo in the middle and that only highlighted the fact that the performance was overcomplicated. The overly expansive staging, the dickering around with the prop walls, the awkward and distracting movement of dancers into the background and away from the center of the action - all of this detracted from the performance and probably added an unnecessary burden to their ability to properly rehearse and remember what they were supposed to be doing, when.

Also, as I mentioned earlier, if there are oppositional forces in a performance then they need to behave in an oppositional way at least some of the time. This team didn't create any tension between the warriors. It felt like they all just decided to do a musical theater performance about friendship in the middle of a bar fight. None of the moves they chose to do built on the story they had started to tell. Quite the contrary.

Here's a tip for all of the dancers, which they'll never see: If something isn't adding to the story, it's probably detracting from it. This actually goes for a lot of things, including writing.

I'm actually going to link the performance here so you can re-watch it and see what I'm talking about with all the problems this performance had.

A disappointment. It felt confusing, and they created the wrong kind of tension. Rather than building tension between the characters, they created tension in the audience as we tried to make sense of what was going on.

Their costumes and hair were outstanding. They truly looked amazing. Kudos to whoever came up with the looks.

AC has a talent for creating and conveying a character, and that came across so well at the beginning when he was sitting there drinking. He has incredible stage presence and I wonder if he's ever considered theatre or acting.

It made me sad to see him beat himself up so badly over the missed choreography. Mistakes happen; it's part of life and he shouldn't be ashamed. He did his best with what he had. Any errors were down the overcomplicated staging and choreography, and not the fault of the dancers, in my opinion.

I could identify with Keven when he was talking about how cute AC looked during his moment of panic. I totally agree with you, bud.

I wasn't surprised by the outcome. The duo performance was just tighter and better executed, but I enjoyed watching the group performance a lot more.

Choreography Battle Round 2

The bottle spinning mystery was funny. It will be interesting to see if or how that influences what people want to do moving forward.

Team Henry Lau - Rochka, Chika, Chunlin and Han Yu

OK, now we're talking. Wow. I loved absolutely everything about his performance, and the execution was almost flawless. Absolutely outstanding in every possible way.

The choreography was fantastic. I love those fast-paced movements, it was very hard hitting, and there was creativity with zero reliance on gimmicks. I was massively impressed by this performance. This was a solid dance performance with a good, clear concept that didn't overcomplicate the routine.

Chika was a real standout here. She has amazing swagger, and everything about her execution, her attitude, her stage presence and her commitment to the performance shone through. Very impressed by her.

The story they chose to tell was nice and simple and very easy to convey via DANCE. Wise choice, exceptionally well handled.

if I had one thing I'd critique it's that overhead lift to leg splits thing. The lift was fine, but the whole leg splits jump through thing wasn't a big enough visual payoff for the level of difficulty. They clearly struggled to execute it and it came off as a bit awkward.

They would have been smart to axe that and focus on making the rest of the performance tighter. It was already so close to perfect - they could have reached perfection if they'd been a bit more ruthless in cutting out something that was overcomplicating their routine.

Having said all of that, this was a great performance, and it felt more like something DD's team should be doing. It's so in line with his style and his level of perfectionism.

Rochka's cute meme moment made me smile. He's such an irresistibly likeable guy.

Team Yixing - Bunta, Gogo Brothers and George

This was an exciting matchup. All of these dancers are very strong and I'm a big fan of Bunta's choreography. Unfortunately, it didn't quite meet its potential.

I agree with some of the critiques that people had of this performance. For example, I agree that the message was lost somewhat, and I agree that the prop became a burden to some degree, but what I don't agree with at all is that "the strengths of each dancer were not shown to full advantage." There is a huge difference between not doing what you're known for, and not doing a good performance.

The Gogo Brothers - because they have such a signature style - can easily fall into the trap of predictability and doing the same things over and over again that continue to win them all the prizes, but they had the guts to try something different, and I was really impressed by that.

They did a fantastic job. They know how to move, they know how to use their bodies, they know how to handle choreography, they know how to create interesting, beautiful lines. They did all of this. I don't know what Han Geng was talking about.

This performance didn't fall flat because of the way the dancers were used or the style that was chosen, it fell flat because - much like the cyberbullying performance from the previous episode - this performance relied too heavily on the metaphor of the prop to try to communicate the story. It's simply not enough.

I also agreed with those who talked about the music being a poor choice. It was a big part of why the message didn't come across. If they'd chosen a more emotional, heart-wrenching song it would have helped lead the audience to where they were trying to take us. As it stood the music felt oddly out of place with the mood of the piece and only created more confusion.

This routine was another missed opportunity, because concept was good, the prop was interesting, and the dancers all had the skill to pull off a good performance. What Bunta failed to do was to give us a coherent, powerful emotional message. It didn't come together in the end, and that's why it fell flat.

Despite the fact that they didn't manage to pull off a victory, I'm still glad that I got to see them step out of their comfort zone and try something new, and do it well. For that reason, I think this will be one of the most memorable performances of the night for everyone.

The votes fell pretty much exactly as I would have thought. I didn't disagree with the numbers.

Team Boom! - Bouboo and Momo

This was a totally unexpected pairing and a totally unexpected theme and storyline. So cute, and mostly well-executed. The two of them were absolutely adorable together. Finally a coherent story and a bit of restraint shown in terms of using props. Especially that photo at the end. Truly an excellent way to close the performance.

The thing that really shocked me was the incredible chemistry between the two of them. They were adorable. Bouboo has such a cutie pie side to him, and this performance or this pairing really brought it out in him.

There was something sentimental about the music and the setting and the black-and-white movie aspect of the whole thing. The dance moves and the coordination between them had an interesting echo of 'old Hollywood musical'.

Some of the moves were a bit awkward - especially the floor work after the 'oncoming car save' - but overall I was impressed by what they put together, and I felt they did what they were meant to do: entertain us without making us feel confused or uncomfortable.

The fact that they infused it with such sweetness and romance was totally unexpected and felt like a revelation. Well done.

Team Han Geng - Acky and Ma Xiaolong

The moment that I saw that Ma Xiaolong was going to be performing with Acky, I knew that it was all over for Team Boom! this round. I've said this before, but he is simply one of the best choreographers I've ever seen in my life, and I watch a lot of dance. In this sort of a battle I think he's got to be nearly impossible to beat.

The concept, the execution, the costumes, the use of props and storyline, the staging and the dance elements... Everything about this performance was captivating and beautiful.

Ma Xiaolong is a true artist, and I feel like with every performance he does he brings us into this fascinating little world inside his head. I feel like I'm watching a drama or something, not a 2-minute dance performance. He has his own distinctive style and flavor, yet he never makes me feel like I'm getting something I've seen before.

He has a gift for transporting the audience, and for storytelling in a very sophisticated way that brilliantly manages to avoid alienating the general audience. In fact, his stories are always very accessible and easy to understand for just about any age group, language or cultural background.

But while his stories are accessible enough to appeal to absolutely everyone, they still having enough depth to powerfully speak to those who have a taste for philosophy, literature, art, poetry and culture. That is no small feat. It makes him a master storyteller. Such an incredible range of appeal - from depth and sophistication for artists and intellectuals at one end to simple, pure storytelling for the masses at the other - is rare to find.

Acky played his role exceptionally well and was perfectly cast. He gave just the right visual and played it up well. The use of the rooftop prop was inspired. It really set a beautiful, whimsical tone for the entire piece. The use of the brush and the broom was an incredibly smart move. THIS is how you build characters and create a story in the minds of the audience using next to nothing.

The flavor of Ma Xiaolong's movements takes my breath away. He has such a beautiful way of embodying an intriguing, lively, captivating character that I want to follow deeper into the story. His voiceover work only added to this. He gave us something powerful and memorable, here, and this coming on the heels of the guqin performance with Zyko. I'm gobsmacked.

I cannot say enough about how impressed I am by him as a choreographer and as an artist. Truly a one-of-a-kind talent.

I think it goes without saying that this was the superior performance. Bouboo and Momo did not stand a chance. I don't think anyone in the competition could stand against that performance.

Choreography Battle Round 3

Team Yixing - Bo Zi, Daswtich and Huang Xiao

This was a good, strong concept that was well-executed. A simple story that is easy to understand, wrapped up in some good dance moves and some exciting moments. Huang Xiao did a good job of bringing everyone together in a cohesive, harmonious way..

However, the story didn't captivate me or move me the way I expected it to. While the story was clear and well-told, the characters lacked charisma. I didn't feel invested in what was happening to any of them. I felt like they were all interchangeable with one another. They each needed their own distinct tone and flavor of movement, their own role in the story. It didn't come across for me.

As I said earlier, he brought everyone together in a cohesive, harmonious way, but he went too far in that direction, at the expense of characterization. The composer character in the story was pretty well realized, but the other two weren't adequately differentiated from him so that it all felt a bit watered down.

Another missed opportunity. He would have done better to highlight the differences in styles between the two dancers than to water them down. He used this story to bring everyone's styles together, and he didn't capitalize on that.

Another choreographer who didn't build enough oppositional force into the action, and the piece suffered because of it. It would have been more powerful if the two 'creative muses' were pulling him in different directions.

However, it was a good performance and they danced well.

Daswitch really put his foot in his mouth! 😅

Team Boom! - Hilty and Bosch with David

I was all, "Aww, DD is encouraging the group before they go onstage. Such a good captain!" and then he said, "BUT - we need to win!" Ahh, DD, please never change. 😅

This performance really blew everyone away, myself included. They earned their "BOOM!" name, that's for sure.

I loved that their starting point was "How can we surprise the audience?" That was the right place to start. Especially when working with a duo like H&B, and 3 lockers who have a similar style. It would have been easy to give the audience an outstanding performance of what they were expecting to see, but with a bit of risk there's opportunity for a greater reward.

I actually felt emotional watching their performance, because I couldn't help but feel touched thinking about what it must have meant to David to work so closely with them, and to push them out of their comfort zone and have something to teach them. What an opportunity for a young dancer. And for these older well-established dancers to have an opportunity to learn and grow is also a big opportunity. Wow.

It was also exciting to see them embrace the challenge and work so hard to pull it together. I am incredibly impressed.

The performance was dripping with wow factor. Jaw on floorboards. They pulled off an exceptionally well executed performance of a routine that had an extremely high level of difficulty, which showed not only their skill, but their brains too. Such a smart performance, so many wise choices.

Their choice to base it on the crossover of these two anime series was clever, particularly since the performance didn't rely entirely on the story. The power of the performance came first, and the story only enhanced it. This is the right way to go. The generational range with the story and characters was a smart choice for the broadest appeal. Well thought out.

This performance was the proverbial 'tide that lifts all boats'. It elevated every one of the performers in some way. Which isn't an easy feat when you're working with dancers who are already at the top of their game. Wow. So impressed.

Their precision, their unity, their energy... every aspect of the performance was outstanding. The only mis-step was the wardrobe malfunction, which was minor and handled well by David.

It's always exciting to see DD be proud of something, because he is such a perfectionist. And he was so proud of them. They knocked it out of the park.

I had to ask myself, who were the 5 curmudgeons who didn't throw their towels? Shocking. This was a performance that shows the power and potential of street dance.

There were so many 'WOW' moments here, I lost track. ZIN's backflip, the 'lights out' unison drop, the energy, the intensity, their use of the stage. Like Rochka said, it felt like there were dozens of dancers onstage. Truly, truly outstanding.

Much-deserved victory. Undeniable.

Team Hang Geng - Stone, Xiao Jie, Xiao Ji and Fan Fan

I don't know what I was expecting from this team, but it definitely wasn't.... this. Wow. What an energetic, humorous, nostalgic, witty performance. Completely blown away.

Stone stole the show with his bicep popping. So hilarious.

As someone who spent more time inside of night clubs than out, I really appreciated this theme and found it hugely entertaining. There were so many memorable moments in this performance. Their false stop, the muscle popping, the rollerskating bit, which totally slayed me. Packed full of humor and style.

With all these clever little moments, they ran the risk of fragmenting their performance and losing the flow, but they managed it all exceptionally well. It had a breathless, 'life flashing before your eyes' sort of feel to it that held together and kept me engaged. Very well done.

I loved these dancers together. Such an unlikely grouping, but the chemistry was perfect for what they were doing. Amazing, amazing.

The highlight for me, though, had to be Xiao Jie doing the 'mountain climbing' steps dance during the captains feedback. Fucking hilarious and spot on. 😅

Team Henry Lau - Boris, C-GO, Waiwai, C-Lil and Mr Three

I noticed the Toy Story costumes early on in the episode and had been looking forward to seeing what they would do with the theme.

It was fun and energetic, but didn't quite grab me. It would have been more engaging if they'd come up with a little mini-drama to play out while the humans were away. As it was, like so many dancers I felt they got bogged down in props and gimmicks, and that detracted from the power of their performance.

They needed to keep in mind that since they were wearing visually striking, recognizable costumes, they were already essentially 'walking props'. Given that reality, they should have pared the other visual elements down a bit so as not to overwhelm the viewer.

The stage was just too 'busy' and there were a lot of visual distractions so it was difficult for the eye to focus on the performance. A more minimalist bed, for example, in dark colors to match the color of the stage, would have made all the difference (perhaps with a neon bright strip around the top - not visible to the audience - for Boris's safety when jumping). As it stood, the fabric choice was incredibly messy and visually distracting.

The audience, if given the dark SHAPES of the pillows and bed, would have had more fertile ground for the imagination, while the dancers would have stood out dramatically in such a setting. It would have also made the bed look less like a trampoline.

If they had done that and adjusted the lighting to be just a few spots highlighting the dancers in a 'darkened room', it would have all had much, much more impact.

The interlude with the cushions was a bit of a flop for me. The 'floating pillow' trick was clever, but extraneous. I would have preferred to have seen a little storyline, or something to keep me within the heart of the theme.

Ultimately the story ended up being, "When the humans are away, the toys do a coordinated dance" and that's not as interesting a story as so many other things they could have come up with.

Having said all of that, this was a fun performance with several memorable 'wow' moments. Boris' trampoline backflips, C-lil's under the bed air flares, some of the coordinated popping sequences... it was a solid performance from a dance perspective, and very entertaining.

Eliminations

I was hugely relieved that Nelson's exit left DD with only one person to eliminate. I had a feeling that the decision would be based on whether to strengthen up the choreographed routines or the battles, which would put his options at either Toozin, Liang Liang or Jr Taco in my mind. DD has built a fierce battle team, so I wasn't at all surprised by his choice.

Some savage cuts on the other teams. Bunta, Kenken, Boris, C-Lil! these are some of my favorites. Sad to see them all go.

Daswitch's goodbye speech was so gut-wrenching. The relationship he and Acky have is so special, it had to have been a huge loss to have to step back into his regular life. Such a beautiful friendship, so sad to see those two separated. 😢

What a massive post. If you got this far, you get a 🍭!

IMPORTANT: Please, when responding to this post, remember not to give any spoilers. I want people (including myself) to be able to read the notes of these posts and not get spoiled. Thanks!

The rest of the season's recaps can be found here.

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