I haven't been writing regularly about season 5 of So You Think You Can Dance, in part because there are many others covering it and in part because my dance education is limited to ballroom. I mean, I know the language of ballet/contemporary, and some of the movements, and I could probably fake my way through hip-hop choreography, but I can't do what the SYTYCD dancers do, and I don't want to talk about it just for the sake of talking about it.
That said, I want to talk about the top ten. I was a little bit afraid that Philip Chbeeb (who I really like, by the way) would not be in the bottom three this week ... even though it seemed that his dance assignments were calculated to put him there. (Come on, do we really think the assignments are random?) However, he was, and I was relieved that the judges made the choice to eliminate him at this stage. As he himself acknowledged, Philip does not have the dance chops to warrant keeping him over Ade or Jason. I'm happy he'll be on the tour, and I loved his last solo (great music choice!), and I'm sure we'll see more of him.
Nigel said that this season, the top 20 group has not produced real stars - yet. I have to disagree with that. I think Brandon and Janette have been outstanding. Their routines this week were as entertaining as anything the past champions have done. It will be really enlightening to see how they respond to changing partners. Brandon has excellent skills and Janette is a chameleon, and they have both approached their routines with total, fearless commitment. She is also one of the most interesting individuals - smart, realistic, and focused; someone who has pursued excellence in her dance style while also pursuing an education for that day, always threatening in a dancer's life, when she'll need to make her living from a desk chair.
I am also looking forward to seeing how Melissa and Ade work with other partners. She's done remarkably well for a ballet specialist, but I feel we haven't yet seen Ade's full potential. That solo tonight gave us a taste.
Finally, I've found it interesting that this season there were many fewer hip-hop dancers in the top 20. I believe we can point to "America's Best Dance Crew" for an explanation there. The producers probably feel that with another show devoted exclusively to hip-hop, and with the ability of well-trained technical dancers to successfuly adapt to hip-hop choreography on SYTYCD, they didn't need to emphasize that so much in the casting process.
Oh, one last note ... is it just me, or has Nigel said "without question" about 10 times per episode this season?
*Updated to add: since this season aired, Philip Chbeeb has led a hip-hop group to victory on "America's Best Dance Crew," and Janette has toured with the cast of "Burn the Floor." It's fun to play spot-the-dancer these days!
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