So You Think You Can Dance - Top 10

Wow!  What a great show tonight.  I loved seeing the all stars return.  The So You Think You Can Dance all stars are dancers who had breakout performances on previous seasons.

Before we get to the all stars, though, there is the opening number.  The top 10 dancers performed a fun number to "Bang Bang" (Jesse J, Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj).  The number, choreographed by Jamal Sims, had the dancers dressed as neon cowboys and cowgirls.  You could tell the dancers were enjoying this "cut loose" piece.

The guest judge this week, sitting with Nigel and Mary, was figure skater Tara Lipinski.  She is upbeat and articulate, with constructive critiques.

After each dancer performed tonight, they learned if they were safe or in the bottom two guys/bottom two girls (in jeopardy of going home).

Bridget and all-star Brandon performed a Bollywood Disco number choreographed by Nakul Dev Mahajan to "Disco Khisko."  It was a happy dance with sparkly costumes, but not one of the truly spectacular Bollywood numbers from this show (like Katee and Joshua, Season 4).  Bridget's dance fate:  bottom 2 girls.

Tanisha and all-star Ryan performed an Argentine Tango choreographed by Leonardo and Miriam to "The Gaucho's Pain (Tango Jointz)."  (Photo of Tanisha and Ryan, above.)  At one point Ryan balanced Tanisha on his neck.  They danced well together, and this was a great number.  Tanisha's dance fate:  safe.

Emilio and all-star Jasmine performed a hip hop number choreographed by Tabitha and Napoleon to "Get Low" (Dillon Francis and DJ Snake).  Emilio was the king and Jasmine was the pet snake who wanted to be in power.  I often judge dancers on competitive shows based on who draws attention and performance focus.  In this case, that was definitely Jasmine.  I felt that Emilio was outdanced.  Emilio's dance fate:  bottom 2 guys.

Valerie and all-star Ade performed a jazz number choreographed by Tyce Diorio to "Hearts a Mess" (Gotye).  Valerie was supposed to be upset and angry.  There were a lot of great lifts.  I do agree with Nigel, who said that Ade is a dancer with great breadth of movement, and he showed Valerie up.  Valerie's dance fate:  safe.

Rudy and all-star Jenna danced a cha cha choreographed by Louis Van Amstel to "Maps" (Maroon 5).  The dance was about their attraction.  I felt Jenna drew focus in this number and outdanced Rudy, although he is a very likable personality onstage.  Rudy's dance fate:  safe.

Jacque and all-star Cheon danced a contemporary/ballet duet choreographed by Travis Wall to "Adagio for Tron" (Daft Punk).  Nigel raved about the "range of movement."  I thought the blending of styles was intriguing, but the very dark stage lighting made the number hard to see.  Jacque's dance fate:  bottom 2 girls.

Ricky and all-star Lauren performed a rockabilly style jazz number choreographed by Mandy Moore to "Bossa Nova Baby" (Elvis Presley).  This number was so much fun!  It was one of the standout performances of the night for me, and I already plan to find it online to watch again.  Ricky's dance fate:  safe.

Casey and all-star Kathryn performed a Broadway number choreographed by Spencer Liff to "Maybe This Time" (Liza Minelli).  It had a theme of loves me, loves me not.  There was some beautiful movement in this piece, and Casey is really coming into his own on this show.  Casey's dance fate:  safe.

Jessica and all-star Twitch performed a hip hop number choreographed by Tabitha and Napoleon to "U Got Me Up" (Calmere's Underground Goodies).  It was about an old guy at a bus stop who meets a younger pin-up girl.  This was the other standout performance tonight for me.  It was so much fun!  I am just happy every time I get to see Twitch dance.  Jessica's dance fate:  safe.

Zack and Amy danced a contemporary number choreographed by Sonya Tayeh to "Europe, After the Rain" (Max Richter).  The number was a tribute to her friend, who died suddenly.  It was atmospheric, with lightning and the sound of rain, and it was really beautiful - lots of lifts and leaps.  Zack's dance fate:  bottom two guys.

It was announced that Sonya is going to be choreographing for the Martha Graham dance company.  What an honor for her!   I wonder if she will still be doing work on SYTYCD as well?

The bottom dancers appeared on stage:  Zack, Emilio, Jacque, Bridget.  It was announced that Emilio and Bridget got the lowest number of votes, so they went home this week.

Next week's show will feature the music of Michael Jackson.  The dance pairs will be:

Tanisha with all-star Nick
Valerie with all-star Ryan
Rudy with all-star Allison
Jacque with all-star Twitch
Ricky with all-star Jamie
Casey with all-star Comfort
Jessica with all-star Will
Zack with all-star Mackenzie

That sounds like a great show.  I love Michael Jackson's music, too!

What did you think of the show this week?  Which performances were your favorites?  Do you think the right dancers went home?  I would love to hear from you in the comments, below.