This week's So You Think You Can Dance was action packed. The judging panel included Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy, Adam Shankman (one of my favorite judges), Twitch (one of my favorite SYTYCD alumni), ice skater Tara Lipinski and American Ballet Theatre prima ballerina Irina Dvorovenko.
The dancers all had a short solo dance (without judges' comments), followed by choreography in different styles: Hip Hop (choreographed by Christopher Scott), Jazz (Sonya Tayeh), Ballroom (Dimitri and Anya), Contemporary (Travis Wall), and Group Round (choreographed by the competing dancers as a collective effort). This was followed by another solo dance.
The pace was fast and fan favorites left early. I was sorry to see Marie Poppins (European popper) and Caleb Brauner (quirky contemporary dancer) cut early during the choreography process.
The show was so fast paced that I found it hard to keep up! I wish the callbacks had been the full two hours with another two hour show announcing the top 20 and providing a showcase for their dancing so we could have gotten to know them better.
The top 20 was announced:
Bridget Whitman, Contemporary
Brooklyn Fullmer, Latin Ballroom
Carly Blaney, Contemporary
Casey Askew, Contemporary
Emilio Dosal, Popping
Emily James, Contemporary
Jacque Lewarne, Ballet
Jessica Richens, Jazz
Jourdan Epstein, Ballet
Malene Ostergaard, Ballroom
Marcquet Hill, Latin Ballroom
Nick Garcia, Latin Ballroom
Ricky Ubeda, Contemporary
Rudy Abreu, Contemporary
Serge Onik, Latin Ballroom
Stanley Glover, Contemporary
Tanisha Belnap, Ballroom
Teddy Coffey, Hip Hop
Valerie Rockey, Tap
Zack Everhart, Tap
I was sorry to see Ja Ja (popper) and Johnny Wacks (wack style street dancer) cut. That said, I think this is a very strong Top 20. The standout for me is Ricky Ubeda, who has talent and personality to spare; he is just a star on the stage. I also really like Malene Ostergaard (ballroom), Marcquet Hill (ballroom), Stanley Glover (contemporary), and Valerie Rockey (tap).
Next week will be the first live competition show. I'm really looking forward to it. What did you think of last night's show and the Top 20 announcement? Do you have any favorites going into the competition?