So you think Neil Patrick Harris can dance?

[healingmirth]

I think this year's top ten is more consistently good than last season's, but last season had bigger personalities. Consistently good is not engaging enough, but thankfully the choreographers continue to make up for it with great routines. (Enabled by the skill level of the dancers, as I'm sure Nigel would point out.)


Marko and Chelsie - Jason Gilkison Samba
I like Chelsie. I like Marko. This should go well, except that I can't remember anything about Marko and Ballroom other than that tango. And Samba is not tango. Has Marko done anything playful? The statue thing was almost light.

Halfway through the dance, I remember that I should be watching Marko. Some of his moves look like Ed Grimley. I have to wonder whether Chelsie's time on DWTS helps her as an All-star partner in practice. It's got to be a different skillset than people who are just focused on their own performance full-time until they return to SYTYCD.

NPH not off to a great start with the judging in terms of content. I miss Jesse Tyler Ferguson.

First solo - Sasha
I liked her last solo better. I still love her, but I wanted either a story or more varied movement. There were a few bobbles that I couldn't tell whether they were choreographed or not.

Jordan and Brandon - Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson contemporary

I didn't have any trouble remembering to watch the contestant this time. I haven't had much of an opinion about Jordan yet but this is really beautiful.

Brandon! ♥ And in a role where he doesn't have a chance to be perceived as standoffish and bitchy!

Nice to see NPH admitting that he doesn't know all them fancy dancin' words.

Second Solo - Jess
You know how everyone times their big moves to accents in the music? He didn't do that, so much. Also, his spot freaks me out. How is his neck so fast? It's like... isn't there a terminator movie or something, when the bad robot dude's face flickers for a second and then it's back?

I had the same problem with this solo that I usually have with his routines. He's so precise that I spend most of the time wanting to shake him and make him dance bigger.

Tadd and Comfort - Chuck Maldonado Hip Hop
Light and Shade, yo. Maybe if I'd turned the music up louder I would have felt it more. Tadd has a lot in common with Jess, with the charm and the precision, and I wanted a bigger routine from Chuck for him.

Dear NPH, please say DOPE all the time.

Nice job plugging both your show and the Smurfs movie there, guys.

Dear Mary, please never say ghettolicious again.

Third solo - Melanie

Hahaha, that's Grease. Nicely walking the line without crossing over into overly-literal choreography. All the technique

Mitchell and Melody - Tyce DiOrio

Why is the ride of the valkyries haunting me this week?
Is this from Catch me If You Can? Nope! All that Jazz. So, it should be Fosse, but it isn't, quite. I feel like Tyce (and everyone else) has already given us a lot of Fosse

Melody, I am sorry you walked into this train wreck

This seems like a musically challenging piece, and so I'm going to blame that for their musicality issues. Good mix of quiet and loud choreography, but the movement wasn't quite up to it. Tyce looks pissed. But maybe that's his normal face.

Neil, you're critiquing the wrong thing.

Mitchell is my least favorite of the remaining guys, so.

Fourth solo - Ricky

Oh look, its contemporary. Flawless but uninspired. He's adorable, whatever.

Commercial: You can show me as many oversaturated ads for New Girl as you want, I am not going to watch it.

Fifth solo - Clarice
Didn't Sonya choreograph to this? Sounds like her music. Clarice could do worse than picking interesting music, and at least she didn't just leap around the stage gracefully for 45 seconds. (30 seconds? whatev)

Caitlynn and Pasha - Leonardo Barrionuevo and Miriam Larici Argentine Tango

I feel like their chemistry is going to be off the charts. I miss her hair being down, but I guess, Tango. I don't think her weight was over her supporting leg when it needed to be. Caitlynn is no Anya, good lord.

I would pay to see NPH tango. I feel like I should link the Confontration video again.

Sixth solo - Mitchell

John Legend, okay. At least the music is longing-appropriate, and his movement crescendoed and diminuendoed with the music. Those words do not look right.

Sasha and Twitch - Christopher Scott Hip Hop

I sort of miss Dave Scott. I just liked this concept, but the costumes made me love it.

And then I ran out of things to say because I was busy actually watching the dancing. This might be may new favorite hiphop routine ever. (I was never a big huge fan of Bleeding Love, but I have a soft spot for the routine that Allison and Ivan did with the umbrella.) Their interaction, not to mention their chemistry is outstanding, and their movement was so well-paired. How many other ways can I say that the combination was more than the sum of its parts?

Seventh solo - Jordan

Too short, like a paragraph from a much longer story instead of a drabble.

Jess and Kathryn - Stacey Tookey Contemporary

Oh poor, tiny Jess. Is Christine Perri the Jar of Hearts chick? I'm having a hard time appreciating Jess's performance in this. Together they're wonderful, but together, they're like 70% Kathryn.

Wow, I hope they invested in some mints.

Remember that routine that Kent and...Allison? had last season when Kent was all torn up after? Jess's face looks like that right now, and you've got to respect that.

Digression:
You know, Cat wears things that I can imagine people wearing out. Mary, does not.

Eighth solo - Tadd

Hahaha Robin Thicke. That wasn't the best solo I can imagine for him, but it was adequate. He wants to be Dominic when he grows up.

Melanie and Pasha - Jason Gilkison Viennese Waltz.

Isn't Viennese Waltz... really spinny? This seems like not the best match for the story. Oh good, Pasha's got his shirt open.

That was gorgeous, and somehow maintained the tempo even through the pauses, which was a lovely surprise for maintaining the style of the dance. Credit bothto Jason and obv. to Melanie and Pasha for that.

Ninth solo - Caitlynn

I would like for her to grow up. There's nothing wrong with being young, but in this case, it's not particularly interesting. At least she doesn't dance like the competition dancer cliche.

Ricky and Allison - Tyce DiOrio Jazz

Oh, Ricky is so adorable. This has the potential (except that it's Tyce... and Jazz, but I live in hope!) to be as awesome as Mia's choreo for Kayla and Kupono to Gravity. Yes we have passed the point in the evening where I just compare everything to an earlier routine.

I wish we could see Ricky holding some of the tension in his movement that Allison is, but I can't tell if it's him or the choreography. She's amazing, and he has it in him to be that little bit better to match her, instead of just keeping up. His just keeping up was better than Mitchell's everything, though.

Tenth solo - Marko

I have such a show-crush on Marko, I don't feel qualified to judge anything he does.

Clarice and Robert - Nakul Dev Mahajan Bollywood

You know, I didn't really love Robert's Bollywood.

Clarice is realllll pretty. Oh, you. Something about either Robert's pants or his posture is really bugging me, and I keep watching him to figure it out, instead of her. And wow, does he have the sparkliest tattoo ever. Hilarious.

The dance? It was fine, she was fine.

Dear whoever produces this show:
Nice job queueing the reel in the wrong order. I will once again blame the director.

Comments

[kate]

Ooh, hey, I don't suppose I could convince you to post this (or a link to this) as a sort of round-up post at dance_on_tv? Because I can't watch tonight like I normally do, and tomorrow my sister's coming for a week, so I probably won't get to it (and next week's shows) until after she leaves. :(

Also, sorry to say, I didn't actually read this (I'm sure) lovely post because I won't be able to watch the shows for weeks yet. :( :( :(

[healingmirth]

Will do - have fun with real life :)

[kate]

Thank you! And I plan to. :)