Watch So You Think You Can Dance Finale
Watch So You Think You Can Dance season 5 Finale- Four dancers left tonight, the first part of the finale of So You Think You Can Dance. They have to dance in every permutation possible, do solos, perform a group dance and keep their cool as they do all this in front of a live audience of 3,000 people in the Kodak Theatre.
The judges’ panel for the evening is head judge Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy and guest judge Adam Shankman. I’m thrilled to see Adam, who is funny, gives good and helpful feedback and is way more coherent than Lil C. (Sorry, dude, but alliteration doesn’t equal deep meaning.)
The first dance of the night is the aforementioned group dance. All four of them are working with Wade and Amanda Robson on a dance about jocks and cheerleaders that looks insanely fast. Well, it does in rehearsal anyway. The actual dance isn’t quite what I expected. It’s cute, but not the challenge or the memorable moment that a Wade dance usually entails.
The first couple of the night is Evan and Jeanine, who are working with Sonya Tayeh on a routine about a man who is trying to keep his woman from leaving, but she fights back. It’s … interesting, but I want to be totally in love with every routine tonight. It’s the finale! And so far, that’s not happening. Adam thinks it was great, but he says they are a bunch of “nevers,” as in, he never saw Jeanine coming and never saw Evan in the Top 4, and, “This season will never be the same without you.” He adds that Sonya did such a great job because it was entertaining and she choreographed to their strengths. Mary Murphy liked the two of them together, but says Jeanine stood out a little bit more and that she’s “emerging a little bit more each week.” Nigel says this is an enormous stage, so they have to up their game, and they did. He also doesn’t want to see Evan get thrown around the stage any more this evening.
The first soloist of the night, Brandon, talks with Cat about his experience. He says, among other things, that he wouldn’t be where he is without the influence of Janette, and that his favorite routine is their tango. He also discusses his arc with Mia Michaels, who was so tough on him at first and finally admitted that he was good. His solo is reminiscent of last week’s, with the intense music, power, strength. Adam appropriately calls it “take no prisoners,” though he doesn’t get the board shorts. He says it was maybe it was a bit frantic, but it’s a competition, so that made sense. Mary says he gave her goosebumps, and he’s athletic, dynamic and gravity-defying, and born to dance. Nigel says he agrees with Mia about Brandon: “He is amazing.” He says his solo wiped out the opposition.
Kayla and Brandon team up for a Tyce DiOrio Broadway routine from All That Jazz. The routine is typical Tyce: big, theatrical, fun, tough. Adam says he always expected to see these two in the finale, and he loves seeing them together. He adds that there is nothing that Kayla can’t do and that Brandon is an animal. Mary says they are terrific, rock stars, dance stars and front-runners since the beginners. Nigel says they just showed why they’re in the Top 4 and showed their strength and their power. He adds that when he had his heart attack, a beautiful blonde girl didn’t throw her leg over him, which is good, because he probably would have had another one. He closes by saying that he feels the show is finally beginning tonight. So I guess I’m not the only one who hadn’t been blown away by the start of the show.
Jeanine sits down with Cat to talk about her history as a dancer. She’s danced since she was 3 and hit a spot when she was really bad, but her mother pushed her to keep trying because she saw something in her. Her least favorite dance was Russian folk, and her favorite was Travis Wall’s contemporary routine with Jason. She does a tango-themed solo (rose in mouth!) and the crowd goes INSANE, including the judges. Adam is struck especially by her series of pirouettes. He loves her, everything about her, and he says, “You just fought Brandon back.” Mary says Jeanine has been a standout since day one and that she’s peaking at the right time. Not to mention, she has elevated all of her partners. Nigel says her solo was brave and she totally pulled it off; “you’re in the final two as far as I’m concerned.”
Laurieann Gibson is the choreographer for Brandon and Evan’s pop-jazz routine. She says she wants to “push them to the place of new return.” The dance, appropriately, tells the story of a battle. Hopefully Evan gets to fight back more in this routine than his first one. They dance to “Nasty” by Janet Jackson, and it is basically a dance battle — especially at the end. They do a great job with it, but to me, Brandon outshines Evan a little because he just hits every move a little harder. But it’s great entertainment. Adam thinks it was more than “a little,” saying that Evan “got dusted.” He says it was because he couldn’t get rid of his natural sweetness, so it felt like a character. Mary asks Evan what the nastiest thing he’s ever done, and his brothers cover their grandmothers’ ears. Evan says the list is so long but gives up no answers (thankfully). Mary says Brandon hit everything harder and more sharply, but good luck to both of them. Nigel says the choreographers all say Evan has the best work ethic, but that he doesn’t have a nasty bone is his body. “When you take Mr. Nice Guy and put him in ‘Nasty Boys,’ it doesn’t sit comfortably.” Yes, this is true.
Kayla and Jeanine work with Mia Michaels on a routine about a journey that literally takes them across the entire floor and has them shedding layers. I don’t really feel this routine — it just seems too literal — going from point A to point B and changing (aka losing layers, in this case skirts). But they dance it well, as far as I can tell. Jeanine does have trouble with two of her skirts not coming off like they are supposed to, which stinks for her because it’s kind of distracting. Adam says it was like watching “the world’s longest wardrobe malfunction.” He liked that Mia brought in a risky concept piece into the finale and thought it was like watching two thoroghbreds. Mary says it was “a very relevant concept tonight.” “You guys laid their heart and soul out there on the stage,” she says. Nigel says he likes being able to see the competition dancing together, that it helps you figure out who you like more. He compares it to last season’s Twitch and Joshua routine and adds that Jeanine has peaked at the right time.
Evan then talks with Cat about his experience on the show. He tried out in 2008 (with way more hair) with not as much success and wasn’t going to audition this year, but the head of his school’s musical theater department told him he had to. His favorite dance was the butt dance, and the hardest part is being away from his family because they are so close. He also compares learning the news that he was making the Top 20 but his brother Ryan wasn’t to “a dagger to the heart.” Hopefully Ryan will have a better time this fall. Anyway, Evan dances his solo. He is typically charming and does more character than technique, at least compared to some of the other solos tonight. Adam says this was a riff on Evan’s original audition, which was a calculated maneuver, kind of risky because people will either love or or thing, “Um, I’ve seen that.” Mary says she liked it because Evan does his own thing and brought a new style to this show and given new energy to an old style. Nigel says he brings the “ahhhh” factor, but that he hasn’t grown as much he would have liked to have seen this season. And while he liked it, he didn’t think the solo was as strong as Brandon or Jeanine’s.
Evan and Kayla are next, with a jive with Tony Meredith and Melanie LaPlatin. They feel like it’s the fastest jive in the history of ever, but they’re determined to get it. The routine, which is to Travis Tritt’s “T.R.O.U.B.L.E.,” is fast, fun and complex, and they’re quite adorable performing it. Adam says he isn’t sure that was a finale-level routine, that it should be “a bloodbath.” But he thought it was a good showing by Evan, but he didn’t feel like it made him want to pick up the phone. Mary disagrees and thinks the routine was incredible. She doesn’t think the dancing was that great, though. She didn’t think Evan had enough in his kicks and they both lacked some extension. Then she says Kayla stole the show. Nigel says they both “came out with guns blazing” and brought out a lot of personality. The crowd starts chanting “Evan,” and he gets choked up. Nigel adds that Evan was there for Kayla every minute, and he says that Kayla finally showed a lot of personality. I think Evan probably helped with that, too.
Kayla then has her chat with Cat. She started dancing when she was 2 after she watched Singin’ in the Rain with her family and declared that she wanted to do that. She likes her nickname from Debbie Allen, “White Lightning.” Her favorite routine was the addiction performance because people really responded. When asked if she has what it takes to win, she says, “Of course! I’m not just a dancer, I’m also a performer, and I really reach out and pull people in. I always push and I never give up until I get what I want.” This comes across as a little bratty to me, personally. She dances her solo to “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This),” which will always, when related to this show, call to mind Sabra and Neil’s amazing dance to this song. I’m not saying the solo isn’t good, just that this song is kind of iconic for fans of the show, which gives her a lot to compete with. Adam says the solo was fine, but didn’t really show who you really are, so he’s going to focus on the season. “I know that this competition is for America’s favorite dancer,” but he thinks she just joined some of the best dancers ever who have been on this show. Mary says she is gifted and exquisite. Nigel says they have loved her since the beginning, which he thinks is maybe a disadvantage because they have been so vociferous about her. He’s thrilled she is in the final four and up for the title because she deserves it.
Brandon and Jeanine work with Louis van Amstel on a fast, trick-filled, lift-filled paso doble routine. This is a routine full of power and intensity and footwork, completely entertaining and a good choice for the final dance of the night. (I am a little distracted by the lights, and have been throughout the show — they are SO bright at times that it’s hard to see what’s happening on stage, and um, hey tech folks, that’s kind of the point!) Anyway, totally fab. Adam says it’s all about the transitions, and they both filled all the in-between moments in the entire performance. “You shredded tonight!” Mary screams. She says she is happy for Louis, too, because they are such good friends, and they did it so well. Then: Biiiiiiiiig Screeeeam. Nigel screams right back at Mary. He says the music and lighting had intensity, but they pulled off the dance just as well with as much intensity. He makes an inappropriate comment about how Brandon was coming out on the stage and he wanted “to do things to this woman, and I was right there with you, and I wanted to do things to her too.” He claims he meant the dancing, but that’s not how it came across. Anyway, he says these two have just barely edged the other two for him.
What a busy night! Cat puts them on the spot and asks who they think is going to win. Adam says he can’t call a win. Cat asks Mary if she can be “more of a man than Adam.” Yeow. She says she can’t. Nigel says Evan is a lovely chap, and that Kayla finally showed off her personality, but in saying that, he thinks the winner will probably be Brandon or Jeanine.
