Last night, the top 20 contestants perform their first set of partner dances.

Before I start my recap and comments, I just have to say that (in my opinion) -- there are two factors that are most important in this competition. The first one is the dancer (technique + personality). The second is the routine. These two go hand-in-hand. For one thing, if you give a boring or bad routine to an almost flawless dancer, there is still a great chance that the performance will (naturally) unsatisfactory.

Recap:

• Rayven Armijo and Jamie Bayard - I thought their hip hop routine was cute but not great. It needed a little ooomph! I thought both dancers really performed well.
• Susie Garcia and Marquis Cunningham - I am still surprised how Susie Garcia made it to the top 20 when there were far better dancers than her during the Vegas auditions. However, props to makeup, they got rid of the hoochie makeup and she actually looks beautiful. On the dance, given that it is their first ballroom dance, they did a decent job.
• Kourtni Lind and Matt Dorame - Kourtni was my absolute favorite in Vegas. Thank goodness she is paired with someone taller than her. (Recall the past seasons of unlikely pairs.) But, honestly, I also thought the routine wasn't that great. It was half blah, half fun.
• Chelsea Traille and Thayne Jasperson - Chelsea didn't have much exposure during the past auditions. I did see and love(d) Thayne's auditions. I thought that their Cha Cha was really good considering that these two are not ballroom dancers. I loved it.
• Chelsie Hightower and Mark Kanemura - I couldn't forget what Mia Michaels mentioned during their practice, "I thought he was going to be a lot better than he is". Wow. I don't know if that might have damaged Mark's chances in the competition. Although Mia Michaels might come off as a b*tch during rehearsals, I think it's because she really pushes you so you do your best. I thought that the routine was great and both dancers were brilliant.
• Kherington Payne and Twitch - Kherington & Twitch (aka Twitchington) are also a few of my favorites from the auditions. Tyce Diorio choreographed their routine and although I don't recall what it's about, I thought it was great! These two, of course, also proved that they are amazing dancers. When they dance, you can't stop looking at them!
• Comfort Fedoke and Chris Jarosz - According to Nigel Comfort said to him, "Naaaaaaygel, I'm dancing in bra and beeeaaads" Funny. On the routine and dancers, I thought that it was really fun. Chris, who's a contemporary dancer tagged with having a personality like a tree did an amazing job. At the end of the performance, he actually said "No more tree, no more tree. I'm not a tree." I thought that was priceless.
• Katee Shean and Joshua Allen - This, I think, was the most memorable dance of the night. The slow hip hop routine was dramatic. According to these two, they are cry babies so the routine was perfect for them. I loved it. Btw, Joshua admitted to having a little ballet training.
• Jessica King and William Wingfield - V.E.A.G.S! V.E.A.G.S! V.E.A.G.S! Another priceless shortclip from the auditions. This was the only way for me to have remembered Jessica. Funny. The two performed a pretty good tango. I noticed that Jessica slipped a bit and thought that William appeared a bit stretched out in certain poses. But, I still really liked it.
• Courtney Galiano and Gev Manoukian - Sigh. These two danced a disco routine from Doriana. I'm not really a big D.S. fan so I can't say that I liked the routine. I thought Courtney & Gev were quite believable though. Not sure why Nigel didn't like it and referred to Gev as Disco Duck. Aren't you supposed to stick your butt out ala Travolta when you dance disco. Hee hee.

Full videos will be posted after the results.

Posted on 12 June 2008 | So You Think You Can Dance | Permalink | Comments ()