So You Think You Can Dance?

Another night of dancing, and I’m getting more and more into So You Think You Can Dance?. I can’t believe I didn’t watch this show last summer.

Ashlee & Ben started the show with a hip hop routine. I liked it…the choreography was a lot lighter than some of the other hip hop we’ve seen, which suited Ben a lot better. Of course, I doubt that anyone will top the hip hop of Benji & Donyelle from week 1; they’ve set the bar so high I don’t think anyone can top it.

Heidi & Ryan were next with a hot Cuban rumba. The choreography was amazing, and was tough – it is SO hard to dance to music like that with no melody. They were amazing…such a change from last week! I can’t imagine that they’ll be in the bottom three this week.

New partners Aleksandra & Dmitry did a really good job with the waltz. It seemed like Dmitry is really happy to be with a new partner, and the two of them look good together. I don’t agree with the judges’ criticism – it seemed a bit harsh. I’m not sure how the voting will go – they might be safe even with the comments from the judges.

Ivan & Allison pulled the Argentine tango, another dance style I’ve never heard of. And watching Ivan during rehearsals in his sneakers, I wasn’t too optimistic. But it was a lot better than their last attempt at Latin dancing, though – Ivan has come a long way in a short amount of time. It was a good performance – they’ll be safe for sure.

Donyelle & Benji got stuck with pop jazz (which just seems like they made up, doesn’t it?), but continued to show why they’re the couple to beat. They’re just so good together. I hated the hair on both of them, but I loved watching them dance. They have great chemistry, and they’re two of the strongest dancers in the competition.

Natalie & Musa also have phenomenal chemistry. But they pulled quick step for this week. The judges didn’t like it that much, but I thought it was fun. Who knew that Musa could dance like that? :)

Jessica & Jaymz were next with a contemporary routine. As a dancer, this was my favorite style to dance, and it seemed like they were excited at first to pull it. But the transition from ballet to contemporary is hard, and it wasn’t made easier by the low expectations from their choreographer (although I understood what they were all saying about “competition dancers”…it’s a whole different style, and competition dancers generally aren’t that great). I loved the choreography, and they exceeded expectations by far. It was really enjoyable to watch them dance.

Finally, we capped off the show with Travis & Martha. They were the second hip hop routine of the night (which, again, makes no sense that there are two hip hop routines each week). I hated Martha’s outfit, but their dancing was really good. I think that some of the judges’ criticism was based on the choreography. And I was glad that Travis pointed out that he’s a contemporary dancer; Musa got so much praise for going out of his comfort zone, while no one seems to notice about him.

So who do I think will be in the bottom three? I agree with Nigel – it’s much harder this week. The only two I would be shocked to see in the bottom are Benji & Donyelle. I know, I know, avoiding the question. My bottom three would be Ben & Ashlee, Aleksandra & Dmitry, and Natalie & Musa. And it might be the end of the road for Ben & Ashlee.