'So You Think You Can Dance' - 'Top 6 Perform' Recap
(S07E18) 'So You Think You Can Dance' finally used the 'American Idol' double elimination concept, which helped the injured Billy Bell this week. Billy was showing the best of what he can do through the three dances he had to do. Whether or not he strategically decided not to dance because his two dances last week were a bit hard, he managed to get two routines this week that were both great.As we welcome our top six, most noticeably, Billy is sporting a knee brace. We welcome Toni Redpath as the guest judge; we saw her last during Vegas week, screaming at the hopefuls to get her choreography right. Luckily, she's quite sedated tonight and shows why we need a ballroom/Latin expert on the panel.
Kent & Anya - Cha-Cha (Jean-Marc Généreux & France) - Kent lucks out and gets another cha-cha. There's something odd about Anya's hair and I hated Anya's shirt. We've seen Anya with less and since she whipped off the glasses, the shirt could be removed. Kent's facial expressions matches the cheesy Latin face. Most of the moves were timed well and he kept up with Anya. I thought there was too much time wasted for the whole "kissing" sections, especially the part where Kent looked like he was choking Anya.
Nigel thought he matured into a man, but suggested having stronger hands. Toni thought the cha-cha was better than his first time, he was better grounded. She suggested he fix his posture. Mia understands that contemporary dancers have hip problems and Kent didn't show it; there was no flow in the performance. Adam thought it was solid, but he needed to work with extensions.
Robert & Kathryn - Contemporary (Stacey Tookey) - The concept is about a couple dealing with going to war. The connection between the two starts off wonderful and it gets stronger as the piece goes on. Robert goes easily through lifting and supporting Kathryn. I loved the little plot twist at the end where it was Kathryn who went off to war.
Nigel loved how the two connected and Robert has matured to become a better dancer. Toni focused on his partnering skills and he was a great dancer. Mia was taken from the beginning of the dance with it's softness; she told Robert to allow his emotions to be what his movements are based on. Adam thought the two supported each other amazingly.
Jose - (Solo) - I went back earlier this week and watched a few solos from Legacy last season, and Jose doesn't compare at all. He's gotten faster, but I was hoping that having Dominic around would have influenced his dancing more. He needs some more exposure to different techniques.
Adéchiké & Courtney – Jazz (Tyce Diorio) - Tyce creates the idea of a Spanish Harlem night club. Tyce slipped in a handful of ballroom moves. The partnering was strong and I liked the occasional Fosse moments that were slipped in. Adechike also had his time to do his power jumps and I don't think it really fit the swanky nature of a dirty club.
Adam loved how much the dance was "balls out" dancing, then freaked out that he said that live. He suggested loosening up his hips and back. Mia loved the music; she suggested that Adechike has to find style to accent his strength. Toni thought the dance looked like fun and appreciated his weight. Nigel thought there wasn't enough abandon in the dance.
Lauren - (Solo) - I could have sworn that I've seen Lauren perform this routine before, but it's still stunning to watch her strength and extensions. Lauren should be sitting pretty as the lone woman left because even if she's eliminated she has that title to fall back on.
Jose & Comfort - Hip-Hop (Marty Kudelka & Dana Wilson) - The dance is supposed to be a 50s/60s club performance. I really loved the choice of music for the performance. Jose kept up with Comfort throughout the whole performance, but like Kent, continued to have this face that didn't match the club theme. His arms did flail more than Comfort's did, but compared to himself, he's doing a great job.
Nigel loved the routine's style, but he pointed out that he wasn't in any of the group performances (he pulled his groin). Nigel didn't think it wasn't strong at points. Toni was absorbed by the character of the dance. Mia disagreed, he thought there was no swagger at all; he didn't absorb any of Marty's energy. Adam recommended that he has to dance the intention of the character.
Billy (Solo) - It's been two weeks since we've seen Billy and his return is a very hard-hitting contemporary routine. It reminds me more of a martial arts routine. I wouldn't have known that he had any knee problems from the routine.
Kent - (Solo) - Kent has a focused routine and doesn't fall out of his turns. He also shows some athleticism and manages to give a very serious face to match the song.
Lauren & Allison – Broadway (Tyce Diorio) - After all of the 'Wonder Woman' music in the piece, the idea of having two women dancing didn't live up to expectations. I felt like they weren't synced from the beginning and it might have been because of Lauren's extensions. Their side-by-side work showed that Lauren was off. The end sequence's turns were also a bit off.
Adam considers Lauren an All-Star, she's gotten that good. Mia thought Lauren was solid and has surged ahead of the guys. Toni complimented her on keeping a good face during the whole routine. Nigel accidentally says 'American Idol' in his critique, but thought the dance wasn't as exciting as the original, but she hit all the moves well.
Robert (Solo) - Robert's long limbs flail easily throughout the whole routine, making him really fun to watch. He manages to give a little bit of quirk combined with very strong moves.
Billy & Ade - Contemporary (Stacey Tookey) - The performance concept is rich man/poor man. It was interesting to watch the beginning because of the opposing choreography. Their side-by-side choreography was spot on. The one thing that I really liked was that I believed Billy's face in the routine.
Nigel was happy that he didn't eliminate Billy last week because the dance was brilliant and mature. Toni thought it was a choreographer's dream, the piece transcended the dance. Mia called it "Sheer perfection" and the routine was her favorite Billy piece. Adam realized that he was born on the show; he showed restraint.
Adechike - (Solo) - Adechike merges interesting choreography with his power jumps in a very strong solo that showed strength in both his upper and lower body. Nothing really spectacular, but solid nonetheless.
Jose & Kent – Broadway (Spencer Liff) - Kent was off on the whistle, but he was the best at unleashing the choreography. There's something very amateur about Jose's moves. Kent outshone him the whole routine. I thought the final leap that Kent did was really funny as well.
Adam thought that it was the best 40s/50s movie musical on the show. Kent was born to do Broadway and Jose managed to do well. Mia thought the dance was "fantabulous." Mia thought Kent fits Broadway perfectly because of his power and personality; Jose kept up with Kent. Toni thought the choreography was smart and lucky for Jose because he was the older/wiser one. Nigel agreed, Kent continues to be brilliant and Jose looked weaker in comparison.
Lauren & Adéchiké - Foxtrot (Jean-Marc & France) - The two dances that I'd be most afraid of if I was a contestant are Foxtrot and Quickstep, but the two do a good job. The opening lift was beautiful. Lauren's arches on her back are really wonderful to see, she was graceful as the two danced. Adechike's arms occasionally didn't look right, but he did a great job partnering and lifting Lauren.
Nigel thought some of the little steps were on their toes instead of their heels, but the routine was good. Toni understood that the two didn't have the muscle memory; the couple was off by steps and hold, but managed to keep character. Mia thought Adechike was a good partner, but disconnected with Lauren when they were separate; Lauren had grace and charisma. Adam thought Lauren wasn't competing, just dancing. Adechike looked concerned that he wasn't going to be there for Lauren.
Billy & Robert - Bollywood (Nakul Dev Mahajan) - Nakul is trying to merge multiple genres of Bollywood and dance, while the two compete for a lead movie role. The dance must have been horrible on Billy's knee, but he does a great job keeping up and showing no pain. I was enthralled by the whole routine with the amazing spin sequences and the synchronization between the two.
Nigel thought it was fantastic, one of the best Bollywood routines. Toni knows everyone is technically fantastic and Robert is a tasty cheesy hamburger. Mia thought the routine was so difficult and everything was right. Adam thought this was Billy's night and Robert did a brilliant job.
Right before we finish the episode, Lauren disappears with a possible injury. Billy surged tonight and I would be a bit shocked if he was in the bottom three again. That being said, Kent is the only one safe safe with a possibly injured Lauren being the next likely safe. Even if Lauren lands in the bottom three, the two men she's up against will automatically go home. The two that really should go home are Jose and Adechike, but Adechike has a large fan base.
Who do you think will go home? Leave comments below.

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