Aired: 8/3/11
The competition is coming down to the wire for the Top 6 dancers. After two exhilarating months, there's just one week left until America crowns its favorite dancer. Welcome to the Top 6 performance show of "So You Think You Can Dance"!
Cat Deeley and the audience welcomed America's top dancers to the stage: Melanie, Ricky, Caitlynn, Tadd, Sasha, and Marko were all ready to shake their groove "thangs" for America's votes. Cat also introduced tonight's special guest judges: "Up All Night" star Christina Applegate and the wonderfully wordy dancer/choreographer Lil' C. Joining the guest judges were the regular SYTYCD judges: Ballroom Queen of Scream Mary Murphy and, of course, the incomparable Nigel Lythgoe.
Nigel briefly talked about spending National Dance Day in Valencia, California, with NappyTabs, tWitch, and Katie Holmes. Tomorrow night, we'll be seeing videos of dance fans from around the globe celebrating the event. Tonight, a video was shown starring the dancing physicists at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research in Geneva, Switzerland.
Now back to the competition onstage tonight. The Top 6 all danced two routines tonight, as well as one solo routine. First up: Melanie and All-Star tWitch performed a NappyTabs Hip-Hop routine about Little Red "Swagging" Hood, set to "Roman's Revenge," by Nicki Minaj, featuring Eminem.
As tWitch left to howl at the moon, Lil' C congratulated Melanie for getting through the fast-moving routine. He explained that Hip-Hop is an extension of movement expressing how dancers feel as they go through the movement. For her part, Melanie was declared "buckness." Christina thanked Melanie, saying that every week she gives her hope, and then Christina congratulated Melanie for her performance. Mary remarked that her brother has never called her up about any of the dancers in any season, but last night he called her and remarked that Melanie is adorable, like Shirley Temple. Mary said that she thinks there isn't anything Melanie can't do. Nigel said that Melanie is phenomenal, and despite allegations that they haven't pushed Melanie in this style, she is good at any style. All-Star tWitch might have been the wolf in this routine, but she was "beastly."
Next, Sasha was partnered with last year's runner-up, Kent Boyd, for a Tyce Diorio routine about the struggles of life. The pair danced to "Fool of Me," by Me'shell Ndegeocello. The pair was rewarded for their performance with a standing ovation.
Christina said that there are girls in this competition who can developpe and twirl and they're so technical, but she didn't care because Sasha can put a finger on a wall and make her feel something. Mary was in tears praising the dynamics of this dance, saying how Tyce took the simplicity of a wall and turned the routine into something so powerful and emotional. Nigel hoped that Sasha is able to play a role, because if she is solely bringing her emotions into the performance, then she has led a hard life. Once again, she is Nigel's favorite. Lil' C tried not to cry as he stated that sometimes life is so difficult no matter how hard you try to succeed, it seems that nothing ever goes your way. Lil' C regretted not being able to work with Sasha this season; he said she was phenomenal.
Up next were Marko and All-Star Janette Manrara, who were taught how to perform the Paso Doble by Season 2's Dmitry Chaplin. The couple danced to "Zorongo (Traditional)," by Antonia Gomez, Ely "La Gambita," Guillermo Basilsco, and Paco Pena.
After the crowd welcomed Janette back onto the stage, Mary joked about her and Marko's matching shoulder pads. But then she spoke about the passion and how riveting the Paso Doble is. Marko had the style and arrogance attitude needed for the dance, despite occasionally missing his marks. Mary was also amazed that the dance was done without the cape, and that Marko was able to use Janette as his cape. Nigel got his first boos of night when he said that he didn't think Marko had it tonight; he joked that Mary always thinks he's full of bull. Lil' C said he loved every minute of the routine and that Marko has been committed and connected to every piece this season. Lil' C also loved how every step he took in this number was so "stoic." Christina admitted that she didn't know a lot about this style, but she said that she loved Marko's performance and has loved him all season.
Cat explained that our dancers have been away from home for two months and then showed a video of Ricky's mom saying that seeing her son on TV is like a dream. Next was the first of the evening's solo performances. "After Tonight," by Justin Nozuka, was the soundtrack for Ricky's Contemporary solo.
Tadd and All-Star Ellenore Scott from Season 6 teamed up for a routine from the Motor City Madwoman, Sonya Tayeh. The story of the performance is about a classical party gone wrong. Sonya wanted to bring out a darker side in Tadd and used "The Gulag Orkestar," by Beirut to help. Tadd literally hung and danced from a chandelier.
Nigel said he knew that when Ellenore came back to work with Sonya, we'd get a unique and interesting routine, and that's what this was. Lil C' gave a big thumbs-up to Sonya for another great routine and praised her talent for utilizing a dancer's fundamental abilities. Lil' C then spoke to Tadd and stated that he felt Tadd was only dancing the moves, but he still thinks he is great. Christina joked that the couple should get a room, and then remarked that Tadd is a B-Boy who has tremendous ability: he started this number with his feet pointed in a promenade. Mary stated that Tadd hasn't even peaked yet and said that the routine was the most dangerous one of the season, due to the dangerous chandelier prop.
The next video was from Caitlynn's parents. Her mom said that Caitlynn predicted she'd be on the show when he was eight. From an oil rig, her dad spoke about how proud they are of her. "What's Love Got to Do With It," by Katie Thompson, played as Caitlynn danced her Contemporary solo for the evening.
Next up was Ricky and Season 3's Jaimie Goodwin, dancing a Dee Caspary Contemporary routine using sticks as props. Jaimie was scared that her partner would accidentally hit her. The story of the dance was about finding the person of your dreams and then trying to mold them into what you want them to be. Trent Dabbs' "Inside the Lines," was the music for this routine.
Lil' C praised Ricky for being able to dance with a prop ("props for the props") and spoke about how hard that is to do. It's very challenging for a dancer to alter the steps to accommodate the extra stuff on his or her person, Lil' C explained. Then he complimented the performance: "What a magically magnificent puppeteer of physical artistry buckness." Christina admitted that she couldn't top that and that she was still thinking of Ricky's solo a few weeks ago. Mary said, "All of that!" in agreeing with Lil' C. She praised Ricky's performance and said that she felt he saved himself every single week. Nigel has continued to say every week that he wants Ricky to feel the movements deeper down than he presently does, because that will make him a better dancer.
Tadd's parents have loved watching his performances, and they said that back home in the Philippines, his relatives call every morning at 5 a.m. to talk about how Tadd did the previous night. His dad and family are behind him all the way and hope he'll be in the finale. "We Speak No Americano," by Yolanda Be Cool and DCUP, played as Tadd danced his B-Boying solo.
Sasha's father spoke about how bubbly she is, while her mom spoke about how lovely she is and how beautifully she has done on the show throughout the season. "Teeth," by Lady Gaga, played as "Warrior Princess" Sasha performed her Jazz solo.
Next Caitlynn and All-Star Pasha Kovalev teamed up for the second Dmitry Chaplin routine of the night. This one was a Samba, set to Kat DeLuna's "Drop It Low (District 78 Remix)."
Christina thought Caitlynn did really well; she said Caitlynn was so beautiful and the "thing with the knees" that she did looked really good. Mary said that when a dancer is given a chance to perform a second dance, they are expected to do better, and Caitlynn did get better. Nigel said that you couldn't get a sheet of tissue between her and Pasha on their Samba rolls. Lil' C agreed with the other judges. Then he said that while she's channeling sexiness in a routine, Caitlynn shouldn't dive in like a cannonball; she's already sexy, so she should let it flow naturally.
Marko's mom was crying about seeing her son on TV, and she emotionally recalled last week's number, which was dedicated to her. She advised her son to stay humble. Then we watched Marko dance his Contemporary solo to "Wonderful World (Acoustic)," by James Morrison.
Melanie's mom said that she was always a performer and has danced since she could walk. This was the first step in achieving her dream and she urged her daughter to dance great tonight. "Cracks, (Flux Pavillion Remix)," by Freestylers featuring Belle Humble, played during Melanie's very first solo of the season.
Speaking of firsts, Sasha and Ricky performed the show's first Waacking routine. Kumari Suraj gave a brief history of Waacking, which began in L.A. in the '70s; the style expresses where a person is in his or her life at this moment. The couple Waacked to "Schoolin' Life," by Beyonce Knowles.
Mary said that the pair did a really good job, even though they were out of their comfort zone. Nigel liked it and said that he didn't think the Waacking was lacking. He enjoyed the spirit of the routine, because the number gave Ricky the chance to finally have fun, while Sasha proved what they'd said about Caitlynn: You need to relax to be sexy. Lil' C actually wanted to see them enjoy the routine even more and focus less on the steps. Christina liked the number as well and thought it was great to see Sasha be a little flirtatious. She added that even though it sounded wrong to say, she thought they could have "Waacked" it harder.
After that, Melanie and Tadd brought Broadway back with a number from Spencer Liff, set to "(Where Do I Begin?) Love Story (Away Team Remix)," by Shirley Bassey. The routine was about a choreographer using the love his dancer has for him to elicit a great performance from her.
Nigel spoke to Melanie and praised her solo. Then he moved on to his critique of the pair's routine. Besides calling her the original "beast" of the season, Nigel praised Melanie for being a great actress as well. He said that she has again become his favorite dancer. He also said that Tadd performing with Melanie and "not sucking" is an achievement. Then Lil' C joked that if Tadd doesn't want her, there are plenty of men who would step in. He also said she was buck and that Tadd should just continue to do his thing. Christina said Melanie reminded her of Donna McKechnie in "A Chorus Line," but better. Mary said that America has fallen in love with both extraordinary dancers, and she has too.
Caitlynn and Marko closed the night with a Sonya Tayeh Jazz routine about an overbearing, controlling man and the woman who's trying to get away from him. "Heavy in Your Arms," by Florence and the Machine, was the soundtrack for this heart-wrenching number.
Cat oohed and aahed as she noticed the judges gave the dancers a standing ovation. Lil C' explained that when he tweets, he uses hashtags and this routine was double-hashtagged "buck murderous." Christina said that Marko is a "beast" and that his aggression was beautiful. She also that for Caitlynn, this was her time. Mary joked that she didn't care for the piece. Then she said that Caitlynn had had another breakthrough and had evolved so much in one night. Nigel said that this routine proves why Sonya is a world-class choreographer; he also stated that Caitlynn came of age and is a brilliant dancer, while Marko has shown that he's a brilliant dancer every week.
Now that the most important decisions of the season are upon us, who are you going to vote for? Who's going to the finale next week? Find out tomorrow night!
