Monday, September 16, 2019

So You Think You Can Dance S16E14: Top 4 Perform

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The Fantastic Four dance one more time before the winner is announced
by Stephen Mosher

Well, this is it, kids. The final four, the final showdown, the time has arrived for everyone to have their last look at these sweet, gifted young people before the winner is announced this week. It’s been a fun, if a bit short, ride. I have to admit I miss the longer seasons of SYTYCD and the bigger cast, but at least the show is still on the air, so I won’t complain.

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The show opened with a fun number honoring the upcoming movie CATS, and while it was a fun number, again, with the addition of the all stars, I couldn’t see the contestants - but I guess we will get enough spotlight on them for the next two hours, I thought, so why grouse? I wasn’t sure who all was in that number but I definitely spotted Cyrus, Comfort, Gabby and Melanie. Fun number, nicely created by Mandy Moore, but the truth is that we all just want to get to it! Let’s see our cherubs do they stuff!

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Sophie and Gino have the stage first in a Ray Leeper jazz number to “All Nite” and it was so, so sexy that I couldn’t breathe … maybe from the talent, maybe from the choreography, or maybe because it honestly feels dirty to be watching people so young in this manner. I know they are, technically, adults, but they still look like kids to me. And Ray Leeper suggesting a kiss between them was kind of icky, if you ask me. But then, the adults have been sexualizing these youngsters all season, so I guess it’s something the producers of the show want. I’ll wait till they are both over 21 before I consider them as sex symbols, even if this number was smokin’ hot. The judges all loved it, with Dominic saying it was so, so sexy (hello, goodbye), Mary saying they were so together, so raw, Nigel pointing out their primitive chemistry and Laurieann saying she “felt your hunger”. Eww. Children. But then, Jodie Foster was 12 when she played a hooker, so, welcome to Lolita-land, Sophie and Gino! You are officially underage sex symbols, courtesy of So You Think You Can Dance.

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Mariah and Bailey had a jazz routine, too (smooth jazz) - Jonathan Redavid staged a number to “16 Tons” and it just reaffirms the idea that they are the couple to beat (with all due respect to Sophie and Gino). These two aren’t just something special on their own, they are unstoppable when they are together - and Bailey is the best. The routine is charming and technically wonderful. Dominic says they always show up and points out that Bailey is special. Laurieanne says they have a god-given gift, and Nigel says Mariah is a joy to watch and that Bailey has had the biggest journey on the show. Mary says Mariah is amazing and Bailey soars every time he steps on the stage. It’s already looking really good for Bailey.

Gino’s solo to “I Didn’t Know My Own Strength” was a virtuoso performance that will get him many a job after this show. He left it all on the floor. He is magnificent, and no mistake.

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Entering the contestant/all-star segment of the show, we see Sophie get paired up with Marko for a Talia Favia contemporary piece to “90 Days” - her first time working with Talia, who manages to bring something new out of Sophie, who is peaking at just the right time. This Sophie we haven’t seen before. She is now, a contender. Ending the remarkable routine in tears, Sophie is served up a well-deserved standing ovation from the judges, all of whom praise them in their usual prose, Nigel telling her she has shown that women are just as strong as men, Mary calling out passion with true purpose, Laurieann praising how she found he strength as a woman and Dominic saying it was her best performance of the season.

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Bailey’s all-star was (big surprise) Comfort, because they gave the B-Boy a Luther Brown hip hop routine, proving that the judges and producers are stacking the deck for Bailey. Now, the truth is that I believe Bailey should and will win the show, but I have no power to position him to do so, the producers and the judges do, and they are. The number, to “Tell Me When to Go”, was as good as Luther Brown has ever been, showing off Bailey in a flawless display of talent and personality. Mary said it was bad to the bone, Nigel loved the light and the shade, Dominic said “you did it correct” and Laurieann gave him “Bragging Rights.” Yes, Bailey is definitely having a well-deserved win orchestrated for him.

Sophie’s solo, to the song “Try a Little Tenderness” can be summed up in one word: Meh.

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Gino and Mariah got the dreaded quick step, staged by the wonderful Artem and Sharna to “Bad Boy Good Man” and they were both very good. It was really nice to see them dance together and everyone in the house thought so, as they gave them a standing ovation. Mary called it lighthearted and respectable, Laurieann said they were soulful, honest and authentic. The men used middle of the road verbiage to praise them, again, indicating the set up for Bailey. They are giving heaps of praise to the clear star and front runner and using minimal vocabulary and effort to critique the other dancers. Maybe it is so they can subliminally influence America’s vote, or maybe it is because they recognize the futility in trying to find superlatives for the other three dancers, having used them all up on Bailey. Whatever the case may be, the judges are as transparent as can be.

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Bailey and Sophie’s Bollywood number by Nakul Dev Mahajan was entertaining enough, but the truth is that all it did was leave Sophie choking on Bailey’s dust. You can’t look at anyone else. He has no competition on the show, even though the other dancers referred to him as their “biggest competition on the show.” Um ... no.

Mariah’s solo to “If You Let Me” was wonderful. And in her interview package she referred to one of her past dances as “the best time I ever did that solo”, which would indicate that she has a choreographer who creates her solos, or if she made them herself, she was prepared. This is a problem with Sophie’s solos - they all look like uninspired freestyling. Now, I don’t want to be misunderstood: I like Sophie a lot. But her solos don’t stack up against Mariah’s and it’s because of two things: Mariah has her solos prepared, and Mariah has her eye FIRMLY on the prize.

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Gino had the benefit of having both Jaci Royal as his contemporary choreographer and Melanie Moore as his all-star - he just can’t go wrong with this twosome. The number, to “Someone You Loved”, was so intimate and personal, so moving and breathtaking. The man is so incredible that Melanie is the only all-star with whom he should be dancing. She can do anything. There was some concern over his inability to be emotionally open - Gino himself owned it, but when it came time to do the number, he brought his A-Game, leaving the judges offering comments like “What’s in front of you is limitless” (Laurieann) and “You have broken through” (Nigel) - though Dominc and Mary were vague and colorless in their comments -- because they are trying to soften the blow for him. Still, it was a stunning routine.

Bailey did an interview segment before the show in which he cried over the thought of being the first B-Boy to win … and Cat ended up in tears, as the audience chanted his name. With that interview and his astonishing solo to “Don’t Touch Me”, The Tiny Titan secured his win.

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Mariah’s all-star was Robert Roldan, dancing a Mandy Moore contemporary piece to “Grey” that seemed aerodynamically impossible. The lifts were unbelievable. It was one of the great numbers, and unforgettable, as was evidenced by Mary being in tears and unable (almost) to speak. Nigel and Dominc had some nice, albeit benign comments but Laurieann told her, “I see you. I see your fight. I see your victory. Own your victory,” again softening a blow.

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It’s time for the same-sex pas de deux! Gino and Bailey landed Al Blackstone for a Broadway routine to “The Girl From Ipanema” and the boys have genuine chemistry, like brothers. They are both magnificent in the delightful number but it is clear that Gino is the man with the technique, while Bailey is all heart - and it’s a heart that gives him permission to connect to the material. He lives in it. They are both poetry in motion and a joy to behold. Nigel says this is the best top four across the seasons (Yes), Mary says THIS is the new couple to beat (Sounds good to me) and then she made them the first boy duo to land on the Hot Tamale Train. Laurieann compared them to the film White Nights. It was a great number.

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As good as the boys were, the girls brought it, too. Their hip hop number by Luther Brown to “Sally Walker” was AWESOME, with Sophie emerging from the shadows with hidden talents that nobody knew she had in her. Her hip hop was fan-freaking-tastic. Laurieann had the quote of the night:

“So much shadiness,

OMG,

So much ratchetness,

And it’s all right with me”

Then she told Sophie, “You SERVED that”.

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Sophie deserved that praise because she really is wonderful. But then, all these kids are wonderful. It’s impossible to not love them and appreciate their gifts and wish the best for them. But at the end of the day Bailey checks off all the boxes and I believe, firmly, that his talent, his story, his personality have put him ahead of the curve, as well as the fact that it is time for a B-Boy to win this show.

Bailey, dude, tonight I will be pulling for you. You’ve earned it and you deserve it.

What did you think of this episode? Give us your thoughts in the comments section below.

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