SYTYCDC4 - A, Eh?

So You Think You Can Dance Canada - Season 4 - Top 22 Performances - Ep. 406
Judges: Jean-Marc Généreux, Tré Armstrong, Luther Brown, Mary Murphy, Blake McGrath

Ok, to be honest, I was a bit angry and annoyed at CTV for scheduling this Canadian version while the US version is still in the middle of its run. With 7 hours of SYTYCD EACH WEEK on CTV, it's a bit much, and I can barely keep up (and I'm a huge fan!).

And I guess they'll be shuttling some of the judges and choreographers back and forth from Toronto to LA, since Mary Murphy showed that she can be super loud in both countries at the same time. Glad to have Stacey Tookey and Sean Cheesman back in Canada, who has been showing off their talents on the US show.

And dang, this is one hellofa start with some of the best dancing, particularly for a first week, with easily the most A's I've given for a first week performance (and probably close to being one of the higher scores from any episode) ever.

Sadly, just as Shelaina got injured before she could perform in the Top 22, Moses Layco injured himself and was forced out of the competition (but early enough in time to find a replacement).

So while I may explode from all the SYTYCD viewing, blogging, and analyzing, the dancers here in Canada are making it worth keeping up with.


Lindsay Leuschner and Christian Millette
Style: Salsa
Choreographed by: Tony Meredith & Melanie LaPatin
Song: "Salsa Dura - La Excelencia
Grade - Dance: A-
Grade - Girl: A
Grade - Boy: A

I have no idea if that was technically correct or great but it was hot hot hot. I couldn't keep my eyes off the dancers, and between her bare back and his bare chest, it was like sex on the dance floor.

Mary and JM screamed their head off, so I'm assuming they got the moves right, but either way, Lindsay and Christian seemed to have connected super fast, displaying a spicy chemistry right off the bat during the first round.

Here's the video of Lindsay and Christian's Salsa:



Jordan Clark and Joey Arrigo
Style: Contemporary
Choreographed by: Stacey Tookey
Song: "For the People - Mark Huculak
Grade - Dance: A
Grade - Girl: A
Grade - Boy: A

Welcome back home Stacey Tookey! And boy, did she have two dancers who seem to work perfectly with her style, with some absolutely beautiful movements with an emotionally stirring performance that was both subtle and fresh.

I only wish there was that typical faster moment when a song kicks into gear, but this song didn't have that moment, and instead, the dance remained in a peacefulness that Joey and Jordan wonderfully conveyed. It's not always easy to give a powerful performance with a more subtle piece, but as Mary points out, Jordan shows an incredible maturity at the ripe age of 19 (which could also be said for 19 year old Joey).

Here's the video of Jordan and Joey's Contemporary:



Denitsa Ikonomova and JP Dubé
Style: Hip-Hop
Choreographed by: Tucker Barkley
Song: "Somebody To Love - Justin Bieber feat. Usher
Grade - Dance: C+
Grade - Girl: B
Grade - Boy: B

They just had to use Justin Bieber's song for the one dancer that looks like a dancing Justin Bieber didn't they? JP is so cute, but he didn't quite hit it hard enough here, even though I felt the Hip-Hop piece seemed simplified and choreographed around Denitsa and JP's strengths. It started off well enough but I felt the dancing seemed to get easier as the dance went along.

Denitsa does a fine job keeping up with JP, but together, there was something lacking in the simplified dance moves, although their characterizations were quite good (and amusing).

Here's the video of Denitsa and JP's Hip-Hop:



Shelaina Anderson and Matt Marr
Style: Contemporary
Choreographed by: Sabrina Matthews
Song: "The Nutcracker, Op. 71: Act II Pas De Deux: The Sugar Plum Fairy and Prince Orgead - Tarentella, Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy - Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra/Ondrej Lenard and "Sofi Needs a Ladder" - Deadmau5
Grade - Dance: B+
Grade - Girl: A
Grade - Boy: A-

Well good thing Shelaina got to come back again to finally show off her dancing skills. She wonderfully gets into character while Matt is a nice strong partner. Matt seemed to stumble for a split second and fall behind with the beat in another portion, but he seems powerful and limber and he has this raw energy in his dancing that is exciting and thrilling.

Here's the video of Shelaina and Matt's Contemporary:



Yuliya Zavadska and Adam LoPapa
Style: Theatre
Choreographed by: Melissa Williams
Song: "Oh Boy! - Buddy Holly
Grade - Dance: B
Grade - Girl: A-
Grade - Boy: A-

Yuliya sometimes looks like a young Mary Murphy, no?

I'm not sure how much "Theatre" that routine was in its dancing, but the story seemed to jump ahead too fast, and we never got a sense of the nerdy Yuliya, but I guess the fun part was the fast frenzy of the feet work in Melissa's choreo and Yuliya and Adam rocked the moves.

Both got into their characters and had a blast with the old jive-ish dancing and with the exception of some minor quibbles, Adam and Yuliya were extremely fun to watch.

Here's the video of Yuliya and Adam's Theatre:



Cassandra Flammini and François Pruneau
Style: Rumba
Choreographed by: Eric Caty and Kelly Lanaan
Song: "Alone Again - Alyssa Reid feat. P. Reign
Grade - Dance: A
Grade - Girl: A
Grade - Boy: A

God, those legs on Cassandra. So straight and long and damn can they go high.

Again, not sure if the dance was technically any good but from what I could see, it was pretty spectacular with a very professional performance from both Cassandra and François (albeit, who was in his own style).

Smoldering with a ton of lifts and partnering that looked incredibly smooth, even more impressive considering it's the first week with the partnership.

Here's the video of Cassandra and François' Rumba:



Carlena Britch and Dwayne “Boneless” Gulston
Style: Hip-Hop
Choreographed by: Steve Bolton
Song: "Super Bass - Nicki Minaj
Grade - Dance: A
Grade - Girl: A
Grade - Boy: A-

Carlena's pre-performance video seems like some heavy PR work to fix her image, which while this is a dancing competition, personality is huge.

Luckily, she's got the dancing part down. Granted, this is both Carlena and Boneless' genre, but they looked great, and if I have to say, I think Carlena hit it down just a bit better than Boneless (who does excel in a softer, B-boying style, if I'm not mistaken).

Here's the video of Carlena and Boneless' Hip-Hop:



Teya Wild and Kevin Howe
Style: Contemporary
Choreographed by: Stacey Tookey
Song: "You Lost Me - Christina Aguilera
Grade - Dance: A
Grade - Girl: A-
Grade - Boy: A

Kevin lost 60 lbs since his audition in Season 1? Seriously? He was that much bigger? Wow.

Apparently Teya is so far from her element here and yet with the exception of some leg extensions that just couldn't match Kevin's height, you could have fooled me. Teya managed to ground herself into the contemporary form beautifully with an emotional core within her performance that managed to make her move just as smoothly as her contemporary partner Kevin.

Kevin looks spectacular with such beautiful body movements, in a perfectly sculpted piece by Stacey Tookey.

Here's the video of Teya and Kevin's Contemporary:



Lauren Lyn and Rodrigo Basurto
Style: Cha-Cha-Cha
Choreographed by: Gustavo Vargas
Song: "El Sol de la Noche - Salsa Celtica
Grade - Dance: B+
Grade - Girl: B+
Grade - Boy: B+

Did I mention how great all the skin on the Canadian edition is? Lol.

You know Rodrigo tries to rip off his shirt anytime he can. Then again, if I had that body, I probably would too. He's confident about his body, and he's confident about his dancing. Mary didn't think it was technically correct but she didn't care with a performance like they had.

Rodrigo definitely had fun up there, showing off his moves to all of Canada, while Lauren has a sparkle and presence, but may have been overshadowed by Rodrigo's confidence.

Here's the video of Lauren and Rodrigo's Cha-Cha-Cha:



Geisha Chin and Adam Aislin-Rioux
Style: New Disco
Choreographed by: Melissa Williams
Song: "The Edge of Glory - Lady Gaga
Grade - Dance: B+
Grade - Girl: B+
Grade - Boy: A-

Of course she's a neuroscience major. Of course he gets a back spasm about 30 min before his performance, even though Adam was replacing Moses who has already been hurt.

Adam looks a bit shorter and hobbit-like beside Geisha (who while isn't that much taller, looks towering somehow in that Na'vi outfit, but Adam's moves makes up for his stature, as he blasts his way through New Disco.

Geisha has a presence in her dancing that helps fudge over some of the less cleaner moments, and shows lots of future promise.

Here's the video of Geisha and Adam's New Disco:



Melissa Mitro and Shane Simpson
Style: African Jazz
Choreographed by: Sean Cheesman
Song: "Umeta We Nkosi - Soweto Gospel Choir
Grade - Dance: A
Grade - Girl: A-
Grade - Boy: A

Always a fun style if given the right energy and Melissa and Shane have ample to spare. A great routine from Sean, and Melissa looks wonderful in her performance but Shane really outdoes himself giving a fluidity in his powerful performance that just adds that extra push in his dancing.

Shane is practically perfect here.

Here's the video of Melissa and Shane's African Jazz:



- - - - - - - - - - - - -
The Final Roundup:

The Dancers - Pairs Routine:
1st - Best of the Night: Jordan and Joey
2nd: Lindsay and Christian
3rd: Cassandra and François
4th: Shelaina and Matt
5th: Melissa and Shane
6th: Teya and Kevin
7th: Carlena and Boneless
8th: Yuliya and Adam L.
9th: Geisha and Adam A.
10th: Lauren and Rodrigo
11th - Worst of the Night: Denitsa and JP

The Routines:
Best Routine of the Night: Stacey Tookey's Contemporary (Jordan and Joey)
2nd Best Routine of the Night: Eric Caty and Kelly Lanaan's Rumba (Cassandra and François)
3rd Best Routine of the Night: Steve Bolton's Hip-Hop (Carlena and Boneless)

Should Go Home: Sadly, I guess I'll say Lauren and JP by default? Even though both are excellent dancers?
My Predictions:
Bottom 3 Couples:
Geisha and Adam A.
Carlena and Boneless
Cassandra and François
Will Go Home: Geisha and Adam A.

I'm not gonna rank the individual dancers just yet. I need to see another week first to start sorting them out.



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