Fan Fare

Shirts optional for Top 6 on SYTYCD

The shirts came off as the top 6 dancers on So You Think You Can Dance performed for votes for the last time before Wednesday’s finale.

Ryan Di Lello led the topless trend, showing up in two of three numbers without a shirt. He tossed on a flimsy top for his third number, but left it open, prompting judge Nigel Lythgoe to say, “I’m pleased you found a shirt, you just need to find the buttons.”

Shirt jokes aside, Ryan was just one of the six extremely talented dancers who left it all out on the floor in a final bid for votes before America chooses its next favorite dancer.

Kathryn McCormick was perhaps the stand-out performer of the evening, with at least one judge proclaiming that the show should be renamed “the rise of Kathryn.” Her gentle contemporary routine with Jakob Karr was called a “game changer” by judge Adam Shankman, who added, “you humbled me.”

But while Kathryn and Jakob are both extraordinarily strong dancers, the big obstacle standing in their way on the quest for the top prize comes in the form of krumper-turned-jack-of-all-dances, Russell Ferguson.

Russell also performed much of the show topless, but oddly enough, Nigel did not object. And judge Mary Murphy was once again rendered to tears by his journey from auditions through to the top 6.

“You are just someone special,” she said. “I have never seen someone grow, in six season (of SYTYCD), as much as you have.”

“Black Wednesday” on SYTYCD sends Nathan & Noelle home

With a strong and diverse crop of male dancers — a ballroom dancer, a krumper, a b-boy and two contemporary dancers — vying for the crown, Nathan’s ouster was not a big surprise despite some good performances, particularly after a rough couple of weeks languishing in the bottom.

“You are against tough guys and in a competition that people are voting for who they love — it’s not just about dancing. You’re on a brilliant road at the moment,” said judge Nigel Lythgoe.

It wasn’t so clear cut between Kathryn McCormick and Noelle however, with both dancing fairly consistently thus far and both staying mostly under the radar. Noelle leaves just as the judges praised her for coming into her own this week with “breakthrough” and “smokin’” performances.

Meanwhile, the highlight of the evening may not have been who got the ax, but rather the performance by The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers, an amalgamated dance crew formed by Step Up 2 director John Chu. Were you as impressed as the audience members? With only four couples left, will Ryan Di Lello and Kathryn be the next to leave? Do you think voters made the right choice this week? Join us live on Twitter @Reuters_Fanfare for the east coast airing of the show.

Nathan Trasoras (L) and Kathryn McCormick (R) perform a Rumba choreographed by Tony Meredith and Melanie LaPatin ©2009 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Mathieu Young/FOX

Ryan Di Lello (R) and Noelle Marsh (R) perform a Hip Hop routine choreographed by Tabitha and Napoleon Dumo ©2009 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Mathieu Young/FOX