Fan Fare

“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

Quickstep proves to be a dream on SYTYCD

It may be the first time ever that the dreaded quickstep has proven to be dreamy, with Ellenore Scott and Jakob Carr being crowned the new “Dream Team” on Tuesday’s episode of So You Think You Can Dance.

Previously paired with the respective halves of husband and wife duo Ryan and Ashleigh Di Lello, both Ellenore and Jakob did well with their old partners, but proved to be magical with each other.

The quickstep was fun, but it was their lyrical jazz number that really got the crowd, and the judges, cheering.

Judge Nigel Lythgoe called the routine his favourite of the season and commended Ellenore on her chemistry with both her partner and with choreographer Sonya Tayeh.

“You and Sonya both probably speak the same language, you’re probably from the same planet,” Nigel said to Ellenore. “And to drag Jakob into your world, that was brillant.”

While Ellenore and Jakob are the new couple to beat, Russell Ferguson and Mollee Gray also stood out as strong contenders with a trick-heavy contemporary and a fun jive.

“I’m feeling so good about this pairing,” said judge Adam Shankman. “You guys are bringing out something really wonderful in each other, something playful.”

Has the star factor dimmed for Nathan on SYTYCD?

It wasn’t a surprise that Victor Smalley and Karen Hauer were picked to leave the competition Wednesday on So You Think You Can Dance, but the big surprise was who judge Nigel Lythgoe wanted to see packing up his bags.

While Nigel praised Victor’s strong solo and growth, he did not mince words with Nathan Trasoras. For a moment even, it almost seemed like Nigel was leading up to sending Nathan home. He concluded his critique by pointedly telling Nathan if it were up to him, this would be the end of the road for the young dancer. He then turned to Victor and announced he was going home.

The decision came as part of what judges called “the most important results show of the season.” The 10 remaining dancers are guaranteed a spot on the North American tour next year and, more importantly, the judges no longer have a say in their fates. Whether this will be a good or bad thing for Nathan remains to be seen.

From the start, judges marked Nathan as a “brilliant” dancer who would have a strong fan base. This seemed to prove true at first, despite at least one particularly messy routine. But in the last two weeks, the audience love has cooled, with judges speculating about a possible backlash over glimpses of his relative immaturity.

On a dancing level, the judges seem pleased at the prospect of splitting up Nathan and his partner Mollee Gray.

“You’re going to have the opportunity to have new partners to make you grow,” said Adam Shankman. “I think you keep each other on the immature side [with your dancing].”

Did the judges make the right decision? Are you a fan of Nathan Trasoras or is he overrated?

SYTYCD shake-up to hurt some, help others

They came, they danced and the judges were almost too positive, especially since two more dancers will be sent packing from So You Think You Can Dance tomorrow, leaving only the all important Top 10, who are expected to go on tour in 2010.

For the dancers who remain after Wednesday night’s elimination, next week will bring new styles and a new partner. So who will the shake-up help and who will it hurt?

Topping the list of those who may feel the squeeze is Ashleigh Di Lello. Last week, we speculated that without her partner Jakob Carr, Ashleigh may find herself in trouble. Jakob‘s strength was certainly evident in their first number, with judge Adam Shankman saying the only flaw was his pants. But Ashleigh got high praises after their second number, a cha-cha, with judge Nigel Lythgoe again saying that those who questioned her abilities in Vegas were eating their words.

“That may have been a cha-cha, but you are waltzing through to the top 10,” said Nigel of the performance.

Mollee Gray may also find herself in a bad place when her partnership with Nathan Trasoras breaks up. The couple seem to have been buoyed by Nathan’s popularity and Mollee may not fare so well with voters on her own. But a more mature partner could prove to give her the push to make it through to the top 4.

Meanwhile, if Karen Hauer makes it through the elimination, she will need to connect with one of the stronger men if she hopes to survive another week. A fresh partner may also prove the right move for Noelle Marsh, who has done well with Russell Ferguson, but may shine with someone else.

As for who will be headed home this week, expect to see Karen and partner Victor Smalley among the bottom three couples. As for the rest – it really is anyone’s game right now.

Nigel not impressed; quickstep proves fatal on SYTYCD

Turns out that America is willing to forgive sloppy technique in favor of pinup good looks.

Even after what was undoubtedly the messiest routine of the show, So You Think You Can Dance fan favorites Nathan Tasoras and Mollee Gray were not in the bottom six.

“I think America’s protected Nathan and Mollee this week. Nathan’s going to have a huge following. But if it’s just based on dance, it frightens me that he will not be learning lessons,” said executive producer Nigel Lythgoe, who chastised him for his immaturity. He emphasized that Nathan wasn’t saved for his dancing, but because “a lot of young ladies like him”, calling it “sad” particularly for the dancers judges felt were undeservedly on the chopping block.

Nigel seemed impatient with the audience as well, at one point tell them to “listen up and shut up for a minute!”

But Nigel saved his harshest words for the bottom six dancers — Karen Hauer and Kevin Hunte, Ryan Di Lello and Ellenore Scott, and Pauline Mata and Peter Sabasino — stating: ”We the judges did not think that anybody gave us a decent enough performance to stay in the competition.”

Nigel went on to say they failed to live up to the caliber of the season 5 finalists.

Will the lawnmower racer and the “dream team” survive to top 14 on SYTYCD?

The Season 5 dancers were in the house, taking a break from their North American tour. Was it really only this past summer that Jeanine Mason was crowned?

Before the show hustled down to business, executive producer Nigel Lythgoe and the other judges plugged the Dizzy Feet Foundation Show, telling viewers that dancers from the “dance reality TV trifecta” (SYTYCD, Dancing With The Stars and America’s Best Dance Crew) would all be performing.

Karen Hauer and Kevin Hunte kicked off the dancing, but not before Karen told the world that she and her husband — who auditioned with her — were getting a divorce. Awkward pause. The judges praised their Maria Torres hustle number, with Nigel telling Karen she was “going to go a long way in this competition.”

Ashleigh “nerd” Di Lello and Jakob Carr pulled a jazz routine with Mandy Moore, which judge Adam Shankman called an “incredibly elegant and mature and studied, but fiery performance.” Judge Mary Murphy said Ashleigh was improving week to week, while Jakob was called “brilliant” and a “stunning dancer”.

Pauline Mata and Peter Sabasino took on the “dreaded quick step” (choreographed by JT and Tomas) and managed to avoid a trainwreck. The performance was technically poor, but as Nigel put it, “did I care? Absolutely not.”

Kathryn McCormick and Legacy Perez charmed with a broadway routine by Andy Blankenbuehler, but it was hip-hop dancer Legacy who really impressed the judges. Mary thought he was growing by “leaps and bounds” and said so twice, adding that it could take him into the top 10.