So You Think You Can Dance S11 Los Angeles Day 2 and Philadelphia Auditions

18 06 2014

Los Angeles Day 2

SoYouThinkYouCanDanceChristina Applegate joined Mary Murphy and Nigel Lythgoe for day 2 of the LA auditions.

Serge Onik (age 25 from Upper Saddle River, NJ) made it to the green mile last season. He has a new partner this year, Alla Kocherga, a 24-year-old woman from Los Angeles. Five seconds in and I loved it. Goosebumps! Rarely does ballroom give me goosebumps. That had a sizzle finish. Mary loved it. They are through.

Timothy Joseph is a 24-year-old, B-boy dancer from Sacramento, California who specializes in “suicides.” He is fantastic. He reminds me of Legacy. Mary thinks he is fearless. He was flipping too much for this. They send him to choreography; however he hurt himself during the solo so he has a decision to make. He was in too much pain to continue.

Casey Askew, 19 years of age, a contemporary dancer from Seattle, Washington. Goosebumps! I loved watching him. He had such great emotion. I got more impressed the more he dances. They stop the music and give him a ticket.

After a montage of successes J4 might have a problem with his height. But he IS only 9. He wants to show him hip hop “for the experience.” Fik-shun and Cyrus join him on stage. This kid is fabulous! What a joy and talent he is. Everyone is on their feet. He was able to meet his idol Stephen ‘Twitch’ Boss. According to him, it was the best day of his life.

Her dance is for her brother who was struggling with addiction who is now sober and healthy. Jourdan Epstein, age 24, from Plymouth, Minnesota is fabulous. I again had goosebumps. She gave Christina chills. Mary puts her on the hot tamale train. She is through.

Johnny “Waackd” Gibson, age 22, from New York City. I think he had improved from his audition 2 years ago. It is a “yes” to choreography and from there he is through to the next round.

Armen Way is a 28-year-old from Glendale, California, who tried out in season 10. I was turned off by him last year. His dance appeared to be all about himself. He seemed to objectify women from this rap video they showed in his audition packet. Last year he was sent home because he dropped Malece Miller on her head. I LIKE this version of Armen better. This year he had a new partner, Malene Ostergaard, a 25-year-old from Studio City, California. She reminded me of Mila Kunis. That dance was hot and sexy. I felt that Armen’s attention was on his partner this time and the dynamic between them sizzled. Yep, I like this version of Armen much better. Mary Murphy talked the entire way through the dance about how impressed she was. What a dynamic couple they are. She felt Malene ran the hot tamale train straight off the tracks. Christina said people would love them both. They are through to the next round.

Philadelphia Day 1

Prima ballerina Misty Copeland joined Mary Murphy and Nigel Lythgoe during this audition.

Bridget Whitman, age 19, from Tempe, Arizona was up first. Her back-story was making me cry. One of her last memories of her dad before a tragic car accident killed him was her telling him that she wanted to be on the show. He told her that she could get there through a lot of hard work. I was sobbing. Mary Murphy was crying, too. Is she the best contemporary dancer I have seen during the auditions? No. But she does deserve a shot in the next round. Misty thinks she is a beautiful dancer. Mary can feel everything she is going through. She gets her ticket.

They then showed a montage of really fantastic male dancers.

Amir Sanders, age 21, is a self-described funky ballerina from Baltimore, Maryland. She is interesting from her look to her style of dance. It did not give me goosebumps, but I enjoyed it. Misty thinks her technique and lines are beautiful, but there were small moments she needs to focus on to improve. Mary thought for a moment it was like watching Diana Ross striking a pose. They sent her to choreography, which shocked both the audience and me. However, she does make it through to the next round after choreography.

Last year’s Jenna Johnson had a partner last season who was too young to audition. Landon Anderson, age 18, from Springville, Utah came back to audition (along with Jenna). He had some nice foot work but is he as strong as some of the other guys on the show? I don’t know about that. Mary thought he was a great partner. Misty said that he became someone else for dancing–like a little boy in speaking but a man in dancing. He gets a ticket to move to the next round. Jenna gets a surprise as well when Nigel extends to her an invitation to come back this season to be an all-star, something they don’t usually do when they were just contestants the prior year.

The last contestant for day 1 was Shafeek Westbrook. In season 9, he left with a really bad attitude. His words were “not coming back ever.” He hails from Upper Darby, Pennsylvania and is 24 years old. I loved his moves, but I was not sure why he felt the need to take his shirt off. Mary wanted more “wow” moments. Misty felt like he was trying to sell them his body versus his dancing. Nigel says yes to choreography. He makes it through to the next round after the choreography sessions.

Philadelphia Day 2

Billy Porter joins the judging panel for this round of auditions.

First up is Stanley Glover. His mother died when he was 4 years old while he was sleeping next to her; she had a heart attack in her sleep and they found her dead in the morning. Both sides of his family failed to go to the court date that would decide guardianship of him. His mother’s friend, Margaret Chamberlain, stepped up and brought him into their home. He is a 19-year-old from Chicago, Illinois. His choreography was genius and for a moment the words “Shelob’s mate” popped into my mind. Or at least a creature from the show on the CW called “The 100.”

Krumper James “Banks” Davis was shot twice in his knee four years ago. They were about to amputate his leg but his pulse came back. He is from Brooklyn, New York, age 24. This gave me goosebumps. It was such a unique style of krumping. Way to represent Brooklyn (I was born there). Billy felt like he was a true storyteller and it was fantastic. He gets to go to choreography, but he does not get to the next round.

Dance Crews

This was a tough choice. It was between a Bollywood/Hip-Hop Dance Crew called Wanted Ashiqz versus a group of hip-hop street style called Mix’d Elements. I’m really torn between them.  As of right now, we do not know the results of the vote.


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So You Think You Can Dance S11 Chicago Day 2 and Los Angeles Auditions

11 06 2014

Chicago Day 2

Joining Mary Murphy and Nigel Lythgoe for day 2 of the Chicago auditions was Fabrice Calmels from the Joffrey Ballet.

First up was “The Puppet” Paul Brushaber. He is 18 and from Mokena, Illinois. He makes it look so easy but I cannot imagine how difficult his style of dance is. I would send him to choreography just to give him an opportunity to partner with someone. The judges surprised me. Mary wanted to live in his world. Fabrice loved that he created his own style.

Emily James, a 21-year-old from North Kingstown, Rhode Island, auditioned twice before in seasons 8 and 9. She took season 10 auditions off so she could use her degree, but she discovered that it is dance is what she should be doing. I got a mini-set of goosebumps at times. She has power but there is something missing here. Maybe it was just nerves or maybe a disconnection of her dance to the chosen music emotionally. I remember when I first saw Melanie Moore and I knew she would be the winner. Melanie always extended her reach lines just a little bit further. But Emily had some interesting moves I have not seen others do. Fabrice said it was solid. She is through to the next round.

We are then shown a montage of people who get through, but they are cutting the audition features down it seems.

Next up is Franchesca Bass, an 18-year-old young lady from Crown Point, Indiana. I loved that she created this story behind her dance. It was unique and interesting. Nigel was mesmerized by her and she had fabulous techniques. Fabrice, too, thought it was unique and he really enjoyed it. She is through to the next round.

Jenna Scaccia is an 18-year-old trainee with the Joffrey Ballet and apparently has a slight crush on Fabrice. She is a ballet dancer but it looks more like contemporary with ballet mixed in. It was light and heavenly and I’d give her a ticket. And they do. Nigel said she had a good flow of movement and it was very beautiful. Mary said it was like she floated on a cloud. She made Fabrice proud; he loved it.

James Thomas is a hip-hop dancer who does contortion and bopping. He is from Chicago. This type of dance is always so freaky to watch (in a good way). Fabrice thought it was insane. He tells them that he knows other styles so they give him a yes to choreography. Choreography proved too much for him and he drops out.

Los Angeles

Christina Applegate joined Mary and Nigel for this round of the auditions.

Jessica Richens from Yorba Linda, California did a jazz number. I loved the routine but I hope her “sexy” does not become a crutch. I think this particular audition was my favorite to watch so far of all the ones shown to date. Mary and Christina thought she could win the show and she is through.

I enjoyed Valerie Rockey‘s tap routine quite a bit. Mary said she was full of light and life. Christina said she wanted to look at her feet but she was drawn up to her face and then she saw what she was looking for in her expressions. She is through to choreography and from there she got through to the next round.

Jana “JaJa” Vankova is part of Phillip Cheeb’s animation crew who hails from the Czech Republic but now lives in Chatworth, California. She needs some lessons from Cyrus to get her animating to the next level. It was enjoyable. She is through to the next round.

The next contestant was a joy. Kyle Taylor is a 28-year-old man from Wichita, Kansas. He does popping in his home, but has never had professional guidance. I was amazed. Kyle just wanted to get a favorable opinion from other dancers. Kyle, I don’t know if my opinion counts, but that was hot! You were on fire! Nigel proposes a battle and Fik-Shun, Cyrus, and Legacy get up from the audience and join Kyle on stage for a little dance-off. I enjoyed this part so much. It made this guy’s day. He did such a great job that they give him a yes to choreography but he bowed out when he realized it was too much above his level.

Justine Lutz has experience in ballet and jazz but decides to do a contemporary routine for her audition. For a moment I was worried for her. For someone who has no experience in contemporary (and freely admitted this to the judges) who had the guts to do contemporary, it was beautiful. I had goosebumps. All three judges were standing and she is, of course, through to the next round.

Mauricio Vera and Deise Mendoza are in love. They are 27 and 23 respectively from Santa Barbara, California. I got goosebumps. Christina was in tears. She wanted to watch them all day long. Mary started crying. Off to the next round for both of them.

Hailee Payne is a 19-year-old from Roy, Utah. Her family is a lot of fun as well. I think Sonya Tayeh will LOVE getting her hands on her. I loved her hair (I want it). I also loved her dance. I will remember her because of the unique style that makes her stand out. I also liked her personality. That is a big part of the ability to win over people’s votes. It is not always being about the best dancer. She is through.

Sebastian Serra, a 24-year-old from Orlando, Florida, was fabulous! He was cut last year right before the green mile. I hope he makes it further this year.

Dani Platz‘s story of overcoming an eating disorder (and still fights these demons) between ages 16 and 18 was powerful. Her story was in her dance. She is such a brave young lady and a great role model for other dancers who starve themselves. Not only did I have goosebumps, but I was crying. I felt like she was broken and then at times healed and then broken and then healed throughout the entire dance. This is what I mean about having an emotional connection to the dance that I felt was lacking in Emily James. This is NOW my favorite dance shown to date. “Dance is like oxygen for the soul.” I loved that. Christina saw her story in her dance, too. She said she was healing through dance and it was beautiful. I was SHOCKED that they wanted to put her through choreography (and Christina was, too). But she fortunately made it through that round.

Marie “Poppins” Bonnevay is a popper who lives in North Hollywood, California and performs on the street. In doing such, she has to engage the audience in order for them to leave money to support herself. She utilized this skill during her audition with a very positive response as well. When she got close enough to the show’s previous contestants, Fik-Shun jumped up on stage and engaged with her. I love seeing this with the other dancers coming up and getting caught up in the moment (or if it is rehearsed, who cares about that). They need to keep this portion of it. She is moved to tears by it and she gets a ticket to the next round.

Dance Crews

Breaksk8 versus Academy of Villains.

Breaksk8 was interesting but I liked the Academy of Villains better.


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So You Think You Can Dance S10 Memphis Auditions

7 06 2013

LogoJoining resident judges Mary Murphy and Nigel Lythgoe was entertainer Wayne Brady for this trip to Memphis, the final city of the auditions. (Please note that I do my commentary as I am watching the show, so this is why everything is in the present tense). Of course everyone trying out appeared to be NOT from Memphis.

Dorian “BluPrint” Hector, age 19, Atlanta, GA

I wonder why he is called that aside from his two-tone blue hair, blue sweatshirt, blue jeans and blue sneakers. Wonder if he blue eyes? He is from Dragon House, home of Cyrus who stole his way into our hearts last season. Would Dorian leave a “BluPrint” on our hearts? I like how he called himself a malfunctioning robot because I immediately got the reference. I think he should go straight to Vegas. Mary puts him on the hot tamale train and he gets that ticket.

Curtis Holland, age 8, Miami, Florida

He is the third tap dancer we have seen in the edited auditions. I like his personality. His tap is like watching someone in double speed, or how they used to make those old silent movies. His choreography had equal measure of humor and skill. The judges send him to choreography and then onto Vegas.

Tucker Knox, age 22, Nashville, TN

Made it to Juilliard but was in a tragic car accident and broke his spine among other injuries. He has really beautiful lines and control. His gymnast abilities are impressive. It was not as good as Anthony Savoy, but I think he has a ticket to Vegas awaiting him (and he does).

Courtney Thurston, age 18, Clifton, VA

Contemporary dancer. Some moves surprised me but there was a lot of rolling around on stage. I thought she was average by the standards of the show now in its 10th season. Her father married her dance teacher. I like the father. He said he did krump dancing. The judges insisted that he come up on stage. Dad had a few moves, but he is no krump dancer. The daughter is going to Vegas.

Shanshan Qiao-Rothlisberger, age 25, Albuquerque, NM

Performing a Mongolian dance called Ding Wan Wu. It was quite beautiful and I think she should go through to choreography and that is where the judges send her. After the choreography round, the judges send her to Vegas.

Nico Greetham, age 18, Woodbridge, VA

He danced a very unique contemporary dance that incorporated these cool staccato, locking-type movements timed perfectly with the music. He is going to Vegas.

Elyse Frelinger, age 23, Los Angeles, CA

She performed a contemporary dance that resembled her day job as a trapeze instructor at the Santa Monica Pier. It was fluid and unique. She gets a ticket to Vegas.

Day 2

Jenna Johnson, Age 18, Provo, Utah

She looks like Megan Fox’s cousin. Her cha-cha partner is 17 years of age and cannot try out…this year. They hold 4 national titles so I am expecting great things. They were good. I know in some years they have had more contemporary dancers than ballroom so I was sure Mary Murphy was thrilled to see all them. Without further comment from the judges, Jenna gets a ticket to Vegas.

Novien Yarber, age 21, Huntsville, Alabama

He is NOT a hip hop dancer just because he is black (he wants us to be clear on that). This boy is full of technique, strength and creativity. Triple threat. Was it perfect? No. But I would love to see the choreographers get their hands on him in the top 20. He runs down for his ticket to Vegas.

Isabel Freiberger, age 26, Chapel Hill, NC

This woman can do the salsa! I wanted her partner to try out, too, but he was not. I liked this better than the cha-cha of the other contestant. The judges send her to choreography just to see if she can do other things. She does not get a ticket to Vegas.

Caleb Brauner, age 20, Blue Springs, MO

I lived in Blue Springs for 3 months. I went to the high school there, too, for those few months of my freshman year. He does a little of everything. He had a lot of comedy in his routine but the dance had a story that was not abstract or difficult to interpret. I loved it. Nigel asked his dad to come up on stage and do hip-hop with Caleb. His father is just as much fun as Caleb is. Of course he is going to Vegas?

Larry Booze, age 29, Macon, GA

My ankles hurt watching him move. The flexibility and fluidity of his movement was magic. The three judges send him on to choreography. My ankles hurt watching him move. At choreography he does the gentlemanly thing and withdraws to give his choreography partner a better shot of making it. M

Jasmine Harper, age 19, Lawrenceville, GA

Cyrus’ ex???? Girlfriend. For a minute I thought we were going to find out Cyrus had a secret ex-wife. She is among my favorite female contemporary dancers we have seen thus far in the auditions. After tormenting her for a moment, they give her a ticket to Vegas.  My sister used to live in Lawrenceville for many years.

Paige Pellicano, age 19, Detroit, Michigan

Her dad is an Elvis impersonator. She is rolling too much around the ground for me, but she is a beautiful young lady. They send her to choreography but not to Vegas.

Next week: So You Think You Can Dance Vegas Hell Week!


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So You Think You Can Dance S10 Detroit Auditions

22 05 2013

SYTYCDLogoThe judges at the Detroit auditions were Stephen “tWitch” Boss, Nigel Lythgoe, and Mary Murphy.

Jade Zuberi, Dearborn Heights, age 21

I think he is our Cyrus for this year. The muscle isolation involved in his movement is one of the new wonders of the world. The judges gave him a standing ovation. He is going to Vegas.

Amy Yakima, Northville, MI, age 19

After inviting her father up on stage it is clear who wears the dance shoes in this family–Amy. She reminds me a little bit of winner Melanie Moore with the passion and emotions that she channels through her dance steps. She is lost in her dance, and I was lost with her in that dance. I got goosebumps. She received a standing ovation from the judges. She is obviously through to Vegas.

Morgan “Mo” Williams, Chicago, age 22

I did not feel that his level of dance was up to par with what we have grown to expect from people on the show. He has had some training, but he has a long way to still grow. Nigel wants to see him in choreography but Mary overrules him with a ticket to Vegas.

Will “Sysko” Green, Detroit, MI, age 27

Sysko specializes in a local dance called the Detroit Jit. I have never seen that type of dance before. It was like a smash up of jitterbug meets b-boy. It was entertaining, but did look unpolished during some moments. I bet you he goes to choreography. Mary goes on stage to get a hip-roll dance from him. Okay–that will get him to Vegas! Nope! They all send him to choreography. Ultimately he is sent home because he tried to freestyle during his partnering dance and put his partner in danger.

To show people that you never stop learning as a dancer, tWitch treated us to a popping, locking hip hop that we so adore in him. He was a little Pac-Man with the music that was playing that reminded me of the game! I’d like to be the ghosts chasing after all that yummy goodness. Yes, I said it. I think I have added something to my Bucket List.

In his self-described style called “panic”, Garrett Frye, age 26, from Bowling Green, Ohio, showed that he has some flexibility and rhythm–he should think about getting some professional lessons. It is a “no” to the competition, but it sure did make me smile.

Tyrone Cobham, Jr.,  Toledo, Ohio, age 18

This is the first tapper they have shown us during the auditions do far. He has some very complicated, impressive moves. The judges are all standing. Nigel and Mary say that he really had the best performance in all 10 seasons. VEGAS BABY!

The best part of tonight’s show was the grandmother doing gangham style with her granddaughter after she was given a ticket to Vegas. The judges came up on stage and joined in.

Last up was a group of young men doing exotic dancing for a living. The first young man, Darryl “Smilez” Harrell has a terrific sense of humor. He has some great talent and threw some krumping into the mix. They let the rest of the group audition including DeFonte “Prince Charming” Thomas. His dancing was so different and bizarre. It looked like his head belonged on another body. It was fascinating. These two were staying for choreography. Smilez had trouble learning the dance and partnering but Prince Charming gave it his best try. It was not perfect but he is going to Vegas.

Next: LA Auditions Day 2


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