SYTYCD - Top 10

Just the basics, at least for now. This week's judges are Nigel, Jean-Marc, and Cicely & Olisa. And Cat looks fabulous.

Ivan and Martha
1) Hip-hop (Shane) to Cassie's "Me And You" - fun choreography; Ivan was really great, Martha just ok.
2) Smooth waltz (Michael Mead & Toni Redpath) to "Sandy's Song" by Dolly Parton - Very nice!! Definitely helped by Martha's flowy dress. Judges criticized technique a lot.

Allison and Ryan
1) Contemporary (Mia) - Allison said practice that this is the hardest routine she's ever done, and all the judges commented on the difficulty. It was very different, with a lot of held positions but also a lot of quick moves. They weren't together like they should've been.
2) Broadway (Tyce) to "Bye Bye Blackbird" (Liza) - Awesome, especially Allison, who looked like she stepped out of a number from Chicago! They had red outfits with white fedoras.

Dmitry and Donyelle
1) Lindy hop (Nick Williams & Kristin Sorci) to "Sing, Sing, Sing" from Swing Kids - much fun!! Donyelle set and met her goal of not looking bad next to Dmitry's "amazing"-ness. Cicely annoyed me by getting both of their names wrong ("Danielle" and "Demitrious")!
2) Samba (Mary - and Artem!) to Black Eyed Peas' "Hey Mama" - the practice footage was a riot, with Mary complaining that the guys kept speaking in Russian, and also very... visually pleasing. ;-) The performance sizzled as well and the judges liked it.

Heidi and Travis
1) Paso doble (Mary) to a piece from The Mask of Zorro - Had fun in practice. Heidi was supposed to be the cape and Travis the matador - they started with dramatice lighting as he held her (upside down) on his back; nice. Very good overall and the judges loved it.
2) Contemporary (Mia) to Celine's "Calling You" - Apart from the annoyance that this is basically a straight-up audition for Travis for the Celine show (which Mia choreographed), this was incredible. Strange - used a park bench as a prop - but I honestly got chills and teared up the first time I watched it. Travis was just amazing; perfectly communicated the choreography, and I was happy that he finally got the chance to do his specialty, as well as to be able to focus on helping someone else which I also think boosted his personal morale. Heidi struggled in practice but Mia admitted she was "creating as we go," so she didn't give her anything too challenging movement-wise, and she did great w/the acting. Even Nigel admitted he was "touched."

Nat and Benji- Jazz / hip-hop
1) Jazz (Tyce) to "Wonderful (India.Arie) - Excellent! Great to see Benji in such a different style (clothing-wise too, with loose shirt & pants), and they showed real chemistry.
2) Hip-hop (Shane) to "She's Freaky" (Pitbull) - Ooh! Very high-energy routine, and they both did great again, though Natalie was a bit better. They weren't together but the choreography was fast & I saw them watching each other at times (espec. Benji watching Nat) to try to synchronize, so it must've been difficult just to get the moves down individually. I really saw tonight that Natalie is an awesome dancer, possibly as good as Allison (it's hard to compare to Donyelle & Heidi since their styles are so different). Nigel called them on this and the audience boo'ed but both Benji & Natalie were like, "No, it's ok!" That was cute.

As for the solos, they were mostly what you'd expect...
1. Donyelle- Hip-hop, good.
2. Dmitry- ripped his shirt open at the end & Nigel laughed and laughed!
3. Ivan- Wore skate shoes. Nigel said it was a gimmick. Ok but nothing new.
4. Martha- just ok.
5. Heidi (Black Eyed Peas) - Great!! Judges loved it.
6. Travis- (Gavin deGraw's "Belief," stripped version) - again excellent, and Nigel finally gave him his due.
7. Natalie- Emotionally and technically excellent.
8. Benji (Wilson Pickett's "Lord of 1000 Dances") - Just awesome!! He started on the stairs & used that as a prop (as did Heidi). Incorporated several styles - spinning, rock, hip-hop, etc. - & played w/the audience. Judges loved.
9. Allison- Good, her usual.
10. Ryan- Good.

The injuries weren't really mentioned, though after her solo Cat asked Donyelle softly how her foot was and she said "ok." But I know Natalie was injured; after their hip-hop he had to help her up and get over to the judges! (He limped with her so it was less obvious.) Then he was doing lifts w/her during the end group freestyle. Which continue to show what a skilled and considerate partner (and nice guy) he is!!

I voted mostly for Benji, Travis, and Donyelle, but threw in a few for Heidi and Dmitry. I predict Ryan and Martha will be sent packing.