The second episode of season 1 takes us to LA for the last two days of auditions. Most of the auditions are fairly typical SYTYCD fare, albeit towards the lower end of the spectrum. A surprising number of the top 16 come from LA, including Nick (season 1’s winner) and Melody (season 1’s runner up). Apparently they have been best friends since childhood, which makes their one-two finishes even more random.
Melody’s got this amazing quality of movement. The producers call it serene, and they’re right. She does the most amazingly controlled arabesque penchées (otherwise known as that split while standing on one leg) I’ve ever seen, and she makes it look effortless. I wouldn’t say either one delivers a memorable audition, but I definitely enjoyed watching them each dance.
Blake, on the other hand, isn’t nearly as good as I remember. He still has some great tumbling tricks, but his dancing is a little lacking for me. He seems to throw himself around the stage quite a lot, but there doesn’t seem to be any intention behind his movements. And his swayed back is driving me up a wall.
The best audition of season 1, in my opinion, actually comes from a b-boy who is cut during the choreography. His name is Richard Greenfield, he’s on the same crew as Ryan and Hok, and frankly I think his audition is much better than either of those two. I’ve felt like the b-boying’s been pretty stale for the last few years, but the b-boying in season 1 still feels fresh and unexpected. Watch Richie’s audition and tell me I’m wrong. Go on. I dare you.
Hi Amy,
ReplyDeletejust wanted to say that I REALLY like your rewatch blog so far!
First, I like the topic. I did a rewatch myself about a year ago since I had this feeling of S1 being rather different from what followed but still lots of fun - its true, and some of the "issues" with the show nowadays probably stem from it having been set up to be a slightly different show at first and then developed based "what worked". For example, its interesting to see that the first auditions weren't shy at all about "personality" and "looks" being essential to make the show - personality would sometimes win out over techincal prowess (big papa comes to mind) since entertainment value is what it comes down to in the end. Nowadays, the show get critiqued for getting rid of very able but rather boring dancers early on - it is inherently in the show's DNA but it doesn't fit with the new expectations the show created for itself.
Second, you write really well (I noticed even more when trying to explain myself above..;)).
Cheeers,
anna