Episode 9: And the Choreographers are …?

The first thing we are shown is who went home the previous week – in this case, Destini and Ryan. Ryan wins points for telling everyone that America made the right choice in saving Jamile, because Jamile is his best friend. How did I not remember that Ryan is such a sweetie?

Everyone dances twice during the performance show, but they’ve cut the show down to an hour and they’re really tight on time. So there are no rehearsal packages this week, and each couple hears from the judges only after their second dance. I really don’t like this format. While the rehearsal packages can be tedious, they can also be lots of fun. This format also means we have no idea who the choreographer is, because apparently Lauren Sanchez doesn’t have time to announce it.

Dance-wise, however, this show is significantly stronger than previous episodes. It’s honestly the first time I’ve felt like I might be watching SYTYCD, as opposed to a really good amateur dance competition. There’s not much to say about each dance, however, so I’m just going to embed videos of my favorite three dances

Melody and Blake perform a lyrical dance:

Ashle and Artem do the foxtrot:

Nick and Kamilah perform contemporary (as opposed to lyrical? Make up your mind, producers!): 

The bottom two couples are Jamile and Melissa, and Ashle and Artem. A bit surprising, but there are only four couples so everyone had a 50% chance of being in the bottom.

Of the boys, Jamile’s solo is clearly superior. He has awesome isolations, and is a great performer. Artem’s solo suffers from ballroom-it is (i.e., no partner). Ashle’s solo is far better than Melissa’s. Ashle does some sort of African-contemporary hybrid that is freaking neat to watch; Melissa’s solo feels like it belongs on a dance team, and Melissa really needs more extension in her legs.

Where Are They Now?

Destini Rogers: 

Currently working as a choreographer and model.

Ryan Conferido: 

Part of Quest Crew, an extremely popular hip hop/b-boy group. Other SYTYCD alumni who have been members of Quest: Hok Konishi and Dominic Sandoval. Their website is http://questcrew.com/.