So You Think You Can Dance Archives

Here’s what everyone performed (um, weren’t the outfits completely atrocious?) on last night’s episode of So You Think You Can Dance with the Top 14 dancers – 

• Lil "C" and the Neph Squad performed a Krump routine that sucked out the wazoo.  What was that?!?!?!?
• Travis Wall and Martha Nichols danced Salsa.  Definitely not smooth enough.
• Musa Cooper and Natalie Fotopoulos performed a Disco routine that impressed an itty bit.
• Jessica Fernandez and Jaymz Tuaileva performed a Hip-Hop routine in some of the most awful outfits ever.
• Heidi Groskreutz and Ryan Rankine performed a Hip-Hop routine.  Heidi looked like Cheri O’Teri from my favorite SNL sketches, "The Spartans" cheerleaders also starring Will Ferrell. (They were cheerleader wannabes if that’s any indication.)
• Ashlee Nino and Dmitry Chaplin performed a contemporary dance that didn’t really entertain me.  Judge Dan was actually right in that you couldn’t really tell when Ashlee was supposed to be the doll and when she was supposed to be brought to life.
• Allison Holker and Ivan Koumaev performed the West Coast Swing with loads of character.
• Donyelle Jones and Benji Schwimmer performed another great dance, the Vietnamese Vienesse Waltz.

I keep switching teams but I can’t help it. Ivan Koumaev keeps impressing me with his dancing but more so with his personality.  Ivan and his partner Allison Holker play off each other really, really well… and it makes me laugh.  TEAM IVAN!  More video performances after the jump…

WHO’S GOING HOME? :: Definitely Ashlee.  Maybe Dmitry?

Here are your Top 16 So You Think You Can Dance finalists!  Pictured standing L-R: Ryan Rankine, Dmitry Chaplin, Musa Cooper, Allison Holker, Ben Susak, Natasha Bedingfield (she performed last night) Jaymz Tuaileva, Ashlee Nino, Martha Nichols, Donyelle Jones, Heidi Groskreutz, Aleksandra Wojda, and Natalie Fotopoulos. Kneeling L-R: Benji Schwimmer, Travis Wall, Ivan Koumaev, and Jessica Fernandez. Inset: Last season’s winner Nick Lazzarini and Travis Wall posted on Nick’s MySpace profile.

Bottom 3 pairs: Ben & Ashlee, Jaymz & Jessica, and Dmitry & Aleksandra.    Ben admitted he put in "zero preparation time" into his solo.  Jaymz’s nerves "got the best of him," leading him to fall off the stage at the end of his colo.  Dmitry’s open shirt solo screamed "Look at my pecs, I’m so hot" and rightfully so (watch the video below). Aleksandra Wojda and Ben Susak were given the boot last night, so that Dmitry and Ashlee are now paired together.  Watch the group performance video after the jump.  More pictures in the gallery!

TEAM TRAVIS!  TEAM DONYELLE!  GIT IN MAH BELLY, I JUST WANT TO GOBBLE YOU BOTH UP.  CHOMP. CHOMP. CHOMP. And I most recently joined… TEAM DMITRY!  Did anyone else catch the "Dmitry’s Hips Don’t Lie" sign that flashed for a split second? Fantastic. So here are some thoughts: Benji and Donyelle, as usual, rocked the house with their Pop Jazz routine (pictured above, video below).  Ivan showed a lot of potential this week and did his thang with the Argentine Tango (inset). Ben’s dancing… didn’t even resemble hip-hop.  Heidi surprised everybody and rocked the Cuban Rumba.  And Travis gave us our quote of the week: "People think I do hip-hop, but I do a fan kick."  I also added Travis and Martha’s Hip Hop dance after the jump.  Check out all of the couples’ screencaps in the gallery!

WHO’S GOING HOME?  My money’s on Aleksandra and Musa?  Ben?

So what happened this week on So You Think You Can Dance?  R&B/pop diva Rihanna performed her hit single "S.O.S."  Hokuto Konishi ("Hawk") and his Sick Step Crew showed up and performed a breakdancing routine.  Joy Spears and Jason Williams were eliminated during last night’s show.  (They should have sent Ryan Rankine home instead!) Above is Donyelle Jones and Benji Schwimmer performing their Cha Cha routine to Los Amigos Invisibles‘ "Cuchi Cuchi."   That video can be watched below.   Donyelle exudes confidence, power, and sexiness and that is exactly why she may be the one to beat in his competition.  I’m rooting for her! After the jump is a video of Martha Nichols and Travis Wall performing their Krumping routine to Ja Rule’s "Clap Back."  Many more pictures in the gallery!

Jessica Fernandez, Jaymz Tuaileva, Erin Ellis, Stanislav Savich, Allison Holker, and Ivan Koumaev (pictured left to right) were the bottom six contestants this week.  Stanislav Savich was the first guy and Erin Ellis was the first girl to get eliminated. Stanislav performed the best paso doble ever performed on the history of So You Think You Can Dance this week (albeit less than two seasons), so I’m not understanding!!!!!!!!  (Okay, I do realize Ivan’s fanbase is much larger than Stanislav’s but still!) And for some reason, Erin was the only girl I could remember personality-wise.  Ah well, c’est la vie!  Below is the group dance video compliments of Rickey.  More pictures in the gallery!

SEMI-UNRELATED NOTE :: In American Idol news, Idol winner
Ruben Studdard was awarded $2 million in his lawsuit against his ex-manager for misappropriating the singer’s money and credit cards.

Stanislav Savich really blew me away with his paso doble during last night’s So You Think You Can Dance .  His partner Erin Ellis… not so much but she held her own. And Ben Susak and Ashlee Nino… wow.  Just WOW.  It was awful!   I covered my eyes the entire performance.  X_X  And can I just say host Cat Deeley > > > > > > > > Lauren Sanchez (last year’s host).  Can I get an AMEN?  More pictures from last night’s performance in the gallery!  What were your thoughts on last night’s show?  Travis and Donyelle are still my favorites!

UPDATE :: Don’t forget Nelly Furtado and Timbaland will take the stage to perform the smash single "Promiscuous" from her new album "Loose" (in stores June 20) during tonight’s results show!

I love So You Think You Can Dance!!!!!!!!!!!!! Pictured top L-R :: Ryan Rankine, Jaymz Tuaileva, Jessica Fernandez, Joy Spears, Musa Cooper, Benji Schwimmer, Ashlee Nino, Stanislav Savich, Heidi Groskreutz, and Natalie Fotopoulos.  Center L-R :: Travis Wall and Martha Nichols.  Bottom L-R :: Aleksandra Wojda, Jason Williams, Donyelle Jones, Ivan Koumaev, Erin Ellis, Dmitry Chaplin, Allison Holker, and Ben Susak. The top 20 So You Think You Can Dance finalists compete for the first time tonight @ 9PM ET/PT on FOX.   Below you can watch SYTYCD contestant Ashlee Nino in a Jameson Whiskey commercial she was featured in awhile back.  Bigger pictures in the gallery!

Born and raised in Virginia Beach, VA, Travis Wall started dancing at the age of three at his mother’s studio, Denise Wall’s Dance Energy. The winner of numerous awards and titles, Travis was featured in a national Dr. Pepper commercial. In the revival of The Music Man on Broadway, Travis played Eddie Mason and understudied Winthrop. When he outgrew those roles he was invited back to play Barney Hix. He has appeared on The Rosie O’Donnell Show, The Tony Awards, The Today Show, MTV, and Access Hollywood. He is choreographing and teaching across the country, performing with Adrienne Canterna’s company, American Dance Artists, and touring with New York City Dance Alliance as a former two time title winner and main assistant.

Here’s a little more background on Travis Wall, one of my early favorites from this season of So You Think You Can Dance (view top 20 contestants). (Bottom right :: Travis busts a move on the Showstopper American Dance Championships Television Show.  Top right :: Travis, in the striped socks, dances in "Moving Still: A Life Performance.")  More videos of two other top twenty So You Think You Can Dance 2 contestants — Joy Spears and Donyelle Jones.  More pictures in the gallery!

VISIT :: Travis Wall’s MySpace