hiatus

If anyone actually sees this post, I'll be surprised, but I just wanted to do the very least I could and explain why nothing has been happening over here for awhile. 

The Blonde Blogette is not gone.  She is just on a hiatus.  Lately life has been a bit too...life-y over the last year, so I haven't been able to keep up with anything current (I even missed Sean's season of the Bachelor this winter!  I KNOW!!!). 

When this blog does come back, it's gonna be big, blonde, and beautiful.  So keep me on your follow list if you're able.

Thanks, as always, for reading!  I hope to see you back here in the future!

Lisa ;)

SYTYCD rewind: top 6

Note from Lisa:  Well, you guys might have already cleared SYTYCD off your DVRs to make room for DWTS All Stars, but I am still catching up.  So thanks to Bonnie for keeping the Rewinds coming!  And thanks to YOU for coming here to see what she has to say about them!  Take it away, Bonnie!
 

The top 6 will perform and by the end of the show we’ll know our final 4!  Welcome… to So You Think You Can Dance!

The show opens with a Phantom of the Opera-esque routine choreographed by our very own Sonya Tayeh.

Just to recap, the remaining 6 dancers are:

Tiffany

Chehon

Witney

Cole

Eliana

Cyrus

Cat looks seasonal in a flesh-colored fitted sheath covered in orange and black sequin squares.  Very Halloween Couture.

Tonight we will lose 1 girl and 1 guy to reveal the final four for the finale.  The dancers will each be performing 3 times (1 solo, 1 dance with another contestant, and 1 dance with an all-star)  Not once, not twice, but 3 times a lady.  2 hours of dancing drama awaits us!

Our judges tonight are Nigel, Mary, and my personal favorite (perhaps tied with Jesse Tyler Ferguson) Miss Christina Applegate!! 

Dance 1 – Diner Swing

Dancers: Tiffany and All-Star Benji

Music: What I Like About You, Lilix

Firstly, I really wanted to be a part of this rehearsal.  2ndly, I really wanted to be a part of this dance. Lastly, I really want to be able to dance like that.  Great way to kick off the show – Standing-O from the Judges!! This dance had so much energy it was absolutely palpable!  Christina lets us in on a little snippet that her and Benji take dance classes together!  FUN FACT!

Solo: Witney Dances Paso

Dance 2 – Strength and Vulnerability

Dancers: Cole and All-Star Melanie

Music: Too Close, Alex Clare

 

Taking my feedback from last week’s show, this week Cole will be portraying a more kind character!  Thank you for reading this blog, SYTYCD.  This dance had a lot of lifts, mainly done by Melanie and Christina called it “beautifully androgynous.”  Mary loved the Choreography and Nigel felt Cole adapted well to a new style/character.

Solo: Chehon dances sensual futuristic ballet

Dance 3 – My Baby Just Wrote Me A Letter

Dancers: Eliana and All-Stare Twitch

Music: Please Mr. Postman (district 78 remix), The Marvelettes

 

This dance was a bundle of fun!  I think these two have great chemistry and really know how to bring characters to life. Nigel felt that Eliana relied too much on the characters and not enough on the dancing, saying “last time you had fun, we had to save you; and we can’t do that this week.”  Way to suck all the fun out of that dance, Nigel.

Solo: Tiffany dances contemporary

Dance 4 – Life in a suitcase

Dancers: Chehon and All-Star Katherine

Music: Eli, Eli, Sophie Milman

This was a great dance!  Great partnering, great choreography, great story! Standing-O from the judges!  These are the moments we wait for! This is why we watch this show, everyone!  Great, emotional dancing on National Television!  Thank you FOX! 

Solo: Cole dances Karate Fusion

Dance 5 – Cold Feet

Dancers: Witney and All-Star Marco

Music: No Nothing, Curtis and Reinhard feat. Blaire

Witney has again proved herself to be more than just a ballroom dancer! Mary and Nigel call Witney a star and appreciate her dedication to the movements.  Well done!

Solo: Eliana dances ballet

Dance 6 – Dub Step

Dancers: Cyrus and All-Star Comfort

Music: Cinema (Skrillex Remix), Benny Benassi feat. Gary Go

Standing-O from the Judges!! This dance was so well crafted for Cyrus, it was the perfect moment for him to shine! The choreography was so intricate and well crafted, and our dancers executed it beautifully!  American Loved Cyrus!

Dance 7 – Cha Cha Cha

Dancers: Witney and Chehon

Music: Where Have You Been, Rihanna

Given the conditions of rehearsals, I feared that the attention would be a bit imbalanced.  The dance proved to be a bit of a mess for Chehon.  Because the parterning lacked, Witney was unable to shine as much as she usually does.  Mary and Nigel were disappointed but Christina didn’t remember anything after the sexy deep pliet in the beginning… so it all works out.

Solo: Cyrus animates his face off

Dance 8 – Power and Anger

Dancers: Eliana and Cole

Music: Adagio For Strings, Brno Philharmonic Orchestra

 

This dance was in a sense so simple… yet was soooooo powerful!  I absolutely loved it!  Standing-O from the judges!!  Both dancers were completely brilliant!  I can’t say enough.  Mezmerizing. Wow!

Dance 9 – Naughty Children

Dancers: Tiffany and Cyrus

Music: Treat Me Rough, Debbie Gravitte

 

This was adorable.  Great choreography!  I could not keep my eyes off Tiffany.  Mary screamed this “THE CUTEST NUMBER EVER!!” calling the two cutie birds.

Guest Dancers – Oakland Access Dance Company

Based on the previous week's voting, the girl and guy leaving us tonight are:

Witney and Cole

Next time, we will recap our Top 4 performances!  You won’t want to miss it!

Keep on Dancing,

Honestly Bonnestly

SYTYCD rewind: top 8

The Season Finale is only two weeks away!  With the finish line in sight, the race to become America’s Favorite Dancer is really heating up!  Welcome to So You Think You Can Dance!!!

Just to recap, our top 8 dancers are:

Tiffany

Will

Lindsay

Chehon

Witney

Cole

Eliana

Cyrus

 The show opens with a spicy Asian Fusion routine choreographed by Peter Chu.

Cat looks extra sultry tonight in a striking black lace cocktail dress.  The v-neck is particularly flattering and her flowing golden tresses are just perfection. 

Tonight we will be losing one guy and one girl, knocking us down to a remaining six dancers!  Tonight’s Jigdges are Nigel, Mary, and Jesse Tyler Ferguson from ABC’s hit Modern Family!  He has been a great guest judge in the past and it’s great to have him back.  Again, once you’re in the SYTYCD fam, you’re in for life.  Again…how do I get in this family??!?!?

The dancers will be dancing one routine with an all-star and one solo.  I will forego a recap of each solo, as it is somewhat difficult to describe 60 seconds of dance without sounding repetitive!

Dance 1 – East Coast Hip-Hop, Getting Ratchet

Dancers: Witney and All-Star Twitch

Music: My Homies Still, Lil Wayne feat. Big Sean

Now…I live on the east coast, and I have heard nothing about said “ratchet” dancing.   But perchance it is my lack of underground dance club exposure…  Maybe after this routine I will be able to take a few moves to the streets.  Witney completely KILLED this dance.  It was SO stankey with a side of rank.  Mmmm mmm mmm – I wish there was a video of my face while I was watching that dance… because it looked like this…

--> The judges loved it! Nigel welcomed Luther Brown to the SYTYCD family (dang it) and Mary aired Luther’s biz that he is from Canada… maybe he’s not so street after all!  Jesse loved Witney’s diaper pants!  SUCCESS!

 

-->

Dance 2 – Sinister with no Soul

Dancers: Cole and All-Star Allison

Music: Possibly Maybe, Bjork

This dance, although powerful, was somewhat of a repeat performance for Cole.  I’ve seen him do this character before, and although he does it well, I would like to see more diversity from him.  JTF loved Soyna’s sidebraid and her sick choreography.  Mary and Nigel both loved the performance and gave both Allison and Cole lots of praise!  I am pretty sure Nigel has a crush on Allison.

Dance 3 – Quick Step

Dancers: Eliana and All-Star Ryan

Music: That Man, Caro Emerald

This dance frequently causes issues for SYTYCD contestants… but not Eliana!  She is just a star!  I think having her paired with Ryan was a real advantage, as his experience was a real plus.  This dance was charming and the wife-wanting- attention-from-her-business-man-husband  was too cute.  Mary, our ballroom expert, couldn’t say one bad thing about this dance.  JTF, quoting Mary, gave an enthusiastic “Holy Smokies, Lord Have Murphy!”  Nigel loved the technicality and used a lot of dance jargon to prove it.

Dance 4 – Sexual Tension (or lack thereof)

Dancers: Lindsay and All-Star Alex

Music: Somebody That I Used To Know, Gotye feat. Kimbra

First of all, I am so glad someone (especially Sonya) used this song!  I loved it!  I loved the musicality of this dance and how interpretive the movement was.  Nigel complemented the technique but didn’t feel the sexual tension.  His advice to Lindsay is to dance more like Allison (please note aforementioned crush). Mary and Jesse echoed the same thoughts as Nigel, feeling the dance was a "no" in the chemistry department but complimented the dancing. 

Dance 5 – Dance Away the Pain

Dancers: Will and All-Star Lauren

Music: Dance My Pain Away, Wye Oak

This dance was a great opportunity for Will to show his more serious side.  The opening section of this dance was absolutely beautiful!  Will opens the dance with a solo section and Lauren enters behind him and they dance in gorgeous synchronization, her almost a vision in his mind.  Loved it!! This dance didn’t have much partnering, but still remained really connected!  The judges loved Will’s emotional containment and complement the choreography!

Dance 6 – Strut Your Stuff

Dancers: Cyrus and All-Star Melanie

Music: Badder Badder Schwing, Freddy Fresh feat. Fatboy Slim

I LOVED all the fist work in this dance.  It was hysterical!  Cat makes a good point during her awkward commentary that the jazz hands are out and we’re on to fists!! Jesse makes an EXCELLENT point in saying how Cyrus is able to rise to the occasion of what he is asked dance-wise, but no one can do what he does!  Bravo, Cyrus!  

Two Cents from Lisa:  1) I was totally recalling the Austin Powers opening credits here...anyone else?  2) I think according to ABC's Happy Endings, this move is officially called the "Fosse fist." (See video below).  3) How much do we LOVE Melanie?!!  So glad to see her back as an All-Star. 

Dance 7 – Tango

Dancers: Chehon and All-Star Anya

Music: Breathing Below Surface, Jesse Cook

Standing-O from the judges!!  Cat got chills!  Mary screamed that this was her favorite routine of the night! Mary put Chehon on the Hot Tamale Train and Jesse put them on his Hot Jalapeno Bus.  WOOOHOOOOO!! Nigel LOVED the connection and finally got what he’s been wanting from all the couples all night.

Dance 8 – Cause I’m Your Lady!

Dancers: Tiffany and All-Star Ade

Music: The Power of Love, Celine Dion

As the music fades out of their junket (or video package in Hollywood-speak) you hear an outrageous uproarious laugh – which no doubt belongs to Cat.  Ha! Can I just also say how much I love me some Celine??!?  And cue the dance…  This dance had some great moments! The lifts in this piece were phenomenal!  The judges loved it – save for JTF who wants to leave so he doesn’t have to eliminate any dancers.

Based on last week’s votes, our bottom 2 girls:

Witney

Lindsay

And our bottom 2 guys:

Will

Cole

No solos tonight – just straight judging.  The dancers leaving are...

Lindsay and Will

Man – this is getting tough!  Tune is soon for our top 6 recap coming your way!

Yours In Dance,

Honestly Bonnestly