Season 11’s top 20 got down to business with a night of amazing routines, kicking off what looks to be a season full of promise.
Jason Derulo hung around this week not only to perform, but also joined Nigel Lythgoe and Mary Murphy at the judges’ table. This was not his first time judging, and he once again proved to be one of SYTYCD’s best celebrity judges (He comes from a tap background…and a pointe background…and a hip-hop background, if you take his word for it.) He not only understood the dancing itself, but also the emotional messages that the routines were portraying. More Jason Derulo, please, Fox. Less Paula Abdul.
Jason DeRulo took a break from judging to take the stage himself, to perform his new hit “Wiggle.” It’s the catchiest song out right now, and made for a great performance. Plus, there was a trampoline involved, which was deeply satisfying to everyone’s inner child. Snoop came out to do his thing in the middle, then strolled right back offstage. Inspired, host Cat Deeley did her best to wiggle her way through the show.
Top 20
The top 20 kicked off the show with a Sonya Tayeh jazz routine, full of style and character. They worked beautifully together, already seeming like a team, like a beautiful moving machine of arms and legs. They have chemistry, all of them, which means good things for next week, when the pairings are mixed up.
Serge Onik and Brooklyn Fullner
Serge and Brooklyn were the first pair to take the stage with a very steamy ballroom routine by Dmitri Chaplin. So steamy, in fact, that Serge was dripping with sweat before they even started dancing. It looks like he’s going to be a sweater this season, and it’s going to be disgustingly awesome. They both have great personalities, but the judges did come down on Brooklyn for playing too much to the audience, and not enough to her partner.
Emily James and Casey Askew
Emily and Casey are contemporary dancers, and were lucky enough to score the very first Travis Wall routine of the season. The routine, set to John Legend’s “All of Me,” was about the pushing and pulling and effort required to make a relationship work, and both Emily and Casey portrayed that beautifully in their dancing. Emily’s extensions were gorgeous, and young Casey proved himself to be a great partner.
Valerie Rockey and Zack Everhart
Valerie and Zack are the outstanding tap duo of the season, and they kicked off their first live appearance with an amazing Anthony Morigerato tap routine to Ed Sheeran’s “Sing.” And to up the ante a little bit, Valerie and Zack had to dance their way up and down some stairs, as if tapping wasn’t complicated enough to begin with. They are two of the most personable and likeable contestants, right off the bat.
Bridget Whitman and Stanley Glover
Bridget and Stanley danced a beautiful Bonnie Story contemporary routine, about a couple trying to make it work after a big argument, and they really conveyed the emotion in this routine. Stanley’s got crazy legs with a ridiculous elevation, and Bridget’s dancing had a light quality that made everything seem effortless.
Jacque Lewarne and Jourdan Epstein
Jacque and Jourdan are the season 11 ballerinas, and we were treated to a very rare pointe performance. The girls were decked out in their beautiful ballet finest, right down to the tiaras. They danced a routine to Swan Lake, but there were no scary black swans here. While the routine was lovely, viewers may not know what to make of a routine in a style they’re not used to, and Nigel had a few critiques that might stick in the audience’s mind.
Malene Ostergaard and Marquette Hill
Malene and Marquette took on a spicy Brazilian samba, which meant a lot of gyrating. The most exciting part of this routine was their Emerald City-tastic green outfits, but the dancing wasn’t bad either. The judges raved about Malene’s intensity from the get-go, and called Marquette a force to be reckoned with.
Carly Blaney and Rudy Abreu
Contemporary dancers Carly and Rudy were paired for a beautiful Stacey Tookey routine about slowing down and enjoying life. Both dancers looked beautiful, in thin flowing fabrics, which, with the help of a wind machine, set off their dancing beautifully. The judges felt Carly’s dancing was beautiful, and while Rudy is not the most technically perfect dancer in the competition, the judges are completely taken by his goofy personality and huge heart.
Emilio Dosal and Teddy Coffey
Emilio and Teddy are the lone hip-hoppers this season, and they represented with a cute Christopher Scott routine about blue collar workers breaking out on the clock (Reminiscent of Amy and Fik-shun’s bellhop routine from last season.) They had some props to deal with, in the form of a desk and a mop, which they incorporated to varied results. They’re very different style dancers, with Emilio’s dancing more compact and full of tricks, while Teddy is more gangly and loose.
Jessica Richins and Ricky Ubeda
Hope Sonya Tayeh’s got some space cleared on her Emmy shelf, because the routine she choreographed for Jessica and Ricky this week is sure to earn her another nomination. A gorgeous routine danced by season 11’s two best contemporary dancers, it was stunning and almost solemn, and danced in near-silence, as even the audience was too compelled to cheer their support. Nigel couldn’t stop praising it.
Tanisha Belnap and Nick Garcia
Ballroom dancers Tanisha Belnap and Nick Garcia closed out the night with a Louis Van Amstel cha cha, in which Nick got to live what has apparently always been a dream of his: being in the SYTYCD top 20 and holding a girl’s face. Dancing to “I’m a Freak” by Enrique Iglesias, Tanisha and Nick did not pull any punches, and even threw in a little kiss, which Nick certainly didn’t seem to hate.
The SYTYCD top 20 will dance again next Wednesday at 8 p.m. on Fox, only this time, with completely different partners.