One of the great things about being a Canadian fan of So You Think You Can Dance is that I get to see the same choreography performed on both the Canadian and American versions of the show.
Last season American choreographers Tony Meredith and Melanie LaPatin put together a Paso Doble for SYTYCD Canada that was, I think, one of the best performances in the history of the franchise.
But when they tried the same choreography this week on the American show, it was nothing less than laughably bad. Both dancers were eliminated last night, and judge Debbie Allen tried to blame it on the Paso, a dance she says has been done to death.
Maybe I'm showing a national bias. But what do you think?
Here's the Canadian Paso
And here's the American one. (If you want to skip the rehearsal, fast forward to about minute 2:00.)
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Comments
I can't imagine any of this year's crop of American competitors matching Natalie and Francis in this number, but I think Kayla and Ade (or maybe Brandon and Janette) could at least have taken an admirable stab at it. Thinking back, though, I think any of the SYTYCD Canada dancers would have done this Paso more justice than was done this week.
There's no competition. Canada kicks ass here. So, that means you have SYTYCD paso doble dancing and Vancouver. You're catching up...
William, Welcome! I, and I'm sure I'm also speaking for Knightwriter when I say this, am really feeling the absence of SYTYCD fans on OS. We get a lot of views on our recaps, so we know there are fans out there. But if would be great if other regular readers could join in the discussion. It makes it so much more fun.
I love your interpretation of both dances. I don't know where to start with what was wrong with that Paso. Mostly just the lack of STRENGTH. Kupono just isn't strong enough to lift anyone, even Randi, who's tiny. He made her look clunky because he could lift her, or propel her in anyway. It just wasn't their dance. But it does go to show how really difficult ballroom can be.
And Debbie Allen can not speak at my funeral anymore. [Now flouncing off in my big skirt.]
I'm back. Hey KW. Don't forget Montreal.
Can you tell I'm a big fan of the show? :)
Susan and Sweet D. Mary and Nigel had the advantage of having seen it done in Canada. Mary was here for the finale where they danced it again. And Nigel is the creator of the show, so I'm sure he's seen it. Hope they sit Debbie down to watch it, because as a choreographer herself, she should be more careful.
On a side note. They're obviously trying some stuff up here first before they bring it to the American show. There was a lovely African Jazz routine done up here. I missed it on the American show (I made the mistake of thinking the show was over, and turned it off.) But keep an eye out for House, which is a really cool old school kind of Hip Hop. I bet you money they're going to do that soon.
And you have mounties. How I love the mounties. Oooh, and Ryan Reynolds. Thank you so much for him.
No you probably won't. But what do you want? I'm a Canadian girl raised on figureskating. I love the cheese.
And Douglas. Yes, I have to fill the void somehow. Especially in Montreal where there's no baseball.
But I will see about starting a fund for a rehabilitation camp. Or you could watch the last few weeks Stellaa. It's going to be awesome. These final dancers are really good.
But re: this week's shows, I will say "BollyWOW" and just die laughing all over again. That and "it's no longer a competition, it's a conversation."
Here is my Canada vs. US breakdown:
Yes, this particular piece was a trainwreck in its American incarnation. Which is saying a lot, since with the awful costumes they inflicted on Kupono and Randy, you'd have hoped we'd have just failed to notice the dancing. Kupono's ruffle along one might expect to induce sufficient bursts of blinding light to almost totally obscure the flaws in even an average performance. But ohhh no, they had to outdo themselves with the terrible on this routine.
However, in terms of the shows in general, I'll trade crappy camera work for having to listen to Jean Marc Genereux's weekly histrionics and unintentional sexual innuendos any day (what was his Hot Tamale Train, the hot rocket to the stars or something? Ick). Though when he shows up on the US show he is about 10 times more annoying, and he moves from unintentional sexual innuendo to flatly gross sexual acting out, so I will give Canada points for finding some mysterious way of restraining his creepy libido. Is it the cold, maybe? ;P
On the other hand, take Mary Murphy's screams, please, and in exchange Nico can come stay with us. Sound fair to you? kthx
On the other other hand, Nico made the show so boring whenever he wasn't on, because you knew who the shoe-in was practically from the get go.
So I'll call that a draw.
And finally, host Leah Miller was like a "Simon and the Chipmunks" version of Cat Deely with a Mean Girl twist. I felt like Q-Tipping my ears out every time she opened her mouth. There wasn't a single fantastic performance whose moment she didn't manage to shatter into little irritating pieces every time she jumped in (practically before the last bar of music faded away) with an inauthentic, screeching superlative. If there was ever a SYTYCD Canada drinking game, you would take 2 shots every time she called for a group hug and be well and truly wasted after 3 performances or less.
Oh, and Australia's show beats both of these hands down, in quality of choreography, dancing, and judging. God I miss Jason every time Nigel opens his mouth. (no national pride in my analysis, either, I have exactly zero ties to Australia)
I was hoping no one down there would notice Leah Miller, Officiating Chipmunk. Damn. But remember that you guys had to import glamazon Cat Deeley after, um, what was her name? the zombie who hosted Season 1. If we could afford to import any Briton as host, I'd vote for Ricky Gervais. Or better yet, Stephen Fry. Now THAT would be worth watching!
But Let's Dance????!!!!!! What WAS that. LMSO (laughing my skirt off)
And what are you saying, that Francis and Natalie wouldn't have been able to pull off the death spiral?
Hmm....I think you just didn't watch the Canadian season.
Low rent? Huh?
It's true that Nico's inarguable super hotness took some of the tension out of the competition. But what he took away, he gave back in just being the best all around performer I've seen so far in the franchise. He had chemistry with EVERY single woman on that show. He was a virtually laboratory of dance chemistry. It was crazy. And the girls were SO good. Compare Allie to Melissa, the way she made her ballet solos so original and quirky. The one point shoe, the Tam O'Shanter outfit. And Natalie....okay I'm going to let a bit Pierre Marc SOB now....but she was SO MUCH MORE than just a sexy latin dancer....And Arissay?!!!!!!!!! There isn't a single dancer on the American show that i think didn't deserve to be eliminate...okay maybe Max....But on the Canadian show, it seemed like every other week was an injustice. From the first week with Kevin, then that beautiful Romana (sp?) then Vincent (although Mia Michaels offered him a job on the spot, remember "I will be fighting my way the front of the line to hire you!", so it didn't seem quite as sad as usual.)
Haven't seen the Australian one. I only watched one clip, the finale, and the host seemed kind of old, and the final couple, a little on the pudgy side. But I'll try and keep an open mind if the chance to watch it again comes up.
And it's not youtube tint. A lot of the American fans have been complaining about the production values on the American show. Their lighting is consistently awful, and there's rarely any shadow work. I'm not saying that there isn't crappy production on some Canadian shows (although less and less). But not in this. As someone pointed out on the post I did, Canadian are world class at sports camerawork, and the U.S. networks routinely poach our crews.
As for lighting, editing, and camera work, Juliet has already proved beyond a doubt that the more northerly dance show is superior. Cat Deeley, however, is unsurpassed. I have dreams in which she's my BFF.