So You Think You Can Dance Recap and Rankigs: Top 6

My god I love So You Think You Can Dance. And I am officially ready to say that I am enjoying this season better than I did this past season of American Idol. Yeah, I said it.

The thing is, this show makes me feel something. When I am tearing up at a Mia Michaels routine, or picking my jaw up off the floor after a surprisingly dazzling ballroom number, the performances tap into something in me as a viewer. I guess that is the power of dance, the way it leaves things open to interpretation, without imposing words on the feelings being embodied before us. We can feel what we want to feel, what these very talented kids, who we come to know and root for, make us feel.

Cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesy! But so true!

Ok, back to the business at hand...tonight's Top 6. I mean!!!! They were so great, I really have no idea who is gonna win this thing. In fact, I'd say pretty much everyone except Lauren (who was spectacular tonight) has a legitimate shot at the crown. With that said, here are my rankings of the couples, followed by rankings of the solos.

1. Danny and Lauren - Contemporary (Mia Michaels)
Michaels has done it again. At this point I am clearly biased (see my post Mia Michaels is a Genius), but her choreography gets me every single time. And this time, she had two brilliant technical dancers interpreting her work, and they danced the hell out of this. The sheer beauty of their bodies was breathtaking. While I was glad to experience a dance that was about the thrills of falling in love (as opposed to the drama of losing love), I didn't quite buy the emotion from either one of them. They both still have work to do on becoming truly vulnerable, but overall the piece was magnificent.

2. Pasha and Lacey - Hip Hop (Dave)
Pasha is one funky Russian! He carried the heft of the actual dancing in this routine, and he was off the hook. I've been a fan of his from the start, and I'm not sure I've ever liked him as much as I did in this routine. Lacey had a deceptively difficult task, and she pulled it off -- and then some! Is there nothing this girl can't do? And how about her booty? I loved this routine start to finish.

3. Neil and Sabra - Jazz (Mandy Moore)
This was a fantastically clever routine that was extremely well executed by these two. The stakes felt high, and every intricate move was loaded with meaning. If I had one complaint it's that they did a little bit more dancing, but when they did break away from the table they were so exciting to watch I'm certainly not going to hold it against them.

4. Pasha and Lacey - Smooth Waltz
I always expect to hate the waltz, but when a couple dances it as beautifully as these two did tonight, I can't help but swoon. It was elegant, gorgeous, subtly sexy, with amazing lifts and lines. While it didn't quite live up to Anya and Danny's spellbinding Top 18 number, but it was just beautiful.

5. Neil and Sabra - Paso Doble
You can tell it was a good night of dancing because this was far better than a #5 performance. It had power, it had technique, and it had a final move that may be the best lift we've seen on the show this season. I felt it was a bit lacking in passion, and I didn't quite feel the chemistry between the two, but overall this was a very strong showing.

6. Danny and Lauren - Disco
I don't know what the judges are smoking, but I thought this performance kinda blew. And it wasn't Lauren's fault -- she looked amazing, like a disco princess, and she had pretty much the right energy for the number. Nope, it was Danny who brought it down for me -- he looked like a ballet dancer doing disco steps with a phony smile pasted on his face and no hop in his step. When Season 1 champ Nick Lazzarini danced disco, he was busting out of his pants. Danny -- not so much.

Click to continue reading Part 2: Solo and Overall Rankings