Get ready!! Anyone in particular you’re looking forward to??
The stakes have never been higher.
The Duels continue SUNDAY 8/7c on @NBC. ???????? pic.twitter.com/C0ml7uykaq
— World of Dance (@NBCWorldofDance) March 21, 2019
I'm a nerd and proud of it. Two degrees in geology also means I love BEER. :-) I'm also a Derek lover - proud of that too. So don't scream at those of us on this site and call us a bunch of "biased Derek-lovers" - it's just ME. :-) It may sound like I hate DWTS at times, but really, I'm just a snarky nitpicker from way back. And I'm cynical and jaded too. But I do love DWTS. :-)
So, now we know the standings for the Upper Division. It includes:
| The Upper Division – Advancing to The Cut | |
| All Ready | 92.3 |
| Poppin John | 91.3 |
| Jonathan Y Jorge | 90.7 |
| Derion & Madison | 90 |
| D’Angelo Brothers | 89.7 |
| Briar Nolet | Redemption |
Here’s a little reminder of who our competitors are. I’m including the full performances from either the qualifiers or the Duels, depending on what my favorite was. 🙂 It’s all about me. First, All Ready – I adored their Qualifiers performance. So different, so upbeat, so unique. I love the fusion of ballroom/latin/hip hop. Just wonderful. Read more..
I'm a nerd and proud of it. Two degrees in geology also means I love BEER. :-) I'm also a Derek lover - proud of that too. So don't scream at those of us on this site and call us a bunch of "biased Derek-lovers" - it's just ME. :-) It may sound like I hate DWTS at times, but really, I'm just a snarky nitpicker from way back. And I'm cynical and jaded too. But I do love DWTS. :-)
Dang, the duels are usually crushing and this week was no exception. The Upper Division went head to head and a bunch of them went home. 🙁 Question is, did you agree with the judges or did someone get seriously robbed of their rightful spot in The Cut?? Here’s a reminder of the losers (and the Winners):
| The Upper Division – Who Was Eliminated? | |||
| Loser | Score | Winner | Score |
| Briar Nolet | 90.3 | All Ready | 92.3 |
| DD Flection | 89 | Poppin’ John | 91.3 |
| Denise & Josh | 90 | Jonathan Y Jorge | 90.7 |
| Derek Piquette | 89.3 | Derion & Madison | 90 |
| EzTwins | 87.3 | D’Angelo Brothers | 89.7 |
| Briar Nolet | Redemption | ||
This was an interesting grouping in that, when they are separated into winners and losers, I don’t have any real disagreement with the results. At all. Very rare. I was annoyed by the EzTwins – mainly because their attitude cost them a slot. By contrast, the D’Angelo Brothers upbeat and happy attitudes won me over easily. But surely there are some folks out there pissed that their favorite didn’t make the cut. Let’s take a look at the losing dances – stay tuned for tomorrow, when I post all the winners and ask you to vote on your top 3. 🙂 Read more..
I'm a nerd and proud of it. Two degrees in geology also means I love BEER. :-) I'm also a Derek lover - proud of that too. So don't scream at those of us on this site and call us a bunch of "biased Derek-lovers" - it's just ME. :-) It may sound like I hate DWTS at times, but really, I'm just a snarky nitpicker from way back. And I'm cynical and jaded too. But I do love DWTS. :-)
Part 2!! Saw lots of outrage on twitter last night, so I’m anxious to see what that’s all about and if I’m in agreement or not with said outrage. I left off when we were a little more than one hour into last night’s show…
The next duel is contemporary dancers Derion and Madison, who were picked by Derek Piquette. Clearly, since he’s third on the leader board, this isn’t playing out in order it was taped…which means he’s not totally aware of how all other pickers were eliminated by the pick-ees. 🙂
I like the respect the two competitors show each other. That’s what I would like to see all the time. Wow…Derion and Madison are off to a crazy good start. And I love an upbeat contemporary…rough transition there in the middle. Perfectly in sync though.
Jennifer says it looked even more difficult and asked who picked who. Jennifer says she’s never seen some of their stuff before, which is high praise – I agree. Derek says he saw the preparation for that one big move – agree with that as well. That’s what I called the rough transition. Ne-Yo liked the tribal grit and, as a nod to last week, said it didn’t need a narrative. Jennifer’s nit pick (her words) was that they need to remember that a routine has to go somewhere.
Derek is doing your typical angsty contemporary, with all the standard moves – although done with exceptional artistry and flexibility. He’s incredibly strong and flexible – that’s what I notice more than any faux emotion.
Jennifer thought it was really strong with good emotion (bah). Derek Hough says that in a duel in that situation he commends him for it. Derek H. says the emotional part wasn’t there for him (agreed). Derek H. also gets annoyed with Ne-yo for his comments about copying the move.
A word about that before the scores: IF Ne-Yo had made the comment that it was “copying” the way I saw many people portray it on twitter, I would have said he was full of crap and that Derek was right…and I think Derek H. thought that was where Ne-Yo was going which is why he objected. Fact is, you can’t copyright a “move” – there are only so many available moves in dance and I commend someone when I see something new (like Derion and Madison). There is no copying – there is more to dance than just moves: it’s how you put the moves together with other moves and how you attach them to the music, how you perform them etc. BUT, that’s not what Ne-Yo was saying – he was saying that Michael Dameski did the same move….and performed it better. That’s a whole different story – if, for example, two different dancers do a jive you’re going to see many of the same moves from each couple. There is a syllabus after all. You can’t yell at one couple for copying the moves – because there’s a syllabus. 🙂 But you CAN say that one couple performed the moves better than the other. Anyway…
Derek Piquette: 89.3
Derion & Madison: 90 – they move on to the Cut.
Derek and Jennifer reassure Derek P. not to give up, there is still redemption.
DD Flection gets the bump, due to Derek’s score. Shocking.
Last two performances left are All Ready and Briar Nolet, both of whom had scores in the upper 80’s.
This is a tough one – I really liked both in the Qualifier round. I’m leaning toward All Ready due to their ballroom background.
All Ready is up first. They’re calling out Briar. Awesome start, definitely going the hip hop route this time…and just as I say that they go into a latin ballroom section which is excellent. Derek seems excited by it. 🙂
Derek loves them. Jennifer says she really enjoyed the routine, calls them cheeky and great performers. Derek loves their charisma, and it brings joy to the room. Jennifer says they’re funny and strong. Derek’s nit pick is on the latin elements (he would know) and tells them not to do pivots next time. 🙂 Ne-Yo doesn’t like the song choice, but their routine made the song better.
Briar Nolet is up. And instantly I understand the gymnastics comments I saw on twitter. I don’t consider it a compliment. While Briar was very good, I vastly preferred All Ready.
Derek calls it an Olympic floor routine, very strong. Jennifer says it was super impressive and asks about the story…and then gets all emotional. Jennifer, come on. Derek is the same, he felt it. He felt the power of her intension. Ne-Yo says it was incredible, win, lose or draw – he says it wasn’t a duel piece, but a show piece. Agreed.
Briar Nolet: 90.3
All Ready: 92.3
All Ready moves to The Cut, and Briar Nolet knocks Derek Piquette out of the Redemption Round. I feel bad for Derek, I do…but I think the right people are in the Redemption round. Maybe. 🙂
Redemption Round is Briar Nolet versus Denise & Josh. Derek the competitor is nervous. 🙂 He’s been there. Denise & Josh go first. Pretty good routine. Now with the same music, Briar is up. I suspect Briar won that one and I wouldn’t disagree with that…even though I originally preferred Denise & Josh.
Denise & Josh or Briar Nolet??? Judges do a simple majority vote to decide that Briar Nolet wins the redemption round. Yeah, I think that was the stronger performance.
I'm a nerd and proud of it. Two degrees in geology also means I love BEER. :-) I'm also a Derek lover - proud of that too. So don't scream at those of us on this site and call us a bunch of "biased Derek-lovers" - it's just ME. :-) It may sound like I hate DWTS at times, but really, I'm just a snarky nitpicker from way back. And I'm cynical and jaded too. But I do love DWTS. :-)
Sorry I’m late, folks. Had a dinner that I went to tonight. So, you’ll have to settle for a not-live recap as I watch the show. It’s time for the duels…a part of the show that is almost always guaranteed to piss me off. 🙂
So looking at my spreadsheet, it seems there were only four acts that we didn’t actually see on the show this season – a major improvement over previous seasons. Might even be three because I feel like I missed one of the quick looks from week 2.
We’re going with the upper division first and the EzTwins play it safe and go for the D’Angelo Brothers who are at the bottom of the leader board. Cop out.
The D’Angelo brothers are going hard core, breaking noses and fingers. I’m rooting for them…I think the twins copped out.
Eztwins going first. They did a great job, I just can’t root for them and their attitude. They giving a BS answer to the judges, saying they were inspired. Ne-Yo calls it exactly right. YES JENNIFER!! She didn’t like that they tried to burn the tappers with simple tap. Derek says there wasn’t a wow moment. These guys may win, but it won’t be in walk.
D’Angelo Brothers up next. The seems like a very difficult routine and the judges seemed into it. Ne-Yo is happy they took his notes. Jennifer got goodies. She really loved it.
Twins: 87.3
Brothers: 89.7
Hahahahaha…so much for tappers not making it past the duels. Jennifer gave them a low 83 – and I think that was a hoisting them on their own petard for being arrogant. She commented on it on their comments.
Next up is Denise and Josh who chose Jonathan Y Jorge. I guess we’re not going in order. Jonathan is right – I don’t know why Denise and Josh picked them – it’s an odd choice, contemporary versus salsa.
J&J are going first. Started slow before busting out the Salsa. Crazy lifts. OMG…I loved the snap at the end. LOL. They really killed it. Stepped up from last time.
Derek is very impressed, but he thinks there needs to be a bit more refinement. Ne-Yo seems to agree. These guys do crack me up. Jennifer is very impressed with them today, they cleaned it up a lot.
Denise & Josh up next!! I’m not really feeling these two tonight. They don’t give me the same excitement as the other two. Derek doesn’t think it’s duel worthy – agreed. Jennifer disagrees, but she’s biased toward faux emotion. I wasn’t big it. Ne-Yo says it was beautiful and it had a narrative, but he isn’t sure it was duel worthy either. Jennifer is too easy, IMO.
J&J: 90.7
Denise & Josh: 90
J&J are going through. Denise & Josh are at the top of the losers. Entwines need to hold their breaths.
DD Flection chose Poppin’ John – their idol. Umkay. The number two in the division went to the bottom of the leader board. I don’t like it. I understand it, but I don’t like it. They do seem to idolize him, and are not denigrating him, so that makes it easier to take.
DD Flection is going first. They are very unusual, their routine is very odd and unusual for contemporary…which is why I like them. 🙂
Ne-Yo loved the bit where he was holding her by her feet. Jennifer says it was very interesting – that’s what I would say too. Derek says he didn’t connect to it emotionally like he would have liked to. I can’t disagree with that either. While very interesting and cool, it didn’t have that emotional element. But then, most contemporary falls short in that area for me.
Poppin’ John is up next!! While I really respect his style and his routine, it’s seems to low energy, low key for me. the judges seemed to love it. Jennifer says he was talking throughout the routine. Derek doesn’t speak popping’. Jennifer loved the musicality, Ne-Yo loved the isolations, but after a while he felt he was freestylin’. Derek says it was solid, every move was intentional.
DD Flection: 89
Poppin’ John: 91.3
Can’t say I agree with that outcome at all. I wonder if they’re trying to load the redemption round, because they can easily keep everything else below DD Flections 89, thereby keeping both the popper they liked and the champion contemporary duo.
Okay, that’s it for me tonight. I’ll be back tomorrow with part 2.
I'm a nerd and proud of it. Two degrees in geology also means I love BEER. :-) I'm also a Derek lover - proud of that too. So don't scream at those of us on this site and call us a bunch of "biased Derek-lovers" - it's just ME. :-) It may sound like I hate DWTS at times, but really, I'm just a snarky nitpicker from way back. And I'm cynical and jaded too. But I do love DWTS. :-)
This video explains it all, but basically the two highest scorers (from each division??) who lost their duel, have a chance to stay in the competition. Apparently they will compete against each other for an extra spot!! Excellent!
I'm a nerd and proud of it. Two degrees in geology also means I love BEER. :-) I'm also a Derek lover - proud of that too. So don't scream at those of us on this site and call us a bunch of "biased Derek-lovers" - it's just ME. :-) It may sound like I hate DWTS at times, but really, I'm just a snarky nitpicker from way back. And I'm cynical and jaded too. But I do love DWTS. :-)
Wow, we’re into week three already, and the qualifiers apparently end tonight. Interestingly, there are relatively few of the acts listed that haven’t made it though with the new, “tougher” qualifiers score of 85. The talent is incredible, but I don’t know that it’s that much better than last season. I guess we’ll see tonight if they have even more to offer!! I do appreciate that they’ve gone to two hours, which means there are fewer acts that just get hosed on screen time. 🙂
MKAM appears to be up first, they’re a large high school team from California. That green hair with the purple jackets is eye catching. WTF with the commercial ALREADY??? Without even seeing a dance?? Perhaps we should cut some of the recap from last week and the teasing for tonight because that was ridiculous.
Anyway…wow, this team is tight, and you can do a lot with all those people, including throwing each other around. That was really good – it might have been edited though because it seemed short.
Ne-Yo thought it lost steam towards the end? Nah. JLo seems to love them, says they were so clean. Ne-Yo says the choreography might be too simple – that I might agree with. He does add that because there’s so many of them that it makes them look more intricate. Derek says it was fire, and mathematical – oddly I know what he means. 🙂
Scores: 88, 89, 92 for an average of 89.7 – through to the duels easily.
Love the judges playing with each other tonight. 🙂
Denise and Josh are contemporary dancers from Canada – and Denise is studying. Girl. 🙂
Anyway, they choreographed their own stuff – that impresses me more than some of the acts. Anyway, they are in the Upper Division, I believe. And her we go…
Most of you who know me know I’m burnt out on contemporary dancing – but I really loved that routine. It wasn’t TOO clean and it had emotion – so many of them are empty feeling. Agreeing with Derek’s comment’s wholeheartedly. And a cute bit with Jlo there. 🙂 Ne-Yo summed it up – rehearsed emotion versus real emotion – theirs was real. Jennifer loves it as well.
Scores: 90, 91, 92 (Ne-Yo, Derek, Jennifer) for an average of 91!!
The Main Guys are from Oslo, Norway – and they’re not the stereotype. 🙂 But first we see Invictus – a young ballroom couple – miss the mark with 82. Then we see a very colorful group The Rookies (an Upper Team) get told they’re too elementary. They also don’t make it through.
Back to the Main Guys. 🙂 This is kinda crazy looking…boneless. Loving it. Great sync. Love the choreo and they have a bit of a story through line, to me.
Derek says they crushed it. Love their outfits as well – the jewel tone jackets/sweaters. Derek talking about their precision movements. Ne-Yo imitating Derek is hilarious. Ne-Yo says they are more than just hip hop, JLo agrees and calls them swaggy.
Scores: 89, 89, 91 for an average of 89.7. I think these guys might be one of my favorites. Very cool.
Oh yay, Zack is back!! Zack and Ashley. 🙂 And the little flamenco girl joined Kosmic Edge – she was SO awesome last season. KE up first. They’re having some sync issues right off the bat. And their transitions aren’t great. I was not impressed with that routine.
Ne-Yo points out the flamenco soloist – he was not pleased with the whole team. JLo says it wasn’t intricate enough, didn’t have he seasoning of a group that’s been together for a while
They only score an 83, so they are out. Sad to say I saw that one coming.
Zack and Ashley are back with Unity LA – I really liked them together. Note: They’ve both danced with Derek on tour before. Zack is a particular favorite of mine. So cute. THAT WAS FANTASTIC!! They might be might be my favorites. I don’t even know what to say!! It wasn’t true contemporary, it wasn’t hip hop, it was cool, edgy different. Excellent.
Jennifer loved it and said the musicality was great, an amazing performance. Ne-Yo says they were clean and sharp with no beats. Derek says he’s dying to talk, says the routine was everything and more, it was so dynamic and so artistic. They are a force to be reckoned with.
Scores: 95, 94, 97 (Derek, Jennifer Ne-Yo) for an average of 95.3. YAY!! My new favorites!! Ne-Yo standing up and clapping is a fairly rare thing… 🙂
Love the all girl team swooning over the all boy team. How Cute. The girl team is from a very small town in Oklahoma. The boys are Battle Droids Crew from Belgium – and they think American girls are amazing. But they’re here to win. 🙂 But first in a very confusing jump cut, we see Str8jackets – who JLo criticizes. And they don’t make it through.
Battle Droids Crew is up for real this time and they are very excited. 🙂 And they actually drop someone right in the opening moment. Can they redeem themselves? they aren’t very sharp after that. Not sure why one guy is in white. Is he a mad scientist? They definitely pick it up toward the end, and Derek loves the no hands head spin.
Jennifer says there were a couple things that were really good. But she thinks they have a bit of work to do. Derek is feeling that they didn’t nail the move. Derek has them show us how it was supposed to go. Ne-Yo appreciated that they kept going.
Scores: 85, 87, 89 for an average of 87 – they just made it and the girls are happy. 🙂
The girls, “Intention,” are up next. A junior team from Oklahoma. After all that showmance I hope they make it.
Wow, super cool opening moves. This is bizarro contemporary and it’s great. Wow, I really loved that. Hope the judges did.
Jennifer says it was subtle and touching, loved the roll offs in the beginning. Derek says they’re likable, the routine was perfectly together. Ne-Yo says it was crystal clear and it was very in sync.
Scores: 87, 88, 88 for an average of 87.7…and the boys are happy. 🙂
Nice little aside from Derek, to set up Derek Piquette, the guy who needs a double hip replacement. He’s a Cirque dancer!! Derek, you’ll still be able to dance, you’ll just have to do it differently. He’s only 21 – that extreme flexibility may go, but there are other forms of dance, dude, don’t give up.
In the meantime, a ballet couple don’t make it through, didn’t catch their names. So now it’s his turn.
Back to Derek P. – he’s an extraordinary contemporary dancers, but the moves don’t seem new or different. It’s contemporary. He does seem authentic though.
Derek the judge says it was stunning and effortless, he made it look simple. Derek asks him why WoD and he explains that he has to have a double hip replacement. Ne-yo loved it all but the very end. 🙂 Jennifer tells him to push the creativity.
Scores: 90, 91, 93 for an average of 91.3. And he’s on to the duels.
I do love seeing all the dancers get along so well. Whoa, tappers who are goooood.
Mia and Audrey are up next – a Krump duo!! Wow, really good!! It’s more fascinating because they don’t look like a Krump duo. Great sync, hitting it hard.
Derek loves it, Jennifer says they look like the Disney channel. Ne-Yo needs more intensity. they get an 86.3, so they will be on to the next round. the editing doesn’t bode well for them though.
House of Tap are up next…I don’t think these two are who I profiled early on!! Two young girls, awesome. They were rivals, and now they’re partners.
They have a bit of contemporary movement in the opening seconds before they go into hard core tap. They slow it down a bit toward the end. Don’t know how that’s going to fly.
Ne-Yo loves the personality and sync – but his problem with tap is that there’s too much music. I would agree. He says it’s quality work though. Derek agrees with him, but he says they are very strong tap duo. Jennifer agrees and says they have a stylized upper body – yep.
Scores: 86, 86, 85 for an average of 85.7 – so they make it through. I do wonder if they will listen to the critiques??
DD Flection won WoD Thailand so I expect them to do well here. They are an upper, contemporary duo. Wow, very good. Great opening bars. Great tricks too! That was very good. I loved that.
Ne-Yo loved it, asked where they are from. Derek now says there’s an expectation, but he loves the partnership, the fluidity, the chemistry. Derek wants to see even more the next round. Ne-yo talking AGAIN – how many turns does he need? Jennifer says it was a very difficult routine, but they made it look easy.
Scores: 90, 91, 95 (Ne-yo, Derek, Jennifer) for an average of 92. Excellent.
Ah, they showed one of Derek’s routine from his tour – one of the best. Yum. He started dancing to be part of a team.
And we have more male teams flirting with the female teams. Style and Grace is an all hip hop team from Vancouver. Love their outfits. Break for Siudy Flamenco a female team – they get good comments, but the editing is not a good sign. They make it through, but I don’t think they’ll beat the duels.
Next up is Apprentice – also edited – all female group. They don’t quite make it through. That leads back to Style and Grace – an upper team, by the way. Still love the outfits. 🙂
They have a fall in the opening but beyond that they are quite awesome. They need to bring up the intensity. They are recovering nicely though from their mistake. I ended up really liking that in spite of the fall. Ne-yo likes that they kept going. Jennifer raves – she thinks they have potential. Ne-Yo talking AGAIN…dude, please. He wants more intensity. Derek felt a bit of nerves in the performance.
Scores: 85, 83, 87 for an average of 85 – they just make it. I hope they step it up for the next round. Derek was the low score, surprisingly.
Radiance is a girl team from California…I think they are an Upper Team. Love the outfits – harem pants?? Not sure. This is their first performance as a team?? Not a good sign, I don’t think.
Wow…that was really lovely. I enjoyed it very much. Ne-Yo loves the name, wants to know the narrative. They have their own stories. Jennifer loves the large group of strong women. She wants to know what the lift is about, wants the story. Derek respects that they told her that. Jennifer is confusing story with audience impact – I think Derek is more right than Jennifer. I think Jennifer is flat wrong, actually. Ne-yo always talks twice. Why?
Did Jennifer just diss ballroom??? Beyotch. Who is the trained, champion dancer? That would be Derek.
Scores: 87, 87, 90 for an average of 88. Yay!! Good for them.
I'm a nerd and proud of it. Two degrees in geology also means I love BEER. :-) I'm also a Derek lover - proud of that too. So don't scream at those of us on this site and call us a bunch of "biased Derek-lovers" - it's just ME. :-) It may sound like I hate DWTS at times, but really, I'm just a snarky nitpicker from way back. And I'm cynical and jaded too. But I do love DWTS. :-)
The VPeepz actually debuted on WoD last night and made quite the impression! I loved them for many reasons, not the least of which was the excellent dancing and great story. Totally agreed with JLo and her comments regarding kids like them and the future. Their local media reported on their accomplishment last night:
The Philippines’ VPeepz junior dance crew showcased their amazing moves on NBC’s World of Dance (WOD) stage in the second part of the competition’s season premiere on March 3, Sunday (March 4 Manila Time).
The 13-member hip hop group from Manila went into the Qualifiers needing a score of 85 to get through to the next round of Duels. VPeepz received the following judge votes: 89 from NeYo, 89 from Jennifer Lopez, and 93 from Derek Hough.
With an average score of 90.3, VPeepz earned a spot to proceed to the next round of the competition.
To Derek Hough’s question as to why the team traveled all the way from the Philippines to America to join WOD, VPeepz said “I guess we just want to show the world that even though we’re all different, I can say that there’s really unity and diversity.
This same outlet, Good News Pilipinas, did some of the profiling work for me a while ago, when they wrote about their kids appearing on the show:
VPeepz achievements include:
-defended Regional and National title at the Hip-Hop International Philippines two times since 2016
-awarded the Philippines’ state recognition for the prestigious Ani ng Dangal (Harvest of Honors) for three straight years
-becoming a household name in the Philippines dance community
-setting the standards for excellence for junior teams in the countryVPeepz Profile:
Hometown: Manila, Philippines
Members: 13
Ages: 12-17
Style: Hip-Hop
Division: Junior Team
Social: @vpeepzofficial / @charles.leppard / @darloemman / @jaye.felicity / @gerardnicolas / @heartuy88.official / @jeloamorin / @julian_ville / @mendoza_liam / @coolmicolitz / @penelope.reeve / @og_sean26 / @sophiaamercado_
Here is there excellent routine from last night!
I think this might be more awesome than what they did last night…
I'm a nerd and proud of it. Two degrees in geology also means I love BEER. :-) I'm also a Derek lover - proud of that too. So don't scream at those of us on this site and call us a bunch of "biased Derek-lovers" - it's just ME. :-) It may sound like I hate DWTS at times, but really, I'm just a snarky nitpicker from way back. And I'm cynical and jaded too. But I do love DWTS. :-)
Week 2, coming up!! Just a few more minutes.
Qualifiers part 2, right now!!
Kayla Mak, contemporary ballet is up first tonight. Thank god – something other than hip hop or contemporary.
The start was much more contemporary, but she transitioned into ballet. Beautiful dance. Gorgeous.
Derek loves it, as does Ne-yo. Derek says it felt fresh. JLo raves but says she needs a bit more musicality.
Scores: 87, 92, 92 (Jennifer, Ne-Yo, Derek) for an average of 90.3 – on to the duels for her.
Fuego Dance crew is up next, but first they will flirt with all the girl groups. 🙂 They do look like a boy band. I think this is an Upper Team, judging by their look. Lots of screaming in the audience.
That was pretty damn good. Very tight, very in sync. Derek loves them, says they were very clear and clean. Ne-Yo digging it as well. Jennifer says that is so hard to do, and it was very arrogant. Ne-Yo says the arrogance worked.
Scores: 92, 94, 95 (NeYo, Derek, Jennifer) for an average of 93.7 and they’re going to the duels. Not sure how they’ll hold up against teams with bigger tricks, but they were so clean.
By the way, Derek’s jacket is rather cool. Has some interesting detail. And he’s intuitive. 😉
I see ballroom people!! Yay!! But first, Motiv Crew preforms and judging by the editing they aren’t long for this world. Of dance. 🙂 They make it through this round with an 85.7 but I don’t think they will make it through the does. JDC – same story. Big group of girls heavily edited. 87.3, so they all so make it. but not for long. Ballroom kids Ethan and anastasia – same thing. Except they don’t make it through. They are very young though.
That whole segment seemed to be about Aydin Eyikn’s reaction to them. He’s 15 and he either has a great story or is a great dancer because this whole segment is really about him. He’s very contemporary. He’s very good, but I don’t know what different he brings, except perhaps he’s dancing like someone ten years older. Great pirouette.
Derek says his technical foundation is supreme. Jlo agrees and says he has an x factor. Derek talking about his musicality, match the crescendo to the moves. Ne-Yo says he is an amazing dancer regardless of age.
Scores: 89, 87, 89 for an average of 88.3 – and on to the duels.
Female duo “All Ready” from South Korea up next, doing a latin and street dance fusion. I’m guessing they’re upper, since one of them is a mom, but I could be wrong. Love their outfits!
I profiled these ladies a week or two ago, they are actually amazing latin dancers. This definitely shows a more playful side to their dancing. I’m loving it.
Jennifer think there’s something cool about their fusion. Ne-Yo obsessed with the wardrobe, but points out they don’t want to be jack of all trades, master of none. I’ve seen their videos, and they are solid latin dancers. Derek is loving them. I love these girls.
Scores: 85, 89, 90 for an average of 88 – has anyone else noticed that Derek is a bit tougher on anyone close to his speciality? I guess that makes sense.
The Exiles are up next, a hip hop crew from Coolidge Arizona. A Christian team – Upper team I think. But first we see another crew heavily edited team, Guest of Honor – who don’t make it. This is relevant because Exiles were bonding with them prior to their dancing. Exiles are setting up a studio to keep kids off the street – multipurpose studio, not just dance. They want the million for their studio.
Okay, I thought that was excellent. Clean, tight, sharp – might not have had some complicated moves, but it was cool. Telling Jennifer what they would do with the million – the want to finish their studio. Derek says they were shot out of a canon. Jennifer likes it also. Jennifer tells the lead guy to hold the center – Ne-Yo agrees, but says they had a conscious choreography. Derek liked it, but tells them to bring the wardrobe up a bit. He talks about making it the whole package, presentation.
Scores: 87, 88, 89 for an average of 88 – and they make it through!!
Briar Nolet is a contemporary dancer in the upper division – she’s up next. Her story is that she had a severe seizure – was having them every time she danced. She’s taking a risk. Epilepsy was the diagnosis and she’s figured out how to work through it.
She’s pretty amazing, but she comes close to gymnastics at times. Really amazing though. And he fact that she’s older I think helps her. Excellent job.
Jennifer says she has a real sensual quality that she loves, felt she fell short in the musicality a bit. Derek says she’s got stunning quality of movement, and he loves the construction of the routine, it was so good. Ne-yo likes that it was sensual without going over the top.
Scores: 88, 86, 88 for an average of 87.3!! Good for her. I thought she was better than that, but then I liked her better than I like most contemporary. She seemed different.
VPeepz up next from the Philippines! Love their outfits. Crap, we’re all crying. Okay, cool start!! I think they needed to be a bit more dynamic, but Derek clearly loved it. All in all, very good dance, but I hope they can hold up through the competition. Jennifer is getting all teary, about how kids like this are going to take care of our world, talking about unity and diversity. Jennifer wasn’t thinking that at her age (neither was I). Ne-Yo loves it as well and Jennifer can’t say enough. Seriously, she can’t say enough. 🙂
Scores: 89, 89, 93 for an average of 90.3 and they’re all crying. Me too. I loved them. They have heart.
Dancers are athletes, of course. How can anyone not see this??
Derion and Madison are up next. Derion says if you can name the move they can’t put it in their piece. I dig that. First though, we see that Movement Society just misses making it through. Derion and Madison are in the upper division and I guess it’s contemporary or hip hop. It’s very different. Very cool. It has a lot of personality. Very difficult moves. Excellent.
Ne-Yo says they are the epitome of Artistic Athlete. He’s seen a lot in them. Jennifer found it very interesting, very different. Derek talks improvisation directing their choreography.
Dang, Derek – I know you could do it!!
Scores: 89, 90, 92 for an average of 90.3 – very good but should have been higher.
Dancetown Divas up next – latin ballroom Junior team. And a whole bunch of dance moms. 🙂 In a new thing for this season, they start with Dancetown and then cut in another group who make it, but are heavily edit. Why?? This is some crap editing. Sorry, not sorry. Now back to Dancetown Divas. Oh wait, first Femp3 has to dance with no package. :::rolls eyes::: They don’t quite make it.
Dancetown Divas finally dance. Fast, tight, clean – loved them. Kinda like a latin ballroom Rockettes. Derek loves fringe pants. He says it was so fun and so much energy. I disagree with him about the cleanliness – but Jennifer agrees with Derek. Ne-Yo always says he gets so involved that he forgets to judge. It’s his thing.
Scores: 87, 87, 88 for an average of 87.3 and they’re on to the next round. The dance moms rejoice. 🙂
Tobias and the Eztwinz are next profiled and they’ve done a LOT of backing dancing for people like Arianna Grande. they’re upper Division and their costumes are cool. These guys are awesome, so clean, so cool. They had what looked like out of sync moments, but I don’t think they were, I think they were cool choices. Very good.
Ne-Yo loved it, says it was crystal clean. Jennifer says it was it’s own distinct style. Agree with Jennifer when she says that they were unique. Derek says the choreography was thoughtful and pleasing to the eye. Agreed. I don’t know if I can put it in words really.
Scores: 94, 92, 92 for an average of 92.7 – well done.
The Trilogy is up next – a contemporary trio. This poor kid lost both his sister and his father to this horrible sounding illness. Unbearable. They are dancing for him tonight. So sad.
That was some beautiful dancing, so many cool moves and tricks. Excellent.
Ne-Yo likes a trio because it has interesting transitions. His only critique is don’t show effort on your faces. Jennifer liked the configuration, some transitions were bumpy, she felt the emotion of it. She’s interested to see how much more they have. Derek says it was really creative, compelling. He talks about making it more polished.
Scores: 85, 87, 87 for an average of 86.3, so they make it through!!
I'm a nerd and proud of it. Two degrees in geology also means I love BEER. :-) I'm also a Derek lover - proud of that too. So don't scream at those of us on this site and call us a bunch of "biased Derek-lovers" - it's just ME. :-) It may sound like I hate DWTS at times, but really, I'm just a snarky nitpicker from way back. And I'm cynical and jaded too. But I do love DWTS. :-)
Thanks to Linz for finding me a couple more fun interviews with Derek and Ne-Yo.
I'm a nerd and proud of it. Two degrees in geology also means I love BEER. :-) I'm also a Derek lover - proud of that too. So don't scream at those of us on this site and call us a bunch of "biased Derek-lovers" - it's just ME. :-) It may sound like I hate DWTS at times, but really, I'm just a snarky nitpicker from way back. And I'm cynical and jaded too. But I do love DWTS. :-)