So you think you can dance all kicked off with an amazing sailor-themed group performance. The routine was clean and precise and the ladies made it as sexy as even. The energy of all the contestants was through the roof, even as the performers split into duos, smaller groups or performed solo, the precision remained and the individual talents were shown off. Being a larger group than last year, the opening performance was a great one; they worked well with and complimented one another.

Next for the live shows, contestants of the same or similar styles of dance took to the stage, the idea was to show everyone their strengths before they begin all the other dance styles they may not know or be as strong in next week.

First to show themselves off were, Shane, Luke, Bethany-Rose, and Katy performing a Jazz routine, vampire-style. To start it off the boys were lowered onto the stage, a good technique to enhance the routines theme. The strongest girl looked to be Bethany-Rose, she threw herself into that performance, put all her efforts into the routine and the vampire character, out of the boys and for the same reasons, it would have to be Luke. Judges thought Shane needed to let loose and just immerse himself in the routine. The routine was strong, went with the power of the song, however, more group choreography would have made the performance better. Throughout, it was mainly the girls dancing, when the boys were involved, they were just catching or lifting the girls, to have them actually dance choreography would have been better to show their abilities rather than their muscles.

From vampires to old people, next up were the break dancers and hip-hoppers Rithy, Lee, Isreal and Charlie performing to the classic Run-DMC’s ‘It’s like that.’ The mixture of tricks and the old school moves of hip-hop and break dancing worked well. Rithy being the only girl, kept up really well with the guys, she brought her own flare and kept it sexy, strong and full of attitude. The whole routine was amazing, comical yet powerful, the choreography was intricate and somewhat difficult to do as a group and remain in sync, but these four did it and they did it well. Charlie was told by Arlene to bring in some new tricks and Nigel is expecting the boys of this routine to have a lot more exciting moves for the rest of the show, ones they hadn’t seen before

Danielle, Stephanie, Katrina and Gian-Luca took to the stage changing the pace to a slower, more relaxing Contemporary performance. Three girls and one guy did not work well for the routine, it was too much for one man to do, it made the routine look slightly messy as he had to move between the three girls and lift them all, the routine did not flow as well as it could have if, it would have been better if there were two men. Again, this routine was less dancing mainly for Gian-Luca, it was more catching and lifting however he kept up and managed to sell the routine and really show his physical strength. Despite this, when the group danced together it was in sync and so beautiful to watch; the emotions and techniques were all there. It’ a shame there wasn’t more of that.

Dancing a Broadway routine were Lee, Tom, Matt, Charlotte and Paige. The star of the routine was a good use of the music, some parts were out of sync but then the two tappers Tom and Matt performed together and it was absolutely gorgeous to watch and left the judges wanting more of it. Both hit every step perfectly, it was probably the best part of the routine. However, it was a big focal point, and it was almost too much of them and not enough of the others. At one point, Lee performed solo, but it seemed quite pointless in the routine, it was not gripping and considering he was by himself, he could have done much more. As a group they performed very well, however, when they separated, Lee looked to be the odd one out in the routine; the girls performed together, and the other two boys were together then Lee was separate; even Nigel thought two separate routines should have been done in the performance, one with the tappers, then one with Lee and the girls rather than trying to throw it all together. Although it was not the best group formed, the personalities of each of them shone through.

The last group performance was another Contemporary routine by Kirsty, Alice and Ryan. The whole thing was very entertaining and funny but was not the best performance; the majority of the group choreography, considering there was not much of this, was out of sync which made it look messy and sloppy, you couldn’t even tell who was dancing at the wrong time. Louise and Sisco criticised the acting of the three dancers saying it took much of the focus away from the dancing, they over-sold their faces and expressions; it was too much. Overall it was a good routine but was not done as well as it should have been, as a group, especially since this is the Top 20 stage. Looking at each of them separately, they are all good dancers; hopefully each of their next performances will be better.

Boys vs. Girls

Performing to ‘This is a man’s world,’ the boys had to learn a contemporary routine by Sarah Boulter; it was aimed at showing the physicality; their bodies and their strength. They were stripped then faked tanned by the girls to make it look better. By far, the best performance of the night, the whole thing was just so well done, the spotlights moving from dancer to dancer, the song choice, the movements of the dancers; it was truly incredible. Some of the simplest of choreography was performed with so much passion and strength. All of their expressions just added to the feel of the performance and was just enthralling. Nigel referred to every aspect of the number; the lighting, cameras and choreography, as magic. A very manly, energy-filled, and powerful performance.

Following, were the girls performing a lyrical/jazz routine by Kevan Allen. The choreography was to tell a story of 10 birds emerging and transforming into sexy, vibrant women. Right from the beginning, as soon as the beat dropped, the attitude and power of the girls came out. They really attacked the dance, their personalities came out, and they kept it sexy, some bits girly, but really strong at the same time. The boys showed off their chests but the girls showed off their legs and received praise for how they used them from Arlene. However, the more intricate part of the routine involving more arm and hand choreography wasn’t in sync at one point making it look slightly messy but they cleaned it up well because the rest of the performance was brilliant. Sisco thought it was better than the boys’ performance saying the girls “killed it.”

Overall, what a way to start off the live shows; amazing performances, you got to see personalities and the strengths of the dancers, but the real test will be from here on out. The following weeks will really test the dancers, their abilities and their weaknesses will come out.

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