The 13th season of So You Think You Can Dance just ended earlier this past Monday. It was also the inaugural season of So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation, where the contestants are dancers from ages 8-13.
I remember when I first heard about how this past season was going to be for kids. I was very intrigued and pretty excited. I like to watch dance, no matter the age of the dancers, but there are a lot of talented child dancers out there besides the girls on Dance Moms. So I was glad these kids would have a chance to make a name for themselves and dance on TV without being in the negative environment of Dance Moms.
Once the season started in May, I was hooked from the start and thought The Next Generation was the best idea the SYTYCD producers have ever had. The kids are crazy talented and entertaining. They never failed to make me laugh or impress me. They made me fall in love with the show all over again. (I lost interest last year with the stage vs. street format attempt.)
Even though this was the first season of The Next Generation, it's definitely one of my faorite SYTYCD seasons ever, and I have quite a few favorite dances from it.
Sheaden and Marko - Hip-hop - Down in the DM
Reasons I love Sheaden and Marko's partnership:
1. They're both Filipino. (Pinoy pride!)
2. They have a close relationship and are like brothers.
3. They're both awesome dancers with great personalities that shine on stage.
This hip-hop from Sheaden and Marko is so entertaining! The choreography is fun. Sheaden and Marko nail the choreography. (Sheaden actually did it better than Marko, in my opinion, but I'm not surprised since Marko's main style isn't hip-hop.) But what puts it over the top is how well Sheaden performs it! His expressions are great and his personality is so evident in this.
Ruby and Paul - Samba
I became a fan of Ruby the second she auditioned. She showed so much talent, maturity, and personality in her audition, which she all maintained and even improved throughout the season.
Ruby's specialty is ballroom, and I do admit ballroom dances aren't as easily memorable. They don't stick out to me as much when I think back to all the dances I liked in a season. So I don't know what it was about this samba. I just really liked it. Ruby is so fierce and holds her own even when dancing with a partner who is nearly twice her age.
Emma and J.T. - Hip-hop
Emma is another dancer I liked from the start. She's such a fabulous tapper! Tap is such a difficult genre, and she excels at it at a relatively young age.
What impressed me with this dance actually wasn't the entire dance. I definitely agreed with Nigel's comments and think J.T. needs to improve with hip-hop. He did pretty well but wasn't great. I thought Emma, on the other hand, was great! She showed her versatility in hitting some harder moves and did very well with the facial expressions.
Overall, this was just a really fun and cute hip-hop by NappyTabs that allowed J.T. and Emma to step out of their comfort zones.
Tate and Kida - Hip-hop
NappyTabs hip-hop dances are my favorite! They always come up with fun and creative ideas.
I like to call this the "farmer hip-hop" since Kida and Tate are pretending to be farmers, and they completely sold me on that. Kida's style is hip-hop, but Tate is a contemporary and ballet-based dancer. Tate stepped up to Kida's level and showed she could be a hard-hitting hip-hop dancer. I had no doubts she would kill this, though.
They totally did it for the turnip.
Jake and Jenna - Cha cha - Ain't Your Mama
I wasn't a big fan of Jake or any of the male ballroom dancers from the start because none of them wowed me. But I slowly started liking Jake more and more once "The Academy" began and he asked Jenna if she had a boyfriend.
This kid is so confident and charismatic, and it makes his dancing even better. Not many pre-teens could pull off dancing with a woman who's a professional ballroom dancer, but Jake makes it look like a piece of cake. Jake interacts with Jenna so well, and it looks natural (probably because it is because he has a crush on her).
Ruby and Paul - Argentine Tango
Like I said before, ballroom is a hard genre for me to find favorite dances from, but this was a no brainer!
This Argentine Tango is like no other Argentine Tango I've seen before. Usually, Argentine Tangos are intense, passionate, and fiery, but this was nothing like that since it didn't fit with Ruby and Paul's relationship. This was a breath of fresh air. It was light and bright, and I loved the idea of Ruby being Paul's younger sister who the family tradition of Argentine Tango is being passed down to.
Ballroom dances usually have Ruby being sassy and fierce, but this let her be more natural, smiley, and bubbly, which is how Ruby really is. (She laughs all the time, and her laugh is the best.) So it was nice to see that in a dance.
Emma and Gaby - Tap - Salute
This is by far my favorite tap number that has ever been on SYTYCD. This screams girl power, and Emma and Gaby kill it! I love how the taps fit with the song and give the dance a military sort of vibe while still screaming girl power. Plus, there's an urban/hip-hop sort of edge to this tap dance, which usually isn't the case.
JT and Robert - Contemporary - The Mirror
I remember when this episode was on. I was out somewhere and missed this dance and was so upset because I heard so many good things about it. Travis Wall is a phenomenally amazing choreographer, and this dance shows that. The concept was so interesting, and I loved the execution. The end where Robert sees himself in the mirror was jaw-dropping and amazing.
In addition, I feel like this was the first time we saw that J.T. wasn't just a cute little kid. He could dig deep and pull off these great and serious emotions.
Tahani and Comfort - Lyrical Hip-hop
All of the hip-hop numbers from the hip-hop kids this season were good, but this is definitely one of (if not) the best. I also believe it was the only lyrical hip-hop of the season, and I love lyrical hip-hop.
This dance had such a great story, and Tahani and comfort did so well with it. We all knew Comfort could pull this dance off, emotions, choreography, and all. But Tahani, like J.T., showed she wasn't just a cute little hip-hopper. She found that emotion and portrayed it really well.
Tate and Kathryn - Contemporary - She Used to Be Mine
Like a few of the other dancers, I was a fan of Tate the second she auditioned. Yes, there are a lot of child dancers who excel at contemporary, but Tate has this maturity innate ability to take these dances to another level.
Yes, Tate has beautiful technique and has gorgeous legs (she does a leg thing in nearly all the dances), but what makes this dance spectacular is Tate's emotional execution. The topic of this dance was pretty heavy with Kathyrn playing her mother who's having some emotional problems, but 12-year-old Tate handled it like a pro. The part where Tate is supposed to be confronting Kathryn and basically yelling at her is such a powerful moment that defines the dance.
Jake and Jenna - Jive
Jake and Jenna are just a fantastic pair that work so well. They have a great connection that allows their dances to be the best they can possibly be, and Jake is just such a great performer!
This jive was really fun, and the story was cool as well. The choreographers did a great job coming up with dances that fir the ages of the contestants this season.
Ruby and Paul - Jive
Jives are always fun dances because of the upbeat rhythm in their nature. Once again, I loved seeing Ruby be so smiley.
Maddie and Travis - Contemporary
Maddie + Travis = perfection. What else is there to say?
Actually, I have a few more things to say: I'm glad Maddie left DM to pursue other opportunities because if it weren't for that, this dance wouldn't exist. Ever since she started doing the Sia videos, we've been able to see a raw, gritty side of Maddie that we never got to see when she was dancing for the ALDC.
Tate and Kathryn - Contemporary - Footprints
If you didn't know Tate was in charge of everything for this dance and how talented she is, you would have a hard time believing she did, because it does not look like a 13-year-old choreographed this.
The story, costumes, and choreography are great. By coming up with this dance, Tate showed she is mature and wise beyond her years.
Emma and Jenna - Contemporary
It doesn't even look like this was the first time Emma did a duet with Jenna. They connected well and really pulled off the mother-daughter relationship.
The story was a bit of a heavier topic for a pre-teen like Emma as Jenna played her adoptive mother who was finally going to tell her daughter she's adopted, but Emma did well with it.
Tate and Jonathan - Salsa
Are we sure Tate doesn't also specialize in ballroom like Ruby? Because this salsa would like to prove otherwise. She nailed the technique and showed the perfect amount of sass. Is there any style Tate can't do? Oh, and that no-hands lift turn was amazing!
Congrats to Kida for winning the inaugural The Next Generation version of SYTYCD. I really hope they come back with this format next year.
What dances did you most enjoy, and which dancers were your favorite?
No comments
Comments are moderated and must be approved before publication. Profanity, hate speech nor any offensive speech will be approved.
Words have power. Don't abuse them.