'So You Think You Can Dance' Recap - Top 6 Perform

I’m not gonna lie – I am feeling unusually emotional tonight. Between some personal stuff outside the realm of realm of this recap and the end of the summer, big changes are happening. We’re at the end of the season now with only two episodes left. How crazy is that? Didn’t this season just begin? Have I really been complaining about Jason Derulo for 13 episodes? How can Fall really be right around the corner? My melancholy wasn’t helped by that divinely mournful opening number. Damn, Mandy Moore sure knows how to choke me up.

Like I do each week, I will write a recap of each dance and give it a rating of zero to five stars. Because I rated each solo last week and broke down each contestant’s journey, I’m going to stay away from solos and just focus on duets. Feel free to comment below with your favorite/least favorite routine of the night.

--Duet with All Stars--

Gaby (Team Stage) & Marko (All Star), Jazz – * * * *
Gaby is perhaps this season’s most underrated dancer. She doesn’t have Jim’s sky-high technique or Virgil’s charisma or Jaja’s transformative acting skills. But she’s undoubtedly a brilliant dancer who could easily come back as an All Star. As a tapper, she’s been able to conquer just about every style thrown at her. This time, it’s a steampunk jazz routine with SYTYCD’s king of quirk Marko. It was a fun flirty routine that I just wish was a bit more fun and flirty. Gaby’s acting seemed a bit subdued and her connection with Marko was lacking, as if the two were dancing near each other rather than with each other. During the beginning of the live shows, I’d have given this a higher rating but the bar has been raised and the performing is just not quite up to par.

Jaja (Team Street) & Alex (All Star), Contemporary – * * * * *
I’m normally scared off by “issue” dances, that is pieces about breast cancer or spousal abuse or natural disasters. Instead of inspiring, they often lead me to eye rolling as the emotional heft of the weighty topics often overshadow the actual content, leaving numbers I want to like more than actually liking. But forget all that. Sad backstory or not, this is probably my favorite number of the season. That’s not a surprise as it feels somewhat like a spiritual sequel to ”Pearls,” my favorite number of last season about the relationship between a blind girl and her lover. Like that one, this routine features exquisite choreography, a gentle but strong emotionality and two brilliant performers. Yes, Alex is perhaps the best dancer to ever appear on SYTYCD but Jaja’s performance was nothing short of amazing. Strong and lyrical and vulnerable, the technique was top-notch as was the little acting moments sprinkled in between. Take the look of confusion in Jaja’s eyes as she walks away from Alex or the moment of pure bliss when they reunite. Just stunning.

Megz (Team Street) & Joshua (All Star), Hip-Hop – * * * ½
Megz is a good dancer, no doubt, but truthfully she’s skated through the last few weeks on charisma rather than skill. Tonight her lack of formal training showed in a somewhat basic hip-hop number that, to me, was neither here nor there. Stuck in between joyous and pained, I wasn’t sure exactly what the dancers were going for. While Megz did the steps competently, she didn’t inject much life into the proceeding either.

Jim (Team Stage) & Anya (All Star), Samba – * * * * ½
I love recapping SYTYCD and I think my level of armchair criticism is fairly advanced after watching this show for a very long time. But truth is, I haven’t been trained in dance, which means I just don’t have the authority to critique certain styles. I just don’t know that much about Samba. What I do know is that Jim looked surprisingly comfortable in this hip-swiveling style and that Anya, a ballroom dancing goddess, didn’t outshine the ballroom newbie. That’s a success in my book.

Virgil (Team Street) & Melanie (All Star), Contemporary – * * * * *
One of Melanie’s greatest strengths – and undoubtedly why she won the crown a few seasons back – is that she has a magnetic personality and a real talent for disappearing into roles. You forget individual steps, you forget technique and just witness a gorgeous, truthful piece of art; a character that expresses herself through dance rather than words. I mention this because Virgil has a similar talent. Across multiple styles he is able to tell stories with his body language. He told this story with grace and truth and beauty – there’s not a thing I can fault him on.

Hailee (Team Stage) & Robert (All Star), Jazz – * * * * ½
Thankfully, this jazz number wasn’t the kiss of death for Hailee. Digging deeply into a menacing, dark character Hailee shed her usual spark and perkiness in favor of something much darker. And it worked beautifully between Robert’s strong presence and Hailee’s sneaky, macabre sexuality. Sure, Paula was right about a few of Hailee’s less-than-stellar transitions, but it still proved a success nonetheless.

--Duet with Contestants—

Jim (Team Stage) & Gaby (Team Stage), Broadway – * * *
In last week’s recap I wrote about how, despite the fact that Jim is far and away the best dancer this season (his solo tonight was unbelievable), he lacks the charisma and acting chops that come so easily to most of his fellow contestants. In really strenuous or difficult routines, it’s less noticeable but in this sleepy, outdated number it shown as bright as Derulo’s bling. From the tired, uninspired choreography to the lack of charisma between the two, nothing much worked well. Gaby faired better than her partner, mastering the campy style and making the most out of the steps, but I’m worried for this pair.

Hailee (Team Stage) & Megz (Team Stage), Contemporary – * * * * *
I just said I disliked the previous routine because of its simplicity. But where the Broadway number was simple in a 1950s dinner theater kinda way, this was simple and simply gorgeous. Bathed in a beautiful sepia light, this tale of two sisters was danced magnificently. There were no big tricks; no death-defying leaps or crazy isolations. But the moment where the two embraced, and the way Hailee grasped Megz back, spoke louder than any acrobatics. Could I pick apart Megz technique which was undoubtedly rockier than Hailee? Sure, but why bother.

Jaja (Team Street) & Virgil (Team Street), Hip-Hop – * * * *
Unless we’re counting Mainstreet, USA as “street” this is the least street hip-hop routine I’ve ever seen. While Jaja and Virgil got to show off their large personalities and it was performed well, in a night of lyrical and important dances, this one felt like a kid’s party rather than a grand finale.

Top Four:
Jaja, Gaby, Virgil, Hailee

Who Should Have Gone Home:
Gaby & Megz

Who Actually Went Home:
Jim & Megz