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So You Think You Can Dance: Final 4 Perform
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Brandon Bryant and Evan Kasprzak battle it out in Laurie Ann Gibson's piece (Photo: Fox)
As many have noted, this hasn’t been the most exciting season of So You Think You Can Dance – there was a certain je na sais quoi missing from most of the dancers this season that left it feeling a little so-so. Even so, as I sat down for the final performance episode of Season Five, I felt excited. Seeing these four dancers, no matter how je na sai quio-less, still provided the emotional sigh of relief I needed at the end of the season. At the end of the day, these are four dancers who have given us some beautiful moments of dancing throughout this season.
Throughout the night, there were interviews held with each of the four contestants, which hostess Cat Deeley used to try to get us into the minds of the four, a last ditch effort at discovering whatever personality we still haven’t realized was in there. Also, there seemed to be some attempt to address controversy, such as Brandon’s Mia Michaels situation, Jeanine’s Russian folk dance, or Evan’s overwhelming popularity.
The opening pop jazz group routine, choreographed by Wade and Amanda Robson, and involved football players and cheerleaders was strange concept, made even stranger by the fact that it was completely cheesy. It was as if they had forgotten that they had to choreograph this dance and threw it together at the last minute.
Then, it was Evan and Jeanine, who danced a jazz routine by Sonya Tayeh – it contained all the prototypical Sonya checklist: Torn up costumes? Check. Aggressive jetés and pirouettes across the stage? Check. Combat between two people striving for dominance? Check. Since Sonya is all about the fight, I’ve got to say that Jeanine kicked Evan’s butt, both as the character in the routine and as a dancer with intricate choreography. Nigel said as much when he lightly chided Evan for being the punching bag once again and I got the feeling that he didn’t just mean in the routine.
Speaking of this – I’ve been observing lately – and especially in this fifth season of the competition – that the show is now less about the dancers and more about the choreographers. Perhaps it’s always been this way, and maybe it’s the lack of “watch me, watch me!” superstars this season, but more than ever, I get the feeling that this is “So You Think You Can Win A Choreography Emmy Next Year” instead of about finding America’s favorite dancer.
This might be remedied just a bit by giving the dancers performing solos a few moments to talk about their choreography and the concept behind it. Maybe Kayla’s solos, which I’ve decried as being manic and disjointed throughout the season, has something deeper driving them that I just never realized. All four of the soloists, speaking of, did a fine with their solo choreography tonight, but none were so fun to watch as Jeanine, capturing the winking coyness of her Latin-based routine perfectly, clenching a rose between her teeth as she did. Her amazingly controlled pirouettes, as guest judge Adam Shankman noted, were ridiculous and, to me, were one of the highlights of the night. In fact, I think they may have just won Jeanine $250,000.
Brandon and Kayla danced a Tyce Diorio Broadway number to “Bye, Bye Love” from the musical All That Jazz. I’ve rolled my eyes at Tyce’s whiny and overwrought personality plenty (and the way he’s constantly watching to see when he’s on camera when sitting in the audience), but I enjoyed this last routine of the season (Tyce translation: last chance for an Emmy in 2010). Of course, this routine might’ve been a total clunker, had not Brandon and Kayla imbibed it with such heart-stopping energy and such precise technique – the amazing kick-into a 360 degree spin-kick combination was worth the price of admission alone, as were their nicely synced hopping pirouettes. The judges loved it just as much and couldn’t seem to figure out which performer they loved more. I, too, don’t know that either Kayla or Brandon stood out, just that both danced beautifully.
Laurie Ann Gibson choreographed a pop jazz routine for the two guys, about (surprise!) a competition of which boy would best the other with nastiness. If you’re thinking that Evan had no chance of portraying a hint of any kind of “dirrty,” you’re very right – Nigel called his face “choochey,” which was vaguely defined as one that must be pinched at regular intervals. But even beyond acting, Brandon just totally outdanced Evan – his moves were sharper, his kicks were higher, and his leaps were...leapier. This is despite the fact that I didn't quite buy Brandon as a "nasty boy," either.
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