The Final Four Perform
Thursday, August 07 2008 | Comments (0)
Our remaining dancers compete this week for THE TOP SPOT! It's Part 1 of the two-part Season 4 finale, and the last four dancers - Joshua Allen, Twitch Boss, Courtney Galiano and Katee Shean - perform.
Welcome to the last week of Season 4 on So You Think You Can Dance! Cat Deeley, wearing a beautifully shiny gold dress and five-inch gladiator looking heels, first welcomes the final four dancers out on the stage. She explains this week all of our remaining contestants will be dancing with everybody else - meaning Katee and Courtney and Twitch and Joshua will even get a chance to perform together. And then of course she welcomes this week's Judges! Mandy Moore is back again but this time as a guest judge joining our weekly regulars Mary Murphy and Nigel Lythgoe.
We get right into the show with Cat stating it's the most important night of the season, and the dancers are "itching to get out and perform". The first pair to dance together tonight are Courtney Galiano and Twitch Boss, performing a Tabitha and Napoleon D'Umo hip hop routine. This number is about a crazy, deranged girlfriend going out to a club to look for her boyfriend. Courtney really takes to this character and brings it to life. They dance to "Church" by T-Pain, which is the perfect song choice for this fast-paced routine. At one point during the performance, Twitch actually spins with Courtney's body balanced on his head. That was absolutely crazy! I thought it was great and the judges seemed to think so to, as they shower them with high praise.
Mandy Moore thought it was an awesome way to start the show! She felt Courtney had a little "Jersey" coming out of her tonight and Twitch was absolutely hilarious on stage. They were perfect together on this one! Mary agreed stating she really felt the crazy girlfriend coming out Courtney in this knock out number. She also said both dancers nailed it earning a fabulous Mary scream! Nigel says Twitch should be happy he's dancing with Courtney and not Mary (in regard to her loud screaming that is closer than ear shot for him every week) and then goes onto to say that is the one thing he won't miss after next week - ha-ha! He thought they both played their roles perfectly in this routine and they danced it perfectly as well! Great job and great opening to the season finale show!
Something new and different for tonight's finale - Cat Deeley sits down one on one and interviews each of our four remaining dancers. We see footage first of Courtney, showing just what a genuine and loveable person she really is. For me personally, I would love to see her win. She has all of the elements of what it takes to make a great dancer, and I feel out of the 4 remaining finalists, she's the one who's actually improved and stepped up her game the most for this competition. She is also the first up for the solo dances of the evening. She performs to the song "They Weren't There" by Missy Higgins. I've always been impressed with her choreography abilities, and this week is no exception. The judges comment as well about how much she has grown throughout this competition, what an inspiration she is to other girls who want to dance, and what a bright light and positive energy she's been every single week. This in turn moves Courtney to tears - Awww she is such a sweetheart!
The next couple dancing tonight is Katee Shean and Joshua Allen. At times I really feel these two were meant to dance together. They are teamed with choreographer Wade Robson to dance a lyrical routine. There are really no words to describe how talented this choreographer is. The song they dance to is "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room" by John Mayer, and it's so lovely and romantic, also almost a bit heartbreaking. But like always, the duo's chemistry is through the roof! And the judges absolutely agree! Mandy thought this was a beautiful routine and it's so nice to have Wade back. She felt their performance was very honest, and they were telling a story anyone could watch and relate to. Technically she would have liked to see more work through the legs and feet. Mary completely agrees. This number was absolutely beautiful. It’s magical when the two of them dance together. They’ve really made it through the fight. Nigel commented there were many remarkable things, but nothing more magical than Wade’s choreography. Everything “showbizy” was taken out and Katee danced it brilliantly. Joshua had uncontrolled control and is a brilliant dancer. They are two of the best dancers they’ve ever had on the show.
Now for something we've never seen before - Katee and Courtney dancing together for the first time as a duo. They perform a parasol-themed Broadway piece choreographed by Tyce Diorio. They are supposed to be two women trying to catch their train, dancing to "The Trolley Song" by Rufus Wainwright. I think the girls danced this piece beautifully. Their technique was great and jumps/tricks are impressive. I liked the use of the prop and I think they had very good – but not perfect – synchronicity. Mandy thought this piece was so cute. The girls looked adorable, and it reminded her of old Hollywood. Mary thought they had great chemistry, and they really pulled it off. They looked effortless. Nigel thought it was so lovely to see girls dancing as girls. Katee finished every move just that little bit further. Both danced it beautifully and they were both brilliant.
Now onto Twitch's one on one and solo! When Cat sits down with Twitch for his interview, he tells how he got his nickname "Twitch". It was because he danced everywhere he went, even when he wasn't supposed to. His solo is great and he's always so fun to watch. I really like how he's been trying so many new things in his solos. He did a great job and completely deserves to be here. Mandy feels like Twitch is like the little engine that could. He’s kept that sparkle in his eye throughout the competition. Mary says he's a freestyler that leaves her speechless. Nigel definitely feels Twitch has left his mark on this competition and he could watch his solos all night. Nigel also feels Twitch has got a humorous side that's so wonderful at what he does.
Our two guys dance together next. Twitch and Joshua introduce us to a new dance style, the Russian Typytych choreographed by Youri Nelzine and danced to the "Russian Dance" from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite. All I can say is WOW! This routine was great fun to watch. Joshua’s jumps and Twitch’s floor work were so impressive. They really play their characters to the hilt and have fun with each other. The amount of energy and the performance level of this piece left me extremely impressed. These two guys are great entertainers and it’s really fun to see the dancers have so much fun with each other on stage. Mandy said, "No offense to the girls, but there is nothing more spectacular that watching guys do crazy stuff on stage. This was really well done." Mary thought both of the guys were two fabulous entertainers; two tremendous fighters. She’s so excited and happy to have two hip-hop dancers in the finale, this week they were smokin’. They conveyed so much energy and power. She doesn’t know how they did it, but they get the ultimate Mary scream. Nigel said he was expecting them to be good at that; it’s Russian street dancing. Their performance will be spoken about for many years to come.
Our next soloist is Katee. Before we see her dance, Cat interviews her as well. We are reminded of Katee's controversial showing in Las Vegas, when she said that she wouldn't come back to audition next year if she didn't make it this year. Well I guess no one needs to worry about that now that she's made it so far in the competition. I love her song choice, "Hide and Seek" by Imogen Heap. It went so perfectly with her piece, which was filled with energy and passion. Mandy told Katee to keep dancing, and to continue working on her artistry. Mary says she’ll cherish so many of Katee’s numbers and she’s been tremendous throughout the competition. Nigel states Katee has been so many characters and every one of them has been brilliant. She always completes the task the choreographer has given her.
Twitch and Katee dance next and their routine is a Fox Trot choreographed by Tony Meredith and Melanie LaPatin. This style of dance is so difficult, but so fun to watch. They dance to "Feeling Good" by Michael Bublé and it's amazingly beautiful. For me this performance reinforces that America got it right in putting Twitch into the Top Four. Mandy thought their performance was very romantic and she loved the end. The lift was beautiful and so amazing. Mary thought Twitch looked snappy. The Fox trot is a gentleman’s dance and Twitch is one cool gentleman. It was nice and smooth and controlled. Twitch blew her away one more time and Katee got a bravo. Nigel thought Katee did a splendid job; she was wonderful to watch and did it beautifully. Twitch is a bit too British at the beginning but then he relaxes into the routine. They have spoiled the choreographers and are a delight to watch.
Josh has the final interview with Cat for the evening. Josh insists that he's not a crybaby, but Cat says that he's the biggest one on the show. How adorable! Josh's solo is danced to "(Not Just) Knee Deep" by Funkadelic, and he begins on the main stage and ended up dancing next to the judges. He hit his routine really hard but he didn't have as many tricks, maybe one jump or flip, but he's still great. Mandy states Joshua really knows how to hit and feels he has such charisma when he dances. She loves that he has the confidence to dance two inches from the judges. Mary put him on the hot tamale train the first week and he’s been riding first class all the way to the finals. She says he honestly deserves to be here and has got it all. Nigel felt Joshua set the standard for next season’s untrained dancers.
Joshua and Courtney finish the partner dances with a Jive routine choreographed by Jason Gilkison and to the music of "The Dirty Boogie" by the Brian Setzer Orchestra. It's a lovely '40s-style, but still with a modern flavor from their fabulous outfits. I think in this number they had good energy throughout and I was very impressed by their tricks. Mandy said "Holy Moly!" She felt their first trick was a magical moment for her. Mary said the Jive is one of the hardest and fastest Latin dances. Jason put some unbelievable tricks in the routine. What they had to do is so difficult and felt she had to bow down to both of them for bringing it on. Nigel feels Jason did a great job choreographing the piece, but there were a lot of things he was disappointed with. He felt it didn’t have the great feel the Jive should have, but overall they’re superb dancers.
The last performance of the evening was a group number with our final four dancing a Contemporary piece choreographed by Mia Michaels to "Hallelujah" by the Vitamin String Quartet. It's truly a great visual spectacle. Twitch and Katee seemed to be the stronger pairing as their assisted lift was phenomenal. The four of them weren’t dancing entirely synchronized and that bothered me a bit. Mandy states she’s a little at a loss for words. She felt as though she just watched something magical. It was a celebration, and everyone just witnessed something amazing and beautiful. They could have been a part of a dance company as they were dancing as a unit. Mary felt Mia didn’t hold back on the choreography and the dancers really pulled it off. Twitch was a standout for her. His lines, power, and assisted lift were incredible. Courtney was dropping off a little for her in this performance, but she felt Katee was flawless. She’s so proud of them all. Nigel feels they’ve got two untrained dancers in the guys, and they were so wonderful. They deserve to be here and he’s really pleased they are. Katee seemed determined to give up in the beginning but she never did. Courtney seemed lost at the beginning of the competition and now they are like two shining beacons. They all showed athleticism, and no one would complain about that performance.
Now, it's up to you America. Who did you vote for? Don't forget to come back tonight to watch the two-hour results show and find out which of these four dancers won.
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