SYTYCD Atlanta - Yes, No, Maybe
Oh So You Think You Can Dance auditions... how we love to hate you and hate to love you. There's a certain amount of trainwreck-watching-can't-look-away-ness. The great dancers are really great and the bad dancers are really really really, embarrassingly bad. Yet they had the courage to get up there in front of the world and do their thing so you have to give them some props. Some. We do wish a few of them had just stayed home. More after the jump.
Day One of Atlanta Auditions
Apparently the first day of auditions had a dearth of dancers paying attention to what their face and eyes were doing during their performance. One of the first girls stared off to the left of the judges the entire time she was dancing. Others simply failed to engage their smiles or were so nervous or self-absorbed that they couldn't connect with the audience or judges at all. It was just a bit zombie-riffic.
Fortunately, several of these were given a "maybe" and had a second chance at the end of the day as they tried to learn some choreography and perform in just an hour. That kind of exercise really sifts out the ones who only do their one routine.
The first day also featured an adorable pair of twins who had auditioned in SYTYCD Season 4 and impressed the judges this time with their growth and abilities. They performed as a pair and showed a gorgeous synchronicity in their exuberant display of physicality. It was so fun. But in the end they had to prove themselves in that end-of-day choreography session and one of them made it to Vegas while the other one didn't. Can you say tragic?
Day Two of Atlanta Auditions
A heart-breaker of a different kind "brought it" on the second day of auditions. Jessica Jensen performed a passionate, complicated solo with excellent technique made even more amazing by the fact that her left hand had been amputated during cancer treatments just a year and a half ago. The judges all had great compliments for her but seemed concerned about her ability to perform in a pair. So they sent her to the choreography test at the end. Sadly, it just didn't work out in that performance, though she was certainly not the worst one on the stage at that point. We'll miss seeing her attack the competition in Vegas. We think her life experience alone brings a depth to her dancing that others lacked. Loved her. We can't wait to see her auditioning again in a future season.
Overall General Thoughts
Thought #1:
It was really great to have Lil C. there to give thoughtful, insightful critiques to out of control hip-hop routines.
Thought #2:
It was really sad to see some people giving him some lip.
Thought #3:
We have the sneaking suspicion (confirmed actually) that the sob story at the end painted Scottdale, Georgia as being worse than it truly is. We don't doubt that the dancer they profiled had a tough time of it, but the TV-drama-amplifier was turned up to eleven. That cheapens his story in some ways. Oh well. His dancing was excellent and we're glad we'll see him again in Vegas.
Thought #4:
One hint for future dancers - don't do anything like show off your double-jointed shoulders and totally gross-out the judges. That's not going to get you a ticket to the next phase of auditions. Trust us. You want to amaze the judges, not shock and horrify them.