I think by the time you hit thirty, it must get more difficult. It seems like most professional ballet dancers (women, anyway) don't dance much past 35 or so.

I have no idea about other dancers, though I think like sports, your 30s is going to be when it all starts taking more of a toll on you.

Most female professional dancers are on the downside of their careers as performers by early to mid-30s. 34-35 is about the time they'd be thinking about hanging it up. they can choreograph or teach for much longer than that obviously. Guys can usually be lead performers (principals/soloists) for much longer. Early 40s.

In the real dance world, 18 would be young to be a soloist or a principal dancer in most companies. You'd probably just be in the corps. Most dancers, even if they have loads of talent, their work is just too immature at that age to carry an entire ballet or any of the pieces that most contemporary or modern companies do. I would guess that anywhere from about 24-28 is the sweet spot for female dancers in companies (ballet, modern, whatever). Some ladies mature earlier, 22-23, into gorgeous soloists. In companies, there's also usually a lot of dues paying that happens so even if you might be ready to solo at 20, you probably wouldn't get the chance. Again, for guys it varies, but I'd say that they are at their peak in their early 30s. Baryshnikov danced all of his really iconic roles with ABT in the late 70s/early 80s, so like 30, 31, 32. Of course this is just talking about ballet/modern and dancers in professional companies. It's probably different in other styles. For example, I don't know in competitive ballroom how old is too old vs. too young vs. just right. And hip hop as a codified style is still so new and the medium is not live theater but more likely videos that I don't know if the same general trends apply.

So basically, what I'm saying is I agree with Flea. 18 is too young to see what a dancer has really got - although you can certainly see promise and talent. I mean, it's amazing how much more . . . just everything Alex Wong is now and I frikkin' loved him on his season but now. Sweet fancy Moses, he is everything even more than before! Same goes for Mark. I loved him to pieces on his season, but now my love has just gone supernova. And yes some of that is experience, but a lot of it is also just maturing as dancers.

Ooh, Joshua! Yay!

Agreed on Melanie's curly-hair! So cute in rehearsal. I really liked about their number that the transitions in and out of the lifts looked antagonistic - which may have contributed to that missed connection, but when it was working was a nifty effect.

I would not have recognized that as a foxtrot if they hadn't told me. Blaming the choreography more than the dancing for that.

I suspect that without the backstory and the spoken word snippets or whatever that was I might have liked Tyce's dance, it had some beautiful moments. Too bad.

I could happily live the rest of my life never again seeing Tyce DiOrio make a smarmy face and emoting about his choreography. He SQUICKS me.

WORD Whee, Alex Wong! Man, he's just everything. He seems like a different person when he's not dancing, but still delightful.

I have no idea how Amy did in that. I guess she kept up okay? Which is impressive, right? But I'm just assuming because if she'd messed up too badly it would have distracted me.

Also, every single time I see him I think that they could do an all-stars version of SYTYCD and he would totally win.

I would watch the hell out of that with great joy.

You know, as Paul and Hayley started their dance, I was thinking that maybe I just don't like contemporary, but they won me over. Really nice.

I actually thought Mary said “Dance is just your pole.” Did she say that? That would have been awesome but I’m pretty sure that’s not what she said.

Ha! She said pulse. Mary totally did some research for that Tom Clancy quote, good for her!

Aaron punching the air over keeping his shoulders down was awesome! Love.

I kinda wished they had mixed the couples up for the non-All Star non-solo dances. I'd've liked to see how different combos might have worked out.

BB: Out horribling Aaryn. That's pretty impressive, Amanda.

I love how she thinks because she can't get evicted today, it doesn't matter what she does. Does she not remember how people win the show based on game play, even mean game play? But not if everyone hates you.

Seriously--I think people would vote for Aaryn over her at this point, which could be really embarrassing for CBS.

I've been feeling for a couple of weeks that Aaryn could take it all.

That was just a bizarre display.

I have the feeling she may go to the Jury house tonight, but if she doesn't, I think she might well win.

Holy shit, Rachel's ring is hideous.

This exit interview is one for the ages.