Yeah, I think of flea watching pirated dances with the sound off in the library whenever I watch it muted! It really highlights bad feet and poor performance. For example, I thought the Night Shift performance was really awesome but without having the music backing it up it lost something the second time around.

Woes, people, I am currently working Wednesday nights until 9pm, and then it's half an hour to get home.

On the up side, Casper is now old enough to watch clips with me and have semi-sensible commentary. She still wants to be a ballerina despite having NO toe-point (but good turn-out! for ten!) and being on a growth curve to hit 6'1".

She still wants to be a ballerina despite having NO toe-point (but good turn-out! for ten!) and being on a growth curve to hit 6'1".

Has she taken ballet classes? Or any other dance? I wish I'd gotten to as a kid--I feel like as an adult, there's so many things I have a harder time learning, and/or will never look like someone who learned it as a kid...

Yeah, she's taken classes since 2nd grade/age 7, so 4 years now. Generally ballet, tap and jazz once a week - this year for a 2-hour class. It's not a pre-professional program (there are a couple in this city), just your basic for-fun dance studio, although her teacher is pretty good and less about big hair and booty shaking than some child dance teachers. They've done some barre work since 4th grade. Next year pre-pointe is an option (they assess based on age and foot bone maturity), and Casper thinks this is very cool.

My mom put me in dance when I was a little bitty thing. There was a lot that I loved about it and a lot that I hated about it, so much that I quit dancing at 15 and didn't really go back to it until college. I think the studio that you're in and the teachers' attitudes, the attitudes of the other families....all that makes such a huge difference. Dance should be fun and challenging not Dance Moms crazy. I hope it's that for Casper.

Also, the first time you put on pointe shoes is just one of the coolest things you'll ever do!

Realized who Brooklyn reminds me of -- in Flashdance, Jennifer Beals' ice skater friend.

I knew you would all want to know.

Just finally getting caught up. Yes to all the above.

Are the guys exceptionally short this year?

No DVR. Gah! I want to watch that opening Broadway number again and again and again. Die, Tasty Broadway, die! That's how you do it.

Rudy and Tanisha - Hot. I loved it. Loved loved it. I will have to say more later.

No DVR. Bah!

Oh, and Misty is so so great as a judge. Think of yourself as a tree trunk. Yes. That's perfect.

Ricky and Valerie - Ricky is everything. Everything. He is just so frikkin' gorgeous. Exquisite legs and feet. Such a strong partner. He's not a big man, but he is just so solid on every lift. He brought the best out of Valerie. I thought she was quite good in the piece, but she really just kind of disappeared next to him. I can't foresee a style where that doesn't happen. Hip hop, maybe? I am thinking Ricky might be a little bit of a Billy Bell style train wreck at hip hop. I like, but am not in love with, this partnership. The choreo from Peanut was much better this week, but I still felt it was a little bit too on the nose. He's kind of in a slump, no?

Ricky was born to do Travis Wall's choreography!

Ricky was born to do choreography!

Bridget and Emilio - Luther tried. Emilio tried. Bridget is...not a hip hop dancer. She's adorable and she really tried. When she was hitting her hip three times, it looked like she was trying to crack a walnut or something. The little hip didn't even move. That was, hmmmmmm. Ummm. Yeah, I wanted Twitch and Whitney and I got that. She better hope someone else is much much worse tonight or else she's going home next week. Emilio was holding back a lot and still hitting it a million times harder than her. Love the track. Luther should've put her in heels and let her Beyonce it rather than trying to have her do something harder.

Jessica and Nick - Awwww, Benji! Such a noodle. That seemed like a very tough routine and it was fun to watch but I'm not sure that will get fingers dialing, which is tough for Nick. Jessica was a trouper. That shoulder thing looked like it hurt. Nick still needs to give more to his partner. He still played a lot to the camera. As far as Jessica, just listen to Misty. She is wise in all things dance. Can we have her here every week? Also, these two are not a great partnership. No chemistry. I kinda blame Nick more for that than Jessica because he's so busy playing to the cameras that he isn't really involved with his partner.

Serge and Carly - Nice work again from Sonya. She is really bringing it this season. And these two have chemistry like "Whoa". Serge was really strong in this routine. Is he Ricky? Well, no. But he is extending and stretching through his feet and hands. He is a rock as a partner. Solid lifts. And he really was in this dance so deep. I believed he loved her. Carly...well, I wrote down that Serge's partner was Emily at first, so there you go. She's a perfectly pleasant dancer and some of the lines she hit were really lovely, but there's no there there. She's kind of a non-entity.

Teddy and Emily - Teddy is so cheesy all the time. He makes me tired. Before I can even get to the choreo, we must deal with the wardrobe. High waisted, skinny leg, leopard print capri pants and saddle shoes with a light blue bra and denim half shirt? Dammit. The wardrobe hos are back on that crack. I did like Dave Scott's choreo. It was clever. I think the judges maybe didn't give Emily enough credit. Yes, the ticking was not what it should've been, but for the vast majority of the dance, she was really down and grooving with the movement despite the fact that she was dressed like a crazy person and those pants made her look hippy as hell. As far as Teddy, y'all, I just don't like him. I don't buy him as a hip hop kid. Everything feels like a put on. It's like he learned hip hop from buying lessons off the back of a cereal box. It's like dance by rote memorization. There's no real feel to it. He never seems to be quite in the pocket. Just, nope. I won't remember this dance after the next commercial break.

Stanley and Malene - I just love Broadway when it's not Tasty. That was a fun number from Spencer. Misty nailed it again. Each of these two, on their own, were giving me beautiful lines and angles and painted some pretty pictures, but there was no chemistry or connection between these two. I don't think these two will ever work as a pair. She looks way too mature for him and this is the second week where his face pulling has gotten in the way of his connection with his partner. I don't know why he'd ever be calling her unless it were to ask if her son could come out and play with him. I got what Nigel was saying about the style not sitting quite right on either one of them, although I do think Malene inhabited it more than Stanley did. But I could've overlooked that if they had worked more as a partnership. I still adore Stanley, so I hope he hangs on next week and gets a better partner (should Malene go home tonight). If they both stay, I think they are sunk next week no matter what because it's a terrible pairing. Good routine, though.