Virgil/Hip Hop/i-Kendrick Lamar – Star quality. That’s what it looks like. I wasn’t even overly enthralled with the choreography, but I couldn’t take my eyes off him. And Virgil on the step doing the Kid n’ Play with his cousin? Everything.

Jim and Comfort/Hip Hop/Pharcyde and Phoenix/Hey Mama-David Guetta feat. Niki Minaj – So Jim does a lot of cheer team hip hop. It’s like hip hop by numbers. You can almost feel him counting “1-and-2-and” while he’s thinking, “Place this arm right here and then this leg, hop on the downbeat, now body roll and grab crotch 7-8.” And it is not pleasing to watch. He was really trying to bring it but it was not broughten. And there was so much armography in this routine. I didn’t enjoy it. I think the choreographers were trying to distract from the fact that Jim couldn’t master the style, but it just made the routine look super busy and over-stuffed. Even Comfort looked uncomfortable at times. And I just did the mini-rant about street style technique and training so I won’t go on a full on rant on the judges here, but I will say that to just say that hip hop or any other street style is just all about “being yourself” and “feeling the movement” is some bullshit. If Jim, or any other of the stage dancers, wants to get better at hip hop, he needs to get his butt in some classes. There, I said it.

Hailee/Contemporary/Vanguardian-Steed Lord – Lazy competition studio choreography. I felt like I was watching an episode of Dance Moms and she’s better than Abby Lee Dance Company style choreography. Also, the curls were not working at all. And the bra and booty shorts look is tired and the top and bottom didn’t seem to match or be from the same costume set. But other than that, you know, I really liked it. Ha!

Gaby and Robert/Contemporary/Mandy Moore/Angel-Sara McLachlan – Oh my word. The music choice? Ha! Don’t ever change, Mandy Moore. Gaby reminded me of Alison this week. I can’t give any higher praise. She was wonderful and amazing. I don’t even have any words. I just want to watch it again and appreciate it.

Megz/Hip Hop/Delirious(Boneless)-Steve Aoki – That seemed like an “I give up” solo. If you don’t give a damn, we don’t give a…

JaJa and Ricky/Broadway/Al Blackstone/Let’s Face the Music and Dance-Nat King Cole – Ricky!!!!!!! OK. Now back to business. That was delightful! JaJa just nailed the character and the style of the dance. The choreo was so much fun. And more than the style, JaJa also got the technique right. Gorgeous pointed feet and extended and held clean lines. Sharp arms. Loved all the little flicks of the wrists on the bench when she was miming crying. She really came through on this piece. There really wasn’t anything I didn’t enjoy about it. Well, maybe the dress. The dress was kind of hiddy, but that’s not her fault. Wardrobe ‘hos strike again. That was fun. I can’t imagine that she and Virgil won’t be the top 2 from Team Stage. She should book her ticket in the finale right now.

Neptune/Hip Hop-Krump-Bone Breaking/Get Big-Dorrough – Well, that was everything but the kitchen sink, but I liked it. I also feel like I want to write a sociology paper now on the cultural implications of having video cameras to capture family functions/dance recitals/etc. but that’s for another time.

I’m not recapping the group routines because who has the time, but I will say, Tessandra Chavez put her foot in that choreography for Team Stage and those kids delivered.

Hailee staying over Derek felt right to me. I’d have kept Neptune over Megz, but I think neither would’ve made Top 4, so it’s kind of six of one, half dozen of the other.

Hi, y'all! Just catching up on SYTYCD.

I've come to really love Virgil. Earlier (a couple/three weeks ago), Paula Abdul said something about Mattel should put a logo on his ass and sell millions of Virgil dolls (or words to that effect). And she's pretty much right - he's adorable.

Virgil is awesome (but so TINY!). Loved the stoop video of him as a toddler. Damn--I know adults that can't dance like he did as a toddler. Good grief. (Was just having a discussion last night at dancing with another girl about how there are some guys who are amazing, but in general there are SO many more guys who are awkward or off-beat or trying but not quite there than there are girls who are decent-though-not-great)

Virgil Solo/Ballet/The Four Seasons (Summer) – Vivaldi – Yesssss! Werk! See? There it is. That’s that good good.

This is a hilarious typo, if it leads to one imagining what Virgil would look like doing Jim's solo.

I do have give Derek a head-nod for the music choice on his solo.

Ha! I had Virgil on the brain. I think he could kill ballet if he put his mind to it.

So ... with all the bizarre dance genres they've introduced/made up while on something exotic, why don't they ever have a ballet dance? It doesn't HAVE to be on pointe ....

They have had ballet on SYTYCD before. The piece that Jim and Darion did just this season was definitely a ballet piece, and Cheon and Eliana also did a lovely pas de deux on their season. The problem with ballet, IMO, is that it's really not something that you can pick up in a week if you've never done it before. In that way, it's a lot like tap or breakdancing (as opposed to hip hop dancing) or bone breaking. Those are dance genres where the technique is so specific that you need to study for years to get it to look right, even if you are a highly trained dancer with a background in another style. They can only do ballet routines when they have contestants that they can pair together (or pair with an all-star with a ballet background) to perform the routine.

I am finally watching the Top 20 performance show. Yes, I know. But I had to come and say how adorable is Brian Friedman with his stilettos? So cute! The girls were great dancing that number, too.

Hating the camerawork already, btw, as I so often do on this show. Show me all the dancers, dammit!

Oh, my, the ballet boys are lovely.

ETA: Broadway I like, woohoo!