Spoilers:
Twitch and Courtnie had hip hop by Napoleon and Tabitha
Josh and Katee had a lyrical by Wade Robson
Courtnie and Katee had Broadway by Tyce
Josh and Twitch had Russian Street Dancing by these Russian guys I forgot there name it was interesting but good LOL
They all got pretty good critiques nothing negative maybe a few minor things to work on but all great reviews. But I know Twitch and Josh got a standing O. Me I loved the Wade routine is was beautiful, and the girls number was pretty good but I'm biased because I love Tyce's work so yeah! LOL The hip hop was actually not that bad even if I don't really care for Napoleon or Tabitha's work. But I think it's tied between the boys number and Josh and Katee followed by the girls number for me.
Spoiler Set 2
The first dance was the Twitch/Courtney hip-hop by NappyTabs. It was NOT a lyrical HH; more hard-hitting, but IMO not as hard-hitting as Mark/Comfort's. The story was about a jealous girlfriend seeing her guy in a club, and kind of giving him a "beat-down" - she was (fake) kicking/hitting/punching him a lot.
The next dance was Josh/Katee's contemporary by WADE!! It was a very emotive piece. Wade said it was about love being hard work. They were a couple going through/making up after a fight. Very basic lighting, costumes, no gimmicks.
The girls' Broadway by Tyce was next. Like EagerContrarian said it was done to The Trolley Song from Meet Me in St. Louis, but it was an instrumental only version. I was very upset that they got this genre b/c I feel that Courtney & Katee's contemporary talent was wasted. Hello, is it too much to ask to have a CONTEMPORARY routine for 2 CONTEMPORARY dancers?!? Anyway, they had to dance with these white lace parasols. The story behind it was that they had to hurry to catch this trolley. It was nothing very exciting; I was kind of left wanting more. Their costumes were IMO pretty bad. They were the same costume just different colors: Katee in pink & Courtney in yellow. I think they were supposed to evoke period costumes but it was like only the upper half of the dress with like a bustle/"tail" thing on the back. I'm sorry I'm not describing it very well; ABTJess will probably be able to do better.
Josh & Twitch did their dance next. It was a Russian trepak (thanks Jess!) routine. You know, the Russian type of dance that has a lot of jumps, floor work, guys squatting on the floor kicking their legs out; whatever that dance is called, that's what the guys did. It was structured as a battle between the 2 guys. There were so many great jumps, leaps, etc. It was like each of them were trying to one-up the other. Twitch did a lot of the floor work. Josh had these jumps that got incredible height plus he did a lot of the turns. It was such a great, exciting dance. It got a standing ovation which I thought was legit. It was probably my favorite dance (at least in the top couple). (As a Mark fan, I have to say that it would have been very different if he was in it instead of Twitch. I don't know if he could have pulled it off as well as these two.) I felt sorry for the girls after Josh/Twitch b/c the guys' was just way more of a crowd pleaser than the girls'.
(This is all of the Top 4 performances they taped in the first session.)
The first dance after the break was the past seasons' contestants all doing a dance, but I missed that. Sorry
Twitch & Katee's foxtrot by Tony & Melanie was next. He was in a full suit & she was in a light blue long dress. It was pretty good. Twitch's technique has improved since the last time he had a standard; his frame/topline was better. Personally, I think there have been better foxtrots on the show, but that's probably because the guy was a better partner dancer than Twitch. Twitch was definitely better than last week's fiasco that was mambo. Katee had beautiful lines, etc like she always does. IMO there was some serious OTT critiques from the judges after this dance.
The last partner dance was Josh & Courtney's jive by Jason G. (can't remember the last name) First of all, they weren't even in ballroom shoes; they were wearing sneakers (in Josh's case) or sneaker-boots - if that makes sense - for Courtney. I think this contributed to some of the footwork problem; I thought the lines were a little off. They had some really cool lifts at the end & finished with an around-the-world lift.
They then filmed Mia's Top 4 group routine. It was a little weird. They were all dressed in costumes made of tartan & all had different costumes. The guys were shirtless & the girls had on dresses. There was this sheet thing they used at the beginning of the routine. There were lifts with both guys lifting both girls, emoting, everything else that comes with a Mia routine. I was kind of watching the girls the most b/c this was the best & only time to compare them in their specialities. I thought they both did well. There was this one lift the judges commented on where the girls are in a kind of handstand on the guys shoulder & Katee (w/ Josh) was more vertical & Courtney (w/ Twitch) was more horizontal & the guys were running across the stage. The judges said that Katee did better/got more height in the the lift, but I kind of thought it was choreo'd that way. I guess we'll never know.
They all did solos next. They did them out of order but here's the real order:
1. Courtney: I really liked it. She was in a yellow dress, did what she normally does. I usually like her solos, so it's not a surprise that I liked this one.
2. Twitch: very good. As always, his musicality was great and there was humor in it. I think it may have received a standing O.
3. Katee: a normal Katee solo. If you usually like them, you'll probably like this one. Me, not so much a fan of her solos, so it was my least favorite.
4. Josh: AWESOME!! He started off on the stage, then ran up to the judges platform & danced on that, ending in a split. It was probably my favorite solo of his. His skills are just amazing. He got a standing O after it.
Spoiler Set 3
Mandy Moore is the guest judge.
Cat is wearing a dark gold, Herve Leger-esque dress and black gladiator heels.
Mary is in a dress that can only be described as a spider-web.
Ladies--->
Court/Katee- Tyce Broadway to instrumental version of the Trolley Song from Meet Me In St. Louis. Katee is in pink, Court is in yellow. ItLots of roses and wickety wack on the costumes, it's like a cross between a sheperdhess and a flamenco dancer, sort of. The dance uses a prop, white parasols, which the girls were both nervous about according to the package. Lots of jumping and synced up dancing.
Katee solo- to Hide and Seek by Imogen Heap, a quintessentially Katee solo. She wore this patterned silk hankerchief dress.
Court solo- to (I'm pretty sure) Special Two by Missy Higgins (it's definitely Missy, I'm just not totally sure on the song). She wore a low-backed right yellow dress. It was a little more contemporary than we've seen from her, but still with lots of jumps and turns.
Guys---->
Twitch/Josh- Russian trepak by Yuri- I-can't-remember-his-last name to Nutcracker Suite. White shirt with blue trim and blue pants (Josh) and white shirt with red trim and red pants (Twitch), very traditional Russian costumes. Incredibly athletic routine, lots of jumping and turning by Josh, floorwork section by Twitch in which he is all on his knees the entire time.
Twitch solo- not sure on the music. No "T" shirt, but a "T" shirt used as a doo-rag. Lots of popping and hand movements, more than we've seen from him before, IIRC.
Josh solo- Red and blue striped shirt and jeans, he actually ran off the stage and jumped onto the judge's platform and started dancing. Lots of playing to the audience and to the judges, he does several sections of booty shaking and ends in the splits.\
Ladies/Guys--->
Twitch/Katee Waltz- Melanie and Tony to "Feeling Good" by Michael Buble. Katee is in an ankle- length sky blue dress with lots of fringe, Twitch is in a tuxedo. Twitch does some heavy lifting in this, including a full press over the shoulders in the middle of one that the judges went crazy for. Judges love it for the most part, Mary tells Katee that she could walk into the US Ballroom Championships in September because she is so good.
Courtney/Josh Jive- Jason Gilkin (Glikman?) to "Dirty Boogie" (I think) by The Brian Setzer Orchestra. Josh is in jeans, white shirt, and burgandy leather jacket. Court is in tall boots with fringe and a burgandy leotard-almost dress that has short skirt of fringe that is accented with a fringe detail at the top. Lots of fast footwork and flicks, lots of lifts including an around the world with a flip kick sequence thing that the judges go crazy for. However, Nigel pretty much pans the number by saying that the technique wasn't really there. Mandy says it lost energy which suprised her. Mary went on and on about how difficult it was.
Courtney/Twitch Hip Hop- NappyTabs to a very popular song that I can't remember right now, but I know it was on the Step Up 2 Soundtrack if that helps anyone. She's the crazy demented girlfriend who is mad at him for going out to the clubs. They're both in light colors, him in a vest and khakis and a tie (I think), her in plaid pants and a beige-y shirt. Lots of isolations and accents on the music, including this sequence where Court mimes punching him in the face, chest, and "family jewels."
Josh/Katee Contemp--> Wade to John Mayer song that I didn't know. Wade says it's about love being hard work, and a couple who has a big fight and is now making up. Katee is in anther (darker) purple negliee, Josh is in a blue shirt and (I think) blue pants. I had a hard time seeing this one, and they didn't put it on the monitors because it was only being shot with one steady cam and one single light in a continuous, round shot. It should look cool on TV. There was a lot of floorwork and partner work, including this memorable bit where Josh kisses Katee's elbow.
Special Performances-->
Debbie Allen Dancers feat. Nigel- Tap routine to Boogie Wonderland mix with some other songs. Group of little dancers, and then Nigel comes in and does a sort of battle type thing with them. They all waddle of like penguins, it's very entertaining and "show-biz," if that makes sense. They did record a sound track before, so you should be able to hear the sounds.
Mary and Dima Samba--> I'm pretty sure it's to that "Danced with the DJ" song that Will and Court did. If not that song, then it's a song by that same artist. Dima is wearing black pants and a white, slouchy button down that he....wait for it.....gets ripped open by Mary. Mary is in a short red dress with three layers of fringe and a lot of rhinestones, along with silver t-strap heels that are rhinestoned, and four chunky, rhinestoned red and white bracelets. Lots of footwork in their samba, as well as some samba rolls. Mary has a very coquettish, subtle style which really surprised me- I thought she would be more aggressive and sharp like Heidi.
Group dance is a Scottish-inspired number by Mia, dancers are wearing kilts, guys are shirtless, girls have contrasting tartan vests and kilts. They use a burgandy curtain type thing in the beginning. Mia says the dance is celebratory of their time on the show. It's VERY athletic and quirky, lot of isolations and jerking and rebounding, as well as lots of jumps and partner work. The song is an instrumental, lots of bagpipes.
I missed the dance with dancers from past seasons, but this is who I can remember seeing who was in it, as I walked in just after it was finished: Thayne, Jaimie, Ivan, Benji, Melody, Lauren, Dominic, Hok, Chelsea, Kourtni, Gev, Dima, Comfort. There were probably more, but it's 1:00 AM and my brain is fried.
Spoiler [+]
Twitch and Courtnie had hip hop by Napoleon and Tabitha
Josh and Katee had a lyrical by Wade Robson
Courtnie and Katee had Broadway by Tyce
Josh and Twitch had Russian Street Dancing by these Russian guys I forgot there name it was interesting but good LOL
They all got pretty good critiques nothing negative maybe a few minor things to work on but all great reviews. But I know Twitch and Josh got a standing O. Me I loved the Wade routine is was beautiful, and the girls number was pretty good but I'm biased because I love Tyce's work so yeah! LOL The hip hop was actually not that bad even if I don't really care for Napoleon or Tabitha's work. But I think it's tied between the boys number and Josh and Katee followed by the girls number for me.
Spoiler Set 2
Spoiler [+]
The first dance was the Twitch/Courtney hip-hop by NappyTabs. It was NOT a lyrical HH; more hard-hitting, but IMO not as hard-hitting as Mark/Comfort's. The story was about a jealous girlfriend seeing her guy in a club, and kind of giving him a "beat-down" - she was (fake) kicking/hitting/punching him a lot.
The next dance was Josh/Katee's contemporary by WADE!! It was a very emotive piece. Wade said it was about love being hard work. They were a couple going through/making up after a fight. Very basic lighting, costumes, no gimmicks.
The girls' Broadway by Tyce was next. Like EagerContrarian said it was done to The Trolley Song from Meet Me in St. Louis, but it was an instrumental only version. I was very upset that they got this genre b/c I feel that Courtney & Katee's contemporary talent was wasted. Hello, is it too much to ask to have a CONTEMPORARY routine for 2 CONTEMPORARY dancers?!? Anyway, they had to dance with these white lace parasols. The story behind it was that they had to hurry to catch this trolley. It was nothing very exciting; I was kind of left wanting more. Their costumes were IMO pretty bad. They were the same costume just different colors: Katee in pink & Courtney in yellow. I think they were supposed to evoke period costumes but it was like only the upper half of the dress with like a bustle/"tail" thing on the back. I'm sorry I'm not describing it very well; ABTJess will probably be able to do better.
Josh & Twitch did their dance next. It was a Russian trepak (thanks Jess!) routine. You know, the Russian type of dance that has a lot of jumps, floor work, guys squatting on the floor kicking their legs out; whatever that dance is called, that's what the guys did. It was structured as a battle between the 2 guys. There were so many great jumps, leaps, etc. It was like each of them were trying to one-up the other. Twitch did a lot of the floor work. Josh had these jumps that got incredible height plus he did a lot of the turns. It was such a great, exciting dance. It got a standing ovation which I thought was legit. It was probably my favorite dance (at least in the top couple). (As a Mark fan, I have to say that it would have been very different if he was in it instead of Twitch. I don't know if he could have pulled it off as well as these two.) I felt sorry for the girls after Josh/Twitch b/c the guys' was just way more of a crowd pleaser than the girls'.
(This is all of the Top 4 performances they taped in the first session.)
The first dance after the break was the past seasons' contestants all doing a dance, but I missed that. Sorry
Twitch & Katee's foxtrot by Tony & Melanie was next. He was in a full suit & she was in a light blue long dress. It was pretty good. Twitch's technique has improved since the last time he had a standard; his frame/topline was better. Personally, I think there have been better foxtrots on the show, but that's probably because the guy was a better partner dancer than Twitch. Twitch was definitely better than last week's fiasco that was mambo. Katee had beautiful lines, etc like she always does. IMO there was some serious OTT critiques from the judges after this dance.
The last partner dance was Josh & Courtney's jive by Jason G. (can't remember the last name) First of all, they weren't even in ballroom shoes; they were wearing sneakers (in Josh's case) or sneaker-boots - if that makes sense - for Courtney. I think this contributed to some of the footwork problem; I thought the lines were a little off. They had some really cool lifts at the end & finished with an around-the-world lift.
They then filmed Mia's Top 4 group routine. It was a little weird. They were all dressed in costumes made of tartan & all had different costumes. The guys were shirtless & the girls had on dresses. There was this sheet thing they used at the beginning of the routine. There were lifts with both guys lifting both girls, emoting, everything else that comes with a Mia routine. I was kind of watching the girls the most b/c this was the best & only time to compare them in their specialities. I thought they both did well. There was this one lift the judges commented on where the girls are in a kind of handstand on the guys shoulder & Katee (w/ Josh) was more vertical & Courtney (w/ Twitch) was more horizontal & the guys were running across the stage. The judges said that Katee did better/got more height in the the lift, but I kind of thought it was choreo'd that way. I guess we'll never know.
They all did solos next. They did them out of order but here's the real order:
1. Courtney: I really liked it. She was in a yellow dress, did what she normally does. I usually like her solos, so it's not a surprise that I liked this one.
2. Twitch: very good. As always, his musicality was great and there was humor in it. I think it may have received a standing O.
3. Katee: a normal Katee solo. If you usually like them, you'll probably like this one. Me, not so much a fan of her solos, so it was my least favorite.
4. Josh: AWESOME!! He started off on the stage, then ran up to the judges platform & danced on that, ending in a split. It was probably my favorite solo of his. His skills are just amazing. He got a standing O after it.
Spoiler Set 3
Spoiler [+]
Mandy Moore is the guest judge.
Cat is wearing a dark gold, Herve Leger-esque dress and black gladiator heels.
Mary is in a dress that can only be described as a spider-web.
Ladies--->
Court/Katee- Tyce Broadway to instrumental version of the Trolley Song from Meet Me In St. Louis. Katee is in pink, Court is in yellow. ItLots of roses and wickety wack on the costumes, it's like a cross between a sheperdhess and a flamenco dancer, sort of. The dance uses a prop, white parasols, which the girls were both nervous about according to the package. Lots of jumping and synced up dancing.
Katee solo- to Hide and Seek by Imogen Heap, a quintessentially Katee solo. She wore this patterned silk hankerchief dress.
Court solo- to (I'm pretty sure) Special Two by Missy Higgins (it's definitely Missy, I'm just not totally sure on the song). She wore a low-backed right yellow dress. It was a little more contemporary than we've seen from her, but still with lots of jumps and turns.
Guys---->
Twitch/Josh- Russian trepak by Yuri- I-can't-remember-his-last name to Nutcracker Suite. White shirt with blue trim and blue pants (Josh) and white shirt with red trim and red pants (Twitch), very traditional Russian costumes. Incredibly athletic routine, lots of jumping and turning by Josh, floorwork section by Twitch in which he is all on his knees the entire time.
Twitch solo- not sure on the music. No "T" shirt, but a "T" shirt used as a doo-rag. Lots of popping and hand movements, more than we've seen from him before, IIRC.
Josh solo- Red and blue striped shirt and jeans, he actually ran off the stage and jumped onto the judge's platform and started dancing. Lots of playing to the audience and to the judges, he does several sections of booty shaking and ends in the splits.\
Ladies/Guys--->
Twitch/Katee Waltz- Melanie and Tony to "Feeling Good" by Michael Buble. Katee is in an ankle- length sky blue dress with lots of fringe, Twitch is in a tuxedo. Twitch does some heavy lifting in this, including a full press over the shoulders in the middle of one that the judges went crazy for. Judges love it for the most part, Mary tells Katee that she could walk into the US Ballroom Championships in September because she is so good.
Courtney/Josh Jive- Jason Gilkin (Glikman?) to "Dirty Boogie" (I think) by The Brian Setzer Orchestra. Josh is in jeans, white shirt, and burgandy leather jacket. Court is in tall boots with fringe and a burgandy leotard-almost dress that has short skirt of fringe that is accented with a fringe detail at the top. Lots of fast footwork and flicks, lots of lifts including an around the world with a flip kick sequence thing that the judges go crazy for. However, Nigel pretty much pans the number by saying that the technique wasn't really there. Mandy says it lost energy which suprised her. Mary went on and on about how difficult it was.
Courtney/Twitch Hip Hop- NappyTabs to a very popular song that I can't remember right now, but I know it was on the Step Up 2 Soundtrack if that helps anyone. She's the crazy demented girlfriend who is mad at him for going out to the clubs. They're both in light colors, him in a vest and khakis and a tie (I think), her in plaid pants and a beige-y shirt. Lots of isolations and accents on the music, including this sequence where Court mimes punching him in the face, chest, and "family jewels."
Josh/Katee Contemp--> Wade to John Mayer song that I didn't know. Wade says it's about love being hard work, and a couple who has a big fight and is now making up. Katee is in anther (darker) purple negliee, Josh is in a blue shirt and (I think) blue pants. I had a hard time seeing this one, and they didn't put it on the monitors because it was only being shot with one steady cam and one single light in a continuous, round shot. It should look cool on TV. There was a lot of floorwork and partner work, including this memorable bit where Josh kisses Katee's elbow.
Special Performances-->
Debbie Allen Dancers feat. Nigel- Tap routine to Boogie Wonderland mix with some other songs. Group of little dancers, and then Nigel comes in and does a sort of battle type thing with them. They all waddle of like penguins, it's very entertaining and "show-biz," if that makes sense. They did record a sound track before, so you should be able to hear the sounds.
Mary and Dima Samba--> I'm pretty sure it's to that "Danced with the DJ" song that Will and Court did. If not that song, then it's a song by that same artist. Dima is wearing black pants and a white, slouchy button down that he....wait for it.....gets ripped open by Mary. Mary is in a short red dress with three layers of fringe and a lot of rhinestones, along with silver t-strap heels that are rhinestoned, and four chunky, rhinestoned red and white bracelets. Lots of footwork in their samba, as well as some samba rolls. Mary has a very coquettish, subtle style which really surprised me- I thought she would be more aggressive and sharp like Heidi.
Group dance is a Scottish-inspired number by Mia, dancers are wearing kilts, guys are shirtless, girls have contrasting tartan vests and kilts. They use a burgandy curtain type thing in the beginning. Mia says the dance is celebratory of their time on the show. It's VERY athletic and quirky, lot of isolations and jerking and rebounding, as well as lots of jumps and partner work. The song is an instrumental, lots of bagpipes.
I missed the dance with dancers from past seasons, but this is who I can remember seeing who was in it, as I walked in just after it was finished: Thayne, Jaimie, Ivan, Benji, Melody, Lauren, Dominic, Hok, Chelsea, Kourtni, Gev, Dima, Comfort. There were probably more, but it's 1:00 AM and my brain is fried.












