Welcome to the meadows. 152 dancers have advanced to the end of the elimination rounds before the real show on So You Think You Can Dance. The judges, all six of them, are done being nice and allowing fairy tale stories to continue. Tyce, Nigel, Adam, Debbie, Mary and Mia all invoke a bit of the producer's eye as they slash and burn through the first bunch of Vegas dancers…it's not a comfortable show and there's more heartbreak than I expected.

Nathan, the phenomenal dancer from Season 5 who was too young for the show, is the first to take the stage. He's raw in his motion but switches his spot - trusting a seasoned amateur jazz dancer's critique that it was "sick." He survives and moves on, as does Eleanor, a quirky ballerina with lots of personality and lovely lines. She is cute cute cute with the technique to back it up. The producers of the show (Nigel) would be stupid to let a commercially viable gem like her slip away. That's about all the warm and fuzzy viewers got for this show.

After dancers performed their routines, receiving no critiques, they are pulled onstage and the judges make the first round of cuts. Two poor dancers were cut, but Ivetta the ballroom dancer and Justin the B-boy were among those that moved on to the difficult choreography rounds. Remember Shelby "Skip" from NOLA? The one that angered me by being put through to Vegas? Somehow, perhaps due to editing, the routine he presented wasn't awful. He went on to hip-hop and then to the cha-cha, where his journey ends. The cuts continue as hearing impaired Allison and Thomas, from a tough Georgia neighborhood, were both cut. Allison wasn't even shown dancing but Thomas grabbed the truss and seemed to scare the judges with his "use" of the stage. Pity, Thomas looked promising in his original audition. The judges split up the the male couple, Williem and Jacob. They took the stage once again, bringing controversy to the otherwise clear-cut day, and weren't very spectacular. I hate judging couples at the same time - they won't be together during the competition so why force a pair of eyes to choose who to look at? Willem was the one that captured the attention of the panel, so they got rid of Jacob, breaking up the partnership.

The judges cut the group down to 110 people after the hip-hop choreography elimination session that saw the departure of Jean the B-boy. Those that were saved for the cha-cha round included Teddy, the whimsical bow-tied dancer that didn't impress me, and Ryan, who was the 21st dancer from Season 5. Teddy and Ryan were both was sent packing after lackluster cha-cha performances. Ryan's departure was painful to watch as the judges weren't being cruel but were simply disappointed. He did not perform to the level he's previously presented. Bad timing on his part.



The spastic cha-cha was faster than anything they've thrown at the dancers yet. We get to see a bloody nose on Billy, courtesy of a whipping elbow (yay partners lacking spatial awareness) and krumper Russell from Boston doing surprisingly well. When the music started he kept pace with Ivetta, the dancer that got to Vegas on ballroom. He was so ridiculous because it was "unexpected" as Adam put it. These two survived through the hip hop and the cha-cha, and I predict to see them in the top 20. Billy missed the majority of the cha-cha rehearsals and B-boy Legacy, henceforth known as Hot Man, is struggling to break from his B-boy moves and follow his partner. Hot Man gets one last chance as he "fights for his life" i.e., solos one more time, and puts a respectable routine out there. The panel gives him a lot of criticism but put him through. Let it be said: no criticism was tossed out that addressed his need to look prettier. Insanely, Billy made it! The kid didn't even practice with his partner to music once.

John, the hot acrobatic dancer from New Orleans, gets cut as he "dances for his life." The judges cite the lack of emotion in his face along with his inability to put together his strongest routine as the reasons he can't stay. I think he's good enough to go through, but was weak in a few spots. His acrobatic ability took over his technique, and he did dance within himself emotionally. It looked like a tumbling routine at some spots more than a dance routine. I think his disappointment is matched by many viewers. Too bad, he was gorgeous.

Another Vegas episode is coming your way next week. Then we begin Season 6, part 2 - the real show.

Grade: C+


Story by Kate Kostal

Starpulse contributing writer