A note on Koine's solo: I love Koine.
Koine (who magnanimously accepts Nigel's apology for mispronouncing her name by revealing, "In rehearsals, they call me Quinoa") is cast as the hottie opposite Marko's nerd in this upbeat, nostalgic jive. They've both got style for miles, and they sell this number like it's nothing. To quote Mary, these two are "slick." Mary loved how Koine filled out all of the moves, especially when she and Marko were dancing side by side. Nigel loved the tricks. Vanessa loved it so much she HIJACKS THE HOT TAMALE TRAIN, which is BLASPHEMY. That train is off limits. It's just, like, the rules of feminism.
Goodbye, Bob. Hello, Robert. One week out from that hair-flipping hip-hop routine, Mandy is here to soften things up — and just in time. I was starting to forget what I loved about Taylor. Our gal is light as a breeze here; she and Robert make their lifts look effortless, and with an assist from that stripped-down song, they keep this dance from feeling
too sweet. Mary cries anyway. I love it when Mary cries; she's just so ready to be moved by these dancers. I'm with Nigel when he asks Taylor to dig just a little bit deeper next time (compare this, for example, to Amy's work in
Travis' "Wicked Game," and it still feels like Taylor has one last layer to shed), but I wasn't mad at this piece one bit.
Cat's been waiting for this one: Mark gets to stay in his "Comfort zone" this week. (Cat, from the balcony: "Shall I jump?" NEVER.)
And Mark and Comfort have both been waiting for this: They're not in a love story. Tonight, they fight as ninjas — or, as Misha puts it, they "tap into that inner ninja" that everyone's got. Mark and Comfort do well at, uh, accessing their inner ninja, but as sharp as they are, this routine feels like it loses steam as it goes. Their partner work is messy, which is a shame because as much as Nigel claims the judges are just following the whims of the voters at the end of the show, he's clearly underwhelmed here: He points out that the theme stripped Mark of his personality like he's a dog sitting by the window waiting for Mark's personality to come home from war.
Vanessa is more enthusiastic. "I don't know if there's anything I love more than a ninja," she says — a beautiful, absurd sentence that almost makes up for her Hot Tamale Treachery.
Lex, Kaylee, and Logan
Choreographers: Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson
"Strange" by LP
To round out the evening, the dancers break into small groups and give a boost to the Kleenex industry. First up, Lex, Kaylee, and Logan are handed the work of a couple of legends, Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson, who've choreographed a piece with a timely message: "Within our difference, we find our commonality." Visually, it's kind of like "Seasons of Love," but in a great way. The piece makes good use of Kaylee as the only woman — and only person with blue hair — in the group, setting her apart in a blue dress; as always, Nigel is thrilled that she gets to be "unique." But it also exposes how much more work she has to do to get on Lex and Logan's level. Those boys are something else.
Taylor, Mark, Kiki, and Koine
Choreographer: Sean Cheesman
"Still I Rise (Maya Angelou)" by Alexis Henry
I CANNOT WAIT to drift off to sleep by watching this 20 times while I scribble out a list of concrete actions I can take to make a difference in my community. Lord have Murphy. This was powerful. Sean describes this piece as his hope for the world: "It's our diversity that makes us stronger." It's about standing together against hate, and as our esteemed choreographer points out, that's not a message this diverse group of dancers has to fake. "They are really diverse."
By virtue of the fact that it's set to a reading of Maya Angelou's "Still I Rise," this piece carries a secondary message about the weight of words — the rhythm and music in them. I've never minded crowd noise during routines, even emotional ones, but I wanted everyone to stop cheering tonight and just listen. LISTEN TO MAYA. As Vanessa points out, America needs this right now. Can you fax a dance routine to an elected official?
Anyway, art comes at a cost. To the elimination…
BOTTOM THREE: Kaylee, Mark, Kiki
ELIMINATED: Mark
I don't really know who is SCREAMING because Kiki is in the bottom three, but I'm right there with the people who scream when Mark is knocked out. Out of these three, he'd have been my last pick to leave. Nigel claims that the judges are following America's vote on this, but aren't the judges here to protect America from itself? It just feels like a cop-out.
Still, I'm not surprised at all to report that Mark continues to have the best attitude even after his elimination. Farewell, Mark. Keep it in the Comfort zone.
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