markbernstein
TUG Member
Some semi-random, end-of-season thoughts:
This has been one of my favorite seasons, ever, with one of the best top sixes and top fours I can recall, and, as Steve noted, tons of great routines. As a bonus, my tastes aligned perfectly with the voting public for top six, top four, top two, and winner. The only real disagreements I can recall? I think the judges should have saved Burim, not Asaf, and I wouldn't have put Derek in the top ten, let alone top eight.
It's also been a season for cool stories. We've seen Gaby's decision to return for a second audition, JaJa's engagement, and now Cat's pregnancy announcement. My focus remains on the dancing, but that sort of stuff does enhance the viewing experience.
Aaron, Valerie, Gaby. That's two second-place finishes and one win for tappers over three consecutive seasons. And to think I once wondered if a tapper could ever be good enough in other styles to contend.
Being paired with the right All Star makes a difference. The finale included multiple appearances by Alex and Joshua, and both Gaby and Hailee chose routines they did with Robert. And yes, I loved the Alex/Jim routine in the finale.
I still miss Mary and Adam, but I think Paula and Jason have improved over the course of the season, showing that they do have some solid knowledge of dance.
The big question going into the season was how well the new "Stage vs. Street" format would work. I'd call it the most successful change since the introduction of the All Stars. Part of this is that having every routine pair one or more Stage dancers with one or more Street dancers added a level of interest. Part is that I approve of moving away from having couples stay together all season. But I think the greatest amount of credit goes to tWitch and Travis. Not only are they an engaging and nicely contrasting pair of personalities who appear to honestly like and respect each other, not only did they both prove to have a great sense of humor (I found myself looking forward to their exit at the beginning of each show), they're both genuinely good at being team captains. They each found, almost immediately, the right balance of pushing and nurturing their dancers, getting their best while making them feel like part of a team. I think that made the contestants better dancers, *and* gave the show an extremely positive feeling the whole season. I don't know how well the change would have worked without them.
The change I'd most like to see is one I've been wanting for years and will never get. Someone needs to tell Nigel that he's not good at being funny. "Dance your Asaf" ranks right up there with his inability to pronounce or find Kent's home town in the "Jokes That Fell Flat" category.
This has been one of my favorite seasons, ever, with one of the best top sixes and top fours I can recall, and, as Steve noted, tons of great routines. As a bonus, my tastes aligned perfectly with the voting public for top six, top four, top two, and winner. The only real disagreements I can recall? I think the judges should have saved Burim, not Asaf, and I wouldn't have put Derek in the top ten, let alone top eight.
It's also been a season for cool stories. We've seen Gaby's decision to return for a second audition, JaJa's engagement, and now Cat's pregnancy announcement. My focus remains on the dancing, but that sort of stuff does enhance the viewing experience.
Aaron, Valerie, Gaby. That's two second-place finishes and one win for tappers over three consecutive seasons. And to think I once wondered if a tapper could ever be good enough in other styles to contend.
Being paired with the right All Star makes a difference. The finale included multiple appearances by Alex and Joshua, and both Gaby and Hailee chose routines they did with Robert. And yes, I loved the Alex/Jim routine in the finale.
I still miss Mary and Adam, but I think Paula and Jason have improved over the course of the season, showing that they do have some solid knowledge of dance.
The big question going into the season was how well the new "Stage vs. Street" format would work. I'd call it the most successful change since the introduction of the All Stars. Part of this is that having every routine pair one or more Stage dancers with one or more Street dancers added a level of interest. Part is that I approve of moving away from having couples stay together all season. But I think the greatest amount of credit goes to tWitch and Travis. Not only are they an engaging and nicely contrasting pair of personalities who appear to honestly like and respect each other, not only did they both prove to have a great sense of humor (I found myself looking forward to their exit at the beginning of each show), they're both genuinely good at being team captains. They each found, almost immediately, the right balance of pushing and nurturing their dancers, getting their best while making them feel like part of a team. I think that made the contestants better dancers, *and* gave the show an extremely positive feeling the whole season. I don't know how well the change would have worked without them.
The change I'd most like to see is one I've been wanting for years and will never get. Someone needs to tell Nigel that he's not good at being funny. "Dance your Asaf" ranks right up there with his inability to pronounce or find Kent's home town in the "Jokes That Fell Flat" category.
