"So You Think You Can Dance" Season 11 Recap: Chicago & L.A. Auditions

June 4, 2014

The “SYTYCD” auditions continued, this time in Chicago and Los Angeles. After last week, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. It seems like Nigel and Co. are always adding new shenanigans. I was surprised—and pleased—to find that they continued showing one solid audition after another. Bullying bad dancers and spending a ton of time on back-stories seems to be a thing of the past.

Here are my Top 5 moments from Wednesday night:

Puppetry:

I’ll admit that I was skeptical when we first met Paul “The Puppet.” But when that guy started to move…wow! I’ve really never seen anything like his unique, liquid style. In fact, it sounds like no one has! It’s brand new. He’s pushing animation in a new direction and I’m excited to see more of him.

 

 

 

Emily James:

Hey, we know that girl! She was one of our Cover Model Search finalists back in 2010. Three words that the then-17-year-old used to describe her dancing? “Graceful, heartfelt and dynamic.” I’m not saying she hasn’t grown as an artist but those words couldn’t be more true, even now.

 

 

 

Jenna the trainee: 

How adorable was Jenna, the Joffrey Ballet trainee? She went completely fan-girl over meeting guest judge Fabrice Calmels, and made no effort to hide her excitement. I can’t say that I blame her. Fabrice’s embarrassment at not knowing her from the Joffrey school was equally charming. After all that build up, it was a relief to know that her dancing would carry her through to the next round.

 

 

 

Jessica and her trilby hat:

Wow. Just, wow. This girl had one of the best auditions I think I’ve ever seen on the show. Maybe even one of the best performances. Her technique was flawless, she’s gorgeous and she was smoldering with personality. I might go so far as to place a bet on her…

 

 

 


Kyle’s dance battle:

I was really impressed with Kyle and I’m sad that he couldn’t hang in the choreography round. I hope that he’ll find somewhere to train in Wichita, so he can come back stronger next year! That said, his battle with Cyrus, Fik-Shun and Legacy was AMAZING. Not only did the four of them represent four really distinct styles, but the judges were right, he fit right in with those guys. Watch it below.

 

 

I just have to call out two more dancers: Here’s to amazing women in hip hop! Jaja from the Czech Republic and Marie “Poppins” from France both killed it last night, and I’m so excited that they both moved on to the next round. Like Marie said, “No tricks, just feel it!” #Girlpower.