More Thanh Words

"My name is Thanh and I'm a Blogger". Now that I have admitted to that, I can say that I'm a stereotypical "geeky" Engineer who enjoys sci-fi books and movies and into all things technological. I also love music and have a passion for FOOD. I'm a social person and like to talk to people. I hate people who are fake or overly aggressive. If you're also into some serious discussion, with a pinch of sarcasm and a dash of real emotion, then please read on.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

So You Think You Can Dance Australia - Top 4 Individual Dancers

So we are down to the top 4 individual dancers. They each did a routine with each other and also a group dance tonght.

Previous posts about the shows are here
Top 10 Live Show
Top 10 Verdict Show

Top 9 Live Show
Top 9 Verdict Show

Top 8 Live Show
Top 8 Verdict Show

Top 7 Live Show
Top 7 Verdict Show

Top 6 Live Show
Top 6 Verdict Show

Top 5 Live Show
Top 5 Verdict Show

Top 4 Live Show
Top 4 Verdict Show

Top 3 Live Show
Top 3 Verdict Show

Demi and Jack
The familiar couple of Demi and Jack opened the show to a Jason Gilkison Cha Cha routine. Their Cha Cha routine was so much fun. It reminded me of their Samba routine in the Top 9 couples show where I really started to like both of them. Ever since then, I've been following these two, along with Rhys and Vanessa the closest. Again, the fun and energy between them was fantastic. I think out of all the couples in the show, these two have become the closest. Demi has really improved so much and was great in this Cha Cha. But once again, she was outshone by Jack, who seems to be able to do anything. His hip turns were like those of a professional ballroom dancer.

Demi: 4.5/5
Jack: 5/5

Kate and Rhys
The show has brought out all stops to get the best routines on this show. All of the really great choreographers were brought back. Kate and Rhys did a Supple routine. Two of Supple's other routines (performed by Kate and Rhys and Kate and Jack previously) have been among my favourite routines for the whole season, along with Jason Gilkison's ballroom routines. However, tonight both Supple's routines fell a bit short for me. Kate and Rhys were good as toy soldiers, but they needed more time to perfect the total unison that this routine required. With such understated movements, the sometimes synchronisation issues made the routine less effective

Kate: 4/5
Rhys: 4/5

Demi and Rhys
Demi and Rhys did a Debbie Ellis Contemporary routine. Demi has improved out of sight. Previously, her contemporary routines lacked that smooth flow and extensions. But she has improved greatly. Rhys was fantastic in the routine, showing his great extensions. There was also a lot of joy in the routine, which I don't usually associate with Rhys' routine.

Demi: 4.5/5
Rhys: 4.5/5

Kate and Jack
Kate and Jack did a Juliette "Jet" Verne Lyrical Jazz routine. Since they are both jazz dancers, the expectations were high. But they nailed the routine and was my favourite routine so far, until I saw what Jack and Rhys did later. Anyway, back to this routine. Kate and Jack hit their turns and moves so in sync and just work together so well. I think that in terms of a male/female partnering, these two are the ideal match. They just complement each other so well.

Kate: 5/5
Jack: 5/5

Demi and Kate
Demi and Kate did a Supple routine that was a bit Hip Hop and a bit Broadway. The routine didn't really lift off for me in the first half. Like the crowd, I was sitting there silent just sort of in anticipation. In the second half, I started to smile and get into it. They both did a good job, but the routine didn't help to highlight them.

Demi: 4/5
Kate: 4/5

Jack and Rhys
They saved the best for last. I was really excited to see what Jack and Rhys would do as they have been the most best during the whole series in my mind. They did a Adam Williams Broadway routine. Unlike the group routine they did last week, this routine was a way to compare them as they were doing pretty much the same moves. As I was watching and scribbling down notes, I wrote exactly what Jason said. Although they were both unbelievable, I felt that Jack's moves were just that bit smoother, a bit more extension, a bit more expressive. I thought it was just my bias, but when Jason said it too, it confirmed that my amateur judgement wasn't way off. But how good was the routine. I've watched it a few times now and they are both sensational dancers.

Jack: 5/5
Rhys: 5/5

Group Routine
The group routine was a Hip Hop routine, choreographed by Tiamo Juber I think. I didn't catch the name properly and hadn't seen any other routines by him/her all season. It was a very fun routine, with them all sort of battling it out. Everyone was great, with the only mistakes was when Demi lost the choreography a few times during the routine.

Demi: 4.5/5
Kate: 5/5

Jack: 5/5

Rhys: 5/5

Final Summary
Here is the final scores tallied up for the night as well as my opinion on who should win.

Demi: 17.5/20
Kate: 18/20

Jack: 20/20

Rhys: 18.5/20

I think the clear winner should be Jack. Although Rhys has very good technique and has done a lot of great routines, I think Jack has done more. Whereas Rhys has been in some ordinary routines, Jack hasn't made any faults in my mind. Somehow, Jack is able to bring out the best in whoever he dances with. He seems to have this ability to draw out more from his partners and support them. His solo routine during the episode when they all did solos was also the standout. Jack also seems to have more joy in his dancing, which I love. Tonight's direct routine with Rhys has shown that he is the superior dancer to Rhys in technique as well.

The girls, Demi and Kate are great dancers, but I don't think either of them has done as well all season as Jack and Rhys have. Demi's journey has been the greatest, overcoming so many obstacles to be an untrained dancer in the final four. Kate has shown that true talent will eventually shine through. She didn't capture the audience right from the start, but her great dancing has made people take notice.

In the end, any of the four is a deserving winner. They have all worked so hard and deserve whatever accolades come their way. But for me, I think Jack has been the best dancer as well as my favourite dancer. So I'll be sending a few votes his way and hopes that he wins.

Now I can't wait for the finale where all the other dancers come back and reprise some of the best routines of the season. I'm sure some Jason Gilkison and Supple routines will feature in that line up.

2 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

What was the name of the song that Rhys and Kate danced to as toy soldiers please??!

10/10/2008 9:29 AM  
Blogger thanh7580 said...

Hi Anonymous, from what I remember, the song is called "The Whistle Song". I don't know if it's a classical instrumentation song or which artist it is from. Hope that helps.

10/10/2008 10:00 AM  

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