Aaron, Fik-shun, Amy and Jasmine gave it all they had last night on So You Think You Can Dance as they performed one last time for America. For the most part it was a string of excellent performances as each dancer performed six — yes, six — times.
I’m going to break from my usual format and talk about each dancer’s performance.
Aaron: Aaron was great as always last night. I love watching him perform and create his characters. He had a clunker of a routine with Amy to kick off the show. That Ray Leeper jazz piece just didn’t do it for me from a choreography standpoint. He rebounded quick though with the tap piece he did with all-star Melinda. It was spectacular and is in the running for favorite dance of the night. His tap solo was also great. The judges gave him and Jasmine some grief over their ballroom number that Dimitry choreographed, but I enjoyed it a lot. I wish that Aaron and Fik-Shun had more to do in their closing Broadway number, but it was still cute and those two performed so great together.
Amy: I’ve loved Amy from the start of the season. She’s shown up in my top three week after week because her dancing and performance quality are excellent. She was in the clunker of a jazz number, but after that she had a power night. Her duet with Robert was gorgeous. Her solo was so full of power and emotion it gave me goosebumps. Her final dance with Jasmine, choreographed by Mark, was quirky fun. Of all of her work though, the Argentine Tango with Fik-shun was incredible. It may not have been the perfect Tango, but it was perfect for them.
Fik-Shun: He proves time and again that he’s so much more than a hip-hop dancer and he really got put through his paces this week. He nailed the contemporary number that Travis Wall choreographed and I can’t imagine that was easy for him having Jasmine for a partner. I loved his efforts in the Argentine Tango because he was a perfect partner for Amy. His solo was wonderful. I’m not a fan of “Gingham Style,” but he created his own moves to that song and I won’t mind watching that again. His crowning moment of the night was dancing with Twitch in an incredible hip hop routine. He was also well matched with Aaron in the Broadway number to close out the show. I just wish he’d had more choreography to work with.
Jasmine: The control she has over her body is incredible and you can help but watch her dance. My favorites of the night for her is a split between her solo and the contemporary piece she did with Fik-Shun. Travis Wall choreographed so well for her. She really got to show off what she can do. It was a bold, and great, move to show off her versatility by choosing to do Hip Hop with comfort when she got to pick a style to perform in. As I noted with Aaron, I’m not sure why the judges didn’t like their ballroom number but I thought it was fast fun. The quirky space twin piece that ended the night was also fun and showed off more of her versatility in movement.
Winner picks: I voted for Aaron and Jasmine all the way. That said, if Fik-shun or Amy win, I’m completely okay with that. The top four this year is great and any of them have good reason to be picked as America’s Favorite Dancer.