So You Think You Can Dance 5, July 8: Details, Details

Cat’s wearing a nice twist on the little black dress. Still in mourning for Michael Jackson? She tells us that each couple will perform two routines tonight. The third judge this week is Tyce Diorio. Where’s Debbie Allen? Tabitha and Napoleon? Mandy Moore? I guess they want to keep using them as choreographers, which means they can’t judge.

Melissa & Ade – disco – Doriana Sanchez

We jump right in with the first routine. (And yay, no videos!) Doriana warns that style is really important in disco. Ade thinks that nailing the swagger will bring the rest along. Melissa admits to being challenged by this style; it makes her dizzy. She and Ade get the giggles a lot. Doriana says they should pray to the disco gods.

The song is Destination’s “Move On Up.” They definitely have the disco swagger. Melissa tries to combat the dizziness by using her ballet spotting. I love watching these two in any style. I’m glad they did this routine first because it has to be tiring, and this way they have all the energy they need going into it. The best move is Ade spinning Melissa over his head while she’s upside down and her legs are in splits. There are a ton of spins in this routine, so it’s not surprising when a dizzy Melissa falls over after the last pose. At least it was at the end.

Nigel loved seeing this routine as the start to the evening. He was impressed by the strength Ade showed in his lifts. He notes that the American Ballet Theater will be performing Romeo and Juliet next week in L.A.; maybe they’ll do a disco routine at intermission. Heh. Melissa & Ade are a strong couple and showed it again tonight.

Mary asks Tyce for an amen, referring to the disco gods. She’s shrieking, so we know she liked it. This was a good pick-me-up for everyone. The routine was fun and well executed. This is the first time Mary has seen Ade let go. Melissa is a vision when she does lifts, and she let go, too. Usually ballet dancers are stiff when they do disco, but not Melissa. Tyce says it was “frigging great,” adding that he adores Melissa and no one would expect a ballet dancer to do something like this. He compliments her body, but the guy in the audience who I’ve decided is her husband is in agreement, not mad. Tyce thinks Ade embodied the disco well.

Kayla & Kupono – contemporary – Mia Michaels

Mia tells us the piece is about addiction. Kupono is the addiction and Kayla is trying to get rid of him, but he keeps coming back. Kupono says Mia’s pieces hit really close to home. He’s had experiences with people who’ve had addictions, and he doesn’t want to play one. Kayla expects it to be emotional for him. He’s emotional just talking about it.

They dance to Sara Bareilles’ “Gravity,” Kupono in black and Kayla in red. It’s gorgeous. He uses her as a puppet, keeps grabbing at her, and throws her around. It’s nice to see a routine that isn’t about a relationship or a breakup. Kupono gets into character really well, but Kayla even more so, really showing desperation and how difficult her struggle is. In the end, she gets away from Kupono, but he’s still smirking, like he knows she’ll be back.

Nigel calls the piece powerful. He’d like to see Kayla’s face more, since her hair covering her face keeps him from seeing the passion in her eyes. Kupono was malevolent and showed a lot of strength. His smirk and the constant grabbing were powerful.

Mary’s voice is already up to 11, and she tells Kupono that he was terrific latching onto his character and playing it from an honest place. Kayla is flawless every week. They’re still on the hot tamale train. Tyce says that a dancer who works with Mia adds a level to him- or herself and becomes an actor. The best dancers are the best actors. They bring an experience to the stage, not just steps, and Tyce feels like he had an experience. He thinks Kupono can be stronger in his body, but his acting was great. Kayla’s technique was spectacular and she’s “a beast.” The couple is the whole package.

Jason & Caitlin – foxtrot – Tony Meredith and Melanie LaPatin

And now for something completely different – Jason as a gangster, chasing after Caitlin. Jason has trouble with the posture. He vows to work hard and succeed. Caitlin wants to be better than good.

And… it’s better than good! They dance to “Minnie the Moocher” as performed by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. I think Caitlin gets her character better than Jason; her body language just in walking tells us that she’s a high-class, snobby woman. Jason has a bit of a gangster swagger, but it’s hard to match it with his baby face. Overall it’s a pretty simple routine that they dress up very well. It’s one where the choreography isn’t all that fancy, but it’s still choreographed well.

Nigel thinks Caitlin made everything look easy. She was reminiscent of Grace Kelly. Jason’s footwork was good and he must have practiced a lot between rehearsal and not. This is very much Caitlin’s style; she was smooth and elegant. Mary agrees that the style suits both Caitlin & Jason, and they made it look easy. Caitlin’s kicks were beautiful and she looked like she was floating across the stage. Tyce and Mary snap for a minute, like, hi, guys, we still have nine performances to see. Tyce thinks Caitlin & Jason looked like stars and captured the essence of the routine. Caitlin could have shown even more passion in her eyes, though.

Jeanine & Phillip – Russian folk dance – Youri Nelzine and Lilia Babenko

Lilia tells us they want to focus on character and difficult technique. Yeah, I’m sure this is right up Phillip’s alley. Lila and Youri sing us the song Jeanine & Phillip will be dancing to. The dance is basically an anything-you-can-do-I-can-do-better-type thing.