So You Think You Can Dance 4, July 9: Last Tango

Cat is wearing hippie curtains. Some girl in the audience screams over almost the entire credit sequence. Do we have to listen to her all night? Just like last week, each of the couples will perform two dances, which means less meaningless blather from Nigel, Mary, and guest judge Mia Michaels. Hey, is Shane Sparks ever going to come back? I know he’s busy with America’s Best Dance Crew, but can’t he take some time to visit?

Chelsie & Mark - salsa - Alex Da Silva

We get right into things with Mark & Chelsie rehearsing the salsa. There’s a challenging lift that Mark says will result in Chelsie face-planting on the floor if done wrong. My advice is to not let that happen.

The song is “Fuego” by Joe Bataan. I would use a cheesy fire-related pun to talk about Chelsie & Mark’s chemistry, but I’m afraid of being struck by lightning. They’re definitely hot, though. There are a few bars where they’re not in sync, and it’s hard to tell who’s at fault there. Fortunately, the lift at the end does not result in any injuries. It’s a nice, sexy little number.

Nigel teases Alex for looking like a Brazilian Bono in the intro tape. He thinks Mark could have relaxed more. He liked their footwork and how Mark got into character. Chelsie was terrific (and of course, her skin-showing outfit is, too). Cat reminds us that Chelsie is a tomboy. Nigel thinks her relaxed style helped since Mark was a little tense.

Mary agrees about his tenseness, saying he could have used more rhythm going through his body. However, he partnered Chelsie well on their turns and nailed the final lift. He dances with power and strength. Chelsie nailed the number, which is good, since this is her style. Mary quotes Fred Astaire as calling Cyd Charisse “beautiful dynamite,” and Mary thinks Chelsie is the same. Mia gushes over Chelsie’s beauty, saying she wants to stab her. Um, security! She’s not sure what, but she thinks Mark was a little awkward. He’s an actor as well as a dancer, but this character fell a little flat. All in all, it was a great performance.

Comfort & Thayne - hip-hop - Napoleon and Tabitha

Thayne is nervous about hip-hop, but Comfort is thrilled to get to dance her style. Thayne is worried about being a white boy trying to do hip-hop. Napoleon and Tabitha note that he’s too smiley and needs to look tougher. Good lucky.

The song is Ne-Yo’s “Can We Chill.” Thayne starts off by looking at the camera and spraying some Binaca or something. Then he joins Comfort on the steps and they do some dancing while sitting down. She’s terrific, of course, but I think he holds his own. His smiling is okay because the routine looks to be about a happy relationship. At least until the end, when Comfort seems to tell a secret and Thayne gives her a weird look.

Nigel reminds us of Chelsie & Mark’s workaholic routine, which allowed them to play off each other. He doesn’t think Comfort & Thayne did as well with that. He’s disappointed even though the dancing was fine. The dancers just didn’t add much to the routine. Cat notes that they’re a fairly new couple, but Nigel says (and I agree) that that’s no excuse. He expects another foray into the bottom three.

Mary says that Comfort & Thayne didn’t have chemistry. Tabitha & Napoleon do, even when they’re apart, and the dancers should try to be more like them. It was good, but Mary’s not ecstatic. Mia thinks it was “a little bit more than good,” especially the part on the stairs. The connection is lacking and they need to work on it. Mia is a big fan of Comfort’s, but Comfort isn’t doing what she needs to do to stick around. Mia thinks Thayne did well, but it was still not terrific.

Jessica & Will - contemporary - Tyce Diorio

Tyce tells us there’s no story here, but there’s an essence that needs to be felt. It’s about the Garden of Eden and the connection between man and woman. Jessica says it’s about art and their bodies moving together. Will tells us they have to give it their all this week. Jessica is feeling very strong and hasn’t felt that yet, so she’s happy.

Dancing to “Silence” from the Unfaithful soundtrack, Jessica & Will (shirtless!) dance a beautiful piece that does show a great connection between them. It’s very hard to critique it. It really does seem like art, like Jessica said. I think they both did an outstanding job.

Nigel calls the routine extraordinary and stunning. Will’s strength and lines were incredible. Jessica has had a hard time keeping up with him, but now she is. Nigel thinks that Jessica & Will added a connection to the choreography that Comfort & Thayne failed to add. Mary says this was one of the most amazing pieces she’s ever seen on the show. Will was dynamic and the chemistry between him and Jessica was great. They get a “woooo.” Cat says that people in the audience were spellbound.

Mia says that she fell asleep when Tyce played “Silence” for her, but it turned out to be a good choice. He went to a different place and “explored newness,” which is hard given the show’s time constraints. Mia calls the routine a moving painting with gorgeous pictures. It felt like the dance had a heartbeat. Will reminds her of Desmond Richardson. Jessica committed and was gorgeous. Mia thinks she embraced a routine for the first time.

Courtney & Gev - cha cha - Anya Garnis and Pasha Kovalev

Courtney & Gev are lucky enough to work with Anya and Pasha from last season. Somehow Gev picks up the style very quickly. Pasha has Gev stomp his foot, then tells him in Russian to give Courtney a “message,” which has something to do with him hitting her with his crotch. She wonders if she can say that on TV. Yes, dear.

For some reason, Anya and Pasha chose Rihanna’s “Don’t Stop the Music” to accompany this piece. The routine is great, and something I could see Anya and Pasha performing. Gev really did pick up the style quickly. There’s a lot of heat and chemistry there, and they seem to perform it well.

Nigel praises Courtney for dancing as sexily as Anya. Gev was brilliant, if not technically perfect. Nigel warns him not to purse his lips too much. It was “abso-bloody-lutely” fun to watch, and Courtney & Gev suit each other better than almost anyone else in the competition. Nigel hopes they can keep that magic if they make it to next week and get split up. Mary starts talking nonsense, so you all know I tune out. Gev was, again, not perfect, but because of how great he works with Courtney, Mary didn’t care - she just enjoyed watching them. Nigel invokes the Hot Tamale Train. Courtney & Gev are on it. I’m so over it.