'Live to Dance': Part One of Semifinals the Vibe Picked by Judges for Finals

After a number of time changes, due to the memorial service in Tucson, Arizona attended by President Obama, "Live to Dance" was still on "live" in its full one-hour broadcast Wednesday night. No time was wasted as they got down to the results of the Dance-Off round for the #18 spot in the semifinals.

It was none other than the husband and wife ballet duo, White Tree Fine Art. I was thrilled to hear their name called out. Now the competition has ballet dancers too. Six dancers competed for two spots in the finals. One would be immediately selected by the judges near the end of the show. The other spot the viewers would decide.

However, each of the judges still gave them either a red or gold star, along with their critiques. Before each dance act appeared onstage Paula Abdul personally mentored them to perfect their choreography and technique.

The Vibe

During the audition show we only saw them perform very briefly. This massive group from Utah totals thirty-eight dancers. The routine was made to be like a symphony orchestra complete with a conductor. Then it broke out into an upbeat tempo with Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal." There was a lot of action going on with acrobatics and ballroom dancing. It all came together impressively. Each of the judges raved about The Vibe's performance and they deservedly received 3 gold stars.

Jittin' Genius

This was my favorite routine of the night. His timing to the music was impeccable. Those moves he did with the splits and then landing hard on the ground were incredible. It was like watching a hip hop jitterbug. The latter dance, jitterbug, is from the 1920s and his inspiration. That's where his dance name comes from. Once again the judges were all in agreement he gave a stellar performance. Jittin' Genius got himself 3 gold stars.

Chi-Town Finest Breakers

Here's the brothers and little sister break dancing act from Chicago dancing to some old school tunes. It opened with The Jackson 5's "I Want You Back." They were certainly fund to watch, but having to follow the previous two acts was definitely tough on them. The little girl is so cute. Overall they are good, but like Kimberly Wyatt said they have a ways to go. Paula gave them a gold star for being the most inspirational group she has ever worked with.

Austen Acevedo

He's obviously the Justin Beiber of "Live to Dance." We learned Austen only started to dance a year ago by teaching himself. His dance routine was not one of my favorites. I found the first part too dark and the other half was the complete opposite that didn't complement one another. Apparently the judges felt he is still too unrefined a dancer, but has great potential. I agree with them on that note. He was the only dance act to receive all red stars from the judges.

Bev and Hap

I've been waiting all night to see them perform. Bev has such a great personality in her intro piece. It was interesting to learn Hap is happily married, but Bev is single and still looking. You have to give this senior couple credit for truly being young at heart. They performed their own unique tap and hip hop routine to the Black Eyes Peas' "Boom Boom Pow." Thankfully Paula gets them and is inspired by Bev and Hap. She awarded them a gold star.

D'Angelo and Amanda

These amazing kids who perform ballroom as if they were on "Dancing with the Stars" lit up the stage with their Latin dance routine. Mostly likely this was a tribute to their hometown of Miami. Naturally they were awarded three gold stars and received stellar feedback from all of the judges.

The judges selected The Vibe as their choice for the finals. That was certainly no surprise as they literally wowed the judges and crowd. More than likely Jittin' Genius or D'Angelo and Amanda will be moving into the finals. Those results will be announced next week. Six more dancers compete for Part Two of the semifinals. Ironically, next week's "Live to Dance" semifinals competes with the premiere of Season 10's "American Idol."

SOURCES:

Live to Dance - Full Episodes, Clips and Behind the Scenes, CBS.com

Sammi-T, "Live to Dance: Recap for January 12, 2011", TV Grapevine.com