'So You Think You Can Dance:' Guys Are Hot, Ashley Galvan Injured, Lauren Moves Hips

Seven Dancers, Soon There Will Be Six

Karan Moses Robinson
Mia Michaels like boys. And what's not to like with the way the guys tore up the stage Wednesday night. on 'So You Think You Can Dance.' Robert Roldan, Ade'Chike' Torbert, Jose Ruiz, Billy Bell and Kent Boyd all put on such great performances, that Michaels repeated her "I like boys" mantra a couple of times. Oh, yes, I'm with you, Mia.

And then there's Lauren Froderman, the only female competitor who performed on Wednesday night's show, and if anyone can give the guys a run for their money, she can. The other girl dancer, Ashley Galvan, was unable to dance due to an injury she received during practice that landed her in the hospital.

That unfortunate incident automatically put her in the bottom three dancers' club, and based on the votes of viewers, two other contestants will join her Thursday night. If Ashley is unable to dance, she will automatically be eliminated, as was Alex Wong, who was disqualified last week because of a ruptured Achilles tendon. He is currently in the hospital recovering from surgery to reattach the tendon.

Robert gave an emotional performance with an all-star dancer, which led to a standing ovation from all three judges and brought tears to the eyes of many. Choreographer Travis created a "wanting to fix someone" routine in honor of his mother, who had undergone a surgery. The routine was perfect for Robert, who often catches his mother's eye in the audience and mouths "I love you."

"Robert, you're a fantastic dancer," said Lythgoe, who can't fathom why voters haven't shown Robert more support. Michaels and Shankman also liked the performance, but when Robert performed his second routine, a Disco dance, Michaels deemed it not masculine enough. This prompted a mild retort from Lythgoe, who insisted the performance was masculine.

Lauren, paired with an all-star dancer, impressed everyone with a Tahitian dance number. The costumes were a little unwieldy, resembling construction paper turkey feathers, but they certainly highlighted the way she can move her hips.

It's great fun to watch an impressed, but flummoxed Lythgoe, which is exactly what he was after Lauren finished. "I have no idea what to say," he said, adding that he knew nothing about Tahitian dance. "What do you think about those hips?" he asked Shankman. "Those hips don't lie," Shankman shot back.

Billy Bell received good reviews for showing more chemistry with his dance partners, which brought a smile to his face, and it's always a treat to see him smile.

Speaking of smiles, Jose, who usually polishes his performances with a bright one, got bogged down in a sad routine, in which he portrayed a stage hand who was invisible to the female performer he adored. "We've cut Samson's hair off," Lythgoe said, referring to the Biblical Samson, who lost his strength when his hair was shorn.

Ade'Chike and Kent, who each danced with all-stars and then paired up together, both got darn good reviews, if not perfect, from the judges. They're just so cute, I hope they keep dancing forever.

Host Cat Deeley is a cheerleader for all the dancers, but I'm not sure who she's talking to when she looks offstage and says, "Behave, now!" Probably the judges acting up, but wish she'd let us in on the secret.

Tune in to see if Ashley is back for the Thursday, July 15th episode--if she can't dance she will be eliminated, but the two others in the bottom three will still have to perform solo.

Dancers and Specialties

Lauren Froderman (contemporary)
Ashley Galvan (lyrical)
Jose "Full Deck" Ruiz (breaking)
Ade`Chike` Torbert (contemporary)
Kent Boyd (contemporary)
Billy Bell (contemporary)
Robert Roldan(contemporary)

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Published by Karan Moses Robinson

Karan Robinson writes an op-ed column twice a month for the Enquirer-Herald, a community newspaper of York & Clover. She has written for The Charlotte Observer, American Profile magazine, Easy Street magazin...  View profile

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