SYTYCD: July 21 2010; Top 6: Billy Bell Injured; Kent Boyd is the Guy to Beat

So You Think You Can Dance, Season 7: July 21 2010; Top 6 Perform Without Billy

Rik Merchant, Yahoo! Contributor Network
Jul 21, 2010 "Share your voice on Yahoo! websites. Start Here."

SYTYCD 2010, July 21: Season 7. Only five of the Top 6 dancers danced. Each did two partner routines and a solo. He first partnered with an all-star with whom he has not yet danced (all-stars are twelve popular dancers from past seasons). Then, he teamed with a fellow competitor. The host is Cat Deeley. The judges are executive producer Nigel Lythgoe, Mia Michaels, and Adam Shankman. The guest judge is Kenny Ortega. Among his accomplishments, he directed the late Michael Jackson's 'This Is It' tour.

Top 6 perform without Billy Bell; a third contestant injury: Billy injured his knee during a rehearsal. His doctors told him he could dance if he felt up to it. He did not.

Contestants partner with all-stars and dance solos.

Lauren and tWitch: The only girl dancer left, Lauren Froderman, danced Hip-Hop with all-star tWitch Boss, choreographed by Napoleon & Tabitha D'Umo a.k.a. Nappy Tabs. Music: 'My Chick Bad' by Ludacris featuring Nicki Minaj. Best judge comment(s): Kenny said, "Lauren, you have enough energy to power Los Angeles."

Jose and Allison: Dancing mostly on the edge of the stage to express being in love as being on the edge, as choreographed by Sonya Tayeh, Jose Ruiz danced Contemporary with all-star Allison Holker. Music: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind film theme by Jon Brion. Best judge comment(s): Mia said Jose had performed 'pedestrian Contemporary', which is humanistic with more gestures as opposed to 'trained Contemporary'.

Robert and Lauren: Robert Roldan danced Jazz with all-star Lauren Gottlieb, choreographed by Tyce DiOrio. Music: 'Wasted Time' by My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult. Best judge comment(s): Kenny called Robert's dancing grounded and exciting. He said his 'movement was liquid'.

Solo 1: AdéChiké Torbert danced in his main genre of Contemporary to 'This Woman's Work' by Maxwell.

Kent and Kathryn: Kent Boyd danced Jazz with all-star Kathryn McCormick, choreographed by Sonya Tayeh. Music: 'Tightrope' by Janelle Monae. Best judge comment(s): Mia said Ken's animated face took choreography to a juvenile level, which Sonya's choreography is not.

Solo 2: Robert Roldan danced in his main genre of Contemporary to 'Parachute' by Trevor Hall. His 20th birthday was today, taking him from teenager to adult.

Solo 3: Lauren Froderman's genres are Jazz and Contemporary. Lauren danced to the song 'The Waves' by Elisa.

AdéChiké and Comfort: AdéChiké Torbert danced an emotional Hip-Hop with all-star Comfort Fedoke, choreographed by Nappy Tabs. Music: 'Fallin'' by Alicia Keys. Best judge comment(s): Adam said it was like watching a movie rather than a dance. It was 'so intensely beautiful, so horrifying, so my life'.

Solo 4: B-Boy Jose Ruiz danced to James Brown's 'Give It Up Or Turn It Loose'.

Solo 5: Kent Boyd's genres are Jazz and Contemporary. Kent danced to 'End of the Road' (A capella) by Boyz II Men.

Contestants perform with fellow contestants.

Lauren and Robert danced the Samba, choreographed by Dmitry Chaplin. Music: 'Drummer Boy' (SYTYCD Mix) by Debi Nova. Best judge comment(s) about Lauren: Because her footwork was so good, Adam said, "You could have a future in ballroom." Best judge comment(s) about Robert: Mia said, "You look like a Samba dancer."- meaning he was so good that Samba seemed to be his main genre. Robert's main style is Contemporary.

Jose and AdéChiké danced the Paso Doble, choreographed by Dmitry Chaplin. Music: 'The Arrival/ Rampage/ Continued Existence' by James Dooley. Best judge comment(s): Nigel agreed with Kenny that it was a valiant effort by the contestants but they were lacking that je ne sais quois and crispness brought to the dance by a Spaniard, for example.

Kent and tWitch did Stepping, choreographed by Chuck Maldonado. Music: 'Pro Nails' (Rusko Remix) by Kid Sister. Kent was to have danced with fellow contestant Billy Bell, who was injured. tWitch stepped in at the last minute to partner with him. Best judge comment(s): Adam told Kent, "You killed something that's totally foreign to you."

Tonight's votes by America's TV viewers will place two dancers in danger tomorrow, along with injured Billy Bell who automatically dropped into the bottom three because he did not compete this week. Those two dancers will dance for their lives. Of the six contestants, five guys and one girl, Billy is most likely to go home. Jose might be the second-most-likely. The judges were nearly unanimous tonight in the belief that Kent Boyd is the one to beat.

Alex Wong was in the audience wearing a cast and a smile. The surgery to reattach his Achilles tendon to the heel went really well last Monday. SYTYCD has invited him to compete again next year. Alex was injured while rehearsing for a Bollywood number. The prognosis for his return to dancing is about three months.

^{The All-Stars who danced tonight}^:^{Allison Holker}^{, Season 2; Brooklyn, NY; Jazz/Contemporary/Broadway/Cultural.
Comfort Fedoke, Season 4; Hip-Hop/Krump.
Kathryn McCormick, Season 6; Jazz/ContemporaryBroadway/Cultural.
Lauren Gottlieb, Season 3; Hip-Hop/Jazz/Contemporary.
Stephen 'tWitch' Boss, Season 4; Popping/Locking/Krump.}
^{Related articles: July 15; Injured Ashley Galvan Cut; Also in Bottom 3: Billy & Jose} ^{Alex Wong Detached Achilles Tendon- Can't Dance for 3 Months}^; ^{Injured Alex Wong Couldn't Dance; Lauren & Kent Best}^; ^{Top 9; July 1; Melinda Sullivan Cut; Billy, Robert Also in Bottom 3}^; ^{Top 10; June 24 ; Cristina is Cut: Melinda & Robert Also in Bottom 3}^; ^{Cristina & Pasha Hot; Jose & Kathryn Do Bollywood; Lauren & Dominic Raw}^; ^{Top 11 Partner W/ All-Stars June 16 ; Alex Wong Raises Standard}^; ^{Cristina Santana & Nathan Trasoras Are Hot Stuff}^;