Summer Hummer 2010 Update #3
Saturday Night! The Big Night!
Results:
First, Rising Star. Judges were Stephanie, Donna Roesel, Jessica, Melissa, and Maira.
This was a VERY strong division – breathing down Classic’s neck – six couples total:
Daria and David (cute couple either Juniors or just out of Juniors, think they’re from someplace that starts with “Mi-” – Midwest or Michigan or Minnesota – wearing sparkly grey, dancing to “Free Falling”)
Brian and Shoshi performing for the second time (they’re from DC, so we get to watch this routine improve week after week)
Rob Glover and Samantha Fernandez – WOW! Smokin’ steamy sultry great. Sammie – omgawd Sammie!! What a fox! I hope this partnership lasts – these two are terrific together. Can’t wait to see what they might be able to pull off, ‘specially considering that Rob says this routine they only finished choreographing a few days before putting it on the floor. They’ll be in Classic in no time.
TJ Bednash and Lara Deni – also from DC (we have so many routine couples! And a whole lot more in the works!) – first time on the floor – cool routine, cool choreography, did it themselves
Gilbert and Melissa – awesomely awesome routine to awesome songs (Paula Cole’s “Feelin Love” and Ida Corr’s “Let Me Think About It”) – gorgeous choreography. But one problem: these two are so terribly unattractive it’s just sad. They’re such an eyesore the ugliness ruins the whole routine.
Julien and Beverly (France! Ridiculously good!)
And the placements were:
- Rob and Sammie
- Julien and Beverly
- Gilbert and Melissa
- TJ and Lara
- David and Daria
- Brian and Shoshi
Juniors (Judges were Arjay, Chuck, Jess, Doug, Nicola, and Maira):
Justin and Tiara (same routine, better every time we see it)
Cody and Krystal (omgawd how CUTE are they? Cute lil’ shaggers cute cute cute! You just wanna squinch up your face and squeak and squeal and squeeze the little squirts. And wow they can DANCE! Dang!)
Rome and Chevy (same great routine – love these two)
Brady and Kalin (cuteness OVERLOAD aughghghghgh what IS it about shaggers? Way too adorable!)
Chris and Nicole (AUGHGHGHGHGHGH!!! SO BLAZING FAST!!! SO MUCH MOVEMENT! SO QUICK! SUCH ATTITUDE! These are Schwimmer kids, gotta be. I’m just guessing, haven’t talked to them, but I’d be surprised if they weren’t. This routine is HARD! Holy Mackerel! How old are these kids, doing lifts and flips and leaps and slides and spins at warp speed? Jeepers! Really fun to watch).
And Juniors placements were:
- Cody and Krystal
- Rome and Chevy
- Justin and Tiara
- Brady and Kalin
- Chris and Nicole
And then we had a Demo, because the next couple is like Britney: Not a Junior, Not Yet a Classic. You know, of course, which routine this was – the breathtaking “White Houses” (Brennar and Torri) which, if you haven’t already worn out your monitor by watching it, you can see it (at last year’s Open where it was debuted), here:
http://www.usopenswingdc.com/2009_division_winners.html .
I still can’t watch this without getting choked up.
And then! Classic!
Judges were Donna Roesel, Doug, Arjay, Nick King, Chuck, Myles, Stephanie, and Maira
Eight couples:
Parker and Jen! YAAAAAAAY we got to see them AGAIN!! First time in, hmmm, Atlanta I think it was. Second time we saw them (Liberty I think) they couldn’t do the routine because Jen had torn a tendon in her thumb/wrist/hand and spent the entire comp in bandages and a brace (she did do a strictly if I’m remembering right, babying it along. So we’ve only seen them do this once before now. This is a cool partnership – both of these guys are dancing differently, it seems to me, anyway, than either has for the last few years. I mean all of their dancing, not just their routine dancing. Their strictlys and jj’s, too, both Parker and Jen, are better it seems like. Jen seems ferocious, like she *wants* it. She’s dancing bigger, riskier, more dramatically. She fell this weekend (forget when, in a stricly or jj) – I’m always impressed when someone falls while dancing spotlight – to me falling down feels like they’re dancing on the edge, risky, dangerous. (Okay so maybe this doesn’t apply to everyone. Me for instance – I fall without being on the edge of anything, just standing in line waiting to walk on the floor, by leaning back on my heels or something, my feet suddenly slide out from under me for no apparent reason). And Parker! Man, Parker is dancing! Feels like we haven’t seen Parker dancing for a while so it’s great to see him put himself out there. I love Parker. Oh – by the way – if YOU, too, love Parker, and you happen to be a kind, loving, smart, adoring, level-headed, sweet, trustworthy, wise, decent, honest, clean, charming, good-hearted, down-to-earth, generous, funny, beautiful 27-year-old female, please let Parker know. If you’re lacking in any of these qualities, forget it. Oh yeah, and by the way, their routine is great.
Ryan and Malia – same awesome routine we’ve now seen since the Open. Choreographed (I’m told) by Ben. Beautiful, love this routine. Malia is goooooood.
Jordan and Tat – AUGHGHGHGHGHGHGH!!! this ROUTINE!!!! What is there to say? Controversial routine, freaky cool. This time danced better than ever before – best I’ve seen it yet. (if you’ve only seen the youtube video which was shot at Liberty – I think that’s the only one online so far – then you don’t have any real feel for it at all as that video chops off their lower halves at the most dramatic final third of the choreography and misses their facial expressions entirely at the climactic moments; and this is a routine which can’t be appreciated without the drama, it’s ABOUT the drama).
Kyle and Sarah – Also this routine – best I’ve seen it danced. Sarah! Sarah’s dancing, like I said earlier, is exploding. They NAILED this.
Jake and Taletha – Same sexy routine we’ve seen many times this year, each time cleaner and harder-hitting.
Sean and Courtney – Their brand spanking-new super-fast routine, danced in classy black-and-white (pieces bought at H&M and Forever 21 – see? I keep saying you can put together great outfits for very little money!) to “Mr. Brightside” (Killers) – love the routine! Love the song! Love the choreography! Love the outfits!
Rob and Abi! Yep, Rob Jackson and Abi Wood, dancing their very sweet Sweetest Thing from – when? – last year? When they realized they were both gonna be at Summah Hummah they figured what the heck, neither one of us has another routine right now, let’s just do it! So they did, with Abi gripping her top for most of the 2 1/2 minutes cause the toupe tape didn’t hold and she felt her dress migrate down to the vicinity of her navel. Abi is NOT one to give up, though, so she danced to the end, nipples and all. (Turns out her dress hadn’t slipped down after all – it just felt that way).
And the last couple, Mr. and Mrs. Erik and Anna, Fred and Ginger style, very Broadway, Anna in a dress and heels, so sweet!
And the placements:
- Kyle and Sarah
- Jordan and Tatiana
- Parker and Jen
- Jake and Taletha
- Ryan and Malia
- Sean and Courtney
- Erik and Anna
- Rob and Abi
More tomorrow – Jack and Jill’s, Champion Strictly, Invitational JJ
Love Liza
Oh! Oops, almost forgot! I hath been corrected:
Mitch Marcello and Natalie Kuczma are in fact not from France as I’d said, but rather from Pittsburgh. I really don’t see what the point was of correcting me on that one. To me France, Pittsburgh, come on. What’s the difference.
And it was my dear friend Amy Danziger who was dancing with Richard Smith. As I said to Amy I’m very sorry to have missed her, but she simply disappears in a room, fades away, very hard to spot. So it’s not my fault. (Amy’s about 6’7″).
I also forgot to mention yet another Brit, Steve Hall, dancing with Kara Frenzel in Adv Strictly. He has a very loud voice. If I forget to mention him I’m sure I would hear him yelling about it all the way from England.
Anything else I’ve forgotten or bungled?