Hey Everyone :)
We have arrived at the next round of competition on World Of Dance. Tonight, the duels begin. After weeks of auditions and callbacks, judges Jenifer Lopez, Derek Hough, and Ne-Yo have picked this season’s crop of acts and they get the opportunity to prove themselves. But it will not be easy.
As opposed to previous seasons, the dancers will not know who they are up against. They will simply have to be sure they do enough themselves to out dance whoever they are competing with. The stakes are incredibly high- you win a duel and you move forward one step closer to the million dollar prize.
Guest judge Twitch will get to pick the redemption round contestants. In that, the acts that fail to move on from their duels will have a second chance to survive.
Tonight’s duels come from the upper division.
Jefferson Y Adrianita Vs. Luca & Alessandra – Two Latin style duos that are also in real life duos. Both of these couples are true professionals so this should be quite excellent.
Jefferson Y Adrianita – This was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I love the fast footwork, tricks, and over aesthetic just as much as I did when they first auditioned. However, I enjoyed the audition routine more than this. This felt a bit… frenetic without purpose if you will. I wanted it to tell a story a little more as opposed to just showing off these incredible moves. And it was incredible. But I expected that from them.
Jennifer is happy that Jefferson stepped up the dancing. She saw some new scary and exciting tricks. Ne-Yo says it was super clean and super strong. He thinks she could beat him in a fight. LOL. Derek calls it scorching. Twitch felt like it was a night out.
Luca & Alessandra – WOW. Very nice. I feel like the judges are obviously going to give this to the other couple but I wouldn’t. I found this more appealing in that I loved the odd choice of music coupled with mixing up the dance styles and still making it seamless. I saw some tango. I saw some samba and samba rolls. I love when fusions come together. They have my vote but my vote means nothing. :)
Jennifer says they are two of the best performers in the competition. She calls it impressive. Derek loved the intro and how much they ooze. He tells them to watch that last lift- don’t do it from a stationary position. Ne-Yo wasn’t thrilled with the song choice and how it worked within the dance. Twitch didn’t mind the song at all. He loved the trust between them.
Jennifer picks Jefferson Y Adrianita.
Derek picks Jefferson Y Adrianita
Ne-Yo picks Jefferson Y Adrianita
BOO! I hope Twitch picks Luca & Alessandra for the redemption. They deserve it A stellar couple.
The Rise Vs. UPEEPZ – Jennifer notes they paired these two up because they both have history with the show. The Rise just got into the duels via their callback last week. Upeepz wants to improve on the things the judges said. The Rise wants to show they are not underdogs.
UPEEPZ – That was hot. I absolutely loved the storytelling there. They really incorporated that well in the dance. And the dancing itself was so damn clean and in-sync. One damn body it looked like. They also had some clever humor thrown in which is always a plus if you are looking to be entertained. That was really solid.
Derek loves the intensity between the teams. Jennifer loved the concept. She feels like they really stepped it up. She feels it was so well put together. Ne-Yo didn’t enjoy all the tricks. He wanted a little more excitement in the tricks. Twitch appreciates the energy but wanted to see some more formations. Jennifer and Twitch get into a little disagreement. Derek really loved everything.
The Rise – Damn. That was really good too. An unexpected choice of song and really, tone of dance as well. I like being surprised. Props to them for some really clever choreography. This is a hard one. I feel as though the first group are stronger dancers overall but the second brought the entertainment to a higher and more unexpected level. I wouldn’t be mad at either winning this one.
Ne-Yo didn’t like the trick- he saw effort in the flip. Twitch can’t believe how hype he is at that song within the dance. He loved the formation changes. Derek feels like they were shot out of a canon and feels this is very difficult. Ne-Yo loves and hates when it is this close. Jennifer thinks the intensity and passion were equal for both groups. She was distracted though by the shoe’s dropping in The Rise’s routine.
Jennifer picks UPEEPZ.
Ne-Yo picks The Rise.
Derek (the deciding vote) picks UPEEPZ.
I have a feeling Twitch will pick The Rise for redemption so the should stay ready to compete. Twitch really loved them.
Kurtis Sprung Vs. Styles & Emma – Jennifer picked them because both have the ability to bring elegance and beauty to the dance floor. Damn. I am upset these two are against one another because both were stand outs in the qualifying round. Styles & Emma are ballet dancers who are so competitive and excellent. Kurtis is a contemporary dancer and the judges want more out of him. Jennifer wants to feel the emotion in his heart.
Kurtis Sprung – Wow. What an emotionally packed dance. If Jennifer doesn’t feel the emotion in that, I don’t know what to tell her. That was just pouring out heart stuff right there. Lovely contemporary movement and great storytelling. You really felt like love was being ripped away and played with during that. Outstanding.
Jennifer enjoyed that she was taken to that level. Derek found there was too much space between the moves. He wants him to use the time better. Ne-Yo compliments him on getting the audience to feel the emotion. Twitch loved the balance of telling the story but inviting everyone in. Jennifer says that Kurtis has wings.
BTW, thank you producers for (so far) not doing any montages. Please allow all the duels to air like this. It is so much better to see everything than just skip through and tell us so and so made it via seeing five seconds of a dance.
Styles & Emma – MMM. So pretty. Those athletic ballet steps are just mesmerizing. I love the way these two (same as in their audition) so brilliantly fuse ballet and contemporary together. Each shines when needed for a solo but they are amazing together. Great song choice as well and it added to the feel of everything. AH. Another impossible choice. I LOVE BOTH. Again, whoever wins is deserving.
Jennifer calls then elegance in motion. She found it compelling but wanted a few more moments where she was blown away. Derek marvels at the athleticism and strength. He loves the power they exude. Ne-Yo feels as though the beginning- he saw some of the effort. Twitch wanted to see them move more together. He admits he is nitpicking.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MY3dAQD7-Do
Ne-Yo picks Kurtis Sprung.
Derek picks Styles & Emma
Jennifer (the deciding vote) picks Kurtis Sprung.
That’s three losing acts tonight that ALL would be deserving of Twitch’s redemption vote. This is really hard. IN 2 WEEKS, the upper division duels continue and Twitch will pick the two acts he wants to see dance again.
Remember, that’s in two weeks! See yah then all. Be safe.