Thursday, June 14, 2007 - It's finally here. The part of So You Think You Can Dance that makes it all worthwhile, the performances. All the auditions are great, funny, odd, etc., but this is what it's all about. The top 20 will hit the stage tonight and compete for our votes. They have been divided into 10 couples and will choose a dance style from a hat. After working with the choreographers, the viewers will vote, and the three lowest couples will dance solos, and the judges will decide which guy and which girl go home, not necessarily from the same couple. Our judges for this week are Nigel Lythgoe and Mary Murphy, along with Dan Karaty. And our host, is the warmest of probably all these type of shows, Cat Deeley. After a quick recap of the auditions to “I Believe in the Beat” by Carol Lynn Townes, we're ready to rock and roll ... and hip hop, and ... well you get the picture.

Dancing tonight to Eve's “Tambourine,” Hok is, of course, a natural, but Goodwin looks a bit stiff, yet is still believable. She might be lucky she's dancing with him, because of his great moves, as it will probably save them. Karaty appreciated their effort, noting that they gave it energy and really attacked it. He could tell it wasn't Goodwin's thing, but tells Hok he's unbelievable. Murphy agrees that Hok is outstanding, and she has to tell Goodwin that although they know she can't keep up with Hok, she did bring it on, although it could be tighter. She thinks it was forgettable, though. Nigel agrees with his colleagues. They were expecting Hok to be brilliant, and he was. They'd like to see more of Hok, though, as he's more exciting than the choreography. Sparks, listening, has to throw in an "Oh my God" here. It's not Goodwin's style, but Lythgoe thinks she did a really good job.

Tonight, Garnis and Tidwell dance their jive to “Girlfriend” by Avril Lavigne. She looks a little like a Christmas ornament in a little shiny green dress with red straps and red shoes. While it's good, she is way more into it than him, although he gets in some amazing splits, sliding between her legs. Karaty says it just looked too easy, effortless. He also tells Tidwell he's a lucky man. Murphy tells them they take her breath away, and says the hot tamale train just pulled up and let Garnis off. She is proud of Tidwell, but warns him to watch some of his steps. Lythgoe says sometimes Americans speak American and he's left out, as he doesn't understand "hot tamale train." It's not just you, Nigel. What he does know is that they looked fantastic, and while Garnis had trained in jive, Tidwell never had, yet he kept up with her. He thinks she shows everyone how to be a performer, and he especially liked the splits move. He thinks they're a couple to be reckoned with.

Schwimmer and Bink (what a combo of names - hopefully they won't ever hit the road together) perform to Eliza's “Dancing.” It's beautiful, yet strange, and is meant to be a love story. They hang on each other a lot, mirroring each other's moves. Her part is very athletic, and the crowd just eats it up. Even Deeley says it was the first chills of the season as Benji watches from the audience. Karaty tells Schwimmer she got all of Michaels' vision and did a phenomenal job. He thinks Bink was a bit of a prop for her, yet still did a good job. Murphy cracks he was a lot more than a prop to her, and notes they brought the hair right up off her arm. She calls Schwimmer a real surprise, as she absolutely surrendered herself into the routine. Lythgoe agrees with Karaty, and says without question Schwimmer was the star, with her commitment to the routine. Bink was there for her, though, every time. Lythgoe was sad watching, as the routine was obviously about the intricacies of a relationship, and he wanted more. He compares it The Sopranos, leaving him wanting more.

Tonight Johnson and Sandoval dance their disco to “No More Tears (Enough is Enough)” by Donna Summer and Westlife. He's wearing a sequined white shirt and brown pants, while she's in a purply fringy number. The dance is very clean, and he busts out a few of his best breaking moves. They only get in a couple of lifts, but the ones they fit in are adequate. Karaty tells them the outfits are hysterical and that they look the part. It was good, but not great, and he thinks the audience gave them the energy that helped them. Murphy wondered in the beginning if it was really a B-boy out there doing all that. It's supposed to be corny and fun, and she refers to Johnson as Little Miss Sunshine, saying she was terrific. Lythgoe tells Karaty he's surprised by his critique, as Sandoval has had such limited time working with a partner, and the one lift they did took Patrick Swayze and Baby an entire summer to learn, but they picked it up in a couple of days. He also makes a comment on him looking like John Leguizamo.

Tonight, Langas and Palomino dance their tango to “Sentimento Tanquiero” by Trio Federico-Berlingein. She's taller than him, so it will be interesting just based on that alone. Their costumes seem to fit the dance, but she looks like she's struggling a bit to keep up with the turns. It's not really sexy, but it is technically sound. Deeley likes having another tall woman, as to not feel so much like a bodyguard on the stage. Karaty says it wasn't all that sexy, and believes they'd get the same thing watching a mother and son dance. Murphy has to agree with him, and says they look sizzling, but the dance wasn't. Lythgoe thinks a factor in that could be because Langas is so much taller. He asks if the kick between the legs is called a "gotcha," and Murphy corrects him that is a "goncho." Regardless, Palomino says she got him in the right spot.

For VonGillern's and Solorio's pop jazz routine, they dance to “Cabaret Hoover” from the Triplets of Belleville soundtrack. The costumes here are adorable, with a hobo/rag doll look. The dance is a little quirky and a lot of fun, and their timing is almost perfect. At the end, they fold their newspapers they were using in unison, and walk over to Deeley like Charlie Chaplin. Karaty says before he even gets to the dancing, he wants to say Robeson's choreography was standout, as they've never seen anything like that before. There were a couple moments where they weren't together, but they got so into their characters, that it was great. Murphy calls the whole thing twisted, demented, and spectacular with her characteristic cackle. Lythgoe says he wouldn't have thought they'd have a B-girl on the show, but now that they do, she's dancing brilliantly. They were all delighted in trying to figure out the different styles in the dance, and he thinks they've just done three routines in one.

Dancing to “Come Away With Me” by Norah Jones, Peralta and Kovalev are in classy outfits, with her wearing a white scarf draped off one arm. They are very graceful and fluid and somehow sexier than the tango. Karaty tells them they look like the prom king and queen, which probably isn't what Peralta wants to hear. This style usually bores him, but he thinks they just floated around the stage, making it beautiful to watch. Murphy, the ballroom expert, calls this classic and elegant. She thinks they had a lot of really great moments technically, and feels they both pulled it off. Lythgoe says Peralta has wonderful quality with her movement, and he doesn't know many ladies in the audience that wouldn't love to be in that gown dancing in Kovalev's arms. Again, there are worse things.

As Savich and Gardner dance to “Get It Shawty” by Lloyd, the routine looks technically correct, but she has a bit of trouble, making it look choppy. He doesn't seem to be helping her all that much. Karaty tells them it's important to feed off each other, and he doesn't get that from them. He felt like they were two soloists. He had big hopes for Savich, but it's about being able to do anything, and he felt she was uncomfortable doing the steps. He tells Gardner he's ridiculous and good, real good. Murphy tells Savich she thought she did really will, but it was a bit of a struggle for her. Gardner just blew Murphy away with his hip hop, and she says when he does his own stuff, it's crazy. Lythgoe tells Gardner he has wonderful fluidity, and while he admits it's difficult to ask someone who has never done hip hop to join him like this, it was a bit like dance by numbers. When it was more relaxed, though, she had fun with it.

Dancing to “Friday Night Rhythm” by Mazerati 5, Gottlieb and Haskell work together very well, and the dance is in sync. It's not terribly risky, but solid, and they look like they're having a lot of fun with this choreography. Karaty thinks they danced the routine really well, but he tells Haskell to look at the girl standing next to him, as she's hot, but it didn't feel that way at all. It was too hokey and cheesy. He wants him to just focus on her and be into it. The dancing was good, but the performance was lacking. Murphy agrees, and while the crowd boos, Lythgoe notes he's the only one to not be booed so far. Murphy continues, saying it felt like a cheerleader routine, as there was no chemistry, no fire, although they're both hot. Lythgoe agrees that Gottlieb is hot and agrees with Murphy that Haskell was like a gymnast. He needs to get down and dirty. One of his favorites from last year, Allison, is in the audience, and he thinks Gottlieb is very comparable to her.

-Laura Tucker