#'oh yes it was so sad cancer got him. also the hole blasted through his stomach by a rival drug cartel'

[allroseshave-their-pricks]

after years of exclusively consuming Breaking Bad content through Tumblr and them moving to NM and going to the Breaking Bad store... gonna be honest I am More Confused about the plot than I ever was

[broodingsoul]

60 Random Things About This Week’s So You Think You Can Dance

1.  Okay, back to New York auditions.

2.  Let’s see if Vanessa Hudgens makes me start a “Stupid Things Vanessa Hudgens Said THIS Week” list.

3.  I kinda hope she does.

4.  Cat doesn’t give Vanessa Hudgens any superlatives this episode, but we still have to hear about how Mandy Moore choreographed That Movie That Will Not Be Named Because I’m Fucking Done.

***

Magda & Kiki

5.  I don’t know what it is about their pre-audition package that makes me love them but I do.  I do love them.

6.  Also, Kiki could get it, just so y’all know.

7.  Y’all already knew that, didn’t you?

8.  I like them as dancers separately, but not necessarily as a couple, if only because I never saw them actually connect as a couple.  But watching them separately was a blast.  All of Kiki’s personality comes through when he dances—he’s funny, he’s sexy, he’s got decent moves—and Magda looks like if Drea de Matteo were a ballroom dancer, in all the best ways.  Super sexy, super talented, could probably fuck you up if she needed to.  I just don’t like them as a couple.  Also, the choreography was a little herky-jerky for me.  I’d like them to go to choreography, but they’ll probably get sent through.

9.  Oh look, they got sent through.  I am very good at this show.

10.  “I’d like to dance with him a paso doble, I tell ya.”  Attagirl, Mary.

***

11.  A bunch of random ballroom dancers who are good, but not good enough to merit an audition package.

12.  Claudia looks beautiful in blue and gold, and Jorge has some footwork I wish we could have seen.

13.  Jaryd Farcon has a questionable haircut and his dancing partner looks like Dr. Mark Greene’s daughter from ER who was played by Hallee Hirsh.

14.  I knew that name from memory, but I can’t tell you anything I learned from the biochem class that I studied for 10 hours a week.

15.  Allen Genkin looks like if Gumby were a really sexy ballroom dancer, and that is a sentence I never thought I’d say.  But that’s what this show does to me.

***

Zachary Downer

16.  I watched two seasons ago and I don’t remember Zachary Downer.  Take that for what you will.  He’ll make it to live shows, because that’s what happens when you come back.

17.  I like his choreography because it’s like he thought “what if tribal dancing and contemporary had a baby?” and then this is what came out.  He makes a lot of interesting shapes with his body, but I’m not excited about his dancing per se.  I can tell that he’s good, but the choreography—while interesting—is a little boring for me.  He falls out of the one pirouette pass he does, which is disappointing, but all the other technique is on point..  I’d be shocked if he didn’t make it to the Top 20 though.

18.  Vanessa Hudgens actually provides a cogent critique for once.  What world are we in?

19.  Nigel comments that the choreography as like Alvin Ailey, and Zachary nearly bursts into tears.  That’s beautiful.  I’m rooting for him now.

***

Ramita Ravi

20.  “I’m doing a mixture of classical Indian dance and contemporary” and I am fucking here for that.

21.  The choreography and the dancing are lovely, but Ramita isn’t hitting the pocket for me.  It might be because every time I start to pick up on a story, she looks out at the audience and smiles, so it feels like she’s not connecting to her own piece.

22.  “Oh my gosh, I love your hands, I want them,” breathes Vanessa Hudgens, coming dangerously close to a “Stupidest Things Vanessa Hudgens Said THIS Week” list.

23.  Ramita is through to choreography, which makes sense to me, because they didn’t see her pre-audition package where she was doing more and better dancing than in her audition, which I’m guessing the producers made her do so she could get airtime.

24.  I’m guessing.

25.  And then Vanessa Hudgens literally spent ten seconds watching her hands make shapes.  Goddammit, Hudgens.

***

Peter Mangione

26.  Oh my God, all of these people are like “I started dancing when I was six” “—when I was eight” “—when I was six.”  And then here come’s Peter Mangione’s fine-ass self:  “I started dancing about six months ago, and my friend said ‘You’re not that bad.’  I mean, I’m not good, but I’m not that bad.”

27.  I love him.

28.  “I’m not afraid to throw my body in any direction.”  Good, can you throw it in my direction?  Because goddamn.

29.  “I think it’s gonna be something nice for them to watch.”  With a body that looks like that, he Is Not Wrong.

30.  I mean, I’m not going to recap his choreography in the slightest bit, but if he started actually stripping, I wouldn’t be mad about it.

***

Arielle Disciascio

31.  I love Arielle and her mother Natalie a lot already.  “Don’t make me sound perfect.”  “Perfect?  You’re not.”

32.  The Disciascio Dames have the cancer backstory of this season’s auditions, but they are adorable, so I don’t mind the manipulation.

33.  Arielle’s body is RIDICULOUS.  Her control over it is stunning, her legs go on for 17 days, and she’s clearly technically proficient.  I can tell she used to be a competitive dancer, because at times she shows out to the audience instead of connecting with story.  But when she’s in the story, it’s incredibly captivating.  But it’s a little paint-by-numbers dancing.

34.  “At some point, I’d like to see you live life a little more dangerously.”  Good point from Mary.  I want to see her edges get roughened up a bit, because there’s beauty in that kind of mess.

***

35.  A bunch of familiar faces coming through.

36.  Jamie Greco’s boobs squeak, but I do not remember Jamie Greco.

37.  Chris Andrews has awesome highlighter yellow shoes and made it to Green Mile of Season 12, which I don’t remember, but I’m getting old, so ???

38.  Chase “Ctut” Lindsey has a couple of bombs he wants to drop on people, and that’s a terrifying thing to say.

39.  Jason Kidd looks like if John Deere learned how to pop and lock.

***

Romainson Romain

40.  Romainson spent the last year absolutely going Through It, and I hope to God he makes it to Top 20.

41.  He looks up to the heavens before he starts dancing to his cousin Marvin, and I’m already a mess.

42.  I can tell how much the audition means to Romainson, and although I don’t know how to critique his audition (the choreography isn’t quite there, the technique is lacking a bit—I guess I do know how to critique it), I can absolutely feel the emotion in the movement, and for me, that’s the most vital point of any artistic form.  Does it make me feel?

43.  “I feel life is weighing on you, and I want to lift it off of you and set you free.”  Fuck you, Vanessa Hudgens, for making me cry.

44.  Holy shit.  Mary has this amazing connection with Romainson, talking about grief and tragedy.  “You gotta take that next step.  And trust me, it’ll be okay.”  Her voice is choked with tears.  “You gotta dance!  You gotta live!  You gotta bring the joy back, and only you can bring the joy back.”  The audience applauds.  Vanessa Hudgens applauds.  Mary pays it no mind, because she has been where Romainson is right now, and she wants nothing more than for him to begin to heal.  “I want to see you come back and do the choreography, and let it go, because it’s okay!  You loved them.  They loved you.  They want you to shine!  You can do it!  You can do it”  Romainson looks like he is looking for something now.  His eyes still look sad, but they set a little bit, they focus a bit more.

“If we invite you back to choreography, can you shine?” Nigel asks.

“I will shine,” Romainson states.  His voice isn’t strong, but it has conviction.  In the audience, another auditioned is crying, wiping away tears.  She started to heal today, too.

“Yes to choreography, of course,” Vanessa Hudgens says, without any bullshit.  She feels this moment, too.

“Come back and shine,” Nigel demands.  Romainson steps away.  He doesn’t smile, his face doesn’t change expression, but there’s a new gleam in his eye that wasn’t quite there.  He almost feels the desire to smile.  There’s a new spark in him somewhere.  He begins to leave the stage.

“But first, come give me a hug!” Mary Murphy demands in that way of hers.  The audience cheers, the music becomes uplifting, spiritual.  Mary wraps Romainson in a hug; he clings to her.  “Thank you,” he murmurs.  “Be good,” she says.  “God bless you.”  “God bless you.”  The audience is still cheering, but they are the only ones who exist in this moment, because they are members of The Club who have found each other.  Romainson’s audition snagged a sliver of grief Mary thought had become completely smooth, until she realized grief can never be completely smoothed away.  Romainson learned that it’s okay to start smoothing the grief away.  Someone finally gave him permission to take sandpaper and steel wool and make the rough edges start to gleam again.  That the hole doesn’t have to be dark, and sad, and scary.  The hole can shine, a beautiful reminder of what used to be there.

45.  Goddammit, I love this show sometimes.  I needed that healing, too.

***

Marc “Fullout” Royale

46.  “Feeling good?”

“Yeah!”

“Feeling confident?”

“Yeah!”

“You got this?”

“Yeah.”

“Is this gonna be your bitch?”

“All of the above!”

47.  I’m pretty sure Fullout just fell in love with Cat Deeley.

48.  Fallout is a BIG BOY because he has BIG JOY and BIG MOOD in his body.  His dancing makes me happy.

***

Claire Rathbun

49.  I don’t like her.  I don’t know why.  But I don’t like her.

50.  But damn, she is a beautiful dancer, even if she is playing to the audience entirely too much.  Gorgeous lines, great spin passes.

52.  But I still don’t care.

***

Lex Ishimoto

“52.  Tell me about your audition, what are you going to do?”  “It’s an improv.”  IDK why Cat is so shocked, every single one of Melanie Moore’s solos was improvised.

52.  All episode long, the show has said that this is going to be the best audition of the season.  I hate that kinda hype because I am ALWAYS let down.  Don’t fuck me up, show.

54.  Okay.  That was one of the best auditions I’ve seen on this show.  His technique is amazing, he knows what his body can do, it was a nearly flawless audition.  But I hated knowing that it was improv, because it kept me from connecting to it.  Instead of being emotionally connecting for me, it was just clever.  Which, clever is fine, but clever doesn’t necessarily inspire me.  He will clearly make it through, most likely all the way to Top 20, but I want to see him emotionally connect to a routine, and see what comes out of that.

55.  That being said, his double-swipe jump was AMAZING, and the kind of power he can generate with his body is unbelievable.

***

56.  Oh God, it’s time for choreography.  PLEASE, Romainson.  PLEASE.

57.  Romainson makes it through, and I see a genuine smile, and his inner life is so beautiful.  I really hope he makes it to the Top 20.  I want this life to be amazing.

58.  Academy next week, for an even 100 dancers.

59.  Oh, and here’s a whole bunch of shit I wasn’t expecting:  there’s only a Top 10, and one of the choreographers says “I want you on my team!” and now I’m scared that they’re going The Voice on this ish.  YOU DON’T HAVE TO CHANGE WITH THE TIMES, SHOW.  JUST BE YOU.  I JUST WANNA SEE DANCING.

60.  Also shirtless men.  BUT DANCING.