So You Think You Can Dance Canada

Top 20 Performance

so you think you can dance, top 20 judges, season 3

Episode Recap

Music

The Top 20 dancers impress guest judge Mia Michaels

“What a phenomenal night of dance!” host Leah Miller gushed about the Top 20’s performance show.

After Shelaina Anderson and Hani Abaza were eliminated last week, the Top 20 were back on stage and ready to dance.

The remaining dancers have the chance to win the title of Canada’s Favourite Dancer, $100,000, and the winner, runner up and one lucky viewer will win a Mazda2.

After Canada votes, the bottom three guys and the bottom three girls will have to dance for their lives on Tuesday night’s live results shows, and the judges will decide which two dancers will be eliminated.

Judges Jean Marc Genereux, Tré Armstrong and Luther Brown took their places behind the judging table and were joined by guest judge Mia Michaels, fresh off her second Emmy win for Best Choreography.

Dance hall: Bree and Edgar

After a hip-hop routine last week, Bree and Edgar picked dance hall out of the hat and worked with choreographer jaeblaze. Under red and purple lighting, the pair performed a sexy Jamaican routine.

“That was so much fun. That was so authentic,” Mia started. She loved the tone of the piece. “Edgar, you’re the real deal,” she added.

Contemporary: Amanda and Denys

After performing a tango last week, Amanda and Denys worked on a highly emotional and technical contemporary piece with Sabrina Matthews. Amanda played a character who was terminally ill, and Denys portrayed her boyfriend.

The piece concluded with snowflakes falling on the stage. “It gave me goose bumps,” Leah said as the dancers joined her in front of the judges.

“You move across the stage effortlessly,” Luther said to Amanda, deeming her one of his favourite dancers. “Denys, you are the perfect partner. You are such a professional,” he said, appreciating the lines and technique on stage.

Paso doblé: Kirsten and Jera

Kirsten and Jera were paired with choreographers Francis Lafrenière and Natalli Reznik, dancers from Season 1, for the dramatic, passionate genre Francis and Natalli were known for.

In a glittery metallic dress, Kirsten was partnered by Jera, playing the matador, and the dance was filled with high kicks and lifts that saw Kirsten flying high over Jera’s head.

Tré was impressed that neither of them had ever performed the paso before. She said she believed Jera’s emotional performance, though she mentioned he used a few too many facial expressions. “You’re very gorgeous and graceful,” she said to Kirsten.

Hip-hop: Nathalie and Mackenzie

Choreographer Sho-Tyme promised a hip-hop routine with incredibly fast footwork for Nathalie and Mackenzie. These two contemporary dancers were costumed in black and red and got the crowd cheering for their high energy number. “I absolutely loved that,” Leah said.

Jean Marc noted how hard and difficult Sho-Tyme’s choreography is and added: “You aced it, my friends.”

Foxtrot: Claudia and Yonni

Choreographer Danny Quilliam choreographed a “funky foxtrot,” for ballroom dancer Claudia and salsa dancer, Yonni. It was not a traditional foxtrot as they slid and glided across the stage to Lady Gaga.

“For me that was a really bad situation,” Mia began, wishing the dancers had filled the space. “Claudia, for me, you were relaxed, but too relaxed,” she said, adding that she had wished Yonni had more flow to his movement.

Jean Marc disagreed with Mia though, and was impressed by the performance.

Contemporary: Charlene and Jeff

“The inspiration from this piece came from a real story,” choreographer Stacey Tookey said about her contemporary number that told the story about a woman who wrote her a letter about suffering from depression.

The dance involved a lot of falling and lifting, showcasing both Charlene and Jeff’s technical strength. “I didn’t want it to end,” Leah said when they had finished.

Jean Marc called Stacey a national treasure. “Her thought process is very deep,” he said and added how impressed he was by Charlene and Jeff’s performance. “We just witnessed another magical moment,” he said.

Samba: Julia and Jesse

Though Julia was in her genre, contemporary dancer Jesse was out of his element working on this samba routine. Tony Meredith and Melanie LaPatin’s movement was fiery and spicy and halfway through the dance, Jesse tore Julia’s white dress off to reveal a tiny fringed dress.

Tré loved the number and said Julia stole the show. “You executed it very well,” she said to Julia, asking that she change up her facial expressions. “You finally arrived,” she said to Jesse, adding that he could increase his hip movements.

Theatre: Danielle and Sebastian

Contemporary dancers Danielle and Sebastian got dark with their theatre number. “She’s not just telling his fortune, but stealing his soul,” choreographer Sean Cheesman explained.

The piece was dramatic, with a lot of twisting lifts and they impressed Luther. “You two are the perfect couple,” he said. “You make me smile and laugh.” He loved the technique and characterization.

Krump: Janick and Shavar

Janick and Shavar were excited to “get bucc” with choreographer Lil’ C and choreographic assistant and Season 2 dancer, Natalie Lyons. Costumed in silver and black, the dancers ended up on the judges table with movement that was rhythmic and raw.

Mia recognized the power and boldness in Lil’ C’s work and said she didn’t see that grounded quality in their performance. The audience booed, but she added they “had a lot of face.”

Jazz: Kloé and Jonathan

After a tough hip-hop piece last week, Kloé and Jonathan worked with choreographer Blake McGrath, on a jazz piece set on a beach in California. The stage was filled with enormous beach balls and Jonathan was costumed in a lifeguarding outfit with Kloé lounging in red heels and a bikini.

Jean Marc noted the amount of precision and detail in Blake’s choreography and said that he was impressed with Jonathan’s technique. “You are the perfect California girl,” he said to Kloé, telling the audience that she’s actually dancing on an injured ankle.

Results night

On Tuesday night, the Top 20 will take to the stage with a high energy Bollywood number choreographed by “Slumdog Millionaire’s” Longinus Fernandes.

After the group piece, the voting results will be revealed and the Top 20 will become 18.

Your Top 20:

Amanda Cleghorn, 19, Mississauga, Ont.
Bree Wasylenko, 22, Toronto
Charlene Hart, 24, Abbotsford, B.C.
Claudia Primeau, 26, Montreal
Danielle Gardner, 21, Surrey, B.C.
Denys Drozdyuk, 25, Toronto
Edgar Gilbert-Reyes, 22, Calgary
Janick Arseneau, 20, Bathurst, N.B.
Jeff Mortensen, 22, Edmonton
Jera Wolfe, 19, Inverness, N.S.
Jesse Weafer, 25, Aurora, Ont.
Jonathan Arsenault, 26, Kitchener, Ont.
Julia Harnett, 26, Calgary
Kirsten Wicklun, 20, Vancouver
Kloé Schultz, 20, North Bay, Ont.
Mackenzie Green, 20, Regina
Nathalie Heath, 23, Surrey, B.C.
Sebastian Mersch, 21, Toronto
Shavar Blackwood, 25, Toronto
Yonni Fournier, 27, Montreal