So You Think You Can Dance - Performance Finale

We have reached the finale of the season, and what a season it has been! All four of these dancers are so uber talented. As much as I miss Logan making it to the finals, I can't replace any of these contestants with him. They all deserve to be in the finale.

The opening was a Nappy Tabs routine, and it was awesome! It had a bit of several dance styles thrown in, and the judges' and audience's participation made the performance even more fun and exciting.

The Top Four
Travis Wall AND Chris Scott were choreographers!
The four dancers each represented earth, wind, fire and water.
This was obviously a taped piece. There were no judges critiques. It was a short routine, but powerful, with a lot of partnering work.

Taylor & Kiki
Cha Cha
Anya Garnis
Hi Anya! So nice to see the woman who was the original Hot Tamale! :)
They said Taylor had to tap into her sexy side, and she certainly did! The outfit definitely helped with that. Kiki was in his element, hips and arms flying. The fact that Taylor was a bit taller than Kiki bothered me, but it was a crisp, clean, sexy routine, with lots of cha cha elements and body contact. Yay Anya!
"Kiki - in your element, you command the stage" - Nigel

Koine & Lex
Broadway
Al Blackstone
I really enjoyed the light, comedic, cheeky feel of this routine. They were both so light on their feet; they looked like they were dancing on air. They made that performance look effortless. And they both showed a lot of expression and personality. It was adorable!
The audience was laughing and cheering throughout the performance, and the judges gave them a standing ovation. I'll mention now that the judges gave nearly every routine a standing ovation.
"excellent routine, excellently executed" - Nigel
"One of my favorite routines in the history of 'So You Think You Can Dance'' - Mary

Kiki & Jenna
Contemporary
Mandy Moore
Why are they resurrecting previous dances from this season on the PERFORMANCE finale? Isn't that the purpose of the RESULTS finale, besides crowning the winner? I'm honestly cranky about this. I think it's lazy on the part of the show, and makes it looks like they can't be bothered to have new routines on arguably the most important night of the season. I want new routines on the performance finale. I think they are cheating the viewers, in a way.
Okay. Rant over.
At least this is a routine that I really like.

Koine & Marco
African Jazz
This one was not one of my favorite routines, unfortunately, but only because the "music" annoyed me. But I appreciate how difficult and intricate it is. Koine could have selected something easier to perform, but she didn't, and I applaud her for that. She chose to challenge herself again, which is admirable.

Koine & Taylor
Jazz
Mandy Moore
Mandy created a routine that she hoped would be sultry, strong, and sophisticated. I know this is a weird criticism, but I was bothered by the fact that Taylor's outfit showed more skin than Koine's. I think their costumes should have been more similar. It was a good routine - crisp and tight, good turns and leg extensions, it WAS strong and sensual, but I wasn't as wowed as the judges for some reason.
"very Bob Fosse" - Vanessa
"You guys were commanding that stage" - Mary

Kiki & Lex
Hip Hop
Luther Brown
Before this routine, I thought wow, this isn't fair, hip hop is by far Kiki's worst dance genre. But I was very impressed. This time I can say that Kiki was definitely lit! They both had a great bounce, their movements were sharp and crisp, they both got down and dirty. And they played off each other very well. Really strong chemistry. I enjoyed this routine. They worked it!
"Kiki, you have blossomed, you have sprouted," - Nigel

Taylor & Robert
Contemporary
Travis Wall
Taylor definitely picked the right performance to highlight her amazing lines, flexibility, and the incredible partnership she has with Robert. That forward fall at the beginning of the routine will stand as one of the most memorable moments from this season. It is a stunning routine by two wonderful dancers and choreographed by the ridiculously talented Travis Wall.

Lex & Gabby
Tap
Very interesting that Lex chose a dance not in his style, but it was a crowd-pleasing routine that displayed the personality he supposedly lacks, plus some fun Lex moves too.
"Not even Fred Astaire can do that" - Nigel

Koine & Kiki
Contemporary
Travis Wall
The partnering work was exceptional in this routine, as was their flexibility, especially by Koine. Wow. There were so many moments when one of those dancers could have been injured. The chair work was so innovative. Very lyrical, emotional performance. Kiki was great in this performance; Koine was stunning. Travis is a genius.
"Could have gone so wrong, but it all went so right" - Mary (yes!!)
"Great dancers have to be great actresses" - Nigel

Taylor & Lex
Contemporary
Mia Michaels
A performance enhanced by the knowledge that Taylor and Lex are dating! Awww! I was thinking that throughout the routine. It was so sweet and loving. Lex lifted Taylor as if she was the most delicate flower. And there was A LOT of kissing. Cat was giddy, Vanessa was giddy, I was giddy. Mary and Nigel acted like proud...parents? I'm actually surprised that Lex and Taylor are together. I was shipping her with Robert. I'm still wondering about Koine and Marco. And Jenna and Kiki - what is going on there? It's all over the media that Jenna and Val are an item. Anyway, amazing routine. Nice to have Mia back...and not as a judge. Just sayin....

So who is going to win? I have no freakin' idea. Judging by audience reaction the past few weeks, I would say Kiki. I didn't vote, but if I had my way, Taylor would win. But honestly, all four of them are immensely talented and deserve the title.

librarianintx