The World of Dance competition is heating up as we move closer to the duels. This is a recap of the competitors in tonight’s episode.
The Ruggeds, an upper breaking team, is up first. I like their solos, but I feel like some of the movements of the team as a whole were a little clunky. Ne-Yo likes the tricks, but the transitioning is rough. Jennifer says the difficulty is there but they need to add the extra element. Scores: 82, 83, 85 = 83.3. They are through to the World of Dance duels.
Josh and Taylor, are a junior hip-hop duo and up next. I really liked their choreography and their storytelling. Both of them competed in a World of Dance group and duo last season. Jennifer said it works when the two right people come together. Ne-Yo says that they made every piece of the song mean something. Scores: 92, 94, 94 = 93.3.
The next group is Lock ‘n’ LOL, a Korean upper team locking group. I wasn’t a fan of them because I think I’ve seen better, but they were fun to watch. Jennifer said they have to find exciting ways to keep the entertainment value rising. Ne-Yo liked the costume change and said it lost a little energy along the way. Derek liked them. Scores: 80, 79, 84 = 81
Michael Dameski, an upper contemporary dancer, is competing next and hoping to get a spot in the duels. He was a winner of So You Think You Can Dance in Australia. Derek says passion lies on the edge of uncertainty and I can see your passion. Jennifer says that he kept them on the edge of their seat. Scores: 90, 93, 95 = 92.7.
Next is LD Dance Company, an upper Samba team that looks like they stepped out of a Las Vegas burlesque show. They were fun to watch, but on a World of Dance competitive level, I’m not sure if I see anything competitive here. Derek said the same thing about ‘is it good enough?’ Scores: 71, 73, 79 — they didn’t get through with an average of 74.3.
The junior hip-hop group, The Rascals, is up next. They have high-energy and a lot of flips and high-intensity moves. Derek said they were shot out of a cannon. Jennifer said there is so much love and excitement for what you do. Take some adrenaline and calm it down and be more controlled. Ne-Yo: The little one in the middle is all firecracker! Scores: 83, 83, 88 = 84.7.
The last group of the night for World of Dance is the upper popping group Elektro Botz. They talk about how one of the group’s members’ moms passed away and they are dedicating this to her. I like their facial expressions and their moves. They are very creative to watch. They were, honestly, my favorite World of Dance dance of the day. Ne-Yo says he loves that there was personality and not just robotics. Jennifer said it was so narrative and they smashed it. Derek said they were clean and together and crystal clear and that last moment could’ve used a little something, but overall it was really strong. Scores: 86, 88, 93 = 89.0.
More next week!
