Tonight’s Live to Dance episode is officially titled ‘Making The Top 18’by CBS; however, only 17 spots for the upcoming semi-final rounds were actually determined. The 18th spot, decided by America’s voters, will not be revealed until next week. They sure didn’t make this process easy to figure out either. You couldn’t turn your attention from the show for a second, as it was only through a handful of gradual reveals throughout the hour long show that this selection process could be pieced together.
So let’s break it down: Out of 18 semifinals spots, 16 were chosen from last night’s ‘short list’by the panel of judges, or ‘experts’as they are referred to by host Andrew Gunsberg. For the remaining two spots, 4 acts were given call backs to perform in a dance off against each other, and learned of their fate via unexpected, in person visits from Paula, Kim, Travis or Andrew. The catch? They had just 24 hours to choreograph a new routine, create new costumes and travel to L.A. to perform in front of the studio audience at The Dome for one last chance at one of the two remaining, coveted semi-final spots.
The 4 acts selected to compete in tonight’s dance off:
Inside the Box from Ponoma, CA – a multi-member group (so many I couldn’t even count)performed a highly synchronized routine to Rihana’s Only Girl and while they gave a decent showing, I’m not convinced they are the type of dancers the experts are seeking. Interesting back story though; their dance studio burned down and they practice outdoors in a parking lot. Sympathy vote yes, but I don’t think they are breaking barriers dance-wise.
Kendall Glover from Phoenix, AZ — an 11 year old darling, had the shock of her young life as Paula surprised her at middle school, interrupting what appeared to be a school assembly. For her dance off, Kendall performed a beautiful ballet routine to Happy by Leona Lewis, and did tone down the makeup as Paula gently suggested at her first audition. It was obvious she was Paula’s pick to move to the semi-final.
White Tree Fine Art from San Francisco, CA – a pair of passionate, married ballet dancers who credited their deceased trainer as their inspiration, performed a flawless ballet routine to Secrets by One Republic. I think they have a great shot at nailing the audience vote.
Theatrics from Temecula CA – a 9 member group of sweet, hardworking kids who vowed to give 200% at the dance off. However, their eye catching white sneakers paired with black suits were so eye-catching they only served to show off a bit of sloppy footwork, as noted by Travis Payne. They danced to a remix of Footloose, throwing their white sneakers in the air as their finale, but I wasn’t too sure what their style of dance was tonight, and I would be surprised if America voted them in.
In the remaining minutes of the show, we learned that the experts chose Kendall Glover as their pick for the 17th semi-final spot. Viewers were given 2 hours tonight and 10 votes per method to use specific toll-free numbers or cbs.com to determine whether Inside the Box, White Tree Fine Art or Theatrics will land the remaining spot. We find out the winner on next week’s one hour Semi-Final Round 1 show, airing January 12 at 8pm on CBS.
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