Ian Eastwood and The Young Lions.
Let’s just get this out of the way: For the first time, WORLD OF DANCE might have gotten it wrong.
After introducing himself and discussing his rise to Youtube fame, Ian said he and his dancers were coming to this competition at a certain disadvantage. The group wasn’t exactly used to competing, so they were taking a big risk by coming here. “But you’ve got to take risks to showcase what you’re capable of.”
Ian Eastwood and his Young Lions weren’t bad by any means. They just…How to put this…?
Unlike a lot of the WORLD OF DANCE contestants so far, there wasn’t anything particularly special about them, one way or another. They were good, but they were lacking in a certain star quality. Their performance felt like something I’d seen a million times over. Maybe seeing them dance after anyone but Swing Latino might have helped; but even so, the “creativity” score on the judges’ sheets couldn’t possibly have received a very high number.
J-Lo said the performance “felt a little bit mellow for a dance competition,” which prompted Ian to cut in and talk about his team’s lack of competition experience. (I don’t care. Shut up when the judges are talking, dude.) Derek said it felt like, rather than coming to WORLD OF DANCE as their own group, Ian Eastwood and The Young Lions performed like backup dancers for a famous musician. And Ne-Yo warned Ian that “you have to adapt to compete.”
From the sounds of it, this team wasn’t going to advance to the next round. Somehow, though, they did.
Average score: 83.7. Looks like Vanessa Hudgens of SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE wasn’t the only one borrowing Carrie Ann Inaba’s happy pills this week.
Montage break! This time WORLD OF DANCE showed some dancers who were this close to qualifying but, ultimately, didn’t.
We’re talking about people who were mere tenths of a point away from going to the next round. Harsh.
Dancers who shouldn’t have qualified but did: DNA.
Much like Ian Eastwood and The Young Lions, DNA just didn’t feel like strong enough competitors. The recently-married ballroom dancers just came across as a little bit too frantic for my liking. It was as if they were trying to show as much as possible in order to make sure they could qualify for WORLD OF DANCE, which was commendable; but the way in which they went about that was disjointed and frenzied. I’ve seen dancers mix a ton of ballroom styles with big tricks before in a totally fresh and cohesive way, but this wasn’t it.
Unfortunately, DNA’s performance was just a mishmash of steps and desperation, complete with a very visible mistake.
…but then the judges totally disagreed. Derek Hough, accomplished ballroom dancer that he is, actually complimented the duo for their “fusion of dance styles.” Ne-Yo commented that this was one of the sexiest waltzes he’d ever seen, and J-Lo actually said this was what she wanted ballroom to look like. She even explained the “mishap” away, saying it was there because the dancers were taking the kind of risks necessary to win a million dollars.
I was basically the speechless Nathan Fillion gif after hearing that.
Meanwhile, there are other dancers taking those same risks without major errors, but whatever.
To his credit, Ne-Yo at least said that he didn’t want to see the dancers making the dancing look difficult Because, you know, that’s kind of the opposite of what we’re trained to do.
Apparently, though, the “risk factor” still outweighed everything else.
Average score: 86…Whatever you say, guys. Pass me some of what you’re drinking.
The last competitor of WORLD OF DANCE’s qualifiers was Eva Igo, a 14-year-old contemporary jazz dancer.
Eva Igo began dancing at a young age because her sister was doing it. Now, it’s something she does because she loves it. She’s even able to use dance as a way to help her deal with her parents’ divorce: “I feel like dance helps me work through the hard things that I’m going through.” (Someone please put that quote on my grave.)
Eva’s solo was nothing short of amazing, and she might just be the best contemporary dancer we’ve seen yet. She exhibited everything from beautiful lines to a performance quality that absolutely can’t be taught. And that accented flick of her foot, from the flexed position to those nicely pointed toes on her music’s accent? Epic. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone do a leg hold turn with such great posture, especially for the free leg being that vertical, in a long time — if ever. I’m not sure what was up with Eva essentially turning in her heel by the end of the sequence, but I’m not even sure it matters at this point.
Me, after Googling Eva to find out that she was from Larkin Dance Studio, which has a tendency to clean up at The Dance Awards, and won Studio of the Year as recently as 2016: “Of course she’s from Larkin.”
That big smile at the end of the performance was everything. Everything.
The judges were rightfully impressed this time. Derek Hough said Eva “dominated that stage” and gushed over her “unprecedented control,” and Ne-Yo said her lines made her look about three feet taller than she actually was. J-Lo said Eva Igo’s technique was “superior,” and she said it was “super important” that we also felt the dancer’s emotion during her piece.
Average score: 88. If WORLD OF DANCE was going to get a little bit loose (in my opinion) with some of the qualifiers, it’s definitely reassuring that this final round ended with such an unquestionably deserving dancer.
Now that the qualifying rounds are over, it’s time to tune in to the first of “The Duels.” Make sure to check that out on the next all-new episode of WORLD OF DANCE, Tuesday, June 20 at 10/9c on NBC!