But even with some of the moments that might have left viewers (or at least this one) scratching their heads, the overall result of WORLD OF DANCE’s final qualifying round was just the same as that of the first two: Whoever manages to win this competition is going to be well worth that million dollars. There are far too many excellent dancers — both those with established reputations and some newer faces — capable of winning nearly any other competition; but there can be only one WORLD OF DANCE champion.
Let’s just start the final round of qualifiers off with an obvious win.
They won the first season of AMERICA’S BEST DANCE CREW back in 2008. So, obviously, the Jabbawockeez had to make an appearance in the first season of WORLD OF DANCE. These guys have been everywhere, including their own Vegas show, for the past nine years. The dancers knew they were putting their reputation on the line and had a target on their backs the second they decided to compete; but they weren’t going to just phone it in. “It’s not like ‘oh, you got a Vegas show, and then you retire,” after all.
As in, if you love dancing, you’re not in it for the money or the fame. You’re here to constantly push yourself to do better. These guys get it.
There’s really no way to critique the Jabbawockeez. So, I just won’t.
The judges, on the other hand, had the unenviable task of not only giving the Jabbawockeez feedback but also giving them scores. See also: A formality at this point because there’s no way WORLD OF DANCE was going to pass on a crew with a reputation for such excellence. Not if the series cared at all about, well, any of its carefully chosen judging criteria.
Ne-Yo probably said it best: “You cannot have a dance competition with the best dancers in the world without the Jabbawockeez.” Like it or not, he’s right. In the interest of keeping the series from turning into a fangirling-fest, Ne-Yo also talked about the actual dancing, saying he really liked the new groove — different from their famous isolations — that the crew had added to their performance. Derek Hough gave a mixed review. While he liked the groove and professed himself to be a “huge fan” of the Jabbawockeez, thus continuing tonight’s fangirl-fest, he also admitted that he missed the isolations.
Cue judges’ table bickering, as Jennifer Lopez wanted more of that groove. She also said the Jabbawockeez “just gave everybody, like, a master class in how to kill it without breaking a sweat.” (Your girl’s not wrong.)
Average score: 86.7. They’re going to be in the next round. Obviously.
After the pesky business of delivering their scores, the judges returned to their Jabbawockeez fangirl-fest, complete with Derek saying he had way more respect for them than ever before since they were willing to put everything on the line to come to this competition.
I sure hope there were selfies and autographs after the show.
The Mihacevich sisters: “I know what it’s like to dance with family, and it truly is special.”
This trio was dancing before it was cool. No, wait. That’s not right. They were dancing in the womb, though, as their mother was a dance teacher before they were born. Mark my words: This statement was a setup for the Mihacevich sisters to either be stars or absolute garbage who hated dance. In my experience, there’s no middle ground with children of dance teachers. Seeing as how the Mihacevich sisters were trying to qualify for WORLD OF DANCE, therefore ruling out the hatred option, that meant that all of their dad’s awesome sandwiches had been feeding future stars on the way to dance competitions.
The Mihacevich sisters had everything you’d want to see in a contemporary performance (aka, my personal crack). Their lines were gorgeous; and they had an excellent use of breath in their movement. Steps didn’t just terminate at the end of the count; rather, the dancers created movement that had a life of its own, extending beyond their bodies and beyond time.
That’s not to say that the music and timing didn’t exist, either. I was particularly impressed with how the Mihacevich sisters utilized their music’s accents. Throw in great emotion, especially from the oldest sister; and you’ve got yourselves yet another potential winner. It looks like Studio 82 taught them well.
The judges very impressed with the trio, with J-Lo complimenting the feeling they brought to the dance, as well as the connection between the three of them. Ne-Yo was so impressed with the Mihacevich sisters’ contractions that he had to do some weird impression of them at the judges’ table. Derek commented on the emotions and breath, same as yours truly, so I think he and I should judge something together sometime.
No, really. Derek, please call me.
Average score: 87. Qualified.
Montage time!
Some kid asked J-Lo to call him. Derek got giddy over ballroom. A tap dancer finally squeaked through…And there was a lot more dancing tossed into one fast-paced, flashy highlight reel.
Perhaps the biggest crime of the latest WORLD OF DANCE episode was that it showed some, yet not all, of The Posse’s performance. What little bit the editors happened to keep in the episode stirred up all sorts of pesky feelings. I mean, how can you not want to see the full number when one of the dancers has this to say? “As long as you love yourself, you’re beautiful no matter what people think of you.”
Couldn’t keep up with all the awesome in this segment? Same. But don’t worry: NBC has full routines here.
Swing Latino.
As the name suggests, WORLD OF DANCE is open to dancers from all over the world. Enter Swing Latino, a group of dancers from Colombia, who have been working together for fifteen years. Many of the dancers found it difficult to dance in Colombia; their own parents didn’t even support them.
The joke’s on those unsupportive parents because anybody who doesn’t want to be associated with what Swing Latino did on that stage is an idiot. Their performance was, in a word, shocking. The Colombianos’ footwork was lightning-quick, yet still incredibly clean. And can we talk about that throw?? How? Just how.
The judges were just as shocked after watching Swing Latino as anybody else might have been. Derek Hough reminded everyone that “dancers are athletes. Artistic athletes,” but that was only after he called the group “sparkly.” He’s been around a lot of rhinestones, guys, so he would know. Ne-Yo said the dancers represented Colombia well. And while the men generally tend to fade into the background during ballroom performances, that wasn’t the case here. “Everybody on stage felt like they were meant to be there.” J-Lo spoke to the dancers in Spanish, telling them they had the potential to win the competition. In English, she assured them that people weren’t used to seeing that level of salsa, and “the guys were strong, like, NUTS!”
(Mmm nuts.)
Average score: 89.3
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!