Dmitry Chaplin Choreographing for So You Think You Can Dance Finale
I debated even reporting on this, given that I am done with SYTYCD now that it has become a bona fide popularity contest and that least skilled dancer this season is probably going to win (and just as I feared, both ballroom girls were cut back-to-back just before the finale), but alas, it’s not Dmitry’s fault and he is part of the DWTS family – so here it is. 
Dmitry tweeted that he is going to be choreographing for the upcoming performance finale next Tuesday:
Can’t blame Dmitry for being nervous – seems like the ballroom routines this season have had about a 50/50 chance of getting ripped apart by the judges…so much for debunking the blatant anti-ballroom bias on that show. Dmitry may also be having flashbacks to last season, when Nigel picked apart the cha-cha Mark choreographed for the performance finale. Let’s hope Nigel isn’t looking forward to a repeat “My show is better than DWTS!” pro-roast this time around…
Anywho, I found this little interesting Dmitry ditty while nosing around YouTube – it’s Dmitry talking about the cha-cha he choreographed for Cole & Anya a few weeks ago, and I think he pretty much hits the nail on the head when talking about non-ballroomers trying to learn ballroom:
Anywho, everybody cross your fingers for Dmitry that he doesn’t become the next victim of Nigel the Ballroom Meatgrinder next week. I just find it funny that he seems to think his show has so much more street cred than DWTS, due to the many dance styles they portray and all the Emmy nominations they amass – yet his show has turned into a complete popularity contest, while DWTS at least maintains some degree of integrity by making the results 50% scores and 50% votes. Enjoy those Emmy noms, Nigel – because with your ratings hitting an all-time low this summer, this may be your last hurrah.
NIgel always finds a way to slip in some denigrating comment about ballroom. Oft times, it’s very blatant. He was horrid to Mark last season.
I will have to agree with you that the least skilled dancer this season is probably going to win. As a ballroom dancing fan, (thanks to DWTS), i hate that no ballroom girls have gone passed Top 4, when in my opinion, they are definitely one of the well-trained dancers now, having to compete from time to time and yet, the least skilled dancers will have 50% to win for the male favorite dancer. i already know that Witney would have to leave last night considering that the judges can not save anyone.
I may not always be Mark’s biggest fan, but I think both Heidi & I agreed that Nigel was just downright CRUEL to him last season. I almost feel like Mark was set up to fail – he was given a couple in which the girl was quite a bit taller than the guy (kiss of death for ballroom dances), and they were both pretty burnt out already with all of the routines they had to learn for the finale week. Sasha & Tadd danced like crap in that routine – but rather than place any blame on them, Nigel chose to take aim at Mark. In some ways, because of that humiliation Mark suffered, it kinda makes me hope that no other DWTS pros ever cross over to choreograph for SYTYCD…just so they can be spared the wrath of Nigel.
I thin SYTYCD has one more season left in it before fox pulls the plug. The new format kinda ruinedd it for me this season
There have been a few really great ballroom routines this season, one of them choreographed by Jonathan Roberts! And the judges did praise him for it, thank goodness.
You’re more optimistic than I am, vin – I don’t think it’s gonna get picked up for even 1 more season. Ratings are lower than ever, the results show has already been cancelled, and Nigel is all wrapped up in A Chance to Dance. The British, Australian, & Canadian versions have already been cancelled – I can’t imagine the US version is far behind.
@EPmusic – Yes, we reported on it. But I daresay Jonathan’s routine was the exception to the rule, rather than the norm. The only other routines that I think got mainly positive feedback from the judges were Cole & Lindsey’s paso doble in week 1, and Tiffany & Benji’s jive last night. The rest have all been pretty mediocre to bad, IMO.
I liked Lindsay and Witney, despite having only watched last nights episode. I only became interested in this season because of how Court reported how AMAZING Witney and Lindsay were. And now they’re both gone and my interest with SYTYCD went along with them. Let’s hope TPTB will pick up Lindsay or Witney (or both) for at least troupe members, though I’d love to see Lindsay as a real pro.
Nice to see Dmitry shame on DWTS producers for not inviting him back.
Nigel is an ass. He was disgusting to Mark last season and I’m not even a Mark fan.
I keep seeing people mentioning getting Lindsay and Whitney on the show as pros – including MARK – but you guys have to remember that if they come ON the show, someone else has to leave the show. And I don’t see that happening with the current crop of women, unfortunately. Well, Cheryl is the only one I would like to see sit out a couple seasons.
I would settle for Witney or Lindsay being with the Troupe. Being pros is a bit of a stretch, and I agree with you, PH. Someone has to go to make room for them. If it were me, I’d trade Chelsie for Lindsay. But I don’t see Chelsie going anywhere any time soon.
With the revolving door the troupe seems to have become, I don’t think Lindsey or Witney becoming troupe members would be an impossibility. I also wouldn’t be surprised if they cropped up in the next iteration of the Vegas show. Pros? Nah. Not yet. I think the most they could hope for at this point is an invite to perform on a results show – although I’d imagine that wouldn’t happen until next season, at the earliest. They’re both tied up with the SYTYCD tour through the end of the year.
I have a feeling Sharna will be the next female pro then they can bring either Lindsay or Whitney into the troupe.
I remember about two years ago I was talking about how great DWTS is, and some other people(who don’t watch dwts and aren’t very familiar with ballroom other than what’s on SYTYCD) told me if a like DWTS I’ll love SYTYCD because it’s so amazing and they dancing is better along with everything else about it. I thought about it but never rembered to tune in. After all the negative reviews Ive heard about SYTYCD I don’t want to watch it.
I love DWTS and I also love SYTYCD. Besides the obvious, being dance-competitions that include ballroom, they are not much alike.
Nigel is what makes SYTYCD bad at times. And sure, I haven’t always liked the treatment of the DWTS pros. But, the dancing and choreography are wonderful and I enjoy the variety of genres. If you are a ballroom lover-only though, that is the part of the show that lacks. There have been some non-ballroom dancers that have picked up ballroom really well over the seasons, and it is cool to see. I agree Courtney, there haven’t been many great ballroom routines this season, the only great ones being the 3 you mentioned in your post (#7) and Chehon and Anya’s Argentine Tango. It’s too bad Witney never had a great ballroom moment because Chehon was so poor at it. I really like him too…..other than in ballroom. Now, to be fair, poor in SYTYCD world is NOT like poor in DWTS. These dancers are all dancers already of some sort, so even Chehon’s ballroom is better than Bristol Palin’s. Just my opinion, although some might not agree!
I thought Lindsay was a lovely girl, but I don’t think she could cut it on DWTS. Her technique seems really….floppy to me- just not sharp, foot or arm placement was sometimes off, and even posture wasn’t always top notch. She’s also not particularly intense in her expression. Witney, on the other hand, has the better technique and musicality and has that powerful and passionate look on the dance floor that is more in line with the way the pros are on DWTS. Chelsie also has that in my opinion. I wouldn’t trade her for Lindsay. Would love to see Witney give DWTS a go though. Anya and Pasha would be great too, but I think they are super loyal to SYTYCD
I haven’t watched too many Dmitry videos over the years, but has he lost some of his accent? For some reason I remember it being thicker when he was a pro on DWTS and definitely when he was a contestant on SYTYCD.
Pasha is also currently working with Strictly Come Dancing, EP. And to be honest, I don’t see him transferring over to the American version anytime soon, if at all. Just saying. lol
Dang. I forget that I still have things to say sometimes:
@EP: I guess I’ll have to take your word with Witney being the stronger/more technical dancer of the two. As I’m just a viewer, I have no idea what I’m looking at when it comes to the technique of dance. Witney was good, but I liked Lindsay more for some reason, so that’s why I would want Lindsay over Witney. But if what you say is true, then Witney should be on the show over Lindsay.
I actually disagree and think Lindsay is the better technician. I don’t find witney’s technique that strong, especially compared to the other ballroom dancers that have been on the show. The thing I think Witney does better than Lindsay is her stage presence. Some of Lindsay’s expression are a bit to contrived while witney’s seemed more natural
You don’t have to take my word Tony, it’s just my own opinion. We both have our own:)
We’ll see if they ever end up on DWTS! I enjoy seeing SYTYCD people on DWTS.
Pasha would move in heartbeat, if given the chance. No one would be foolish enough to say no to DWTS over SCD. The pay combined with the exposure?? Hugely different.
In both Whitney and Lindsay’s defense – they’re both still babies. Any advantage Whitney has in stage presence is luck at this point. And organic, most likely.
I hope Dmitry’s couple knocks his choreography out of the park.
I have only watched SYTYCD since Season 7 but have found Nigel to be a creepy, dirty old man who has a very high opinion of himself and HIS show and all the careers HIS show has supposedly launched.
I stopped watching SYTYCD when dancers I thought were stronger were getting kicked off in favor of weaker dancers (IMO). Also, Nigel’s terrible jokes that drop like bombs also got on my nerves – he seems to think he’s funny although no one laughs. I also find Nigel a little creepy and a tad smug, yet at the same time he also seems likeable (go figure). I have always preferred DWTS to SYTYCD (maybe because I think I have a chance of learning to ballroom dance, whereas I have no chance of learning modern dance or ballet at this stage of my life). Plus DWTS has so many cute male pro dancers!
I’m not a big fan of Sytycd, but I don’t want it ends. dance need it, it’s a big showcase to the dancers anyway.
in fact, this wasn’t its best season, no memorable dances… (specially if you take the fact that they picked one week to re-do former dances – which I think it’s terrible. Didn’t like when, on DwtS, we had that terrible 200th episode. with the songs of former winners)
the eliminations went horrible the way they did… imo, i’m not a sytycd “specialist”…
but I love “love again” chacha with nick, witney and lindsay (who were already on dwts for once at least)
Chelsie Hightower was already a Ten-Dance ballroom champion (Latin and Standard) before she was on SYTYCD and subsequently hired by DWTS. Witney and Lindsay are nowhere near that level of expertise in ballroom, not even in Latin dance. They are both better in dancing the other genres outside of ballroom though.