In the second Cut round episode of World of Dance, the dancers face the most intense bout of eliminations yet. Only the best of the pairings make it through to the next round, and this means some really quality performers have to go home. American Ballet Theatre star Misty Copeland joins the judges for the hardest part of the competition so far.
In the first round of cuts, the Junior division said goodbye to all the acts except Diana Pombo and Eva Igo. In the second round, the Team and Upper Divisions will go head to head. The teams with the two highest scores will move on to the Divisional Finals.
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Team Division
Kinjaz start off the night with a new, sexy routine that has the judges losing their minds. They’re blindfolded, grooving to Usher’s “No Limit” and look great. Jennifer gushes that she wants to hang out with them at whatever club they frequent, and Misty tells them she feels like a 14-year-old girl at an ‘N Sync concert. That’s pretty high praise, and it looks like Ne-Yo’s mentoring really paid off for them. They unseat Super Cr3w from the top two with a score of 93.5.
Ian Eastwood and the Young Lions have been a judges’ favorite from the beginning. Their performance in the Duels round sent the Jabbawockeez, one of the most famous dance crews of all time, home with a lesser score. However, they just can’t make their slower, more emotional routine work in this round. Ne-Yo thinks “the picture didn’t come all the way together” this time, and Jennifer sends them home with some encouraging advice about looking for work in choreography. Their score of 89 isn’t enough to break into the top two, and they won’t advance.
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Upper Division
Luka and Jenalyn are known best for their complicated tricks and gravity-defying stunts. This routine doesn’t disappoint in either way. However, during Derek’s mentor session, he warns them not to rely on their tricks and to amp up their chemistry to make sure they are offering a complete dance overall. Jennifer agrees at the judging table, wishing she could see more dancing. Misty wants more connection between the two, and their overall performance can’t garner the kind of scores to keep them in the top spot. An 80.5 just isn’t high enough at this moment in the competition.
Fik-Shun’s use of props and his literal interpretation of Lukas Graham’s “7 Years” evokes mixed reviews from the judges. Derek works with him prior to his performance, and it is a sweet moment between the different generation of dancers as they talk about their fears of aging out of the profession they love. Even with Derek’s advice, there are still some concerns from the judges about his level of commitment to difficulty. His score of 84.2 is enough to keep him in the top two, sending Pasion home with a lower score.
The legendary Les Twins hit the stage as one of the biggest names in the dance community. They are seasoned professionals that claim they could dance before they could walk or talk, and the judges are blown away with their complicated routine. They are the epitome of fluid grace and style, and their mixed speed dance puts them on the leaderboard with the top score of 93.5. This bumps Luka and Jenalyn out of the round all together.
The final performance in the Upper Division is Keone and Mari. They spend some time with Derek before their performance, and they try to reassure him that they have some emotional depth. Their routine is about a hard time in their marriage and relearning to love each other. Derek is enthused about the personal nature of their dance. They are tethered together, and it’s an interesting representation of this moment. Ne-Yo is affected by it, and he tells them that every time he sees them perform it makes him miss his wife. Their passion upsets the only solo artist, Fik-Shun, and their score of 93.2 pushes them through to the next round.
Next Round: Division Finals
Junior: Diana Pompo vs. Eva Igo
Team: Swing Latino vs. Kinjaz
Upper: Les Twins vs. Keone and Mari
Which scores did you disagree with? Did a crew go home unfairly? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
World of Dance season 1 airs Tuesdays at 10/9c on NBC. Want more news? Like our World of Dance Facebook page.
(Image courtesy of NBC)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
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