0:55 :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gB94OgWsocQ
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^ I remember when Neil and Danny both did 540 roundhouse kicks in their "Are You the One" contemporary routine; each in the opposite direction. I didn't realize Neil was that tall until he stood next to Danny, and they were almost the same height.
I admit that I was not a Neil fan during S3.
Cat Deeley towers over everyone but when Neil stands next to her, he's her height, that's how I know he's tall. He also looks mighty tall in the Paso Doble — it took Sabra quite a while to travel from the top of his head to his feet :)
I never notice anyone until it gets to the top 6. Early on in S3 I didn't know what the girls were screaming about. They started screaming as soon as Neil takes the stage. It got my attention and then I saw what an awesome dancer he is. I really believe he raised the bar and since then there are a lot more aerials. But the planche still belongs to Neil.
^ My dislike for Neil started during the Top 16 week. He and Lauren performed a sub-par tango, while Sara and Jesus performed a respectable krump. Both couples fell into the Bottom 3. Neil does a solo full of tricks, with little dancing or musicality. Jesus, on the other hand, does a solo with actual dancing. Nigel, however, declares Neil's solo as "outstanding", thus sending Jesus home. I thought that the judges made the wrong decision because Jesus had three respectable performances, while Neil only had one. I really thought that Neil should have left in Jesus's place.
My problem with Neil is that he is all flash and no substance. It's clear that he was a former gymnast because his solos are all gymnastics routines. His tricks are amazing, but the transitions between the tricks are lacking. It is a shame that he was in the same season as Danny, because Danny's technique blows Neil's technique out of the water. I will say, however, that Neil's solos did improve later on in the competition.
Although "Sweet Dreams" and "Knock on Wood" partly made up for my disappointment of Neil staying over Jesus, I really think that Jesus was the better dancer, and that if he had stayed, he might have had more memorable dances than Neil.
^ I remember Nigel commenting on Neil's dances being mostly gymnastic stunts but he also said he pulled it off. I found him to be very charismatic, he's very in character in his dances. He's made for show biz.
^ I agree that Neil is more of a performer/entertainer than a technical dancer. The dances that he did the best in were the ones where he played a character, such as the table jazz and devil/angel jazz.
^ I'm not too into the devil/angel jazz, one of my least favorites. The table dance is great, it's like watching a show, and the princes dance — they look like they're going to kill each other! Danny is so graceful with his lines and Neil is just stunning with his flips and characterization. It was really intense.
^ I think that it was a personality clash, and that they really didn't mesh as partners. In an interview, he named Sara and Sabra as his favourite partners; he totally ignored Lauren.
^ I guess that can happen. He and Sara has great chemistry, it shows in Knock on Wood.
^ That's why I would prefer that they switch up the partners every week. Some couples just aren't good partnerships, such as Asuka/Vitolio and Neil/Lauren.
Less popular dancers (Randi and Kameron) are sometimes carried to the Top 10 by their more popular partners. Bad dancers can also drag down their partners, such as Jonathan dragging down Karla.
^ besides partnering, part of it is the genre. Dances like the crash dummies are just not that visually appealing although they have to have it in there. It's luck of the draw.
^ I see you've been fooled by the machinations of the show ;)
The dances are not randomly assigned; rather, they are given to specific couples.
^ :confused: don't they pick from a hat?