“SYTYCD” Season 7 Recap: Top 8 Results

Last night’s episode of “So You Think You Can Dance” was heartbreaking. Just one week after blowing away the audience and judges with his amazing hip hop performance, an injury knocked Alex Wong out of the competition. As Nigel announced last night, Alex has a lacerated Achilles tendon and he will have surgery to repair it on Tuesday. It is likely that he will eventually recover fully, but he needs time to heal, and therefore won’t be able to return to the show this season. Alex, if you’re reading this, the editors of Dance Spirit wish you the speediest of recoveries.

The news about Alex’s condition was a sad ending to an otherwise entertaining episode. Highlights included a spicy Latin number by All-Stars Pasha and Anya, and performances by the cast of In The Heights and Natasha Bedingfield. (A results show that’s jam-packed with fresh dance performances? Now that’s the way to fill an hour of primetime television—here’s hoping that the producers of “Dancing With The Stars” will take note and follow suit next season!)

For me, Bedingfield’s performance was the evening’s high point. By itself, her song would have been mediocre, but I ended up loving it because of the way the SYTYCD All-Stars lit up the stage as they danced around her. I’ll admit, I was skeptical when the new All-Star format was announced. But now, after a few weeks of watching it play out, I think the idea was genius. I’ve watched all seven seasons of the show (as I’m sure most of our readers have), and I find it thrilling to see the All-Stars dance today and marvel at how much they’ve grown since they were contestants on the show. They’re all beautiful dancers, and they have been from the start, but it’s amazing to see how they’ve transitioned into polished professionals in a matter of a few short years, or in some cases, months. Bringing them back to the show has proven to be an all-star idea!