Audrey and Matthew: Contemporary (Travis Wall)
This is how you're gonna make me like Audrey, I guess. Pair her with Matthew, who is so dreamy it's actually a joke. Like the show is doing an experiment to see just how nutty it can get the girls in the crowd. Travis is really riding the razor's edge of credulity with me this week, crafting a routine based not only on Titanic but the "draw me like your French girls" scene specifically. Fainting couch and all! And then he sets it to "Unchained Melody," of all things. I am dubious, Travis! And yet, the dancers take the stage and ... it is HOT AS SHIT, you guys. Their chemistry is off the charts. There's a thrilling dissonance to have such a high degree of sensuality in a routine that moves this quickly. Matthew and Audrey are moving all over the place, but they're never apart for longer than a heartbeat. Shades of Travis's Jeanine/Jason bit from Season 5. Audrey makes a lot of hay with how limber her legs are as she kicks into some SICK splits. Meanwhile, Matthew's lines are his strong suit; you could draw HIM like your French girls. And given the song, where was THIS routine in Ghost musical? In fact, there's something of an amalgam of the entire 2012 Broadway season in this routine. Matthew is dressed like the guy from Once, they're dancing to the Ghost song, and they're sexing each other up on the Venus in Fur couch. It's something to see, and it earns the first standing O from the judges all season. I do get increasingly annoyed that the judges (justified) pride in Travis takes away from the dancers he choreographs. Neither Nigel nor Kenny mentions either dancer's name in their critiques. Matthew! Audrey! The kids need to know their names for the texting part! Anyway, at least Mary remembers them, and she especially emotional vulnerability. If that's what we're calling it these days, then yes, me too.