‘So You Think You Can Dance’: The Puerto Rican Edition

As axed contestant (good-bye, Faina) after axed contestant (so long, Jimmy) proclaims how memorable, how life-changing, how important his short time on So You Think You Can Dance has been, you start to wonder how much of the canned responses are scripted in advance.

But last night’s guest appearance by Daddy Yankee underscored just how rare it is for a dancer to get to be front and center. Delivering an uninspired rendition of his song “Impacto,� the bling-laden reggaeton star was backed by a dozen or so dancers forced to execute crappy choreography for a camera that barely kept them in the frame. This, friends, is your future if you make a career of dance.

So say what you will about Cedric’s shortcomings as a ballroom partner; as a soloist, his break-dancing outshines much of the show’s original choreography. Give us one good reason why his kinetic brilliance should be denied another week in the glare of the spotlight. We can’t think of one. Not so inspired: Jessi and Sasha who seemed unable to reconcile themselves to the fact that their judge-approved performances landed them in the bottom three. Wake up, kids: It takes more than talent to make America’s reality-TV-watching public take up the cause. —Drew Pisarra