‘So You Think You Can Dance’: Karma Police

Granted none of the dancers inspire religious devotion this season, but last night’s episode of So You Think You Can Dance illustrated timeless proverbs of karmic retribution nevertheless. When Danny applied his chi energy to pirouettes instead of partnering in the Argentine tango, he was fated to chase after his hat as Sara ran away with a Shane Sparks duet. Forgo the cooperative spirit for egocentric pursuits and it will bite you in the well-muscled ass. Attention-seekers are better served by waiting for the rolling credits like Dominic (and Hok before him) so they can bring fellow competitors to a standstill without looking like grandstanders.

Perhaps it’s as simple as this: Good things come to those who wait for the boomerang effect. Consider Lacey and Neil’s latest Latin-inflected number: She performed to the camera; he all but ignored the tween-screams incited by his naked chest. Come their second solo—Mia Michael’s mawkish dead-daddy dance — Lacey looked like a creaky showboat next to Neil’s newfound authenticity. (One rerun snippet meant to illustrate Nigel’s assertion that Neil wasn’t focused on his partner did the opposite and brought to mind another classic maxim: Judge not, lest ye be judged a fool.) The distilled rumba from Lauren and Dominic was pure taoism: Less is more. Less votes; more art perhaps. We expect the rhetorical phones were ringing off the hook instead for Sabra who practiced her possible victory lap as Pasha led her through a rousing quickstep. —Drew Pisarra