The 7 Genius Dance Routines That Make Tabitha And Napoleon The Real Stars Of ‘SYTYCD’
Last week, we witnessed SYTYCD’s ballet dancing phenom, Alex Wong, take on a Tabitha and Napoleon hip-hop routine with show All-Star Twitch. It could have been a choreographic Armageddon, given Wong’s lack of hip-hop experience. But instead, it turned out to be a first-class routine — one that earned Tabitha and Napoleon acclaim from the judges, who hailed it as their best to date. We decided to take a look back at the past three seasons of NappyTabs’ fancy footwork to see if the judges were right. We’ve rounded up the seven most outstanding routines to leap, pirouette or toe-tap out of the imaginations of SYTYCD‘s dynamic duo. Click below to see how they compare to last week’s “Outta Your Mind” number.
Tabitha and Napoleon D’umo’s unique style of “Lyrical Hip Hop” has gained the some major attention over the last several years. The couple has appeared on TLC’s Rock The Reception, consulted on America’s Best Dance Crew, choreographed for the 2009 Emmy Awards, and most recently lent their talents to Cirque Du Soleil’s Viva Elvis show in Vegas. However, they are probably best known for their work on FOX’s So You Think You Can Dance. Let’s take a look at our picks for the seven most outstanding routines NappyTabs has become known for.
#7. Paris and Tony “Let The Beat Rock” by the Black Eyed Peas Season 5 While both Paris and Tony were eliminated following this routine, we still thought it was poppin’ enough for a mention on this list. Their moves at 1:01 would have us on a chiropractor’s table for a week.
#6. Kherrington and Twich “Don’t Touch Me Now” by Busta Rhymes Season 4 Was it Tabitha or Napoleon: which of them came up with the ingenious idea of adding white circles to the soles of Kherrington’s shoes to make it appear as though Twitch was looking through a periscope? It has to be one of the more creative NappyTabs touches, showing that hip hop can be hard hitting and humorous at the same time. Also, can we have a moment of silence for the old stage which made it so much easier to watch the show.
#5. Legacy, Kevin, and Russell “Beggin'” by Madcon Season 6 How did Russell scale that jump over Legacy and Kevin? The world may never know.
#4. Ashleigh And Jakob “Whatcha Say” By Jason DeRulo Season 6 Tabitha and Napoleon always make creative use of props to tell their story. In this routine Ashleigh discovers a heart breaking text message on Jakob’s phone from another woman. Heartbroken, she must dance it out, of course.
#3. Katee And Joshua “No Air” by Chris Brown and Jordin Sparks Season 4 Another favorite from NappyTabs’ first season on SYTYCD. This routine tells the story of a soldier about to go off to war. The D’uomo’s are known for infusing their hip hop dances with emotion and this one is no exception.
#2. Janine And Philip “Mad” by Ne-Yo Season 5 What’s that old secret to a good relationship, don’t go to bed angry? Here Tabitha and Napoleon have modified it to, “Don’t go to bed angry or without a good hip hop routine.” Man, if only all fights between couples ended with a dance like this.
#1. Chelsie and Mark “Bleeding Love” by Leona Lewis Season 4 Did Alex and Twitch’s hip hop routine last week finally dethrone the indelible dance that earned the choreography duo an Emmy nomination? Watch and decide for yourselves.
Got a favorite Tabitha and Napoleon dance that didn’t make our list? Share it with us below.
