This week on NBC’s World of Dance, the Divisional Finals put the 12 remaining acts up against their divisional competition. When the show was over, only four acts remained, one to represent each division. That wasn’t where the excitement stopped, though. The acts were judged by Derek, J Lo, and Ne-Yo, joined by ballet icon Misty Copeland. Guest mentor the unstoppable songwriter and dancer Ciara also gave them advice on their routines before they took the stage.
The Upper Division
First to represent the Upper Division on stage were Karen y Ricardo. They have dominated this season with near-perfect scores and shockingly dangerous tricks. They were advised by Ciara to accent all of their song’s hit points. Karen y Ricardo’s strength and precision brought the judges to their feet.
Next to take the stage were Ashley and Zack. Their storytelling ability brought them to this point in the competition, so it was the emotional strength of their performance that Ciara advised them to focus on. Unfortunately, they incorporated a prop into the routine that tripped them up during some of their tricks.
Michael Dameski was the last Upper Division act to perform. The only Upper Division soloist left in the competition, he had to make sure he took up the entire stage. Ciara told Michael he needed to bring out the warrior in his performance, and he stepped onto the stage ready to battle.
After all of the Upper Division acts had performed, the judges locked in the final scores. The first score revealed belonged to Karen y Ricardo. They received a 95.3. Next were Ashley and Zack who unfortunately suffered from their prop malfunctions and received an 86.8 that sent them home. The last score revealed was Michael Dameski. With a solid 100 score from Ne-Yo and high scores from the rest of the judges, Michael received a score of 97.8. Michael will be in the World Final next week.
The Junior Team Division
The first Junior Team act to compete for a spot in the World Final was The Lab. After being sent home last season, The Lab has put everything they have into each performance. This week, they continued to take their performances to another level with difficult prop work. It’s not every day that an act brings an entire classroom to life on stage, but The Lab managed to pull it off.
The Rock Company was next on stage. They have spent this season combining technique and storytelling to impress the judges. Their performance showed off their style and their development since the start of the competition, and the judges were impressed.
Fabulous Sisters came all the way from Japan to compete on the World of Dance stage. When it was their turn to perform, they knew that they would have to incorporate the ferocity they showed in the previous round into this performance. They weren’t going to go down without a fight. Their performance was full of Fabulous Sisters’ technical skill, their Japanese culture, and texture.
After all three acts had performed and the judges locked in their scores, Fabulous Sisters were the first to receive their scores. They scored an average of 92. The next act to receive their score was The Rock Company. With a score of 91.5, they were sent home leaving Fabulous Sisters and The Lab. The Lab received an incredible score of 99.8 with three scores of 100 from the judges. Next week, The Lab will be going representing the Junior Team Division in the World Final.
The Upper Team Division
The first upper team to face this round was The Ruggeds. Unfortunately, one of their dancers had a devastating ACL injury before their performance. They had to take the stage stronger than ever to make up for the injured teammate’s skill. The Ruggeds took the stage with a wolf-pack mentality and showed off their strength in spite of this setback.
S-Rank made it out of the last round with their smooth moves and signature style. Ciara was grooving with this team during their rehearsals. She advised them to simply go out and do their thing. S-Rank continued to prove their rank in the competition with smooth choreography that made use of every rhythm in the song they chose.
Poreotics was the final act to compete in the Upper Team Division. For the past two rounds, they have performed witty and creative routines that set them apart from their competition. Their Divisional Finals performance was even more innovative than their previous performances. Aside from a small fall at the end, they had the crowd going wild. Unfortunately, the judges thought they could have done even more.
After Poreotics’ performance, the judges locked in the final scores that would determine who would be going into the next round. First up was Poreotics, who suffered from the fall and the judges’ disappointment with a score of 86.8. S-Rank’s score followed. With an average score of 94, they sent Poreotics home. The Ruggeds followed close behind with an average score of 91.5, but unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to take them to the next round. Next week, S-Rank will be representing the Upper Team Division in the World Final.
The Junior Division
Charity and Andres were the first Junior Division act to take the stage this week. With a perfect score under their belts, they have been soaring through the competition. Unfortunately, Charity broke her toe before their performance, so they had to work hard to look good on stage and disguise her injury. It worked. The judges could not tell that Charity had compensated for anything.
Jaxon Willard followed their incredible performance with his signature, original choreography. Since the beginning of the competition, we have seen Jaxon’s confidence develop. This week, he used mirrors to dance with himself as his partner as he flew across the stage.
The final act to perform this week and in this round was Sean and Kaycee. Sean’s choreography and their chemistry as partners have brought this duo through the competition with one incredible performance after another. This performance combined all of these elements with a careful use of the technology available on stage. The judges were blown away.
The judges locked in the final scores for the Junior Division, and the first score revealed belonged to Charity and Andres. They set the bar high with an average score of 93. Jaxon Willard was next to receive his score. Unfortunately, his average score of 87.8 was below that bar, and he went home. Last to receive their scores were Sean and Kaycee. Surprisingly, they received an average score of only 92.3, sending them home by less than a point.
The Divisional Finals are over. Next week, the remaining three acts; Michael Dameski, The Lab, and Charity and Andres will go head to head to win the competition and the million dollar prize.