All the couples appeared in front of a new panel on Sunday, where the scores were decisive, as all the points the couples had accumulated up to that point were canceled during the semi-finals. Each pair had to start with a new, white sheet. The commission, which consisted of 2 dancers, a choreographer and a director, this time gave points to the participants only when all the couples appeared.
Two couples – Gailė Butvilaitė and Oddebi and Jurgita Jurkutė and Adrianas – collected the maximum number of points. A total of 20 each. Tadas Gryn and his partner Cher were evaluated with 19 points, Norbertas Liatkovskis and Raquel – 16, and Monika Liu and Manuel, who chose a risky choreography, got the least sympathy from the commission this time. The pair received 13 points and were disqualified from continuing their fight project…
Meanwhile, the top 4 couples go directly to the finals. However, only Lithuanian viewers of the show will decide who will win the project on Sunday. After watching and supporting their favorite couples for so long, they will finally have the chance to express their will and choose the Salsamans winner!
Gailė and her partner Oddebi were the first to appear on Sunday. And although at first glance it seems that this couple could not get any closer, the Cuban man keeps bringing surprises to the Lithuanian woman! “I am ordained as a priest. I’m religious, but I’m not a fanatic – I have to emphasize that,” he revealed an unexpected fact.
And here, during the semi-final, the theme of which was incarnations, this couple decided to turn into the beetles that accompany them in Cuba all the time – ants! “Imagine if this ant were a woman… What would she be like?” Gailė intrigued before the show.
The couple’s dance did not leave anyone indifferent. “Watching this girl’s performance gave me great pride. Her movements, expression – everything was done at a very high level,” said the choreographer.
Norbert and his partner Raquel appeared second. The guy’s time in Cuba became even more special because he celebrated his 23rd birthday here! “Before I come up with a wish, I first want to thank all of you for the opportunity to be here. This country has had a huge impact on me as a person. You are the greatest gift to me and I will definitely bring a part of it back to Lithuania”, he said, thanking for the congratulations.
On the occasion of his birthday, the boy received a lot of praise from other participants. “I really like Norbert’s freedom, playfulness and frenzy. However, in the same way, Norbert, as far as I have observed him, also has such composure and calmness. Therefore, I sometimes think that Norbert is actually very deep, learning to be calm, focused. It would be interesting to examine this place with him,” Jurgita assured.
During their dance, Norbert and Raquel embodied the legendary film “The Mask” starring Jim Carrey. After all, who else could become “The Mask” if not Norbert and his great partner Raquel?
“Great interpretation – Jim Carrey would be jealous.” You played the role of “The Mask” perfectly. Great choreography, good synchronized movements – this is very important. You dance very freely, which is what was needed for this dance,” said the dancer who was in the commission.
Monika Liu and her partner Manuel chose an extremely unexpected number for the semi-final dance – they decided to delve even deeper into Afro-Cuban religions and embody the goddess of the sea. However, as stated by Sandra Saikauskaitė, the teacher and choreographer of “Salsamanui”, their decision is very risky.
“It is an authentic dance performed during religious rituals. In this dance the Cubans are very obnoxious. In salsa, they allow everything: you can take a big step, you can take a small step, you can be this and that. And here they won’t make a mistake, because this is very delicate and sensitive for Cubans,” she said.
However, the commission evaluated this couple’s performance favorably. “These deities are very important to us, and you embodied them perfectly. We start to learn to dance, understand and feel them in school, and still sometimes we don’t learn. It is not easy even for us, but the girl perfectly embodied this deity of ours. This is how we imagine her – congratulations,” said the choreographer.
And Tadas was especially inspired for the dance by the place where all the couples appeared – a building of the last century, which was once a mansion. Now there is a restaurant here, which is called the best in all of Havana. It’s no wonder that a bunch of celebrities from all over the world have visited here, from the Kardashian sisters to Mick Jagger. And Madonna even celebrated her 58th birthday here.
“The laundry here, these arches, columns, stairs – everything is so incredible and so inspiring… Inspiration gives love, and then you love your partner even more, you want to hug her even more, you want to dance even better, love and enjoy life,” said Tad.
Tad and Cher became the heroes of the movie “Dirty Dancing”. “All Cubans know this music – it is widely used at parties, celebrations and everywhere else in our country. This movie is very important to us – I’m sure you chose this movie for a reason. I have seen one of the best versions of this dance. Good acting, a lot of strength and energy was important for this show – all of that was visible,” said the choreographer.
Jurgita and Adrianas were the last to appear. This couple can’t escape the excitement, especially Jurgita’s partner Adrian. Just a day before the semi-finals, Adrian suddenly began to lose the tension – the choreography started to fail. “Yesterday was so difficult that even Adrian said he was under too much pressure and offered to just improvise one part. He said that when we improvise, we succeed in everything,” said Jurgita.
“During the whole project I was very nervous – every performance is very difficult for me. I’m not used to competing. I want our hard work to be reflected in the performances. I’m sorry…” Adrian said before the semi-final, and while hugging Jurgit, he did not hide his tears.
The couple impersonated two legends of the world of pop music – Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson, which impressed the panel. “Congratulations to both of you, your incarnation was amazing. And you, girl, don’t need to curl your hair anymore – your salsa steps and markings are like real Cubans. Congratulations to you for such a beautiful improvisation,” said the director.
