Lawson's dance is over

MOSES LAKE - Caitlynn Lawson's time on the FOX TV show "So You Think You Can Dance?" came to an end Thursday when she was voted off the show.

The results came despite dazzling performances by Lawson on Wednesday, prompting judge Nigel Lythgoe to say she "came of age."

Ricky Jaime was also eliminated Thursday.

Each dancer performed three times Wednesday: once with an all-star, once with a fellow contestant, and once by themselves.

Lawson's first performance was a samba routine, choreographed by Dmitry Chaplin, with all-star Pasha Kovalev.

"That was really good!" said guest judge and actress Christina Applegate. "It was really beautiful, I thought you did a great job."

Judge Mary Murphy said Lawson made good use of her second chance after being spared from elimination last week.

"I have to commend you," she said.

She said the dancers' bodies were "melting together" and praised Lawson's footwork, but said she needed to work more on controlling her face.

"But girl, your body was dancing up there," she said.

Judge Nigel Lythgoe called the performance "fabulous," but agreed with Murphy's criticism.

"You don't have to pull sexy faces, sweetheart," he said. "You are a sexy girl when you dance. Let the routine and let your body do the talking."

Guest judge, and dancer/choreographer, Lil' C said Lawson danced "amazingly," but echoed Murphy and Lythgoe's concerns about letting the sexiness of the dance come naturally.

Lawson's second performance, a jazz routine choreographed by Sonya Tayeh, with fellow contestant Marko Germar, was heralded by the judges as her best on the show so far. They gave her a standing ovation.

Lil' C said the performance was "so reckless, so convicted. It was murderous. Loved it, that's all I gotta say."

"That was your moment," said Applegate. "That was your time. You did it."

"This was one of your best numbers, Caitlynn, ever in this whole series," said Murphy. "You had another breakthrough just when we thought that maybe it wasn't possible."

Lawson is a testament to the improvements one can make when they want something badly enough, she said.

"We always knew that your body had it and you have this amazing facility and flexibility and everything, but this time you brought the true grit to it, you know what I'm saying? You really did take it to a new level," she said.

"Caitlynn, you came of age tonight," said Lythgoe. "You showed us how mature you can be ... So many people look on you and just go, 'oh, she's a pretty girl.' They don't realize what a brilliant dancer you are. You've shown that tonight."

The final performance show airs next Wednesday at 8 p.m. and pits the remaining four dancers against each other to see who America thinks can dance best.