Since it was instated last year, I started looking forward to the "Meet Your Top Dancers" episode. It gives us an opportunity to see the dancers in their own style before the competition starts.

But as many people pointed out after Wednesday night's reveal, we've got quite an abundance of contemporary dancers this year, so I expected the diversity of tonight's special episode to be limited. We actually saw more range than I expected -- most of the contemporary dancers were forced to do other styles, such as Broadway and Jazz -- but nowhere near enough hip-hop or ballroom. On the upside, the talent we saw showcased tonight gives me high hopes for this season.

The opening routine was set to "Fame" by David Bowie and featured both the all-stars and S7 dancers. Mimicking an afternoon tea party and game of croquet, the all-stars started with lots of crisp movements in their posh attire. The Top 11 emerged from behind a row of hedges and got their own moment to shine before the whole group came together. The routine also included a handful of great partnering moments, including some nice lifts (it was hard to tell the all-stars apart from the new dancers). The cool, quirky, apropos opening routine was choreographed by Wade and Amanda Robson.

Cat came out afterwards in a summery fringe dress to welcome the "jidges" and explain the show's new format. For anyone who missed it, the Top 11 dancers of S7 will be dancing with all-stars from past seasons of "Dance" instead of with each other. Only the S7 dancers will be voted on. Sort of like "Dancing with the Stars," except both the experts and the stars can dance.

There will also be a few adjustments to the judges' table this season. First off, Mary Murphy will no longer be a permanent judge. This means we no longer have to endure her manic shrieks of joy, but it also means we'll miss out on some of her entertaining craziness. Replacing her this season as a permanent judge is Mia Michaels. I missed Mia last year and I think the producers realized they made a BIG mistake by offering Adam Shankman a permanent spot on the panel before Mia. You do not cross that lady. To her credit, she doesn't seem bitter at all for being jilted last year, and seems excited to be back. Both Nigel Lythgoe and Adam Shankman will be returning to the panel this season.

The night kicked off with a contemporary routine (here we go) with this season's Lauren and Kent. The S7 dancers were joined by S6's Kathryn (love her) and S4's Mark. The four of them did a dark, bizarre routine to "Paris is Burning" by St. Vincent, which choreographer Travis Wall said was about the freaks who come out at night in 1920's France. Not sure if I got the France part, but the routine definitely had a cool, gothic feel to it, with the dancers undulating and pulling their bodies in the most unnatural and oddly fascinating ways. Given the style, I expected Mark to stand out, but Travis made sure to highlight both Kent and Lauren, who did a particularly great lift/spin sequence together.

Next up were Alexie and Melinda with S2's Allison and S3's Lauren in a Broadway routine. The routine, set to "There's Gotta Be Something Better Than This" from "Sweet Charity," was fun and girly, but ultimately lacking substance. I didn't think the choreography seemed particularly demanding or exciting and had no rise and fall. The routine was choreographed by Tyce DiOrio, who I generally prefer as a contemporary choreographer. And although the routine itself was lacking, all four ladies did a more than commendable job with it, and even pulled off some wonderfully timed side-by-side pass� leaps. Each had their moment to sparkle, but my eyes kept going to Alexie and Melinda. Nigel said the S7 crew needed to bring the fire and oomph both Lauren and Allison had. I totally disagree. I almost didn't notice the all-stars were even there.

Next, Jose was joined by all-stars Dominic, Twitch and Comfort for a hip-hop by NappyTabs (told you they'd be back!). The routine, set to "Din Daa Daa" (District 78 Remix) by George Kranz, seemed to be about initiation, starting off with Jose in the middle and the three All-stars trying to break into his bubble. The choreography included a lot of cool undulations and some great breaking too. Jose definitely excelled at the breaking, but didn't have enough swagger for the hip-hop portions. He did keep up with the moves, but the performance wasn't there, and for hip-hop, attitude is crucial. Once the routine was over, Dominic mugged for the camera by flirting with Cat (ugh!), and then the judges gave Jose some nice, useless praise. Sigh. I hope he does better than he did tonight - I'd hate to lose our only hip-hopper early on.

After that, Christina had to dance with S3 all-stars Anya and Pasha. That's a tough situation to begin with. Not only is this a three-person ballroom routine (which inevitably always feels somewhat awkward because someone's always left out), but on top of that, Christina had to stand up next to one of the greatest ballroom couples in "Dance" history. That said, I think she did a great job. The samba routine, set to Kelly Rowland's "Work (Freemason Remix)," had some interesting lifts, including one where Anya rode Pasha piggy-back style and Christina did a split sequence between his legs - racy! Christina's moves seemed up to par, but lacked the snap, crackle, and pop that Anya brought to the routine. Admittedly, shirtless Pasha stole some of my attention away from her, too. The odds were stacked against her and she did a decent job. Not outstanding, but fair.

Mia choreographed the next routine about time and the life of a dancer. Billy and Alex were joined by S5's Ade for what I can only describe as a magical routine. Billy started by rolling and sliding back and forth on the stage while playing with a toy truck, each time extending his leg further behind him. Next we got a glimpse of Alex, who leapt and spun with the agility and maturity of a man. Lastly, we got a few seconds of Ade moving much like Alex, but more slowly and with a little more difficulty. Besides highlighting each dancer's abilities, Mia's chorography also had the three guys in quasi-unison at times: Billy sat on the floor and went into developpe, Alex stood tall and extended his leg flawlessly and Ade kicked his leg more feebly, propped up by his cane. I'm thrilled Mia's back, especially if she keeps delivering routines like that one.

The last routine of the evening was a Sonya Tayeh jazz piece to "Freak" by Estelle feat. Kardinal Official. The routine featured S7 dancers Adechike, Ashley, and Robert, S3 all-star Neil and S5's Courtney Galiano. All five dancers, clad in, ahem, provocative leather outfits, stayed perfectly in-sync throughout the entire quirky routine. Sadly, the most memorable moment of the routine for me didn't come from one of the newbies, but from Neil, who did an incredible front handspring/split in the beginning of the routine. Adechicke did some wonderfully fluid barrel turn leaps, and Ashley had a few moments to show off her extension (I think), but Robert was barely noticeable. That could be a problem for him (and maybe some of the other dancers) this season.

The actual competition starts next week and I have to say, despite the lack of style diversity in this group, I'm actually pretty psyched for this season. The talent is definitely there (at least in most) and I think it'll be a tough competition.

I'm a little concerned about focusing on the new dancers when so many of my favorites are onstage next to them, especially if the all-stars get highlighted in the choreography more than the S7 dancers. The choreographers seemed split about highlighting the newbies vs. letting the all-stars stand out. But therein lies the challenge for the Season 7 dancers: out-perform the best "So You Think You Can Dance" has to offer. Should be a very exciting season to watch.