DWTS 10-24-11
Broadway Theme Week. The music, the dancing. Musical theater whoop whoop whoop!
Chaz went off this week. He worked hard and that showed. His physique inhibited him. That he had mixed feelings about what he was doing dance-wise showed as well. Did he achieve what he wanted by simply being on the show? I hope so. There’s a lot of ignorance in the world and young people need to know there is support for them to be who they are.
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Dancing with the Stars is about entertainment. Although it’s a competition so it gets us rooting for our favs, it’s really about entertainment. So, who sparkles? Who is dancing rather than walking through their routine? Who’s charisma or energetic presence makes me want to sing? I’ll tell you. So far only one couple has brought this response in me, though another couple is so close that for everyone else they’re on top. I wish there could be a tie.
Rob & Cheryl. Cha cha. My mark 8.
I love it when I see delight on Rob’s face. I saw that in the group dance at the end of the night. I’m on that wavelength with Rob and that’s worth the price of the ticket. In this dance with Cheryl, Rob had fun and enjoyed it. That alone could do the trick if I weren’t analyzing each couple and looking for sparkle, dynamics, nuances, and technique. Cheryl must help Rob strut his stuff – dance – through each performance, beginning to end. He’s still not doing that. Like Hope he is a beginner.
Nancy & Tristan. Foxtrot. My mark 7.
Nancy’s a nice dancer, a person who looks as though she’s keeping some of her energy on reserve – like she could run out of gas. It’s partly her mindset, I think. She’s going for doing the steps perfectly, dancing perfectly. She dances small and misses the mark for me. IF she can perform her next dance in a way that would probably be over the top for her (like “heavens I’m making mistakes but woo this is more fun than I’ve had in years”) exuding with bravado something she has hidden deep inside her, she could so startle us that we’d all see she can dance. This would enable her to use something that I see she has as a T.V. host. That’s what I’m looking for now.
David & Kym. Quickstep. My mark 8.
For me, this was David’s best dance. It flowed. He enjoyed doing it. It fit him. It had legitimate quickstep styling. He had good energy and exuberance. He’s powerful at inhabiting a character. As a bodywork therapist I see in David someone who doesn’t think he’s good enough. Reiki, Crystalline Consciousness Technique (CCT), Rosen Method Bodywork, and Hakomi all could help him with that. I had early childhood trauma that affected my legs and self-esteem. Since it still affects me when I’m learning new dances, I know the benefits of this work and when I see someone who needs that kind of support I want to share the info.
Ricki & Derek. Quickstep. My mark 10.
Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous! It had everything – razzmatazz, form, dynamics, craft, precision and sparkle. This couple takes the cake. They’re in sync and their energy matches, filling the space around them. The choreography? I couldn’t ask for more. These two on Broadway, please.
Hope & Maks. Rumba. My mark 7.
Hope’s upper body was much improved. She has a natural femininity. However, she doesn’t quite know how to use it in dance though that is improving. Her legs and feet still aren’t up to par with her upper body and I agree that putting her in boots was a mistake. Boots make it difficult to feel the floor and articulate the feet. Hope is just beginning to find her connections inside to show how dance flows through the body in a sinewy way. That’s quite something for a beginning dancer. Athletes don’t use their bodies like that, although movement does flow through their bodies. I applaud Maks for bringing in the three pro dancers to help. Hope needs more work with such women to emulate them. I understand that as a female studying with male instructors. Men don’t have to use their bodies the way females do 🙂
What happened with Hope brings up the topic of respect and disrespect. Often, when we feel reactive about something – reactive about someone’s behavior toward us we are often behaving similarly.
I feel that Maks had a point about judges targeting Hope when other celebrities walk and step around the floor and aren’t truly dancing but the judges ignore that and openly favor that particular celebrity. I can see how frustrating it can be to feel your partner is picked on when she is trying as hard as anyone else on the show.
J.R. & Karina. Quickstep. My mark 9.
Yeowza – fun! Contagious joy and so entertaining and well done. Karina looked gorgeous. J.R. was simply amazing yet again. The only reason I gave a 9 is because I felt J.R. was not as crisp and precise as he could have been. Yet that’s minor. The choreography challenged him and showed off both dancers. I really adore these two. They’re enchanting together, like watching a fairytale unfold.
