Dancing ....
     Many of you are avid fans of Dancing With The Stars, which everyone abbreviates to DWTS, and I get many requests for my commentary on this show.  I've finally managed to find time to watch my recorded versions of "Macho Monday" and "Titillating Tuesday" and can now render my in-depth report. 

First, here are a few impressions about the overall "picture" as I saw it.  Somebody needs to take charge of their hair, makeup and costume department.  Some of the guys looked fairly "seedy", if ya know what I mean.  And what is with Madame Presley and that hair and makeup?  I'm all for the "young and vibrant" look, but, well, that weird color in her hair just made her look silly to me.  Then we have the sleek and handsome Tony Dovolani wearing an outfit that in now way, shape, form or fashion went with either his partner or her outfit.  Of course, we had Mark Ballas showing up in a suit??? Teaching in a vest and tie??? Is he trying to prove to us that he really is a BALLROOM as well as a Latin dancer?  Clothing alone won't do that!

OK, I've gone on a bit there, haven't I?  Just one other thing: Sequin pants were the "thing" way back when I was competing in Rhythm.  They are NOT comfortable.  That may be why Tony had those odd expressions on his face now and then, but that's just a guess ;)

The Guys:

Penn Jillette & Kym J - Cha-Cha
     The routine was basic, but reasonably well performed after just 4 weeks of lessons.  Especially for such a big and gangly sort of guy.  He knew his moves and his timing was pretty good.  There wasn't enough real Cha-Cha content in the routine, which was a bit too "gimmicky" for my taste.  Then again, it's not easy to do the actual DANCE, which is why so many tricks get put in there. It's far easier to flick & kick, spin & dip or dash and slash than to do the basic fundamentals of each dance in the proper fashion.  I would have given this a 19 or 20 and was surprised that the judges were so harsh on the first night.

Jason Taylor and Edyta S - Foxtrot
     Wow! This guy has potential.  Charm, posture, agility and a keen sense of his body and what it's capable of.  He hit the breaks very well, created good lines, displayed some pretty good footwork and, overall, did a very nice job.   I thought he'd get at least a 24 and was again surprised that the judges were scoring so low and only gave Jason a 22

Christian de la Fuente & Cheryl B - Cha-Cha
     A sexy guy, but a bit clunky when dancing.  He had heavy feet, frequently used heel leads had pretty bad posture.  He seemed a bit arrogant to me, and gave me the impression that he would have difficulty listening to the teacher.  The routine was a bit more "flash and trash" than I like to see, meaning that I'd like them to prove they can do the fundamentals of the dance before they get into all the tricks of the trade.  At 21 points, I feel this was scored a bit high and only deserved 18-20 points.

Adam Corolla & Julianne H - Foxtrot
     This guy's personality is funny in a rather abrasive way.  He is able to make fun of himself, which may be one of his strongest points.  He was not comfortable at all in closed dance position, which showed.  He was far more relaxed in the open moves, and I feel Julianne did him a disservice by not allowing him a bit more "space" to start with.  He wasn't great, but I felt his Foxtrot was a bit better than Penn's Cha-cha and was surprised that Adam only got 15 points where I would have given him at least 18.

Mario & Karina S - Cha-Cha
     This guy gave us weak lines and rather bad posture.  His footwork was heavy and he used frequent heel leads.  His arms and hands even managed to look heavy to me.  He also struck me as a celebrity who won't listen to the teacher.  (These "stars" seldom learn to do that until it's too late, which is a shame - especially if they have potential)  I felt that the judges were a bit overly effusive for the quality of dancing I saw from this guy and that the 24 points awarded to Mario were a bit high and I'd only have given this a 21 or 22.

Steve Guttenberg & Anna T - Foxtrot
     Although the posture and lines were a bit weak, Steve displayed fairly good timing and was able to move his body around the dance floor in a desirable fashion with loads of energy.  If he channels that energy into good solid improvement, he will do well during this season.  He could easily be a spokesman for the show.  The 18 points awarded were exactly what I'd have given this one.

The Gals:

Shannon Elizabeth & Derek H - Cha-Cha
     Cute as all get out & very energetic.  Should NOT have been in that short-short skirt with legs that don't know what they're doing.  She could barely get her legs looking nice when she was standing still.  So, again, I wonder who is in charge of wardrobe???  Shannon has a good attitude in some ways, but needs to 86 that idea about being perfect.  Maybe she will chill as the weeks go along - if she lasts.  She was a bit stiff, but did display fairly good musicality and hit good clean lines at times.  Hips, feet, legs, ribs & shoulders need some grooming.  The judges were way too soft in giving this routine 21 points.

Monica Seles & J Roberts - Foxtrot
     Monica was up front and honest about herself and her reasons for being in this contest.  I admired her perseverance and thought she did a reasonably good job, though she did look a bit out of her element.  Much of that may be a lack of confidence, but I doubt she will have enough time on the show to overcome that handicap.  I'd have given this 18 points and feel the judges were too severer in only giving her 15 points.

Merissa & Tony - Cha-Cha
     I like this gal's personality and enthusiasm.  She is not as talented at dancing as I expected.  Whoever chose her outfit should be shot.  Whoever allowed Tony to wear an outfit that so strongly showed his slim physique in contrast to Merissa's plump shortness should also be shot.  This was a rather disappointing performance from several angles and, in particular, I felt Tony did not choreograph to Merissa's strong points or potential.  18 points is exactly what I'd have given this routine.

Priscilla Presley - Louis van Am - Foxtrot
     I think can look lovely, but had yucky hair and makeup.  I also think that green dress was totally wrong for her, especially when I saw that it was split all over the place so you had LOTS of views of rather untidy legs.  On the plus side, she is rather graceful and far more flexible than I expected.  She has quite a bit of potential, but needs to complete her lines and strengthen her upper body.  If she does that and loosens up a bit, I'll have to agree with Michael Schedler, who thinks she's not bad for a "senior" gal.  The 24 points awarded were "spot on" in my view.

Kristi Amaguchi & Mark Ballas - Foxtrot
     This gal has good hands, arms shoulders and control.  She did a fabulous job, though her legs need attention.  Her closed position was a bit strained looking and I'd like to see her hips more in line with her torso, but, overall, this was a great performance and I feel it deserved the 27 points it was awarded .

Marlee Matlin & Fabian Sanchez - Cha-Cha
     This gal has such a great attitude and seems to have a terrific sense of FUN.  She has overcome a handicap in a very positive manner and tackles life head on and I'd be interested to know if she has a handicap sticker for her car or not and would bet she doesn't.  Her dancing was not what I expected at all, especially after just 4 weeks. To think that she could not hear the music, but that she could put that much "true" Latin action into her moves - Wow!  She is very rhythmic and definitely has control of her body.  Her arms and leg actions were all quite nice, and I hope she gets to stick around on the show for a while.  I do believe she has the POTENTIAL to win, but we'll have to see how she handles the Smooth dances.  To me, the judges were a bit harsher in scoring her than they should have been.  Her dancing was good and she deserved to be right up there with Kristi in my opinion.


OK, that's a wrap for now.  Don't forget that we have loads of fantastic classes at The Dance Place, all taught by wonderful and enthusiastic teachers.  Check out our activities and class schedule at one of the web sites listed below.

Happy Dancing
and remember

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