All the dancers
showed
improvement this
week except
Marie Osmond who
did more posing
than dancing and
was off time in
places when she
did dance. The
costumes and
practice outfits
all looked
better this week
and I was
pleased to see
this improvement
in the show's
image. Edyta
Slawinska still
showed lots of
flesh, but at
least her
outfit somewhat
tasteful.
One thing is
troublesome,
though,
considering that
this show is
produced in the
home town of
glitz and
glamour.
That's why I am
surprised that
Karina Smirnoff
has been allowed
on stage looking
so unkempt. Her
hair has been
dreadful this
season.
The judges were
so far off base
this week that
my blood
pressure rose to
new heights.
They rewarded
poor dancing
with high scores
and gave the
better dancers
scores far below
what they
actually
deserved.
Sabrina Bryan is
a good dancer,
but did not
deserve 30
points for
Monday night's
performance.
Mark Cuban may
be fun to watch,
but he's still
bad and didn't
deserve all that
praise. Details
follow, along
with a few more
"scathing
remarks" re the
judges scores.
Mark
Cuban
danced better
this week than
in the past, but
he was clunky,
got off time and
he presented really
bad footwork.
His base was far
too wide most of
the time and he
had very few
good body
lines. While he
wasn't
absolutely
dreadful, he
certainly wasn't
good. For Len
to say this was
Mark's BEST
dance was really
stretching
things a bit and
I would sooner
agree with Bruno
that Mark looked
lost at times.
His score of 22
was OK, but a
few points
higher than I
feel he
deserved.
Kym
Johnson
was far better
groomed both on
and off the
stage this week;
since she's a
lovely woman, I
was pleased to
see her upgraded
image.
Sabrina Bryan
and Mark
Ballas
did a very
energetic dance
that was so full
of flash and
trash that I can
understand why
these judges had
a tough time
sorting out what
was good and
what wasn't. I
think that
particular Paso
Doble routine
was far
too much
about Mark
Ballas's dancing
and the
choreography was
too challenging
for Sabrina.
She did a good
job of keeping
up and making
things work, so
maybe that's
what the high
scores were
for. Her base
was so spread
out at times as
she tried to
recover from one
move and get
ready to go into
the next that I
was truly
surprised her
feet stayed
under her.
Please
understand: I
think she is
EXTREMELY
talented and has
all the ability
needed to win
this event. I
just want her to
use that talent
in the right way
instead of
having each of
her routines be
nothing more
than
"smoke and
mirrors"
that deflect the
attention away
from the massive
struggle she's
going through to
conquer those
difficult steps
and horrendously
challenging
timing., none of
which shows off
her true
talent. Next
week, I hope she
must do a Rumba
so we can see if
she can actually
perform slow
movements with
control. Her
30-point score
was really about
3 marks higher
than she
deserved.
Jane
Seymour
and Toni
Dovolani
got robbed!
Their routine
was elegant; it
had control;
difficult
movements were
danced well; her
back, arms and
hands were
lovely; her leg
actions were on
par with many
professionals
and the routine
suited her
beautifully.
All through that
performance, I
was impressed by
how light and
lively her
energy remained
and how
confidently she
was poised. For
Cari Ann to go
on so about a
non-existent
lift was really
annoying and a
score of only 26
was quite an
insult to this
routine and the
performers.
Floyd Mayweather
showed what a
horse's patooti
he is with his
remarks that
"his scores
better change
and he means
it". Once
again, his
posture was
dreadful; half
the time, he
looked like he'd
dirtied his
diaper and
needed a
changing. There
was very little
real
Paso Doble in
that routine
and, as Michael
Schedler
remarked, "That
really was
something
else!" The
crowd seemed to
love the routine
and I just can't
figure out why -
do you suppose
there were lots
of non-dancers
there? I gave
that routine an
18 and jotted
down a note
saying that
higher would be
an insult to the
good dancers.
As it turned
out, the good
dancers got
slapped in the
face as Floyd
was given 23
points. It was
just
unbelievable
that Cari Ann
said she LIKED
his Posture and
Footwork!
(By now, we
all know Floyd
has been booted
off. I just
hope they don't
invite him to
come back and
shadow box as
Wayne Newton
croaks through
another song)
Mel
Brown
and Maks
Chermovski
created
beautiful lines
and did some
nicely executed
side by side
turns that were
very well
synchronized.
Mel's frame
showed much
improvement and
her arm lines in
the closed
position were
also stronger.
She moved well,
stayed in time,
created some
nice picture
lines and
displayed quite
a lot of
flexibility. I
would have given
her 28 or 29
points and was
somewhat
disappointed
that the judges
did not reward
all that control
and improvement
with the scores
it deserved - 26
points was far
too low for that
performance.
Cameron Mathison
and
Edyta Slawinska
presented a very
nice routine.
Cameron had
definitely
improved over
his earlier
performances.
There were quite
a few
recognizable
Paso Doble moves
in the routine
and the whole
thing was quite
nicely
executed. I did
feel that the
judges were
overly effusive
in their praise
and that 27
points was too
high as this
routine was not
on par with the
Viennese Waltz
as performed by
Jane Seymour or
Mel Brown. I
was impressed
with the routine
more during the
Results Show
than during
Monday's
performance, but
still would not
have given it 27
points.
Marie Osmond
and
Jonathan Roberts
were a major
disappointment
Monday night.
She was off time
in several
places and did
virtually no
real dancing.
All they did was
move from one
pose to another
and, for me,
this routine
lacked content.
Marie's dancing
was nowhere near
the quality
presented by Mel
Brown and Jane
Seymour and I
fail to see how
the judges could
give such
glowing
critiques and
such high scores
for bad dancing
like this and
give such bad
scores for
better dancers.
This routine
deserved no
higher than 24
points, if that!
Jennie Garth
and
Derek Hough
also got robbed
Monday night.
Jennie gets
better every
week and her
control was far
superior to
Sabrina's. This
choreography was
quite
challenging, but
Jennie
maintained
beautiful poise
and form
throughout the
routine. Her
lines were all
clearly
finished, she
moved
confidently from
one action to
another and
presented
fabulous arms
and body shapes
coupled with a
great deal of
power in her
moves. This one
deserved 30
points, though I
felt Cari Ann
might give
Jennie a 9 to
spoil things;
when Jennie only
got a 27, my
blood pressure
rose another
notch!
Helio
Castroneves
surprised me in
being a bit
whiney in
practice. Up to
now, he has
impressed me
with his
willingness to
knuckle down and
get the job
done, so I was
disturbed by
this turn of
events.
Although he did
a better job
with Viennese
Waltz than with
the Jive, his
posture was very
bad and his
footwork was
pretty sad. As
Michael
remarked, "Helio
was too stiff
and the dance
did not flow
properly". The
judges were -
again! - far to
effusive in
their praise,
and I was
absolutely
stunned when
they awarded
Helio 27
points. Giving
Helio higher
marks than Jane
Seymour and Mel
B and the same
score as Jennie
was another one
of those "go on
and smack the
other side of my
head, too"
insults that
seem to say:
These judges are
not marking the
right aspects of
what they are
judging. (That's
my very nice way
of not
calling them
#$%& a$$*s or i&i0+s)
I'm glad Floyd
is gone. Mark
Cuban has
improved, but
not enough to
make me want to
see him every
week. Marie
Osmond is
"cute", but is
not improving to
the degree she
could and I
don't want to
just watch a
bunch of facial
expressions with
no dancing to
support them.
So, for me, any
of these 3 could
go next week
unless I see
some BIG
improvements.
Cameron? Well,
he's doing
better, so I'll
reserve
judgment. Helio
better really
pull some
rabbits out of
the hat if he
wants my vote
for continuing
but he is, in my
view, the best
of the guys. I
still think it
will come down
to a run-off
featuring
Sabrina, Jennie
and Helio. I
really do feel
that Jane
Seymour
should be in
the running but
that the judges
just won't
recognize the
quality of her
dancing enough
to give it the
scores it
deserves.
Happy Dancing
and remember
www.theplace2dance.com
is also
www.the-dance-place.com
