By Jackie Josephs, professional dancer and Fred Astaire Studio owner
Another season of "Dancing with the Stars" is upon us!!!! With a mix of so many different personalities and talent it's sure to be an amazing 12 weeks of dancing, drama, and excitement!!
Week 1-Day 1
Dances: Foxtrot/Cha Cha
Cody and Julianne(Cha Cha): These two are perfect for each other! Young, fresh and full of energy! As soon as they walked out onto the floor they looked amazing, their costumes were fabulous and his performance was a great way to start the show off! His technique was pretty good for his first time doing a rhythm dance, lines were strong and his timing was excellent. One area that he can improve on is his posture just a little bit. Sometimes his shoulders go up, which affects his lead. I also enjoyed the choreography. It was clean, easy and showed off his strong points. As for his performance, I thought that he had great feeling in this dance and really presented himself well by opening up his chest and presenting Julianne well by letting her do her thing. Overall he did a great job for his first dance and in my opinion he deserved a much better score than an 18!
Susan and Tony(Cha-Cha): Well, first of all it's so exciting that our own FADS man made it back yet again for another season and got paired up with the beautiful and sophisticated Susan Lucci. As she walked onto the floor she looked beautiful in her sexy red dress; however, as the music began, the routine was a little rough on the eyes. Her leg action was not smooth and she got off time in a few areas. As the judges stated, she does look quite frail and safe. I think the smooth dances will be her stronger point. On the plus side, her constant smile during the routine was very pleasant and the choreography was well suited for her ability and age. I would like to see her open up more in the next rhythm dance that she does and get a little riskier.
Warren and Kym(Cha Cha): I love this guy!!! He is such a big ball of fun and rhythm!! His sense of style and his natural ability of timing shined through this routine from start to finish. His confidence on the floor was fantastic and his "freestyling" was so enjoyable to watch. You could tell he was having so much fun the entire time. He is definitely the Emmitt Smith of Season 7. The only thing that he has to be more aware of is his foot action. His feet are so large that sometimes they"plop" onto the floor instead of keeping pressure into the floor. I feel that Kym did a great job with the choreography and let him show off his own moves as well as keeping the basic elements of the Cha Cha. I cannot wait to see more of him and see him get more and more comfortable with his size on the dance floor!
Cloris and Corky(Foxtrot): I'm not going to lie, I didn't know what to expect when she walked onto the floor; however, I was pleasantly surprised. Even though she is 82, she has proven that ballroom dancing is for all ages. She had a great fluid motion throughout the dance and Corky did a great job without overdoing it with her but at the same time challenging her. She had great pivots which was quite unexpected and she had a great sense of the sexiness and sass of the Foxtrot. My opinion is that for her to get out there and dance as well as she did that the judges could have been a little easier on her. Of course her movement and technique were not the best but I feel she still did an excellent job.
Toni and Alec (Cha Cha): First of all, I have to give props to Toni for getting out there and dancing with her heart condition - that's an achievement in itself. Her Cha Cha was very sexy and sultry and her footwork was pretty good throughout the majority of the routine. The area that bothered me the most was her posture. She kept her head up but her shoulders were too high, which made her frame look weak. The only thing that bothered me was that it was choppy, the transitions were not fluid and she "hopped" in some areas instead of staying grounded. Her score for me was a little too high.
Max and Misty (Foxtrot): Legs, Legs, Legs!!!! She is sooo tall that Max definitely has his hands full with her to get them sexy and pretty and not too sporty looking; however, her stature demands attention. As soon as she walked onto the floor you could tell she was a true competitor and had her "game face" ready. I didn't really know if it was going to be fluid or not because she is so tall; however, she was great. Her frame was very good and she kept her shoulders down for the most part, which again is very difficult with no prior training. Her lines were beautiful, she definitely used her wing span to her advantage and her musicality was right on key. Overall I loved how graceful she looked and her enthusiasm is going to take her very far!
Kim and Mark (Foxtrot): Being the past winner of DWTS, Mark is dealing with a whole different level of talent with Kim. She is such a beautiful girl and she looked gorgeous in her dress. Her presence on the floor was pleasant and safe and her frame stayed pretty strong. However, her movement was not big enough in the basics and her face never changed throughout the entire routine, quite boring. The routine matched the musical hits well and her awareness of that was good in some areas; however, overall, she has to open up out of her shy shell and become more risky and demanding on the dance floor. With a partner like Mark, she's going to need to step up so he doesn't look like he is over dancing her.
Jeff and Edyta (Cha Cha): Well at least he's funny right?? I felt so bad for him because you can tell he tries so hard and put everything he had into with his broken eye and all but he has a lot of areas that he has to improve on if he's going to stay in this competition. His posture was not good and his footwork wasn't either. On the up side, he did the tricks well with Edyta and kept his energy up the entire time. He just didn't have much musicality and he's really going to need to buckle down in the studio to stay around in this competition. Edyta however did do a great job in bringing him this far with noooo dancing in his past. I like him though and I hope he can stick it out for a little longer!
Brooke and Derek (Cha Cha): WOW!! From her sexy look and that pant suit she was ready for business. In the past, the models have not done well on the show but Brooke is changing that for sure. Her musicality and sass were hot and her extension was really surprising as well as her great understanding of hip action. To be a mom of four and have a body like that is impressive. She was fabulous for her first dance and the choreography was perfect, Derek did an excellent job. She is going to be around for a long time if she stays on this path!!
Rocco and Karina (Foxtrot): Rocco is definitely a cutie and like Jeff tries really hard, but has some major areas that he needs to improve on as well. The Foxtrot for the guy is all about the frame and finesse and his was a little askew. He was too jumpy during the basics where he should have been smooth and the exit of the trick they did was not smooth... it was a little scary. On the flip side, his musicality with the song and choreography was nice, and he had an adorable smile the whole time which showed he was truly enjoying himself.
Maurice and Cheryl (Foxtrot): Being a runner, he definitely has fast feet and knows how to move quickly which will be a plus for him. During his Foxtrot, he had good posture and his footwork was good as well. Like Misty and Warren, you can see his sportsmanship and competitiveness come out as he's dancing and training. I felt that the choreography was too funky for Foxtrot though; Cheryl should have put more basic elements in it and showed the true concept of foxtrot rather than making it "hip-hop" looking. However, I think with his determination he will be around for a long time.
Lance and Lacey (Cha Cha): He was one of my favorites tonight! I knew that he would be talented anyway because he does have a dance background from being in 'N SYNC. Their Cha Cha definitely embraced the feeling of the dance. It was hot, edgy and very sexy. His timing was right on through the entire routine and the choreography was very different and cool. The only thing that he needs to be aware of is his base - it gets a little too wide and his head gets a little forward. Other than that he did a great job for the first night!!
Ted and Inna (Foxtrot): Ted was shockingly elegant and sophisticated. Very smooth throughout the dance and the choreography was nice and "trotty." Frame was nice and strong and it looked like he was actually leading most of the time. His footwork was also the best of the evening. I'm hoping that he will be able to stick around longer and be able to improve from week to week!
Week 1-Day 1
Dances: Foxtrot/Cha Cha
Cody and Julianne(Cha Cha): These two are perfect for each other! Young, fresh and full of energy! As soon as they walked out onto the floor they looked amazing, their costumes were fabulous and his performance was a great way to start the show off! His technique was pretty good for his first time doing a rhythm dance, lines were strong and his timing was excellent. One area that he can improve on is his posture just a little bit. Sometimes his shoulders go up, which affects his lead. I also enjoyed the choreography. It was clean, easy and showed off his strong points. As for his performance, I thought that he had great feeling in this dance and really presented himself well by opening up his chest and presenting Julianne well by letting her do her thing. Overall he did a great job for his first dance and in my opinion he deserved a much better score than an 18!
Susan and Tony(Cha-Cha): Well, first of all it's so exciting that our own FADS man made it back yet again for another season and got paired up with the beautiful and sophisticated Susan Lucci. As she walked onto the floor she looked beautiful in her sexy red dress; however, as the music began, the routine was a little rough on the eyes. Her leg action was not smooth and she got off time in a few areas. As the judges stated, she does look quite frail and safe. I think the smooth dances will be her stronger point. On the plus side, her constant smile during the routine was very pleasant and the choreography was well suited for her ability and age. I would like to see her open up more in the next rhythm dance that she does and get a little riskier.
Warren and Kym(Cha Cha): I love this guy!!! He is such a big ball of fun and rhythm!! His sense of style and his natural ability of timing shined through this routine from start to finish. His confidence on the floor was fantastic and his "freestyling" was so enjoyable to watch. You could tell he was having so much fun the entire time. He is definitely the Emmitt Smith of Season 7. The only thing that he has to be more aware of is his foot action. His feet are so large that sometimes they"plop" onto the floor instead of keeping pressure into the floor. I feel that Kym did a great job with the choreography and let him show off his own moves as well as keeping the basic elements of the Cha Cha. I cannot wait to see more of him and see him get more and more comfortable with his size on the dance floor!
Cloris and Corky(Foxtrot): I'm not going to lie, I didn't know what to expect when she walked onto the floor; however, I was pleasantly surprised. Even though she is 82, she has proven that ballroom dancing is for all ages. She had a great fluid motion throughout the dance and Corky did a great job without overdoing it with her but at the same time challenging her. She had great pivots which was quite unexpected and she had a great sense of the sexiness and sass of the Foxtrot. My opinion is that for her to get out there and dance as well as she did that the judges could have been a little easier on her. Of course her movement and technique were not the best but I feel she still did an excellent job.
Toni and Alec (Cha Cha): First of all, I have to give props to Toni for getting out there and dancing with her heart condition - that's an achievement in itself. Her Cha Cha was very sexy and sultry and her footwork was pretty good throughout the majority of the routine. The area that bothered me the most was her posture. She kept her head up but her shoulders were too high, which made her frame look weak. The only thing that bothered me was that it was choppy, the transitions were not fluid and she "hopped" in some areas instead of staying grounded. Her score for me was a little too high.
Max and Misty (Foxtrot): Legs, Legs, Legs!!!! She is sooo tall that Max definitely has his hands full with her to get them sexy and pretty and not too sporty looking; however, her stature demands attention. As soon as she walked onto the floor you could tell she was a true competitor and had her "game face" ready. I didn't really know if it was going to be fluid or not because she is so tall; however, she was great. Her frame was very good and she kept her shoulders down for the most part, which again is very difficult with no prior training. Her lines were beautiful, she definitely used her wing span to her advantage and her musicality was right on key. Overall I loved how graceful she looked and her enthusiasm is going to take her very far!
Kim and Mark (Foxtrot): Being the past winner of DWTS, Mark is dealing with a whole different level of talent with Kim. She is such a beautiful girl and she looked gorgeous in her dress. Her presence on the floor was pleasant and safe and her frame stayed pretty strong. However, her movement was not big enough in the basics and her face never changed throughout the entire routine, quite boring. The routine matched the musical hits well and her awareness of that was good in some areas; however, overall, she has to open up out of her shy shell and become more risky and demanding on the dance floor. With a partner like Mark, she's going to need to step up so he doesn't look like he is over dancing her.
Jeff and Edyta (Cha Cha): Well at least he's funny right?? I felt so bad for him because you can tell he tries so hard and put everything he had into with his broken eye and all but he has a lot of areas that he has to improve on if he's going to stay in this competition. His posture was not good and his footwork wasn't either. On the up side, he did the tricks well with Edyta and kept his energy up the entire time. He just didn't have much musicality and he's really going to need to buckle down in the studio to stay around in this competition. Edyta however did do a great job in bringing him this far with noooo dancing in his past. I like him though and I hope he can stick it out for a little longer!
Brooke and Derek (Cha Cha): WOW!! From her sexy look and that pant suit she was ready for business. In the past, the models have not done well on the show but Brooke is changing that for sure. Her musicality and sass were hot and her extension was really surprising as well as her great understanding of hip action. To be a mom of four and have a body like that is impressive. She was fabulous for her first dance and the choreography was perfect, Derek did an excellent job. She is going to be around for a long time if she stays on this path!!
Rocco and Karina (Foxtrot): Rocco is definitely a cutie and like Jeff tries really hard, but has some major areas that he needs to improve on as well. The Foxtrot for the guy is all about the frame and finesse and his was a little askew. He was too jumpy during the basics where he should have been smooth and the exit of the trick they did was not smooth... it was a little scary. On the flip side, his musicality with the song and choreography was nice, and he had an adorable smile the whole time which showed he was truly enjoying himself.
Maurice and Cheryl (Foxtrot): Being a runner, he definitely has fast feet and knows how to move quickly which will be a plus for him. During his Foxtrot, he had good posture and his footwork was good as well. Like Misty and Warren, you can see his sportsmanship and competitiveness come out as he's dancing and training. I felt that the choreography was too funky for Foxtrot though; Cheryl should have put more basic elements in it and showed the true concept of foxtrot rather than making it "hip-hop" looking. However, I think with his determination he will be around for a long time.
Lance and Lacey (Cha Cha): He was one of my favorites tonight! I knew that he would be talented anyway because he does have a dance background from being in 'N SYNC. Their Cha Cha definitely embraced the feeling of the dance. It was hot, edgy and very sexy. His timing was right on through the entire routine and the choreography was very different and cool. The only thing that he needs to be aware of is his base - it gets a little too wide and his head gets a little forward. Other than that he did a great job for the first night!!
Ted and Inna (Foxtrot): Ted was shockingly elegant and sophisticated. Very smooth throughout the dance and the choreography was nice and "trotty." Frame was nice and strong and it looked like he was actually leading most of the time. His footwork was also the best of the evening. I'm hoping that he will be able to stick around longer and be able to improve from week to week!
No comments:
Post a Comment