By Jackie Josephs
Dances: Rumba/Paso Doble
Yay, another week of DWTS is here, and with Ted being kicked off the competition is getting smaller and harder!! This week’s dances couldn’t get much more opposite, so let me tell you what I saw….
Kim and Mark (Rumba): Ugh… another disappointing week for Kim! As usual, her costume and glamour were fantastic and that’s where it unfortunately stops. Her legs and feet were not very pretty; they were often turned in or not straightened all the way. On the up side, her lines were nicely finished and her arms were very elegant and soft. Mark did a great job with the choreography again showing enough tricks vs. rumba elements, but her sensuality was lacking and, again, it was quite boring for me.
Susan and Tony (Rumba): Well, I think that confidence boost from the Quickstep worked!! Her Rumba was definitely better than her first Rhythm dance, the Cha-Cha. She went for a little more risk and definitely was an actress on the floor the whole time. Her lines were nice, soft, and fluid and she had gorgeous developes and leg lines. For all the traveling she did, it was well rehearsed and clean. If she can keep improving every week like she has been, she will do great in this competition! GO TONY!!
Warren and Kym (Paso Doble): This guy is becoming a contender in this competition. His Paso Doble was very impressive. His intensity and movement were great, as well as his timing and footwork! The way he danced the Paso elements and tricks were powerful and demanding. Excellent job!!
Cloris and Corky (Paso Doble): You could definitely see that Corky had a little heart-to-heart with Cloris this week because she was way more tame and quiet. Her Paso Doble, again, impressed me for her age and flexibility. Her work with her skirt was really nice and her hand movements were right on with the Paso feel. She also showed nice balance and control in her solo spins. The only thing that bothered me was that the routine had a little too much of Corky dancing and NOT enough Cloris; I would have liked to see a little more elements and movement on her part. Other than that, she had a great dramatic feeling the whole time. As she said, “blondes have more fun” so let’s hope she gets a fun dance next week!!
Toni and Alec (Rumba): As most of you know, the Rumba should be sexy and romantic, which I feel it was throughout the majority of the routine. However, I thought her costume was too risqué for her. This made her leg lines show more and therefore let the audience see the fact that they were not in the correct position and that she needs to be aware of keeping her knees together. Her arms, however, accented her lines very nicely and you could tell she was very much in the moment with Alec. I feel that her score was still too high considering she had two lifts in her routine.
Misty and Maks (Paso Doble): This was, by far, one of my favorite routines of the night! She has soooo much power and enthusiasm in every step she takes. It’s incredible… a true performer! Her movement was awesome, especially considering the difficulty of Maks’s choreography. She has to keep her base smaller because it gets too wide and then she gets off balance in turns and lines. However, overall, she did fantastic and I love her determination and dramatics. She deserved higher than a 21. Ole!!
Cody and Julianne (Rumba): Once again, he proved that he can act older than 18! His rumba was sexy and mature… I loved it. His lines were really nice and the flexibility in his arms was unexpected. He also demonstrated great feeling with Julianne and the song. His effort in the tricks and stability was great and risky, which is what I like. Julianne always knows how to make her partners really step out of the box. He had a better feeling than Kim K had in her Rumba. Go Cody!!
Brooke and Derek (Paso Doble): I’m beginning to sound redundant, but Brooke, again, looked gorgeous. Her presence and confidence is contagious, she believes in herself and looks fabulous every time she is on the dance floor. Her Paso Doble was out of this world. Her lines were powerful and her solo work was incredible. She did get a little off balance, but her confidence and determination covered that up for the most part. She was the best dance of the evening deserving well above a 24!!
Rocco and Karina (Rumba): Poor, poor Rocco. He is so handsome but he just doesn’t have the finesse of a ballroom dancer. He is awkward on the dance floor and has no fluidity. He didn’t have much hip action and his steps were way too big for a Latin dance. On the up side, his stability for Karina in their tricks was really good and he had toe leads for 90% of the routine which was great to see. I give him an A for effort and hope that he doesn’t get bumped off tonight!
Maurice and Karina (Rumba): Well, contrary to what I said last week,(that the Rhythm dances were going to be his strong side) he failed to bring that to the floor tonight. The Rumba is all about smooth movements and, as a man, accenting the lady and showing her off. Unfortunately, they lacked partnership together and he was a bit clunky and heavy with his steps. His feet were turned in the whole time and the exit out of their trick was a bit scary. On the good end of the spectrum, he had great musicality as he showed off last week. Better luck next time Maurice!!
Lance and Lacey (Paso Doble): Let’s start again with the fact that they did not get a good song for the Paso Doble; in my studio, we use that song as a Swing…go figure. With that being said, I could not get a good feel for the Paso because of the song; it was not a strong, dramatic song and his frame looked weak. There wasn’t enough use of the skirt or cape turns in the routine. She needs to realize that this is ballroom dancing 100% and not So You Think You Can Dance styles. She is quite creative, but a little too risky with some of her choreography, for instance…. the kiss at the end, I found offensive. Lance did give 100% in the routine, but it was definitely not one of my favorites of the evening, and deserved lower than a 20.
No comments:
Post a Comment