Dancing With The Stars, Season 11 Commentary

Week Four

By Natasha Oreshkina, award winning ballroom dancer

This week, the couples danced either an Argentine Tango or the Rumba. They were scored separately for technique and performance with a combined perfect score of 60.

The Situation's Argentine Tango wasn't so interesting. Although Karina did a great job dancing around her partner, I didn't see what of anything he was doing. They were eliminated this week.
Their score was 28.

Bristol Palin danced the Rumba for a score of 32. I didn't understand her dance. It didn't look as if she was inside the dance at all. There was no emotion or expression. The Rumba requires a lot of connection between the partners and the music. Bristol needed better balance and also, more of an extension when she created her lines. I felt that her dance was empty and I just couldn't read anything in it.

Kurt Warner's Rumba was an improvement over last week but it wasn't a great performance. I did see some hip movement during the dance but he needs to work more on his technique. His feet need to connect more with the floor. He can't just walk through the dance. His pivots didn't look quite right. His score was 34.

Florence Henderson danced the Rumba also. The Rumba is a romantic and sensual dance. You can use some sharp accents but the dance really needs extensions and continuous movement. Florence's dance was too sharp and aggressive for me. She lost her balance and timing a few times during the dance. Her score was 35.

Rick Fox's Argentine Tango wasn't great this week. They are one of my favorite couples and I still think that Cheryl and Rick can have some great results on the show. But I didn't see him as much during this dance. Cheryl did all the work in this routine. They need to get more of a connection with each other. His score was 39.

Kyle Massey danced a Rumba and - as always - his performance was very interesting! His score was 40.

Audrina Patridge got a 46 for her Argentine Tango. In my opinion, their music just wasn't right for the Argentine Tango. It was closer to cha-cha music. In order to have a great performance, you need a real connection with the music . I think if they'd had a better song, they'd have had a better dance. Her score was 46.

I really liked Brandy's Rumba this week. She wore a beautiful costume. Her foot positions and steps looked clean and clear. The dance was lyrical. She had great hip actions. It was a powerful, grounded performance. Her score was 48.

Jennifer Grey got the highest score of the night. Her Argentine Tango was wonderful. Everything connected. I could read through the dance as if it was a question and answer dialog. They talked through their body language, without any words. Score: 56!