Dancing With The Stars, Season 11 Commentary

Week Seven

By Natasha Oreshkina, award winning ballroom dancer

This was another shocking week with a surprise elimination. All the couples were asked to perform a new interpretation of an old routine. But first they participated in a Cha-Cha Challenge. Team Kristi included Rick Fox, Kyle Massey, and Bristol Palin and Team Appollo had Kurt Warner, Brandy, and Jennifer Grey. Team Kristi's performance was bright and fun but Team Appollo was much more technically proficient. Team Appollo ended up winning.
Onto the couple dancing:
I was glad to see Jennifer Grey gain control of her emotions and perform well this week. It's very difficult to come back after losing the first place position. Their Tango was very musical and had beautiful lines.
Brandy's Foxtrot was danced to the song, "Fever." I saw Brandy lose the steps a couple of times but she still performed nicely. Her lines were good for the most part but she needs to look at the whole line, not just her spine but her head and neck too. Her head position was wrong so it didn't look like she completed her lines.
Both Jennifer and Brandy had scores of 37.
Kurt Warner and Rick Fox also tied. Rick had a fun number with interesting costumes. I was shocked and disappointed that he was eliminated this week. He should've been in the final 3.
Kurt's Tango was strong. But he needs to understand that he needs to use his hips to create the sharp movement that the Tango requires, not just his upper body (arms). This would've given the dance more dynamics and speed. But he did express the drama of the dance and looked like he had confidence.
Kyle Massey's Paso Doble earned him 35. This was his best dance yet, in my opinion. He showed the character of the dance and had nice movement.
Bristol Palin's Viennese Waltz received 33 points. She should've been eliminated already. Although she didn't forget her steps this time and had better footwork, the emotional-level of the dance wasn't there. I'm not noticing a big improvement in Bristol from where she started at the beginning of the show.