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S19: Alfonso Ribeiro: The Tap Dance Kid


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That was by far the best jive ever performed on DWTS. It ticked me off a bit that Alfonso didn't get all 10s for it.

 

  Not me. If Alfonso had gotten 10s in the first week, IMO there would have been nowhere left for him to go but down, so when he finally does start getting them, it will be even better.

Edited by DollEyes
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I started this thread because I was shocked to discover Alfonso was a tapper when he was a kid and a great one at that. I knew Alfonso as Carlton from The Fresh Prince but posted this thread to inform folks that he was a tap dancer.

I agree with that logic. Since everyone knows he's Carlton, the Tap Dance Kid stuff was the most important piece of information to inform people of (and arguably the most relevant overall, even over him being an actor who played someone named Carlton).
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  Not me. If Alfonso had gotten 10s in the first week, IMO there would have been nowhere left for him to go but down, so when he finally does start getting them, it will be even better.

I agree. You don't want another Corbin situation.  Where he's at the top of the leaderboard for most of the season. I think people think it's a given that your doing when and get lazy with voting for you because they think you're okay.

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Fun fact: Lea and Alfonso both participated in a little show called Celebrity duets. I had totally forgotten that. By the way Toms comments to Len after Carrie Ann fell were hilarious. 

 

I don't remember Lea, but I remember Alfonso doing that show.  He had promised if he got to the finals he'd do the Carlton. Can't remember if that ever happened.

 

When I think of that show I think of Hal Sparks and Dennis DeYoung singing 'Babe' to their wives.

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I don't remember Lea, but I remember Alfonso doing that show.  He had promised if he got to the finals he'd do the Carlton. Can't remember if that ever happened.

 

When I think of that show I think of Hal Sparks and Dennis DeYoung singing 'Babe' to their wives.

I dunno.  But he DID do it on that stupid British celeb show where they drag them out to the jungle:

 

 

Also he did a Flash Mob version of it a few years ago:

 

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With first watch, I wasn't too thrilled with Witney and Alfonso's Samba.....not enough Samba bounce to get the feeling of the dance. After watching a couple more times, I did see more bounce than I did originally and loved Alfonso's character in the dance. LOVED the ending although that certainly was not a Latin pose. LOL.

 

Next week they are dancing

The Quickstep.

Can't wait for that dance and I can only assume Alfonso is going to slay that dance.

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Seriously WTF? All 8's? I thought he was underscored tonight but once again I thought the song didnt really work for the dance..anyway barring any last minute changes..Next week is Memorable Year

and jazz set to "Its Not Unusual" complete with Carlton dance is supposed to happen

. !!!!

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I thought he truly had a shot at the trophy until tonight. They want him up until the end but he will come in 3rd to Bethany and Janel. I would have loved to seen him in another season because he really would have had the chance to shine. He is a wonderful dancer and was underscored tonight. 

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I also have a bad feeling that Alfonso may get the Corbin treatment.

What is the "Corbin" treatment? 

 

I agree that he was underscored but this show is a marathon and part of the marathon is perceived improvement.  Lower scores leave room for Alfonso to grow.

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I think its way too early to predict who is making the finals. Think back to week 1 - did anyone think Tommy, Michael and Betsy would outlast Randy?  I think if anything has been proven is that everything is very unpredictable as the weeks go by.  I also think Alfonso is held to a higher standard because he came out so strong early on.  Getting perfect scores this early on could be a curse more than a blessing IMO.

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It's not the scores that worry me it's the fact that this show is  catering to the young voters and keeping that Hough vs. Chmerkovskiy rivalry going. Alfonso stands in the way of that so they will sabotage him any way they can. His ability and personality are a winning combo and that makes him a threat. 

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The majority of the voters don't know about the Hough/Chmerkovsky rivalry.  I didn't know there was one.  I only knew that some of their respective fans didn't like each other much.

 

The show might try to cater to younger viewers but the fact of the matter is, this is not a young person's show.  And despite the stereotype perpetuated of young fangirling teens voting their hearts out for this show, it's much more likely the voting fans are more reflective of the audience.  In other words--adult women.

 

But even if it were a younger generation, I think The Fresh Prince of Bel Air is one of those shows that has a fan base that spans generations thanks to rerun and Will Smith's success.  They may not have seen all the episodes but they very likely have seen clips on YouTube.

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I think The Fresh Prince of Bel Air is one of those shows that has a fan base that spans generations thanks to rerun and Will Smith's success.

 

I don't know what age viewers the show is aiming for, but I watch for Alfonso and I am in my 20's. 

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What is the "Corbin" treatment? 

 

I agree that he was underscored but this show is a marathon and part of the marathon is perceived improvement.  Lower scores leave room for Alfonso to grow.

I see the Corbin treatment as someone who is a very good dancer being held to a higher standard than other lesser performers..  The better dancer is nitpicked to death over silly stuff, while the lesser dancers are praised and over scored.  

 

They did the same thing to Ralph Macchio during his season.  Alfonso is a very good dancer and a fan favorite like Ralph was.

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(edited)

Corbin Bleu was Karina's partner a couple of season's ago. He has dance training and was a Disney kid when he was younger. He was nit picked by the judges all season long and was viewed by the fans as a ringer. I wanted him to win but he came in second.

 

One reason he received so much flack from viewers, especially those on message boards, is he appeared in a Macy's Stars of Dance and was the featured singer and dancer. That was a few seasons before he competed.

 

Here is Corbin with Karina and Witney in a Jazz trio. He moves just like Alfonso......

http://youtu.be/eZuqj_Kp1a0

Edited by luvthepros
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Alfonso tweeted confirmation about the spoiler for next week hee. Can't wait! And Witney posted a picture of rehearsal and she's wearing a Carlton shirt.  Too funny.

 

BTW for anyone who has ever doubted Alfonso's fanbase, woah.  He had to to defend Witney on social media because she got attacked pretty hard for the crack about carrying his fat ass around.   I figured they had the kind of relationship where she can say things like that and he wouldnt really get offended but yeah wow she got slammed.  I'm glad he defended her and encouraged his fans to not hate on her.

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I'm hoping that the Carlton dance will put Alfonso and Witney back into the game but I'm not sure why I'm a little worried about it. It's only week 4 where else will they go after this? I would almost prefer that they just be given a real ballroom dance like a tango or foxtrot and be given a real tango or foxtrot song to interpret with it. Otherwise, people could just say that he's milking his claim to fame or doing the Alfonso groove thing and not really growing. I could see the judges criticizing him for that this week.

 

Which is such a shame, he and Witney have the best performance and technical capacity of any of the other couples this season. In that jive, they embodied the music and the dance style so naturally. The past few weeks they've been saddled with weird dance style and song combos. Can you imagine what that "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It" number could have been if it had been a true hip hop? Or if that "Goldmember" had been a disco? Or if they had been given a more traditional quickstep song?

 

I think Alfonso has the ability to master the ballroom and latin dances if he were only given the right songs to support those dances. Hope he and Witney can recapture their mojo and learn to either negotiate more with the producers over song choices or select better song choices for themselves.

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I think Alfonso has the ability to master the ballroom and latin dances if he were only given the right songs to support those dances. Hope he and Witney can recapture their mojo and learn to either negotiate more with the producers over song choices or select better song choices for themselves.

 

I think the producers are just trying to pace Alfonso.  He can't be at the top each week.  He's actually gotten the hardest Latin dance (samba) and the fastest ballroom dance (Quickstep) out of the way.  It might be a blessing in disquise.  If he got through Samba then how hard can it be for him to do a cha cha or salsa?  If he survived quickstep then the foxtrot and walz should be a piece of cake IMO.

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I think the producers are just trying to pace Alfonso.  He can't be at the top each week.  He's actually gotten the hardest Latin dance (samba) and the fastest ballroom dance (Quickstep) out of the way.  It might be a blessing in disquise.  If he got through Samba then how hard can it be for him to do a cha cha or salsa?  If he survived quickstep then the foxtrot and walz should be a piece of cake IMO.

 

I agree in some ways I think it might be a blessing in disguise for Alfonso to get some of the harder dances out of the way so early.  Also if I were him I'd start dropping hints that if he is lucky enough to make the finals that he and Witney will bust out some tap in the freestyle.  One thing in Alfonso's corner is he has that ace up his sleeve.  It's never been done on DWTS before and it's a skill set he has over all of his competitors.

 

As for this week, I'm just hoping Witney doesn't overthink the jazz.  Also if the judges nitpick Alfonso's jive after handing out two perfect scores last week to two unperfect jazz routines, I actually think it will up public sympathy.  

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Corbin Bleu was Karina's partner a couple of season's ago. He has dance training and was a Disney kid when he was younger. He was nit picked by the judges all season long and was viewed by the fans as a ringer. I wanted him to win but he came in second.

 

I know who Corbin is.  I thought he was very good but I just wasn't sure what the "Corbin" treatment meant.  I do think they were more specific with his critiques than with others but I'll admit to being okay with that to a certain extent. I like to see improvement but I also like to see really good dancing so when a star has potential to do really good dancing (like Corbin, Alfonso or Meryl from last season) I appreciate judges nudging them in that direction. 

 

But I guess the "Corbin treatment" implied he got screwed by the judges and I don't feel that way at all.  He came in second during his season to Derek Hough and Amber Riley, both of whom have significant fan bases and I can easily believe they won the audience vote.

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I'm hoping that the Carlton dance will put Alfonso and Witney back into the game but I'm not sure why I'm a little worried about it. It's only week 4 where else will they go after this? I would almost prefer that they just be given a real ballroom dance like a tango or foxtrot and be given a real tango or foxtrot song to interpret with it. Otherwise, people could just say that he's milking his claim to fame or doing the Alfonso groove thing and not really growing. I could see the judges criticizing him for that this week.

I'm not really worried about where they will go from here, I'm sure they have many great dances they could deliver amazingly well.  and besides after he came out so strong with the Jive (one of the hardest dances) in week 1 I think he ended up with too much pressure early on. I'm more worried about them living up to the hype that has been set up for this coming week.   Since Alfonso was announced as a contestant people have been screaming CARLTON DANCE"! Even the official DWTS Twitter and Instagram are letting people know that they are doing this next week  and he and Witney sure sound excited about it.  I feel like if its nothing short of perfect it will feel like a letdown.  Witney also has to be careful when choreographing that that they do give a lot of jazz content and not just focus on The Carlton.

 

BTW since this is Memorable Year week I think that's why they went with this so early on.  I figure they were probably hoping to wait a little while to bust out the huge nostalgia factor but this seems like the right week for it given the theme.  After the show last week they when they were interviewed and it first came out this was the song/dance they chose for this week Witney made a point of saying "but we're saving the actual Carlton dance for a later time".  Now they are making it clear thats exactly what they're doing. I wonder if they decided to go with it just in case they by some bizarre chance theyre may not be a later time.

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(edited)

.............  Also if I were him I'd start dropping hints that if he is lucky enough to make the finals that he and Witney will bust out some tap in the freestyle.  One thing in Alfonso's corner is he has that ace up his sleeve.  It's never been done on DWTS before and it's a skill set he has over all of his competitors..........

 

 

I'm sure I've already said this but I will be deeply disappointed if Witney and Alfonso do not do a tap Freestyle. I don't have accounts for any of the social media so I am hereby requesting anyone who has a Twitter, Instagram of Facebook account, will you PLEASE mention to Witney and Alfonso that it would be amazing if they would do a tap Freestyle. I'm hoping they are already rehearsing tap so they can amaze everyone. Thanks.

Edited by luvthepros
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What a delightful routine - great jazz elements/content and pitch perfect use of the Carlton dance. Many of us were waiting for that dance and he certainly did not disappoint IMO. Definitely lived up to the hype! Plus he showed some really lovely technique. I'm sure he must have some sort of love/hate relationship with that character but the dance is so iconic even after all these years - he should be really proud.

 

Above all, he seems like a really great, sweet guy (he may end up one of my all-time favorite contestants). Hope he gets Cheryl for the switch up (or pretty much anyone but Allison).

 

I'm sure I've already said this but I will be deeply disappointed if Witney and Alfonso do not do a tap Freestyle. I don't have accounts for any of the social media so I am hereby requesting anyone who has a Twitter, Instagram of Facebook account, will you PLEASE mention to Witney and Alfonso that it would be amazing if they would do a tap Freestyle. I'm hoping they are already rehearsing tap so they can amaze everyone. Thanks.

I hope they crank out some tap as well! It would be epic. Barring some huge misstep or shocking elimination, I think they're headed to the finals. *Crosses fingers*

 

On a random note, I think it's wonderful and sweet Tatyana Ali (Ashley Banks) has been in the audience to support him for a few shows. There are not enough words to describe how much I want that woman to do the show as I suspect she'd be wonderful. She's highly ranked on my wish list of celebs but that's for another thread.

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Loved Alfonso's dancing tonight! This is what he can do if the producers give him a strong song and dance combo. Of course the Carlton is a different beast from just any regular old good song and dance combo. But he made it feel different tonight- I felt like I was watching a different story and character all together.

 

Those producers better darn well give Alfonso and Witney awesome song and dance combos from now on out!!! If they don't make the final bc of poor choices by the producers I'm going to hurl!

 

I also think he has the capability to do more than just comedic or upbeat dances. I want to see him do an Argentine Tango or a dramatic Contemporary. I think he can do it. But hopefully with the right song choices. I also think he would be amazing in an old Hollywood style foxtrot.

 

No more Goldmember nonsense please!

Edited by missysays
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Honestly, what I love about "The Carlton" is that, despite being a visual cue for rhythmless nerd, it takes SO MUCH coordination.  Not even Witney could really keep up with Alfonso.

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What I really loved about the dance was twofold.  First Witney was able to make it into a full fledged well thought out routine with a storyline that wasn't remotely gimmicky.   This would have been an adorable number even if "The Carlton" wasn't a thing.  Second, the sheer joy of just watching Alfonso and Witney dance the routine and Alfonso seeing how much it meant to people, as silly as the whole thing seems on paper. 

 

I also think this was just what Alfonso needed to get his momentum back in the competition.  Now I'm just hoping he's paired with anybody but Allison this week.

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  Now, that's what I'm talkin' about! This was not only Alfonso & Witney's best dance since the Jive, They! Did! The! "Carlton!!" While I was hoping Alfonso would save it for the Finals, after the way the judges have treated/underscored him for the past couple of weeks, he had no choice. Hopefully, things will change for the better for them after this and they'll start getting to do the routines they deserve. As for the Switch-Up, I'm ABA (Anybody But Allison).

 

  I also would not only love to see an all-tap Freestyle if/when they get to the Finals, I think it should be choreographed by Anthony Maldanado (sp?), who has done some amazing tap routines for So You Think You Can Dance and if possible, it should involve Savion Glover, who's one of the best tappers in the world and it should be something like this routine from The Cotton Club:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0dTDpQt7KQ

 

All I need now is some kind of Apache tap dance freestyle and I'll be elated.

 

  Not me. "Apache" is much better suited for Latin dances like the Paso Doble or the Argentine Tango than tap.

Edited by DollEyes
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Twitter and Facebook have been lighting up since last night with tons of comments and the video of the dance posted over and over (Alfonso was trending on Facebook all last night until this morning).  This guy brought a lot of joy to people last night!  Like GMA tweeted, "time stood still and I felt young again".  And what's really cool about how Alfonso emphasized he wanted to do the dance for the fans, its such a stark contrast to Jaleel White who refused to do The Urkel because he didnt want to geek out and be a gimmick.  Witney's choreography showed that something that could easily be seen as a gimmick can be done the right way. Watching it again I love how much fun the pros and the other contestants are having afterwards. And yes that dance is HARD!  Amazing that all these years later Alfonso can do it so flawlessly without missing a step.

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All I need now is some kind of Apache tap dance freestyle and I'll be elated. 

 

Loved, loved, LOVED his dance last night.  The fans got we wanted (even the crowd was dancing it going into break) and great build up to it.  And who knew I was doing the arms wrong all this time whenever I did it when I sang It's Not Unusual at karaoke?  (I admit it.)

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its such a stark contrast to Jaleel White who refused to do The Urkel because he didnt want to geek out and be a gimmick.

I wish Jaleel had the same attitude as Alfonso when he was on the show. I mean, Alfonso admitted that he had a love/hate relationship with the Carlton character, but he understands how much people love the character and how much it means to people and how happy it makes them when he does that dance. Nostalgia is a very powerful thing for people. I wished Jaleel had realized that and had a much better attitude about it because he probably would've last much longer and even made the finals if he had.

Edited by kelnic86
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That dance last night was one of the top 5 dances on this show. It had everything and more. Whitney and him are perfect together. She's youthful but she does a great job with content. He's a solid dancer and he doesn't mind working his butt off. I'm hoping in the switch up he gets Cheryl because I think they would do well together. Also that was a what a perfect jazz number looks like. He should have had the first 40 of the seaon not Bethany or Janel.

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 such a stark contrast to Jaleel White who refused to do The Urkel because he didnt want to geek out and be a gimmick.  

The Urkel is just a thematic copycat of The Carlton anyway.

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That dance last night was one of the top 5 dances on this show. It had everything and more. Whitney and him are perfect together. She's youthful but she does a great job with content. He's a solid dancer and he doesn't mind working his butt off. I'm hoping in the switch up he gets Cheryl because I think they would do well together. Also that was a what a perfect jazz number looks like. He should have had the first 40 of the seaon not Bethany or Janel.

 

I agree wholeheartedly!!!

 

I loved Witney's performance in this number too- she wasn't just the sexy Latin dancer. She matched his zany Carlton character to a T. It was like she was Carlton's dream girl come to life- someone who's pretty as a daisy but also loves to rock out to Tom Jones!!!

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I agree wholeheartedly!!!

 

I loved Witney's performance in this number too- she wasn't just the sexy Latin dancer. She matched his zany Carlton character to a T. It was like she was Carlton's dream girl come to life- someone who's pretty as a daisy but also loves to rock out to Tom Jones!!!

I forget.  Did Carlton go for blondes?  

Edited by Kromm
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I had a giant crush on Alfonso in the 80s; a lot of little black girls did at that time. It waned once he was on Fresh Prince, though of course I loved his character. I don't usually stick with DWTS past the second episode, but I may watch for him. (And to see if Vanessa Marcil shows up so GH fans can have a Jagger & Brenda reunion!)

 

I had a crush on him when he was on Fresh Prince.   Will Smith who?   I normally don't follow DWTS and didn't this season so had no idea Alfonso was on till I read an article on him doing 'The Carlton' dance.    I need to look that up on Ytube.    Rooting for him to take the Mirror ball this year.

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Earlier I had read a recap from reality TV blogger who goes to DWTS tapings often and he said that he never heard the audience erupt the way they did after The Carlton (he noted that in the studio it was insane and even louder than on TV), now I'm reading Carrie Ann Inaba's  blog about the show and she too said it was the loudest crowd reaction she's ever heard in all 19 seasons. Pretty amazing.  I noticed MTV started airing Fresh Prince reruns this week.  I know channels like Nick at Night have been airing them for some time and through those re-runs even young people have come to love the show but with MTV now it will span to even more people.  

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All I need now is some kind of Apache tap dance freestyle and I'll be elated. ......

 

 

OMG....YES, YES, YES. All that tap dance Freestyle needs is a bit of the Apache Jump and the trophy will be a lock for Witfonso. My absolute dream Freestyle right there!!!

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I didn't see a thread for Fresh Prince, so I'll post this here -- last night's Nick At Nite showing included this, one of my favorite Carlton moments:

 

Ah, yeah, with that hip action, I definitely think it belongs in here!  Love how he starts his strip with The Carlton.  lol

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I am excited about Alfonso's posture, hands, and arms in those photos. They look quite credible. I can't tell from the pictures whether his shoes are flamenco shoes or not. Male dance shoes all look the same to me. :)

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Overall, I thought it was a good dance for him but Cheryl overdid some of the details and she shouldn't have made him do those kneeling lunges. Alfonso has an amazing amount of rhythm and musicality but he's no spring chicken and he mentioned in an interview that he injured himself in the groin this week- I bet on those kneeling movements. His knees looked creaky trying to stand up from them. She would have done better if she hadn't had him do that move.

 

Also, that white powder in the beginning - hahahaa!!! I know what she was going for but he didn't need it. Also, the ruffles probably weren't necessary on his costuming- more streamlined would have been better for his lines. Alfonso's on the diminutive side cleaner lined clothing will elongate his lines better.

 

But overall I thought he had commanding expression and was committed to the movement. I'm glad he had a straight interpretation of a dance this week- I hope it continues on when he gets back with Witney next week. I'd love for him to get a nice traditional foxtrot next- maybe a nice Frank Sinatra song?!

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