S20: Nastia Liukin: Olympic Champion

[radishcake]

Anastasia Valeryevna "Nastia" Liukin is a retired Russian-American artistic gymnast. She is the 2008 Olympic individual all-around Champion, the 2005 and 2007 World Champion on the balance beam, and the 2005 World Champion on the uneven bars. She will be partnered up with Derek this season! 

[legaleagle53]

Love her; hate that we're stuck with the Golden Boy yet again.

 

At least we should have the hotness that is Papa Liukin in the audience each week cheering her on.

[RemoteControl88]

http://www.gymnastike.org/coverage/234086-WOGA/video/72100-Nastia-Liukins-Ballet-Coach-Choreographer#.VPJ9jfnF9e9

 

Here's an interview with her former ballet teacher & choreographer.  I came across this on another board.  

 

I'm used to the celebs on DWTS down playing their dance experience but when she says she's never had a dance lesson in her life on GMA...then I see this interview...I have to roll my eyes.

[skittl3862]

I would have preferred to see her with Artem and gotten some intense Russian arguments.

[truthaboutluv]

I don't know why Nastia is flat out lying about her experience. She does realize there is video and print footage of all those interviews she did during her time at the Olympics, right? It's just silly and is only going to turn people off and make them not root for her. Admit you had some ballet to help with your grace, core strength and elegance for your gymnastics routines and move on. Even with the gymnastics and ballet training, she's still not the biggest ringer the show's ever had so the lying about it is stupid.

[Victura]

I wouldn't be surprised if she has never had a "proper" dance class. There are certain "dance" elements in gymnastics floor routines that are more along the lines of moving from one robotic movement to another and doing some turns and leaps. It's possible that the dance teacher was in charge of that and putting together the programs.

 

I think Nastia benefited greatly from her body type in her gymnastics because her long limbs gave the semblance of grace, but if you actually watch her movements, they're no more graceful than someone like Shawn's, who wasn't considered graceful at all. Plus, she has this strange habit of curling her toes instead of actually pointing her feet.

[kitcloudkicker]

Looks like they did a "live to tape" with Derek and Nastia. Not quite a livestream - but then, no wasting time on twitter nonsense either. Wonder if they might do this with other traveling couples? (Or, everyone might become more LA based once the season starts, I suppose.) 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOcYOMPie14&t=357

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I wouldn't be surprised if she has never had a "proper" dance class. There are certain "dance" elements in gymnastics floor routines that are more along the lines of moving from one robotic movement to another and doing some turns and leaps. It's possible that the dance teacher was in charge of that and putting together the programs.

 

I think Nastia benefited greatly from her body type in her gymnastics because her long limbs gave the semblance of grace, but if you actually watch her movements, they're no more graceful than someone like Shawn's, who wasn't considered graceful at all. Plus, she has this strange habit of curling her toes instead of actually pointing her feet.

ITA with all of this. My sister was a gymnast and they had mandatory ballet class at her gym but, like the class that Nastia's ballet coach described, it was geared very specifically towards gymnastics so it's not like they were learning classical ballet the way you would at even a strip mall dance studio. The focus is on getting the girls to have the skills to look good on beam and floor. It's more like getting them to resemble dancers than actually teaching them how to dance, if that makes sense. It always cracks me up when I see gymnasts do what my sister and I refer to as fake ballet/gymnastics hands. It's that thing where the gymnast bends her wrists slightly and then splays her fingers apart (usually with the middle finger drawn in slightly) because they think that makes them look graceful.

 

There are certain dance elements that are required on floor and beam (leaps and turns) so they usually get more specific instruction on those types of things in their gym dance classes (to me that's analagous to competition dancers who have scary back handsprings they have learned at the studio). Nastia's coach said in the interview above that they worked on leaps, back walkovers, combinations, and that they're very specific for gymnastics.

 

To put it another way, it's like someone who takes yoga and knows how to handstands saying they've never taken a gymnastics class.They have taken classes where they learned what is usually thought of as a gymnastics skill but they most likely have not learned the same technique as they would have if they had learned it in gymnastics (a lot of times you can tell who learned handstands in yoga because their backs are arched while the people who learned handstands as part of gymnastics have their hips right over their shoulders without any arch in the lower back).

 

Despite this, I do agree it's silly for Nastia to say that she has never had any dance classes before. Just be honest and say that you took classes at the gym. It's not a big deal.

 

And I totally agree that Nastia's tall thin body and long legs make her look graceful when she is really doing the same thing with her hands and feet as Shawn Johnson. It just looks less graceful on someone who is short and stockier.

Re: the toe curling vs. toe pointing, I have noticed that with a lot of gymnasts in recent years. I remember seeing a picture of Gabby Douglas doing the splits at the gym and the top of her foot wasn't even parallel to the floor and she just had her toes curled over. Ha, found it!

 

Edited March 17, 2015 by ElectricBoogaloo

[Kromm]

My issue isn't so much Nastia being on the show, but being handed Derek.  She's coming in with what many would argue are some huge advantages, and the last thing needed was to give her the most winning possible partner.  A more balanced situation would have been to give her a newbie pro.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Ha, I can't stand Derek so I never want to vote for whoever he is paired with.

[LizaD]

When I heard Nastia was tapped to be on the show, this came to mind and I was hoping for a repeat. She's the clueless one in the middle in white, not trying to do the shuffle.

 

 

Not that I hate her or anything but I just wanted some lol worthy material.

[galax-arena]

Okay, Nastia in that video is totally me. 

[PBGamer89]

She's doing Rumba on Monday and with the song they have and some of the ballet training she had for gymnastics, I can't wait to see her lines.

[Danseur]

Nastia writes an article each week about her experience on DWTS for The Huffington Post. Here are her comments about Week 2:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nastia-liukin/dwts-tonight-we-rumba_b_6924034.html

[RedheadZombie]

I've followed Nastia's career for years, I don't know how it escaped me that her name is Anastasia.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAef2IDYzgQ

 

When this video ends, there's an option to watch a gymnastics mistakes/falls video.  Some of them are hilarious, but some of them could have had horrific injuries to the neck and head.  One guy doing the vault, hits the springboard, flies over vault, continues midair for ten to fifteen feet, then lands on the judging table.  Something was confirmed that I've always suspected - the spotters are for show.

 

ETA:  Beware - in case anyone tries to watch the clip I described.  At around seventeen minutes, a Chinese girl takes a fall during the floor exercise.  She clearly has a head injury, and struggles to get up while continually falling.  It was very difficult to watch.

Edited March 23, 2015 by RedheadZombie

[Quickbeam]

I love watching Nastia dance. She has an unfortunate habit of sucking on her teeth/licking her lips which is really distracting. I think it is probably a nervous tic but it is pretty obvious. 

[Buggin]

So does anyone know what happened that Sasha has filled in as Nastia's partner instead of Henry? There was talk that Henry did "something" but I'm not sure what he did or who he pissed off.

[Uke]

It seems the switch from Henry to Sasha happened right after Henry got a little on-air credit for the work he's been putting in with Nastia.  

 

The chatter I've seen is that Henry tweeted  something mildly affectionate about practicing with Nastia, referring to her as "my girl" and doing great in rehearsals that day and that was overstepping his bounds.  Scanning through his twitter timeline, it looks like the tweet I remember has been deleted but there are a few saying he was proud of "my samba queen" and urging people to vote for her.  This was about the time Mark was on AfterBuzz and said he thought Henry should get another chance as a competing pro.  Maybe someone thinks troupe members should remain silent?

Edited April 24, 2015 by Uke

[Stitsch]

That's very strange. I don't understand the motivation behind wanting to silence Henry, except maybe TPTB think his tweeting about Nastia detracts from Nastia/Derek's "chemistry" -- heavy emphasis on "chemistry." I mean, it's the only thing the judges ever seem to criticize her on, so who wants to see her connecting with Henry more than she does Derek? Certainly not TPTB! I'm intrigued, especially now that Derek is injured. Are they going to try and keep Sasha from tweeting too, if Henry was presumably demoted?

[Uke]

Maybe it wasn't TPTB that objected. Maybe it was Derek or Nastia.   It was TPTB, after all, that decided to show Nastia training with Henry.  

 

I think what happens is (and someone correct me if I'm mistaken), if Derek isn't able to continue, Nastia gets offered a new pro if she wants to continue. I'd think they'd offer her both Henry and Sasha since she's worked with both (and she chooses one or the other).   IMO, if a new pro needs to take over, Derek should just step aside and not try to control things. Let the new pro use his own strategy and choreography without being under Derek's thumb.

[kitcloudkicker]

Well currently it's been announced as Sasha. At least for this week, Derek is still doing the choreography, and who knows, that might be what Nastia prefers - she tweeted a photo captioned #teamhoughkinforever

I don't think Henry got demoted for just the tweets, as Sasha's been posting a few snaps of rehearsals too. The switch did happen after he made that comment about not being able to build a partnership without "friction" - that might have stepped on some toes, or maybe something happened behind the scenes.

[superdeluxe]

Henry was doing too much.  He acting like he was doing more than just going through the dance with her and he tried to take over.  That's why he got replaced.

[Abra]

Henry was doing too much.  He acting like he was doing more than just going through the dance with her and he tried to take over.  That's why he got replaced.

 

Did you read an article that gave you that impression, or have anything to back it up?

 

During Nastia's tango, I remember thinking it seemed off to me technique-wise (like her upper body and head weren't in the right position, and she got a little bouncy at the end), but finally not connection-wise. On rewatch, I didn't see the technique issues I thought I had. The dance itself didn't really do much for me (not danced to a Calvin Harris song), but most of the judges comments seem fabricated. I'd rather hear them say "it just didn't do it for me" than make things up; it's not like we haven't heard it all from them by this point.

[tearbender]

As for Nastia, I'm actually looking forward to her dances for the first time since the premiere, though I hope her Charleston isn't a lift and trick fest.

Edited April 26, 2015 by OnceSane

[CED9]

Did you read an article that gave you that impression, or have anything to back it up?

 

I think people sort of took Henry's "She's my little samba queen" quote along with his bragging on social media and made a mountain out of a molehill. Though, I have to say, Henry does seem quite full of himself (not like he's the only pro dancer on this show to act that way) just from his social media use in general. And people think it hasn't been earned because he crashed and burned his one season as pro.

[truthaboutluv]

During Nastia's tango, I remember thinking it seemed off to me technique-wise (like her upper body and head weren't in the right position, and she got a little bouncy at the end), but finally not connection-wise. On rewatch, I didn't see the technique issues I thought I had.

 

 

Nastia's narrative so far on the show has been very interesting. She is clearly very good (I actually think technically she's the best dancer) and maybe it is a case of holding someone up to a higher standard but sometimes it feels more like nitpicking than just holding up to a higher standard. That said, what's weirder about her journey so far is that for all the nitpicking, she still consistently scores very high, with the exception of Len who seems incapable of giving her anything but an 8. 

 

But I imagine for those who support her, it may be getting a little frustrating, particularly after Monday night's show and I thought Derek even looked a little annoyed after the comments. Because while sure, not a perfect Tango, when you re-watch the entire show and watch all the other dances, you see just how much better she was than everyone else and yet she didn't get one really positive word. It was all "no connection, it was too fast and one speed, you're being too much of an athlete, etc." And again, the scores were still decent enough with the 9's but it still has to suck to come out and do an amazing job and seemingly just be picked at for the smallest things.

 

And the fact is, Derek factor aside, (which I know is all but impossible for some to do), this show in my opinion is supposed to be about the celebrities and I do think Nastia is working her ass off just like everyone else but it almost feels at times like that's either being dismissed or the tone is like she's not doing as much as she is capable of. And I just don't think that's fair. But I like that her competitor/athlete quality, despite what Carrie Ann said, is keeping her from breaking under the weight of that stuff and it allows her to keep her head up and keep moving forward.

 

Honestly, at this point, the stubborn person in me who is so over this "no connection" stuff almost wants her to never show any vulnerability. Sure it may cost her the ugly trophy but so what. It's one thing for someone to be criticized for their dancing technique but at this point, whether deliberately or not, it does feel like judging Nastia for her personality and simply who she is. And you know, I guess to be fair to the judges, I'll say they probably are pushing it because they want her to do well and know how this show works and knows people don't vote for someone they don't feel like they personally connect with. I get that - I just think that when someone comes out and does as a good job as Nastia does, they should try to temper all the nitpicking with something positive at least. 

[OakGoblinFly]

The problem I have with the judges' comments is that they want Nastia to be something she clearly isn't.  Worse, if she did put on this "happy, happy, joy, joy" persona they would call her out as being "fake."    The girl can't win with these judges (I think it's by design as the writing seems to be a Val win this season).

 

Personally, I don't have a problem with Nastia's emotional presence or her ability to emote.  I think the pre-dance packages show her as a reserved, determined young lady who slowly warms up to people.  That's just her personality and I'm fine with it.  I think she's shown a greater range of emotions than Rumer or Riker in her dancing - yet all the judges tell her is that she isn't "connecting."  I'm not buying it as I see plenty of connection to her partner and to the spirit of the dance in Nastia's performances.

[tearbender]

You can be reserved and still display charisma and act like you enjoy dancing. That's what's missing from Nastia for me. I don't need Nastia to be bubbly, but I'd like her to actually perform. A lot of the time she comes across as a super flexible mannequin to me. Part of it is on Derek's shoulders as well. I'm actually pleased the judges are calling out the lack of connection and passion in her performances this season as they often let that slide with Derek's partners.

 

I actually think it's going to come down to Nastia vs. Riker at this point, but every season post All-Stars has been accused of being set up for Val to win.

[kitcloudkicker]

I've said this before, but I think there's a big difference between producers setting up storylines for contestants, and producers actually attempting to crown only one person champion. The former definitely happens, and is likely the smartest move from an audience engagement perspective, the latter would be incredibly boneheaded and short sighted. 

 

If I ran this show with the same motivations as the showrunners, with the network mandate to make it as dramaful and engaging as possible, I'd likely set up a few storylines that would be satisfying payoffs. I'd take a page from Kurt Vonnegut and make sure they have interesting shapes. Val finally wins. Noah triumphs over physical setbacks. Nastia learns how to perform like an actor. With a cast this large, some people end up with comic relief and/or supporting storylines. And then as everything starts into motion I'd play it by ear a bit - grab story opportunities where I see them. Some people may get elevated from "supporting cast" to "main cast" (Willow may have elevated herself to finalist potential/main role) some may get downgraded (Charlie, in S18). Who knows? 

 

But that's why I think I see the people saying "We've seen signs that they want Val to win from day one!" and people saying, "We've seen signs they want Derek to win from day one!" and probably both of them are right, because at the beginning of the season you're setting up all those arcs, planting the seeds for a whole bunch of outcomes. They want to be able to point back at then end and tell a story about how they triumphed. Or how they started strong and then lost it but then came back! Once the ending is in place you forget all the other threads. For example, in S18 I think producers would have been just as happy with the story of "Amy triumphs over adversity" as they were with, "Maks finally gets his win with his 'soulmate'." Maybe slightly less happy about a winning story of "Candace conquers her fears" but they set themselves up with that as an out if it happened.  

 

Anyway, back to Nastia, I've enjoyed her and her personality. And I think she is getting better at the performance aspect - if you watch the rumba she had an expression of, "Why is your face so close to my face" the whole time. And she's gotten much more comfortable since then. 

[OakGoblinFly]

Anyway, back to Nastia, I've enjoyed her and her personality. And I think she is getting better at the performance aspect - if you watch the rumba she had an expression of, "Why is your face so close to my face" the whole time. And she's gotten much more comfortable since then. 

 

 

True.  I always thought it was more difficult to pull of a Rumba early in the season when you're still in the early stages of a partnership.

[kayma]

but every season post All-Stars has been accused of being set up for Val to win.

To me, if TPTB wanted Val to win, they wouldn't have either cast Nastia this season or given Nastia to Derek. It would have been more like Alfonso last season with a bunch of fairly equal, interchangeable stars and the one to beat. I liked Alfonso and am glad he won but he really brought the whole package compared to others' more limited strengths. I thought Nastia was going to blow away the rest of the competition, but I think it's actually turning out fairly evenly.

 

Of course, I really don't understand the levels of hostility the fandoms display to other pros. For being a show that appeals to a typically older demographic and with such a likeable cast, I'm always surprised at the pervasive nastiness.

You can be reserved and still display charisma and act like you enjoy dancing.

I agree and that's where I think Nastia and Derek are still failing, despite her improvements. They have had some beautiful dances and she's been technically great, but I haven't thought wow at any of them. I haven't rewatched any of them. I do think she's getting better. I also think Derek's injury may help since he can watch her more and help her with the performance. She doesn't need to be bubbly but she needs to keep working on her performance and showing that she's enjoying dancing. That's where Riker and Rumer are overcoming her.

[tearbender]

True.  I always thought it was more difficult to pull of a Rumba early in the season when you're still in the early stages of a partnership.

 

That I'll agree with. Sometimes even week 3 seems too early. Same with Argentine Tango. I was pretty impressed with how well Willow managed with AT in week 2. I guess Paso Doble and Waltz and possibly Contemporary are the potential hurdle dances Nastia has left.

[truthaboutluv]

You can be reserved and still display charisma and act like you enjoy dancing. That's what's missing from Nastia for me. I don't need Nastia to be bubbly, but I'd like her to actually perform. A lot of the time she comes across as a super flexible mannequin to me.

 

 

I guess it's subjective because I actually do think Nastia has looked like she's enjoying herself and displayed some charisma. I thought she looked very happy during the Foxtrot, she looked engaged and like she was having fun during the Samba, I thought her coldness and seriousness was appropriate for the Tango and she had a little cheekiness in her Jazz. I think where Nastia has faltered in terms of performance are the dances that called for passion/sexual chemistry with Derek - the rumba and the Argentine Tango.

 

And that does not always come easily to everyone, especially someone who is not a natural performer. Again, the girl's an athlete, she's not a dancer or a performer unlike say someone like Rumer or even Riker who has acted in shows along with being in a band. And the rumba was only in Week 2 which is kind of early to have full romantic/passionate connection with your partner. Sure, some are capable of pulling it off but others aren't and I just don't think that is necessarily enough to say she's never shown any charisma or joy during the competition.

 

Of course, I really don't understand the levels of hostility the fandoms display to other pros. For being a show that appeals to a typically older demographic and with such a likeable cast, I'm always surprised at the pervasive nastiness.

 

 

Not to derail the thread too much, since this is supposed to be Nastia's thread, not Derek's, but I will just say this, the old saying "success breeds contempt" exists for a reason. I won't say other Pros don't get their share of negativity, but as someone who has paid close attention to DWTS fandom - including boards like this and particularly social media, I can say that Derek gets  A LOT of crap. It's frankly even borderline uncomfortable at points. I saw comments somewhere else earlier this season hoping for him to break his leg (so I guess they should be happy with this latest injury) and one going as far to wish for him to break his spine instead.

 

Yes, a spinal injury for someone whose whole life is dance. And it's gotten to the point that any celebrity who gets paired with him automatically gets dismissed by some - Amy never danced, Amber was dragged across the floor, Kelly won because the producers screwed with the votes, Bethany was annoying and had a constant bitchface, at the start of this season Nastia was the one getting the bitchy and cold label but that's now moved to no personality and connection and I'm sure there's stuff about all his other winning celebrities. 

 

And in my opinion, the issue is because some have gotten too focused on the Pros and forget that this is really about or should be about the celebrity. So people get so focused on stanning for whatever Pro they like, that it gets viscous between liking one pair versus another and the celebrity attached to said Pro gets caught in the negativity. And it really has become the worse with Derek, which I can only imagine is because he has won so much and been so successful. That's why as much as I like Derek just fine and have no issues with him, I kind of want him to take a season or two off because it gets exhausting to be honest reading the same accusations season after season. 

Edited April 27, 2015 by truthaboutluv

[Glaadrial]

From the Afterbuzz thread regarding the Access Hollywood Interview: Derek & Nastia address Val's comment at 1:26 fyi.

To me, it looked like Derek was trying to play the noble victim, when he knows darned well all pros were asked for one postivie and one negative comment. He also looked like he was going to continue in this vein...and to my eyes, it looks like Nastia squeezed his shoulded after a little rub... a signal, as she started talking immediately afterward and indicated all was fine.

 

 

I'm kind of surprised by Derek's response, and I completely agree that Nastia shut it down. I didn't like his comment about how he doesn't say negative things, especially when he knew the setup. As someone who's complained about packages this season, you'd think he wouldn't take the packages seriously when others are in them either. Of course, he did just get eliminated so I can't take his comments too seriously. I still don't know what the issue was to start with and why Sharna's "human moment" comment gets a pass - not that there was anything wrong with that either. I'm hoping all the interviewers can stop with this manufactured drama now.

 

This made me love Nastia even more. It's too bad she didn't get to interview like this on the show. I'm hoping she's back for the finale and that she gets something good out of this.

 

 

Indeed. Derek acting like he's the paradigm of class is hilarious to anyone that remembers his comments about Brandy and Kyle. Really, Derek? You hold yourself up above Val's supposed "classlessness"? Shall we go back in time and reassess when you all but trashed Brandy and Kyle? Or would you like to talk about the fact that Maks allegedly overcompensates because he is, as you said, "incredibly insecure"?

 

Christ. I'm so grateful for Nastia's perpetual levelheadedness. Had he been paired with anyone else, Derek's tendency to be an insufferable hypocrite would have reached its precipice weeks ago. And it makes me sad, because had SHE been paired with anyone else, we would have witnessed something grand. Nastia is an incredible technical dancer. Derek did nothing but disservice her by creating choreography that wasn't shaped around her capabilities, which he usually excels at.

 

I don't know. I hope he takes a season or two off, just like I did... er, three seasons ago, but if this is his attitude now, something is telling me that he'll return next season with some sort of self-inflated purpose to redeem himself. 

As a huge fan of Nastia's I'm so happy that we got this moment of true redemption. The responses above appeared in the Afterbuzz thread but I wanted to respond here because Nastia's talents in managing an interview in a tricky situation are second to none.

 

I know that she's been media trained to within an inch of her life but her true talent lay in making it believable. No, this elimination is nowhere near the disappointment that she felt at the moment when she knew that her gymnastics career was over. She's a natural in front of the camera and hers is a voice that I would love to hear commenting about gymnastics or any other judged sport.

 

I also just had a random thought: What would she look/sound like if she were doing Erin's job?

[tarotx]

Congrats to Nastia and her new fiance ♡

http://m.eonline.com/news/662115/nastia-liukin-engaged-see-the-olympian-s-gorgeous-ring

[Quof]

That's a pretty perfect manicure for a spontaneous, unexpected proposal and engagement ring photo.

[kitcloudkicker]

Eh, Nastia strikes me as someone who has a pretty perfect manicure most of the time. (And especially since she was just in Indy making appearances at fancy red carpet events.) I also think she posted the picture the day after it happened, leaving plenty of time if she needed a touchup to do that in the morning, then stage a picture for the announcement. 

[truthaboutluv]

That's a pretty perfect manicure for a spontaneous, unexpected proposal and engagement ring photo.

Seriously, you should see pictures of Nastia when she was coming to the studio for rehearsals during the season. Girl was always fully dolled up in hair, makeup, designer shoes and bag and cute outfit. She is clearly someone who always puts effort in her appearance and nothing wrong with that. My sister's nails and makeup are always on point...always.