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S21.E08: Famous Dances


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I dislike Carlos INTENSELY but to be fair... I'm pretty sure he intimated that he was embarrassed to do Magic Mike on the heels of a show where he professed his Christianity, NOT that he was too religious to do it.

 

TBH I didn't think his dance was all that raunchy. It was way tamer than the dance James and Peta did (I think it was their samba?) where all their pubic bones were on display. I'm pretty sure Carlos' pants covered his hips, at least. It's way stupid anyway how conservative people on the show always complain about being sexy. Does being religious mean you can't get down?

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MMLEsq:

Olivia does seem nice, but she barely said anything substantive, so it's hard to say whether she was making sense or not.

 

 

True, but neither does CAI. And between the two of the them, at least ONJ doesn't babble like a crazy person. I'm just so over Carrie Ann's bizarre critiques and even more bizarre babbling. YMMV, of course.

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I think he has a contract stating that he gets someone who can be a contender for the win and more money and he has earned that right.  I have no problem with it.  I enjoy watching his stellar choreography.  Some complain about Allison not being good.  Well, that is why Derrick is there, to be very good!   

 

Celebrities as guest judges give the show a higher status of sorts.  They can get big names where other shows may not be a draw for them.  They also have the budget to do so. 

I actually don't like the choreography Derek always gets praised for. I do like some of his ballroom choreography, but the stuff he gets most attention for (his 'contemporary', or his numerous Gene Kelly homages) is not good in my opinion. It's really frustrating seeing such mediocre work get so much acclaim over the many ignored, crazy talented people. So I don't think he 'deserves' those partners but I do understand why he (and even Mark and maybe Val) has enough clout with the show to always be given workable partners, because to the show they are an asset so they want to keep them around. It makes sense, but it's still a little irritating to watch unfold every season.

 

I actually wish they would bring on more guest judges with dance experience. It was so fun for example having Misty Copeland for 3 episodes of sytycd last year. I'm sure that DWTS could pull in some names that are big in ballroom? Instead of just celebrities vaguely attached to dance or not attached at all.

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Bindi is tiny. I don't think she's heavy at all. I've never seen a lift that lasted that long on dwts. I think anyone's arms would shake!

 

We can consider Cheryl Burke and Tony Davolani who did the overhead lift way back in season 2 or 3 - she wasn't considered a waif at all and yet Tony just knew how to lift. There's actually a lot of technique into proper lifts. Cheryl being a ballroom dancer wasn't used to lifts. Ballroom and Latin dancing is all about technique in the footwork, that's why lifts are not allowed. They probably had to learn to lift for this and subsequent shows.  

And of course Val and Rumer last season.  Strong and secure.   

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Tony's  lift was interesting.  He held her up in a different way. She was not flat above his head, she was at an angle.  That may be the difference to having it work well.  Thanks for posting that.  

 

Here is Patrick and Jennifer.  Lift is at 3:16. 

 

Edited by wings707
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To show how long I've been watching the show, all I could think of during Bindi's routine last night was the S2 pro dance with Tony/Cheryl.  Also you can catch a very young Val as one of the back-up dancers.  He and others were on the show performing that week and so they also threw them in this number too.  I kind of miss those days. 

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Outside of Nick and Bindi, this is where this season is going to get interesting.

 

You've got two left (Hayes and Alek) who are very popular and likeable but it's somewhat unclear how that is translating to their vote totals, follow those two with Andy who is rapidly improving but has a partner who is polarizing and critiqued (fairly) more than any other pro left. Then you've got Tamar who on pure technique should fill out the finale except for the troublesome fact that she's come off lukewarm to Val most of the season and continues to struggle in connecting in many of her dances (especially to Val). Finally you've got the married couple who've been wildly inconsistent, have also been scored wildly inconsistent and they don't seem to be overly popular/getting the best edit. IMO, just about any order of elimination from here to the finale is in the cards...

 

How in the world is ONJ completely beige wallpaper in all of the critiques and scores.....except she goes w/ Bruno and scores Alek one point lower than CAI and Julianne? Every other dancer she scored same as the highest real judge score on the board. Is she that possessive of Elvis's legacy?

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I actually don't like the choreography Derek always gets praised for. I do like some of his ballroom choreography, but the stuff he gets most attention for (his 'contemporary', or his numerous Gene Kelly homages)

 

 

Derek has only done one Kelly homage on the show (the Jazz with Bethany) and he's only really been praised for one contemporary piece - his freestyle with Kelly Pickler. And he didn't even submit that dance for his Emmy win. His first Emmy win was for two ballroom dances and the spinning box contemporary dance with Jaime Goodwin. I honestly do not believe Derek gets praised for contemporary and Jazz stuff (seeing as those were only added into the show some five seasons ago) and that he is in fact respected for the stuff he does with ballroom - e.g. numbers like his Psycho inspired Tango with Ricki Lake, his 50's inspired Paso Doble with Nicole Scherzinger, even the Quickstep with Shawn that broke how many rules of the Quickstep. 

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Derek has only done one Kelly homage on the show (the Jazz with Bethany) and he's only really been praised for one contemporary piece - his freestyle with Kelly Pickler. And he didn't even submit that dance for his Emmy win. His first Emmy win was for two ballroom dances and the spinning box contemporary dance with Jaime Goodwin. I honestly do not believe Derek gets praised for contemporary and Jazz stuff (seeing as those were only added into the show some five seasons ago) and that he is in fact respected for the stuff he does with ballroom - e.g. numbers like his Psycho inspired Tango with Ricki Lake, his 50's inspired Paso Doble with Nicole Scherzinger, even the Quickstep with Shawn that broke how many rules of the Quickstep. 

Okay I meant in the vein of Kelly/Astaire/etc (spinning room was Astaire). From another century. He adds those distinct stylistic touches into many of his not ballroom dances. Not just the jazz with Bethany but the jazz with Amy. The jazz with Kelly. Like stiff sharp hand and feet movements behind a prop kind of thing. And Derek gets effusive praise for every single one of his contemporaries.

But I will take your word for it and I understand I could be wrong, it just seems like from my perspective whenever there is a huge deal made out of a Derek dance it's more often than not a contemporary/jazz.

Edited by ocelot
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Just wondering....are all the All Access camera feeds recorded so all the time zones can see the same feed as the eastern time zone when the show is live?

 

Yes. You can switch from Dominic to the Red Room to the judges table, etc. while still hearing Donimic and whatever interview he's doing.

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We can consider Cheryl Burke and Tony Davolani who did the overhead lift way back in season 2 or 3 - she wasn't considered a waif at all and yet Tony just knew how to lift. There's actually a lot of technique into proper lifts. Cheryl being a ballroom dancer wasn't used to lifts. Ballroom and Latin dancing is all about technique in the footwork, that's why lifts are not allowed. They probably had to learn to lift for this and subsequent shows.  

 

 

By any normal standards (i.e. not compared to Julianne), Cheryl is quite tiny, and she was especially in her early seasons like here. (Yes, I've stood right next to her, and she's quite small).  Her original dance training was also in ballet, and when she goes into the lift the background really shows. You can see her stretching her back in a very classic, ballet-lift way, much more so than Bindi does or even Jennifer Grey in the original film.

 

Actually, the big difference I see with Bindi is that she doesn't know how to balance the lift.  For ease of reference, I'm going to refer to the person being lifted as "the girl" and the lifter as "the boy." (Doesn't have to be this way.  I had friends who used to do aerial work, and they used to do demonstrations with the girl as lifter and guy as liftee to show that it's really all about the technique.)

 

When the girl goes into an overheard lift, one of the essential things she needs to be able to do when she gets to the top of the lift is balance her center of gravity and hold that position with her core.  If she can't do those things, the lift is dead in the water no matter how tiny she is. 

 

To illustrate, imagine lifting a cat above your head.  Not a lot of weight, but the cat is squirming around like crazy, and the lift is going to fail real quick..  Same thing with someone not trained like Bindi.  She's not squirming like a cat, but she doesn't know how to balance and hold that position rock-steady like she needs to for it to work.  The result is that Derek is shaking trying to compensate and maintain that position for her.

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Thank the mirrorball gods that Paula was eliminated. I realized tonight that she reminds me of my ex-MIL, which is just one more of many strikes against her.

 

 

It's funny, because before she became a "brand", and obviously before N-word-gate, I used to joke that Paula was my "TV mother-in-law" because she seemed like a lot of fun (at least more fun that my real life, MIL; hey, it's all relative).

 

But I"m now convinced that she either has no "people" "handling" her, or if she does they need to be fired.

 

Obviously being on the show is part of her strategy to rehabilitate her image.  But then she shows up with a non-stop shitty mood.  And she pretty much went out that way too.  "I'm so glad to see my grandkids".  Ok, Eva Braun, we know you're a grandmother.  That doesn't "humanize" you for us.  Try having fun.

 

And, by the way, part of her shtick was dropping a lot of double-entendre with male guests on her show.  So to claim that "doesn't wear cones" etc. just came across as pre-rationalizing her sucky dancing.

 

Speaking of which, Carlos, you're dancing, not stripping.  I'm pretty sure God's okay with it.  Man, the closet-door-lock in strong with that one. (Your-gaydar-May-Vary)

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Her original dance training was also in ballet, and when she goes into the lift the background really shows. You can see her stretching her back in a very classic, ballet-lift way, much more so than Bindi does or even Jennifer Grey in the original film.

 

 

You make a good point about her original training,  I also remember the tribute show to Swayze after he died, and Cheryl talked about being very nervous about the lift, as she wasn't used to do it.  She had ballet training young and it doesn't leave you, but she had been pretty heavily involved in Latin ballroom competitions just before she started dwts, so ballet would have been less prominent, since she left ballet quite young to concentrate on ballroom..    

Edited by Andie1
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After watching this episode of DWTS:

 

Dearest Len,

You got out just in time.

Missing you,

Limecoke

I'm wondering what Len is thinking.  There was hardly any ballroom yesterday.  They might as well have said that it was Freestyle night.

 

Hayes - I like how he really tries and doesn't havel a Cody "I'm too cool" to do this move attitude.  There were some difficult tricks in this routine which they pulled off. 

 

Andy - This was good choreography and it isn't as frantic as Allison's other choreography.  I thought Andy might go soon but he has really improved a lot.  Now, I have to see how Andy and Allison do with a ballroom routine.  Andy did fine when he was partnered with Sharna and this was a jazz number. 

 

Alexa - She was underscored.  I see what the judges were saying but she should have received at least all 8's.  I'm wondering if she was uncomfortable with this routine because it's a sexy routine.  She isn't as vocal as Carlos so she hasn't expressed it.  She performed last week's tango and their jazz routine well but those routines were not sexy.

 

Bindi - This is were I think the judges especially CAI were off.  I know that they had to do the ending lift so I figured CAI wouldn't dock a point for that.  But there were two other lifts that didn't need to be there.  I also didn't see a rumba.  There was no hip action.  The lift look labored so I don't understand the perfect score.

 

Paula - I'm just grateful that Paula wasn't wearing cones.  At least, we don't see anything when she pulls up her skirt.  Louis created a fun routine but I'm glad that Paula was eliminated.  She really was the weakest dancer left.  The team routines should be even next week.

 

Carlos - He did a good job with what he was assigned.  It's good that he kept going even if his shirt didn't rip correctly. 

 

Nick - Sharna was the best at combining the samba with the original dance.  This was really good choreography.  Nick did a good job but I do agree that he didn't have the swagger right.

 

Alek - I like how he was o.k. playing Elvis outside.  His performance improved but he still needs to work on it more.  However, Elvis is a very difficult character to live up to.

 

Tamar - She could have been a little sharper but I'm going to blame that on lack of practice.  This was an excellent routine for her.  I like how she even sang the lyrics.  I normally don't like that but in this case, it showed that she was having fun.

 

As others pointed out, I noticed that Leah kept saying awesome a lot after the first dance.

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QUOTE

"I actually don't like the choreography Derek always gets praised for. I do like some of his ballroom choreography, but the stuff he gets most attention for (his 'contemporary', or his numerous Gene Kelly homages)"

QUOTE

"Derek has only done one Kelly homage on the show (the Jazz with Bethany) and he's only really been praised for one contemporary piece - his freestyle with Kelly Pickler. And he didn't even submit that dance for his Emmy win. His first Emmy win was for two ballroom dances and the spinning box contemporary dance with Jaime Goodwin. I honestly do not believe Derek gets praised for contemporary and Jazz stuff (seeing as those were only added into the show some five seasons ago) and that he is in fact respected for the stuff he does with ballroom - e.g. numbers like his Psycho inspired Tango with Ricki Lake, his 50's inspired Paso Doble with Nicole Scherzinger, even the Quickstep with Shawn that broke how many rules of the Quickstep."

I agree with Truth's reply. From his earliest seasons the judges have praised Derek's choreography. They praised it often during his first season when he danced with Jennie Garth. Len actually said, "I'm a fan of your choreography." I first began to notice the frequency of it during Season 8 with Lil Kim. The first time he was praised for being a "genius choreographer" by both Bruno and Len was after his Futuristic Paso with Joanna Krupa in Season 9.

Throughout his 16 seasons with DWTS, judges have effusively praised his choreo and have never stopped. But as Truth accurately stated, it was always for dances that were not contemporary or jazz until those styles were added to the show's repertory and they then included those styles in their Derek praise.

Maybe they do it because they are biased or because the producers have an agenda. But they have also directed quite a bit of negative criticism at him as well, especially Len.

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I agree with Truth's reply. From his earliest seasons the judges have praised Derek's choreography. They praised it often during his first season when he danced with Jennie Garth. Len actually said, "I'm a fan of your choreography." I first began to notice the frequency of it during Season 8 with Lil Kim. The first time he was praised for being a "genius choreographer" by both Bruno and Len was after his Futuristic Paso with Joanna Krupa in Season 9.

Throughout his 16 seasons with DWTS, judges have effusively praised his choreo and have never stopped. But as Truth accurately stated, it was always for dances that were not contemporary or jazz until those styles were added to the show's repertory and they then included those styles in their Derek praise.

Again I only notice (in the last few years) when a huge deal is made out of a Derek dance, it's usually not ballroom. I honestly don't feel like the hyperbole is as strong for his ballroom dances. Some absolutely ridiculous things are said to him by the judges after his contemporaries and musical theaters, like straight absurd statements. And again, I can take your guys word for it that he's always been treated that way by the judges. I'm just saying what I notice.

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Enjoyed the Famous Dances Night week, as the production, make-up and costume team did a nice job of resurrecting the numbers for everyone's entertainment.

 

4.  Tamar & Val
It's nice to see Tamar connecting to a dance, after watching past potential performances being unrealized despite her natural musicality and feel.  Though I would've preferred the Jazz routine without the lip syncing, I thought she attacked the performance, lived through the beats and hit the lines in unison with the troupe members.  It was nice to see the lift as it required a measure of trust on her part to let Val carry it out.  Should Tamar decide to move deep into the competition, I feel she needs to acknowledge/realize that Val (MBT winner) has proven with Bindi that if one follows his lead, instruction and utilize his experience, then good results can come into fruition.  In addition, it would be nice if the couple can continue working and reconciling any issues, such that they don't alienate and hold curious audience/viewers hostage (potential voters), and rob themselves of possible productive weeks.  It won't be easy and it probably won't happen overnight, but it's a start.  Think the next two weeks will be important for this couple to make a case with the judges, audience and viewers about the course of their trajectory in the competition.

 

3.  Nick & Sharna
Another highlight of the evening was Nick's Samba routine.  I thought the couple did a nice job of creating a proper carnival dance, complete with traditional botafogos, promenade pose and stationary samba walk steps, while blending in the movie iconic moves as well.  There was plenty of nice bounce action in the knees throughout the routine, and I thought the couple painted a fun, rhythmic and energetic feel to the routine.  Enjoyed the slight false finish to the music/routine towards the end as well.  At times I felt Nick should've brought in the free-flowing, uninhibited spirit of his week 4 Backstreet Boys into this performance, as I thought the Samba performance seemed a hair forced at times in his movement and facial expression (as this is a lively party dance).  Nothing to take away from the routine as it was great, but a bit of finesse and polish would have been nice.  It just seems there was a slight simmering tension in his body, so if he can relax during his routines even more and imagine each dance as if it were his own live concert, that would be nice.  Nonetheless, enjoyed his dance this week.

 

2b.  Alexa & Mark
Thought Alexa did a nice job of handling a live prop (snake), as the snake did enhance the couple's performance and luckily did not carry it's own risky interpretation of the dance.  Like Carrie Ann pointed out, I thought Alexa assumed the part of the character well the moment she had the snake around her neck.  Alexa looked transfixed and one who had a dominating sense of worldly power and control on the floor.   Agree with Julianne's comment as well, largely how Alexa's body had a bit of a buoyant feel during the beginning and middle section of the routine, prior to the snake's arrival.  The Queen Nefertiti-like posture, poise and attitude didn't materialize for me the moment she came down the stairs and when she took up hold with Mark.  She kept looking at her feet and assumed a hesitant top half throughout the routine.  Thought she carried out a nice dance, as the scores for this routine stayed within the historical range of their ballroom and latin numbers.  Despite the hiccups, I'm hoping the pair can continue with their partnership and produce routines that will showcase both their creativity and talents.

 

2a.  Hayes & Emma
Thought Hayes performed the Grease number well, portraying the slick, suave character to the best of his ability.  It was fun watching the hair combing action throughout the routine, including the playful finger pointing tease to Emma.  Compared to his week 1 Cha Cha, I thought he was a bit more confident in his performance.  While he may have missed his best Contemporary scores (all 9's), he did score the highest with this routine (all 8's) out of all his ballroom/latin dances, so that's a plus that he can carry through.  I do think however that he lost a bit of his explosiveness (opening gliding step, among others) in some of his lines, and that he had trouble maintaining body control through the routine (long developing legs).  While his Contemporary dance showed a mastery of these elements, I'm not sure if the unfamiliarity of the dance character (as opposed to a high schooler, rock'n roller, ninja turtle, self), the large production number, upcoming lifts/tricks or the pressure of the theme night got to him a bit.  When shaping/positioning his free arm, he needs to think about the placement of his hand as he's throwing them away at the moment, and he also needs to create a cleaner sweep with his ronde leg action.  It would be nice to see Hayes earn his first '9' in his ballroom/latin dance this week (or upcoming week), so that be can build momentum going into the competition.  This should help him gain even more confidence and give him an even greater sense of accomplishment as he progresses.

 

1.  Bindi & Derek
The opening section showcased a lovely, radiant feminine glow to Bindi, with the clarity of movement throughout the routine enhancing the number as the performance progressed.  It was nice to see the couple carrying out the iconic lift (and successfully), as the number would have fell apart had it gone astray.  Enjoyed the split pose and the caressing hand in hold at the beginning, but better hip action in the basic movement would have been nice, as the dance seemed to lack the traditional moves (opening out, walks, alemanas, etc).  Thought this Rumba dance was much more grounded relative to her Cha Cha, where she was moving like a precarious top spin.  Though I do like her body control in this dance, I think Bindi should continue working on her hips, as the upcoming Salsa or Samba will require that she move them in a consistent, correct manner (costuming may have its limits).   If she can keep her ballroom/latin dances this week and onwards with some '9' paddles (more/higher the better), that would be a nice, steady improvement/level and a reasonable goal worth shooting for at this stage.   It's nice watching her improve the last two weeks and hope she can carry on with the progression in the coming weeks.

 

Best of luck to all the celebs and looking forward to their dances.

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Louis in those short shorts....was everything! I still cannot stop giggling.

I am so happy that Andy did well. I'd like him to stick around but not win with Alison or we will never be rid of her.

Lots of undeserved 10s for the night but it was still fun.

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Well, I'm done. That wasn't a rumba, that wasn't close to a rumba. There was no rumba content in there to speak off. There were lifts, multiple lifts. How many times have we seen people get deductions for even the most minor of lifts? Or an accidental lift? Yet they throw tens up at a dance that blatantly ignored the dance style and broke the rules? It's already happened this season Please.

 

While it would have been better to have stated it at the outset, the rule against lifts was obviously suspended (as was the rule about content) due to the nature of the routines required.  You did see the original "Time of My Life" dance, didn't you?

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My favorite part about Bindi's dance was Tony as part of the troupe ... after being "Johnny" twice in that dance, I laughed to see him just as a backup dancer.

I can only think of once that Tony played Johnny and that was the tribute to Dirty Dancing with Cheryl Burke as Baby. When was the other time Tony played Johnny?

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You said you liked working with Derek because he was ‘positive and fun” – um, sweetie, you’re partnered with Mark, who can be intense at times (just like Derek) but is known for being caring and nurturing.

I agree with katha who said that Alexa is eager to please everyone and is easily manipulated by the show, because it doesn't make sense for her to make those negative remarks about Mark. She's said in various places (Twitter, media interviews) how she and Mark have such a great bond, how he believes in her and pushes her, and how he's the best partner. After their Britney dance, when they are walking over to the judges, you can hear Alexa say to Mark, "I love you! You're so patient!"

Felt bad for: Alexa - judges were harsh on her but the faces she was making about something Leah said about her husband were immature - I am over THE MARRIED COUPLE crap

Well, why does the camera have to ALWAYS pan over to Alexa and Carlos' reactions over every little thing the other one does?

At this point, as far as I am concerned, all the MARRIED COUPLE crap is 100% on the producers and they need to cut it out.

Edited by calipiano81
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I just don't think Bindi and Derek were that great. They were okay. I feel like the judges overscored her because of what dance it was.

 

 

As much as I dislike most memorable year night, at least that theme can sort of lend itself to different dance styles with the songs. This theme night and also the tv theme night have some issues when it comes to combining the dance styles for quite a few. 

 

I miss Len a lot because I think he would be very unhappy with all these dances and the production and the fact that now there's so little of just one couple dancing. Len was always pretty big on the "less is more" thing. I get that the show wants it to be like this and it's more exciting but I get what Len meant when he used to say things like that, he used to think things, like the actual dancing , would get lost in the shuffle of the production and the extra dancers. Len was always our realist on this panel. Now that he isn't on the show, it reminds me that there's so little content. I know at this point, this season, the dancing content is such a little thing in the grand scheme of the show's winner but I do miss hearing actual forms  of what the content should be, 

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I can only think of once that Tony played Johnny and that was the tribute to Dirty Dancing with Cheryl Burke as Baby. When was the other time Tony played Johnny?

 

Same dance, different performance.

 

Tony and Cheryl in S2 (2005) with Bill Medley and his daughter performing, and then they did an abridged version for the tribute to Patrick Swayze after he passed (2009). The latter also features Chelsie and Dmitry ("She's Like the Wind") and Anna and Jonathan ("Unchained Melody").

 

I feel like at this point Tony's just gotta be like "heck yeah, I don't have to do that lift!" and it made me laugh.

 

While we're on the subject of lifts, SCD also did a Dirty Dancing tribute once upon a time. They actually had a celeb/pro couple perform it (at 4:08 in the video), but because I don't watch SCD I don't know who's the pro and who's the celeb. The beginning video has footage of all the different couples practicing to see how they fared with the lift, and it's interesting to see the different techniques and what works and what doesn't. (I thought the one brunette woman had it but then everything collapses forward. I was afraid that's what was going to happen to Bindi.)

Edited by McManda
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While we're on the subject of lifts, SCD also did a Dirty Dancing tribute once upon a time. They actually had a celeb/pro couple perform it (at 4:08 in the video), but because I don't watch SCD I don't know who's the pro and who's the celeb. The beginning video has footage of all the different couples practicing to see how they fared with the lift, and it's interesting to see the different techniques and what works and what doesn't. (I thought the one brunette woman had it but then everything collapses forward. I was afraid that's what was going to happen to Bindi.)

 

The ones who did the lift in the actual performance were celeb Kenny Logan (a retired professional rugby player) and his pro partner, Ola Jordan.   The one who nearly fell in the rehearsal was pro Flavia Cacace, and she is no longer with the show (that clip dates back to 2007.).

 

Incidentally, if you're not watching the dances on SCD, you should be, especially since Tristan is a pro there now, and this year, he actually has a contender who just may be able to get him to the finals.  The dancing is also vastly superior, in my opinion, particularly since the pros there take much more of an old-school approach to choreographing the routines and teaching the dances to their celeb partners.

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Incidentally, if you're not watching the dances on SCD, you should be, especially since Tristan is a pro there now, and this year, he actually has a contender who just may be able to get him to the finals.

 

Is it only available in the UK, legaleagle53?

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The BBC puts up the dance clips (but ONLY the dance clips) on its dedicated YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-p7mK8hRVvV86yREq342A

 

However, you can also watch the full episodes on this channel:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCc1JgL6D4BL0ci8DqU7-ZAw/videos

 

And, of course, we have our lovely PTV discussion forum for SCD here: http://forums.previously.tv/forum/1154-strictly-come-dancing

Edited by legaleagle53
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Poor Alek has been on a downward trajectory and at this point I think he might be screwed. Unless he's pulling in a ton of votes I dont know if he can keep up with the way things are going.

 

The ironic thing here is the character of "Baby" actually was I believe 17 or 18. Jennifer Grey was in her 20's at the time, but Baby was portrayed as a teenager

 

Nick, well I give a TON of credit.  Travolta couldnt even dance the way he did going into Saturday Night Fever. He got major training by a choreographer who specialized in disco dancing. So IMO Nick did very well all things considered.

 

Baby was 18 in the movie.

 

John Travolta did like 8 months of training for that movie.

 

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While it would have been better to have stated it at the outset, the rule against lifts was obviously suspended (as was the rule about content) due to the nature of the routines required.  You did see the original "Time of My Life" dance, didn't you?

Yeah, I saw the dance, and I knew what they were doing, I was just speaking in the context that they were supposed to do a rumba and didn't. I said in another comment that they should have just let everyone do jazz because none of the dances bore any resemblance to what they were supposed to be.

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While we're on the subject of lifts, SCD also did a Dirty Dancing tribute once upon a time. They actually had a celeb/pro couple perform it (at 4:08 in the video), but because I don't watch SCD I don't know who's the pro and who's the celeb. The beginning video has footage of all the different couples practicing to see how they fared with the lift, and it's interesting to see the different techniques and what works and what doesn't. (I thought the one brunette woman had it but then everything collapses forward. I was afraid that's what was going to happen to Bindi.)

Thank you for posting that. A lovely blast from the past and one of my favorite series of Strictly. Some fab partnerships.

This is Flavia and Louis revisiting that tribute (and lift) in the 2012 final (which they won).

http://youtu.be/znOnG5UIX8o

Edited by ceebee
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I agree with katha who said that Alexa is eager to please everyone and is easily manipulated by the show, because it doesn't make sense for her to make those negative remarks about Mark. She's said in various places (Twitter, media interviews) how she and Mark have such a great bond, how he believes in her and pushes her, and how he's the best partner. After their Britney dance, when they are walking over to the judges, you can hear Alexa say to Mark, "I love you! You're so patient!"

Well, why does the camera have to ALWAYS pan over to Alexa and Carlos' reactions over every little thing the other one does?

At this point, as far as I am concerned, all the MARRIED COUPLE crap is 100% on the producers and they need to cut it out.

If she wasn't making the faces they wouldn't have anything to pan over.   I'm sure Alexa is a very nice person, she is just more into her husband winning than the hre own journey with Mark , which I do take your point that the show is perhaps manipulating that fact, but I still don't care for her attitude.

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I agree with everyone who said that they should have made all of the dances jazz/contemporary in light of the need to replicate so much of the original dances. 

 

I don't fault Derek for any wavering in the lift, since he said outright that he is not experienced with lifts in his style of dancing and we know that Bindi is not trained on how to execute lifts. Even though I feel like the I have reached my limit with Derek (I will be perfectly happy for him to take a season or two off to focus on his other professional endeavors), I can't deny his talent. But that lift was outside of his wheelhouse, so I think he did a pretty good job, considering.

 

Even as an unabashed fan of Singing in the Rain, I was very happy with Andy and Allison's version. I think they captured the feeling of the dance well, and made the tap-to-jazz transformation successfully. Allison is no Debbie Reynolds, as someone upthread pointed out, but she did an admirable job of paying homage.

 

I think that if Famous Dance Week had been a few weeks later, Carlos would not have said anything about his dance. Having to do a dance with an objectification theme only a week after a theme of deep spirituality and faith is sort of jarring, and I don't think he was wrong to highlight the whiplash nature of the timing. That may be pretty much the only time you'll see me defending Carlos, though, because he annoys me beyond reason in general. I kind of hope that he is eliminated before Alexa, since there has been so much more focus on her being supportive of his efforts than his support of hers. It didn't even look like he came to comfort her when she was almost eliminated this week, even though she was clearly shaken by it.

 

Loved Nick's SNF moves and Tamar's Rhythm Nation dancing. Neither of them is my favorite (I don't really have a front runner this season), but I enjoyed both this week. Hayes and Alek tend to not stick in my brain the day or so after the performances, which probably isn't a good sign. The only dance I think I actively disliked was Paula's Vogue number (full disclosure, I didn't see Madonna's original to which homage was being paid) except for teh background dancers and Louis' short shorts.

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But that lift was outside of his wheelhouse, so I think he did a pretty good job, considering.

 

Considering that he made sure he told everyone he isn't good with lifts so that should insulate him? He should get a 10 anyway?  This is a competition. If he isn't good with lifts then either don't do it or get docked for the lousy execution. No one else gets this kind of "bye"  Other pros are not experts in styles outside of their wheelhouse and they get marked accordingly.  So should the chosen one.

Edited by radishcake
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I was afraid of Saturday Night Fever, because disco on DWTS is always really schmaltzy and ... not good (I'm looking at you, Anna and Tony). But I think Sharna did a great job making it a disco samba and I think Nick killed it, even if he wasn't as clean as Carrie Ann would have liked.

Sharna is actually trained in Disco. I don't think any of the other pros are.

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Considering that he made sure he told everyone he isn't good with lifts so that should insulate him? He should get a 10 anyway?  This is a competition. If he isn't good with lifts then either don't do it or get docked for the lousy execution. No one else gets this kind of "bye"  Other pros are not experts in styles outside of their wheelhouse and they get marked accordingly.  So should the chosen one.  

 

Well they had to give Golden Boy a 10 so he could be the team captain for the millionth time. And of course, his team will get a perfect score next week no matter what they do. Look for someone on the other team to go home next week. Bye Andy or Hayes.

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Same dance, different performance.

 

Tony and Cheryl in S2 (2005) with Bill Medley and his daughter performing, and then they did an abridged version for the tribute to Patrick Swayze after he passed (2009). The latter also features Chelsie and Dmitry ("She's Like the Wind") and Anna and Jonathan ("Unchained Melody").

 feel like at this point Tony's just gotta be like "heck yeah, I don't have to do that lift!" and it made me laugh.

 

Thank you. I forgot about the tribute to Swayze.

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https://instagram.com/vincentnoiseux

 

Another SYTYCD import to the show - this time from the Canadian version.  He and his partner were my absolute favourites ftw that year; they did some awesome dances.

 

Among their amazing routines is my favourite Afro Jazz routine ever.

 

Oh wow. I loved Vincent and Lisa. This is the gold standard for all African Jazz imho.  I also loved Slow Me Down.  the contemp piece which was Stacey Tookey's first ever piece on SYTYCD.  Stunning .   

 

 

Also, Vincent... what a talent he was the glue for Blueprint Cru on America's Best Dance Crew. He's getting balder here. :) Their version of Bad Romance was best ever and I think a lot of dancers have borrowed some of their great movement  

Edited by Andie1
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I need to hunt up some of the Ballroom that Vincent did on SYTYCD Canada.  I must confess that I couldn't take my eyes off him in any of the numbers he danced in on Monday night.  If the show wants to add him to the troupe next season for some cross-training in Ballroom (and possibly as an eventual pro if he's even halfway-decent in Ballroom), I certainly won't object.

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Considering that he made sure he told everyone he isn't good with lifts so that should insulate him? He should get a 10 anyway?  

No, I don't think he deserved 10s, but I saw remarks that indicated that there was no reason he shouldn't be able to do a lift, since he's such a seasoned pro. I was just saying that his effort/faltering didn't surprise me. Pro dancer doesn't necessarily equal "adept at every move," and I don't think he should be criticized* for having a weakness. I agree that he and Bindi should have gotten a lower score because of it. 

 

* And by "criticized" I mean that his weakness should negate any of the good talents he has. I don't consider saying "this was weak and he showed some difficulty" as a criticism, only as a statement

Edited by St. Claire
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