S22.E03: Week 3

[WhitneyWhit]

I've watched it a couple times now just to make sure I was hearing correctly, but Mischa said her most memorable year was 2008 when The O.C was "at its prime", The O.C was cancelled in 2007, and Mischa left the show the year prior.

Edited April 6, 2016 by WhitneyWhit

[KLovestoShop]

As a disabled person (all my life) and as a former teacher of the disabled, I come from a different perspective on this musicality business. Tell me, how do you teach musicality to someone who's never heard music? You can teach movements and timing and even rhythm, but musicality involves hearing. It's like trying to teach a blind person how the color blue looks. Without any point of reference, it can't be done. To be honest, he can be taught any kind of dance, any movements but trying to pair it up with musicality is nearly impossible. Look at it this way, he could compete and dance every week without the benefit of music. He just performs what he's taught.

[TiredMe]

I'm not sure what it is, but something about Ginger bugs me. I have no prior knowledge of her at all, but she comes across as such a "try hard".

I generally like Marks choreography. It's usually different so I don't mind him on the show. He's probably thrilled he's got a partner with previous dance experience so he can take it up a notch and not look like he's over dancing next to his partner.

Speaking of... I think Tony is the best pro at toning down his dancing to match his partner. I'm usually impressed by it, but this week, I was thinking man, if Mark were dancing with Marla those spats would be moving so fast, sparks would be flying. Lol

Thank goodness for Artem, he's free. But boo for me not getting to see his gorgeousness on my screen.

[PBGamer89]

I don't even think you need to look behind the scenes to see how happy Mark is with Paige. In the 2 dances he's performed with her so far on the show, Mark has been just BEAMING. So much, he was in good spirit even with Len's comment last night about the paso.

I don't agree that Mark didn't like Alexa, though. I think they really did have a connection, but there were other things that made aspects of their partnership challenging.

 

I think they connected, even more so towards the end with their Contemporary, but I think having to deal with the "married couple" angle, he probably felt uncomfortable around it all because Mark is a very affectionate with partners (Sabrina, Katherine, Chelsea come to mind) so he didn't know how to connect having Carlos literally breathing down his neck.

 

Alexa was a tough case for me, she was a great dancer, but I wish she got 3rd and Alek got her place (6th) instead. If she was on the season without Carlos (I think she holds more actual star power than him) she would've been finals easily. Not to mention that Tamar situation where she would've moved onto the next week had Tamar just stayed at the hospital and withdrew on the Monday.

[sidwich]

As a disabled person (all my life) and as a former teacher of the disabled, I come from a different perspective on this musicality business. Tell me, how do you teach musicality to someone who's never heard music? You can teach movements and timing and even rhythm, but musicality involves hearing. It's like trying to teach a blind person how the color blue looks. Without any point of reference, it can't be done. To be honest, he can be taught any kind of dance, any movements but trying to pair it up with musicality is nearly impossible. Look at it this way, he could compete and dance every week without the benefit of music. He just performs what he's taught.

 

It's not impossible.  I've both seen and danced with some excellent deaf dancers, dancers that you would never guess couldn't hear that can be every bit as musical as hearing dancers.  HOWEVER, that comes from getting really good at learning to feel vibrations of the rhythm section of the music (which is where most of the musicality comes from in these dances), as well as dancing with experienced dancers (like Peta) and feeling what their body movement is like.

 

It is definitely NOT something that can happen within the space of a few weeks. But as a general thing... yes, it's totally possible.

[enthus-pro]

Thoughts on contestants for week 3 (in alphabetical order):

 

Ginger & Val - she looked slightly more relaxed in the contemporary; better able to feel her movement as she seem slightly more vulnerable; it was a bit of a stripped down and raw version of herself from her previous dances.  Thought the straight arm motion during the lyric “wave” and the running sequence (not after) seemed a bit out of character for the feel of the dance.  Nonetheless, hoping Ginger can continue on this new direction as the weeks progress.

 

Jodie & Keo – thought Jodie produced a nice, emotional number.  Liked the beginning with the slight brushes of her arms by Keo and the nice extension by Jodie next to the singer.  Think Jodie still needs to watch the gapping when in hold (tango) and maintain a stronger core connection with Keo.  Maybe soften into the knees, feel the floor with her toe when moving back as well.  But it was a nice number and wanted the routine to continue as well.

 

Nyle & Peta – thought Nyle attacked the dance, remained low in the knees and didn't bob his head up and down throughout the routine.  It was nice to see that he didn't lose character as he came down the stairs as well (rumba).  Still think he could of lowered his shoulders a hair and elongate his neck a bit.  Agree he lost posture and control at times as the performance was full on.  But it was nice to see the attack in the drag, head flicks and pivots throughout the routine.

 

Paige & Mark – it was nice to see Paige pace around and settle into her fighting stance.  Thought there was lots of drama and intensity between the two and a sense of physical physicality (though a loss of feminine qualities).  Think maybe the man/women confrontation was taken too literally with the UFC theme, as the punching and kicking midway seemed a bit awkward (though the highlight ending felt fitting).  Slightly better shaping in twist turns would've been nice, but it seemed she felt right at home.

 

Wanya & Lindsay - thought there was a nice rise and fall throughout the routine and that he moved well around the studio.  Its nice to see him with the spins and how expressive he can be with his arms in the ballroom.  When he's spinning Lindsay, he should be careful not to show the effort in his shoulders.  Though I'm still waiting for him to connect with a music, I thought the waltz was a nice number and that Wanya will hopefully show even more sides to him as the weeks progress.

[sidwich]

Val's done three totally forgettable dances in a row now. What's the deal? I'm not always a fan of his choreo, but he usually comes up with things better than that. Is it the travelling, does Ginger have some limitations they don't want to disclose? Is he burned out? What?

 

Ginger's really not good at moving her weight.  She tends to carry her weight behind her, rather than on top of her feet and so she's not steady when she's moving from place to place.  Her feet tend to arrive first, then her hips, then head and shoulders, which is very unsteady from a position perspective. Val's been hiding it by keeping her in place as much as possible, (seriously, how little did that samba move?!?!) but it does result in some really boring choreography.

 

That's something that all of the athletes tend to have as an advantage.  Some of them are hobbled by injuries, but they generally are good at keeping their feet underneath them which is a big advantage for a beginning dancer.  

[MzTori77]

To be fair, babies don't need to be soothed literally every time they cry. We as viewers may find a crying baby annoying, but her not soothing him isn't necessarily awkward to me. Especially since soothing him would have probably involve whipping out the boob, which would have been way more awkward.

I agree, but in this case the baby wasn't just fussy, he was clearly frightened. There was too much going on, and he is too young to be there IMO. If Ginger couldn't take care of him at that moment, she should have kissed his head and handed him right back to Daddy - who should then have gotten him the heck out of there!

Edited April 6, 2016 by MzTori77

[Uke]

I think they connected, even more so towards the end with their Contemporary, but I think having to deal with the "married couple" angle, he probably felt uncomfortable around it all because Mark is a very affectionate with partners (Sabrina, Katherine, Chelsea come to mind) so he didn't know how to connect having Carlos literally breathing down his neck.

 

Mark's dilemma was: how do you compete with a partner who is only at the competition to support someone else?  Alexa made it very clear that she was "competing" only to support Carlos and it's not like Carlos reciprocated.  Alexa supported Carlos and Carlos supported Carlos. It's a wonder Alexa lasted as long as she did.

[PBGamer89]

Mark's dilemma was: how do you compete with a partner who is only at the competition to support someone else?  Alexa made it very clear that she was "competing" only to support Carlos and it's not like Carlos reciprocated.  Alexa supported Carlos and Carlos supported Carlos. It's a wonder Alexa lasted as long as she did.

 

All the more reason that had she competed without Carlos, she would've come off better to viewers and been more focused, cause the dance talent was there.

 

Mark doesn't seem to ever hold ill will to his past partners; maybe some he's not close with anymore (Kim K, Kristen, Bristol, Christina), but I think he still liked Alexa, but you can definitely tell that he's so happy with Paige. Mark's been a vocal UFC fan, so I think he's excited to choreograph for her.

Edited April 6, 2016 by PBGamer89

[bonniejmac]

I've watched it a couple times now just to make sure I was hearing correctly, but Mischa said her most memorable year was 2008 when The O.C was "at its prime", The O.C was cancelled in 2007, and Mischa left the show the year prior.

I was going to post and ask if anyone else heard that. Like, really, she was off by like 4 years in terms of the show's prime.

[Uke]

All the more reason that had she competed without Carlos, she would've come off better to viewers and been more focused, cause the dance talent was there.

 

Mark doesn't seem to ever hold ill will to his past partners; maybe some he's not close with anymore (Kim K, Kristen, Bristol, Christina), but I think he still liked Alexa, but you can definitely tell that he's so happy with Paige. Mark's been a vocal UFC fan, so I think he's excited to choreograph for her.

 

Agreed. It was a wasted opportunity for Alexa IMO. She didn't apply herself like she might have if she had completed without Carlos.

 

I forgot to mention above, Mark has been working out with Carlos' + Alexa's trainer, so I guess they are all still friends.

http://www.people.com/article/dancing-stars-shirtless-mark-ballas-trainer-share-slim-down-secrets?xid=socialflow_twitter_peoplemag .  

Val too, according to the trainer's IG https://www.instagram.com/alecthetrainer/

[kitcloudkicker]

I've decided Mark suffers from what I've been calling, Resting Sad Panda Face (RSPF). Much like its related condition, Resting Bitch Face (RBF), it means that whenever he's not actively smiling, he looks like someone just ran over his dog.

I'm not saying that Carlos wasn't a barrier towards him getting close to Alexa, because man, that guy seemed like a pill, but I think it's hard to gauge Marks feelings about anything based on his Sad Panda face.

(There was a whole mini kerfluffle at the beginning of this season about how bummed he looked in his cast photo, and he had to take to social media to say, "I just got engaged, my music career is finally getting legs, and I just got a dream partner, believe me, I'm happy.")

[RemoteControl88]

I've decided Mark suffers from what I've been calling, Resting Sad Panda Face (RSPF). Much like its related condition, Resting Bitch Face (RBF), it means that whenever he's not actively smiling, he looks like someone just ran over his dog.

I'm not saying that Carlos wasn't a barrier towards him getting close to Alexa, because man, that guy seemed like a pill, but I think it's hard to gauge Marks feelings about anything based on his Sad Panda face.

(There was a whole mini kerfluffle at the beginning of this season about how bummed he looked in his cast photo, and he had to take to social media to say, "I just got engaged, my music career is finally getting legs, and I just got a dream partner, believe me, I'm happy.")

Thank you for the diagnosis Dr. Kitcloudkicker....are there any other symptoms? lol.

 

Seriously tho - I think you are right. I met Mark at the DWTS live tour meet and greet a couple of seasons ago. I chatted with him and the other pros before we took a pic and he was very nice...super sweet...HOWEVER when I got my photo he wasn't smiling and looked like he didn't want to be there. He was very friendly but you could NOT tell from the photo. lol.

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

 

Memorable Years Lead To Mostly Mediocre Dances On Dancing With The Stars
Plus an obvious front-runner has yet to emerge, and Mischa Barton is really sour.

[skittl3862]

I've watched it a couple times now just to make sure I was hearing correctly, but Mischa said her most memorable year was 2008 when The O.C was "at its prime", The O.C was cancelled in 2007, and Mischa left the show the year prior.

 

I think she meant that she left the show in its prime and her favorite year was the year she went back to England. 

[ocelot]

Jazz, or more specific broadway, is a different story.  They've used this style in a cute way.

There are certain elements that make a routine a contemporary routine.  So you will see some of these requirements in each contemporary routine.  Just like ballroom. You can say the jives look the same, waltzes look the same, etc.  But there are certain requirements that should be there.  It relies on the choreography and performance to make it special.  And we know performance is subjective.  For instance, I didn't care for Nyle's posture/butt in the tango.  Nor did I care for Peta's non-tango feel.  But most viewers/judges loved it.

But I love this season more than I have any season in a long time.  After a couple of more weeks, each elimination will be hard.

I agree I think that broadway is the non-ballroom style they mess up the least, maybe because it can be so many different things? But in terms of jazz, they are just as bad as they are at contemporary, like what the hell is this

 

https://twitter.com/whipclip/status/717155724204216320

 

they put a contemporary dancer and a hip hop dancer in a 'jazz' bumper that looks like extremely awkward ballroom freestyle, like this is 100 percent ballroom? how is this jazz?!

 

Also same, I love almost all the contestants this season it's great. Wanya definitely my fave though. I'm not a huge fan of the choreo that Lindsay is giving him but still really like their pairing overall.

[gik910]

I will be honest in saying that I had to watch Paige's  dance twice because Mark's fake neck tattoos were beyond distracting.

 

I could not deal with it.