S24.E05: Week 5: Disney Night

[smiley13]

8 hours ago, TeeMo said:

Sia recorded a new version of it for the Finding Dory soundtrack. 

Thank heavens they did not have her on the show again.

[MakeMeLaugh]

6 hours ago, Zuleikha said:

I've now watched Simone/Sasha, and it was enjoyable and well choreographed. But Simone's emotion felt completely fake and there is something very gymnastic about the way she executes her movement. I can't put my finger on what exactly it is. My best guess right now is that she has a pause after her more acro-influenced elements instead of flowing between movements, but that may be a total BS projection on my part. But there's something there that past gymnasts haven't had. 

Yes, she doesn't flow through the dance imo; I think she is sticking the landing of her individual gymnastics moves and then inadvertently pausing for a microsecond before moving on to the next move within the performance. I also find gymnasts to have quick abrupt moves in some of their gymnastics events like floor and beam, and I see some of this in her dancing. 

Edited April 18, 2017 by MakeMeLaugh

[RedFiat]

Quote

Those are all basic DANCE moves that are used in contemporary routines 

Unfortunately for the viewer these basic Dance moves are found in gymnastic floor routines, and that's why it looked more like a gymnastics routine, since it did not give us any emotional impact other than gee it's great I'm a tumbler.

[RedFiat]

Quote

Nancy's Enchanted jazz started out promising but it ended up being this season's Ginger Zee Beauty and the Beast - too much of a reenactment and too many extras, not enough actual dancing.

Except Ginger was supposed to do a Foxtrot.

[Meadow]

9 hours ago, WrongReasons said:

I love Disney night.  It's always so fun, but I'm glad to see Erika go. She's so incredibly guarded that she comes off like a cold dead fish. Absolutely zero fun to watch, she always seems miserable/above it all. 

Erika's (non)reactions when getting her scores last night was unsettling.  8! ~zero reaction~  8! ~zero reaction~  8! ~zero reaction~  8! ~zero reaction~

She puts on this front of being strong! and confident! and all I can think is, "Aww, you are obviously deeply insecure and scared."  I can't be the only one who sees through her act.  I'm just glad that I no longer have to see her act on this show.

[mamatude]

I'm no fan of teenage contestants on this show, but if they're going to keep doing that, I hope they signed up Auli'i Cravalho while they had her there. If she radiates as much poise and adorableness dancing as she does standing still, she'd be a fun one to watch.

If Nancy's really as nerve-wracked and self-doubting as her packages are making her look, then give Artem all the acting awards, because he seems absolutely delighted to have her as a partner. I think she's probably just a fairly nice, quiet, shy person who does her job well but doesn't have a ton of personality to throw around. (Same for Simone, actually.) That's a problem with the packages and interviews, but I'll keep voting for her for as long as she lasts because I think her dancing is lovely.

[vibeology]

10 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

I think Heather's "I'm good at jazz" is more confidence than anything. She knows that it's her specialty so I don't see anything wrong with her being confident. But Maks really screwed up on jazz this week. His focus on character didn't allow the focus on Heather's skills. Yeah, I would have actually liked her to use her skills on this show. Just like Simone got to use her skills tonight, Heather should have been allowed to use hers. Also, I am also sad about Alan. I do have high hopes that he'll become a pro next season, though. He really proved himself to be worthy of it. It is unfair that he has to be bumped out for Maks. 

I was so disappointed in that dance. Heather wasn't wrong. She is good at jazz and that dance let her down. I do think that song and costume, which would have been assigned, made things challenging but Maks really dropped the ball here. In the interview after the dance he was saying something about how it was a struggle to make it a partner dance and I don't know why he felt he had to be so literal beyond the fact that he probably just didn't have an idea otherwise. Heather could have had a wonderful night but instead she was okay. And she is more capable than just "okay."

I also felt that the camera work was terrible. For a dance that was all about Heather conveying character, the camera was sure far away for huge chunks of the dance. Why no close-up when Heather was interacting with the judges? Why so many long and overhead shots? I know that Derek used to have some say about how his dances were shot, so does Maks not have the same pull or does he just not understand the way to film these dances to get the most out of them? It was just a total mess and the fact that people still liked it comes down to Heather doing the very most to sell it. It was clear that she was disappointed and I'm curious to see how Heather and Maks are together going forward.

9 hours ago, kazza said:

Felt bad for Alan while Maks announced his "firing". He did a fabulous job and deserves to finish out the season. This from someone who enjoys the Maks show. 

Yeah, I didn't love that moment. I feel like after four weeks, to be "fired" with such glee was rather gross. A genuine thank you and some praise were all Maks should have said.

9 hours ago, Toonces464 said:

As soon as she said that I thought now she's on Maks list. He'll put on a happy face for the camera while privately hating on her and having no use for her when the season is over. Which is really no different than most of his other partners.

Is Maks friends with any of those old partners beyond Erin? And I honestly wonder if they're only still friendly because of proximity. Maybe that's just how Maks is.

8 hours ago, backformore said:

Donny Osmond has had some weird stuff done to his face.    For a moment, when he was talking to Tom B, I could have sworn he had transformed into Wayne Newton.

That cut to him while he was singing was shocking. I love Donny and I get why people turn to plastic surgery in the entertainment industry with all the pressure they face but wow. I feel like he's gotten fillers and they haven't settled yet.

6 hours ago, Zuleikha said:

I've now watched Simone/Sasha, and it was enjoyable and well choreographed. But Simone's emotion felt completely fake and there is something very gymnastic about the way she executes her movement. I can't put my finger on what exactly it is. My best guess right now is that she has a pause after her more acro-influenced elements instead of flowing between movements, but that may be a total BS projection on my part. But there's something there that past gymnasts haven't had. 

I didn't think Simone was all that engaged emotionally in the dance. The moment she seemed the most connected was when she walked off the upper stage past Auli'i and gave her a nod. Once she was on the floor dancing, it seemed like she has that laser focus thing going on. That serves her well in terms of execution and she's probably gotten so used to relying on that to get through a routine that it's automatic, but it does take what was an incredibly well danced number and knock it down just a little because it wasn't emotionally connected. It sounds silly, but when Simone dances it's like she isn't breathing the number. There's a tightness there that doesn't always serve her.

And how fab was Auli'i? So fab! I love that young woman and am continually amazed by her skill and poise. She's so young and basically carried Moana and has been the face of the movie in all the promo. Disney nailed that casting and I just can't wait for her to break out and become a huge star.

3 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Nancy's Enchanted jazz started out promising but it ended up being this season's Ginger Zee Beauty and the Beast - too much of a reenactment and too many extras, not enough actual dancing.

Agreed. I thought the beginning was good and the very end was good but in the middle it became more like the movie without the singing. It was Nancy moving from spot to spot, playing a character but not much dancing. I feel like for the pros who are comfortable, jazz is  a chance to really break out and do something different but for other pros (Maks, Artem and probably a few others) jazz and contemporary are head scratchers and they just struggle with concept and how to sustain movement the whole time. I don't think Nancy did a bad job, but I think Artem, who isn't used to spectacle, got overwhelmed in choreographing that number and we as an audience lost Nancy a little in the middle.

[StatMom]

9 hours ago, backformore said:

Donny Osmond has had some weird stuff done to his face.    For a moment, when he was talking to Tom B, I could have sworn he had transformed into Wayne Newton.

And he really needs to age up his fake hair a little. When your face shows your age, it just looks weird to have that blob of dark on your head. My grandmother did the same thing for too many years.

Also, the Cars 3 song that Rossy danced to -- terrible idea. Much of the fun of Disney night is the familiarity viewers have with the songs and the movie setting in which they were played. There were some good songs in Cars 1, but most (all?) of those weren't original songs for the movie. No one watches DWTS for the old "here's something off our new album that's coming out in a few months" bit. Just play Free Bird, already.

[katha]

13 minutes ago, mamatude said:

If Nancy's really as nerve-wracked and self-doubting as her packages are making her look, then give Artem all the acting awards, because he seems absolutely delighted to have her as a partner. I think she's probably just a fairly nice, quiet, shy person who does her job well but doesn't have a ton of personality to throw around. (Same for Simone, actually.) That's a problem with the packages and interviews, but I'll keep voting for her for as long as she lasts because I think her dancing is lovely.

One doesn't have to exclude the other. I'm sure they play up her self-critical moments to give her some sort of storyline, but it's not difficult to believe that a perfectionist figure skater is hard on herself. But that doesn't mean she's a pain to work with or anything, I'm sure Nancy is disciplined, she seems to pick up things fast, she's very fit for her age, she has performance quality, she puts in the work, she has a good attitude. So what if she's occasionally doubting herself? Artem probably has a great time working with her in general, so her having a few minutes of frustration here and there doesn't make a difference for him. I have to say, I'm not super interested in Artem in general, but the way he's obviously enjoying himself so much this season is a huge contributing factor in my enjoyment of this team.

[boyznkatz]

11 hours ago, escape said:

Maybe she's not actually "killing it in votes".  The 5th Harmony audience may not necessarily translate to DWTS.   The competition among the women is fierce this season.

I wonder if any fanbase really votes that much? I'm pretty sure the vast majority of people who vote are diehard fans of the show who have been watching for years. I say this because the same types of contestants always have a ticket to at least the semi-finals (gymnasts, football players, conservative icons, "inspirational" folks). Any male contestants who are cute and charming get passes for crappy dancing and always make it far as well. People like Heather or Erika or Normani rarely make it far unless they have Val or Derek as a partner. 

[boyznkatz]

Rashad certainly looked handsome, even though that wasn't his best dance. He's still the best male dancer, though. Bonner, David and Nick all improved, so good for them.

I thought Nancy and Heather's dances were cute, but they didn't wow me. Simone was meh. I like her, but I want to see her dance, not do cartwheels.

Dang, Normani was awesome!

[ladylaw99]

Disney night is always a fun night.  This year it was hit and miss.

I am still in Rashad's corner even thou the dance wasn't the greatest.  To me I didn't care for the song not so much his dancing.  

Bonner can go now.  He just has no personality for a show like this.

Nick I really enjoyed his dance.  I don't watch the Bachelor so I have no preconceive notion of him.

Heather - It is unfortunate that Maks choreographed this routine.  I have never seen anything Heather has been in but even I can see she could have done a great jazz routine. That was an epic fail for Maks.  I wished Allan would have choreographed the dance.

Normani - I enjoyed her dance and liked the song.

Simone - I struggle with her.  I don't feel any emotion, I just see movements.

Nancy - I enjoyed the dance but I think they could have done more.  She is capable.

Ross - he'll be better next time - song choice for me wasn't great

Erika - her exit was overdue.  Her crying to me didn't seem sincere.  I have seen her on her show and she doesn't cry that easy.

[Juneau Gal]

Am I the only one who finds cowboy Bonner creepy? I have since the start and he can't get off my TV screen quick enough for me. 

[Packerbrewerbadger]

11 hours ago, Lovecat said:

Ah! Thank you! I clearly didn't see that movie ;)

I saw the movie and " forgot ". Very disappointed in Finding Dory, considering how much I enjoyed Finding Nemo!

[RedFiat]

41 minutes ago, katha said:

So what if she's occasionally doubting herself?

This. A thousand times.  I love Nancy's perspective.  I think Nancy is being a pro all the way through.  She is putting in the work and she's not putting blame on anyone or any choreography if things don't go smoothly.  If she's doubting herself, hell she's closer to 50 than 20, her competitors are in their prime physically, she's hoping she can keep up. She's being a realist, even if Erin says "You're Nancy Kerrigan"  athletes always know their limitations because it's their job. The buck stops with her, she is taking responsibility for what she is putting out there.  And moreover, that is in rehearsal, she leaves it in rehearsal. After every dance she exudes joy at just getting the chance to be on the show, and she seems genuinely happy at her scores, even though there is a  worry they could land her in jeopardy.  

Unlike some past contestants, remember Nicole Scherzinger who couldn't even cop a smile after an amazing perfect 50's Paso?  In her mind she wasn't perfect and people just couldn't understand how she could be like that. It gave an appearance of being ungrateful, even though it was just her beating herself up.  She obviously got a big talk maybe from the producers because when the team fucked up the last lift on her freestyle suddenly she was fine with imperfection.     

[Primetimer]

In their once-per-season celebration of corporate synergy, ABC forces the couples to complete a Disney-themed dance routine -- some with more success than others.

View the full article

[Wings]

29 minutes ago, ladylaw99 said:

Erika - her exit was overdue.  Her crying to me didn't seem sincere.  I have seen her on her show and she doesn't cry that easy.

I watch her show, too.  I think her tears were real.  She didn't think what she was saying could be heard; she thought that was a private moment between them.   I think she was crying because she said, she has never felt like that before.  I took it to mean, not being fawned over and praised for her dancing like she gets in RL.   She is always cool and in control and just could not handle being on the bottom of the heap.   Her exit was the most awkward I have seen.  She could not even relax and admit to Tom that she sensed she was going and shared that with her partner.  We all say her say "I knew it!"  

[vibeology]

9 minutes ago, wings707 said:

Her exit was the most awkward I have seen.  She could not even relax and admit to Tom that she sensed she was going and shared that with her partner.  We all say her say "I knew it!"  

It really was a tough exit. I think she probably felt embarrassed that she went out so early and frustrated that it happened when she finally got some positive feedback from the judges. Mark once said that you can often tell when its your night to go. I'm sure Erika, who is pretty reality TV savvy, picked up on it but it's not something you want to admit as you're walking out the door. You want to think you always have a shot. I was ready to see Erika go but I do get why its hard to be kicked off, especially when you think you were capable of better.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

2 hours ago, RedFiat said:

Unfortunately for the viewer these basic Dance moves are found in gymnastic floor routines, and that's why it looked more like a gymnastics routine, since it did not give us any emotional impact other than gee it's great I'm a tumbler.

I don't see how a routine with two gymnastics moves (and really, an assisted back tuck isn't gymnastics to me but I'm willing to throw that one in for the sake of argument) says, "Gee, it's great that I'm a tumbler." Wouldn't that require tumbling moves? She isn't doing back handsprings or layouts, which are actual tumbling moves. Saying that dance moves which are also used in gymnastics means that a dance routine with the same dance moves makes it a gymnastics routine is like saying I've had bulgogi tacos at the fusion food truck and then I saw bulgogi at a Korean restaurant and I couldn't believe the Koreans were making Mexican food.

Quote

Nancy's Enchanted jazz started out promising but it ended up being this season's Ginger Zee Beauty and the Beast - too much of a reenactment and too many extras, not enough actual dancing.

2 hours ago, RedFiat said:

Except Ginger was supposed to do a Foxtrot.

It doesn't matter what dance style Ginger was assigned. My point is that both routines were just big production numbers with fancy sets that were reenactments of the original movies with a bunch of extra dancers and not enough actual dancing from the celeb.

1 hour ago, katha said:

One doesn't have to exclude the other. I'm sure they play up her self-critical moments to give her some sort of storyline, but it's not difficult to believe that a perfectionist figure skater is hard on herself. But that doesn't mean she's a pain to work with or anything, I'm sure Nancy is disciplined, she seems to pick up things fast, she's very fit for her age, she has performance quality, she puts in the work, she has a good attitude. So what if she's occasionally doubting herself? Artem probably has a great time working with her in general, so her having a few minutes of frustration here and there doesn't make a difference for him. I have to say, I'm not super interested in Artem in general, but the way he's obviously enjoying himself so much this season is a huge contributing factor in my enjoyment of this team.

I actually enjoy this show more when I just watch the two minute clips of the routine on the official DWTS youtube channel. No rehearsal footage or judges' comments to waste my time and pad what is really about half an hour of dancing (or "dancing" in some cases). But in past seasons, I wasn't overly bothered by people who get emotional or frustrated during rehearsal. It's hard to learn new dance styles and it's difficult to learn a brand new routine every week. It's not surprising that contestants get frustrated or upset sometimes. Sometimes the fatigue from rehearsing so much and the stress of the show makes them overly emotional. It happens, even to professional dancers.

Another thing is that people learn/train differently. Some people internalize while they're in the studio. Other people just let it all out. What matters to me is that the celebs aren't assholes to their pros (and vice versa). I watched the full episodes of this season for the first few weeks and although Nancy did get a little stressed, she never took it out on Artem so if she gets frustrated and cries once a week, I'm not going to judge her harshly for that.

I totally agree that as a perfectionist and former ice skater, it is not surprising that she is putting a lot of pressure on herself to excel. She is not one of those celebs whose attitude is "eh, I'll just half ass it this week and hope I'm not the worst." In individual sports with judges' scores, there is a lot of pressure to be perfect every single time - every rehearsal, every warm up, every routine, every competition. People like that have a really hard time with not nailing what they're being taught and in a situation like this where you have a week to learn a new routine in a new style every week. It's hard to deal with that when you have the perfectionist mindset, so I understand if she gets frustrated.

[Jeffurry]

I had never seen Erika before this show. My partner had never seen her before last night. He thought she seemed sweet and shy. I wonder if sweet and shy Erika would have gone further.

[McManda]

4 minutes ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

don't see how a routine with two gymnastics moves (and really, an assisted back tuck isn't gymnastics to me but I'm willing to throw that one in for the sake of argument) says, "Gee, it's great that I'm a tumbler." Wouldn't that require tumbling moves?

For me it's not all about the content that Sasha gives her (though he's not helping her case). It's more about the way she holds herself and moves. It's very stilted and disconnected a lot of the time. She may be performing a dance move and not a gymnastic move, but she's giving of this aura of trying to turn it into something like a gymnastic move because that's what she's comfortable with. That's what makes all her dances feel the same despite having different dance content.

She reminds me of Shawn 1.0 except unlike Shawn she's at a disadvantage because of the strength of her fellow competitors and she's not the first gymnast they've had so people are falling into gymnast fatigue.

I think even Nick connects with the dance, his partner, and the audience better than Simone though Simone might technically be better. And because of that, I prefer watching Nick. Simone is just ... present and performing moves the way she knows how.

[RedFiat]

32 minutes ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

It doesn't matter what dance style Ginger was assigned. My point is that both routines were just big production numbers with fancy sets that were reenactments of the original movies with a bunch of extra dancers and not enough actual dancing from the celeb.

I disagree,  the dance style is a factor in any production number.  Ginger didn't get anything much resembling Foxtrot.  A theatrical presentation by it's very nature is more akin to jazz than it is Foxtrot unless you're doing a Fred Astaire sort of American Smooth.  That's why broadway relies heavily on jazz.  

Edited April 18, 2017 by RedFiat

[Juneau Gal]

12 minutes ago, Jeffurry said:

I had never seen Erika before this show. My partner had never seen her before last night. He thought she seemed sweet and shy. I wonder if sweet and shy Erika would have gone further.

Yes! They messed up big time from the get electing to feature the rich bitch/zero fucks Erika Jayne persona. That persona has very limited appeal, especially for people who did not know who the hell she was......which were most people. 

The Bravolebrities come on this show and get a big dose of true reality when they learn their audience is much, much smaller than they believed. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

1 minute ago, McManda said:

It's more about the way she holds herself and moves. It's very stilted and disconnected a lot of the time.

I totally understand what you're saying. My issue with the previous post I quoted was the statement that dance moves which are used in gymnastics = gymnastics routine if she uses any of those dance moves on DWTS (and that somehow basic dance moves = tumbling). There are some gymnasts who connect their moves more (see: old school Russian gymnasts) but the way that the code of points works in gymnastics now, they are basically forced to cram as many D and E elements into one routine as possible for a higher start value which, to my eye, has resulted in having less time to create more natural looking connections between movements. If you compare older gymnastics routines (say, from the 80s) to now, they do a lot of the same skills but not as many so they didn't have to rush to do ten extra elements in the same amount of time. Now I feel like a lot of routines are trick trick trick so there's very little time to create smoother transitions between elements, and I feel like it's become much more pronounced in recent years.

[RedFiat]

14 minutes ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Wouldn't that require tumbling moves? She isn't doing back handsprings or layouts, which are actual tumbling moves

Not the point.  Doing difficult dance elements from a floor routine doesn't say to me she's dancing, she is going from element to element with very little connection to her partner.  Now Gymnasts can't have it both ways. When Shawn Johnson was on the debate was Gymnasts have dance elements in their floor exercises therefore have extensive dance training. But the Gymnast defenders said no it was "totally different" than dancing.   The full twisting switch leap Simone did isn't for amateurs, pro dancers find it difficult to do well, but elite gymnasts get that judged in their day job.  It's an element that is judged on a floor exercise.  Dancing, not so much.    

[katha]

13 minutes ago, McManda said:

For me it's not all about the content that Sasha gives her (though he's not helping her case). It's more about the way she holds herself and moves. It's very stilted and disconnected a lot of the time. She may be performing a dance move and not a gymnastic move, but she's giving of this aura of trying to turn it into something like a gymnastic move because that's what she's comfortable with. That's what makes all her dances feel the same despite having different dance content.

She reminds me of Shawn 1.0 except unlike Shawn she's at a disadvantage because of the strength of her fellow competitors and she's not the first gymnast they've had so people are falling into gymnast fatigue.

I think even Nick connects with the dance, his partner, and the audience better than Simone though Simone might technically be better. And because of that, I prefer watching Nick. Simone is just ... present and performing moves the way she knows how.

Yeah, Shawn in her first season seems like a good comparison to me. I think Simone dances a bit better than Shawn in her first few weeks, but their performances and movement have that same quality. For me Shawn's breakthrough was week seven, Mark gave her super cha-cha choreography and she could finally execute it well and seemed really comfortable performing it. Then Mark continued to give her killer choreography because they'd finally arrived at a point where she could sell it convincingly. It took a lot of work to get her there IMO. Perhaps with Simone it's the same now? Waiting for that breakthrough?

[ljenkins782]

3 hours ago, Meadow said:

Quote

I love Disney night.  It's always so fun, but I'm glad to see Erika go. She's so incredibly guarded that she comes off like a cold dead fish. Absolutely zero fun to watch, she always seems miserable/above it all. Erika's (non)reactions when getting her scores last night was unsettling.  8! ~zero reaction~  8! ~zero reaction~  8! ~zero reaction~  8! ~zero reaction~

She puts on this front of being strong! and confident! and all I can think is, "Aww, you are obviously deeply insecure and scared."  I can't be the only one who sees through her act.  I'm just glad that I no longer have to see her act on this show.

Yeah, I'm actually surprised she lasted this long. I had never heard of her before this, but I have known people like her and there's a certain prickliness that's hard to deal with. Even if you compliment them, you get a standoffish, cold response. It does appear to be insecurity masked with the tough bitch exterior and it doesn't translate well. 

I found all the extra Disney crap distracting and annoying, but it was an enjoyable night overall.

Even though I'm not necessarily rooting for him to leave, I would have laughed my ass off if Nick had gotten voted off while wearing short pants and rouge. Also, he should never shave that facial hair off again, it really shapes his face. I didn't realize what was different at first and I was like "how the hell is he GAINING weight on DWTS" and then it dawned on me that he was clean shaven. 

I thought Sharna looked great in that black wig, she would look good with that color hair. Same with Nancy and the red, it looked lovely on her. 

[iMonrey]

I still feel like they are over-scoring Rashad because they want him to win. That move at the end where he spins Emma around was REALLY clumsy looking. I thought 8's were generous and a 9 was outrageous. I also thought Julianne was high.

I did not recognize Nick without the beard. He and Nancy are both getting lost in the shuffle this season. 

No, "Unforgettable" is not a Disney song. I realize that's the version they used in Finding Dory but it's not a song that was written for Disney films. Then again, so many of the "modern" Disney films have horrible music. They aren't so much songs as they are expository monologues set to music. Heather and Alan got one of those and so did Simone. Those were terrible numbers to try to dance to. And did Carrie Ann say Moana is her favorite Disney musical? Really? It just came out last year.

David's another one they're over-scoring although not as badly as Rashad. He actually had some good unison in the side by side steps but there was too much posing and too little dancing.

We're at Week 5 and I still have no sense of Normani's personality. I recognize she's a great dancer but she's just kind of there.

[Fliz]

Quote

No one watches DWTS for the old "here's something off our new album that's coming out in a few months" bit. Just play Free Bird, already.

Oh, thank you for that - I just laughed so hard I snorted.

[CantDanceDontAskMe]

Love to catch up on this forum Tuesday mornings.  Such a range of opinions and observations!!

[Dancecaptain515]

16 hours ago, doLLish said:

I knew Maks would fail Heather when it came to choreography. It was fun but there was no dance there. I hate agreeing with CA but she was right. I did enjoy it though.

Nick and PETA's Pinocchio dance was amazing. Favorite so far.

 

 

Seriously!! Why can't Alan just stay on!? She is so much better with Alan than Maks.

[Dancecaptain515]

15 hours ago, Uke said:

So here we are, week 5 already...

Alfonso, oh please! Go.  Didn't like you in S19 and you've returned to irritate every season since.

Rashad -  Not as smooth as I'd like and clearly flat-footed much of the time, a bit stompy but he definitely gets into the mood of the song. The 9 was absurd.  

Nick - I hate the "you're in jeopardy, now dance".  That's cruel.  Cute dance and he handle it and all the props well.  Agree with the scores and nice he finally got some kind words from the judges.

Erika - They could have done without the solo at the beginning - stiff and awkward.  Gleb, of course, is a strong lead and at times it looked like he was pulling her through it.  I did see 2 lifts.  Scored too high.  Maybe a couple of 7s in there would have been better.

Heather - There is no way Maks was ever going to dance that with her, injury or not.  I wonder who helped Maks choreograph it.   CAI nailed it - alot of spins and lifts and not much else (well, a lot of running around too).  But, hey, pro dancing with pro.  Surprised at the 8s.

Bonner -  I'd never heard of Wreck it Ralph but he seemed to be into it.  Cute but I had to double-check what the dance was supposed to be - I guess the music threw me.  Sharna had said she was going to channel Mark + Sadie's Super Mario dance so I was waiting for that, so I guess I missed what they actually did.  It was enjoyable though.

Normani - I liked it until the camera switched to Donny while they got their sticks then the dance kind of fell away to the story.  But her moves were clean and sharp and plenty of Paso content, if a bit over-eager.  Scores were ok, maybe a point too high.  Did her votes fall off? Otherwise, why in "jeopardy"?

David -  That singer was awful...awfully flat at times.  David looked a little labored but he worked it and I didn't see any errors, just a lack of sharpness.  I suspect he needs a good massage and maybe that cryo treatment many of the pros are into to relieve the aches.   Agree with the scores.

Nancy -  Yes, I think she just needs a good gushing cry to get the nerves out.  There were too many other dancers but she weeded her way through nicely. Scores were good but I wished one of them would have popped a 10.

Simone -  She seems terrified of confronting her feelings.  Yes, she's a terrific gymnast and that was showcased tonight.  Noticed that the camera stayed waaaay back - I couldn't see her face to see whether she seemed to be connecting or not.   Scores were interesting.  Gymnastics are her claim to fame but they scored her 1 under Normani.

No surprise Erika is out.

Maks choreographed it they said hay in the beginning. It seemed he wanted that known. Ha backfired on him.

[ShaNaeNae]

16 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

I agreed with the scores (not Julianne's, though. A nine was too high. Also, what in the world did she do with her hair?). 

She had her hair as Tinkerbell. 

[skyways]

Quote

Re: Donny Osmond 'Make a man out of you'

Not the best. That would be Pocahontas 'Colours of the wind' by Vanessa Williams.

[FilmTVGeek80]

I usually mostly like Disney night, but something felt a little off this year. Granted, I say that having missed the first few dances.

I was surprised to really agree with Carrie-Ann about Heather. I thought Heather killed the character and performance, but yeah, there wasn't much dancing. I know it's sometimes hard with Disney week to really showcase dancing, but I thought it was stupid of Maks to basically make the dance all about character and nothing else. I kind of had to laugh though that this week Maks made sure to make his presence known and let everyone know he was choreographing this week. It must have chapped his hide that Alan got complimented on his choreo last week (still not sure if Alan choreographed it or Maks.)

That was part of my problem with Nancy's. It was mostly just character work (which Nancy did great with) and copying the movie. It didn't help that over the weeks my expectations for Nancy have gotten really high, plus I love that movie and song. Though, I also have to say I couldn't concentrate at all on the last part of Nancy's dance because the singing was that atrocious. Jeez, I truly thing that was one of the most abysmal singing performances on this show. I was just cringing. I still liked the dance overall.

Sidenote - I think some of the dancers need to get better at trying to distract the celebs while the intro packages are playing. While it really helped with her performance and emotion, it kind of sucked that Simone had to hear that before her performance last week. It was the same with Nancy this week. When they cut to her, right before the dance she seemed stressed, but all credit to her, she was able to switch to performance mode really well.

Bonner was slightly better this week, still hope he goes next week.

I've loved all of Normani's dances, but I liked this dance slightly less. It's really weird. I know this was supposed to be an aggressive dance, but I just felt it was too hard and sharp. I've seen people make those comments about Val's choreography, and it usually doesn't bother me, but for some reason it did this week.

Very glad Erika was the one eliminated - definitely the right choice.

[Beyoncheyyy]

Rashad: I wasn't a huge fan of this one, and I know the majority of the problems were in the music choice, but he looked lost the majority of the dance to me. Still love him though.

Nick: adorable. Peta should tap into more of these fun loving dances, I mean it's working for David. 

Erika: too bad Gleb waited until the night she was eliminated to do an actual dance that didn't focus solely on sex. I won't miss her though.

Heather: she can only do what she's given. Tired of CA's schtick of acting like she choreographs the dances. If she did "too much" of her natural jazz nonsense they would've berated her for it. I haven't rooted for her yet, but now I'm officially team Heather. I thought she played the part of Anna perfectly.

Normani: hands down my favorite of the night. Thought it was brilliant.

David: finally showed that he's not the greatest dancer. He's still adorable though. 

Nancy: beautiful. She could end up being the dark horse.

Bonner: still can't get behind him, still believe he's being overscored. I love Sharna, but he's so stiff and awkward I can't deal.

Simone: still seems awkward to me. Something in her dance moves, could be all her gymnastics training, just seems off to me. The girl who voices Moana has an incredible voice though. 

Extra notes: CA gets more and more annoying with each episode as she pretends she is a ballroom expert. C'mon we all know you were a fly-girl JLo 2.0. 

[vibeology]

1 hour ago, skyways said:

 

Quote

Re: Donny Osmond 'Make a man out of you'

Not the best. That would be Pocahontas 'Colours of the wind' by Vanessa Williams.

It's like you've never heard Hellfire from The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Not that they'll ever do that song on this show, but it is peak creepy and soooo good! Also there's Feed The Birds, Circle of Life and Love from Robin Hood. I also have a soft spot for Kiss the Girl but I don't think its actually the best.

[Emily-D]

3 hours ago, Dancecaptain515 said:

Maks choreographed it they said hay in the beginning. It seemed he wanted that known. Ha backfired on him.

I noticed that as well, I said last week that he didn't look happy at Julianne crediting Alan for the choreography when it was him, this time he made sure everyone knew it was him and it well and truly bit him in the backside.

[TroopinFairy]

I think that I'm the only person on this board who doesn't mind Bonner. Yes, he's not the greatest but, he's trying. I liked his and Sharna's tango last night. I thought that it was cute and fun. I think that he's still figuring out what he can and can't do with his body. Coming off of an injury like that and dancing like this after only a year is really something though. I didn't like Simone's dance. I felt like Sasha was just a prop for her basically floor routine. I know that a lot of contemporary is like gymnastics but, the dance seemed like kind-of a cop out to me. I think that the Dan Stevens (Beast) version would've been better for Rashad and Emma's foxtrot. The Josh Groban version is overdone Imo. I though that that Normani and Val did a great job but, it to me it felt more like a jazz routine then a Paso.(Completely my opinion) I admit to sometimes forgetting that Normani is even on the show in the first place. I agree with the judges about Heather. That wasn't really dancing but, just running around and jumping. I also thought that Maks explanation was weak. Saying that it was the way that it was because in the movie only Anna is there and didn't have a partner in the movie. It should've been a problem and and if it was then he should've requested a different song. He let down not only Heather but Alan with this one as well. By the way if Alan is not a pro for next season or the season after that I'm starting a petition because he totally deserves the chance. Nick's dance was good but, there's still something that irks me about him but, I can't figure out what it was. I also thought that it was stupid that he made such a fuss about his costume. It's a costume for one night get over it. Oh, and yes Peta there has been at least one sexy Pinocchio. (August/Pinocchio from "Once Upon a Time.") I get that they want to promote "Cars 3" but, I don't think that DWTS was the right way to do it. I didn't mind David's jive but, the singer and the band in the background was a distraction and ZZ Ward didn't even do that great of a job with it. I'm getting a little tired of Nancy's "Oh, I'm not good enough or Oh, can't do this." It's getting whiny and offputting. I'm glad that Erika is gone. I never connected with her and found her materialistic and one sided. Maybe she is a good person and performer but, she didn't bring that to DWTS and I've never seen her on "Real Housewives..."

[ClareWalks]

I'm surprised so many folks (including the judges) liked Nick's dance so much. I hated it. Of course, I have seen every single phase of Nick's Bachelor(ette) "journey" and find him kind of repulsive, so that probably colored my perception ;)

Rashad's low scores shocked me. I think his quality of movement is by far the best of any football player I've seen on the show (I started watching right around the Hines Ward season). 

Heather's choreo really sucked. I think Maks has been disappointing ever since Meryl. His ego is unfortunately bigger than his (big) talent. If she makes the finals, which I'm sure she will, she should do all the choreography for her own freestyle.

I went to Vegas in summer 2013 and my mom talked me into going to the Donny and Marie show. I thought it'd be lame, but it was AWESOME. Those Osmonds are total pros. Unfortunately Donny was absent due to a "torn butt muscle" (in Marie's words, LOL), but still. Donny's still got it, man. Agree that his face looks somewhat pulled.

[seacliffsal]

While I enjoyed this episode (Disney!), I didn't like a lot of the songs.  Really, Cars 3?  Not out for a couple of weeks yet?  That had to really hurt David as nobody knows the song.  I feel like there were several 'lesser' songs this year.  So glad that Erika left.

[Meowwww]

I did not like Erin's dress.  Made her look manly and one boob was normal and the other was flat. 

[Toonces464]

22 minutes ago, Meowwww said:

I did not like Erin's dress.  Made her look manly and one boob was normal and the other was flat. 

I thought the same thing when her People Style article came out today. Her boobs looked saggy in that dress. If she was going to wear something like that she should have pushed those puppies up some. I'll never understand celebrities who hire a stylist or hairdresser or makeup artist just because they're "popular" or some other celeb uses them. Don't they ever look in the mirror and think hmmm.....maybe this isn't the right person for me?

I think Erin also had some work done on her face (maybe another Botox injection) because most of the night she looked like someone farted near her. 

[crowceilidh]

Quote

 I'm getting a little tired of Nancy's "Oh, I'm not good enough or Oh, can't do this." It's getting whiny and offputting. I

I am totally tired of this edit, but I don't blame Nancy.  The show has hours and hours of footage and the show chooses which 30 seconds they show you.  They are showing us this repetitively for whatever effed up reason which could possibly range from "she doesn't say anything else" (deeply unlikely) to Russian trolls (more likely than the other side of the range).  I try not to drink their koolaid.

[TiredMe]

I love Nancy and will vote for her every week. Don't care if she stresses out. I do the same thing so I appreciate her process. 

Honestly I thought Nicks was a mess so maybe I'm missing something. I felt bad for Heather with that choreography.  But I like Maks so I'm glad he's back. Could care less about Alan. Oh well

I find Simone to be very robotic. Just can't connect with her. I'm surprised people complaining about Davids song. I was thinking, who's this bad ass chick singing. I thought she was great. Lol

[enthus-pro]

Thoughts on contestants for week 5 (in alphabetical order):

 

 

Heather & Alan/Maks - liked her wide eyes and facial expression at the top as it left one wondering what all the excitement was about. Thought the exhilarating moments with the cape unravel, snowball fight and inquisitive moment on the judges table were real, believable and added to the performance value. It was also nice to relax into the music and routine as Alan held a spinning Heather after her trust fall from the judges table. Was a little worried as her spins were starting to fall off the axis midway, but was relieved to see the comical play on the lyrics/routine afterwards. Though she looked comfortable with the routine, thought she nonetheless came out, embraced the live moment and gave a happy ending performance for everyone to enjoy.

 

Nancy & Artem - its nice to see how her movements were sharper and crisper relative to her samba opening. Thought there was a spontaneous feel to the routine - from the perky percussion tap, the playful push/pull towards the bridge, and how all the effortless action flowed down the stairs (with her balletic skating arms) and onto the studio floor. Thought she held her own without Artem by her side (Bruno), and that she blended in well with the troupe members on the stone bench. Think maybe if she relaxes and breathes a bit (esp in fast dances) the miniscule tension will dissipate from her body. Nonetheless, liked how everyone skipped in unison towards the front, and rallied back onto the benches to create a vibrant, fun and cohesive feel to a special, entertaining jazz routine.

 

Normani & Val – thought the marching music beat and troupe formation added to the paso feel. Nice to see the strong appels and smooth curvature lines flowing from her upper body and out to the fingertips. Think maybe there were very minute moments where the matador role started to blur between the two, but it was nice to see how she delineated that with her flowing cape-like arm/chest movements. Liked how they invested in their hold to create added performance strength, but thought maybe a hold step (i.e. grand circle) could've been fused into the encircling staff fight to sustain the already created intensity. Nonetheless, thought they weaved the movie references well throughout and contrasted the involved fight scenes well with a highlight ending bow.

 

Rashad & Emma – nice to see Rashad continuing with his unfolding actions from his Viennese Waltz; liked how he kept his chin up, looked at Emma in hold, then brought his chin up/left again in his improved frame. Maybe his knees could've softened a bit for smoother pivot turns (head bounces up/down), drive a bit with his heel, and extend his leg a bit in the fallaways (maybe body type/costume made it difficult). Agree that sometimes the gravity of the floor collapses a bit (just a hair) when in hold (V.W, foxtrot), only to be greeted by a welcome respite as they unfold, opening the studio back up again. Nonetheless, liked the change of scenery from the haunting balcony to the warm, elegant ballroom, and how they rode the rising music towards the end to create a magical finale feel to their routine.

 

Simone & Sasha - despite not having the extra dancers and staging, thought her contemporary felt unique as it transported one to a different time and setting. Liked the opening scene as Simone did a nice job creating a palpable feel with the singer through their connecting, familial touch. Like agile gazelles suspended in mid air (Bruno), it was nice to see the chaines turns, beautiful breathtaking leaps and a full display of Simone's natural abilities decorating the night sky. Though it was good to see Simone's gymnastics in previous weeks, thought the singer's eternal voice propelled, echoed and enhanced Simone's movements even more. A continuation from last week, hope they continue to build from this week's contemporary moving forward.

 

 

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

[calipiano81]

2 hours ago, crowceilidh said:

I am totally tired of this edit, but I don't blame Nancy.  The show has hours and hours of footage and the show chooses which 30 seconds they show you.  They are showing us this repetitively for whatever effed up reason which could possibly range from "she doesn't say anything else" (deeply unlikely) to Russian trolls (more likely than the other side of the range).  I try not to drink their koolaid.

Actually, they've only shown a "stressed" edit for her twice (although if they do it a third time, then I will also be tired of it -- the show's edit, that is, not Nancy), once in Week 2 when she was having a hard time with compliments, and then this week.

On the other hand, if you look at a different way, having these sort of packages IMO puts Artem and their partnership in a positive light. He is shown to be very encouraging, and they obviously work great together, because come showtime, Nancy is able to pull it off nicely.

Edited April 19, 2017 by calipiano81

[lonestar]

Telling contestants they're in jeopardy before they dance is bullish*t.

[crowceilidh]

14 minutes ago, lonestar said:

Telling contestants they're in jeopardy before they dance is bullish*t.

SO MUCH WORD.

[calipiano81]

I agree. So dumb. Saving the elimination until the end and announcing 2 couples in jeopardy was just fine. Do they think the audience actually enjoys seeing a couple in jeopardy before they dance?

Edited April 19, 2017 by calipiano81