For the first time ever, the world’s most decorated Latin dancer – 16 time undefeated, world professional Latin champion Donny Burns – will be a guest judge. Len really showed his age by telling us he judged Donny when Donny was only about 10 years old! Since there are four judges this week, we’re dealing with a total score of 40 rather than our usual 30.
As Chelsea and Hines were tied for top spot last week, they got to choose their teams for the team dance. First up is Team Chelsea – Mark and Chelsea, Romeo and Chelsie and Ralph and Karina – doing the cha cha. I think they did a great job, in sync as a group, and sharp, fun moves when dancing as couples individually. Len thought they did a terrific job, Bruno thought they lost sync several times and Carrie Ann disagreed. Guest judge Donny thought they did a great job, but called out Ralph for flubbing a few moves. Score for Team Chelsea: 30.
Team Hines consists of Kendra and Louis, Kirstie and Maks and, of course, Hines and Kym. I think their cha cha was much more impressive than Team Chelsea’s. I like that they switched off partners during the group part, showing off their versatility. Guest judge Donny thought the spacing between the couples wasn’t quite right and Len summed it up with, “I know which team of girls won the Booby Prize…it’s a little joke. Kendra, you were like a James Bond martini, you were shaken, I was stirred; Kirstie, you were absolutely right on it, you were fantastic; and Hines, you did a great job keeping up with these two [inaudible]. Nice job all of you.” Score: 30.
Next, we were treated to a performance by the undefeated United States and current World Professional Latin champions, Ricardo and Ulyia. Please don’t ask for their last names as I cannot spell them properly. They did a high octane cha cha, proving why they are undefeated champions. Really entertaining!
This week, the stars and professionals received coaching from some of the best dancers in the world – former champions who now train champions. Luca Baricchi is a two-time world champion and one of the most famous ballroom dancers in the history of the dance industry. Shirley Ballas is a 9-time United States Latin champion and 3-time British Open Latin champion. She is also Mark’s mother. No wonder he’s as good as he is!
First up with the individual dances are Mark and Chelsea and they’re dancing the Paso Doble. Of course, they get Mark’s mom as their coach. As fabulous as she is, Chelsea was a bit scared by her, calling her “a scary third-grade teacher! Shirley kept telling her to stop smiling, which is something Chelsea has difficulty with. With her bright, sunny personality, I can understand why. However, during the dance, I didn’t see one little smile. What I saw though was more of a grimace, as if she were in pain! Overall, the dance was ok for me. Len said, “it was too much aggression, it was too much in my face.” Bruno commented, “You came out here and danced with almost violent intensity. It was like a Quentin Taratino paso doble…the artistry, the creativity was outstanding.” Carrie Ann totally loved it, while Donny agreed with Len, saying he was a bit confused by the performance as instead of bulls in the ring, it was more like Hells Angels in there. However, he did say, “You’ve definitely got what I believe ballroom dancing is about, which is 1+1=1.” Score: 34.
Next is Kendra and Louis doing the tango. Louis is making the choreography a bit more difficult now since only the best of the best is left, as he put it in their rehearsal tape. Lucky for them, they have Luca Barrichi as their coach. He made her realize she has to feel the dance with her body and not be so stiff with fear of making a mistake. They did a perfect tango in my opinion, although there was something about it I didn’t care for. I just can’t quite put my finger on it. Carrie Ann said it was great, Donny thought she did a “bloody good job.” Len, although saying Kendra did an excellent job, would like to see it be a tad more sharp, and agreed with Bruno that she clung to Louis a little too much. Score: 31.
Third last week were Kirstie and Maks. This week, they’re doing the jive and being coached by Shirley Ballas. Despite Maks making Kirstie cry during rehearsal, they made up and tried their best. But it lacked enough jive for me. Kirstie definitely wasn’t up to her best dancing. Carrie Ann commented on how much she loves Kirstie for “bringing nothing but incredible performances and complete entertainment.” She also agreed with me that there wasn’t quite enough of the jive and noted that when Kirstie and Maks were dancing side by side, they were completely out of sync. Donny, on the other hand, said he really liked it. Len said it was “fun, it was high energy, it was playful, I like those elements of it…however, as a jive, it was most uneventful…I was disappointed.” Bruno offered, “You might have gone wrong but as an entertainer, it was superb…it was so enjoyable.” Talk about mixed reviews! And how about those scores: Donnie gave her a 9, Carrie Ann a 7, Len gave a 6, and Bruno, an 8. Total score: 30.
The night of ballroom greats continued with a tango by the current U.S. and World Professional Ballroom Champions. I can understand why they are champions…their moves were sharp, the dance was fast and executed perfectly.
Next up are Ralph and Karina, who, if you remember, had a fall last week. This week, being coached by Luca, they’re doing the Quick Step. Ralph is having problems with his knees and back, and since this dance is so brutal, Karina is a little worried that Ralph’s body might break down. She needn’t have worried. Ralph’s movements were sharp and spot on, garnering a standing ovation from the crowd. In my opinion, they did the best dance of the night! Donny agreed saying, “Your footwork and the way you articulated your feet in this Quick Step was fabulous…I thought you two rocked.” Len also agreed saying, “I liked the energy, I thought you had great movement, your footwork was very, very good. It was clear and it was crisp and I loved that.” Bruno noted, “That was so vivid, so vibrant. You’re a great performer. Once you are in the zone, you sell it like nobody else can. Really, really good.” Carrie Ann, making it unanimous, said, “Boo-ya, you’re back! Score: 36, including a 10 from Donny.
Hines and Kym are doing the tango and received some fabulous advice from Luca Baricchi. So much so that Kym said she felt like she was dancing with a pro! Not quite so though during their performance. Not that it was bad, but it certainly didn’t compare to the tango the professionals did. It wasn’t as sharp, some of Hines’ movements seemed a little too graceful to me when they shouldn’t have, and I believe Hines stumbled at the very end. Apparently, Len saw what I saw, even qualifying some of the dance as being “in a fairy mode, and it was all a bit too dainty for me.” Bruno liked the dance, saying he liked “the way you play it – big, strong, masterful, determined, yet you managed to retain the slinky, smooth, stealthy action of panther on the prowl going for the kill. That was a killer tango!” Carrie Ann told Hines she likes the way he takes command – “command of every dance, and I really believe the way you command the movement, the way you command your partner and the way you command the audience is really unbelievable. Tonight, though, despite your incredible musicality and your connection with Kym, which was new, there was a few…I felt you were a little off balance.” Donny told us what his old dance teacher used to say to him, “Dance from your heart, but use your head and I think you do that. I think you’ve got a winning mentality.” Score: 36, including a 10 from Bruno, which ties them for the top with Ralph and Karina.
Romeo and Chelsie are last to dance tonight and they’re doing a Samba. Shirley Ballas was great with Romeo during rehearsal, teaching him some great hip action and how to shake. As Romeo put it, “there’s shakin’ and then there’s shakin’.” But unfortunately, I don’t think Shirley’s teachings were carried out to the dance floor. Romeo’s legs seemed soft to me and there wasn’t enough hip action for me. Bruno commented, “You can definitely get down and shake it and there’s plenty of fire there and down below…you can raise the heat. There’s one thing, though, you have to, now at this stage, you got to get this bounce in your leg correctly in the Samba. It’s always on bended knees so you don’t get the right bounce to it.” Carrie Ann agreed there was a lot of bounce going on, but “I don’t think it was sending the Samba message. It was kinda sending another kind of message…you have incredible potential, you’re phenomenal, but if you really want to go all the way, you really need to focus on your technique.” Donny, while congratulating Romeo on how far he’s come, had this to say: “You know when I was talking earlier to Ralph about articulation of the feet, which is very important? Well baby, you might have a party in your pants, but you’ve got an earthquake in your shoes when you hit the floor…this is the business end of the season and everything you do is crucial.” Len didn’t like it at all, saying “You come out, you talk the talk, but you didn’t dance the dance…you gotta up your game.” Score: 29, although Brooke said it was a 30.
So atop the leader board this week, we have a tie between Ralph and Karina, and Hines and Kym. For me, the one to go home tomorrow should be either Kirstie or Romeo. Don’t get me wrong – I like them, but they’re not bringing it as well as some of the others.
So, if you don’t want your favorite to go home, please go vote. Join me here tomorrow for my recap of “Dancing with the Stars – The Results Show,” which airs at 9/8c on ABC.
Linda
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