My favs are Chelsea and Hines. But the judges don't seem to like Chelsea as much. She's like a pro out there. Maybe it's Mark Balas that they hate. And speaking of Mark Balas...damn his mom is HOT!!!
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When a season starts, I pick my top 3. It's usually pretty obvious who the better dancers are going to be. So when eliminations start, I don't care who goes home as long as it's not those top 3. If a decent dancer gets voted off early, it doesn't matter, because they had to go before the finale anyway. 
For me the top 3 have been Hines, Chelsea, and Ralph. Romeo should be killing this, but he can't find the discipline to keep from slipping into hip hop every three steps. Kirstie should fall this week when they have to do two dances. I liked Kendra and she was just starting to "get it", but I didn't feel she was top 3 material.
For me the top 3 have been Hines, Chelsea, and Ralph. Romeo should be killing this, but he can't find the discipline to keep from slipping into hip hop every three steps. Kirstie should fall this week when they have to do two dances. I liked Kendra and she was just starting to "get it", but I didn't feel she was top 3 material.
OMG, Hank would be so much more fun than the comedians they usually get for DwtS.
You are evil.
Yeah, Mark is getting a pretty bad case of Edyta's disease (showing off at the expense of her partner). It's really a shame.
On the other hand, you have to lay part of the blame on the format of the show. When the dancers are asked to shoehorn dances into songs that just don't fit, you aren't going to see the same kind of musicality that you see in the pro competitions. Let's face it, for the most part, the music arrangements on DwtS are hideous. Few choreographers can make their stuff look good when the music is so bad.
I've been spoiled by watching the showdances from the PBS show America's Ballroom Challenge which is shot at the Ohio Star Ball. I note that a lot of the dancers do programs which are really 'out there' but when they do, they balance the bizarro theme with technique which is absolutely, positively sound -- but they have the flexibility to change up what dance steps they use with changes in the rhythm of the music, which you can't do on DwtS unless you make the final and earn the right to do a freestyle.
I'll spoiler-tag the dancers' names and music titles for these YouTube links so I won't ruin the surprise for those of you who haven't seen ABC. These are three of my favorite showdances from the modern show (all from the second season):
- Episode one: Tomasz Mielnicki and J.T. Damalas dancing to "Ramalama (Bang Bang)" by Roisin Murphy
- Episode three: Igor Litvinov And Julia Ivleva dancing to "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana
- Episode five: Garry Gekhman and Rita Gekhman's exquisite "robot dance"
#1:
#2
#3
This is what you can do when you have the freedom to change up the steps to suit your music, instead of having the dance selected for you along with music that doesn't fit it.
I think Ralph missed an opportunity with his injured knee. How cool would it have been if he started his dance with the crane kick pose before he started?
ETA: Hines could have yelled, "SWEEP THE LEG!"
ETA: Hines could have yelled, "SWEEP THE LEG!"
I always half watch this show while tooling around online. Then halfway in I rewind it to pay better attention and again my attention lapses. When I take the dogs out for last call I always rewind it the whole way to watch after I get to bed- when I promptly pick up a book and miss it again.
Every. Single. Week.
I hardly every see it until the next night when I rewatch with the husband.
I don't think it is the arrangements that are all that bad- it's the terrible combination of cringe worthy vocalists and inappropriate music. Those vocals take you right out of any "moment" that might be happening. They are distracting to the point of frustration.When the dancers are asked to shoehorn dances into songs that just don't fit, you aren't going to see the same kind of musicality that you see in the pro competitions. Let's face it, for the most part, the music arrangements on DwtS are hideous. Few choreographers can make their stuff look good when the music is so bad.
I think there is definite bias on how contestants and dances are paired up with absolutely ridiculous song choices. On the rare occasion you see a dance set to an appropriate song plus the double dip treat of it being an instrumental, the dance improves proportionately.
It makes a hell of a difference IMO- game changing difference.
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