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Week 7 - Dancing with the Stars
- Author:
- Phillip Stephens (phillip@theplace2dance.com)
- Date Published:
- May 1, 2007
Is Season 4 "Going South"?
The main thrust of this article is to report on the dancing from Monday Night. But it also acknowledges the fact that John Ratzenberger got bumped from the show while Billy Ray Cyrus was kept on for one more week.
So far, Paulina has been sent home - a much better dancer than Billy Ray Cyrus. Leeza Gibbons was also shown the exit, and she, too, is a much better dancer than Billy Ray. The Egress and Shandi FFinnessey were also acquainted with one another, and Shandi is a much better dancer than Billy Ray could ever hope to be.
Heather Mills lasted quite some time. For a person with an artificial leg, she showed remarkable talent and facility with dancing, and I would wager lots of money on the fact that, in a true contest of dance judged by true dance contest rules and judges, Heather Mills would beat Billy Ray Cyrus by such a large margin that he would not even be able to catch up to her dust, let alone eat it.
So, all of this is my way of saying I'm very perturbed by the fact that the fans, through loyalty to Billy Ray, are able to have so much control over the show and to get rid of all the more talented dancers while keeping one on there who doesn't even attempt to do the dances he is to perform each week. Yes, he gets out there and does a "show"; but the only reason what he does resembles the dance it's supposed to be is that Karina actually dances to the music while Billy Ray does whatever you want to call that stuff he does.
OK, enough of that! Here are my observations about Monday Night's show
Dancing With The Stars, Week 7
The stars have had 10 weeks of lessons at this point, which is roughly 130 to 140 lessons at the 13-lesson-per-week average given earlier in the season. While I am very critical of some of the dancing (or lack of dancing) presented each week, I must take a moment to acknowledge the monumental task these people have undertaken.
For the "average" person to learn a simple routine in a dance he or she already knows in a period of 4 or 5 days is a challenge not many of us would want to face. Putting a complex routine together in that time period, polishing it up and being able to perform it with gusto to music played by a live band in front of a studio audience with all kinds of lighting changes, cameras moving about, people shouting and a host of other distractions is truly an accomplishment. Even the worst dancers on the show (all but one!) are rising to that challenge each week, and - with 2 dances to learn each week from now on - the challenge just doubled. Kudos to all the stars and their teachers for accomplishing this daunting task.
Well, having said all that, let's get down to brass tacks.
Laila Ali - Quickstep: A good routine performed well. I noticed that Maks used a lot of "filler", such as holding the Contra Check position and bobbing his shoulders up and down and, later, standing by the stage and turning his head left & right. Other than that, the choreography was good and it suited Laila's ability and the music. Laila danced fairly well, though her left arm was not in a good position and her upper body poise was a bit weak. I would have scored her at around 24, so was surprised that the judges were being so kind with their 29 points. Samba: This was her better dance of the evening, though her arms and hands bother me a lot when they are free. All that bouncing up and down with no purpose drives me nuts. Her hand styling reminds me of a man dressed up as a lady and trying to look feminine. Otherwise, her dancing was quite strong and rhythmic, with good body movements and solid footwork. I did guess that the judges would award her 30 points for the Samba, and they did. Kudos to Maks for 2 well-choreographed routines and to Laila for performing them quite well after learning them in such a short time.
John Ratzenberger - Foxtrot: It was nice to see Edyta in what amounted to - for her - a rather demur dress, though I don't think it was all that flattering to her figure and I think her hair was definitely in need of better styling. John did his usual job of clomping around the floor with bad footwork and several missed steps, but, also as usual, he did sell the performance. John didn't do much dancing that could actually be "judged" - a fact skillfully avoided by the judges who gave a lot of flowery praise for the fact that John got out there each week, tackled a lot for an older man, blah, blah blah. I guessed 21 for this one, and think 23 was too high. Rumba: It was odd that Edyta felt compelled to mention the diference in their respective ages and that the Rumba is a romantic dance, that John could be her father, etc, after she's been out there in such skimpy outfits all along. Also rather odd that she chose to wear a more reserved type of costume for each of Monday night's performances. None of this disguises the fact that John didn't dance much. His leg and foot actions were very bad. This was another example of the pro lady doing all the work while the male star moved from pose to pose. A score of 22 points was way too high for this performance.
Note on above: Carie Ann remarked that John R was the best moving older gentleman they've had on the show and I feel she was way off base on this one. Season 1's John O'Hurley danced well every week and, every week, you could see definite improvement in the basic fundamental skills that make up good dancing. John Ratzenberger has not improved to any noticeable degree in the 10 weeks he's been "performing" routines. And I must add that there is a HUGE difference between performing a routine and dancing one!
Apolo Ohno - Foxtrot: I found Julianne's hair a distraction - it did not go with her normal good looks. Apolo's hair was better than usual. His outfit was not so good as the shoulder line of the jacket made him appear to have no neck and to make his arms look out of position while also making his head look poised too far forward. He had some foot faults and a few timing problems, but still presented a strong and energetic perfromance despite some untidy lines and too much "filler" choreography for my taste. I "guessed" 26 points and was correct on this one. Mambo?: I still wonder why they keep calling this dance Mambo when everyone dances it using various versions of the Salsa rhythm. They did a lot of "tricks". Apolo's base was way too big, making some of his steps look awkward. They "wrap my hair around your leg 50 times" trick was a "time-filler" that was a bit too much for me. I think this young man has a lot of talent that was unseen in Monday night's performances, though I must give him kudos for tackling 2 relatively difficult routines and doing them at a moderately high proficiency level. His score of 28 was about right for this one.
Note: I must agree with Apolo that there is a definite lack of consistency in the judging. What they criticize about one performer is totally overlooked in another. What they praise in one performer is criticized in another. And, as Billy Ray is testament to, they sometimes must be chewing on some kind of wacky tobacky if they can continually find something to praise about what they keep referring to as his dancing.
Ian Zeiring - Tango: Well, I didn't like his first Tango, and I didn't like this one either. His arms (frame) were very weak in closed hold. He has a fantastic upper body, but it was continually in bad positions. His legs were turned out and his footwork was clunky. Other than that, he smiled nicely, had fun, put a lot of energy into the performance and generally stayed on time. I gave him 24 points and feel that the 27 he got from the judges was way too high. The judges were way too nice to him, especially after just ripping Apolo to shreds for a better-danced Foxtrot. Mambo: This routine was stompy and big, but rather good. I don't like to see the feet picked up as high in any dance as Ian's were in this Mambo(?) which, again, was danced on the wrong beat to be called by that name. I would have awarded Ian the 27 points he got for this one, but mostly for how well he handled the difficulty of the steps and for how much energy he injected into the performance.
Note: The judges being so nice to Ian after his Tango puzzles me greatly because he made so many posture, frame, leg, hold and foot faults. Could they be angling to get him higher scores so he can stay and we can (hopefully) say goodbye to Billy Ray?
Billy Ray Cyrus - Waltz(???): If that man danced Waltz, I'm one of those Purple People Eaters talked about in song! There is NOTHING nice to say about this routine. I think Billy Ray took the easy way out: when faced with having to learn 2 routines, he just decided to cover up his lack of danceability and lack of desire to move forward by using a sympathy-getting phrase like "I wanted to showcase this world champion dancer". Pfaw! We all KNOW she's a good dancer. The idea is to see if he can at least become a tolerably adequate dancer. He ain't 'cause he cain't. Getting 17 points for that was rediculous! He should have had no more than 9 points, and those only for the fact that he got out there and didn't fall down. Samba: He actually moved a bit more in this one, and some of what he did resembled Samba moves. There were one or two arm lines, and he does have reasonably good timing. If there is ever a need for a spoof on dancing with all performances presented by a Heel-billy version of Bevis and Butthead, Billy Ray should get the part. How could those judges give him 21 points for that?????
Note: I feel that Billy Ray is injecting a "Southpark" atmosphere into this season of DWTS. He insults the integrity of the show by not really trying to dance and relying on comic-relief "show" aspects and the fact that he has a large fan base.
Joey Fatone - Foxtrot: This was the best Smooth dance of the evening! With a few minor foot faults, Joey still rose to the challenge of some rather difficult - though terrific - choreography. All the tricks - including the handkerchief-turned-into-a-cane magic one - were done effectively with finnesse and charm. Len saying that there was too much "razzle-dazzle" for him was another of those inconsistencies in the judging - this was a GOOD routine that was perfromed VERY WELL. Joey deserved each of those 29 points! Jive: This was a fantastic routine that was unquestionably the best of the evening, if not the whole season. Kudos to Kym for such wonderful choreography and DOUBLE kudos to Joey for performing 2 rather difficult dances at such a high energy level with a lot of polish and pizzaz! If possible, I'd have awarded him even more than 30 points for that Jive!
Note: I was a bit disappointed that Laila was asked to do Samba again or the Results Show when - in my opinion - Joey's Jive (or even his Foxtrot) would have been MUCH MORE entertaining.
Well, this week had a few surprises in it. Apolo went downhill and Joey jumped to the top. Billy Ray is still there. John Ratzenberger is now gone. Ian is breaking out of his shell. Laila is still a "flaila" with those arms, and I sure wish Maks would get them under control - she is a strong contender to win, but those arms could be the deciding factor.
OK, even if you don't watch this show, we need to all band together and vote for Laila, Joey, Ian or Apolo - anyone other than Billy Ray!
