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Week 4 - Dancing With The Stars
- Author:
- Phillip Stephens (PhilTex44@aol.com | 713-248-2299)
- Date Published:
- October 4, 2006
Week 4 - Dancing With The Stars
Commentary by Phillip Stephens
Well, they must have given the judges "happy pills" before airing week 4 of our favorite ballroom dancing show. Weren't they just effusive and "bubbly" over the dancers and their performances?? Er - except Sara Evans, that is. OK, so she deserved a bit of strong criticism; her Paso Doble was nowhere near as good as last week's Jive. On the other hand, Emmit Smith did not dance up to potential and still got lots of praise. My suspicion is that they feel Sara has a lot more to offer than she's putting in the store window and they are trying to thrash it out of her. We'll see...
Willa finally found a decent costume! I was so impressed, I ALMOST overlooked her dancing faults. When watching the couples perform, I jot down notes, then my own estimate of their score and then compare my comments and scores to Kari Ann, Len and Bruno's renderings. I had estimated that Willa would receive a 27, and she got a 28. I don't think she actually DANCED to a 27 (more like 25 or 26), but she was so well turned out that I knew she would receive high marks.
Like the judges, the hosts, the audience and - presumably - all the viewers at home, I was touched by Jerry Springer's Waltz. I don't think he danced better than Emmit Smith did last week, so don't feel he deserved the 22 points he got. I thought the idea was to judge the dancing, not the sentimental factor, and I think Sara Evans danced better than Jerry. To me, they should judge what is presented - not what they want to see, not the potential, not what the performers did the week before, and definitely not the emotional impact of a dad dancing for his "little girl."
I just keep digressing every week, even though I tell myself not to do that! Well, in order of appearance, here are my views of last night's performances:
Monique Coleman danced beautifully and with great feeling. Her lines were nicely finished, she moved quite gracefully, was well balanced, and performed some very tough maneuvers, especially her solo spin from a standing position with no hold and, therefore, no lead into it. I didn't agree with Len's comment that doing the splits 3 times was a bit much and felt that they were well-suited to the music and overall choreography. (My kudos to Louis for such nice choreography that incorporated the music, the costume, the dancer and the setting.) I expected a score of around 26 or so (the first performer out is in a bad spot and the judges normally aren't very generous), and I was surprised that she only got 24 for that lovely Waltz after getting 27 for last week's Jive. Hmmm ....
Emmit Smith started the season off with such a strong and "wow" Cha-cha performance that he has been a disappointment each week since. To me, it's nearly impossible to get out of time to the straight (not syncopated) 1.2, 1.2 count of Paso Doble, but Emmit managed to do so at least twice. His legs were untidy, his arm lines were weak, he stomped around the floor and, in general, looked awkward to me. He got far more praise - and higher scores! - than he deserved. My "generous" score for Emmit was 21 because Paso is a tough dance to learn in one week and he did perform a bit better than last week's Tango, but a 24 compared to Sara's 20???
Willa Ford gave us a much-imporved performance over last week's Jive, and her grooming was terrific. At times, I felt her upper body poise was weak and - again! - she looked a bit heavy in her moves. Many of her lines appeared cautious and unfinished, and I don't agree with the judges: this was NOT an exquisite performance and a score of 28 was too high.
Sara Evans' performance was a disappointment, and my opinion was that she would be lucky to get a 21 from the judges. There were so many factors working against Sara that it's hard to give her a fair critique. The music was dreadful, she kept stepping on her dress, this type of music is so far away from any she's used to listening to, let alone DANCING to, so I'll be nice. She had good form with strong moves in general, but her "ploddy" and cautious performance was rather "smooth" looking for a Latin dance. Unless her fans kick into high gear, she will probably get booted off on the Results Show tonight.
Jerry Springer has impressed me right from the start, and he did a nice job with his Waltz with reasonably good movement, good posture and good timing. His footwork was horrible most of the time and his rise and fall was virtually nonexistent, but you could tell he danced from the heart in this emotion-evoking performance. I estimated 22 or 23, and the judges gave him a 22, even going so far as to say that this was a "fabulous" performance, a comment with which I strongly dissagree.
Vivica A Fox got off time occasionally, made a few bobbles with the choreography and, like Emmit and Sara, looked rather "ploddy" now and then. She did present good strong lines, crisp poses and an overall solid performance; a score of 24 was what I'd have given her.
Joey Lawrence is not a Waltz dancer! There is just NO WAY for me to agree with the judges on this one. He had dreadful feet, bad leg lines, awful posture in many moves and he generally posed while Edyta danced. Contrary to what Kari Ann said, Joey did NOT lead that dance. How Len viewed this as a "wow" performance escapes me completely. Bruno needs some glasses - and some lessons! - if he thinks Joey performed a technically skillful Waltz. I would have given Joey a 22 or 23. After listening to the judges comments, I estimated they would - maybe - give him a 25. I was quite surprised when they gave him a 27. Hmmm ...
Mario Lopez got a rather tough piece of music to dance to, but did a fabulous job! I didn't quite understand the part where he wiggled his hips and twirled in a circle like and excited poodle (and I'm glad he didn't wet the floor), but the rest of it was very impressive. His syncopations were right on the mark, and he was very "in sync" with Karina on virtually all lines and positions. As a couple, they presented very nice shapes and a very "together" performance. I agree with Bruno that this was a superb job and that Mario nailed the Paso, and I agree with Kari Ann that this was a powerful and sexy performance. I disagree with Len's comment about Mario's performance lacking in posture and think Len felt it had a "Waltz look" about it was due to the music, not the dancing.
As ever, you are free to disagree with me completely regarding my commentary. You may feel I'm becoming more harsh with the dancers and their performances, and you'd be correct. For me, the dancers should improve each week from a technical standpoint, which would include footwork, timing, leg actions, hip actions (if required), upper body poise, rise and fall (if required), dance posture and frame and - naturally - arm lines. Their performances should look more natural each week, and they should perform with more zest and conviction. Monique and Willa are the two ladies who are improving the most, and Mario is the only male to make noticeable improvements. Vivica and Joey are staying the same, Emmit is going downhill, Jerry is improving in small increments, and Sara needs to get busy or get gone.
If you have questions about my commentary, feel free to contact me - I'll do my best to provide a more detailed answer than given in these snippets. If you dissagree with me and contact me to say so, please provide your reasons.
Happy Dancing
and remember
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