The very informative Mr. Phillip Stephens, a co-owner of The Dance Place, has his latest newsletter out with his critique of the recent DWTS.
Hello to All: Welcome Aboard As always, we want to welcome all new subscribers. If you have comments or suggestions for our e-newsletter or the studio, let us hear from you. Please send all correspondence to philtex44@aol.com and please do not just “reply” to this email. The Quiz We’re still waiting for answers to our “Educated Dancer” quiz submitted by Michael Gold. The instructions say to not use Google or anything like that to come up with the answers, but I say: Go for it! Answer those questions by any means available! … For the Future We plan to update our websites in the near future. Might change the colors and the overall “look” where possible, but mostly just want to get info on there in a more timely fashion. You could help us out by letting us know what you’d like to see more of on our web sites, which are www.the-dance-place.com and www.theplace2dance.com. Check them out and then let us know in what areas you think we could improve either the content or the layout. Send any suggestions to phillip@theplace2dance.com. … Dancing With The Stars Semi Finals Commentary about this show is provided by Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing Fellow and Examiner and Championship Certified Adjudicator Phillip Stephens with occasional inclusion of comments from others. The opinions expressed in this commentary do not reflect the views and opinions of The Dance Place or the people who teach there. Who picked the guys’ tops for the Pros in the opening Latin performance? They looked a bit like the jumpsuits we used to wear back in the 70s & early 80s and the “manly” spaghetti straps did not – in my opinion – enhance the look of their physiques. A good and lively routine to “Should They Stay or Should they Go?” choreographed by Louis Van Amstel All the contestant s looked pretty tired standing in the line-up at the first of the show. The trot down memory lane was almost tedious, but it was also a bit educational. I didn’t care much for Shawn’s makeup and “look” for her Argentine Tango. Ty’s best dance was the Lindy Hop. He was most relaxed and danced in his most “abandoned” fashion.
Melissa & Tony Quickstep: Very expressive face, arms, upper body. Feet were still turned out a bit too much. Signal black-out part of the way through the recording. A dynamite ending. She is extremely flexible. A stunning black and white dress. 29 – 30? Len thought her feet were better. Very musical – gorgeous. Bruno – not quite as exhilarating as usual. Carrie Ann – agreed with Bruno. Didn’t think the routine was connected to her soul. Got: 9+10+9 = 28, just a tad lower than I thought she deserved. Cha-cha: A “hot” Latin look. Very fluid and nice timing. A sharp routine, but a bit understated in the music and movements with one or 2 really cool actions. 28? Bruno – noted drops in energy and the “on” “off” performance. Carrie Ann and Len agreed. Michael Schedler noted that the music was lack-luster. Got: 9+9+9 = 27 – a point lower than I would have awarded, but not bad for the performance level. Gilles & Cheryl Waltz: His head was turned too far to left. Didn’t look at her in oversway/check line. Gilles looked down at Cheryl when he did look at her, and looked away in the X line. Michael Schedler – Footwork? Lines not so good tonight. 27? Bruno – way too effusive. Carrie Ann – Thought it “Breath-taking”?? Len – sitting down standing ovation? Why are they so taken with Gilles? As Michael Schedler noted, the frame really sucked. Got: 10+10+10 = 30. A bit more than I think he deserved and the judges certainly overlooked bad footwork, didn’t they? Salsa: An OK routine, but a bit jerky in many of his movements. He does put 110% into it and he does have some pretty rhythmic body movements. Michael Schedler: Gilles let himself go and looked more natural in this than in most performances. 28-29? Carrie Ann – Gilles at his best. Len – almost speechless, wishes he had an 11 paddle. Bruno – nearly wet himself. Got: 10+10+10 = 30. Two perfect scores? Not sure he deserved it for either routine, let alone both. Shawn & Mark Argentine Tango: Very dramatic. Looked a lot like her Paso in character (mad). Her legs just don’t look as good in all those kicks as Melissa’s did, but she sure did some nice lifts and some really good lines throughout. Wish she had her toe pointed to the floor in the very last line. 28-29? Carrie Ann – liked the lifts and precision. Len – unexpected maturity. Her best for Len. Bruno – evidently liked it very much. Got: 10 +10+10 = 30. Deserved it. Jive: Cute look. Nice fast legs in the beginning with clean stops, good arm energy. The shoes made her feet look a bit heavy. I was way over the Lucy Ricardo trick borrowed by Mark’s father (Corky) when he was dancing with Mark’s mother (Shirley) way back “then”. 28? Len – credited band & singers with success of the show. (And didn’t THAT have loads to do with the dancing?) Liked the routine. Too much “messin’ about” dancing and not enough “classic” Jive. Bruno – thought it sometimes looked more like a Lindy Hop. Carrie Ann – noted it got slow and heavy toward the end. Got: 9+8+9 = 26, which was certainly lower than I’d have given it. Ty & Chelsie He should get the “Mr. Personality” award – he20seems shy, so it was amusingly out of character for him to be shaking his butt, and his sense of humor is priceless Viennese Waltz: A gentleman. A bit stiff, but he has done a fantastic job with the choreography. As Michael Schedler noted Ty just tried too hard with this one. Some of the moves were not well-suited for Ty. 25? Len – nobody has worked as hard as Ty. Noted “issues” in the dance but it was, overall, good. Bruno – rude with comments and just wouldn’t shut up. Carrie Ann – noted the wobble, and Bruno just wouldn’t shut up. Got: 8+9+8 = 25 – right on for that one. Samba: Some pretty “spot on” timings. Some nice moves and he did look more relaxed with this one than with some other routines. Nice bootie shaking. He finished his lines. He was rhythmic. He went out on a high note. Michael Schedler: Ty had fun. 25? Bruno – picked on all the wobbles, gave too little credit. Carrie Ann – noted lots of strengths. Len – not too charitable about Ty’s accomplishments. Got: 8+7+8 = 23. A bit low for that routine which was, after all, better than the Viennese Waltz. Ty got booted off, which was right, but I’ll miss him. From the Res ults Show Mayo & Kym Tango: very dynamic and great energy with good partnership. I’d agree with Carrie Ann that Mayo could put more of his charismatic personality into the routine. Cha-cha: high energy with some snappy moves and great lines and nice “stuff”, but, as Michael Schedler noted, Mayo is a better smooth dancer than a Latin dancer. Anna & Maks Quickstep: Music was quite fast, but they really moved with high energy and good precision. Very much in sync. As Michael Schedler noted – Anna has a lot of personality on the floor. Samba: Anna is incredibly fast. Sharp moves with very disciplined feet, legs, arms and body. All of it topped with a very expressive face. She is so “on” that I couldn’t even pay much attention to Maks. She DEFINITELY needs to be in the next season. Viewers’ Choice Derek, Mark, Julianne, Lacey – Great Quickstep. It’s interesting to note that most dancers learn a routine and perform it over and over for months or years. The pros on this show are amazing for doing so many different routines week after week with flair. Happy Dancing and remember www.the-dance-place.com is also www.theplace2dance.com