Tag: Latin / Ballroom

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DWTS Week 4: A Balance-Less Viennese Waltz?

Well, perfect Paso Doble from Mark and Kristi — not only technically marvelous, but splendidly dramatic with some real creative spins as well. Good choreo for Mark. But why why why WHY can’t anyone dance to real Paso Doble music? Does anyone who doesn’t have background in ballroom understand this dance? I bet not. How can you when you don’t hear the real music? It’s a bullfight song. Has anyone heard of “Espana Cani” “Paso Royale”? I mean, come on, you guys. I’m starting to get really annoyed at the producers. At least these two had authentic costumes… Oh, I just realized there were no flamenco taps. I like those and I missed them.

Aw, pretty routine from Louis and Priscilla. Except, for some reason I couldn’t take my eyes off Louis, which is very weird, looking at the man, in Viennese Waltz, right??? I loved her use of her skirt. I do think she looked a bit stiff, didn’t flow as well as a waltz is supposed to. The footwork was right, but it looked like she was concentrating hard, like it wasn’t natural. Especially those turns in shadow position (where the guy is behind the lady, “shadowing” her; that’s where she was playing up the skirt). Viennese Waltz is fast and if you don’t have the footwork completely down, if you’re worried you’re going to trample your partner, it’s going to register on your face. I liked the swooning end, though.

I liked the flavor of Adam and Julianne’s Paso better than Mark and Kristi’s. I liked the fire in the background; I liked the costumes. And hello, real music!!!! The unicycle was corny. But the Zorro thing with the mask was pretty funny and worked well for him. Adam’s a pretty decent dancer. I thought at one point, he was going to stomp on her feet, but he didn’t do any wrong footwork, and there was a point where he had a couple of turns to do, and he looked like he spotted well and there were no balance problems at all. And his tour jete (jump and turn all in one) was cute. Not at all a ballet dancer’s, but of course that’s not to be expected. It’s fun when non pro-dancers try them 🙂

Viennese Waltz can be a killer if you have any balance problems whatsoever. You can’t spot, for one thing, at least not normally, because your head has to stay with the rest of your body; it all has to flow. That’s the beauty of it. So, you have to spot only with your eyes, by focusing on one object as it whooshes past you, then another, then another, and do it rapidly — quickly change focus and objects just gush by. It’s damn hard. You can’t whip your head around all at once, like in ballet. Marlee said she thought her problems were due to her hearing. Interesting, because I know I have balance problems because of serious eardrum problems I once had. But I didn’t know they would also be a problem for someone who’s completely deaf. Well, regardless, I thought their VW was lovely. Marlee did look stiff — and that odd head-hold Len talked about is typical of someone who’s trying hard not to lose their balance. Her shoulders were tensed up a bit too — probably something only I noticed since it’s something I do a lot — especially when nervous about balance! Well, she definitely overcame. She’s obviously a great actress too, and that helped with this very actable routine.

I thought Mario’s Paso was good — at least step-wise, albeit a bit boring choreo-wise. Ending fun trick though, with Cheryl’s flip over his head. I didn’t like the modern song, regardless of how much Spanish flavor it had. I just like Paso to be traditional Paso; danced to a modern song, the dance just doesn’t make sense. And where are my flamenco taps, anyone, anyone?…

Oooh, sexy VW for Jason and Edyta! I liked it! I liked the close romantic hold that would sexily open up when she swung her head around, I loved that seductive deep dip. They did screw up on a pivot, right? But whatever. It was gorgeous. His lines are a bit weird — especially his hands when he extends an arm out — but I think it’s just because of his size. I noticed this with Marcelo Gomes, my favorite ballet dancer. I used to criticize him for off lines and thought it was some kind of mistake he was making, then saw another dancer make the same exact line with his arm and hand and it looked totally different. So, it’s just plain and simply size.

Cristian is shyly flamboyant. Such a contradiction in terms. I couldn’t help but laugh at his grunts. I like him, but I thought the routine was plastic, if that makes sense? I thought the choreo and costumes were a caricature of PD. It’s not Cristian’s fault though. His footwork and technique were good and he gave it all the dramatic flourishes he was apparently told to.

Shannon and Derek’s VW was gorgeous. That was like a fairytale. I can’t believe how she just became a real dancer after the first week. Lovely arched-back spin. And her lines are beautiful; like a pro dancer’s. She’s really impressing me, especially after the first week.

Yay, Marissa and Tony. I got my little flamenco-y stylistics at the beginning 🙂 And my traditional music! And she had some great moves — great kicks, great ronde en l’air, very swift, very passionate and very clean technique. Oh yes, and beautiful wrist expression at the beginning, Marissa! The judges are being really nice now, which they should be. I still don’t think this one was any different from last week. My only qualm is her costume — that French maid sexpot thing… hmmm. And her arms need some work, she just kind of throws them out a bit too harshly. She needs more control and styling there. But overall excellent dancing, and that’s what matters.

Who do you guys think is going to go this week? I have no idea… Very tricky how they’re not telling us who’s next to bottom each week.

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Ballroom Dance Schools

I’ve received several emails lately from people asking me which ballroom dance schools I’d recommend in the New York area (and one person asked me about California, but unfortunately, I’ve no idea what the best schools out there might be). So, I figured I’d just write a post about it, and if anyone has other suggestions, please do comment!

My first school was Paul Pellicoro’s Dancesport, which is now in midtown, near the Empire State Building. They’re a good school for social dance and Argentine tango, and they also have some good competitive (called on the syllabus “International” ballroom / Latin classes). It was there that I was on a West Coast Swing competition team, so I know they used to have good WCS, but I also know my old coach has relocated to northern California. I know they still offer WCS and I’m pretty sure their classes are good, so if you’re looking for that, social, or Argentine, I’d recommend them.

Also for WCS, I’ve heard Steve Nereen is good, but I don’t know where he’s teaching right now. Does anyone know?

I’ve also heard Stepping Out, located nearby, around 26th Street I think, is good for WCS and social dances — especially if Tybaldt and Hazel Ulrich are still there. They also have a good teacher training program if you’re looking eventually to teach.

My latest studio was Dance Times Square, owned by former U.S. Latin champs Tony Meredith and Melanie LaPatin (and, as the name implies is in the Times Sq. area). They’re a little more expensive, and they specialize in International Latin. They prefer serious students who are interested in training for competition or dancing onstage in their showcases. If you have dance background (or even if you don’t) and are really serious about competing and / or performing, or becoming a pro, this may be your best bet.

If it’s serious International Standard that you’re looking for, I think Ballroom on Fifth is supposed to be the best.

If anyone has other ideas, please do leave your input!

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Oh No, Farewell Mr. Funnyman Steve

I’m so sad that Steve Guttenberg’s now gone. He made me laugh. I really did like him; he added so much personality and humor to the show. I really didn’t think it was going to be him. So, Adam’s still there and Steve’s gone. I do wonder if audiences are voting for pro dancers too — they love sweet Julianne, and maybe Anna not so much?

I am glad, though, that the judges didn’t have an effect on audience votes for Marissa. They made me so mad last night. I was blogging as the show was happening and I began typing about how it was the perfect routine for her, and had to stop and stare for a minute at the screen when the judges’ remarks began. I couldn’t believe how opposite they felt from me. Anyway, she was so happy tonight, and that was fun.

So, what did you guys think of Alvin Ailey??? I’m dying to know! Unbelievably, there was a tornado warning in New Jersey and they interrupted the show here right as they were on, to tell everyone how to batten down the hatches, so I only saw about half of the Ailey! I couldn’t believe it — ugh what timing! Who cares about New Jersey!!! Just kidding 🙂 But that was the end of “Revelations”, and they even changed some of it to fit it all into the small amount of time they had, so I’m not sure how much sense it made to people who’ve never seen it before…

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Dancing With the Stars Week 3: "I Don't Come Back With Anything; I Just Keep My Mouth Shut."

Ooh dear, poor Julianne…

I am absolutely stunned by Marlee Matlin’s Jive. I can’t believe it. Fabian must have taught her some kind of counting method to keep them in sync because at the beginning he wasn’t leading her; she was dancing around him, and she still ended perfectly on beat. Perfectly. He simply jutted out his hip and she began. Well, her counting skills are excellent, that’s all I can say. Her kicks weren’t that high, but it’s hard when you’re starting dance as an adult, to have that kind of flexibility. Anyway, awesome.

Strange thing, though: I recently finished reading “Schuyler’s Monster,” (which I wrote a bit about here) about a little girl with a brain abnormality that prevents her from being able to speak. Because the same disorder prevents her from having fine motor skills, such as are needed to make some of the more intricate sign language hand formations, Schuyler learns to “talk” through a computer-type device, where she types words and a voice speaks them. Rob Rummel-Hudson, Schuyler’s father, remarked in the beginning that the voice in her first computer — a male one, just didn’t “look” like a little girl. With her next, more sophisticated computer, he made sure the sound of the voice could be controlled, so they’d have different choices. They finally got a “little girl sounding” little girl. It just reminds me of that when I hear Marlee’s translator speaking! I keep thinking, wait, who’s that, she doesn’t sound like that!

Steve and Anna’s tango: eh. I’m not a Standard dancer, but Tango is getting boring; there’s only so much you can do with it. It’s a dance that really inherently lacks creativity, I think. But I’m not a Standard person. Anyway, this was pretty basic – that little sequence where he rattled her shoulders about was cute — the rest typical. But, now that I’m listening to the judges, yeah, he did well with it, he really did. I guess if I’m bored it means there was nothing noticeably out of line in the dance. Gimmicky though to have Jonathan practicing with Steve in Anna’s sickness-induced absense. The supposed funniness of two big guys dancing a sexy dance together, oh no that’s never been done before… Still all my problems are either with the producers’ or the tango itself; Steve’s still adorable.

Wow, Cristian just blew me away with his jive. Those jive kicks — and Cheryl put in a lot — are damn hard, especially for a beginner. He did them nearly perfectly. And he got some good height on those side kicks. Cute routine; a bit too many sliding through the legs tricks though. Also, I hated that little Sea World excursion. This is what I dislike about shows like this — the phoniness. He needs to learn how to relax and let loose, so she takes him to visit her “friend,” a sea lion. Through the ocean creature, he learns to let loose and have fun with dance, as the lion flaps about on the wet cement, and, miraculously, Cristian does well.

Oh gawd with that Karina / Mario tango. Actually, I felt the opposite as I did of Anna / Steve’s tango. This was weirdly kind of cool because it was so bizarre, and I disagree with Len and his “bitter disappointment.” I always like the Argentine hooks / ganchos. I really couldn’t take my eyes of Karina with that getup though, and kept wondering what she was thinking until I realized she’s supposed to be a prostitute and he her savior. Her dark knight of a savior. But what an odd musical interpretation by the band too, right? Creepy. But I still prefer creepy and weird to typical and boring.

Derek was adorable. Shannon’s jive was okay. She’s tall and skinny and jive is difficult for people with that body type. The judges are eating her up though, so I guess I missed something. I thought it lacked polish, finish on some of the moves. It looked like she was struggling to keep up at points and ended up having to rush some of the steps, which goes along with the height issues. The kick-boxing thing in practice: made more sense than the Sea World and man on man tango. It seemed like a understandable way for her to learn jive kicks.

Oh excellent tango, Julianne!! Bravo! Loved the 50s theme, loved the costumes — his frilly shirt, her dress, her hair — Adam shut up about the gay guys in costumes! Those gay guys — and Julianne — just made your routine! Shut up! I loved the ochos (stylized forward criss-cross steps) over his outstretched leg, the promenade runs, the ending deep dip. This was a classic interpretation of Standard and Argentine and it suited him remarkably well. Julianne is a genius choreographer. Adam needs to stay on because she is the show’s greatest artist. Bruno’s imitation of Len with his “seVEN” was cute. Bruno’s growing on me, which is kind of scary. Wait, what did Adam just say??: “My mom always told me in order to find out about Argentine tango and prostitution and pimps, just go to a Mormon.” No comment.

“Tony’s a fabulous dancer, but he cannot tell a joke,” says Marissa, laughing like the typical sweet girl at the corny but cute guy. Tony is a goof and his jokes are silly. But they’re from the heart, which makes him lovable. Wow, sweet jive. I think this is Marissa’s best performance! I love the ending gaze upward — very Hairspray. Again, I totally disagree with the judges. “It was like a jive on cruise control.” Bruno DOES come up with his lines beforehand. He does! The turns were really good — some of the best American spins I’ve seen; she knows how to spot. Understandably, Marissa sounds like she’s about to cry though upon hearing the judges’ remarks. I don’t get their nastiness either, Marissa! I thought she was really cute.

Wow, another great classic from Louis for Priscilla. This Tango was almost entirely Argentine. I loved the handhold, I loved the forward ochos, I loved how they both developped up their legs, his slightly higher than hers, and how he then snaked it around hers into tricky sexy gancho. She’s dancing beautifully. She kind of reminds me of Jackie Kennedy; royalty. And he treats her with such respect. He and Julianna are the show’s two genius choreographers.

“One thing I’ve learned in football: when you don’t know something, you should keep your mouth shut and your ears open.” I love Jason. Edyta slowed down his jive substantially — it was a very slow, almost west coast swingy jive, which was smart because he seemed to be having some problems with the intricate footwork and keeping up with the kicks. He’s very large — again, it’s a hard dance for someone so tall. Interestingly, he did well with the toe / heel swivels though. But the routine had flavor and personality and charm and bits of cute choreography — like the shadow swivels — and he tries hard and is really respectful of her.

Hehe, how funny was that when the announcer developed a sudden case of laryngitis!? Is that bad of me to laugh? I’m sure it’s not serious…

Did they just say Alvin Ailey was going to be on tomorrow night? I’d heard they were going to be on the show at some time in the near future, but didn’t know it was so soon?! You guys, I’m so excited — now everyone can see my favorite dance company, not just NYers!! Woo hoo!

See, Tom Bergeron’s talking again; it wasn’t serious.

Okay, well in contrast to most of the other Tangos we saw tonight, Kristi and Mark’s was a real Standard ballroom tango, as opposed to Argentine. I prefer Argentine, but this was a pretty perfect Standard, at least technique-wise. Very precise. I do agree with the judges on this one: while it was technically excellent, the emotion was one-dimensional. It bored me, though I love Kristi. That’s a real ballroom hairdo too.

So, who do you guys think it’s going to be tomorrow night? I’m afraid it might be Marissa, though I think she’s a blast.

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DWTS:Whoa Shannon, 2000 Percent Improvement!!

How cute is Anna’s mom?! So sweet! And how much of a little cutie is Steve? He’d better not get kicked off yet — he’s too adorable! He was so funny when he got all excited for himself and gave himself a little hand when he got that trick right (rapidly alternating knee lunges). And charming routine she created for him, with a cute story. She knows his strengths are in his acting and performance skills and she’s making routines heavy on that. I do think Latin is not his strongest style, but, there’s room for improvement — that’s what the show’s about, right? I think the judges were too harsh. Oh and was Steve’s “I thank you and I respect you” comment to the judges a riff on Adam Carolla’s cursing at Carrie Ann last week?

Cristian was really good at ballroom. He was the quintessential “quickstepper” if that’s a word… Very energetic, perfectly upright ballroom posture, very sharp and clean footwork, swift, and fast for a beginner. What I didn’t like was Cheryl. I felt she was too Latin. The way she shook and wiggled; it just didn’t look like Quickstep. Interestingly, he stayed with more traditional movement, not making it Latin-y as well. I think he’s a very good dancer and I has a charming personality that makes you care about him; I think he can do well.

Well, Monica tried. She was actually better this week than last, I think. Her feet are too pigeon-toed; Jonathan needs to work on that. I said this last week about just about everyone — pigeon toed feet really destroy the line, and the camera focused on her feet this time during some swivels and they were way turned in and very unprofessional-looking. Jonathan gave her a disco-y mambo, which is probably better for her than a more Latin-y one since she has this tendency to jump and hop a bit which completely destroys the rhythm and hip action of Latin. I think she has a way to go, and she has a good body. I sure do sympathize with her feelings of discomfort on first-time performing 🙂

Penn wasn’t so bad. The quickstep worked pretty good for him. I agree with Len; he was a “convincing” quickstepper. He does need to work on footwork; it was proper but not sharp and I kept thinking he would trip himself or Kym. But it’s hard for someone of his size — especially with his large feet — to dance so sharply. I liked the little jump. I want to know how does those magic tricks though — both the upstanding tie and the sawing Kym in half… And, he has cool glasses.

Priscilla was adorable. She was really good; there was a lot of fun, sassiness to those steps. Len’s right — Mambo is about having fun, not precision. And the way she lifted and bent her knees (I tend to straighten too much, like in International Latin, and it looks stupid, too ‘arty’ and not loose enough for Mambo), and that little crawling on the floor like a tiger at the end, perfect fun. Of course a lot of this is thanks to Louis — good choreography. He’s giving her lots of classics. Remember when he got reprimanded for that disco-y samba he did for Lisa Rinna? I think learned his lesson — at least with these judges. They want classic. And Priscilla just screams classic anyway. Oh and excellent dress for her. And earrings! Oh and, Barbara, I caught the tail end of some story on one of those tabloid TV shows about how her cosmetic surgeon ended up being a phony and screwed up her surgery. I guess she’s trying to have it re-done…

Okay, Shannon’s not going home this week. Omg — whoa, 2000% improvement. I couldn’t believe it. She looked like a real dancer out there. Very difficult routine, very fast, lots of hard footwork that could easily have tripped her up, hard jump at the end. It’s not as easy to get height on those back kicks as it looks. Only thing, very very nitpicky thing — at one point she extended her leg out and her knee was slightly bent. It just threw the line off a bit and resulted in lack of polish. But teensy tiny problem in overall awesome routine. She was simply gorgeous.

Jason had turnout, Jason had turnout, turnout!!! Makes me very happy 😀 Yay Edyta! The routine was a bit slow (I tend to like faster mambos), but he was fun, and he has such a charming smile. Makes me jealous of her that she gets to dance with him… They look so good together. At first I was worried the judges were going to give Edyta all hell on that “lift” — because I think both of her feet came off the ground every so briefly at the beginning of that swing. But fortunately they didn’t harp, as they have in prior seasons, and said nothing.

Marissa was a huge improvement too. Quickstep suited her well. I’m not sure if ballroom in general is going to be better for her than Latin, but Quickstep is fast and fun and “bubbly”, as Len says, and that’s very her. You can tell why she’s such a Broadway star. She has the best personality, with contagious buoyancy. I felt so badly for her when, prior to dancing, she was crying about not being able to do high extensions and certain athletic tricks. But her personality, which shines through in her movement, is what is so lovable about her.

Julianne looked kinda uncomfortable with Adam, particularly in that little tango promenade thing. He is pretty funny out there. He was bouncing too much, which, as I’ve said before, is a problem many beginning Latin dancers have. Cute choreography from Julianne though, and I love how she bopped him in the face with her … By the way, what did he say about her pelvis, in practice? When she said, try to roll your pelvis, like this… “That’s not your pelvis, baby?” Is that what he said? Yick.

Another very good performance from Marlee. It was a mambo / quickstep though 🙂 but that’s Fabian’s doing. I think she missed a jump and their connection at times wasn’t so good (you’re always supposed to be connected at the pelvis, making a martini-glass shape where waist down is the stem, waist up is the upside-down triangular cup), but that’s the hardest thing for beginning dancers to get about standard ballroom. Wow. I’m so impressed by her. I don’t mean to keep focusing on the deafness, but I can’t believe she can’t hear. I can’t!

Okay, Kristi was just as good as last week. Which is perfect. She’s a natural at all forms of ballroom. She has it in the bag. I hate to make predictions this early, but if she doesn’t win, she should. I wish I had skating background 🙁 Although something tells me she just turns everything she touches into gold. Only thing off was the costume — too much going on. Those gloves kind of took it over the top.

Mario’s so cute! Perfect as well. Funny, I was just thinking how he didn’t fit the “stereotype” of the ballroom dancer, though the footwork and charm and even the frame were right on, and then when I heard the judges’ comments, I realized it was the muscles! Ballroom men are usually not so muscly — and of course you can’t see those biceps because they wear full, long-sleeved tux jackets. So, it was the costume, combined with the physique. But different is definitely good. He and Kristi are my favorites thus far.

And that’s it for “Dancing With the Stars” week 2. I predict tomorrow night it’s going to be Monica and Adam who leave. Unless, people vote to keep Adam on because of Julianne, which I could see happening.

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DWTS: I Wanted to Be Kristi Yamaguchi, Olympic Goddess, When I Was Young, and Now I Want to Be Her Again…

So, first two women were admitted tomboys. Which is fun. But doesn’t make for the most graceful ballroom dancing. First on was Shannon Elizabeth, whose tomboyishness I completely didn’t expect, the way she looks, and since she’s a supposed bombshell and all. But she was way too manly on the floor; she stomped straight through that Cha Cha. All the judges were completely right about her legs: she needs to straighten those knees, point those toes. I say she’s a definite candidate for the ballet lessons Marie Osmond took last season. Oh but I loved how she said she never wears high-heeled shoes, and those were the biggest challenge for her upfront. How much can I relate to that!! I love that she wore them 24/7 to get used to them. Sadly, I admit trying that too. Don’t know how well it worked with me though…

It was cute how they introduced Monica Seles by showing her on a tennis court swinging that racket but in ballroom attire. I hate to say, but that’s kinda how her Foxtrot looked too. But I really appreciated Jonathan Roberts’ routine for her. It had a sweet story: boy trying to win girl over, girl a bit sad, boy presents her with a flower, girl brightens a bit. She did a sweet acting job. But she definitely needs to get that sweeping ballroom action down. She was jumping a bit to compensate, and that doesn’t work; it needs to be a fluid, feathery sweep. And her pelvis lost contact with Jonathan’s at noticeable points, losing that oh so important martini-glass shape. But I think she can learn and I agree with whoever it was — Carrie Ann I think — who said that moving across the tennis court is not all that different than moving across the ballroom floor. Movement is movement, and she needs to not stress out so much over being a sports girl trying to ballroom dance.

I loved Marissa Jaret Winokur — so much fun that one! And I love Tony’s hip hoppish, ‘look at me, I rock and screw you if you think my body’s not perfect,’ attitude music for her. What I don’t love is that Tony is about ten feet taller than she though. Couldn’t they have found someone a bit more matched height-wise? But I do think Tony’s going to have fun with her. Maybe that’s why they paired them: their personalities mesh. I liked their little Cha Cha / hip hop, and she nailed all those lightening-fast bump ‘n grinding body shake things — things I could never do. But I agree with the judges that there wasn’t enough Latin ballroom. And so odd that she missed a step because she seemed the one with the greatest confidence and ease going into it. Sometimes that can backfire though.

I love so much that Louis Van Amstel is back. He such a fantastic dancer, he just makes me smile. Now, after Barbara told me Priscilla Presley can’t smile because of the cosmetic surgery — her mouth is all I can focus on! She did grin a little bit though. And, wow, I thought they did really rather well. She really acted the dance well; it was an ideal foxtrot, very basic, very classy, charmingly sexy with a few nice, non-fancy tricks thrown in. (I hate it when the routine’s all about the tricks). Speaking of which, congrats to her on that perfectly-done death spiral! She has a really sweet personality. I didn’t know what to expect from her, but I like her. She’s sincere and I believe this is challenging and difficult for her in a way unlike other things in her life.

Okay, Kristi Yamaguchi was gorgeous. Hands down, no competition. She is simply the best of the men and women. I think the best ever on this show. I can’t believe she hasn’t been dancing ballroom her whole life. Wow. That was Foxtrot; we’ll see how she does next week with Latin, but something tells me she’s going to nail it as well. She just knows movement. It surprised me though, because on the rehearsal tapes she was struggling a bit. But not on the dance floor. For once I agree with Bruno: this is the best first-show performance in the history of this series. Oh, I so wanted to be Kristi when I was little and she was a figure skating champ, and I so wanna be her now…

And finally, Marlee. Wow! She did so well! I don’t mean to focus on a “disability” (I don’t think I ever did with Heather Mills), but I just think it would be the hardest thing in the world to dance without music. I mean, have you ever tried to dance a rhythmic dance — like Cha Cha — with silence? It would be impossible. And there was almost nothing wrong here. She missed no beats. She was a bit pigeon-toed in cross-overs, but other than that, she was perfect. She said she’s “profoundly deaf” and relies entirely on Fabian, follows him completely. Which is what you should do, if you’re the “follower” anyway. Well, Fabian, goofy as he seemed during practice, must be an excellent lead.

So three women blew me away: Kristi, Marlee, and Priscilla. I guess this is good: I usually have a strong preference early on and get all upset when that person is booted…

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"The Hip Action Was Like Replacement Hip Action"

Bruno is such a goof. (He said this to Penn Teller). I sometimes think he plans out his lines before the show...

I loved the opening number — loved that they introduced all the pro dancers up front and let them shine. I love that Louis van Amstel danced with Karina Smirnoff 🙂 my two favorites…

How much did Priscilla Presley seem like she didn’t want to be there during intros?!

I thought Penn was cute. He’s an enormous man and the choreography Kym gave him actually worked for him. Her opening splits, where he took her leg up, was a good idea for a tall guy — it elongated her and kind of brought him to her level, and I love how he darted through her legs right after that. With that huge body, he looked like a whale! And the ending, with the flowers he magically pulled out from his sleeve and presented to her — adorable. He jumps too much though — his biggest problem, hopping around to make up for lack of rhythm and speed — common among beginning men. She just needs to teach him that hips produce the rhythm not bopping up and down.

Okay, I just completely fell for Jason. Oh my, oh my! — he is so dapper, so gentlemanly, so smooth, such the consummate ballroom man! Awesome posture — I think that water bottle on the head during practice helped. And so graceful, and for a sports guy??? What was all that crap about not wanting to be girly? My pet peeve. But it seemed only for show, especially with the tutu thing. Funny though how American men think Latin is girly, because he was doing Cha Cha during practice when he said that he was now going to have a rep in the locker room. But then they have no problem with Standard — like they think Standard is more manly than macho Latin. Well, Standard is closer to ballet, so I guess ballet is manly by the same logic 😀 My biggest problem with him is his feet — he did the pigeon-toed thing a couple of times, particularly on a stretch where his back foot was lunged out and it was very noticeable. Edyta should get him to stop it! Another pet peeve…

Okay, now Cristian has stolen my heart as well… Whoa did Cheryl trust him — she threw herself right into his arms! I don’t know what Bruno and Len were on about regarding his shoulders though, it was his feet that bothered me; he wasn’t as pidgeon-toed as Jason, but sometimes on those New Yorkers (cross overs) the back foot was not turned out. I’m sorry, am I ridiculous? It’s just a huge pet peeve, and a common mistake beginning men make. Maybe it’s my ballet background… Anyway, I think Cristian is a lot of fun and I love his complaint that he’s Chilean (known for food and wine) and not Brazilian (dance country), so even though he’s Latino, he’s not so great on his feet — an embarrassment since everyone on his white TV show (Ugly Betty — totally didn’t recognize him from that!!) expects him, as a Latin, to be a natural dancer. Hence his reason for being on the show — to be what he should already be.

Oh so cute that they had Helio on saying how he felt about Julianne Hough’s “being with another man”! I know many people don’t like his politics (which I don’t know about since I never watch syndicated shows), but Adam seemed endearingly self-effacing. He said DWTS seemed pretty humiliating, so thought it was something he should try. Also moaned, “I felt horrible for the kid, ruining her perfect record.” Aw. Cute foxtrot. He was pretty good, except those pidgeon toes happened again, and his butt was sticking out at one point, losing that martini glass pelvis-connecting shape with Julianne so important in Standard. Bruno said he was not Fred Astaire, but Will Ferrell?… I didn’t think he was comical at all. All the judges are being pretty harsh actually. I thought he was pretty good, for it being his first try. His footwork was flawless, which for foxtrot is hard; he didn’t seem to miss a step. And that battemant kick was bent-kneed, but I was surprised at how high up it went. He did look stiff, but who can blame someone’s opening-night nerves?

Okay how smooth is Mario? He said one of the reasons he wanted to do the show was to meet Karina 😀 Methinks he is the next Sabrina though — he has a lot of dance background with that R&B and hip hop. I don’t care if it’s not ballroom; dance is dance. I still love him though. For the first time ever while Karina was on the floor, I watched someone other than Karina! The judges are being nice, with the exception of Len, who pointed out some heel leads that I’d missed — that you never do in Latin. That’s the annoying thing with the judges — they act like dance background is irrelevant. He’s got the highest score so far. Youth is also a big factor in learning to dance well fast. He had some pidgeon toes too though… I think what it is is the Latin shoes with the 3/4 inch Cuban heels. Those heels, short as they are, make a non-turned-out foot look just awful. But with his groove, his natural hip action, it was almost non-noticeable.

Eeee — I love that Anna Trebunskaya took Steven Guttenberg to the Vegas Classic — a real, live, authentic competition — on this show! I even saw some familiar faces — Lucas! I liked their routine; it was cute. I felt like there was a story there though, but I couldn’t figure out what exactly it was. They were playfighting and making up, and flirting with the judges, but it didn’t really all come together as a narrative to me. Still, he was very charismatic, and how excellent was that jump and kick! Carrie Anne’s right — he’s a real charmer. And Len’s right that he enjoyed himself and his smile was infectious. He’s the performer of the group — this season’s Marie Osmond (except a better dancer :)). Sweetly self-deprecating too.

(By the way, did anyone see that movie, “Kissing Jessica Stein”? — has nothing to do with this show, but there’s a line in the beginning of that film, spoken by one of the dweeby guys Jessica goes on a blind date with. Trying to dazzle her with his wit, he tells her he’s “humorously self-defecating.” I couldn’t stop laughing, and now, everytime I go to say self-deprecating, I have a frightening tendency to say defecating.)

Anyway, I like all the guys. Every single one of them. And I have about four favorites. Now what? The women ensure us they’re superior to the men. Marlee Matlin said it’s not about her deafness but her great hips. Then why, of course, did she bring the former up in the first place?? Marissa Winokur got a lot of cheers. Good for her — I’m really excited to see her. And I love Kristi Yamaguchi!

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Decent New Dancing With Stars Cast

Ugh, I’m such an idiot. When they said they were going to announce the new “Dancing With the Stars” cast on “Dance War” tonight, I thought they meant they were announcing the real stars! They only announced the celebrities! I’ve heard through the grapevine — from Sharon 🙂 — that Louis Van Amstel is dancing again, which I’m thrilled about since I regard him as the greatest ballroom dancer in the world right now. I heard Julianne Hough is dancing again as well. And besides that don’t know… I guess the show regards them as less important than the contestants, sadly… I do love how the announcement was made though — LOVE that Dance Center / Sports Center comedy sketch thingy — Kenny Mayne’s sense of humor has stolen my heart… and he with Jerry Rice and Lisa Rinna were hilarious with their goofy back and forth jabs at each other.

So the celebrity contestants:

First announced is Marlee Matlin, the actress whom I loved in “Children of a Lesser God,” but haven’t seen her in much of what she’s been in lately — TV shows, right? Well, I’m excited about her. I guess she’ll kind of be the Heather Mills of this season if you want to see it that way. Not being able to hear the music will obviously be a handicap, but, equally obviously, she’s someone who doesn’t let her hearing hinder her.

Second woman is Priscilla Presley, actress probably best known as Elvis’s wife. At 62, she’ll perhaps be the “Jane Seymour” of this season.

Next is Shannon Elizabeth, an actress I’m not really familiar with but apparently was in “American Pie,” and “hot,” as Jerry continuously pronounced her.

Fourth is Monica Seles, the tennis player who always used to grunt loudly when swinging that racket. The three commentators had fun ribbing on what kinds of noises she might make and whether they’d sound better in Latin or Standard.

Fifth is Kristi Yamaguchi — yay!!! I loved watching her skate. I used to take figure skating lessons and she was my role model; I so wanted to be her. I can’t believe she’s 36! As a skater, obviously she’ll have a big advantage here, but you never know what that’s going to mean…

Final woman is Marissa Jaret Winokur, Broadway actress from “Hairspray,” which, embarrassingly, I never saw. Commentators had some fun joking that her hair might be a big problem, as she may trip over it or it may get all tangled up in her partner.

Men are:

NFL player Jason Taylor of the Miami Dolphins. At first I couldn’t figure out what was up with that beefcake photo they put up of him, with Lisa’s pointing out the various “highlights” in his physique. Then I realized the other two commentators were NFL players so she was joking that he was by far the best looking footballer the show had ever had.

Second is Christian de la Fuente, good-looking Latin telenovella star, whom I’m not familiar with.

Then there’s Mario, the R&B singer and hip hop dancer, who will have the obvious dance-experience advantage.

Next is Steve Guttenberg — yay!!! I remember him from oooh so many movies, not the least of which, honestly, I’m so embarrassed to admit but the Village People movie. I honestly saw it when I was really really young and I fell head over heels in love with his cutely endearing dorkiness. Of course he’s best known for his role in “Three Men and a Baby,” which, yeah, he was good in that too 🙂 He’s got a great personality and I know I’m gonna eat him right up!

Then there’s Penn Jillette, the magician with Penn and Taylor. The thing about this guy is that he’s enormous — he’s 6’6 tall and has a shoe size that’s off the charts. It’ll be interesting to see who he’s partnered with.

And last is Adam Carolla, a comedian whom I’ve never heard of with a syndicated radio show. Does anyone else know of him?

Hmmm. Overall I’m more excited about the women, since I’m familiar with many more of them. But I do so love Mr. Guttenberg…

Okay, it’s been a long day. (I actually just got home — it’s midnight — and sped through what I’d taped to see the DWTS announcement parts; I’ll have to watch the rest of the show tomorrow.) More later…

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A Reason to Watch DANCE WAR Next Week, and Other Dance Show Stuff…

In case you didn’t hear yet, on next week’s “Dance War,” the new season of “Dancing With the Stars” contestants will officially be announced. Also, next week will be that show’s finale?! It seemed to go so fast; I was kind of shocked when they announced that last night.

Anyway, this week was “Latin Week,” which I felt pretty eh about — nothing new for me with this show. At least dance-wise I felt eh. Tango hooks in the opening number were sloppy — Kelsey had to re-adjust her position with her partner to get her foot wrapped around his leg. If she was as close to him as she should have been that wouldn’t have happened. But who am I to criticize someone for not maintaining the proper Argentine Tango frame — I was NEVER able to feel comfortable that close to the guy 🙂 — at least not random guys in class I didn’t know…

And is Bruno the king of hysteria-drenched, goofy similes or what? “I’ve taken more punches than Rocky!!!” he wailed with wild gesticulations, over losing twice in a row. I hate to admit it, but at some points, his nuttiness actually kind of grows on me… I’m glad he finally praised Carrie Ann’s team. He needed to do that to show he was a sport. It just really bothers me how he practically equates dance with sex. Those guys’ open-shirts in his second number — oh please! Same thing with the way he had Kelsey last week vamping it up Jessica Simpson-like in “These Boots Are Made For Walkin’.” Dance can be sexy, but when it’s so overt like that it just becomes silly and crass.

I did feel like the singing was a bit better this time — particulary from Zack on the Bruno team and Chris on the Carrie Ann team. When Chris “sang for his life” I have to say I was actually quite blown away. He’s had so many microphone malfunctions, I don’t think I’ve really heard him sing, but he has a pretty nice voice.

I think what annoys me most about this show is its general air of unreality. It was sweet when Phillip’s mom showed up to watch her son, but do the show’s producers really expect us to believe she couldn’t afford to travel from Virginina to California but lo and behold thanks to her church she was finally able to see her son fulfill his dream? Thanks to the show’s producers is more like it, if the whole thing wasn’t phony to begin with. And it was nice that team Bruno did some outreach at the Community Center for people with Downs Syndrome, but if they really were invited because Zack’s brother has Downs, it would’ve been nice if they showed some footage of the two of them together. And even team Bruno’s ultimately winning this time around … if they didn’t win would anyone really tune in next week; what fun is a shoe-in finale? And when Carrie Ann started crying when she lost — and the tears were really there; her face was all wet– I wondered which acting method she studied. There was so much fakery, when that Orville Redenbocher commercial came on — the one about the guy and his wife whose marriage was in serious trouble because she liked natural snacks and he didn’t, and he collapsed on the kitchen floor and started throwing food about madly — did you guys see it? I seriously thought it was a trailer for a new reality show.

Which brings me to MTV’s new show, “America’s Best Dance Crew.” I wrote about it for Huffington and will link as soon as it’s posted, but for now I just want to say, I really kinda like it. It has more authenticity: the competitors seem like real people; they’re kids you like and want to root for, and the judges take them seriously, and seem more interested in imparting constructive criticism than hogging the spotlight and playing “characters” themselves. It’s pretty good. MTV Thursday nights at 10 p.m.

Finally, don’t forget to watch PBS tomorrow night, Wednesday, for “America’s Ballroom Challenge.” It’s Standard, where lovely ladies in beautiful, flowing, bejeweled ballgowns are swept around the floor by their dapper tux ‘n tailed gents. I initially fell in love with ballroom through this dance style, although I’m afraid it looks very different on TV than live and some of the magic is taken away. Anyway, I will be very excited to see US National champ and second in the world, Katusha Demidova, with her new partner, Arunas Bizokas. Also, in the exhibitions, watch for the pro/am couple Max Kozhevnikov and his student Yuk Chun (for people who follow ballroom, Max is the former partner of popular Latin dancer, Yulia Zagorouychenko), and in the junior division Austin Joson and Elizabeth Lakovitsky. These kids train at my old studio and I’ve written about them previously here and here. Austin in particular is a little cutie, and he ROCKS! Okay PBS at 8 pm EST!

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Dance Times Square In-House Competition

A couple of weeks ago I went to Dance Times Square‘s in-house competition, an event the studio holds every once in a while to give their students who are thinking of entering an actual pro-am competition with their teachers a little taste of just what that would be like.

It’s judged by actual judges who arbitrate at the local and national competitions. Above are John Nyemchek and Edward Simon, a former American Smooth champion who now runs the New York Dance Festival and Empire State Dance Sport Championships.

Melanie LaPatin (studio co-owner) emceed.


(Sorry pics are blurry; I didn’t want to scare anyone with my flash!) I haven’t danced in so long, and it was exciting (albeit somewhat sobering) to see some of my old friends dancing so well at a much higher level than they were. Here’s long-time student Elaine (one of Pasha’s former students) dancing with her new teacher, Jacob Jason. She used to be at my level; now she’s far surpassed me! I MUST go back to dancing!

Anyway, here’s my full write-up of the event.

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"Rhythm of Love" Pics and Performance

Here are the photograph sets from the professional photographer who sat a few seats down from me at “Rhythm of Love.” (just hit ‘continue’ and you’ll be taken to the album). To be honest, I’m kind of disappointed with the quality of his photos — think I could’ve taken better ones myself. He won’t let me so much as copylink and post on my blog because he’s not a publicity photographer working for the event’s presenting organization, but only takes pictures so that he can sell them for his own profit, like many do at ballroom competition events. Catch up with the world of concert dance, ballroom people, and hire pro photographers for publicity purposes, not these greedy goofs! Andrew Eccles anyone?! Anyway, have a look and if you’re so inclined, you can order some of Pasha and Anya, or Pasha and the gang, or just Pasha, or anyone else!

The show itself was really cute. I’ll be writing a formal review for Explore Dance, which I’ll link to when it’s up. This was the first time I’ve ever seen a full-length story dance told through ballroom and Latin. The basic story was cute and original: it begins with a boy (played by Mambo King Benito Garcia) interested in a girl (Emilee Peterson, who I don’t know from ballroom but I could tell from the moment she walked out onstage that she had ballet background). The girl shows interest back, but they’re young high school-ish students and of course she doesn’t let him get very far very fast, to his predictable dismay. Eventually, they go out on some dates (there’s no talking by the way; all the non-dance acting is mimed) and he gives her some flowers, she gives him some … ballet tickets, over which he tries hard not to reveal his disgust. Off they go to the “ballet,” which, since this is a dance story told through ballroom, is really a lyrical waltz performed by the lovely American Smooth couple JT Thomas and Tomasz Mielnicki. The waltz moves the girl to tears, the guy to sleep. She shakes him out of his slumber just in time for him to witness another waltz of JT and Tomasz’s — this one combined with some Rhumba to give it a far more seductive tempo (and danced to Celine Dion’s gorgeously sultry “Seduces Me”), during which his attention now wanes not one bit. Now that he sees dance can be sexy, he is enthralled by it, wants to do it himself. The rest of the show is about him learning, the various ballroom and Latin dancers instructing. The ballroom ladies help Emilee lighten up, giving her dance fashion tips, rid her of her glasses and bun, and teach her how to let her inhibitions go in her dancing. The guys have their hands full doing the opposite for Benny — teaching him instead not to let too loose on the dance floor; one needs a sense of rhythm, timing, and body control after all so as not to make an ass of oneself! The two watch some more duets performed by the seasoned pros and eventually try the moves out themselves. At the end, Emilee is so happy Benny’s dancing with her, she puckers up for the kiss he’s earned, but he’s now too busy trying to get his steps right to notice. It ends on a happy note, of course!

Unfortunately, Pasha and Anya didn’t dance a whole lot. They were in two numbers: the first an opening group hip hoppy Samba to “Hip Hip, Chin Chin,” and later a Cha Cha / Latin combo to “Magic Carpet Ride.” Of course they danced spectacularly when they did, though! Anya looks so damn good in a simple black t-shirt and jeans. I recognized some of their hallmark moves in their second number: one where he lifts her horizontally over his shoulders and turns and turns and turns (a similar move is performed at the beginning of the excellent movie Strictly Ballroom — you must see it if you haven’t), and another where he holds her in a low dip, one of his arms free, and looking out at the audience, he kind of commands her lower torso up and down with the wave of his hand, without touching her. It’s very voo-doo-looking, and very cool.

My other favorite couple was Jose DeCamps and Joanna Zacharewicz, current American Rhythm champs, who had several duets — a slow, seductive bolero, a whiplashingly fast Cha Cha / Mambo, and, my favorite dance in the whole thing — a cool, calm and collected, yet sexy, Swing / Mambo that was very West Side Story.

Jose (for DWTS fans, he is Cheryl Burke’s old partner) has charisma galore. This was my first time seeing him on a real stage (and not just the competition floor), but whoa, he really stood out to me and commanded my attention every time he was up there. JT is a natural performer too; I think she could be on Broadway if she wanted to.

Carolina and Felipe Telona (American Rhythm competitors) danced gorgeously too — they did a couple of Argentine Tangos and some sultry rhumbas and boleros. They danced the most of any couple I think. They did this sweet, sad piece, where he is leaving her or dying and she tries in vain to bring him back. They performed it at Nationals last year as well. It nearly brought me to tears both times.

There were also a few numbers by Garry and Rita Gekhman, American Smooth dancers and showdance champions. They reprised their showdance championship-winning number from last year’s Nationals, “Freak-A-Zoid,” which was really cool seeing in competition in Florida last year, but looked a bit out of place on the stage here. Some of the movements, such as releasing their Standard handhold and moving across the vast ballroom floor still perfectly in sync and maintaining frame (pictured below) are so impressive to ballroom judges and afficionados who can appreciate the degree of difficulty, but I think are lost on a more general audience. Plus, the number didn’t really seem to fit: it was sandwiched in between the boy and girl’s first meeting in class after a voice-over has noted how love can be “mathematical” and I guess the robotic nature of the showdance is meant to evoke that. But it seemed more that the story was altered to accommodate the dance rather than the other way around. Still, only a small thing in an overall exciting show.

(all pictures are mine, from previous competitions; visit that Park West website for some pictures of Pasha and Anya — there aren’t many, but there are some!)

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Pasha!

I don’t have much time to write because I need to head off to Alvin Ailey soon, but here are a few pictures I took last night of Pasha after the “Rhythm of Love” show. Very cute show, and review coming soon; if you’re anywhere near Stamford, Connecticut, it’s playing for one more night — tonight. Go here for tix.

Signing autographs for little fans. So cute! All these people were coming up to him afterward telling him how much they loved him and asking for autographs. Elaine (his former student, very sweet lady, in the blue sweater here) and I were teasing him about how we knew him way back when. He insists he’s not “famous” and nothing has changed a bit. And he definitely hasn’t changed — still same sweet guy who always has time for old friends…

Posing for picture with Elaine after the theater has pretty much cleared out. No pics of me because I have a nasty cold and know it can be devastating for dancers to get sick, so didn’t want to stand too close to him (not to mention, I look like absolute crap). It really sucked missing out on my hug though!

With Elaine again, in front of the theater. I always feel like crying whenever I say goodbye to him now…