Trav's Thoughts

...cue that theme music!



Welcome to my weekly obsession! Tonight, all 12 couples dance either a Mambo or a Quickstep. Get a snack because this is a long recap.

First, we pay tribute to Israel "Cachao" Lopez, who died this week at the age of 90. From Wikipedia:

Israel "Cachao" López (September 14, 1918 – March 22, 2008), often known just as "Cachao" (pronounced kah-CHOW) was a Cuban mambo musician, bassist and composer, who has helped bring mambo music to popularity in the United States of America in the early 1950s. He was born in Havana, Cuba. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and has been described as "the inventor of the mambo". He is considered a master of descarga (Latin jam sessions).

Now Mambo is characterized by hip action, and this is a hot Mambo performed by Emmanuel Pierre-Antoine and Joanna Zacharewicz. Emmanuel and Joanna have performed together in International Latin style and American Smooth. Joanna is the current American Smooth champion with new partner Jose deCamps.


The other dance tonight is Quickstep, which is characterized by footwork that is fast but smooth and elegant. This clip will make you smile. This is Christopher Hawkins & Hazel Newberry, circa 1999. They are former 3-time Professional Standard World Champions.


Now let's get to it!

Steve and Anna dance Mambo. If you just watch his face, he's performing and having a great time. But his dancing is wooden. He's got no hip action at all. He did the steps and had plenty of energy. But he's just not a dancer. He's very charming and Anna is gorgeous. He didn't have good technique or musicality this week. He is enjoying the experience so much that it's hard not to like him, but that just wasn't very good. Judges say 6,5,5 for a total of 16.

Cristian and Cheryl dance Quickstep. Cheryl dressed up the Air Force officer in a Navy uniform to fix his posture. You could see him thinking about his posture and he didn't look like he was enjoying what he was doing. Finally near the end he started smiling. The performance was ok. He had good footwork and his posture was much better than last week. It wasn't controlled enough, but it had lots of energy and Pam reminds me that Cristian is HAWT! Judges say 7,6,7 for a total of 20.

Monica and Jonathan dance Mambo. She looks much more comfortable this week. And look at her smile and flirt! She's still a little awkward with some of the footwork, but she's working those hips. Once again Jonathan helps her through it with his teaching and partnering skills. It wasn't great, but she looked like she enjoyed herself. She doesn't have technique, but she's trying and that dance did have a few moments when she seemed to get it. Judges say 5's across for a total of 15.

Penn and Kym dance Quickstep. It was much more smooth than I expected. He's in more control of how heavily he steps. He's not light on his feet, but he wasn't a clod this time. He held his posture through most of it and he tried to do the steps. It was a bit manic, but the performance was there. He pulls the audience in because he's having fun with what he's doing, and he's an entertainer. We wish he would dial down on the personality just a bit and let other people talk. Judges say 6,6,5 for a total of 17.

Priscilla and Louis dance Mambo. Louis nails it again with the choreography. He is the perfect partner for her. We loved her facial expressions during that dance. She looks fantastic. The dance was a little too controlled for fun Mambo. Her technique was terrific and the performance was contained. She didn't over dance it or under dance it. We thought it was just right. She made us forget that she is a 62 year old grandmother. Judges say 7's across for a total of 21.

Shannon and Derek dance Quickstep. She looks elegant and confident. Her posture was good. That was great! The choreography was terrific and she was able to keep up with the steps. She was charming and classy, and beautiful. The performance was engaging. She made us smile. We loved that. It was so much fun. Judges say 8's across for a total of 24.

Jason and Edyta dance Mambo. Wow. That was difficult choreography and he did a good job of partnering her through it. He started just a little stiff, but loosened up pretty quick. He is graceful and is able to control the dance. His height is complementing Edyta very well. He has learned technique very quickly, which has allowed him to move on to perfect his performance. As well as he connected with the audience last week, he was even better this week. We agree with the judges that he is a contender. Judges say 9's across for a total of 27.

Marissa and Tony dance Quickstep. This was the perfect dance for her this week. She was confident with the steps and was able to channel her energy into the steps. She made us smile because she was able to throw her personality into the dance without letting it overwhelm the steps. She had so much fun. Tony boosted her confidence and helped her perform without being wacky. There were a few footwork problems, but we didn't mind that because the dance was fun. Judges say 7's across for a total of 21.

Adam and Julianne dance Mambo. I guess the best I can say about that is that he did ok for a guy who has no rhythm. He doesn't disrespect the show and I appreciate that. It was cheeky, but it wasn't really a good Mambo. And we didn't think he was as entertaining as Penn or as charming as Steve or as endearing as Monica. Of course, part of the problem is that we don't like this guy. Judges say 6,7,6 for a total of 19.

Marlee and Fabian dance Quickstep. We are so impressed with the way he teaches her, and the way he leads her through the dance. If you didn't know she was deaf, there's no way you could tell. In this dance, they had minimal eye contact so he had to be a true lead through the dance, using only hand and body signals to bring her through. There were a few technique issues and it was a non-traditional Quickstep. The judges universally praised her musicality, and she is certainly bringing energy and performance to the dancing. Judges say 8's across for a total of 24.

Kristi and Mark dance Mambo. Shy? Did she just say she was shy? Wooooooooooooo!!! When the music starts, she is on. I never thought I would say this...all those years watching her as a figure skater...but Kristi Yamaguchi is HAWT!!!! Dang! Her background in a performance sport is really giving her an edge. Mark is the right partner for her. That was sexy and energetic. It had difficult choreography, terrific technique, and sharp performance. Judges say 9's across for a total of 27.

Mario and Karina dance Quickstep. I do not like the sleeves cut out of the tuxedo. His shoulders bounced up and down a bit, but that was minor. His posture was good, his footwork much better. The dance had energy and the performance was terrific. The chemistry was excellent between them. He definitely brings energy and youth to the dance. There was a lift at the end, but the judges let it go. Judges say 9,8,9 for a total of 26.

Here's the new leader board after tonight's dances:

54 Kristi & Mark
50 Mario & Karina
49 Jason & Edyta
46 Marlee & Fabian
45 Priscilla & Louis
45 Shannon & Derek
41 Cristian & Cheryl
39 Marissa & Tony
34 Steve & Anna
34 Adam & Julianne
33 Penn & Kym
30 Monica & Jonathan

DWTS is one show that limits the number of votes. Since there are 12 couples, we get 12 votes...24 for Pam and I because we each have our cell phones. We split our votes between Krisi, Jason, Marlee, and Priscilla.

Tonight is a double elimination. Two celebrities will go home, one man and one woman. I'll have results and encores tomorrow. Tell me in comments if there is any particular dance you'd like to see again. If I can find the clip I'll post it.

And I'm behind with rounds, so I'll catch up throughout the week.