Cue that theme music!
Posted: Tuesday, April 08, 2008 by Travis Cody inHA! You thought it was going to be a post about the NCAA championship game, didn't you?
Nope! Not when it's live from Hollywood!
Tonight our remaining couples dance either Paso Doble or Viennese Waltz.
The Paso Doble should have the flavor of a Spanish bull fight. The man is the torero or bullfighter, and the woman is the cape. This is for all of my Lady visitors who miss Maks.
The Viennese Waltz is one of my favorite dances, characterized by simple and elegant rotational movement around the floor. This is Karen and Marcus Hilton, who are nine time professional international standard world champions.
And now, let's see how our celebrities do.
Kristi and Mark dance Paso Doble. Kristi got called out for lack of emotion last week. She's much more expressive in this Paso. The music was crap. Mark had some very technical choreography, but it was really difficult to follow because of the lousy music. The dance did have the drama and aggression that characterizes the dance. She's so good right now that the judges are beginning to raise their expectations for her. Judges say 10,9,10 for a total of 29. Well! I didn't think it was perfect!
Priscilla and Louis dance Viennese Waltz. This was the first time we didn't really care for Louis' choreography and that's probably because of the music. The music wasn't elegant or classy and that's what Viennese Waltz is all about. We expected this dance to be beautiful and we didn't think it was. She acted it well, but there were technique problems. They also got called out on the lift. Judges say 7,7,8 for a total of 22. The 7's may be a bit low. 
Adam and Julianne dance Paso Doble. It was certainly entertaining. Julianne put in the difficulty in the choreography. He managed to stumble through all the steps with the aggression of the Paso, but it's really time for him to go. Somehow he gets the proper music for his dance and the better dancers got crap. That just makes me grumpy. It sounded like the judges were damning with faint praise. Judges say 6,7,6 for a total of 19. That may not be enough to defeat his fans, but it's the right score.
Marlee and Fabian dance Viennese Waltz. She's Always A Woman to Me...that's waltzing music. It was a little slow for a Viennese Waltz, but it was elegant and romantic as it should have been. They told a wonderful story with the dance. Technically she had a few problems with her posture, but it was a beautiful performance. Judges say 8's across for a total of 24. There could have been a 9 in there we think.
Mario and Karina dance Paso Doble. And the questionable music continues. You can't Paso to Higher Ground. He had to fight the tendency to funk the dance out. We thought he danced better than last week, but damn that music! He had the aggression and the drama with some difficult choreography. The problem I think is that he dances with so much aggression that it almost becomes frenetic. Judges say 8,7,9 for a total of 24. The 9 is too high.
Jason and Edyta dance Viennese Waltz. He's so light on his feet. His frame was wonderful. The difference in their size really could have been a problem in this dance, but it wasn't. They had a little mis-step, but that had elegance and class and a bit of seduction. It was romantic and sultry. They told a wonderful story together. He was a terrific lead in that dance. Judges say 10,9,10 for a total of 29. No no no no! You can't throw a perfect 10 with the footwork stumble. NO! It was a wonderful dance but it wasn't perfect. 
Cristian and Cheryl dance Paso Doble. Powerful, aggressive, dramatic, sexy. That was really good. They had the perfect Paso music and Cheryl had some excellent choreography. They were sharp and crisp and passionate. Pam says Cristian's HAWTness factor is rising and about to go off the charts. Oh Matt? Cheryl was on fire! Judges say 9,8,9 for a total of 26. Yup. 
Shannon and Derek dance Viennese Waltz. Derek injured his neck during a rehearsal so Jonathan Roberts came in to help. Derek choreographed a beautiful dance and trooper that he is, the show must go on. This dance was romantic and elegant and simply gorgeous. Guess what gang...that was the dance of the night. Outstanding! That's a perfectly classy Viennese Waltz. Judges say 9,10,9 for a total of 28. Yup...but let's get another 10 for that performance.
Marissa and Tony dance Paso Doble. Well done! She had attitude. The dance was difficult, strong, powerful, dramatic, and far from boring. She danced well and held the character through the entire dance. Her technique was great and the performance was flamboyant. Excellent job. Judges say 8's across for a total of 24. Good for her!
Here's how they stand after tonight...
29 Kristi & Mark
29 Jason & Edyta
28 Shannon & Derek
26 Cristian & Cheryl
24 Marlee & Fabian
24 Marissa & Tony
24 Mario & Karina
22 Priscilla & Louis
19 Adam & Julianne
We really enjoyed the show tonight, except for a few questionable music selections. Pam and I are split again...I cast six of my votes for Priscilla and the other three for Marlee. Pam voted for Shannon and Jason.
Next week is the Festival of Tiny Costumes...in other words, it's Latin night!
Cheryl Crow will be in the ballroom for results.
Congratulations to Memphis for an outstanding season, but our national champion is Kansas. The Jayhawks came back from a 9 point deficit to force overtime, sealing the deal with a 24-8 run at the end of the game and in the OT.
Rock chalk Jayhawk y'all!
Superb post, thanks Trav.
I'm not getting round as much as I would like to, I wish real life would go away and stop hitting me with stuff that needs dealing with.
Lol!