Trav's Thoughts

Before we get to the Dancing, let me just say that it was two years ago today that I started Trav's Thoughts with this post. Since that post, I've written 759 posts and had more than 20,500 visits. That is mind boggling!

I feel like this blog is in a "marking time" phase. And I've decided I'm ok with that. I post what I can, when I can.

So as we head into the wacky holiday season, and a month of NaNoWriMo stress and tension, plus the continuing adventure of my certificate program, let me say a big THANKS to all of my blog pals.

Now let's cue that theme music!

It's live from Hollywood!

We're down to 7 pairs and they'll all be dancing an old school hip hop group number at the end of the show. That's an un-judged performance, strictly for our votes. These are usually wacky and a bit dangerous, but always fun.

And tonight we have special guest judge Michael Flatley sitting in for Len Goodman.



The couples are dancing all different styles.

Maurice and Cheryl dance Viennese Waltz. This needs to be elegant, flowing, romantic, and beautiful. The music to be at too fast a tempo. It was a good song to Waltz to, Gravity from John Mayer, but the band played it too fast. The dance didn't seem very musical. The movement seemed completely disconnected from the music. Plus it was choppy. That's a shame. Cheryl's choreography looked rushed and Maurice didn't look comfortable. We will give him props for his technique and posture, which continues to improve each week, but the romance was missing as was the lovely rise and fall. Judges say 7's across for a total of 21.

Lance and Lacey dance Jive. It's time for Lance to step up. Lacey gave him 15 seconds on his own at the top of the number and he nailed it. And then he was totally over the top with his facial expressions, perfectly in character with a Jive, while controlling the choreography and really performing like a professional for the first time this season. The guy is a professional entertainer and he finally looked like one. That was terrific! Lacey's choreography was outstanding and the whole performance was excellent. It was a classic Jive with the right music and the right costumes. YAY! Judges say 9's across for a total of 27.

Susan and Tony dance Mambo. She looks much more animated in this dance. She's still a bit careful in her movement, but this is an improved effort over the oh-so-delicate choreography from last week. She did very well with the character and spirit of the dance. We love how classy she is on the floor. She did look like she enjoyed herself. We thought she missed on a couple of steps, which the judges interpreted as her timing being off. But we certainly enjoyed the performance and we thought she took a nice step forward. Judges say 8,8,7 for a total of 23.

Brooke and Derek dance Rumba. Now Brooke has a foot injury. She was advised to rest for 7 days due to a tendon strain, but she's dancing after a bit of theraphy. It's good that they have a slower dance this week, although no dance is easy to do on one leg. Derek did quite a bit of dancing around her and there was more posing than we like in a Rumba. But we understand about the injury. They did create some wonderful moments, but as a whole the dance missed just enough to show that she was clearly not herself. Judges say 8,10,8 for a total of 26. Michael Flatley loved it and threw the 10. We think he looked past the injury to the connection between Brooke and Derek to score the potential if she had been healthy. We think that score is much too generous.

Cloris and Corky dance Cha Cha Cha. The rehearsal footage made us think that this might be a good dance for her, but then she missed some steps and looked a bit lost. Whoa! Corky threw her around in a spin that came out of nowhere! We thought that was a completely missed hold, and it turned into a helicopter spin! Bruno told her she was the only person in the world who could sell such nonsense and get people to buy it. She's such a delight. But unfortunately it's time for her to go. Corky is doing such a wonderful job of guiding her through, but that dance was really unrecognizable as a Cha Cha Cha. There was always going to be a point of diminishing returns with Cloris, and we have reached it. Judges say 5's across for a total of 15. That's really harsh, but it's necessary to counter the fan vote.

Cody and Julianne dance Samba. Geeez. Julianne caught sick this week and she has to have surgery to remove her appendix. Yikes! Edyta is going to step in for Julianne if she can't continue. It's a tough season for injuries and illness. We were just beginning to enjoy Cody. Julianne is doing her usual outstanding job, finding the talent and making dances that take advantage of every last drop of it. But just as we begin to like him, we get a questionable music choice that saps the fun out of the party dance. Samba is supposed to be light, but this dance was more aggressive and rough. That made Cody look a bit mechanical. Now part of that was the music, and the dance was made to fit the music. Still, we didn't think it was a real Samba. Bummer. Judges say 8,8,7 for a total of 23.

Warren and Kym dance Rumba. That was smooth, right up until he missed a step. They told a very nice story. We enjoyed the performance, although there wasn't quite enough dance in the dance. Warren's great strength in this competiton is his ability to pull the audience right onto the stage with him. Unfortunately, the footwork and overall dance was lacking this week. Judges say 8,9,8 for a total of 25. We don't understand that score. It wasn't that good. We think maybe they scored the interpretation of the Rumba, with credit for Warren's charm, and not the actuall dancing of the Rumba.

The group hip hop number is choreographed by Showtime. We have no idea who that is, but then we don't follow much hip hop except during So You Think You Can Dance. That was Lance and Lacey's dance. He was completely in his element with the choreography and the performance aspect. And she was able to completely let loose and go for it. We have to say it was their night. That wasn't our favorite of all the group dances, but the cast had fun with it and that's the important thing.

Here's our leader board:

27 Lance and Lacey
26 Brooke and Derek
25 Warren and Kym
23 Cody and Julianne
23 Susan and Tony
21 Maurice and Cheryl
15 Cloris and Corky

I think I've made my choice. All my votes went to Lance and Lacey. I thought it was their night, and I thought Michael Flatley nearly robbed them of it by throwing that 10 to Brooke and Derek.

Pam agreed that the 10 was too high. She has also made her choice...her votes went to Brooke and Derek.

I must say that we appreciated Mr Flatley for his grace and his encouraging comments to the celebrities. He was a gentleman and phrased his criticisms and praise in helpful language without a lot of posturing.

Due props to Ms Cloris Leachman, but it's time for the dear lady to make her exit. Tune in tonight for results, and a special performance by guest judge Michael Flatley.

Later gang!