Trav's Thoughts

It's live from Hollywood!



I spent the day preparing for wonky music. See, Paso Doble is notorious for some of the oddest music selections. But the other dance is Viennese Waltz, so that should make things a bit better.

Do the mixed tenses bother anyone? I've asked this before. Sometimes we're so in the moment that we write in present text, and sometimes we go back and edit because the show aired the night before the post.

The Latin dance is Paso Doble, the dance of the matador. This dance is about the gentleman and is characterized by broad movements and marching steps. The Lady's movement should be like the bullfighter's cape. Paso is an aggressive and strong dance. We turn once again to the pros from Strictly Come Dancing to demonstrate classic Paso Doble.


Viennese Waltz is a faster style of Waltz characterized by sweeping turns and graceful, flowing movement around the floor. The feet should slide through the steps, with no foot rise on inner turns. The couple should move rotationally. This dance should be simple and elegant. And naturally I choose Marcus and Karen Hilton to demonstrate Viennese Waltz. I'm sure I've posted this clip before, but brilliance is best viewed often.


And now for our remaining 9 pairs.

Chuck and Julianne dance Viennese Waltz. We would like to see some real romance between them. They just don't dance like a couple that is in love. We get no sense of connection between them. It was a good performance, but still it seemed awkward and a bit disjointed. When they danced apart, they were simply apart and there was no anticipation for them coming back together. And when they finally did resume hold, it was meh instead of romantic. As good as the top 4 are, Chuck just has too far to go to. Judges say 7,8,8 for a total of 23.

LT and Edyta dance Paso Doble. He was a bit too stiff in his legs, which took some of the force out of his movement. This style doesn't suit him at all. He did fine with the steps, but the fire and passion and drama was lacking. It got better toward the end, but it was clear that he wasn't connecting with the dance. To his credit, he did capture the aggressive character of Paso. But he's definitely going to need the fans to keep him out of the bottom this week. Judges say 6,7,7 for a total of 20.

Shawn and Mark dance Viennese Waltz. We love to see this elegant side of her. She has so much power and when it is contained it's even more dramatic. The judges can't complain about a lack of dancing in that. The content was elegant and difficult in it's simplicity, and stunningly beautiful. Len pointed out some footwork trouble that we didn't see. As a whole, this was the fairy tale that a Waltz should be. Judges say 9,8,9 for a total of 26.

Melissa and Tony dance Paso Doble. And there's the first odd music selection. We did not enjoy that as well as we have her other dances. The choreography was complicated and she made a couple of mistakes. The things that she did well, she did very well. She went for it, but that was not her style. She struggled to be in the right place at the right time. It was an off night in a very difficult style. Judges say 8,8,9 for a total of 25.

David and Kym dance Viennese Waltz. Love the character and story of that choreography to begin. But Waltzing to I Put a Spell on You? It was an odd selection and the dance felt cold rather than romantic. It was very well performed. But it's just not what we want to see in a Waltz. It was a bit confusing. They actually had a chance with Waltz to really put a moment together, and they just missed. David could have knocked that dance out of the park, but we feel that Kym failed on the choreography. Although we liked where the dance started, we didn't care for the middle or the end. Judges say 7,8,7 for a total of 22.

Gilles and Cheryl dance Paso Doble. I need a towel, a fan, and a hose for Pam. That was absolutely amazing. It had passion, aggression, drama, fire. It was everything that a Paso Doble should be. Cheryl's choreography was pure and classic and outstanding. That dance was Gilles and Cheryl throwing down the gauntlet to the rest of the cast. Great champions do this...they put the trophy out in the middle of the floor and ask anyone if they want it. Then they sweep in, knock everyone down, and take the title. That's what G&C have done with that dance. Judges say 10,9,10 for a total of 29.

Steve and Lacey dance Viennese Waltz. That dance worked for me. Steve is never going to be a great dancer. But Lacey made a dance that was true to them both. It played off their need to be different and a bit odd, and they performed it very well. That was a worthy effort. There was a fine story and they gave us a romance. It was sweet and charming and we enjoyed it. If that is their last dance on the show, then they can be proud of it. Judges say 6's across for a total of 18.

Ty and Chelsie dance Paso Doble. And we have Paso to Barracuda. Geez. His movement is very stilted this week. He’s lost a bit of the smoothness from move to move that he had been developing. We didn’t actually care for that dance. He had all the elements and he did the steps. But it was missing the passion and drama and fire. It was a good effort and still so much better than when he first started. It was just not up to his last couple of performances. Judges say 7’s across for a total of 21.

Lil Kim and Derek dance Viennese Waltz. She wows us every week. Whatever she lacks in technique she makes up for in performance and pure joy as she dances. This is as close to a perfect partnership as Gilles & Cheryl. Kim and Derek aren't that good, but they are just as enjoyable to watch. That was a beautiful dance. It was smooth and elegant, classy and sophisticated. So romantic and light, kicked up a knotch with sass. Outstanding. Judges say 9,8,9 for a total of 26.

Here's our leader board:

29 Gilles and Cheryl
26 Shawn and Mark
26 Kim and Derek
25 Melissa and Tony
23 Chuck and Julianne
22 David and Kym
20 LT and Edyta
21 Ty and Chelsie
18 Steve and Lacey

When Pam was able to pull herself back together, she voted exclusively for Gilles. My votes split between Shawn and Melissa.

Tune in later for the return of the dance off for the two couples with the least amount of votes. I'll have encores and results tomorrow.

Congratulations to 2009 National Champion North Carolina. The Tarheels raced out to a huge lead against Michigan State and never looked back. The game was never really competitive.

Best of luck to the seniors from both schools...

From MSU - Marquise Gray, Idong Ibok, Goran Suton, Travis Walton

From UNC - Mike Copeland, Bobby Frasor, Marcus Ginyard, Danny Green, Tyler Hansbrough, Patrick Moody, JB Tanner, Jack Wooten

North Carolina's One Shining Moment