“DANCING WITH THE STARS”: THREE CHEERS FOR THE CHOREOGRAPHERS
I happily admit to being hooked on “Dancing with the Stars”. All in all, it’s a happy show, entertaining, generally in good taste if you can overlook the over-the-top Bruno antics which threaten to turn this family show into an X-rated version of itself. However, ratings are soaring and the show deserves the credit for turning millions of viewers on to ballroom dance.
It’s always a pleasure to watch the contestants evolve and my admiration goes out to the pros who must make their celebrity partner look good, even when they have two left feet.
Sometimes their task is easy, sometimes excruciatingly hard.
I must confess that most of the time I have no idea who the “celebrities” are. So I get to know them through their dancing. Some disappoint terribly but the majority are a pleasant surprise. I also confess to having a soft spot for the male contestants because, in addition to dancing, they have to partner. And that is no mean feat. By far the one who has impressed me the most with his partnering skills is J.R. Martinez. Karina, his pro partner, really took some chances by pushing J.R. to the limit last week. I don’t think I have ever seen so many intricate lifts successfully performed by a non – professional.
Which brings me to the subject of the day: the choreography the pros must come up with week in, week out, no matter what the talent at their disposal. This has got to be the hardest part of all and totally goes unsung on the show. I really wish the choreography could be rewarded in some way. Maybe a separate trophy at the end of the show?
The choreography can make or break a dance. Sometimes, the dancer is criticized for poor performance when, in reality, the choreographer was at fault. I will hastily add though that it is extremely difficult – sometimes impossible – to choreograph on someone who simply cannot move nor feel music. But, a professional has to make the best of bad circumstances and frankly, some do not. I get a little irritated when I see really poor choreography from someone who should know better. I have a feeling the judges have something to say about this too, in private away from the cameras.
On the other hand, there are those pros who never disappoint. Derek Hough to name one. He excels at the intense creativity needed to sustain a show like this. Think about it. You can have all the dancers, costumes, lighting and music you want. But if you don’t have the dance, you’ve got nothing. So three cheers for these guys who grind it out week after week! We love you!
---Anne Polajenko
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We hope you all had a fantastic thanksgiving week and for the students out there cramming for exams and finishing final papers we wish you luck and hope you all finish this semester well.
Love from your humble blogger,
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