Fred Astaire Reviews Week 3 on Dancing with the Stars

Week 3 is here, what will be the next surprise? This is ‘prom night’, who will be expelled?

Last week the big surprise was Dorothy Hamill withdrawing due to an injury, this gave a different couple another chance as it was likely she was safe from elimination.

Opening Prom night was Al and Mark dancing the Viennese Waltz. They had difficult choreography which looked rehearsed and overall danced well. I think Ali has raised expectations with her previous performances and I thought she could have shown a little softer ‘flowing’ movement. The level of performance and character of the dance was good.

Total judges score: 23

Escorted to the prom with his partner Sharna was Andy Dick. The entertainment level was really high once again but the other aspects of his dancing are requiring attention. The choreography being performed is clever because it has been designed to hide the lack of technique that Andy currently has. The beauty of this show is the judges score is only part of the vote and the audience gets to decide who they want to stay. The timing was very questionable and that is one of the key parts of the cha cha cha and Len mentioned that any resemblance to the cha cha cha was ‘purely coincidence’. This dance requires fast foot and leg actions and gives little time to think.

Total judges score 18

Ingo danced Paso Doble with Prom Queen Kym Johnson. I was distracted by the use of so many props, this too away from the positive aspects. I counted a motorcycle, fire, balloon arch and a tiara and there was an issue with some of them. The dance had some very good parts including strength and attack which are crucial to a good Paso Doble. Some of the lines looked a little forced and unnatural but overall a good performance.

Total judges score 21

The next Viennese Waltz to be demonstrated was Lisa and Gleb. This was a marked improvement from last week and I feel that Lisa is more comfortable in the smooth styles. I was reminded a little of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers as they had a classy look and moved gracefully. The arm styling and presentation were great. It just shows that every week is a new opportunity to dance to your potential. From the bottom two last week this was much better – congrats!

Total judges score 21

Certainly not in a pickle as she was top of the leaderboard last week was Kellie Pickler and Derek. This Jive was incredible. The moves were in synchronization and showed great character and was fun. It was a great bend of good basic action matched with good choreography and some ‘tricks’ that enhanced the performance. Kellie showed her flexibility and did well to ‘keep up’ with Derek.

Total judges score 25

Victor and Lindsay stepped up to perform their contemporary number. For someone who is a champion boxer this was a sensual and gentle performance which came as a surprise to most people. With his physical strength Victor executed lifts with ease. I think this was his best performance as he showed emotion and musicality and seemed to be feeling this one.

Total judges score 23

Surprisingly surviving last week’s elimination was D.L.Hughley, dancing Salsa with Cheryl. The basic step of the Salsa is a forward break, replacing the weight and then closing the feet, this however I felt was one step forward and two steps back in terms of his progression. I am unsure why when D.L. was obviously nervous why Cheryl would have him dance on a tiny raised stage. It didn’t add any value to the number and seemed to inhibit D.L. In a dance that should be all about letting go he seemed reluctant to do it. Not as good as last week but better than his first week. I was impressed with his timing.

Total judges score 16

Hoping to be Prom King was Jacoby Jones partnered by Karina. Without doubt his best performance to date. The Rumba is romantic and passionate and I saw artistry and connection between these two. The lines were finished and Jacoby showed real maturity in this performance. As a football player he scored a touchdown with this number. I was very impressed with how his base action made his movements look effortless. Jacoby could be one to watch here and maybe follow in the path of other NFL stars who have gone on to do well in this competition.

Total judges score 24

Wynona Judd was up next with Fred Astaire Dance Studio Favorite Tony Dovolani. The song they performed to was Def Leppard’s “pour some sugar on me”. The judges thought this Samba could have been a little sweeter. Taking on board the previous feedback Wynona let loose with her outfit and included a pole as one of her props in this number but unfortunately this didn’t spread to the dancing. Her leg action was lacking energy and strength and if she was able to isolate different parts of her body she would  add another dimension to her dancing.

Total judges score 15

Sean and Peta decided to dance their Cha Cha Cha to the classic village people song YMCA. Sean’s feet were a concern as they lacked pressure which caused them to slide around a lot. There was 100% commitment to the dance and Sean has some ‘showman’ qualities. Dressed as the construction worker Sean showed this project has good foundations and shows promise to be finished on schedule. As this was a fun number it is difficult to compare to some of the other serious numbers the other celebrities performed this evening as the difficulty level of what they did is so much higher.

Total judges score 21

Zendaya dedicated her number to her Grandmother who has recently suffered with illness. This Viennese Waltz seemed straight from Venice and yet Zendaya was not treading water as she continues to improve. This girl has great musicality and the length and slenderness of her arms lends itself well to showing off graceful movements in this dance. Not a clear leader this week but still a confident performance. At times the shoulders crept up a little which she will need to be aware of.

Total judges score 24

Over the first three weeks we are beginning to see some ‘form’ from the couples. Tuesday evening’s elimination should be interesting as I see two or three weaker couples an then a group who are all very similar with two of three couples who are showing a real quality to their dancing at such an early stage.

You can see some examples of the different dances the couples will be expected to perform at http://www.fadsmenomoneefalls.com/category/dance-lessons/dances/ and if you are interested in learning the moves so you can maybe win a mirror ball trophy one day or just want to learn some of the popular social dances you can find more information there about how you can do that.