Dancing with the Stars - on the road in Wilkes-Barre, PA
The Dancing With the Stars Tour appeared at the Wachovia Arena in Wilkes-Barre on July 5, 2007, and the show was everything a fan could want. This was evident by the loud response from the capacity crowd. Despite the fact that the only “stars” were Joey McIntyre, Joey Lawrence and Drew Lachey, (Apolo Ono danced but he is only on tour for a few performances,) we were given enough dancing and entertainment to make the ticket prices well worth the cost.
From the first group dance to the finale the show moved at an energetic pace. The “stars” were paired with the same professionals who danced with them on the ABC show, and not one of them missed a beat. Garnering the largest audience response was the latest winner and his partner Apolo and Julianne doing the same dances that won the championship for them this season. Drew and Cheryl also did their championship winning free dance to Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy, and the audience loved it. The two “Joeys” McIntyre and Lawrence and their partners Kym and Edyta were also well received.
The audience was treated to a variety of dances, both group and individual partners. In my mind the absolute standouts were the professionals Julianne and Louis Van Amsdel who danced barefoot to Evergreen and The Way We Were. I also feel that their Paso Doble was magnificent. The dance pair of Alec and Edyta showed style and that special connection that only a few have; it’s evident that they have been dancing together for quite a while and their performances showed it. We were treated to a variety of numbers danced by the pros augmented by the “stars” and the “stars” proved that they could carry off the steps assigned. The James Bond number that Kym and Joey (M) danced was very nicely done. That Kym is absolutely gorgeous, as are all the professional ladies, but her legs seem to go on forever! It seems, though, that Cheryl was the most featured of the female pros. Hey, if you win the championship two years in a row, you must be pretty good!
Also featured was a live band and vocalists who were augmented by taped music, but nonetheless added the feel of “being there for the tv show”. The audience was also shown some clips of behind the scenes at DWTS, and included some bloopers. There was banter between the stars and their professional partners, and a comment or two about the judges. Joey, Joey and Drew attempted a Rat Pack type of number, it was nice, but no rat pack. Joey Lawrence has a surprisingly good voice, as does Drew Leshay. Joey McIntyre was pushing his new CD and sang some of the songs; one of the songs, “The Way You Look Tonight” he invited a very young girl from the audience to join him and do a couple of steps. Apolo and Julianne also at the finale acknowledged a group of young people who had a sign for them.
As a time filler, there was a local competition. This we could do without. Most of us came to see the dancers who appeared on the network tv show; not the local public television program. The local dancers did do a stellar job and it was appreciated by audience applause.
The choreography for the show was done in the most part by Louis van Amsdel, and he did an exceptional job, considering the fact that he was not working with ballroom professionals, and probably had a lot of egos to massage. I did miss seeing Louis on the tv show this season, and hope the producers will ask him back next year. The female professionals were absolutely gorgeous, and the males were amazing. How the ladies move about on those thin high heels is beyond me.
For me, it was an enjoyable evening, well worth the admission. I only hope that this particular on the road tour will stir up more interest in ballroom dancing, and maybe, just maybe ABC or one of the other networks will start televising some of the professional competitions. This type of program featuring beautiful women, handsome men and great music beats watching people eating live insects any day.
[tags]dancing with the stars, television, abc, programming, tv, stacy keibler, drew lachey, entertainment, celebrities, kelly monaco, jerry rice[/tags]
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