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Week 8 of Dancing With The Stars had the five remaining couples performing two individual dances.  The first one is a ballroom dance, the second a Latin dance based on a decade.  Gimmicks, gimmicks, that’s what we get this season from the producers.  Like the dance off last week –what a joke.  As if the judges were going to judge the performance and not base the decision on their preconceived notions.  But I digress. 

Here’s my take on the dances, in the order they performed.

Mya and Dmitry.  Their ballroom round was a Quickstep.  Her dress was gorgeous. I just loved the color.  It was a good performance, but I didn’t see the “wow factor” that she claimed was in it.  Len said he was disappointed that he couldn’t find anything to criticize.  Len compared it to drinking champagne – light, sparkling and full of flavor.  Carrie Ann said she made something so difficult look like it flowed out of her body.  They scored 29 out of 30 for their first dance.

Aaron and Karina.  The Foxtrot was their dance in the ballroom round.  Karina is fighting the flu so it was a hard week for the two of them.  The dance seemed kind of jerky to me.  Bruno said he could see how much work he put into the dance but it was tense and not smooth.  Carrie Ann pointed out a lift but also agreed she could see the effort but there was a lack of fluidity.  Len said that he was proud of him because he has worked so hard, no matter the result.  They scored 23 out of 30 for their ballroom dance.

Joanna and Derek.  Their dance in the first round was the Quickstep.  I thought it was pretty good, but I guess I’m just not as educated as the judges because all three of them were not pleased with the performance.  Carrie Ann said  there was a lot of content, but she forgot to point her feet and this was an eyesore.  Len said it lacked body content and went wrong and was not the standard of the quarterfinals.  Bruno said it looked as if she was running away from the scene of a crime and it was not one of her best performances.  The scored 23 out of 30.

Kelly and Louis.  They had the Foxtrot for their first dance.  It was pretty good, but she’s starting to wear thin on me.  Her behind the scenes footage is getting old.  I mean, come on, haven’t we been hearing about her distractions and lack of focus for weeks?  The judges liked it.  Len said her posture was very good and he loved the routine. Bruno told her that when she keeps her focus as she did this week it works.  Carrie Ann said she had a secret weapon (I think it was having the audience get behind her) but if she is to continue in the competition she needs to work on turns and range of motion. They scored 25 out of 30.

Donny and Kym.  They wrapped up the ballroom round with a Viennese Waltz.  As I was watching it I realized I had no idea about the performance in terms of technical performance of steps.  I was drawn to Donny, watching him dance because there is something so magical and magnetic about his performance.  Bruno compared it to a Lifetime movie, and when Tom Bergeron asked if he liked it he said yes.  Carrie Ann said she found it mesmerizing and that there was something very special about it.  Len said that while he was improved in terms of posture overall it was to arty farty for him.  They scored 26 out of 30.

Before the Latin round there was a demonstration of Latin dancing by Tony, Mark and some of the “best young pros” according to Tom.  I guess I was just antsy waiting for the competition to start and pretty annoyed by this time filler.  I didn’t enjoy the dance because I want to see the couples perform.

Here’s my take on the Latin round.

Mya and Dmitry.  Their dance was a 70’s inspired Samba.  The judges loved it.  Carrie Ann called it an incredible dance, beyond belief and perfect.  Len said she delivered two dances of the highest standard and she was on fire.  Bruno did a Dianna Ross impression as he showered praise on her.  They scored a perfect 30 for this round.

Aaron and Karina.  They performed a 90’s themed Samba.  I really liked this dance better than the one performed by Mya and Dmitry.  The judges liked it too, but didn’t give it as warm a reception as they gave the first one.  Len said it was well done, that he really sold the dance.  Bruno said he married the 90’s with the Samba and it was a success (and not the disaster he anticipated).  Carrie Ann said he has evolved into a truly great performer.  They scored 27 out of 30.

Joanna and Derek.  Their Paso Doble was supposed to be futuristic.  If there is any choreographer on the show that can achieve this, I believe it is Derek.  He’s proven himself to be a very talented choreographer.  He didn’t disappoint tonight.  I loved it.  I thought it was more like a freestyle routine for the finals rather than the quarterfinals.  Bruno called it a masterful reinvention of a classic and that it was genius.  Carrie Ann said it was wonderful with outstanding execution but pointed out some flaw.  (Big surprise there.)  Len called it genius and said he wouldn’t know where to begin if given this challenge.  He said that the theme was great and the Paso content was great too.  They scored 29 out of 30.

Kelly and Louis.  They performed a 60’s inspired Jive.  It was pretty good, I think.  Len said she’s been a revelation to him, coming out stronger week after week.  Bruno threw out some Bruno-speak that I didn’t understand but the gist is that he loved it.  Carrie Ann said it was one of her best performances but she still had a few problems.  They scored 26 out of 30.

Donny and Kym.  They wrapped up the night with an 80’s inspired Paso Doble.  I think that when you compare this dance to the way Derek and Joanna embraced their Paso and the theme it was a disappointment.  Len called it the most crazy, bizarre, scary Paso he’s ever seen but he liked it.  Bruno said it was more campy than a drag queen convention.  Carrie Ann said it was hysterical but a little odd and insane, but they did a good job bringing the era back.  They scored 24 out of 30.

It’s hard to tell who will be going home tomorrow night.  I think that after seeing the judges’ leader being in the bottom three last week (Aaron and Karina) it’s all going to come down to fan votes.  If that is the case then I think Kelly and Donny will probably be safe.  But then again, who really knows what will happen.

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This entry was posted on Monday, November 9th, 2009 at 10:02 pm and is filed under Dancing With The Stars.