Dancing with the Stars: Classical Week

It’s the first-ever Classical Week on Dancing with the Stars. What does this mean, you ask? Well, it means a 46-piece orchestra, famous classical musicians performing, and Brooke is wearing a poofier-than-usual dress.

A 46-piece orchestra, people! Forty. Six. There was even a montage about the orchestra and its forty-sixedness. Clearly, this is the most important thing to happen to Dancing with the Stars since the invention of the spray tan.

But did the performances measure up to the orchestra?

Romeo and Chelsie
Dance: Paso Doble
Verdict: The paso is a dance that’s all about power and attack, and I think Romeo did a good job. This was definitely his best dance so far, and Classical Week is off to a great start.
Carrie Ann: “That was the first time I’ve ever seen a paso with swagger” – 7
Len: “It was full of passion, it was full of attack.” – 8
Bruno: “Action-packed and six-packed. You’ve got the look of a rising star.” – 8

Kendra and Louis
Dance: Viennese Waltz
Verdict: Kendra wanted to do a Mafia-themed Viennese Waltz, which is … definitely a first. Her performance was okay, but lacked grace and finesse. Still, I think she is continuing to improve, and Louis’s choreography was lovely.
Carrie Ann: “I see that you’re trying really hard. It’s like you’re afraid of elegance.” – 6
Len: “It had flow, it had good movement.” – 6
Bruno: “You should transform yourself, become one with the music.” – 6

Sugar Ray and Anna
Dance: Viennese Waltz
Verdict: Sugar Ray and Anna were unfortunately assigned a piece from The Nutcracker, which is tough when the music is so familiar and inherently associated with things like: grace, softness, perfection. And this wasn’t really any of those things. But that smile is worth a couple thousand votes!
Carrie Ann: “It was like watching a sixth-grade performance. I fell in love with that dance.” – 7
Len: “The more I got into it, the more I smiled.” – 7
Bruno: “It had a wonderful cartoony start.” – 7

Petra and Dmitry
Dance: Paso Doble
Verdict: Oh geez, this was a difficult piece of music. Unfortunately, Petra lacks the aggression and the oomph that the paso really requires. It was a good effort, but they got swallowed up by the bombastic music.
Carrie Ann: “Petra, you are on a roll.” – 8
Len: “I would have liked more authority in your feet and your legs.”- 7
Bruno: (removes jacket, wiggles, writhes, yells incomprehensibly) – 8

Ralph and Karina
Dance: Waltz
Verdict: Ralph and Karina danced to Romeo and Juliet, and it was certainly romantic. It was like a really beautiful wedding dance, with lots of clean lines and smooth transitions. After stumbling a little bit last week, Ralph definitely has his mojo back.
Carrie Ann: “When you dance, you’re so honest.” – 8
Len: “You’ve been in the wilderness for two weeks … you’re back!” – 8
Bruno: “Brilliant storytelling through dancing.” – 9

Hines and Kym
Dance: Paso Doble
Verdict: There’s the paso we’ve been waiting for! This has power, strength, passion , and good technique – a winning combination by anyone’s standards. Hines has really become the one to watch this season.
Carrie Ann: “Touchdown on the paso doble!” – 9
Len: “You are the most determined of all of our celebrities.” – 8
Bruno: “Oh yes, you do have the killer instinct – truly explosive.” – 8

Chelsea and Mark
Dance: Viennese Waltz
Verdict: Um, the Harry Potter theme? Really? I mean, fine, but it sort of forces them to do something weird and wacky again. It was a good performance, but I worry that once again, this will be too out-of-the-box for the judges and America.
Carrie Ann: “That was fantastic – Chelsea, you’re in your stride.” – 9
Len: “Why is it that every time I see you there’s something I don’t like?” – 8
Bruno: “It was magical fabulous.” – 9

Chris and Cheryl
Dance: Paso Doble
Verdict: I didn’t think it was possible to have a quiet paso doble, but this was just that. It had a really slow build, but it was well-executed. I dunno, I guess I expected more drama from Chris? More … power? (Accidental Tim Taylor reference)
Carrie Ann: “That was a really hard dance. Your technique is really good” – 7
Len: “The dance wasn’t bad. The music conquered you.” – 7
Bruno: “The god of thunder! Excellent.” – 7

Kirstie and Maks
Dance: Waltz
Verdict: After a rocky routine last week, Kirstie had another incident. Her shoe came undone during the performance and she had to put herself back together during a “floor moment.” How does that happen? This definitely wasn’t her best performance – she seemed off-balance the whole time.
Carrie Ann: “You’re the queen of the unexpected mishaps. I felt like you weren’t in this routine” – 7
Len: “Your posture is okay, but it needs to be stronger. Your footwork is okay, but it needs to be cleaner.” – 7
Bruno: “I thought you did amazingly well.” – 8

It’s a tough call, but if I had to guess who was going home tomorrow … my money’s on the 46 piece orchestra.

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