Dancing with the Stars – Recap & Review – Week 8

photo: abc

Dancing with the Stars
Week 8

Original Air Date: May 9, 2011

Annette: Associate Staff Writer
annette@thetwocentscorp.com

It’s down to the final five. It’s also the return of the instant dance. Each couple will do one individual dance and an instant dance – which means they won’t find out the music for their second dance until they’ve finished the first one. They then get 20 minutes to coordinate their choreography to the music.

Unfortunately for one celeb, an injury bit into practice time this week. Ralph Macchio has a leg injury that really limited rehearsal time. This also meant he went into the instant dance with no rehearsal and no routine. Read on to find out how he and everyone else did.

Chelsea Kane & Mark Ballas – 55/60
Waltz – 29 (10, 9, 10)
Len: I think occasionally you put too much emphasis on the story and not enough on the dance. It was very musical…in hold you had great posture. Overall, I liked it.
Bruno: That was dancing of the highest quality. The contemporary touches were exquisite, yet it was a timeless waltz. Fabulous.
Carrie Ann: You brought out a whole new mature, sophisticated… you earned perfection.
My 2Cents: They started out on the floor with this projected water/waves/beachy graphic – very cool. Chelsea is really a wonderful dancer. The dance was very graceful and beautiful. I hated, however, the red lights that were used to light the dance floor. It made the dance look harsh.

Salsa – “Get Busy”
26 (8, 9, 9)
Len: I thought the waltz was cool, the salsa was hot.
Bruno: You’re setting the bar very, very high. The difficulty was incredible. Fully driven, full on all the way through. Right on the money.
Carrie Ann: You did very well with the choreography, but I felt like there was no connection to the music. Great performance, just not connected to the music that well.
My 2Cents: It was definitely a party. She was shimmy and shaking all over the place.

Hines Ward & Kym Johnson – 54/60
Foxtrot – 28 (9, 9, 10)
Len: You’re dancing has such great appeal. It’s just a joyful experience to watch you. Unfortunately, you’re feet are a little bit…
Bruno: That was beaming with a blissful sense of happiness.
Carrie Ann: You’re such a guy’s guy. I loved it, great job.
My 2Cents: I’m not sure the technique was perfect, but the story was darling and cheerful! He did get off balance in a turn right in the beginning, but he didn’t let that affect the dance at all. He’s mastered the performance aspect of dancing very well.

Jive – Chantilly Lace
26 (9, 9, 8 )
Len: All work and no play makes a good dancer and I could tell you worked hard this week. This is a real tough dance and you’ve done a fantastic job.
Bruno: It was like watching Mr. Happy Feet. The energy was fantastic, but all the kicks were flat-footed. You did an incredible job in 2 min.
Carrie Ann: It was amazing. You were on every beat. I loved it. You totally relaxed into the moment.
My 2Cents: He got off the steps a few time but he was having so much fun it almost didn’t matter! His kicks and footwork definitely weren’t the best, but he stayed with the music through the whole thing.

Kirstie Alley & Maksim Chmerkovskiy – 53/60
Argentine Tango – 28 (9, 9, 10)
Len: The Argentine Tango was all about creating an atmosphere –you’ve only got eyes for each other. You captured that feeling – it was hot.
Bruno: Vampish, sensual, sultry, a hint of aggression, just the right amount of passion. Your footwork was brilliant.
Carrie Ann: You’re movement quality has grown from day one.
My 2Cents: She nailed the footwork and Maks did three different lifts with her that were fantastic. She made a great comeback from last week.

Salsa – “Cobrastyle”
25 (8, 9, 8 )
Len: This was a slower, more rhythmic salsa. It lacked a bit of impact, because it was a slower, more basic dance. For me your hips were working, it was oily, you were moving. I thought it was fabulous.
Bruno: I love the angle you went for – a classic, traditional Salsa, but you went out of synch three times.
Carrie Ann: I thought you were totally in sync. I love the chemistry – I think it works for you.
My 2Cents: It was a little slow for a Salsa and she lost her place with the steps a couple times.

Romeo & Chelsie Hightower – 52/60
Tango – 27 (9, 9, 9)
Len: Last week I said to you “up your game.” And that’s just what you’ve done. Well done.
Bruno: You dance like a real man out there. You’ve done marevelous.
Carrie Ann: Someone’s in it to win it. You were dancing like you really meant it. One of your best routines ever.
My 2Cents: I was not that impressed, but I’m not sure I can say why. The laser lights were super distracting as was Chelsea’s dress, which was like a cross between a dominatrix and a bad 80’s bridesmaid. It definitely was better than last week.

Salsa – “Tequila”
25 (8, 9, 8 )
Len: You got it right. It’s a club dance and you came out and danced. There was a tiny incident that no one would notice. I loved it.
Bruno: You got the party feel right, but the salsa is all about the fluidity of the movement, and when you lost it you covered it well because that’s what a performer does.
Carrie Ann: It definitely felt like we were at a club – it was sort of casual. It got out of sync at the end.
My 2Cents: It definitely didn’t look like an instant dance.

Ralph Macchio & Karina Smirnoff – 46/60
Viennese Waltz – 25 (8, 8, 9)
Len: For someone who has had limited time to practice, you did a great job. It lacked polish, and you only get polish with time. Well done.
Bruno: You were fascinating, mesmerizing, dangerous creatures of the night. It’s astonishing you you did what you did with your injury. Credit to you, Ralph.
Carrie Ann: You inspired a lot of people in the Karate Kid Tonight that sprit of Daniel lived on tonight. You did it grace and with elegance. You had a few moments were it took it away.
My 2Cents: They went for a dark and violent theme for this dance, and I was all prepared to hate, but I loved it. The choreography was wonderful. Ralph has a cyst on the back of his knee that caused him to miss a lot of rehearsal time and he was visibly in pain when the dance was over. I’m amazed by what they did with such little rehearsal time.

Cha Cha – “Stuck in the Middle”
21 (7, 7, 7)
Len: I admire your perseverance and dedication. When you have to do two dances and you’re not prepared and something has to give and this was it.
Bruno: There wasn’t any hip action and you lost it a little bit at the end.
Carrie Ann: It’s amazing that you were able to pull it off. The hip action wasn’t quite there.
My 2Cents: This was a true instant dance. Because of his injury they had not prepared any choreography before tonight. The fact that they even had a routine was amazing – they did use some of the team dance stuff from last week. I thought all in all, he did a good job.

Instant dance is always a fun night. I’m amazed at how well the celebs are able to not only do two dances in one night, but one dance that they only knew basic choreography for. For most of them, it didn’t even look like an instant dance. It looked like they’d been rehearsing all week. As for elimination, it’s so hard to say at this point who is going to go home. I really hope it’s not Ralph. He’s been so good and he doesn’t deserve to get sent home for an injury that should heal before next week. My vote is for Romeo. He’s my least favorite at this point. So who do you want to see in the semi-finals? Leave me your two cents!