Can you feel it?
After months of wondering, speculating, and searching the web for hints and rumors like Dancing with the Stars investigators - it's finally here: Season 24.
Here we will break down the contestants, the dances they performed, and what is on the line for them.
Week 1 Dance: Quickstep
Can this member of a singing group establish herself as a star on her own?
One of the biggest challenges for someone so comfortable dancing solo is their transition to a dance frame. Val definitely anticipated this, and made sure Normani looked just as comfortable in the dance frame as she was outside it.
Quick hitting, well rehearsed, and body aware. Normani has the physical capacity to make Val a back to back professional winner on the show.
Week 1 Dance: Viennese Waltz
Can this skating celebrity create a new image for herself without the skates?
"What I've learned so far is that this is so different from skating." - Nancy Kerrigan
Nancy has poise that could take some dancers a lifetime to develop, but without the momentum of flying across the ice - she's got to stretch her body further.
Nancy was fortunate to have Viennese Waltz to start the season. It's the closest dance to ice skating, and she made it look much easier than most would. Ultimately, it's going to be the latin dances that become the barrier to advancing.
Week 1 Dance: Cha Cha
Can this SNL funny man show enough to be taken seriously on the dance floor?
"This is the part when you fall in love with me." - Chris Kattan
The Haddaway card has been played, and Kattan & Carson mixed a great blend of nods (no pun intended) to his Roxbury roots, with some solid Cha-Cha.
What Kattan may have been lacking in body rhythm, he made up for with solid timing. Interestingly enough, for a dance as vigorous as the Cha-Cha, he still found the time to stay in Roxbury character. With all of the talent on this season of the show, it's going to be a tough road ahead, but America will have a fun time watching him in the meantime.
Week 1 Dance: Cha Cha
Can the bull riding cowboy show that he can tame ballroom and latin dancing?
"Bull riding is a lot like dancing, but your partner's a lot bigger though" - Bonner Bolton
This time around, Bolton was more bull than rider, but Sharna has a knack for taming guys that get a little wild with their footwork.
Look for Bolton to stay in the competition on the good graces of his abs, and the steady improvement he shows from week to week. He's sure to be one of the most improved on the show now that he's got the requisite cowboy routine out of the way.
Week 1 Dance: Salsa
Can this queen of charisma show more depth in her dancing that just the "cuchi cuchi"?
You may not know this, but Charo has been starring in her own version of Dancing with the Stars for the last 40 years. Which is why, as a headliner in said show, it's odd for her to stop dancing when she's supposed to be finished.
Charo looks like she could film the entire season in one day if they'd let her. She's got energy to burn and fans to connect with. This ageless wonder will stick around further than most people expect, but at some point - even for Charo - her time on the show will have a finale.
Week 1 Dance: Cha Cha
Can this perennial Bachelor create a new image through ballroom?
Not sucking is a decent strategy, being the best Bachelor may be better, but Viall showed that the bar may need to be a bit higher.
One can't expect perfection in the first week, but the shell surrounding Nick and Peta's Cha Cha shows promise. With elements that will develop over the coming weeks, Peta is taking a smart approach by creating a series of reusable dance resources.
Week 1 Dance: Viennese Waltz
Can this Beyonce backup dancer and Mom add ballroom to her dance resume?
"I wanted to do the show because I'm a Mom now. Since Glee ended, I haven't really been dancing. It's just a great opportunity to do something that I love." - Heather Morris
Heather didn't sneak ballroom dancing into her childhood dance classes, but she learned how to learn how to dance. Her week one performance showed a glimpse of her multi-disciplined dance resume, and by our estimation, she looked every part the ballroom dancer.
As much as Mak's TV personality can make up for any lack of talent or effort from the celebrity (see: Rose, Amber), he won't need to over-compensate for Morris in the least. She may end up being his best partner yet.
Week 1 Dance: Quickstep
Can the first baseball player to join the show prove that, like his baseball team, anything is possible?
"My goal is to show my kids that it's okay to try something that you're not good at." - David Ross
Much like his former baseball team the Cubs, David Ross may be the lovable, and unlikely, dark horse in the competition. Ross executed a well rehearsed Quickstep with plenty of character, syncopated footwork, and a surprising level of execution with solid posture. Look for plenty more fun in the coming weeks with Grandpa Rossy.
Ross is just another example of the teaching prowess of Lindsay. Her approach to teaching, the choice in choreography, and her demeanor doing it is refreshing and professional - in a very connected, and human sort of way.
Week 1 Dance: Salsa
Can this provocative musician transition her talents to the dance floor?
"A woman of my age, at 45, is still dreaming big and pushing limits... who doesn't wake up every day and want to win in life?" - Erika Jayne
One can find it difficult to focus when a Salsa routine begins knee high red lace on top of a stuffed unicorn. While Erika promised her Lamborghini to Gleb if they took home the trophy, that car will remain in her possession if Gleb fails to use an editing eye with their next routines.
Jayne has great potential, but will she be another one of those celebrities that is just a sexy-routine one trick pony? (or unicorn). Gleb seemed to stick with that vibe in season 23, hopefully for Jayne's sake, he can help establish more depth.
Week 1 Dance: Cha Cha
Can this NFL player follow in the dance shoes of other football players/DWTS contestants?
"Every single offseason I pick up a new craft... dance was on my list. Go into any club and pull a pretty girl aside and say 'come on, let's dance'" - Rashad Jennings
To breathe while dancing can be a challenge, so to smile while dancing says a lot. Rashad looked comfortable, like he was really dancing to Bruno Mars, and showed a great glimpse of what to expect from him this season.
Bottom Line - Rashad has a real shot at being the top male competitor this season. He's motivated (the term "Free Agent" means that he doesn't have a contract), he's got charisma, and he's got excellent body awareness.
Week 1 Dance: Cha Cha
Can this tough guy show another side to his image by way of ballroom dancing?
"You only win, when you try. You become a loser when you don't try." - Mr. T
There will never be a better entrance on this show than Mr. T's. In, what seemed to be, an homage to the Kool Aid man, T smashed through a wooden wall to surprise his teacher, Kym. If only we could all make entrances like that.
Mr. T's Cha-Cha was more A-Team and drill sergeant than Latin dancing, but we pity the fool that tries to stand in the way of Mr. T's mission.
Mr. T is fighting for something special - helping kids with cancer. As a cancer survivor himself, we could all use a hefty dose of his motivational wisdom, and a regular reminder of how dancing can help keep you healthy.
To continue to do that, he's going to need to continue to try in the dance department. After all, "you only win when you try".
Week 1 Dance: Tango
Can this Olympic gymnast follow in the footsteps of her teammate, and current defending DWTS champion?
Leave it to gymnasts to seek out the toughest challenges. Biles decides to follow fellow Olympian and Season 23 champ, Laurie Hernandez to the DWTS floor to see if she can pull off the same feat.
As if just joining the show, or dancing in public wasn't pressure enough.
For Biles, her enthusiasm was electric, but the Tango needs a bit more of her fierce Olympian side. Overall, it had crisp movement, but still lacked power. Then again, it's the first show and we'll start to see the technique take shape as the season progresses.
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