Latin dancing can be revealing. For some, that comes in the form of a sexy outfit, for others it can be a dance technique, or body action they didn't know they had.
Most importantly, Latin Dancing reveals a new type of attitude for dancers. A sexy and brazen alter ego that only comes out when certain music is playing, or with just the right margarita.
This week there were plenty of revealing moments, and here is our breakdown of Latin Dance Week on DWTS 23.
The Dancers: Maureen and Artem The Dance: Samba The Song: “Mas Que Nada” by Sergio Mendes featuring The Black Eyed Peas
This looked like a Lifetime Movie with a Summer Blockbuster budget. Everything from the costuming to the background dancers did nothing more than fail to distract the audience from the actual Samba dancing - which actually wasn't bad.
Had the routine been built around Maureen's strengths - leg lines and great posture - maybe the grandiose spectacle wouldn't have caused her to look so rattled.
Quote from Last Week
"Starting immediately with a Samba would be like learning to drive on the freeways in Southern California. This week will present as big a challenge to Maureen as the first episode, but if she rises to that challenge - it will shed a new light on her trajectory on the show. "
The Dancers: Calvin and Lindsay The Dance: Argentine Tango The Song: “Hotel California" by the Eagles
That cartwheel lift may be the greatest move executed by an amateur on this show. In fact, this routine as a whole seemed to fall under unneeded scrutiny for some mainly bogus reasons.
1. The Song - there are certain things you don't mess with: Texas, another man's Harley, and the most iconic Eagles song ever recorded, "Hotel California". Had this been performed to a more traditional Argentine Tango, people would have gobbled it up. But sometimes people can't wrap their brains around popular music being re-interpreted in any way.
2. The Dance - Argentine Tango is a nightclub dance. It doesn't have the typical carriage or dance frame of more prominent elegant dances like Waltz or Foxtrot, and for those reasons it could have looked like Calvin was slumped over.
Just because this routine didn't come across as overtly sexy, it was still a jaw dropping performance and is right up there with the top performances we've seen all season.
Quote from Last Week
"The Argentine Tango will give Calvin a dance that is less challenging than the Jive, but will pose a new challenge he has yet to take on: The Smolder. So far, the bulk of Calvin and Lindsay's work can be labeled as "happy go lucky", but the Argentine Tango will require them to add some believable drama."
The Dancers: Jana and Gleb The Dance: Argentine Tango The Song: “Hands to Myself” by Selena Gomez
Jana and Gleb won the sexy dancing shopping spree, and horded every bit of sexual innuendo from this season. They turned the possible sparks of romance into a dumpster fire that the country was forced to watch. Fortunately for both, they are good looking. Unfortunately, the overt nature of this well worn approach consistently shifts the focus away from some genuinely good dance improvement.
Quote from Last Week
"They've taken a very Argentine Tango approach to each of their dances thus far, and this week will give them a chance to push the dance skill, since the subject matter is familiar territory."
The Dancers: Ryan and Cheryl The Dance: Salsa The Song: “La Negra Tiene Tumbao” by Celia Cruz
Watching their opening, Ryan really showing a great effort, and some great salsa material, it looked like the only hangup with the routine was Ryan's costume. Then, just when you were thinking that the costume department may have gone on strike.... the rip happened.
Unfortunately, as the layers of costume were peeled off - it seemed to take away layers of Ryan's Salsa skills. By the end of the routine, and with nothing but some neon shorts, shoes, and a carefully constructed set of artistic tan lines - he was not the cool looking dancer with the ill-fitted costume he was at the beginning.
Quote from Last Week
"The Salsa is an athletic Latin dance, and Ryan is an athlete, but this dance requires more quick changes of direction and agility that isn't necessarily associated with swimming. "
The Dancers: Laurie and Val The Dance: Salsa The Song: “Light It Up” by Major Lazar featuring Nyla & Fuse ODG
For the record, as easy as it would be to have Laurie open with 1/3 of her floor routine in gymnastics every week, he hasn't. He could, but that would be a lateral move, and as exciting as it may be, people would expect more.
Laurie and Val have delivered "the more" every week. Their Salsa is no exception. It started with great energy, body action, and all was tailor fit to the music. There were no props, guest stars, gymnastics, or gimmicks - it was all dancing. Laurie just doing regular young Olympic gymnast things would probably have done a decent job in this competition, but this pair isn't approaching this season with any lateral moves in mind... and that's why they are favorites to win it all
Quote from Last Week
"Hopefully the Most Memorable Year episode taught America that she's talented because she's an incredibly hard worker, and not just the beneficiary of the DNA lottery jackpot. Transitioning from one sport to another... is not an easy thing to do - even for an Olympian."
The Dancers: Marilu and Derek The Dance: Cha Cha The Song: “Echa Pa’lante” by Thalia
Routines are like a piece of art or music - they have a muse, an origin, a point of view that lights a path towards something new and creative. Some routines are motivated by a student's desire, or a great concept by the teacher. In many cases the music is what gives a routine its identity. In this case, the song, albeit a fantastic piece of Latin music, shared a dual identity. While Cha Cha and Salsa share the same DNA, this song by Thalia has more of a Salsa resonance than the latter. Note the predominant use of Salsa halfway through.
Nevertheless, Marilu delivered another age-defying performance, but it wasn't the knockout Cha Cha performance Derek and company needed at this stage of the game.
Quote from Last Week
"... Marilu is a real performer. She's been able to put together a great body of work so far, and these next few episodes will show the payoff of that versatility. The Cha Cha will further remind us that she doesn't look at all like the elder stateswoman of this season. She looks youthful, vibrant, and athletic - and these are all synonymous with the Cha Cha."
The Dancers: Amber and Maks The Dance: Cha Cha The Song: “Bla Bla Bla Cha Cha Cha” by Petty Booka
Starting at the piano, stepping over to a full bar prop, and literally wearning a circus outfit gave this Cha Cha by Amber and Maks all the factors for a huge dance snob eye roll. But then something happened. She danced. Sure, she's been dancing this whole season, and that is sort of debatable, but Amber and Maks pulled together their best performance, with actual dancing, this entire season.
From the moment they exited "the bar", there were zero gimmicks - no jugglers, backup dancers, or another random bar scene. She danced with effort, and from the looks of it, Maks put in some serious overtime working on her leg action.
The Result: Eliminated
Amber was eliminated from the show. While this was expected, it would have been nice to see her go a little further after the breakthrough she made this week.
Quote from Last Week
"Maks has done some of his best work this season, but not for the reasons you may imagine. He's doing the Dancing with the Stars version of campaign managing for a losing candidate, and he's utilized all the smoke and mirrors possible in his dance bag of tricks. This week, however, the stellar work of Maks the campaign manager may not be enough."
The Dancers: James and Sharna The Dance: Rumba The Song: “Need the Sun to Break” by James Bay
James mentioned the precise nature of his job as a race car driver. Well, his Rumba was a finely tuned vehicle that just lost a little velocity toward the end. This wasn't a timing problem, this was spacing.
Sharna has done magnificent work with James thus far. Hitting a lunge line while maintaining great posture is one of those "work hard to make it look easy" sort of things. Yet, as the routine continued, you'll notice his head coming forward, and that space being lost. Overall, this was a solid performance, but we aren't talking about a middle of the pack kind of celebrity here. If he wants to make a case for the finals he'll need this element addressed.
After all, it's all about precision.
Quote from Last Week
"... this (Rumba) is the dance we've been waiting to see from James and Sharna... it is slow enough to reveal the layers of technique he has, or hasn't, been working on. We think it will reveal him as a real contender for the top spot."
The Dancers: Terra and Sasha The Dance: Paso Doblé The Song: “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” by Santa Esmeralda
Great teachers will do what they can to extract any built in advantages their students have. Some are Olympians, others are charismatic, and in Terra's case - this was the first routine that tipped the hat to her diminutive stature, and it was done perfectly. While it probably wouldn't be a great strategy to start each subsequent performance hidden behind a cape, it definitely worked for their Paso Doble.
Cape entrance aside, Terra and Sasha showed a great attention to detail with this routine, particularly with their gypsy arm styling, and side by side sequence. Whenever there is something new or challenging in a dance routine, it's normal to focus all of the mental energy there, at the cost of another important detail. In this case, what Terra gained in arm styling, she lost a bit in the clarity of her dance position. But that's a small detail, and this little lady still had a big night.
Quote from Last Week
"The drama of Paso Doble plays to their strengths, and the only possible liability is the volume of the movements... but that hasn't seemed to stop her so far."
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