Going in to this week, Kirstie & Maks fans were anxious for them to recover from last week's unfortunate mishap. We had to wait until the end of the night to see if the "other shoe dropped", and sadly, it did. Literally. We have the scoop on that in a minute.
Dancing with the Stars week 4 stars and pros embraced classical music last night and the whole experience was out of this world! . The music and performances were beautiful and graceful, yet explosive and intense. The musical guests knocked it out of the park, as did most of the contestants.
The challenge for the dancing couples was to not let the music of the very powerful 46 piece orchestra overpower the dance. As pro dancer Maks Chmerkovskiy said, it’s more challenging to choreograph to orchestra than it is to regular music because orchestra doesn’t have beats to follow. In spite of these challenges, all the couples did amazing work this week:
Romeo & Chelsie paso doble: All I can say about these two is WOW. Len called it intense, very aggressive, very passionate, but as usual took issue with a shirtless man on the dance floor and said Romeo still needs more precision. Bruno thought it was powerful and that Romeo got it right with difficult music; Carrie called it a paso with swagger. Carrie 7, Len 8, Bruno 8
Kendra & Louis Viennese Waltz: If not her dancing, then her mouth is going to send her home. We saw in the rehearsal clip that her whole attitude toward ballroom dancing was really poor, and I don’t think the judges care for that too much. She had some missteps in her performance which Bruno noted. Carrie accused of her of being afraid to be elegant. Len chastised Bruno for forgetting that these contestants are beginners but he had nothing positive to say about her dance. Carrie 6, Len 6, Bruno 6. Her song was “Time to Say Goodbye”, which could prove to be an omen.
Sugar Ray & Anna Viennese Waltz: This was a delightful and upbeat waltz for the most part. I tend to think if Anna could have made it a little less childlike, they may have fared better with the judges’ scores. Carrie said it had sparkle and was charming. Len called Ray the ‘sugar plum fairy’ and was entertained. Bruno said it had cartoonish charm but was effective. Carrie 7, Len 7, Bruno 7.
Petra & Dmitri paso doble: Everyone knew it would be a challenge for Petra to take on the aggressive intense character of the paso doble, but she pulled it off. Len didn’t think she could do it, but admitted to being more impressed than depressed. Bruno got carried away with her character, and caused a ruckus with his comments and gyrating, much to Carrie’s embarrassment. Carrie felt it was a powerful, passionate, brand new Petra. Carrie 8, Len 7, Bruno 8.
Ralph & Karina waltz: Overall, this was a moving and beautiful interpretation of Romeo & Juliet. I thought I saw an error with his footwork, but the camera quickly panned up. Bruno called it brilliant storytelling. Carrie said Ralph has an honest connection to the emotions. Len said after 2 weeks, Ralph’s back from the wilderness. Carrie 8, Len 8. Bruno 9. And incidentally, no mention was made of a creepy hand nor of the Karina/Playboy scandal.
Hines & Kym paso doble: Another WOW and a standing ovation. Carrie said Hines was in the zone and got a touchdown. Len offered up a measly “doing great”, while Bruno says Hines has the killer instinct. Carrie 9, Len 8, Bruno 8. And the audience booed!
Chelsea & Mark Viennese Waltz: Dancing to the theme from Harry Potter, their dance rightly embodied the whimsical with youthful exuberance. But, once again, Mark stepped outside traditional choreography and was spanked. Len tells Chelsea every time he sees her, something about him just jars him, and it wasn’t a compliment. Next he accused Mark of failing to interpret a 300 year old traditional dance and told him to stop distracting Chelsea. Bruno came to Mark’s rescue again, calling it a magical and fabulous, and technically speaking, the best dance of the night. And Bruno was out of his chair once again. This time tie breaker Carrie sided with Bruno. Carrie 9, Len 8, Bruno 9. As before, Mark defended himself stating that he was simply trying to incorporate 300 year old moves with some new ones.
Chris & Cheryl paso doble: A very powerful and wonderfully choreographed paso. Bruno called it majestic, likening Chris to the God of Thunder, and marveled at his ability to hit all the accents in the music. Carrie felt he was so connected to the music and lauded his form and technique. Perhaps still crabby from beating up on Mark, Len said Chris let the music conquer him. Carrie 8. Len 7, Bruno 8.
Kirstie & Maks waltz: Unfortunately, their comeback dance after last week’s fall was not without incident. So Kirstie’s shoe fell off as she was sitting on the floor at one point during the routine (and this time she was supposed to be there). She adjusted the shoe and didn’t miss her cue when Maks came to pick her up. Now, Carrie acknowledged that Kirstie didn’t miss a beat, so why did she have to make a big deal out of it? It did not interfere with the performance. Len panned her for needing improvement in her connection and technique. But Bruno saved the day when he said it was a fantastic, ethereal performance. Carrie 7, Len 7, Bruno 8. Kirstie had a sense of humor about it exclaiming “don’t anyone else’s shoes ever fall off??”
Tom Bergeron closed out the show while holding his own shoe in his hand. So we have Chelsea & Mark at the top with 26, and Kendra & Louis at the bottom with 18. Tomorrow night’s results show will feature the Macy’s Stars of Dance segment and performances by Jennifer Hudson. Dancing with the Stars results show for week 4 airs at 9 p.m. (EST) on ABC.
Always is some drama around Kirstie – cannot help but wonder if some is staged to rev up the viewer's sympathy.
Enjoyed the Classical Arrangements with the orchestra & singers. Still not happy with Burke. Miss Samantha lots. She was the best. Burke just doesn't fill Sam's shoes.