Dance Lovers

Oh - my - gosh!! This season of Dancing with the Stars has some phenomenal dancing very early in the season. Sabrina's jive deserved tens - it was a really fun swing. Helio also got "robbed" as his jive was outstanding. Jennie's tango was quite good. Marie Osmond's tango was good but did not deserve the high scores received; the choreography and dancing was just not as strong as the others. Mel does a fine job with her dancing and gets overshadowed by some of the super star dancers. Julianne's choreography, strength, and ability is certainly winning me over as one of the top female professionals. Mark is doing a great job with Sabrina. Sabrina and Mark as well as Helio and Julianne will make it to the top three. (in my humble opinion) I don't know who else will emerge: Mel and Maksim? Jennie and Derek? It's amazing that the professionals are able to mold their students in such a short time. It's a tremendous amount of work ... work on posture and dance frame, timing, footwork, steps, patterns, costumes, memorization, stage presence, strength, and endurance. I look forward to seeing more great dancing.

Each dance has its own style. Waltz is typically graceful ... with lots of rise and fall. In all of smooth dancing, do unlock your knees ... as a lot of rise comes from your feet. In counting waltz "1, 2, 3" the feet would correspond to thinking "Heel, Toe, Toe Lower." It's good to practice the footwork in a simple box move ... or in waltz steps forward (also known as progressive waltz steps). The last "toe lower" not only lowers onto the foot but also slightly into the knees. You'll now be able to start the next step with softened knees ... that will allow you to push off from the supporting foot onto the next step with drive and power ... rising up onto count 2 onto the toes ... continue up to the third step ... and lower at the end of the 3rd step. When you do bring the feet together (in closed or bronze footwork), bring them together slowly ... not quickly. Stretch count 2; you think and dance 'one, stretch, 3' ... or 'drive, take your time.' When doing box moves and closing the feet (also in foxtrot and quickstep), you can let the inside of your heels gently touch together ... like placing fine china together.

Learning dance patterns are fun; learning styling can be challenging and rewarding ... and can make your dancing look great.

It is unbelievable that Sabrina and Mark were in the bottom two; it destroys the show's credibility that they were voted off. Sabrina consistently did great performances with all her dances. I thought she'd be at least in the top two; actually I thought she'd win. Apparently fan base support rules the show ... not abilities ... not performances. It's a low blow for Dancing with the Stars.