Dance of the Day… Let’s Quickstep!

Let’s Quickstep!

We’re sharing 5 different quicksteps, hopefully you’ll find them a good cross of the 12 seasons. I will admit that 2 of them were picked because I decided to play favorites, and the others were random finds, or ones that I enjoyed seeing the first time, that I remembered. Scratch that…. One was random. And, I REALLY wanted only 3 quicksteps. I couldn’t figure out which ones to not review this time.

First, from season 1, I found Joey McIntyre and Ashly DelGrosso. They performed the quickstep during Week 2, to “You’re the One That I Want,” by John Travolta and Olivia Newton John, from the movie Grease. Honestly, I picked this one simply because I didn’t know all of the cast from Season 1, and when I typed in dwts season 1 quickstep into the search on youtube, this is the first one I found.

JOEY MCINTYRE AND ASHLY DEL GROSSO SEASON 1

Hmmm….. It’s funny, I was expecting Len to say something about his bum sticking out…. How many times in subsequent seasons, has Len said that to? Anyway, Joey and Ashly scored an 8, 7, 6 for 21 points.

Next, from season 3, I picked Monique Coleman and Louis Van Amstel. They performed the quickstep during week 7, to “Luck Be a Lady” by Frank Sinatra. I picked this one, because Monique is my favorite partner for Louis on the show. I know many people loved Kelly, but I do think that Monique was a great match for Louis, and I LOVED the intricate choreography that he gave her throughout the entire season, and she rose to the occasion. And something she says during the package was really true for that season.

MONIQUE COLEMAN AND LOUIS VAN AMSTEL SEASON 3

Monique and Louis scored a 9, 9, 9, for a total of 27 points.

Next, from season 5, I picked Helio Castroneves and Julianne Hough, because it’s one of my favorite quicksteps, and my favorite partnership. They performed the quickstep in week 8, to “Hey, Pachuco,”by Royal Crown Review from the movie The Mask. That season, I went to youtube, and found that scene in the movie, and sat there and marveled that she was able to match the movie so well, and still keep it a quickstep. Well, I thought, anyway.

HELIO CASTRONEVES AND JULIANNE HOUGH SEASON 5

Helio and Julianne received a 10, 10, 10 for 30 points.

I didn’t mean to pick 2 from the same season, it just happened that way. I ended up liking them both. I really meant to cut one, but I couldn’t decide. So we get to see both!

Evan Lysacek joined us in Season 10, fresh off the Olympics. And here is where I admit to NOT watching any of the Olympics, so I honestly don’t know if he won the Gold medal or not! I’m sure the producers thought it would be funny pairing him with our Russian Anna, but they were really a fabulous pair, and they did bring the best out of them both. I really loved them as a pair, and Anna did some fabulous choreography to pull Evan’s personality out. They performed their quickstep in Week 3, to “Hot Honey Rag” from Chicago. Where Evan’s from, as he points out…

EVAN LYSACEK AND ANNA TREBUNSKAYA SEASON 10

I watched this one several times, and each time I noticed something that made me think….. Some I won’t mention. But, it did start to bother me how long it took them to get into hold, so I TRIED to watch again to figure out exactly how long, and the closest I got was AROUND 15 seconds. I’d heard before that they supposedly get 10 seconds at the beginning and 10 seconds at the end to “do what they want” to start and finish the dance, but it seems that over the seasons, the judges play fast and free and only use that rule for those they want to, and disregard it for those they want to. ANYWAY, Evan and Anna received a 9, 8, 9 for 26 points.

Also in Season 10, the rulebreaking quickstep…. It’s been discussed to death, so I won’t say anything….. But I do like it, it is one of my favorites. And yes, they break hold, but there are others who have, also. Without being penalized. They danced to “Anything Goes,” by Cole Porter.

NICOLE SCHERZINGER AND DEREK HOUGH SEASON 10

After all of the verbal whiplash from the judges, I don’t think in any way, that Bruno’s score matched what he said. Len? Yes. Carrie Ann? Who understands her thinking, anyway? Nicole and Derek received an 8, 6, 9 for 23 points.

Rewatching these, though, I found how OBVIOUS Len got, in making it SO much tougher for the better dancers…. I really love both Nicole and Helio’s quicksteps, they’re probably my favorites. And, their teachers are my favorites, too. But, I think Len was MUCH easier on Helio, than he was Nicole. I do think both lived up to their potential, but I think Len held Nicole to a higher standard, and he was much harsher on her while critiquing. And BOTH broke hold, which is a no-no, but Nicole was harshly penalized, while Helio wasn’t. Hmmm…..

I think I just like the quickstep. And the rumba. And the foxtrot. And…..