Pure Dancing With The Stars: Rate Your Favorite Female Pros
We haven’t done this for a while! If you are like myself, your favorite pros can change with the Seasons and when we see new people or couples dance…and/or if they grow personally or change up their dancing. So, let’s begin with rating our favorite female pros in order from your favorite to your least favorite. Then in a few days or so, we will rate our favorite male pros in order.
I’ll start us out. My favorite female pros in order at this time are;
1. Peta Murgatroyd -This girl has had my attention for several Seasons now when I first ran onto some clips of her dancing in “Burn The Floor” on You Tube. I was immediately drawn to her compassion and she was so photogenic. She has this way of dramatically and magically soaking up and eating up the camera and the stage. You feel all of her emotion.
2. Edyta ΕliwiΕska -Edyta is a close second behind Peta. In fact, at times, I’ll still put her in first place. “Compassion” is key here again. I’ve always loved her long hair too.
3. Anna Trebunskaya -Same as above for Anna! I also love her fiery Russian humor. Her red hair is just gorgeous. I always look forward to Anna dancing. I especially like how she incorporates ballet into her dancing and choreography on the show. She dances so romantically much like Edyta.
4. Kym Johnson -Kym really fascinates me because she has that Bjorn Borg tennis mentality on the dance floor and competing. She gets in a zone of concentration and doesn’t need all the attention and hoopla that comes with it after hours. She’s like a quiet lioness who breaks out when she hits the stage. One must never count her and her partners out and she reminds us of that almost every season.
5. Oksana Dmyrenko -Oksana grabbed my attention with the Troupe last Season. She’s full of compassion as well. I love her expressions and her super long hair which I hope she never cuts. I love the way it can swirl around her partners when she dances which makes her unique. I look forward to watching her growth.
6. Karina Smirnoff -I have this on and off again like for Karina. There have been a few times when she’s been more absorbed with herself. But, when Karina concentrates on just her partners and her choreography, she’s like fire and ice coming together. We saw another side to her last season with Ralph. I hope we see that again from here on out.
7. Cheryl Burke -My Dad will kill me when he sees I’ve rated Cheryl this low, but, she’s just never really done much for me. She’s such a physical dancer and sometimes I think she over powers her partners. I like it when she dances with Maks though. Their sex appeal is unstoppable together. π
8. Chelsie Hightower -Chelsie is ok, but, I’ve never seen the big deal about her much either. I do like it when she dances with Mark though. She’s also got a sweet and genuine personality.
9. Lacey Schwimmer -I haven’t always been a big fan to Lacey. But, I’ve come to respect her creativity, choreography, and humor…especially these last few Seasons with Kyle Massey and Mike Catherwood. But, sometimes she’s all a bit too much and in your face. So, well….
Ok, it’s your turn! We look forward to your ratings!! π
1. Anna T.: A great and exuberant dancer but I’m all about the quirk and personality and she has tons to spare. Beautiful, bad ass and hilarious. She’s almost better when she gets bad partners (I actually found her and Evan really boring, except for that hot mess futuristic dance).
2. Cheryl: Perhaps the best female choreographer on the show? Beautiful, graceful, always up for a challenge (those crazy heels when she was with Rick!). She’s due for another win.
3. Kym: I didn’t enjoy her at first but boy has she grown on me. Shes an amazing choreography, incredibly smart about how to use her partners’ strengths and has a very sweet and appealing personality.
3. Edyta: I mean how can you not rank the wearer of the skimpiest outfits in television history in the top 5? Way underrated with beautiful lines and (in general) a unflappably sweet demeanor.
5. Karina: She always gives it her all and other than Anna T. I feel like she is the most intentionally campy and funny. Sure she has an attitude that at times she can’t stifle but that only makes me like her more.
6. Julianne: Yes I miss her. Though she was as much of a favorite as them, she never come off (at least to me) as anywhere near as pompous as Derek and Mark have in recent seasons. She was a beautiful dancer and a fun, care-free persona.
7. Chelsie: I go back and forth with her. She’s a cute dancer and really shines in the pro dancers but sometimes her personality irks me. I like when shes a hardass (loved when she made Michael Bolton use the posture bar) but love even more when shes cooky (the footage of her telling Romeo she had to pee right before they danced was awesome). However, I can’t rank her higher than this due to some cheesetastic (and not in a good way) dances shes been a part of (looking at you Romeo waltz to My Heart Will Go On).
1)Kym
2)Anna T:
3)Edyta
4)Karina
5)Cheryl
6)Lacey
7)Peta
8)Oksana
9)Chelsie
1.Anna T – IMO – best choreographer/dancer (male or female) on the show
2.Cheryl – right after Anna in choreography. I love her pro dances – she generates chemistry with everyone – a huge plus.
3.Kym – I don’t think we have seen her best yet! I really don’t think she’s had THE partner yet that will give us Kym at her most incredible.
4.Edyta – amazing dancer – I find her choreography too much about her & not enough about the partner.
5.Karina – ditto comments about Karina – I enjoy her pro dances more than those with her celebrity partner
6.Chelsie – I haven’t seen the great choreography yet. I love her in the pro dances – not so much in the competition on DWTS.
7.Lacey – I have never really figured her out, and I’m not crazy about her choreography. Too ‘in your face’ for me. Great in pro dances though.
1. Kym. Fantastic choreography, perfect attitude (it’s all about her celeb, not her), and a no-drama approach. Got to go with “She of the Awesome Boobage ™”.
2. Anna T. – I think AnnaTMakimFTW said it well.
3. Cheryl – Good choreo, good work ethic, good dancer.
4. Chelsie – She’s got that exuberant “girl next door” thing down. Needs to pick the choreo up a notch, IMO.
5. Karina – Firey, sometimes petulant. She can get on my nerves sometimes, but a great dancer.
6. Peta
7. Oksana
8. Anyone who is NOT named Lacey, and finally:
LAST: Lacey. The antithesis of Kym – it’s ALL about Lacey: costumes, choreo geared for the pro and not the celeb, drama piled on top of drama…
1. Kym – Compassionate, nurturing to her partners and always comes up with fun choreography.
2. Anna – How can you not love the Russian redhead?
3. Cheryl – She’s won twice for a reason, and she’s got a heart of gold.
4. Peta – Gorgeous dancer and eye-catching on the floor. You can tell she absolutely loves her job.
5. Chelsie – She’s come a long way for me. At first, I thought, “Get rid of this kid.” But she’s matured and grown, and I love watching her coach her partners.
6. Karina – Still not in love with some of her dances or costumes, but she’s started to show a softer side lately, and I dig it.
7. Anyone else other than Lacey. I agree with @Sally. It’s always about her, and she’s just too much. Needs to sit out a season, IMO.
Vogue, when are we doing the men? π
Great replies so far Everyone. Thank you!! So far, it looks like Kym and Anna are your top favorites.
Magnolia, we’ll do the guys very soon….this week some time. π Thanks for asking.
1. Kym mixes up choreography really well and can wear anything.
2. Anna T. she’s good with choreography. Good work ethic.
3. Edyta because she is an awesome dancer. Like Kym can wear anything. Got stuck with some not so good partners.
4. Cheryl only because of who’s left. Don’t like her smart ass attitude but great choreography. She pushes to hard for chemistry when it’s just not there.
5. Chlesie not too good choreography but can be spunky and elegant (esp. with pro dancers).
6. Karina dances too much for herself and I can’t stand all her pouting during judges comments and scores.
7. Lacey. Hope she takes up her music career.
1- Cheryl Burke
2- Karina Smirnoff
3- Chelsie Hightower
4- Lacey Schwimmer
5- Kym Johnson
6- Anna T.
1. Karina: I became a huge fan of hers last season (although I liked her in previous seasons, too) with Ralph. She really got to “shine” with him, and I love her choreography. An amazing dancer, too.
2. Anna: Fun personality, and love her sense of humor. Also a great dancer and choreographer.
3. Edyta: She seems so sweet and patient. I’m sad she’s no longer on DWTS. Also an amazing dancer and choreographer.
4. Kym, fun personality.
4. Cheryl seems like a great teacher.
5. Chelsie
6. Lacey
Kym,
1. Kym Johnson – Best female choreographer for me! She is fun, cute and commited!
2. Chelsie – My history with Chelsie is oold! rs She is my favorite dancer of SYTYCD ever, and i’m dying for her to get a great partner this season.
3. Lacey – I Like Lacey ’cause she has tons of personality and she brings a new flavor to the dancefloor
5. Peta
6. Cheryl
7. Karina
8. Anna
I love it when Maks fan calls Mark and Derek “pompous” – boy oh boy, and people call ME biased?? Okey dokey. π
Well, I have to separate this ranking in two:
one for “best pro on pro dance” the other for “best teacher/partner on show”.
Best pro on pro dances, for me:
1-Karina – she’s fearless, extremely passionate. Just check her chacha with Chmerkovisky’s brothers. or her rumba with louis (season 11, I guess, the one he ends on a split), the 100th dance when she flies (after a not-so-good lift by Jon)…
2- Cheryl – She’s very versatile… One of the best pro dances from show, for me, from all time, is that “Copacabana” samba she did with Louis. And when they danced back to Barry Manilow “They Dance” =]
3- Anna T – because the dances she does with Jon… Like all them… The dance to “Come away with me” by Norah Jones… amazing… “Fields of gold” by Brian McNight… beautiful dance…
4- Edyta – steamiest dancer ever. Everything she dances is sexy. even Macarena.
5- Kym – my aussie bombshell… love her. Remember her on a Season 6 group dance to Ozomatli… great dance…
6- Chelsie/Lacey – Paso with Derek. That’s all I have to say… Well, I think Chelsie is perfect on pro dances but lacks on personality… Lacey is the opposite: lots of personality but think something is missing… think both are more like jazz… dunno how to explain…
Peta is great, but just have seen her on Troupe… so… no opinion…
—————
by being a partner/teacher
1- Kym – absolutely #1. she knows how to work with her partners. Shows the best of them, hide the weakness, is always bubbly and positive. She is far from the other pros, I think…
2 – Don’t know, but have to say Cheryl – she was a “wild” girl with Drew Lachey and go smooth’ing herself with emitt… since season 5, I think she’s though and friendly in the right proportion. (bad chooses are the outfit… how can’t we remember the cop rumba with Rick?)
3- Karina – always love her choreographies. Her costumes is that are sometimes annoying… like that cheetah salsa with Ralph… great moments: samba with Mario, paso and mambo with mario lopez, Romeo and Juliet waltz and foxtrot with ralph… greats.
4- Anna T. – until season 6, think she was so worried playing the “russian tough teacher”, that I just could enjoy her when she gets Chuck. since then, think she’s funny and entertaining… with evan, good choreographies…
5- Chelsie – like her choreographies, but she’s not very “sweet” with her partners as we can see on rehearsal videos… sometimes she dances more than her partner… best couple she did with ty…
6- lacey – when she does good choreographies, she really does good choreographies (chacha with Kyle). but the bad ones… (foxtrot with kyle)…. I like her rebel taste but sometimes she exaggerates… (as mark – and sometimes, derek – did on season 5-6)
7- Edyta – don’t get me wrong… she does good choreographies, but sometimes lack on the content… she is always good with her partners, but never really felt an incredible chemestry with any of them… but I love her. miss her beauty on show…
I’m only counting competing pros, at this point.
1. Kym – best female choreographer, by far. She also is my favorite when it comes to dance-face and all around personality
2. Cheryl – second best female choreographer, but is kinda losing me a bit on the personality battle, where I actually would put Anna T. at #2
3. Anna T. – not the best choreographer, but is an amazing dancer and a great personality.
4. Karina – best female DANCER on the show.
5. Chelsie
6. Lacey
You non-fans of Lacey – she has sat out a season and it has helped a little. I can say this because I’ve just watched season 7. π And for whoever said that Julianne wasn’t as “bad” as Mark and Derek – I suggest YOU re-watch seasons 6 and 7. I actually found I didn’t like Julianne much for her reaction to the judges critiques which were FAR milder then than they are now, believe it or not.
1. Chelsie – I think it’s amusing that people keep knocking her choreography when I think she’s the only female pro to be nominated for an Emmy. WTF? She’s had one partner who could learn choreography and had some natural ability the rest were horrible so it’s difficult to judge her teacher choreography. I love her spunk, her kindness, and think she’s an amazing dancer. Her dances with Dmitry, Tony and Louis are incredible. I’d love to see her do more with Maks and think she’d bring it for an incredible freestyle if she ever gets a partner with natural ability, work ethic and a fan base.
2. Kym. She seems like the professionals professional. She works hard and doesn’t mess around which shows in her consistency in reaching the finals.
3. Anna. Love her spunk. Her choreography is meh. I wish they’d bring Jonathan back because I think it’s great having a married couple on the show.
4. Edyta. Her choregraphy is very boring – probably the most boring ever on the show, but she is so great at working with her celeb partners. As are the three who precede her on this list.
Tied for last – anyone not in the top four. I equally can’t stand the rest of the pros, including the new troupe pros. Yuck. Too fake. Too OTT. Too too much of everything. Get rid of all of them and bring on some other genuine teachers.
1. Kym – wonder choreographer/great teacher
2. Anna – love her dancing, her personality, her sense of humor (and her hubby but that shouldn’t count!)
3. Karina – great dancer/supportive partner these days. I wouldn’t have her in my top 3 before Season 12. I love seeing her “softer”, more compassionate side.
Freida, Cheryl has two Emmy nominations and Julianne also has two. So no, Chelsie is not the only female pro with an Emmy nomination. I like Chelsie but she does dance around her partners a lot. If I compare what she did with her weaker partners with Cheryl or Kym, she is weaker. Actually my thoughts on her as a pro for the show has gone done over the years while Lacey has gone up. Now, I will take Chelsie’s personality in a heart beat over Lacey. But Lacey did great with Steve O and liked her with Kyle.
I agree with most of your list, Heidi but place Lacey higher since lately she has been better. Again, taking out her persnality.
I think Karina is underrated in her choreography. Aaron was annoying but she choreographs great when she has a good partner. Mario, both of the, Ralph and Aaron all danced great routines. But she is not up there with the top three Km, Cheryl and Anna.
Nah, Melissa, Lacey has improved but she’s still my least favorite. Keep in mind, for me, putting someone at the bottom doesn’t mean I dislike them, it just means I like others better.
I’m only going to include competing female pros:
1. Kym- Beautiful, funny, super-talented, sweet temper, and love her accent. I love how she treats her partners & they all love her back.
2. Anna T- HILARIOUS! She has gotten me with her humor with her partners and she is pure poetry when she dances.
3. Cheryl- I respect how she teaches her celeb partners. Her season with Gilles was amazing to me!
4. Karina- I love watching Karina dance because I know I am getting pure quality, instead of BS. But I can live without her competing, as long as she does pro dances. =)
5. Chelsie- I do like Chelsie, but I just don’t think we’ve seen the best from her. They finally gave her a good young partner than actually has rhythm … and she did the best she could with him. But I want more from her if I am going to move her up. (Btw, the Emmy nod she does have for choreo is a joint nomination with Derek… =P)
6. Lacey- I admit, Lacey is fun to watch because she is so crazy, but her choreo is not as good as the other female pros, IMO, and her attitude gets to me. She is just not a strong ballroom choreographer and she did the exact same cha cha cha moves with Kyles 3 times.
If Julianne were still on the show, she’d probably be in the top 3 for me. I still love her dancing, but her attitude with Cody and Chuck was pretty bad. I miss Edyta!!!! I wouldn’t mind seeing Peta be a female pro… another aussie and a beautiful dancer.
Same here, Heidi. At this point, I prefer what Lacey does as a pro more than Chelsie.
1)Chelsie She’s been a fave of my since SYTYCD. Chelsie and Lacey seem to be the best all-round dancers (jazz, contempory, hip-hop, etc. ) of the pro-Ladies IMO. I’ve loved her partnerships with Ty, Louie, and Romeo. She seems to be a great teacher and super friendly/down to earth too. As far as choreography, she has hits/misses, but I think she did her best choreo with Romeo to date (tango, waltz, quickstep, paso, freestyle). Her routines to movie soundtracks (Titanic waltz, Risky Business cha-cha, and Grease Quickstep) are some of her best IMO. The best part of Chelsie is her pro-dances with Damien, Derek, Mark, Dmitry, and Tony. My one request would to see her more with Maks in Pro-dance; I like the dynamics between the too. If Nick Jonas were to be on DWTS this season, I think they would make a cute pair, just saying. Do they have choreography classes? How does one improve their choreographing skills?
2) Kym: great teacher, choreographer, etc. Plus, she seems so sweet and approachable.
3) Tie Anna, Karina, Cheryl, Peta
Only ranking the current female pros so I did not include Edyta and Julianne:
1.Kym: I have to give it to her. There’s really nothing about her that I can’t like. Sure, I don’t like it that the two times she has won here in the states, she beat my 2 favorite pros, but I digress. She’s won 3 times total, so that proves it there. She’s the only female to do so, and that’s pretty dang special if you ask me. Plus, she genuinely seems to care about her partners, and that says quite a lot.
2.Anna T: Anna’s got something about her that is so lovable to me. Sure, she may have come across a bit bitchy in earlier seasons, but she has clearly become much kinder and softer in past seasons. Dare I say it, she’s funny! The woman has a sense of humor! Also, I love watching her dance with Jonathan. The two of them are gorgeous to watch, and their chemistry feels so real.
3.Chelsie: Maybe it’s because I’m close to her age, but there’s something about Chelsie that is very likable to me. I don’t care if she hasn’t been nominated for many emmys or whatever, Chelsie shares something with experienced pros, like Anna and Kym, that age does not dictate..she genuinely seems to care for the partners, for the most part that is. She’s human, she has her moments when she gets upset or frustrated, just like everyone else. Also, I’d love to see her dance with some of the older male pros, like Maks or Dmitry, more.
4.Cheryl: Cheryl’s another one that has really grown on me these past few seasons. At first, I thought she was a bit stuck on herself and a little selfish, but the past couple of seasons she’s had with Rick and with Chris has definitely changed my opinion of her. Cheryl is a workhorse, bottom line. She wants to give it 100%, and she expects her partners to do the same.
5.Karina: Karina’s only above Lacey for a reason that I will get to later. The reason she’s this low is that she comes across a bit…skanky. It has nothing to do with her past relationships or anything like that, but it seems that if she has a good looking partner, then she’s very interested in him. In any case, I think she sometimes relies a bit too much on gimmicks rather than just simply choreograph to the celebrity’s strengths.
6.Lacey: Lacey is ranked this low for me because of one reason and one reason only: ATTITUDE. She reminds me a lot of girls that I went to high school with, and most of these girls weren’t exactly very nice to me, if you catch my drift. Also, it seems that if she gets a partner that may not be the most coordinated, then she doesn’t seem to try all that hard. I know it’s frustrating to have a student that may not be up to your personal standards, but she could at least try to better disguise her disgust rather than sometimes making it so clearly obvious.
To be honest, I don’t know where I’d rank Julianne since I don’t really remember her. I only remember her dancing with Chuck and with Cody, that’s it. Also, with Edyta, I might also rank her a bit low because of her being a bit “look at me” and a little slutty.
Just gonna do the current female pros…
1.) Anna T. – this should come as no surprise to those of you that know me π I <3 my little redheaded, asthmatic, Boscia-loving Russian! I feel her choreography has really improved since starting the show, and she has showed her personality more in the past few seasons. Very sweet, no-drama, & her sometimes-broken English cracks me up π Love her with Jonathan, too.
2.) Kym – Another pro that has vastly improved since starting the show, and she creates clever, entertaining routines that really showcase her partner well. Also very low-drama, which I appreciate, and of course…the Awesome Boobage π
3.) Karina – Quite possibly the most underappreciated pro on the show, IMO. I definitely think she's the best dancer, and she's managed to make something of some pretty inept partners. Also very low-drama with her partners, which a lot of people don't seem to notice because they tend to fixate on her "pouting" – which I think may be a result of some over-collagened lips, rather than a bad attitude π
4.) Chelsie – There's definite room for improvement, but she's still growing as a choreographer and I have seen some improvement since her start on the show. Seems to really excel with partners her own age, and also manages to stay very professional in the press.
5.) Cheryl – Has declined a bit for me the past few seasons, because I think she may be outgrowing the show and is ready to move onto bigger and better things – she seems a bit bored with the show. Pretty level-headed, and does seem to have a knack for taking iffy partners farther than anyone expected.
6.) Lacey – When she's good, she's great (i.e. Kyle's jive), but when she's bad, she's terrible (Mike's foxtrot). Just bothered by the fact that everything is all about her – the costumes, the choreo, the interviews, etc. Seems a little hotheaded with partners at times. But I agree that she has improved since she started in season 7.
Of the remaining female pros, I agree with Heidi – rewatching old seasons of DWTS has made me realize that Julianne wasn't as charming as I originally thought she was. Maybe the pros' behavior as a whole has just improved since the early days, maybe not – but she definitely had some attitude back in the day, yet everyone seems to want to fixate on Anna & Karina and their "poutiness". I actually really enjoyed Anna D.'s personality and choreography, but I think she is just so accomplished as a competitive dancer that she was unable to inject the necessary "fluff" into her choreo to make it fit for DWTS. Loved Charlotte's personality but her Latin choreo was a bit boring; would have liked to have seen more from Inna, but I think she suffered from having a less well-known partner in a season with a lot of more famous people.
Okay, I will have to rank the current female pros, but I don’t think I can rank them by number…. Instead, I have my top favorites, and my bottom favorites…
Top Favorites…
Kym
Karina
Anna T.
Honestly, there are times that I have not liked Karina, but that could be partly whom she was partnered with. All of them are great choreographers, and all of them seem to be pretty even tempered with their partners. I think, if I HAD to rank them, it would be Kym, then Anna T, then Karina.
Bottom favorites
Cheryl
Chelsie
Lacey
I will admit, Cheryl is a good choreographer, but there is always something that makes me pull back from her….. I cannot understand what, or why, but I can’t seem to connect with her. And Chelsie…. Except for the choreography she did with Derek that both were nominated for an Emmy, I haven’t really been impressed with her. I’ve always felt that the partners she’s gotten the furthest with, have been charming, and grabbed hold of the viewers, keeping them into the competitions, more than her teaching. And Lacey? Well… Lacey is Lacey, and she’s quite the experience.
Three of the pros are tied at #1 for me: Cheryl, Kym and Julianne. I always look forward to seeing them dance and really miss Julianne. I guess Edyta would be #4 but her costumes are really distracting. I keep wondering when something is going to fall off or come apart. Then #5 would be Anna. I like her but she seems to do a lot of mugging. Karina would be #6 because she is a fantastic dancer but has always seemed to be reserved and moody. Lacey and Chelsie would be tied for #7. I like them both but I like others more. I wish Ashly would return. I really enjoyed her dancing and she seems like such a sweet person. She’d be tied for #1 on my list too.
what do you guys mean when you say compassionate? like you can see what she’s feeling? or she’s nice to her partners? compassion is a subtle emotion and i’m not sure how to see that in someone on a tv screen.
“Compassionate” to me means dancing with a lot of feeling and emotion…and that you can feel it in their heart and insides, not just their body or motions.
No one has mentioned Elena. I know it’s been a while since we’ve seen her but I liked her work in the pro dances.
1. Anna T. – wonderful choreographer (as displayed with Evan L.), cheerful personality, combined ballet & ballroom background
2. Kym – good choreographer, daring attitude, good work ethic
3. Karina – good technical dancer, interesting choreography (can be over the top), excellent teacher
4. Chelsie – down-to-earth sweet personality, great dancer (can dance all genres as demonstrated on SYTYCD), choreography can be improved with more experience – want to rate her higher but she needs a decent partner to be able to demonstrate what she really is capable of
5. Lacey – again can dance all genres due to her SYTYCD background, wonderful dancer, decent choreography (although can be too self-promoting when the focus should be on the celebrity), loud personality
6. Cheryl – drives a hard whip, choreography is ok, good technical dancer, not too keen in her personality (can seem standoffish)
a view from a Romanian/German who is closely following everything on youtube :-))))))
1.Kym β awesome personality, choreographer, teacher. Charming dancer, I like her style
2.Anna β witty, beautiful, wonderful dancer
3.Karina β hands down best woman dancer on the show. She is pure dance. I didnβt care a lot for her in the last seasons, but I really liked her with ralph. I hope this is who she really is.
4.Chelsie β cute, good dancer. Still growing
5.Cheryl β good choreographer
6.Lacey β yeah, I donβt like her attitude too much.
Julianne is a REALLY good dancer, but I am not in love with her personality. Oksana seems nice and is a good dancerΒ΄. Peta is really nice and i love her dances.
My favorite 3 are Anna T., Kym, and Cheryl. It would be hard for me to put them in order.
I think a lot of the pros can dance multiple genres (I know Derek and Mark can, for example), but we don’t get to see it on DWTS. I also think that SYTYCD experience is actually detrimental to Dmitry, Lacey and, to a lesser extent, Chelsie. Lacey was trying so hard to be the rebel in her first season that it really cost Lance. Same with Dmitry but in a quieter way – too many props, straying too far from “real” ballroom. I also think it makes Lacey’s ballroom sloppy looking compared to the other pros. But that’s just me. I don’t see SYTYCD as a positive attribute in the slightest UNLESS you are a DWTS pro guesting on SYTYCD – at least then their ballroom looks like ballroom and not just stiff contemporary.
1. Cheryl
2. Lacey
3. Karina
4. Chelsie
5. Anna
6. Kym
Couldn’t agree more with Heidi – Lacey’s ballroom is downright atrocious π You could drive a boat show between her legs for most of her ballroom dances – she really doesn’t close her feet properly. And I’ve always said that I find her foxtrots to be the worst – bizarrely slow, and with her butt sticking out a mile. Plus she seems to inject a lot of “fluff” into her ballroom routines – extraneous steps that aren’t really in the character of the dance. I even think her Latin technique, while better than her ballroom technique, is subpar compared to some of the other ladies on the show – her jives don’t always have the right bounce, and for some reason she doesn’t seem to fully settle into her hip actions in the other dances. I think Lacey’s appeal comes more from her limit-pushing & showmanship than her choreography or technique. Unfortunately, you kinda need both to really do well on the show – all the multiple MBT winners (Cheryl, Julianne, Derek, Kym, & Mark) managed to have the right combo of entertainment and content during the seasons they won. Could explain why the MBT still evades Lacey – she needs to tweak her formula.
And for as self-congratulatory as Nigel Lythgoe might be about how his show has done sooooo much for the dance community, it’s really & truly making a mockery of ballroom. It’s contemporarifying it (yeah, just made that word up) – it’s just adulterating the meat-and-potatoes ballroom steps with moves that are more contemporary dancer-friendly, so they don’t suck quite so bad. And everyone on that show gushes about how great it is, so I think it might give some dancers (like Lacey) the wrong idea, thinking that edgy/contemporary ballroom = a good idea. I think that might be Dmitry & Lacey’s problem, but I blame Chelsie’s struggles more on the fact that she’s still growing as a dancer than anything else.
I like all of the pros for different reasons, so I’m going to be wishy-washy and not offer a ranking.
Kym – love her and her choreography. She highlights her partners’ strengths and doesn’t out dance them. Favorite partnerships were Jerry Springer, Joey Fatone and Hines. She is also DRAMA FREE!!!, except for her injury last season.
Anna – red hair, great attitude, okay teacher. Loved her with Albert, Kurt, Evan and Chuck Liddell. Have also enjoyed her partnering Maks and Louis in the pro dances. Anna and Jonathan are magic when they partner.
Karina – IMO, Brad Penny has been very good for her as she does not seem as sharp and combative. She’s an incredible technical dancer and I especially enjoy her partnering Louis. I liked Karina with Ralph and the second Mario.
Cheryl – enjoyed her with Emmit, Gilles and Chris Jericho, but not so much her other partnerships, especially Chad. ITA that Cheryl has outgrown the show, with the number of outside interests she has, but she’s very popular with viewers and fans and TPTB will find her a partner.
Chelsie – used to be a huge fan, but her attitude and behavior the last 15 months or so have changed my opinion to just a fan. IMO, she’s growing as a choreographer and hope TPTB continue to put her with partners closer to her age. Enjoy Chelsie in the pro dances partnering anyone but Mark and hope to see her partnering the other male pros this season.
Lacey – I liked her partnerships with Steve-O and Lance, but LOVED her with Kyle. IMO, Kyle had as big a personality as she did and they complimented one another, instead of her overpowering him. IMO, she’s had some unfortunate costuming choices that take away from her celebrity and she’s not as good a technician as the other women pros. I like her partnering with Mark in the pro dances.
Of the pros that are not on the show regularly, I wold like to see Ashly and Peta back. I really don’t miss Edyta that much, although I enjoyed her in the pro dances. I would love to see Julianne back in a pro dance with her brother but nothing more.
1. Karina Smirnoff – I’ve only seen her in two seasons, with Ralph and the Jersey Shore dude. I LOVED her with Ralph. I thought her choreography was amazing and creative without being too “look how innovative I’m being” a la Mark. And, as already stated, she’s the best female dancer on the show.
2. Anna Trebunskaya – She and Evan remain my favorites. I love her to death. Her personality and sense of humor just kill me. π
3. Chelsie Hightower – I just like her. Some have said she dances around her partners sometimes, which I think is true for everyone. Nothing against Julianne at all, but she always sticks out in my head as dancing around her partners and/or showing off more than any other female. Oh well. Anyway.
@Courtney – I just wanted to agree wholeheartedly with your assessment of SYTYCD ballroom. With the exception of a few numbers, it generally makes me cringe. Wish it was more traditional.
Chelsie also grew up in Utah where I think they have more of a grasp on ballroom.
Nigel needs to shut the hell up – DWTS made his show possible. If DWTS had failed we would NEVER have had a SYTYCD. Jealousy isn’t pretty on anyone, and particularly not him. He should be thanking DWTS instead of dissing it and the entire ballroom community.
1st- Tie between Anna Trebunskaya & Julianne Hough just because you can’t keep a good Russian down and because Julianne’s legacy still lingers and hopefully she’ll return
2nd- Peta Murgatroyd her elegant and noble leadership of the troupe has really made her shine so much I’d love to see her partner a celebrity in the future
3rd- Edyta Sliwinska she needs to come back we need the Edyta-ness and her FCC regulation-borderline dresses
4th- Chelsie Hightower has been quite the loaded pistol who never ceases to amaze. She still has the fire from SYTYCD
I am later than I would have liked to be on this post, but ah well π
1.Anna T-What can I say?? I love this Russian!
2.Kym (She of the Awesome BoobageTM) Johnson- Kym has got the best attitude of the female pros by miles, and she’s a top notch choreographer and teacher π
3.Chelsie-I really love Chelsie’s sweet and genuine personality. She’s really growing on me and I’m loving her more and more each season.
4.Karina-Definitely the best female dancer. Girlfriend’s amazing. And I’ve been loving her attitude lately, especially with Ralph. I hope it continues, she may move up in my list π
5.Cheryl-I like Cheryl’s choreography sometimes, but others…blah. I feel like she emphasizes sexy WAY too much. It’s great when you do it sometimes, but in almost every dance, it becomes too much. That’s what made it hard for me to get into her and Gilles.
6.Lacey-I appreciate her creative choreography, but like many others have said, she just seems all ME ME ME ME! I really enjoyed her with Kyle and Mike (except for that Foxtrot, good god that was terrible in every aspect).
Okay, here goes. My ranking of the female pros is:
1) Kym – no matter who her partner is she choreographs the best dance for their abilities or lack there of. Best dressed female pro too.
2) Cheryl – I just plain love watching her dance. I don’t always appreciate her choreography, but I think she’s one of the best DWTS has.
3) Anna T – she has really impressed me over the last few seasons. I think her personality is showing more in her routines, and she is a lot of fun.
4) Karina – Her best partners have been Ralph & Aaron IMO. Loved everything she did with those two.
5) Chelsie – Her first season on the show with Ty was her best. I don’t find she connects with her partners aside from being their teacher. The dances never WOW me.
6) Lacey – I just don’t get her. From the costumes to the rebel routines I can’t understand why they keep brining her back.
An honourable mention to Julianne – awesome dancer, awesome teacher. Would love to see her back on a results show performance.
BTW – love these polls & raankings. So much fun!!
I have to put JULIANNE at #1, even thought she is on to bigger and better things with her movie career. I think she is an absolutely stunning dancer, heads and tails above the others, and when she, Derek & Mark were all on the show, it was phenomenal. I really miss her and wish she would return, or at the very least, come back for a pro dance with her brother
#2 KYM: Gorgeous & talented, fun to watch, excellent dance technique and great personality. So great with all her partners and choreographs to their strengths.
#3 ANNA: Ditto.
#4 KARINA: Superb dancer, but too much drama and collagen lips.
#5CHERYL: Consistently good dancing but for some reason, it bores me.
#6 LACEY: Not as good a dancer as others, especially in ballroom.Too over the top in costumes and personality. Its all about her.
#7CHELSIE: I find her dancing boring and mediocre, very ho-hum.
Just a quick question, if I may…I see that Kym tops the list many times. how comes she was never voted to dance the “design a dance” piece?
Design a Dance is a thing that pros with hard core fanbases tend to win. It’s not a measure of popularity as much as it’s a measure of who’s fans want to win the most. Obviously, all the pros are popular, some more than others. But Design a Dance requires a willingness for fans to seriously put their minds into winning it – people were voting hours a day for weeks on end. For the first one, the natural choice was Derek and Julianne (although Derek fans were sure he wouldn’t win because it didn’t seem like we were voting hard) – after that though, it got interesting as some pros (Mark, Lacey) really campaigned for it, which increases their chances tremendously. When you campaign, people are reminded to vote. Maks, Derek, Cheryl (for example) – never campaigned, never said a word about it. Then Mark fans started teaming up with Lacey and Chelsie fans (making it more likely for Mark than either Lacey or Chelsie, ironically). Finally, Derek and Cheryl fans wised up and teamed up with each other – quite a few Derek fans realized that Derek would not be able to beat three fanbases voting against him. Frankly, I’m over Design a Dance – that last one was ridiculous with all the women and just Maks. I also thought the cop out one (where they didn’t want to give it to Derek and Julianne again) was bad too. TWO Dancers, please.
So, while I do think that Derek is likely the most popular male, along with Maks – the Design a Dance doesn’t act as evidence for that theory. π
Season 12’s Design a Dance voting was so funny. The longtime Mark fans fans teamed up with Lacey’s fans but those Marksie shippers tweeted and retweeted the package deal of Chelsie and Mark, with pictures. Even the so-called Chelsie fans did not campaign for her – just campaigned for the package deal. But Maks’ fans were better voters and he won for the male pro.
Not to go to off topic, but I agree Nigel is insufferable in his ego and treatment of ballroom. The show has gone worse with ballroom and hip hop IMO. I hate Nigel pushing lyrical hip hop and the routines that are more hip hop elements, Nigel criticizes. I like NappyTabs as much as the next but they are far from the best hip hop choreographers. Yet Nigel loves their lyrical hip hop. I will take Dave Scott and his Twitch and Comfort routine over bleeding love any day. As for versatile, Lacey is the most versatile female dancer. chelsie was not that great at hip hop. That said, I am glad I am not alone in hating Lacey’s ballroom. I will say though that both sytycd and dwts aired the same summer. I remember Carrie Ann was part of sytycd but left when she got the judging job on dwts. Both shows helped dancing in their own way but Nigel has got to stop with the ego.
Maks fans had a lot of Derek fans voting with them, although I don’t think they realized that. π A lot of Derek fans haven’t drunk the “if you love Derek you must love Mark” koolaide. It also didn’t help that Mark campaigned to win with Chelsie – if he had kept his mouth shut he would have had all the Lacey AND all the Chelsie fans voting for him. As it was, I’m sure some Lacey fans didn’t vote for him. I have a new rule – I don’t vote for anyone who campaigns their ass off for something like DaD.
I just wish they would take the concept out of the fans hands. It tied the pros hands in terms of choreo and as a result it wasn’t as good as it could have been. Same thing with Derek and Cheryl the season before – that was a good DaD, but if the sound selected had fit the dance style better, the dance itself would have been better. As it was, Derek and Cheryl were stuck trying to do a slow Jive/ChaCha mashup.
1 Karina Smirnoff – by far the best pro on the show. She is the strongest dancer i’ve ever seen.
2 Edyta
3 Anna Trebunskaya
4 Lacey Schwimmer
5 Kym Johnson
6 Chelsie Hightower
7 Cheryl Burke – Sorry. I don’t like her
[…] thanks Everyone for your participation in the “Rate Your Favorite Female Pros” post. It appears Kym and Anna were the most popular with our readers. So now, how about the […]
1. Kym: She, I think, brings out the best in her partners, and comes up with brilliant choreography to fit them. She knows exactly how much they can take, and when to push them, while other pros can’t pick up this sixth sense. On top of that, she is simply beautiful and so darn likeable!
2. Anna: A lot of her choreography is beautiful to watch, and she is a lot more passionate about ballroom dance, so she doesn’t let the competition get to her head. I’m not sure what it is; maybe it’s that witty Russian humor, but there’s something about her that draws me in.
3. Julianne: Julianne used to be my absolute favorite pro dancer on the show, and I was so devastated when she left. But it’s alright now, because we’ve got Derek π
4. Edyta: It honestly makes me mad how they don’t give her a good partner so that she can take that damn mirror ball for once!
5. Cheryl: I’m on and off with Cheryl, as for a lot of our females. It really depends on her partner. She’s had some great productions, but I don’t fall in love with everything she does. However, I love her in the pro numbers…
6. Karina: Same story with her. I’m not sure. I never really liked her until this past season with Ralph.
7. Chelsie: She’s young, fresh, and cute, but I’m not sure that she does it for me. Not saying that I dislike her, because I don’t, but I think that DWTS is too overwhelming for her.
8. Peta: She’s a great dancer, and she’s only at the bottom because I’m waiting to see some more!
9. Lacey: Yup. And here’s Lacey, at the bottom. I don’t really have anything to say about her. I like her, and I admire her creativity, but let’s be honest here, shes a Swing dancer, and personally, she hasn’t really made a great impact on the ballroom. Sorry Lacey.