DWTS Maksim Chmerkovskiy And Hope Solo’s Halloween Samba To Be A Lot Of Fun
Due to busy rehearsals, Maks wasn’t able to pen a new blog for TV Guide last week, but, he’s made up for it today tenfold. Maks writes of how he’s put his spat with Len behind him. He also writes how much he respects and loves all of his Dancing With The Stars “family” (including Derek). Below is what he writes for week 7 and the two dances he and Hope have….
Hope and I had fun doing the rumba, and I’m proud of her performance. It’s not new for Hope to be criticized and to have to prove herself. We had a long conversation. She called me and said, “This is our seventh week. That’s pretty crazy.” I realized that, and I always say during the show every season, “We should all embrace it.” We blinked and it’s Week 7. It’s a milestone of sorts. It’s not going unnoticed in my book. I’m very proud of her and how much she’s done. Even if she’s not good enough of a dancer to compete with some of the front-runners, I don’t look at it that way. It’s the fact that she was given the opportunity to dance. There won’t be another Olympic gold medalist, Golden Glove-winning goalkeeper that will also have an opportunity to learn how to dance. That’s something to be proud of. We’re focusing on the positive.
We have the samba next and a team paso doble with Ricki and Derek, and Rob and Cheryl. Rehearsals have been going great. We started our group rehearsal Tuesday after the show and now we mostly have to work on our solo spots in the routine. Our samba has a Halloween theme, of course, and it’s a lot of fun. It’s just another opportunity to dress up, so I think it will be a fun show.
Maks also writes of the Dance With Me showcase this weekend. I love what he says about what dancing is about….
One last thing: We have an incredible event on Sunday. It’s a Dance with Me showcase in Brooklyn at Grand Prospect Hall. Kirstie’s participating in it and it’s going to be great. Kirstie’s a dear, dear friend of mine and she’s just been incredible. She’s been phenomenal for everything dance. She hasn’t stopped dancing since we last danced in May. It’s an absolute honor to know I was part of her dance experience. She’s been traveling and raising money for charities, and for her to make a stop deliberately to participate in an event of ours is beyond any honor that I can even imagine. We’ll have all our dancers. Val is back, Dasha is back. It’s going to be beautiful. I’m really going to encourage people to come and enjoy dancing. It’s just dancing. No judging. No comparing. No confrontation. Just come and see somebody express emotions through movement. They’re putting their heart and soul into it, just like everyone on the show is. I want people to watch Dancing with the Stars for the dancing. It’s not Judging the Stars. People sometimes forget what dancing is. When I started teaching at 16 in my first studio, one thing I remember was from my first class of 33 students. Their parents came and some of the kids were older than me. I said to them: “Do you know what dance is? Dance is simply an interpretation of what you feel. It’s non-verbal communication. It’s how to communicate without speaking.” When Chaz, Carson, Kirstie, Brandy or Hope dance, they don’t try to be better than others, they’re dancing for themselves and are trying to convey their message through dance.
Much more at TV Guide!!
Note: Late last night, Maks posted he has a broken toe! Let’s hope this isn’t an issue come Monday night.
Picture above from DWTSSeason13 Facebook who has one of the most extensive Dancing With The Stars photo galleries on the internet.
Cute picture! Unlike some, I do think these two get along; I just wish they’d been able to make things work on the dance floor.
Just read Maks’ blog, and in particular the part about Derek. So do I believe Maks or is he just trying to squeak his way out of a PR disaster??? Decisions, decisions. We’ll see how it goes on Monday night. Maybe I’ll see something that makes me believe him. :8
What I really like about this show is seeing the journey of the dancers,not just how well their dancing improves. I think Hope and Maks have turned a corner in their partnership. I think she understanding that the journey is just as important as the end result and I think her bond with her partner is growing. That’s why I am glad they are still here. I look forward to seeing the transformation. I think she has finally got her”aha” moment. How will her Samba look, I have no idea but I really think we will see more trust and a greater bond between them.
Well, Monday is going to be interesting, that’s for sure. The samba is a booty shaking party dance. Hope needs to really let go and move.
I read the blog, too. I was thinking that this whole Maks/Derek thing reminded me of the Smothers Brothers and their “Mom Always Liked You Best” routines…don’t know if any of you remember them. Comedy team of the 60′s…they were so politically outspoken, their show was cancelled by CBS.
Anyhoo, I digress, my point was that brothers squabble, ( I know Maks and Derek aren’t brothers, but they’ve worked together for years, and are part of the DWTS family.), engage in sibling rivalry, and eventually get over their differences, and everyone lives happily ever after. And we, the viewers can get back to watching good dancing.
auntie bellum: I told my daughter on Wednesday that Derek and Maks had probably worked it out already and the fans are still arguing about the whole thing. I too am looking forward to watching some amazing dancing on Monday (and Tuesday) night! I also remember the Smother Brothers. They were very funny!
Natalie (#3) I love what you said! I think Hope turned a corner too. Her rumba had heart in it and I think she completely trusts Maks now, so I can’t wait to she her shake what her mama gave her on Monday night!
so nice how he can just spout off about Derek, make him seem like the spoiled brat who gets all this preferential treatment (WHO got to hand pick their partner this season?) and then just say, ok I’m moving on. How nice for you, Maks.
Damage done….
Temper tantrums come and go I guess. He’s good to know until the next time.
*good to go*
I have a feeling his PR people vetted the blog before he sent it to TV Guide.
To be fair, it does appear Maks is trying to put it behind him. Other than one tweet, he hasn’t been tweeting back to his “haters” like he has done in the past when something upsets him. He also hasn’t made it a point to personally appear on every entertainment TV show out there to give his side of the opinion unless I’ve missed some other than the GMA segment.
The media is keeping it alive.
I wonder how Monday night will be? Will Hope suffer at the hands of the judges no matter how she dances? I suspect any comments after their dance will be kept to the point with no snarkiness from the judges.
Monday night is going to be a lot of fun!! I think the dancers have just as much fun as the audience. Bring it on !!1
Cute picture! I keep thinking that Maks has met “the one.” Maybe he doesn’t even know it yet, nor does Hope. I can see her fighting the deepening relationship, out of fear that her world, as she has constructed it, might crumble. She’s focused on London and the Olympics right now, doesn’t have time for all this romance nonsense!
Candace, I agee. When I saw that picture of them, I thought to myself what a striking, cool couple they’d make if they are interested in one another.
Winter, I wonder how Monday night will be for these two as well? If they dance a flawless dance, I hope the judges will judge and critique them fairly. I hope they aren’t going to hold grudges and everyone can put last week behind them.
I just hope that Maks’ broken toe isn’t one of his big toes… I broke a big toe a few years ago, and could hardly walk for weeks! My doctor told me that’s because the big toe is used to push off when you step – a lot of weight gets transferred to it.