Don’t these two look hip and stylish?! Last night pro dancers Peta Murgatroyd and Cheryl Burke attended 102.7 KIIS FM’s Wango Tango held at The Home Depot Center in Carson, California. So cute and I love peta’s shoes and shorts. You can view more fun photos of them at Zimbio Pictures.
I'm a fashion and music nut....and I have always loved dancing too of any kind. Dancing With The Stars seems to have this way of bringing all of those things together. Derek Hough (one of my favorite dancers) said at a recent Get Healthy event that ‘dancing’ is an outward expression of what is going on inside you. He says that in some ways, everyone dances and it's so true. To TPTB, how about this song for next season's theme song? Robin G Ft. Wilunleashed - A Good Time (Original) // Download High Quality
We have an exclusive new interview to share with you with dance pro and Troupe Member Henry Byalikov!! He took time out of his extremely busy schedule currently to answer a few questions about Dancing With The Stars. Also, and in case you know, this is a very special time in Henry’s career as he’s also featured in the new movie “The Great Gatsby” which is now out in movie theatres everywhere. So we also asked Henry some questions on his role and part in the movie. He takes us right there up close and personal. Check it out…
Hi Henry! How are you and how is Dancing With The Stars going for you this season? As always, our staff and fans are enjoying you immensely on the show. Speaking of, you choreographed an opening group number for Week 5′s Results show that was indeed spectacular!
Hi there! I’m great and have to say this is one of the most exciting season’s of my Dancing With The Stars experience. Loved being able to choreograph this season! I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did 
Wow, and your help with Derek and Kellie and their Great Gatsby dance in Week 5 was off the hook. What was the creative process like and working with Derek again?
It certainly was a pleasure working with Kellie, Derek and Anna this season. The creative process was somewhat more separate as compared to season 14’s Bollywood Samba. In this instance, I was able to choreograph the foxtrot that Anna and I performed. Once that was complete, it was a matter of marrying the two routines (Derek and Kellie’s and Anna and mine), so that we could make a real performance piece of it. I think that’s where the collaboration started, as Derek, Anna, Kellie and I, all wanted it to be more of a scene performed together rather than a strict side by side comparison. I think it worked out to be more entertaining that way.
This was also the first time, on Dancing With The Stars, that I have performed a traditional ballroom number and I had a blast! Incorporating a Gatsby theme was almost part and parcel of this collaboration, as I had already been part of “The Great Gatsby”. Performing with Anna, Derek and Kellie was a wonderful experience!
Speaking of The Great Gatsby, it’s premiere is coming up on May 10th! Many dance fans may not know this yet, but, you have a featured part in this movie as a dancer. Can you tell us a little about it and how you were approached to help? Read more..
I'm a fashion and music nut....and I have always loved dancing too of any kind. Dancing With The Stars seems to have this way of bringing all of those things together. Derek Hough (one of my favorite dancers) said at a recent Get Healthy event that ‘dancing’ is an outward expression of what is going on inside you. He says that in some ways, everyone dances and it's so true. To TPTB, how about this song for next season's theme song? Robin G Ft. Wilunleashed - A Good Time (Original) // Download High Quality
“Success is not measured by what you accomplish but by the opposition you have encountered, and the courage with which you have maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds.” ~Orison Swett Mardenon on beating the odds
Sports Bovada has posted their new odds for Dancing With The Stars. What do the odds makers think this week? Well, take a look below. Note: for the first time this season, they have placed Jacoby behind Aly. I don’t agree and I hope Jacoby makes a strong showing this week. I still think he is just as much of a force in this competition as Kellie and Zendaya? Don’t get me wrong, I like Aly as a person, but, why is Aly so over-rated and will the judges continue to overlook her and Zendaya’s faults while crucifying Kellie’s, Jacoby’s, and Ingo’s? Sad, and I’m not sure I’m ready for another week of this? 
So, below are the new odds:
Zendaya Coleman 2/3
Kellie Pickler 13/10
Aly Raisman 12/1
Jacoby Jones 18/1
Ingo Rademacher 150/1
Here are last week’s Las Vegas Odds to compare.
Zendaya Coleman 10/11
Kellie Pickler 1/1
Jacoby Jones 10/1
Aly Raisman 12/1
Ingo Rademacher 100/1
Sean Lowe 100/1
Let’s see what Miss Heidi and Court think. Be sure you let us know your thoughts and predictions too in the comments section.
Courtney: *shrug* Maybe it’s the fact that Andy is gone, maybe it’s the fact that voting (either to keep someone in the competition, or in the various Twitter contests) seems to be an exercise in futility, but I just find myself altogether apathetic about the odds (and really, the show in general) now. It doesn’t seem to matter how well any of the couples dance anymore – the praise/ridicule they get will have little to do with how they actually dance, and at the end of the day, the person that TPTB have a vested interest in winning, will win…and right now, it seems pretty clear to me that that’s Zendaya. And oddly enough, I’m beginning to wonder if they’re setting it up to be a close finish between Zendaya and Aly as the last two standing – double-whammy with the youngin’s, maybe? Lord knows…I just find myself puzzled by the gushing over Aly, considering that Kellie & Jacoby have far bigger personalities and Aly tends to come across rather bland. As for Kellie & Jacoby – if the Zendaya & Aly lovefest continues, I worry that they may not be able to hope for any better than 3rd & 4th place, respectively. I think Jacoby may unfortunately get picked apart for subpar technique, and Kellie may be collateral damage as a result of Len’s “there wasn’t enough content!” tirades. Ingo? He’ll be gone this week, unless they really lay into Jacoby…which is possible. I’m hoping that TPTB realize that they’re going to be better off having a good entertainer (Jacoby) in the finale, than another ABC family member who’s pretty marginal (Ingo). But as I said, I’m fully preparing myself to be let down by the finale, so I wouldn’t be surprised if we lost a fun contestant like Jacoby to make room for another ABC pimpee like Ingo. Just…blah.
Heidi: Read Derek’s blog and tell me what you think of what he says Len said to him when he and Kellie were in jeopardy. It does NOT give me faith that this ending won’t be totally manipulated, as opposed to just a bit manipulated as it’s been in the past. It would be funny if Zendaya and Aly split the vote, though, and either Kellie or Jacoby slipped in there. I just don’t get the Aly love fest either. I don’t think she touches either Kellie or Zendaya in talent nor Jacoby in FUN. The fact that I can barely bring myself to think about The Cheesecake should tell you how I feel about this season right now. They just have it SO set up to pimp Zendaya every step of the way. On Facebook, Kellie is wondering why she and Derek haven’t gotten an encore yet – good f*%king question, Kel. Aly’s had two and Zendaya’s had 2 or 3- if you count Team Paso. If that doesn’t tell you about the outcome of this show, nothing does. Lots of visual and audible cues that Zendaya and Aly are supposed to be winners. Some visual cues that Kellie is a winner, but then they hide her completely for a results show and then smack the crap out of Derek the week – giving the audience the BIG cue that Derek’s doing it wrong. Gotcha ABC. Congratulations, you’ve completely shredded ANY faith I had in you NOT fixing the actual outcome. I’ve been backing you up for years, saying you don’t care who wins. Guess Disney got you this season, eh??
I'm a fashion and music nut....and I have always loved dancing too of any kind. Dancing With The Stars seems to have this way of bringing all of those things together. Derek Hough (one of my favorite dancers) said at a recent Get Healthy event that ‘dancing’ is an outward expression of what is going on inside you. He says that in some ways, everyone dances and it's so true. To TPTB, how about this song for next season's theme song? Robin G Ft. Wilunleashed - A Good Time (Original) // Download High Quality
Mark Ballas talks of the continued progress Aly Raisman is making in a new blog for USA Today.He also gives us a glimpse for what it’s been like to choreograph their upcoming Afro Jazz. Here is more in detail….
Aly is showing constant improvement to me every week and it’s been amazing coaching her through this. Her sense of timing is so much better this week. She’s really learning to sustain music and embody the musicality of both dances. It’s especially amazing considering that on the first day, she couldn’t even hear the first beat of the bar. For me, that kind of growth is what this competition is all about — showing constant improvement, coming out of your shell and accomplishing things you never thought you could — and Aly is doing all of those things.
Choreographing the Afro jazz number has really been a blast. It’s got an amazing sense of freedom and wild abandon and it’s so much fun to just let your body go. I love the tribal feel of the music and Aly is taking it on beautifully and is really enjoying the rhythmic feel of the music.
This week promises to be extremely entertaining for Aly, demonstrating two different temperaments of dance: extreme, tribal and powerful and soft, sensitive and sensual.
I'm a fashion and music nut....and I have always loved dancing too of any kind. Dancing With The Stars seems to have this way of bringing all of those things together. Derek Hough (one of my favorite dancers) said at a recent Get Healthy event that ‘dancing’ is an outward expression of what is going on inside you. He says that in some ways, everyone dances and it's so true. To TPTB, how about this song for next season's theme song? Robin G Ft. Wilunleashed - A Good Time (Original) // Download High Quality
This is so awesome! Not only did Dancing With The Stars Sharna Burgess attend the UNICEF’S Next Generation LA Chapter Launch last night, she also made a special appearance yesterday at the ESAT High School in Atwater Village to teach six girls some dance moves for their upcoming prom as part of the school’s “Step Up” program which helps young women to become confident, college bound, and career ready. Sharna chatted with the girls for a bit about their hopes and dreams and career aspirations and urged them to always follow their dreams no matter what gets in the way. She then showed them some of her choreography from her “Run the World” number recently seen on Dancing with the Stars. Her “Run The World” performance will also be performed again during Finale Week of Dancing With The Stars (need a repeat of this performance, see below. One of my faves of the season! 
)! To see more pics of Sharna and the girls she visited, visit Getty Images.
I'm a fashion and music nut....and I have always loved dancing too of any kind. Dancing With The Stars seems to have this way of bringing all of those things together. Derek Hough (one of my favorite dancers) said at a recent Get Healthy event that ‘dancing’ is an outward expression of what is going on inside you. He says that in some ways, everyone dances and it's so true. To TPTB, how about this song for next season's theme song? Robin G Ft. Wilunleashed - A Good Time (Original) // Download High Quality
Judge Carrie Ann Inaba was interviewed by Bravo’s Andy Cohen. They don’t talk much on this season of Dancing With The Stars. Instead, Andy asks Carrie Ann on other celebrities and how they’d do if they did Dancing With The Stars.
Carrie Ann was also interviewed by Extra this week. There isn’t video coverage of this (yet…we’ll try and get some later), but, you can see her all decked out in yellow at the Daily Mail.
ADDING thanks to @Dwtsgossip: E News has some coverage of the Andy Cohen interview as well. You can watch it at this link. Below is what she said on Kellie Pickler….
“No, actually when I give my critiques it’s cause I know everybody wants to win,” she insisted. “And I know that people at home see what I’m seeing. So, sometimes, yeah I could gloss over it and make a fun moment, but I think it’s more important that the dancers know what’s going on and what people and what people are seeing.”
“So, if I tell [Kellie] what’s going on, she has an opportunity to fix it still,” she explained. “I always try to give [the dancers] what I can to help them.”
I'm a fashion and music nut....and I have always loved dancing too of any kind. Dancing With The Stars seems to have this way of bringing all of those things together. Derek Hough (one of my favorite dancers) said at a recent Get Healthy event that ‘dancing’ is an outward expression of what is going on inside you. He says that in some ways, everyone dances and it's so true. To TPTB, how about this song for next season's theme song? Robin G Ft. Wilunleashed - A Good Time (Original) // Download High Quality
What a fun segment on the Katie Couric show yesterday!! Look how Louis van Amstel taught Katie how to Cha Cha. Then they performed for Brooke Burke-Charvet, Tom Bergeron, Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Len Goodman. So cute. We need Katie to do Dancing With The Stars next season. For those new to the site, this isn’t the first time there has been talk of this. Come on, Katie! Please do Dancing With The Stars.
I hope this video works. If not, see this link.
I'm a fashion and music nut....and I have always loved dancing too of any kind. Dancing With The Stars seems to have this way of bringing all of those things together. Derek Hough (one of my favorite dancers) said at a recent Get Healthy event that ‘dancing’ is an outward expression of what is going on inside you. He says that in some ways, everyone dances and it's so true. To TPTB, how about this song for next season's theme song? Robin G Ft. Wilunleashed - A Good Time (Original) // Download High Quality
Our sweet Sharna!! Isn’t she gorgeous??!! Last night, she attended UNICEF’s Next Generation LA Chapter Launch at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in Los Angeles, California. You can view more fun photos of her and other celebs at Zimbio Pictures.
I'm a fashion and music nut....and I have always loved dancing too of any kind. Dancing With The Stars seems to have this way of bringing all of those things together. Derek Hough (one of my favorite dancers) said at a recent Get Healthy event that ‘dancing’ is an outward expression of what is going on inside you. He says that in some ways, everyone dances and it's so true. To TPTB, how about this song for next season's theme song? Robin G Ft. Wilunleashed - A Good Time (Original) // Download High Quality
Finally, a rehearsal interview!!! Below is Val and Zendaya with Access Hollywood. Zendaya is hoping to make their Quickstep strong since Val might be weak for their Hip Hop dance. Val says Week 9 is the hardest. With both dances (creative and traditional), they hope to satisfy all three judges. Val thinks Hip Hop is going to be more challenging than many think being it’s hard to make it a ‘production’ versus the other style of dances picked. We will see, but, I bet they kill it. Lots more below…..
Also, if you’d like to read Zendaya’s latest blog, you can do so here. In this take, she defends herself for how she is not a professional dancer. She also talks of how hard it is to take criticism since she is a perfectionist. More at the link.
I am the kind of person who really keeps emotions hidden, and I rely on my acting skills to cover up some of the frustrations and negative thoughts I may have. I have read mostly positive things on blogs, Twitter and various social media but sometimes the criticism can really get to me. One of the ones that frustrated me the most is people calling me a professional dancer. I am an actor, but I have never been paid to dance! I danced in a local hip hop troupe when I was 8 years old!! I am grateful for that experience but I can hardly call it a professional one!!
I remember some of the very first questions I was asked when I agreed to be on “DWTS.” They asked me what would be my biggest challenge… and I talked about how I am such a perfectionist that criticism is hard to take. After our Paso Doble when Len told me that my chin needed to be up, it was like a knife in my gut… I tried to hide my feelings on national television. But I was SO upset! I thought that I had done my best performance yet. On Wednesday, when we started working on our new dances, I was still irritated and not a good student. I couldn’t get past it. But Val helped me to refocus on the dances we had to do. And 48 hours later as I was getting over it (yes, us teenagers hold on to things a long time!), I realized that I still had to get that perfect score and I would stop at nothing to get it (including dreaming the dances at night, and waking up thirsty at 2 AM from dancing in my sleep!).
I'm a fashion and music nut....and I have always loved dancing too of any kind. Dancing With The Stars seems to have this way of bringing all of those things together. Derek Hough (one of my favorite dancers) said at a recent Get Healthy event that ‘dancing’ is an outward expression of what is going on inside you. He says that in some ways, everyone dances and it's so true. To TPTB, how about this song for next season's theme song? Robin G Ft. Wilunleashed - A Good Time (Original) // Download High Quality
Get ready for the 300th episode of Dancing With The Stars on this coming Tuesday night! The Wanted and Avril Lavigne are set to perform. There will also be a “spectacular opening number” choreographed by Jason Gilkison with 22 pros and returning favorites, including Chelsie Hightower, Dmitry Chaplin, Louis Van Amstel and Anna Trebunskaya (Does anyone know why Maks has been excluded? Does he have a previous engagement?). Below are more details from ABC MediaNet including details for Monday night’s dances as well.
“Episode 1609 & 1609A” – Five remaining couples take to the ballroom floor during the Semi-Finals on MONDAY, MAY 13 (8:00-10:01 p.m., ET). Each couple perform two routines, inching their way one step closer to the coveted mirror ball trophy. Last week viewers were asked to vote via twitter on a new style of dance for each couple to perform; this week the couples perform their chosen style, including the Flamenco, Charleston, Afro Jazz, Lindy Hop and Hip Hop. Each couple will also be challenged to take on a ballroom or Latin style dance they have yet to perform this season.
On TUESDAY, MAY 14, “Dancing with the Stars” celebrates its 300th episode (9:00-10:01 p.m., ET). The show will feature music by The Wanted, who will perform their hit, “Fill A Heart,” and Avril Lavigne will perform her new single, “Here’s to Never Growing Up.” The 300th show celebration will feature a spectacular opening number choreographed by Jason Gilkison with 22 pro and returning favorites, including Chelsie Hightower, Dmitry Chaplin, Louis VanAmstel and Anna Trebunskaya. In addition, “AT&T Spotlight Performance” returns for its final installment of the season featuring Sophia Lucia, an incredible 10-year-old dancer who recently set the Guinness World Record for consecutive pirouettes. One couple will be eliminated at the end of the night.
I'm a fashion and music nut....and I have always loved dancing too of any kind. Dancing With The Stars seems to have this way of bringing all of those things together. Derek Hough (one of my favorite dancers) said at a recent Get Healthy event that ‘dancing’ is an outward expression of what is going on inside you. He says that in some ways, everyone dances and it's so true. To TPTB, how about this song for next season's theme song? Robin G Ft. Wilunleashed - A Good Time (Original) // Download High Quality
