The salsa has only been around since season 7 so there’s slim pickings for this edition but still enough to educate on what a salsa should in tale or not  in tale for that matter!

THE GOOD
Season 8: Gilles Marini
How can you not love watching Gilles shake it!  Latin dances are all about the hip movements and shoulder shakes!  I think Gilles nailed both of those aspects while being an incredible frame for Cheryl!

 
THE BAD
Season 7: Cody Linley
Okay, this is a TERRIBLE salsa but you can clearly see that Cody has no hip action go on and no shoulder shakes that are exceptional!  He had great enthusiasm but not enough technique.

THE INCREDIBLY HOT
Season 7: Yesenia Adame & Paul Barris
This is exactly what a salsa should look like!  Now I know celebs will hardly ever look like this but this is HOT!

Today’s edition is dedicated to the Viennese Waltz and the Foxtrot. I am not a ballroom girl, I much prefer the Latin dances; however, these are week one dances and I want everyone to be prepared to know what to look for

THE GOOD
Season 4: Laila Ali; Viennese Waltz
Laila was never my favorite dancer but she was a joy to watch because she always wanted to do her best! Maks really pushed her and that’s how she got to level that she got to Laila has beautiful lines in this elegant dance and amazing foot work throughout! This is one of Mak’s best choreo pieces!

 

Season 7: Brooke Burke; Viennese Waltz
I can’t say enough good things about Brooke!  She was by far the most talented of the season 7 cast and Derek really took advantage of that with all of his choreo.  I loved that Derek showcased her beautiful lines as much as he could!  She really does look like a pro

Season 4: Joey Fatone; Foxtrot
Joey was a great surprise on the dance floor!  We know he has ‘boy-band’ dancing skills but never would I have imagined his ballroom/latin skills!  I was very impressed with his foot technique.  I find that the guys have more difficulty grasping the technique concepts but he always was light on his feet and very precise!  Kym gave him a great choreo piece here!

 

Season 7: Brooke Burke; Foxtrot
Just like her Viennese Waltz, Brooke is beautiful in the Foxtrot!  You really can’t get better than Brooke’s technique with Derek’s Choreo!

 THE BAD
Season 5: Josie Maran; Viennese Waltz
The thing with Josie is that she was on her heels the whole time!  This makes a dancer look very, very heavy in their foot work!  Another think Josie did was stop her lines at her elbow which takes away from the elegance that the dance is suppose to give off!  She looked beautiful but she didn’t dance beautifully. 

Season 6: Adam Corolla; Foxtrot
I feel like Adam tried to do his best while on the show but I also feel like he thought it was a joke.  I felt like he was always more concerned with being funny than becoming a decent dancer!  His biggest down fall in this dance is walking the steps rather than dancing the steps. 

THE INCREDIBLY HOT
Season 4: Foxtrot
Not my favorite pro dance to watch because of the style but it’s still very nicely done.

Look for the Salsa Edition tomorrow!  What dances are you predicting I show

5 days until the premier of season 9!!!! According to twitter, our pros and celebs are brushing up on their first dances so I am taking the first four dance styles (Cha, Cha, Salsa, Viennese Waltz, and Foxtrot) and finding the best, the worst, and the incredible hot from all previous seasons! After these next four editions, we should know exactly what to look for when it comes show time!

THE GOOD

Season 3: Emmitt Smith
Emmit displays a lot of qualities that make a cha, cha, cha so hot! First of all, you can tell that he is having a blast by his expressions through out the dance. He always keeps up with Cheryl and is able to dance her choreo precisely and with only one noticeable slip up which was when he slide under her.

Season 4: Laila Ali
It is so nice to see the girly side of Laila! She looks like she is have such a ball with Maks! I am always impressed when a celeb can pick up footwork/technique! It’s got to be one of the hardest aspects of the show since it is so specific! However, Laila’s hands kill me!!!! Not her extension stops mid forearm and never extends through her hands or fingers! Overall, she was fabulous!

Helio Castroneves: Season 5
Helio always cracked me up! I loved that he got so excited about his performances I will say that this cha, cha, cha wasn’t the most exciting dance but it did earn them a 30 so I feel like I should pay tribute to them along with the other 30s

Season 6: Kristi Yamaguchi
Kristi was amazing to watch all season! I wish she would have come out of her shell just a little bit more and let America see her personality! I kind of felt like she was business all the time! However, Mark was a great teacher for her and the two of them had amazing chemistry together This cha, cha, cha was precise, articulate, and a lot of fun all around!

Season 8: Shawn Johnson
Shawn is so adorable! I can’t say enough about this little lady! You could tell that she had so a blast with Mark and this dance! Mark choreographed it so suit her so well and she performed it flawlessly!

THE BAD
Season 3: Tucker Charlson
A pretty good hint that a dance is going to be a train wreck is if the celeb is sitting in a chair for a good amount of time during the opening of the dance! I think Tucker looked like he was having fun but I feel like you could tell her was uncomfortable with the steps. He was very heavy on his feet and didn’t display the technique that the Cha Cha Cha requires.

THE INCREDIBLY HOT

Season 5: Gloria Estefan

Gloria Estefan is a classic and this song is great for a cha, cha, cha! And how can you not love Julianne, Kim, Mark, and Maks

It’s time for another edition of THE GOOD, THE BAD, and THE INCREDIBLY HOT!  All of your comments are SOOOOO helpful when I’m putting together this post and I’m kicking myself right now for not remember the hottest paso thus far!

THE GOOD
Season 8: Ty Murray; Waltz
I am well aware that Ty was never an amazing dancer but he had so much heart!  From all 8 seasons…he has the biggest heart and desire to do well   This was my favorite dance of his

THE BAD
Season 8: Steve-O; Foxtrot
Sticking with the Season 8 trend, I’ve chosen Steve-O’s fox trot for a number of reasons.  First of all, clearly he was always one (or two) steps behind Lacey which was clearly noticeable at all times.  Also, we know that he was hurt from the week before and we could see it on his face which is unfortunate because he has so much heart!  I loved all of his comments about being able to do this without getting high!  I think Lacey was a great partner for him but he just didn’t have the technique to go along with the heart

THE INCREDIBLY HOT!
Season 8: Paso Doble
I love the three ladies and Derek in this dance!  They are so precise and on point all of the time!  Derek is, hands down, the hottest dancer and Julianne, Chelsie, and Lacey have got to be three of the sexiest pros on the show! 

There are so many video’s of rehearsals being leaked and I’m so excited to see these newbie’s take on the cha cha, foxtrot, salsa, or viennese waltz in 2 weeks!  Until then…here’s another the good, the bad, and the incredible hot!

THE GOOD
Season 8: Lil Kim, Paso Doble
This is a PERFECT example of how amazing Derek choreographs to his partners!  Lil Kim picked up on all the little details in the dance including the wrist flips and the leg kicks!  Her facial expressions were on point and her costume was very fitting! 

THE BAD
 Season 7: Kim Kardashian, Mambo
I think Mark said it best when he said “Kim just needs to come out of her shell and bring it” I do feel like a lot of people expected Kim to be this sexy dancer but it all reality she didn’t have the musicality!  She knew the steps but didn’t put any of her in them which makes for a boring performance. Lastly, Kim never did the moves 100% like Mark does all the time, so it was aesthetically pleasing to watch.

THE INCREDIBLE HOT
Louis Van Amstel always has amazing choreography!

2 WEEKS TIL SEASON 9 STARTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  WHOO WHOO   I couldn’t be more excited!  So I’m just going to jump right into the good, the bad, and the incredible hot dances of the past 8 seasons!

THE GOOD
Sabrina Bryan: Season 5, Paso Doble
I loved watching these two together! They had such natural chemistry and with Mark’s amazing choreography, the paso was beautiful to watch technically!

THE BAD
Belinda Carlisle: Season 8, Waltz
I feel like Belinda wanted to do really well but she never could break out of her shell to do well! Her steps were never really there but I do admire her passion for wanting to do well! It’s better than not wanting to learn at all!

THE INCREDIBLE HOT
Season 3: Willa Ford
I don’t even have words for this it was so amazing

Princess Heidi made an excellent point about my last post: The good, the bad, and the incredible hot choreography, stating that I was talking more about the execution than the actual choreography!  And I do agree…all the pros are phenomenal choreographers and it really is up to the celebrities to pull it off.  Therefore, when I talk about the choreography of the dances, I am referring to the technical aspect of how well the celebrities pull off the pros choreography! 

THE GOOD
Season 8: Gilles Marini, Argentine Tango
Cheryl is one of my favorite choreographers on the show!  I think this dance clearly shows what an argentine tango is supposed to be   Slow then fast and always sexy!  Gilles did an amazing job playing the part and partnered Cheryl very well!

THE BAD
Season 8: Denise Richards, Samba
Maks is an amazing dancer and choreographer!  I’m also a big fan of Denise Richards so I was excited about this pairing!  However, Denise could never pick up the musicality of Maks’ choreography!  She doesn’t have any hip action and her footing was always one step behind Maks’!

THE INCREDIBLY HOT
Wade Robeson has got to be one of the greatest choreographers of all time!  I absolutely love this piece he created and we have some of SYTYCD alums!

What other dances are you guys interested in seeing!  Look for the next post on Monday or tweet me (JeanneSchrodt) with ideas

Many, MANY thanks to Lisa, a new friend of Pure Derek Hough and Pure DWTS!  She took these great pictures and is very generously sharing them with us. 

If you want to see Lisa’s other pictures, including some great ones of Derek with Mark and Derek with Chelsie and Cheryl visit Pure Derek Hough.

I found some video and pictures (and a review, and a blog) about the show last night in Iowa.  It sounds like it was a lot of fun – very jealous of the attendees.

Pictures courtesy of  Star 102.5!  I pasted a few of them below (gallery – click on the pic and then click again for full size):

Kurt from Star 102.5 also contributed a blog. Read the whole thing, but my favorite part is:

Then we saw Shawn, Mark, and Derek Hough. Then, Lacey Schwimmer walks into our area wearing some workout pants and her sports bra. Very nice! Apparently, dancing creates fantasic abs. Jennifer caught me looking, but I think I get a pass considering Derek and Mark apparently refuse to wear shirts backstage.

I’ve only found one set of videos for this show thus far, thanks to Blazing1010. I’ve copied a couple of them, below, but there are a total of 13 on his/her YouTube channel.

I also posted a video of Derek and Chelsie, and a video of Derek, Mark and Lacey doing a hip hop number on Pure Derek Hough.

The Des Moines Register has a nice write up about the “Shawn Johnson and Friends” show tonight in Iowa. Here’s a short excerpt:

Johnson, who was greeted by a standing ovation, spoke to the crowd before the one-time only event began. “It’s great to be here,” she said.

Johnson shared the spotlight with dozens of her friends, including her “Dancing with the Stars” partner Mark Ballas. The evening started off with a tribute to the late Michael Jackson, with a moonwalk dance set to “Billie Jean,” followed by Johnson and Ballas performing the Cha Cha Cha to “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing).”

Season-eight competitor and actor Gilles Marini heated up the stage when he danced the salsa with his partner on the show, Cheryl Burke. Stuntman and funny guy Steve-O, along with dancer Lacey Schwimmer, performed the fox trot to Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours.”

Here’s another article: Des Moines Register with pictures.