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PureDWTS Season 22, Week 3 – An Update on Mark Ballas

As we mentioned yesterday, Mark was seen around the rehearsal studio yesterday, which seems to indicate that he is still very much in the competition this season.  Now we have a bit more behind-the-scenes info to share…

…according to a source, Mark is still injured, and given the nature of the injury, it seems potentially serious (I’m guessing they’ll share his diagnosis in the package on Monday). Mark is currently trying to rest his back as a result. HOWEVER, Mark has every intention of dancing with Paige on Monday if he’s able, and is still very much Paige’s partner.  Alan & Hayley have both been assisting them during rehearsals for their paso doble, but Mark is running the show – his concept, his choreography.  From the impression I got – the situation is still very up-in-the-air, but Mark is determined to dance.

I think the captions on the Instagram picture of Paige & Alan he posted on Tuesday very clearly indicate that he intends to remain Paige’s partner this season:

So what do I make of this? Well I think all the Alan fans that seem to be creeping out of the woodwork, hoping that Mark will “give Alan a shot at being a pro” need to slow their roll quite a bit, because I don’t think Mark has any intention of giving Paige up without a fight – and rightfully so.  I remember Deep Throat telling me how absolutely THRILLED Mark was to get Paige as a partner this season – he’d been hoping she’d get a shot on the show for awhile, and I’d even go so far as to guess that she was probably one of his “dream partners”. And Paige has got a great work ethic and a lot of talent – talent that I think is best harnessed by a seasoned pro with two MBT’s and a lot of choreography experience under his belt, and NOT a completely green, un-battle-tested newb from the troupe. This is quite possibly the most competitive season we’ve ever seen, kids – and if Paige wants a fighting chance (no pun intended) of lasting this season, Mark is her best bet.  If anything, I think the rest of the pros this season would mop the floor with Alan, experience-wise, if he were suddenly to become Paige’s full-time partner – and the resulting failure could potentially torpedo any future shots at being a pro that he might have…think about it.  This is quite possibly the WORST season to come in as a rookie pro and try to prove yourself…so why would you want to subject him to that? So you can watch him gyrate around with his shirt open and a dopey grin on his face? 🙂

Anyway, I wish Mark the speediest and most painless of recoveries, and I’ve got my fingers crossed he gets to dance with Paige on Monday 😉

ETA: Vogue here. Paige was on KTLA today. She talked on Dancing With The Stars and the accident with Mark last week. She also gives a report on Mark and says he’s still trying to find out what’s wrong with him (like Court reported). Right now she’s rehearsing with both Alan and Mark and isn’t sure what will happen on Monday night. More below…

March 31, 2016 I Written By

Ultrasound sales specialist by day, semi-knowledgeable DWTS fan by night...with a smattering of hair & makeup enthusiast, occasional model, baker, and crazy cat lady peppered in to make things REALLY interesting ;-) I might pee my pants in happiness if Donnie Wahlberg ever does DWTS - or if they ever use "Sunglasses at Night" as a paso doble.

PureDWTS Rants & Raves: To Lift or Not to Lift?

For those of you that follow me on Twitter, you may have noticed me “getting up on my soapbox” the past few weeks regarding something that has been debated from several different angles around PureDWTS: lifts.  We’ve casually kicked around the pros & cons of them: do they enhance the routine, or are they just filler? Should they be required? Should they be prohibited? Are they safe? What exactly constitutes a lift, anyway? Well here it is, kids – the place where we can really get down to the nitty-gritty of lifts.

My sudden fixation with the topic started about 2 weeks ago, while watching a movie with my boyfriend (who, as many of you know, is a pro ballroom dancer/teacher).  He kept squirming around, trying to get comfortable, and failing.  Finally, getting annoyed with all his wiggling, I asked what was wrong.  “Oh, I just strained my neck a little bit doing a lift with one of my students today.  It’s just a little sore.” Seemed benign enough – minor soreness from doing a new lift.  But over the course of the next week, the pain intensified, to the point where he was unable to turn his head to the right AT ALL, and had to turn his whole body to face me when I was talking (which was actually kind of cool, since it made me think  he was just really listening to me intently ;-)) and had to institute a temporary ban on lifting at the dance studio. He iced it.  He put a heating pad on it.  He stretched it. He used a special neck pillow. He took some Tylenol. He went and got 3 massages in one week – all to little avail.  Things were starting to take their toll on both of us, as my bf was in too much pain to ride his motorcycle, sit upright for very long, or do any sort of vigorous activity. Finally, at the recommendation of one of his students (and me, as I had been HOUNDING him about it), he finally went to the chiropractor last Friday, and after taking one look at my bf’s x-ray, the chiropractor exclaimed “Ooh, no wonder you’ve been in pain – your C4 & C5 vertebrae are wayyyy out of alignment!” A few minutes with the TENS unit and some adjusting with the chiropractor later, he was FINALLY experiencing some relief.  That was a week ago – he’s been to the chiro a few more times since then, and he’s probably 85% better. But the no-lift rule at the studio still stands until he’s back to 100% and gets the all-clear from the chiropractor.

So the most obvious question brought up by my bf’s dilemma is “Are lifts safe?” The answer: no.  Read my lips: THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A “SAFE” LIFT. Sure, there are techniques to make them safer, and some are clearly safer than others, but all lifts are inherently dangerous, as there is always going to be the risk of injury from falling or being fallen on, as well as other sprains, strains, and even breaks from trying to correct a fall that is already in motion.  In fact, the very appeal of lifts is in the danger – the awe-spiring risk of doing them in the first place, and often the romantic notion of the delicate lady being in harm’s way, but protected by the strong arms of a handsome male lead.  No wonder all of my boyfriend’s students want lifts in their showcase routines! 😉

Which brings up the next question: should they even be doing lifts in the first place? Obviously, it’s always going to be safer for a couple already experienced in lifting to be doing lifts (check out Eric Luna & Georgia Ambarian, the current world champions in the theater arts division), and it’s a downright TERRIBLE idea for two inexperienced individuals to start attempting them without the guidance and supervision of someone with experience (this is a good example of people that should NOT being doing lifts!).  But both my boyfriend’s predicament and that of the couples on DWTS is a bit more of a grey area – the situation where only half of the couple is experienced. In this particular case, I’m a firm believer that the more experienced member of the partnership is the one more likely to get hurt, regardless of gender.  Since they’re experienced, they’re going to be more likely to be hurt by the rookie mistakes of their partner, and more likely to try & protect their partner from harm…and possibly injure themselves as a result.  My boyfriend is a good example of this, as his neck injury was the result of him compensating for a student who couldn’t quite get the right leverage to get up onto his shoulder; Kym’s neck injury this past season is also a good example, as it was Hines who lost his balance and fell onto Kym, likely due to pure inexperience.  Toni Redpath (a former Australian ballroom champion & a frequent guest judge/choreographer on SYTYCD) did a great video blog a few weeks back (thanks for pointing this out, Evaine! Quite timely ;-)) which did a good job of explaining why lifts are allowed in ballroom routines on SYTYCD but not on DWTS – and the biggest reason was *drumroll* EXPERIENCE.  All the dancers on SYTYCD have some experience with dance, which makes the transition to lifting quite a bit smoother for them than a celebrity with zero dance experience. Not only does it make life a bit easier on the celebs, but it keeps the couples safer, too. 

But let’s say experience is not an issue.  From a choreographic standpoint, should everybody be peppering lifts into their routines? I certainly don’t think so.  Heidi always brings up an interesting argument whenever someone starts comparing ballroom on SYTYCD to ballroom on DWTS and the subject of lifts comes up: when used in excess, lifts tend be a bit of a cop-out, choreographically. It can often let bad dancers get away with not really dancing, and results in a routine that is more “flash & trash” than meat-and-potatoes dance steps – and can end up looking NOTHING like the dance it’s meant to portray.  The best example of this that I can think of is Channing & Philip’s samba from season 6 of SYTYCD.  While not inherently “bad”, the routine only has a few basic samba steps in it, and the rest was a lot of shimmying and (rather clumsily-executed) lifts.  Of course the video cuts out before the judges give their commentary, but I distinctly remember Adam actually calling out the choreographers on this one for making the routine “too lifty”.  I feel like lifts can also interrupt the “flow” of a dance if not placed properly – for a lift to work choreographically, I think it has to have proper timing & musicality, and have very fluid transitions in & out of it.  Otherwise you end up with routines like Channing & Philip’s, which feels jerky & disjointed – “Look I’m doing samba, I’m doing samba, I’m doing samba…ooh now I’m stopping samba & doing a lift…aaaaaand I’m back to dancing samba…STOP! time for another lift-and more samba….” It’s just visually…displeasing. Now don’t get me wrong – a few well-placed, well-executed lifts can enhance a routine.  A great example is Riccardo Cocchi & Yulia Zagoruychenko’s samba showdance from the 2009 America’s Ballroom Challenge (does the move at 1:06 look familiar? Derek used it at the end of his samba with Nicole ;-)).  Only one lift, and they ended up winning the showdance category, over 5 other couples – most of whom had more lifts. IMHO, you don’t need lifts to make ANY routine on DWTS (including the freestyle) look good.  Derek had no choice but to come up with alternatives to lifts in season 11, when Jennifer made it clear from day 1 that her neck injury made lifting an impossibility – and they still managed to win, and create some very memorable routines while they were at it. Their lift-minimal Argentine tango still stands out to me as one of the best we’ve ever had on the show.

So the bf & I were talking about lifts at-length the other night, and he said something that stuck with me: “You know, DWTS is great for the attention it has brought to ballroom dancing & all, but it’s really left some people with an unrealistic idea of what ballroom is and isn’t.” He went on to explain that he gets new students in the studio who are frustrated upon finding out that they won’t be dancing eye-catching routines like the ones on TV right off the bat, and many of them seem more concerned with costumes & music than technique & solid choreography.  I can imagine it gets very frustrating for dance teachers like him – especially when the demand for flashy nuances like lifts necessitates them risking their own safety.  The format of DWTS has actually forced my bf’s studio to start doing more showcase routines with their students (as opposed to focusing on good technique for competition) – and as my bf puts it, “every single one of my ladies wants lifts in her routine – and if they think one of the other ladies has more/better lifts, they’ll ask for more.  It’s KILLING me!” And me as well, since he often comes home cranky & sore and barely able to move…let alone do other activities. 😉

So I’ve said my piece with regards to lifts…what do you guys think? LAY IT ON ME 😀

August 9, 2011 I Written By

Ultrasound sales specialist by day, semi-knowledgeable DWTS fan by night...with a smattering of hair & makeup enthusiast, occasional model, baker, and crazy cat lady peppered in to make things REALLY interesting ;-) I might pee my pants in happiness if Donnie Wahlberg ever does DWTS - or if they ever use "Sunglasses at Night" as a paso doble.

DWTS12 Week 9 Search Engine Round-Up

 

 It’s that time of the week, kids – time to see what burning questions are leading you guys here for answers 🙂 Let’s see what kind of light I can shed here…oh, and just in case you missed it the past 2 weeks: Hines is STILL not married 😉

What did Bruno say to Karina?/What did Bruno call Karina?

It was bleeped out during the telecast (5:41 mark), and a friend of ours who happened to be in the studio audience that night could not hear what exactly was said over the crowd booing – so this is my best guess, given the context.  I think it was something along the lines of “You were too rough with your p*ssy!”, and it was directed more at Ralph, meaning he lead Karina (who was wearing a leopard-print bodysuit) too hard or was just out-of-control with his partnering…hence, Bruno backpedaling after the fact and saying “I mean pussycat!” (of which, I’m sure you know, there are none on the show – but how awesome would it be if there was? How bout replacing Carrie Ann with a cute little kitten and letting him judge? :-)).  Anywho…I think Karina thought it was more directed at her…and a certain part of her anatomy, which is why she (rightfully, IMO) got offended.  Bottom line: whether Bruno really did mean pussycat (psssh, riiiight) or not, it was a poor choice of words with an ambiguous context – otherwise, the Muppets up in the sound booth wouldn’t have bleeped it out.  And here’s a tidbit of probably-worthless-but-still-kinda-interesting trivia – this isn’t the first time Bruno has dropped the p-word when critiquing one of Karina’s routines.  He got bleeped for saying something about consuming it in reference to Mario & Karina’s rumba in season 6 – and I don’t think he was talking about Chinese food. 🙂 No wonder Karina’s touchy about that word…

Did Mark Ballas get married?

I think I can state with 99.9% certainty that the answer is no.  Why? Because I doubt he would be able to shut up about it if he had.  The .1% uncertainty is just in case he’s keeping this ace in his back pocket for publicity at a later date. Moving right along…

Did Kym Johnson have plastic surgery?

Personally, I doubt it, but short of Kym acknowledging it or denying it in an interview, I can’t confirm one way or another.  Maybe Liz can help with this one. I know there was some debate in the comments a previous post about her maybe having a brow lift, but looking at the picture in question from last season and comparing it to pictures of her now, it looks like she may have just had a very overzealous brow waxing back then, or maybe some Botox (which has now worn off) to perk things up a bit.  Not that I think she needs it, because she looks FABULOUS 🙂 However, if she did, no biggie – she wouldn’t have been the only DWTS pro to go under the knife.  Karina has publicly acknowledged getting a rhinoplasty and has expressed great satisfaction with the results.

Tayla

Definitely cool to see so many people interested in Tayla Kelley – the young girl that performed with Lacey & Chelsie on the results show this week. Tayla suffers from primary immunodeficiency, which is a genetic disorder that prevents her immune system from functioning properly. Simple infections that a person with a normal immune system can easily fight off can be deadly for someone with Tayla’s condition – which makes me think it’s all the more amazing & admirable that she is able to handle the rigors of being a dedicated dancer.  As much as I may hate “filler” on the results show – I definitely don’t mind hearing stories of triumph like Tayla’s 🙂

Kym Johnson injury video

Ugh. *stomach churning* I’m gonna give you guys the benefit of the doubt and assume that the reason you’re searching this is because you just don’t know how Kym got injured…because seriously, this video is hard to watch – at least for me, as I’ve had a family member who became a quadriplegic after falling & hitting his neck at home.  But alas, here you go – don’t say I didn’t warn you that it was rather graphic.  If nothing else, I guess it serves as a warning to anyone on the show that they should NOT be trying this stuff at home…or anywhere else.

DWTS Season 13 casting rumors

Glad to know you guys are chomping at the bit just as much as we are to get this wretched season over with and move onto a better one 🙂 Generally, the casting rumors for the fall season are pretty intermittent & vague until mid-July (about a month before the cast annoucement) and then they come pouring in like crazy the week before it.  As of right now, I have only heard 2 names, and both sound like they’re pretty unlikely – Regis Philbin & Donnie Wahlberg. Last week Vogue reported that he announced on Live with Regis & Kelly that he’d been asked to be on season 13.  He seems like a big fan of the show (and is a huge Derek fanboy :-D), but he’s allegedly not leaving Regis & Kelly until November & he’s had quite a few health problems in the past few years – I just don’t see it happening.  At least not next season. As for Donnie, the campaign for him being on the show cropped up after his pretty impressive dance with Peta on the week 5 results show.  Someone started a petition (which rarely works when trying to get the attention of the casting directors – sorry kids), and both Donnie & Peta have publicly said that they’d LOVE to dance together next season.  However,  two (ok, more like 3) big hurdles to overcome:  Donnie is tied up with Blue Bloods, which just got picked up for a 2nd season, and films on-location in NY.  It’s also on CBS, and to my knowledge, they’ve never asked a someone from a current primetime show on a rival network to be on DWTS.  I doubt that’s going to change anytime soon. But hey, stay tuned – there are sure to be plenty more rumors to come in the next few months…just search “DWTS13 Casting Rumors” and any that we find are bound to pop up. 

Travis Wall boyfriend

Errr…not sure why some of you are looking for this info here, considering Travis has had a much bigger presence on SYTYCD than on DWTS…but it keeps cropping up, so I’ll entertain the notion anyway.  From what I can tell, he’s never publicly said he’s gay, but I do remember there being some pictures posted on his MySpace page a few years ago (they’ve since been taken down) that caused quite a bit of speculation, so my official opinion on the matter is that he’s most likely gay.  As for the identity of his boyfriend – well, if he’s not really, officially out, I doubt he’s going to be introducing any guys as his significant other.  However, a quick sweep of some SYTYCD forums (which one should ALWAYS take with a grain of salt) seems to indicate that Travis had a boyfriend named Anthony back when he was a contestant on SYTYCD in season 2 (summer of ’06) that somehow stabbed him in back by posting pictures of the two of them online with the caption “me & my bf travis wall”.  Ouch – I think being forced out of the closet against your will is just plain cruel. But alas, Travis managed to channel the hurt into something pretty cool – it was allegedly the inspiration for his contemporary routine on SYTYCD for Kent & Neil last season, which had a “backstabbing” theme to it. Dunno if that’s a satisfactory answer, but I think it’s a pretty interesting story 🙂 And in the future, kids – you might wanna direct SYTYCD-related questions to PureSYTYCD or @puresytycd on Twitter 😉 </plug> 

May 20, 2011 I Written By

Ultrasound sales specialist by day, semi-knowledgeable DWTS fan by night...with a smattering of hair & makeup enthusiast, occasional model, baker, and crazy cat lady peppered in to make things REALLY interesting ;-) I might pee my pants in happiness if Donnie Wahlberg ever does DWTS - or if they ever use "Sunglasses at Night" as a paso doble.