Dancing With The Stars Live Tour Review Of The Bakersfield, California Show

Well, I guess the reviewer of Bakersfield.com wasn’t too impressed with Val’s lines in one performance. Other than that, he gave the Dancing With The Stars Live Tour a thumbs up.

The show opened with Chmerkovskiy in a black robe with “Champ” on the back. Underneath, Chmerkovskiy’s body appeared to be a bit rounder, and he admitted to Rycroft that he’d let himself go since finally winning the mirror ball trophy. But don’t worry, he told her, he’s still got it. Stripping off the robe, he danced a number in a long-sleeved white shirt, black dress pants and suspenders, and a fat suit. Maybe I’m a humorless feminist, but the bit didn’t land for me. Not only do fat jokes from people who have been in shape most of their lives seem a little mean-spirited, it’s just lazy. Which is kind of ironic: it wasn’t Chmerkovskiy that was slacking off; it was the writers.

But you can’t stay irritated once the dancing starts, first with a group number to “Shut Up and Dance” by Walk the Moon and later with a decades-themed medley that started with a beleathered “You’re The One That I Want” from “Grease” and went through “You Can’t Stop the Beat” from “Hairspray,” “Aquarius” from “Hair” and “She’s a Maniac” from “Flashdance,” complete with unitards and leg warmers. The quick wardrobe changes for each era must have been frantic backstage, but you’d never guess it as each dancer calmly took the stage.

Several times throughout the show, Rycroft and the dancers mentioned how the tour was for the fans, for the people at home who watch and vote but can’t be in the studio audience. They did a great job getting the audience involved, from a question-and-answer session early in the show to dancers running into the crowd and, for one lucky lady, a one-on-one dance and kiss on the cheek from Chmerkovskiy, who gracefully avoided answering her marriage proposal.

Between dance numbers, which ranged from the paso doble to samba to hip hop, Rycroft introduced the dancers, starting with the men — romantic Keo Motsepe, baby of the group Alan Bersten, prankster Sasha Farber and Chmerkovskiy, who needed no introduction for anyone other than me — and gave them a rose. When the women did a dance on their own, the crowd respectfully cheered, but when it was the men’s turn, hoots and hollers could be heard from all over the venue, including from some very polite-looking senior ladies.

To read the full review and see a photo, see Bakersfield.com.