DWTS Season 25, The Semi-Finals – Who’s Dancing What…and When?
So, the pros have chosen the song for the first dance of the night. I remember a time when the pros chose all of their own music. Guess that’s rarely the case any more, since they’re making a production about it being the case monday night. In addition, the press release says: “The Couples’ Second Dance Will Take on an Iconic Routine From a Past Season”. Well, that’s not good news at all. In the past they’ve done the routine and then other times they’ve only used the music but did new choreo. This sounds like it will be the whole routine. Yikes. Then later in the release it says: “The second is a special Iconic Dance, where each will be challenged to reinterpret an iconic dance from past seasons in this all-important Semi-Finals extravaganza.” The word “reinterpret” gives me some hope, but I think we’ll have to wait and see. As per usual, the producers give some mixed messages.
Personally, I think Nicole’s Proud Mary jive was the iconic dance…but then I think most of the dances they picked as “iconic” are not even close to the most iconic dances ever done on the show. Except for Amber’s, of course – which Val may just destroy. Of all the dances Amber did, though, I don’t think that’s the one that’s iconic. The Jazz, the freestyle…ah well. I guess they were limited by both music and styles not yet danced. But why label them iconic when they really aren’t??
Winners: Jordan and Lindsey S. each got two styles they should be able to handle with ease. Not only that, but Mark ought to be able to improve tremendously on Maks’ Tango chore and Lindsay will have no problem with the Jordan/Jive combo, I don’t think.
50-50: Victoria’s first dance, the Waltz, should be easy on her, but trying to live up to Amber could be very problematic, depending on what the “rules” of this game are this season. Are they required to use similar choreo/similar costumes?? Will they show excerpts of the original – if they do any of that she could be hosed. If it’s all completely new she might be okay.
Losers: Drew and Frankie, for a variety of reasons – take your pick.
ETA: George has started releasing the running order…and so far it’s the same as last week. As in the past, I begin to wonder if they’re dancing in the order they’re going to finish, reversed. Sometimes it’s true, sometimes it ain’t. But this wouldn’t surprise me, although I think Victoria should go tonight.
ETA2: Okay, not the same as last week. And likely not in the order they’re going to finish. But ya never know. 🙂
Drew Scott and Emma
Dancing 1st
Tango (Song: “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” by The Proclaimers)
Jazz (Song: “Yeah!” (feat. Lil Jon, Ludacris) by Usher (Season 17, Corbin Bleu and Karina Smirnoff))
1-800-868-3404
Victoria Arlen and Val
Dancing 2nd
Waltz (Song: “To Build a Home” (feat. Patrick Watson) by Cinematic Orchestra)
Charleston (Song: “Bang Bang” by will.i.am (Season 17, Amber Riley and Derek Hough))
1-800-868-3413
Jordan Fisher and Lindsay
Dancing 3rd
Argentine Tango (Song: “Brother” (feat. Gavin DeGraw) by NEEDTOBREATHE)
Jive (Song: “Proud Mary” by Tina Turner (Season 22, Paige VanZant and Mark Ballas)
1-800-868-3406
Lindsey Stirling and Mark
Dancing 4th
Contemporary (Song: “Head High” by Alexander Jean)
Tango (Song: “Feel So Close” by Calvin Harris (Season 18, Meryl Davis and Maks Chmerkovskiy))
1-800-868-3407
Frankie Muniz and Whitney
Dancing 5th
Salsa (Song: “Shake” by Yin Yang Twins & Pitbull)
Paso Doblé (Song: “Carnival De Paris” by Dario G (Season 4, Apolo Anton Ohno and Julianne Hough))
1-800-868-3405
If I wasn’t still locked out of my own Twitter, I’d put money on it that the Maksyl fans are already sticking their noses up in the air, claiming “Nobody will be able to top Meryl & Maks’ tango, it is the best tango ever on DWTS and every other tango is just a cheap copy.” Seriously, I have never understood the hype that dance got – the DWM posse likes to act like it was this revolutionary piece of choreography, when in reality, it’s just a decent, garden-variety tango done to music that’s a bit more amped than what we usually hear. I absolutely think Mark will blow the original out of the water – without even breaking a sweat.
Oh lewk, Val dodged the Charleston earlier in the season, and now he’s stuck with it in a later round where the stakes are higher 😛 I think I even pointed this out in my power rankings at one point (yep, I did). My guess is that it’s basically just another jazz, choreographically, and Len sure as sh*t better call it out on lack of Charleston.
Not much else to add about the others – Jordan & Lindsay will probably thrive, Frankie & Drew? Who knows.
I totally agree when you said that Nicole’s jive was more iconic than the one that Paige did.I love Mark choreography but I liked the other one better. I’m looking foward to Jordan and Lindsay S dances the most.I’m sure they will crush it. I have a feeling that Victoria will struggle with the charleston.I don’t think their charleston will live up to what Amber and Derek did.Their dance was awesome.
@Courtney: Doesn’t it seem that Val sort of screwed up the strategy of this season? Aside from the quickstep in week 3, he seemingly saved all the footwork and leg technique styles for later in the season, and it’s coming back to bite him, especially when the remaining four dancers range from pretty decent to exceptional.
Ha! Ha! The first thing that came into my head was those crazy Maks and Meryl shippers are gonna compare Mark and Lindsey to them ???????????????????? In a way I wish Maks and Vanessa had lasted enough to see Mark and Lindsey redo that tango-I would’ve loved to see Maks’ smug face when Mark kills it Monday night!
Val is never gonna be able to do justice to anything Derek has choreographed-giving him and Victoria an old routine of Derek’s (with any of his former celebs) just makes me laugh!! TRULY!! Are the producers doing it on purpose? Do they really believe Val can pull it off? Yeah ok, sure….????????????????
@Justin – Part of me thinks this whole season has just been a wake-up call for Val that he is neither a brilliant choreographer, nor a brilliant strategist, nor is he the “star of the show” anymore – and that from here on out, he’s gonna have to put in some real work in order to keep up with the female pros, who are absolutely SLAYING the game right now. Lindsay, Emma, & Witney are dancing circles around him, choreography-wise. Mark isn’t even dancing on the same plane of existence – he’s up in nirvana, having his renaissance, and is probably gonna drop his Sistine Chapel on us in the freestyle round.
@Courtney – Not only has he been passed by some of the female pros, but I think he found out how hard it actually is to have to teach someone to dance that has limitations as far as what they are able to do. It doesn’t look like he’s enjoyed this season very much.
For me, I think the fact that almost every female pro is cross-trained in various styles and most of the male pros are really ballroom-only is really beginning to become noticeable, as well as how a lot of the women, and Mark included, are also very aware of where the cameras are and how to choreograph to the camera. It’s really noticeable when watching Mark, Emma, Witney, and Lindsay.
I liked Meryl and Maks’s tango, honestly, though, Maks and Mark are so different stylistically, I don’t think it’s fair to make a comparison.
Could someone please tell me where you got your information that Val changed their style for Disney week? I’ve been scouring the internet, and I can’t find anything!
I’m excited to see Jordan do both the Argentine Tango and the jive! I’m interested in seeing Lindsey’s tango because for as long as I’ve been watching the show (which is only since season 18, so not that long), I’ve never seen Mark choreograph a Tango. I think Victoria will have a tough time with the second one. Jury’s out on Frankie’s dances- he continues to surprise me with what dances he excels in. Drew… well, that second dance will be tough to live up to.
I agree that these are some really interesting “iconic dances.” Apolo and Amber both had better iconic dances than those, not to mention all of the other more recognizable dances throughout the season. If this is re-imagining the dances, then it’s really not different from the million times they redo songs. If they have to stay close to the script from the previous dance, this could get interesting (or be a trainwreck).
– Drew’s Tango song sucks, but he did luck out IMO not getting Samba or Salsa this season- not sure he could pull those dances off. Jazz is open ended so while it won’t top Corbin it should be ok.
-Lindsey and Jordan should kill both their dances. I was really hoping for a Jive from Jordan and I have high expectations for Lindsey’s contemporary. I would have liked to see Lindsey do Rumba, though. I know it’s not Mark’s favorite, but I love his rumbas.
-Victoria’s assignments aren’t the best. Waltz is such a low-impact dance this late in the season, and I agree Amber’s Charleston wasn’t her most iconic dance that season- they got hammered on it the first time around. I also seem to remember, I think, Derek having trouble with the song not really fitting the Charleston. He got creative, but I’m not sure Val will be able to.
-Frankie and Salsa gives me pause, but it’s a lot better for him than getting Rumba or Samba. I do think he might benefit from having an iconic dance that a lot of viewers don’t remember or never saw, so they won’t have something to compare it to.
Agreed with Court. Lindsay, Emma, and Witney along with Mark have been the highlights this season with choreography. Reflecting back on this season as a whole there is not one dance of Victoria’s that truly stands out against dances choreographed by Lindsay, Emma, Witney, and Mark.
Knowing styles and songs.. oh boy. It’s interesting with Victoria she said somewhere that they had contemporary and now they have Charleston.. even though earlier in the season they had it then changed it to jazz. As has been said by others don’t understand why they made it to where she would have all these very foot focused dances now. Would have been smarter to have them earlier on in the season. That’s why I’m thinking Victoria is gone Monday and that Drew does make it to the finals. But that with song choice/style choice they are making sure he can’t get anything but 4th, I mean him having to recreate Corbin’s trio.. Thankfully it’s a jazz but still. Feel like they kinda did the same thing with Frankie, because while his cha cha was great I don’t know how well a Salsa goes for him. I think he’ll do great with Paso based on his AT as well as his Contemporary, he has the character down pat. Curious to see if he does well and if the judges scores don’t reflect how well he does.
Jordan, I love, love his AT song and I know why Lindsay chose it for him but that song is not a good match for AT. I would say it’s a better fit for a contemporary or.. maybe a V waltz.. and I can see Len not liking that. And I really did not want anyone to redo Paige’s jive. I feel like it’s it’s own dance that shouldn’t be touched. It’s one of my all time fave jives from the show but I knew they would use it. Wish he had gotten Alfonso’s.
Lindsey.. I love that Mark chose that song for their Contemporary. It makes me think the theme is possibly going to be about her overcoming what the judges told her on AGT and how she ignored them and kept going and reached her dreams. And Lindsey and Mark will kill that tango. I have no doubts about it. I will be shocked if Lindsey walks away without a perfect night.
Okay…Meryl Davis fan here. and I am thrilled that Mark and Lyndsey will do that Tango…I loved it in S18, along with Len, thought it was fantastic. I think Meryl could have done a lot more considering her dance experience with another partner, but she accomplished the impossible by making Maks likeable enough to have people with no horse in the race vote for them. I’m sure Mark and Lyndsey will do a fantastic job. Looking forward to it.
Jordan and Lindsay will do very well with one of my other favorites from past shows, Mark and Paige’s jive. Too bad we can’t have Tina Turner to sing it.
Sorry that Drew got Corbin and Karin’s Jazz…Emma will give it her best shot, as will Drew, but those long arms and legs are hard to corral. For a fleeting moment I was wishing it was last season and she had Rashad for her partner.
Frankie and Whit will have some work to do I think with that Paso..he’s not Apollo, but he’s really trying, so we’ll see.
I’ll just wish Victoria luck…she needs it.
@Cari #6
This will be the first standard tango Mark has done since Season 11! In fact, he has only done three tangos on the show over the course of his 19 seasons — two with Kristi Yamaguchi and one with Bristol Palin.
Well, I guess maybe my Tinfoil hat still fits after all. I won’t believe that they won’t show clips of the original routines until Monday nights show is over! As I said in my earlier post, the choices of routines are head scratching! Mark Ballas is the only pro currently competing with a routine considered “iconic?” Only one routine from Emmy winning, 6 time MB champ Derek Hough and far from one of his most memorable.
Victoria is screwed. While it not as leg work intense as many DWTS Charlestons are, but Victoria doesn’t have the performance power that Amber always exhibited. Val will blow any criticism off himself as being limited by using another’s choreo and his partner’s limitations.
Drew and Emma are screwed. Not only was that a memorable Jazz performance, it was a Trio and didn’t Corbin have years of Jazz dance experience?
I’m hoping that Witney and Frankie surprise me! I do believe the judges will roast them alive though no matter what they do.
And I think that Lindsey and Mark will be roasted. Maks does have the tall, dark and handsome intensity for AT, when he feels like it. I doubt Lindsey will perform in her underwear. And so I think both the judges, and much of the sheeple won’t feel the “romance, chemistry or sexiness.” Despite the fact that to me, DWTS sexiest performance ever was Paige and Mark’s AT with more clothes and less explicit raunchiness than most performances nowadays.
Wonder why Jordan is the only contestant taxed with stepping into the shoes of a former star of the opposite gender? That might have been better for all. I also wish they were using Nicole’s Jive instead of Paige’s. Or, Alfonso’s. I’d have loved to see what Jordan and Lindsay would have done with that! But no matter what, Jordan is the only contestant that I can see benefitting from this idea. Interesting huh?
Can’t believe we’re nearing the finals already
I have no memories of any of the dances so I’ll have to find them on YouTube
As long as Val gets the boot next I’ll be a happy camper
And I can see Jordan Lindsay and Frankie as the final three all so good I’ll be fine with whomever wins
Liz, they are literally being told to reimagine a routine from a previous season. There are going to be comparisons. I think it’s unfair to ask people not to make comparisons.
The whole idea is dumb to me. They reuse music from past seasons all of the time; they could have picked these songs and not even mentioned the past ‘iconic’ dances and left the semi-finals theme-less.
Last time they did this they just had the same music as a past routine and didn’t make the couples copy anything from the prior dance choreo-wise. It was a whole new routine, though a few chose to throw in a moment or two of choreo from the prior dance. If they don’t show the old routine, no one will even know what’s copied except super-fans. Dumb choice for a semi-finals to me.
Colleen #11 – I really don’t think the sex of the former celeb matters at all and I don’t think it was any kind of producer shenanigans. They likely will be doing whole new routines and not really directly comparing to the old. The fans will probably do more ‘comparing’ than the judges.
Did anyone else see that Drew has to recreate a trio dance? How much you want to bet Jonathan makes an appearance as the third trio member? Even though he danced before, and they could try it again for a crowd-pleasing routine. And if it’s Drew’s time to go, a nice way to go out.
The take away for re-interpretation of these dances I guess is to capture the feeling if not the choreography verbatum.
Mark can definitely smolder, we actually haven’t seen that side of Mark this season so I’m sure that will be fun to interpret Maks’ style, and it would be nice to see a new take on a kind of a tired Tango with lasers that we see season in and out these days..I know Maks was the originator and it was excellent then, but it’s now been done to death. The challenge is to tweek it so it’s new to us. I think Lindsey has a similar body type to Meryl, and I think Mark matches that waif like dancer better than Maks’…I prefer Maks with a Mel B type in terms of ascetics.
Drew is going to have a tough battle. To re-interpret a Jazz dance that a Jazz dancer made his own is a tall order. Originally it was a trio, so to now do a duet may take the focus off the solo parts that Corbin did originally, which can only help Drew and not think about Corbin so much.
Amber’s Charleston was hip hop infused because of the music being sort of hip hop with Charleston sampling, so if Victoria has a tough time with the swivels, she might be a bit better with basic hip hop but I think this is going right to the footwork with no excuses and I think she has got to put up and make a fairly fast dance work.
Apolo’s Paso, particularly the encore is an iconic dance for sure. The precision that Apolo brought to that dance and his out of nowhere leap was really exciting because it was executed so well. Apolo like Rashad two guys were smoldering sexy but they also worked to get it right. This particular paso was a very sexy yet athletic style, so it will be interesting to see how Witney interprets this for her partner.
I am worried why Jordan has got a dance that a female made iconic. He is not a pro ballroom dancer. It’s one thing to do a past contestant’s part, it’s quite another to expect Mark Ballas. So he’s handicapped I think because they are not asking him to do Paige’s part, so hopefully Lindsay can somehow showcase him when the song is all about how that sexy Tina Turner danced and how Paige captured Tina perfectly.
#8 Liz, the day before the press release normally comes out Disney shared the dance styles/songs for Disney night and it showed Victoria as having Charleston then a day or two later it came out that it had been changed to Jazz. All you have to do is a quick google of this season and Disney night and Just Jared has an article that details all the dances and they got the info from the same place that released it a day early. Can’t remember how we found out that Val had it changed, I’m thinking it was an instastory of Victoria’s but I may be wrong.
EPmusic, you’re far more optimistic than me. I just watched the promo for Monday. The voice over says they have to “recreate the most memorable dances in DWTS history!” So they are obviously playing up how mind blowing we are supposed to feel these original routines were. AND the judges plus the audience will be encouraged to compare them. Even IF they don’t actually show footage from the originals…………….
I notice that Mark is doing Contemporary with Lindsey in week 9 to a BC Jean song. He did the same thing with Paige for the freestyle and that didn’t work, so it’s much better to do it in week 9 so he will probably go balls to the wall for the freestyle.
It’s actually an Alexander Jean song, meaning that it’s him and BC, not just BC.
Nicole was great her entire season, but her last Jive and last Rumba are totally iconic. She just so totally sold both of them.
As I’ve been saying for years, Derek and Mark became the choreographers they are by having partners of all varieties – many with no experience and some who were downright bad until they figured out how to turn them into dancers. The women are now realizing their own potential because they too had non-dancers and had to struggle and figure it out.
By contrast, Val has had what? One, maybe two, partners with no dance experience? He’s never had to truly struggle on this show and figure it out and develop his own methods for turning someone into a dancer in a short time.
It’s now showing.
I have found a bright side! As suggested, I bedazzled my tin hat with my rank. b*tch and decided to console myself with the fact that not only does Precious have to pay homage to an “iconic” performance by Derek but nothing of Val’s is “one of the most memorable dances in DWTS history.”
People didn’t vote for Meryl and Maks because Meryl made him likable. Good lord, talk about making it all about the man. People voted for Meryl because she and Charlie were fresh off the olympics, super popular and two of the biggest ringers of all time, not to mention really good dancers. Give Meryl the credit for her own talents please. And then give some to the irrational shipper types who will always vote for romance.
One only has to read the shipper war style comments on the DWTS instagram photo of Laurie, Val and Jenna….
Colleen, what Victoria will likely be missing from that Charleston is Amber’s *swag*. I just rewatched that Charleston and Derek choreographed it around Amber’s knee issues but gave it a shit ton of attitude. It was quite excellent.
LOL…silver lining indeed, Colleen!!
My 2 cents on the Iconic Dances:
Drew – I actually think he will be fine. It IS jazz, after all, so the judges aren’t particularly zeroing in on technique. Drew does have charm and is a pretty good performer.
Frankie – Paso should suit Frankie and he’s shown he can channel the character in the intense dances. Also, since Apolo’s dance was from so long I don’t think the audience will so readily make comparisons.
Lindsey – Lindsey will have a real challenge to match, not only the technique, but Meryl’s professional and mature performance quality in the tango. With Mark, so many nice things have been said about him, but I worry whether he will meet expectations choreography-wise these last couple of weeks, especially with the traveling and Lindsey’s tour.
Victoria – Anything quick and footwork-heavy is already a challenge. Now she has to match Amber’s showmanship and energy on top of that.
Jordan – Jordan can pretty much dance anything and Lindsay has come up with some WOW routines of her own this season, so I don’t think they will have a problem.
Almost straight down the line with everything #30 Cali said.
It looks like Jordan and Lindsay are positioned to pick up right where they left off last week and crush both dances. If that happens they’re going to have a lot of momentum heading into the final.
I’m not worried about Lindsey and Mark at all. I think Lindsey can match Meryl, and Mark should be smart enough to come up with a good routine that Lindsey can learn even while travelling. Any pro should be able to do that for their celeb.
For some reason, I don’t remember Corbin’s jazz at all, except for their costumes, and that Karina dropped her hat. Conversely, Amber’s charleston was one of her most memorable for me. She brought so much personality to that dance.
BTW Casanova, Paige’s freestyle wasn’t to a BC Jean song, it was just that they had BC sing it live.
And if it wasn’t for Derek who invited Meryl and Charlie to join DWTS, Mak would never have won.
I’m excited that Jordan has an Argentine Tango but I’m kind of questioning the music given to them. I heard Brother on youtube and I just don’t know how it’s going to work. The Argentine Tango is known for being passionate and intense. This song is more fitting for a contemporary or waltz. I’m hoping they’ll give Lindsay a remixed version appropriate for this dance. As for his second routine, I have no doubt Jordan will master the jive and Lindsay will master the choreography! TeamFishUponAStar for the win! 🙂
Whoops my bad, the music Lindsay chose for him. She must have had a bluepoint of the dance planned out in her head. Maybe a strategic choice. i surely hope so. 🙂
One thing I have enjoyed throughout this season has been Mark’s, Lindsay’s, Emma’s and Witney’s dances/choreos. I also enjoyed the way Cheryl handled Terrell and actually resulted in him improving a great deal in attitude and dancing.
I also think (while it’s a beautiful song) that Lindsay choose, it doesn’t fit an A.T. but more like a V. Waltz.
Not sure how I feel about these remakes of past celeb/pro iconic dances, but should be interesting for sure. I noticed that all the male celebs have an iconic dance done with a male, except for Jordan, who has a celeb female (Paige); and the female celebs also have female celebs in their iconic dance. I do hope the show doesn’t run a taping of the past iconic dances 1st before each dance, because if I watch Paige and then Jordan, I’ll be watching Lindsay and instead (comparing her to Paige). LOL!
Hey Heidi,
I’m curious when were the pros allowed to pick their music? Was it in the earlier parts of the seasons of DWTS? Like 1-7 or something? Because I remember Nicole and Derek being given their Jive song, SOS from the producers, now if that was just a one time case scenario then I guess it makes my question irrelevant but I am just quite curious.
Thanks 🙂
LOL, I am definitely NOT a shipper, and do give Meryl credit for being one of the best dancers to ever be on the show. But, the fact that Maks finally won leads me to believe that Meryl was the reason. Can only go by what people who don’t normally vote told me. She was good. Period. Maks was lucky to get her. He would not have that trophy otherwise. I think she could have handled more difficult choreography. I think Mark and Lindsey will do a great tango. Different but just as good. I think Meryl will think so too.
Lane, it’s been a while ago. I think up through seasons 12-13 they were still picking the music, but I would have to really look into it to jog my memories. They often assigned music during the finale though, to make it more of a challenge for the couples. I believe that’s probably what Nicole’s Jive was. Nowadays, the pros might give a list of what they like, but I suspect it is VERY rare that they get what they want.
Going back to season 18, if I remember correctly. Meryl’s partner choice was Derek but he couldn’t do the traveling with her at the time. (He was partnered with Amy and performed miracles with her, a great body of work.) I’m a Meryl fan and I personally think she had to have the patience of a saint to deal with Maks, and as a result many got the impression that Maks was a half way decent guy. The latter short lived. Mark will take this dance, that I thought was one of their best, and ramp it up. Lindsay is a consummate performer and will do it more than justice. No worries there.
Same with J&L, he is just so good. I’m a little salty about reworking a Mark choro and performance though since I thought he and Paige should have won that season.
I wonder how Val feels about doing a Derek “iconic” dance. If he follows the dance choro verbatim it may not be too bad particularly if he had a different partner. I think his ship is sunk though, because he’ll mess with the choro coupled with Victoria’s limitations.
I honestly don’t remember Corbin & Karina’s dance, and I doubt Drew will live up to it, but with their own spin it very well may be entertaining. I like him.
I loved Apolo & Juliannes season, no dance experience and he was just perfection, not to mention they were so cute as partners. Frankie is not as good and I don’t think Whitney has the same energy (which I think was a selling point of J&A), but J&A was a long time ago so my guess is most won’t remember.
Kind of double dip trip back in time for those diehard fans this season after bringing back fan favorites for the trios last week.
Kandy, Meryl did express that she wanted Derek, but Derek was also expressing to producers that he wanted a challenge – I’m not sure that traveling was involved. Can’t remember. But I do remember him wanting to be challenged. That wouldn’t be Meryl.
I thought Derek said he wasn’t supposed to do DWTS that season because the first MOVE was already booked and he started rehearsals while dancing with Amy, but when the producers told him about her, he couldn’t say no and he accepted to do DWTS and have literally no time prepping for tour and stuff especially the last couple of weeks, didn’t move started like 2 weeks after that season ended? that’s what I remember-ish but I’d be wrong…
Val would be nuts to follow Derek’s Charleston too closel; Victoria will not be able to mimic Amber’s performance/swagger. It’s still one of my favorites. Victoria will leave. It’s sad the producers gave her a Charleston that requires so much complicated footwork
Mark dancing to one of his and his wifes song is an automatic 10 – producers love that stuff. Frankie will be fine, I worry a little bit about Drew – his height has been a disadvantage and it will be here as well. But I’d be thrilled with a Jordan, LIndsay, Drew and Frankie final.
Victoria said in an interview earlier this week and again on her twitter last night that she has contemporary and that it would be “powerful” (i believe it was an ET Live interview from tuesday) I guess there was a mistake in the press release
Yep. What a contrast. Derek asked to be challenged and Val can’t handle basics in various dance styles, much less teach someone else.
What makes a dance iconic ?
Carol, I suspect in the case of this “challenge,” it has to do with what styles these 5 have not had yet, music they either already cleared or knew they could clear quickly and 5 different choreographers/contestants. John’s Angels might tell us if these had high scores, if they care to bother. I’m too amused that MB produced one of the “iconic” numbers and 2 Hough performances but only 1 from the Chmerkovskiy clan. Also, I’m way curious as to whether Emma has the clout to include Johnathan Scott in Drew’s Jazz since the original was a trio!
You could be right, nine. I do know he told producers that he wanted to be challenged as well…and that might have been why he was going to sit out until he heard about Amy.
Contemporary instead of the Waltz, RB?? Wouldn’t surprise me that it changed to a contemporary – we can’t have Val following too many rules heading into the finale. Of course, the final four has already been decided – so maybe she’s going out on a high. We’ll see.
This is exactly what I reasoned days ago as to what constitutes “iconic” Colleen.
Emma doesn’t need clout…she’s already included Jonathan once and the producers likely see it as a positive.
Sorry if I’m out of line but I’m stewing again and haven’t managed to get a message through “Contact Us.”
Any thoughts on the plagiarism calls by a group called choreo_alliance against Mark Ballas because of the head/hand clicks in Galen Hooks’ Contemporary? While I don’t see it myself, Val has joined the fray and isn’t defending his “friend.” I feel like the beef is against DWTS and the industry in general over copyright. Unlike music, it’s nearly impossible to copyright dance moves or even routines so no compensation for choreographers when DWTS does “iconic dances” like in S21. They only need to pay for the music. But Mark is the current scapegoat, probably because of the Emmy buzz for him that I’m seeing.
However, this is especially interesting to me since Val, and the others, are all being tasked to re-create a fellow pro’s choreo this week. So let’s see how similar to Derek’s Charleston his is, huh?
Val isn’t defending Mark although one of his dances was pointed out as being used and as a more blatant copy?? That man will never learn to keep his mouth shut, will he? And to think I sort of defended Val on twitter. When will I learn?
Anyway, in the case of Mark, it’s utter bullshit. Very easy to choreograph that 5 seconds without ever seeing the other choreographers dance. And really – one move? That sounds pretty fucking petty.
Thanks for the response Princess Heidi. I thought it was nothing when I saw the comments comparing the 2 routines on YouTube. I agree, with you that Mark may not even have ever seen Galen Hooks routine. The sound in the track really lends itself to robotism and the head/hand moves that MB included are pretty universal. I’ve since seen comment that yet another choreographer had something similar to an even earlier routine to Human by Sevdaliza.
But, this kind of plays into next week’s redo of “iconic” dances since the producers seem to be asking/forcing their pros to copy one another. I doubt that most care. But I’m even more interested now to hear what Val has to say about coping vs. paying homage to Derek’s choreography. And if he’ll comment on Mark for using Maks’ choreo since he is great at giving criticism but has trouble taking it.
I don’t mind this idea of iconic dances as long as they aren’t recreating the whole routine and really just have the same music and style but are free to stray away from the original dance. I wonder if the costumer and staging will be the same as the original. I think Lindsey will have a better week this week as I think she can do well in both contemporary and tango, but I can’t remember the last time Mark has done a tango so it will be interesting. Plus I think Meryl’s dance can be reinterpreted more easily than some of the other dances. I think Jordan should be fine with both styles, though they are both very footwork heavy, and Paige’s jive had a lot jampacked into it plus that jive was mostly focused on a female celeb so they’ll have to switch it to mostly focusing on the male. I actually think Frankie will be fine, Salsa and Paso are 2 of Witney’s stronger points in terms of choreography and I feel like Apolo’s dance can also be reinterpreted more easily and it’s an older dance from a very early season so it won’t be as easily compared. I’m not so sure how well Drew will do with that jazz, if it was Rashad he would’ve totally been able to do it, but I just can’t see Drew being as smooth as Corbin was, he might do ok with the tango. Victoria will probably do ok on the waltz, but the Charleston might be a challenge like her jive was.
Why are people still complaining about the Legend Meryl being able to do more. She as on tour skating. Maks did exactly enough to keep her together to do DWTS and Skating withe the Stars and their chemistry is bar non
Uhhhh Dauo, we’ll complain on who we want. If you don’t like it, find somewhere else to post.
What I did not miss this season were the showmances that Val and Maks relied on so heavily. However, I do think there is a certain segment of viewers that love this aspect of the show. Did they kiss or did they not? I also think that anyone who makes CAI cry will get a 10. She totally loves the emotional piece.
I want to see Val’s overblown ego and it’s all about me attitude be deflated when he’s eliminated tomorrow. Victoria is great, but she’s not going to be able to do the fast footwork. Or will he hide her behind a bunch of the troupe like he did with Laurie so her feet can’t be seen? Frankie and Drew deserve to be in the final 4 and to have one of them go just to keep this undesirable around would be wrong.
TPTB need to open their eyes and ears and realize what people are saying. They need to realize he’s not all that and not the best on the show now that Derek is gone. Who is the best? Right now, Mark, Emma, Lindsay and Witney. They’ve done outstanding work week after week, and with the exception of Jordan, have done it with those who knew nothing about dance. Val comes no where near any of them.
I’m still holding out hope he’ll sit out a season, but then I think, what else does he have to do? Yes, he has his show with his brother, but I’m betting he counts on DWTS a lot.
I know this won’t come close to happening, but I would love to see a Drew/Lindsey or Frankie/Lindsey as the final 2.
Courtney, I know the comparisons between Maks and Mark and Lindsey and Meryl are inevitable; I just don’t think they’re fair.
And, Courtney, technically no one can top Meryl and Maks’s tango; they got a perfect score!
Yeah, spare us the whole “perfect score means it can’t be topped” idea – utter bullshit. Of course it can be topped and in many ways. To believe other wise is just silly.
Pardon me if I’m wrong, but I’m looking back at old comments about Mark not doing much tango – didn’t he do one with Sadie Robertson? I don’t remember that season too well but I think I remember that.
Yes, gunny, the stupid part of the audience that reads romance novels. I think perhaps they should focus on their own relationships, instead of fictional ones on TV or even real ones of celebrities.
I’ve rerun the Meryl/Maks tango and frankly, it is a rather simple dance and contains rather a lot of plain walking around and time wasting, a Chmerkovskiy signature move. BUT it leaves plenty of room for the 3 Stooges and the audience to say that Lindsey & Mark don’t display the “chemistry” of the original (with the showmance) or the “sexiness” as I’m sure Lindsey Sterling won’t perform in lingerie!
I expect Witney will pay homage to the Apollo/Julianne Paso, not try to duplicate it. I think they can get the characters right, but of course, Frankie doesn’t have the technique of Apollo. I think if they show footage, he’s screwed. And I 100% expect to see clips of the former “iconic” dances aired.
Same problem for Drew. I totally expect Emma to craft a routine that pays homage, not duplicate the original Jazz. But Corbin was dancing in a style he’d trained all his life for! I believe, they are deliberately screwing them over.
Minority opinion but I actually think Victoria can handle Amber and Derek’s Charleston. She has charm and a naturally upbeat personality. The original is not a footwork driven performance (never Amber’s strong suit.) If they don’t do well in comparison, it will be on Val! Derek’s character in the original is the absolute antithesis of him! And will Val produce a virtual copy of the original, like he did with Rhythm Nation, will he try to craft a homage with a couple of similar details or will he ignore Derek’s work and just reuse the song? My guess – I expect to see similar costumes, the table and rose but I expect Val to try and do his own thing otherwise. I don’t have a guess yet as to whether the Stooges will rave or growl because I don’t know where the producers/judges agenda is yet but will know after the first round!
Jordan and Lindsey/Sharna should handle this challenge beautifully as they have all season. I see no reason for them to come up lacking against the Paige/Mark performance. Interesting though that they didn’t go for the Nicole/Derek one instead!
The only way Victoria handles Derek/Amber’s Charleston is IF Val goes a different route with it. That dance wasn’t about “footwork” is was about SWAG. And that is not something Victoria has shown she has. In fact, the whole reason that (and many of Amber’s) dance was iconic was because of the swag and the attitude. That was the whole point.
I’ve read up thread twice about Meryl being scantily clad for the Tango and that’s not accurate. She had on a bustier and long pleated palazzo pants, more on than any pro most days. They may be confusing her “lingerie” moment which was worn for the freestyle in the finale, a slip dress.
I said nothing about any costume but Meryl’s. And, I stand by my comments about Meryl’s Tango costume being more revealing than anything Lindsey Sterling will wear. That bustier was bare, lace and lined with flesh colored fabric. I know that costume was a part of the showmance and is well remembered by a segment of the DWTS audience. It was more memorable to me than the dance! What I’m saying is, that performance isn’t “iconic” because of the choreography. It was about the supposed “chemistry” which was pure acting and the swoon (rolls eyes sarcastically) sexiness. By comparison, Paige and Mark used no explicit moves and wore more clothes than most pairs for their AT yet Len had the NERVE to say it was too raunchy for him!
This is an assignment very rife with producer manipulation. While his choreography is superior, Mark has a very different style to Maks. Lindsey seems to be able to play any role Mark tasks her with so far and I expect we’ll see far more demanding choreo from them. But I’m expecting they will be lambasted as not like the “iconic” Maksyl Tango. Hope not but I’m not expecting a positive outcome there for them.
The DWTS Instagram story posted ‘powerful contemporary for team viva headed your way.’ Is this yet another week where Val gets to change his style?
@Mary #62
Mark did an Argentine Tango with Sadie (he incorporated a guitar into the routine).
Mark has only done three ballroom tangos on the show…two with Kristi Yamaguchi (Season 6) and one with Bristol Palin (Season 11).
Ah, I remember now! Thanks, Cali.
I completely agree with Courtney in the fifth posting. I hope that the c-brothers are absent next year,but I do like the work ethic and personality of Peta.
I agree with PH that I don’t think many of these dances are in the “iconic” list. Actually, the only one I think is definitely one of the “iconic” dances of DWTS is Apollo’s Paso. The other were good dances but not “iconic” IMO. Amber had plenty other dances, Meryl’s AT with Val was more iconic than that tango, I din’t even remember Corbin’s jazz.. Paige’s jive I believe was memorable and maybe “iconic” in that the level of difficulty and speed for that season was very high and it stood her out (although I’ve always though she had an awkward posture and was off balance in that dance). But for her season that was a dance that really stood out.
I’m really hoping for a Jordan, Lindsey, Frankie, Drew finale. Honestly Lindsay, Mark, Whitney and Emma- could be one of the best finals in a while!
Maybe Jordan, Lindsey, and Frankie will do a rotation? Since Victoria is dancing contemporary now, Lindsey probably won’t follow her with another.
It does sound like finishing order, reversed. Unfortunately, I think they knew how low they had to go with Drew to oust him this week. Val has a strong fan base that would vote for him if he stayed home so I don’t have a good feeling about it. It sounds like Victoria is doing another version of her MMY story.
Per George on twitter, the order is on both rounds is Drew,Vicotria,Jordan,Lindsay and Frankie.
Why did they allow Val to do a trio dance w/Jenna in it and a contemporary instead of a waltz. I think he found out (inside leaks) they were not gonna b in the finals. So he used Victoria as a scapegoat to benefit him and Jenna. I feel so sad for Victoria. #$%@
Was I reading wrong, or did I see that someone considered Corbin Bleu’s trio with Karina & Witney, to NOT be iconic?
Disagree. It is one of the best dances ever done on the show, IMO
I don’t think it’s iconic, Dana. Not even close.