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Pure DWTS Exclusive: Sharna Burgess Talks Of Dancing Like The Pros, Kym Johnson, And New Season of Dancing With The Stars

Dancing With The Stars Sharna Burgess had such a great time dancing for “Dancing Like The Pros” last week in Niagara Falls at the Fallsview Casino in Canada. At the time we reported about it, there wasn’t much out there except from Edyta Sliwinska at twitter. In case you don’t know, Edyta along with her husband Alec Mazo helped to put on the show. The two are former Dancing With The Stars pros. Along with Sharna, the full cast included Antonina Skobina, Denys Drozdyuk, Daniella Karagach, Joanna Pacitti, Paul Barris, Anna Rosh, Jean Marc Genereux, Artur Adamski, Laurence Bolduc, Jean-Philippe Milot, Alex Karaulov and Vlada Semenova. Dancing With The Stars Kym Johnson also helped to judge the event. Sharna danced with Paul Barris and ended up WINNING!! Below are some fun photos from Dancing Pros Facebook and Sharna’s twitter….

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And that’s not all! We were able to ask Sharna a few questions about what it was like dancing for “Dancing With The Pros” and the upcoming new season of Dancing With The Stars. Below is the new interview. Enjoy and we thank Sharna and her publicist for helping us put this together.

Hey Sharna, tell us about your recent trip to Niagara Falls and what it was like dancing for “Dancing Like the Pros”? Was it your first trip to Niagara Falls? Did you get to visit Niagara Falls or do anything else while you are there?

Niagra falls was beautiful as always. Such incredible standing there not just hearing but feeling the weather and the power is possesses. I’ve been there once before while I was on tour, and it was still amazing the second time round.

There was no time to do anything while I was there, we were performing two shows a day at the falls view casino. Dancing like the pros is a show put together by DWTS alums Alec and Edyta. I love these two, great people, super talented and genuinely love what they do. Getting to know them was wonderful and being a part of their show was a lot of fun. Kym Johnson was there with us as a judge, and she was so good at it!! Future Dwts judge maybe 😉 I’m just putting it out there, right now she is way too special as a pro.

Are you excited about the new season of Dancing with the Stars coming up? Anyone you would love to see in the new cast of celebs or anyone you would love to dance with?

I’m super excited about this season!!! I’m so itching to get back in the ballroom and create some magic 🙂 I’m already picking songs and themes and getting my head around some really cool group number concepts.

I would love to have Victor Cruz or John Stamos. But If I could shoot for the stars on my Dwts wish list it would totally be Hugh Hackman or Bradley Cooper :)))

See you all soon!! Well… Fingers crossed 😉

Yes, FINGERS CROSSED!! We hope we see you back too, Sharna, and to see everything you have planned!! I love the idea of Kym Johnson being a judge for Dancing With The Stars too! And oh, Hugh Jackman! Can you imagine if he were to dance?! 😀

August 4, 2013 I Written By

"Dance is the hidden language of the soul" ~ Martha Graham. That's what DWTS makes me think of every Monday night. To read more about me and my other interests, see Lisa Kay Photography. You can also follow me at Voguerista Twitter & Voguerista Soundcloud.

DWTS 15 End-of-Season Awards: Which Celeb Improved the Most?

Ok, now that I’ve finally worked up the motivation to start revealing the results, I’m gonna do this a bit out-of-order – mainly because I simply don’t have the patience right now to tally up some of the awards with HUNDREDS of write-in votes 😯 This season has definitely made me question whether to even include write-ins as an option in the future.  But I digress – let’s start with an award where the results were pretty cut & dry:

mostimproved15

Write-ins:

Bristol – 6

Helio – 2

Kirstie – 1

None – 1

Courtney: No arguments here – prior to the start of the season, Kelly was one of the celebs that I thought would REALLLLLY struggle, given that she was probably the weakest of the DWTS returning champions, based on her performance in season 1.  Apparently Alec just didn’t know how to tap into her potential back then, because she was definitely one of the stronger dancers this season! Maybe Kelly just had time to mature between season 1 and season 15, maybe it helped to have a partner that she could really connect with (and wasn’t an “Iceman”) – whatever it was, she definitely impressed me this season, as did Val…makes me wonder if he could be the next great choreographer on the show in Derek’s absence.  I also feel a bit vindicated now, since I’ve always said that Alec probably wasn’t that great of a teacher – if he was truly that great, he would have been able to pull performances out of Kelly 8 years ago that were as good as some of the ones we saw in season 16.  I think Shawn & Apolo also improved, albeit not as drastically as Kelly; Melissa improved a little bit, as there didn’t seem to be quite as many cheerleader moves this time around; I think Sabrina stayed about the same; and Gilles got worse.  I’m guessing the 6 votes for Bristol came from 2 well-known Bristol trolls on different computers – because she was even trainwreckier this time than she was before 😯

Vogue: I voted for Kelly as well in this category. From the beginning, she seemed intent on doing well and improving herself. She had something to prove and that she could dance with the best of them. Despite a busy ongoing schedule with General Hospital, she gave it her all and it showed with every week that passed. Both she and Val had a powerful passion. They couldn’t have been more suited for each other. He wanted to do well too and set a name for himself other than just being Mak’s little brother. She gave him the confidence to do that and they flew with it even with the odds stacked against them. I loved them and I too look forward to Val’s future on Dancing With The Stars.

Heidi: I actually don’t remember who I voted for in this category, but if I was voting now it would be for either Kelly or Shawn.  Kelly for all the reasons already stated – as much as the showmance made me nauseous by the end, she still ended up much better than her original season.  I also have high hopes for Val in terms of choreo – that he’s inspired by Derek and not, say, Tony. He is a musician, so he starts out ahead. He did a lot with Kelly and made her seem warmer than I suspect she might actually be. 🙂  If he continues to look at what Derek did as cool and creative as opposed to “rule breaking”, he can be the next great choreographer on the show.  Take notes, Tony and Louis. As for Shawn, she was like a different dancer with Derek.  She inspired him to up his game and she was fearless – talk about two people who complimented each other.  Derek just pushed and pushed and pushed and got her to not only up her dancing, but her emotional connection to the dance.  Awesome.

February 14, 2013 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.

DWTS “Who Wore it Better?” – The Pre-Season 15 All-Star Edition, Part I!

This season, we opted to do things a bit differently – as we have with just about every other regular feature we do each season, since the format is a bit wacky, to say the least 😛 First, we’ve divided WWIB into two parts – mainly to accomodate the fact that Kirstie & Maks’ and the 13th couple’s (who we now know to be Sabrina & Louis) promo photos have yet to be released, but also to buy us some time for the labor-intensive task of finding good pictures for some of these 🙂 Secondly, we’ve included the couples’ promo photos from their original seasons for comparison as well.  But as always, we’ve offered up our usual snark commentary on each of the costumes, for your enjoyment 😎

Battle of the turquoise & black lace corset dress/Kelly & Alec vs. Kelly & Val:  Kelly & Alec’s season 1 promo pic vs. Kelly & Val’s season 15 promo pic vs. Edyta in the season 9 pro tango demo

Courtney: The Iceman cometh! Wow, even Alec’s promo pic screams “I have no emotions” to me.  And while Kelly is a bit better, I still wish she’d actually smile in her promo pics – the whole “smoldery non-smile” she does just seems like she’s trying too hard to me.  And I’m probably the only one that feels this way, judging from some of everyone’s initial comments on the promo photos, but I’m not really all that wild about Kelly & Val’s pic…you’ll see I’m not much of a fan of the couples that went the “smoldery” route with their promo pix.  As for the costume itself – gotta go with Edyta on this one.  Granted, it’s hard to hold a candle to Edyta in pretty much ANY costume, but I think I like it better with a lace skirt, as opposed to a fringed one.  And while I was cursing under my breath while putting this edition together about how BAD some of the costumes have gotten since Randall left, I thank my lucky stars we’re not still stuck with Designs to Shine, who costumed the first season. Can we say “tacky”? 😯

Heidi: Val sez, “You…are sooo sexy.” To which Kelly sez, “You are sexy, but I am sleeping with my cousin’s best friend’s husband’s brother and am simply toying with you as a cover to hide our true looove….” That is my long winded way of saying, Kelly is a soap actress…they only do smolder.  Sometimes well, sometimes not – and Val is a huge step up from Alec in terms of emotion and Kelly has evolved to smoldering with her mouth *closed*. 🙂 The dress you ask? I go with Edyta sans fishnets.  Although I think it’s cuter in the shorter length.

The verdict: Just say no to soap opera smolder.  Read more..

August 28, 2012 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.

DWTS 15 All-Stars: The Great “Previous Dance Experience” Debate – Kelly Monaco Edition

Ok, so for a NORMAL season, this is the time where I’d usually cull videos from YouTube that show our new crop of celebrities doing dance-related things in their past that may or may not help their performance on DWTS, and then Heidi, Vogue, & I would point & laugh and generally have a grand ol’ time offering our commentary 🙂  But obviously, this season is not following that pattern – there’s not much point in looking at videos of Kirstie dancing around in the kitchen scene of Look Who’s Talking or Drew Lachey gyrating onstage with 98 Degrees when we already have footage of them dancing on DWTS…so why not take a look at some of their best & worst performances from their original seasons, and see how they stack up? In addition, I’ll try to add videos of any dancing the celebs have done SINCE their season, that may or may not help them this time around.

Today we’ll start with the ladies, and we’ll start at the very beginning: season 1, which Kelly Monaco won.  For her best dance, I picked her freestyle:

And for her worst, I chose the waltz:

Ok, first thing that jumps out at me here: the bar has definitely been raised quite a bit since season 1 – the level of the dancing is much higher now than it was in Kelly’s season, which could pose some big problems for her.  I’m always a bit reluctant to pick someone’s freestyle as their “best dance” (because I think freestyles are usually pretty universally-pleasing, since the couples can do whatever they want), but in this case, I feel like it actually had quite a bit of ballroom content and thus was more on-par with what she was capable of in a regular dance.  With that being said – it’s still a pretty weak freestyle, when you look at the freestyles we’ve seen since season 1.  Kelly’s getting off-time, missing steps, and generally looking pretty wobbly on her feet – it may have gotten a 30 back in season 1, but I’d be surprised if it would have gotten anything more than a 23 in a more current season…and I think she’d be lucky to even break into the 20’s during the all-star season, if it’s going to be as competitive as I think it is.  As for her waltz – it was during the first week of the first season, so there was undoubtedly some major nerves at work and I think she just ended up very stiff & scared.  And did I just see some pretty blatant lifts in there??? I don’t necessarily think it was bad…it just wasn’t very interesting to watch.   But there isn’t going to be any room for nerves on this season, so Kelly’s going to have to overcome those pretty quickly if she wants to stick around.

So has Kelly been doing any dancing since season 1 wrapped that might help her this time around? Well…yes and no.  She did a brief stint in the burlesque revue Peepshow in Vegas back in ’09, along with Mel B (WARNING: It’s slightly racy…avert your eyes if you’re offended by pole dancing, lingerie, and gyrations):

Ok, so it looks like Kelly didn’t do a TON of real dancing in Peepshow…seems like just a lot of gyrating suggestively and being a sexpot.  So while it might not necessarily help her with her actual dancing, I do think it might help her stage presence in that it will help her evoke a more confident, sexy, smoldering character for dances like the rumba & Argentine tango.

Court’s verdict: All things considered, I think Kelly’s unfortunately one of the weaker contestants this season, and has got a lot of hard work ahead of her if she expects to stick around – the fact that there are several non-winners (Joey, Kirstie, Melissa, even Pam) on this season that are quite a bit better than Kelly in terms of dance skill tells me she’s got some tough competition.  However, she’s also still young and in good shape, which could give her an edge over some of the older contestants.

What do you guys think? Does Kelly have the juice to go all the way, or will she flame out early?

August 8, 2012 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.

DWTS Season 15 All Stars – Who’s Gonna Dance with Whom??

Since I saw a bunch of people already asking this question in the comments on the site, I figured I would go ahead and give my guesses. These are guesses only – I have no inside information. All I do is use heights, perceived personality, and any other information floating around out there. In the case of this season, I think I will also look at history combined with the knowledge that fairness plays NO part in the decisions TPTB make. 🙂

There is also a twist here – one that Mark Ballas hasn’t realized yet in his campaigning for Sabrina.  Mark says he’s “100%” dancing on the show this coming season.  The pairs are announced on GMA on August 13.  Voting for the 13th dancer doesn’t end until August 24.  Do the math.  The ONLY way that Mark can be dancing with Sabrina is if the voting thing is all bull.  Mark can only dance with Sabrina if they cancel the voting on August 13 and let all three people dance. Otherwise, Mark has already been paired with someone else and someone who isn’t sure if they have a spot yet will dance with Sabrina – if she wins the vote.  My guess? Louis…or perhaps someone like Henry. Someone shorter and not always guaranteed a spot on the show. Maybe it’s Derek, since all signs are that he had something else to do this season until recently.  But my guess is that Derek already has a partner too. So, I guess we’ll see if the voting thing is for real, or if it’s all hype that they will cancel on the 13th.  I hope it’s not all hype – I think 15 dancers is WAY too many. The most couples in a season was 16 and that was a nightmare. I hope they don’t go that route again, unless they have a double elimination the first week. Note: if the voting thing is a fraud, they will have to pull up a female dancer from the troupe unless Julianne or Edyta are magically coming back – doubtful in both cases.

So, you’ll notice, below, that I went with the assumption that ALMOST everyone is getting a new partner.  Will TPTB go this route? Well, it would certainly make the show much more interesting – which means they won’t do it. 🙂 I’m hoping they do, just to add to the entertainment value and to make the playing field a bit more level.

Heidi’s Guesses for the Women!!

Celebrity Height Pro Height Pro Former Partner
 Pam Anderson  5ft. 7in.  6ft. 2in.  Maks Damian
 Kelly Monaco  5ft. 3in.  5ft. 10in.  Derek Alec
 Melissa Rycroft  5ft. 4in.  5ft. 8in.  Mark  Tony
 Shawn Johnson  4ft. 9in.  5ft. 9in.  Val  Mark
 Kirstie Alley  5ft. 7in.  6ft. 1in.  Tony  Maks
 Bristol Palin  5ft. 5in.  5ft. 11in.  Tristan  Mark

Some explanations for my female pairings:

–          I put Maks and Pam together because they would be HOT

–          I put Kelly with Derek because she was supposedly running her mouth about him AND she fits the Derek partner mold

–          Melissa and Mark, and Val and Shawn??  Still not sure about these. Shawn’s older now, so Mark isn’t critical, but…

–          Kirstie and Tony?? It pretty much has to be either Tony or Maks, because Kirstie is tall and big boned – she would overwhelm most of the other men PLUS I would bet she wants someone in the “family”, if you know what I mean

–          Unfortunately, Bristol got Tristan by process of elimination. I didn’t try to pigeonhole her there.  As exciting as a Maks or Derek pairing with Bristol would be, they will give her to someone more easy going. If it’s not going to be Mark, I think it’s Tristan

Heidi’s Guesses for the Men!!

Celebrity Height Pro Height Pro Former Partner
 Joey Fatone  5ft. 11in.  5ft. 7in.  Peta  Kym
 Helio Castroneves  5ft. 8in.  5ft. 5in.  Karina  Julianne
 Drew Lacey  5ft. 6in.  5ft. 4in.  Anna  Cheryl
 Emmitt Smith  5ft. 9in.  5ft. 7in.  Kym  Cheryl
 Apolo Ono  5ft. 8in.  5ft. 2.5in.  Chelsie  Julianne
 Gilles Marini  6ft. 1in.  5ft. 4in.  Cheryl  Cheryl

I found the men to be a bit harder to match up. Here is my rationale:

–          I started with the shorter men, and the most obvious pairing, to me, is Apolo and Chelsie. They won’t be able to resist putting Apolo with a mini-Julianne>

–          That left me with Drew, who will also need a shorter female. I picked Anna. I just couldn’t see Anna with Apolo, which was my other choice, because…

–          I had already put Karina with Helio. I can kinda see that pairing…certainly more than I can see Anna and Helio.

–          When you pair up the shorter girls with the short guys,  you’re left with Joey, Emmett and Gilles.  I really wanted Peta with Gilles, but I have a feeling that Cheryl will get her way on this one. Again.

–          I could see Peta better with Joey than Emmett and Kym better with Emmett.

So there you have it.  I kinda hope it goes this way, since ONLY Kym and Cheryl (of the female pros) would be able to dance with former partners and this way it would be a tiny bit more even. What do you think??

ETA: Completely forgot about our wildcards!!  Well, there is only one female pro left – Lacey. Lacey has already danced with Kyle and she’s not too short for Carson. And they would be fun together as well. As for Sabrina – well, Louis is pimping her a lot on Twitter and since Mark already knows he’s dancing, he can’t be dancing with Sabrina unless something is rigged. I kinda think that they might give Mark/Sabrina another go round – but I also think that they don’t care that much about the pros.  I think they think of it more in terms of giving *Sabrina* another chance. They aren’t shippers. 🙂

July 28, 2012 I Written By

I'm a nerd and proud of it. Two degrees in geology also means I love BEER. :-) I'm also a Derek lover - proud of that too. So don't scream at those of us on this site and call us a bunch of "biased Derek-lovers" - it's just ME. :-) It may sound like I hate DWTS at times, but really, I'm just a snarky nitpicker from way back. And I'm cynical and jaded too. But I do love DWTS. :-)

DWTS is BACK on GSN Starting July 2nd!

Cross posted from Pure Derek  Hough…

DANCING WITH THE STARS, Season Five, will air Monday, July 2nd, Tuesday, July 3rd, and Wednesday July 4th in a special three-day marathon (all times Eastern):

 

  • ·        Monday, July 2nd, 8:30am to 3:00pm
  • ·        Tuesday, July 3rd, 9:00am to 3:00pm
  • ·        Wednesday, July 4th, 9:00am to 3:00pm

 

DANCING WITH THE STARS, Season Five, features a spectacular cast of celebrities from television, movies, music, sports, and fashion, each paired with a professional dancer:

 

Marie Osmond and Jonathan Roberts

Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Karina Smirnoff

Mark Cuban and Kym Johnson

Mel B and Maksim Chmerkovskiy

Jane Seymour and Tony Dovolani

Wayne Newton and Cheryl Burke

Jennie Garth and Derek Hough

Hélio Castroneves and Julianne Hough

Josie Maran  and Alec Mazo

Albert Reed and Anna Trebunskaya                                               

Sabrina Bryan and Mark Ballas

Cameron Mathison and Edyta Sliwinska

 

June 16, 2012 I Written By

I'm a nerd and proud of it. Two degrees in geology also means I love BEER. :-) I'm also a Derek lover - proud of that too. So don't scream at those of us on this site and call us a bunch of "biased Derek-lovers" - it's just ME. :-) It may sound like I hate DWTS at times, but really, I'm just a snarky nitpicker from way back. And I'm cynical and jaded too. But I do love DWTS. :-)

DWTS Rants & Raves – Why the Pros Should Count Their Blessings

This post started off far more “rant” than “rave”, but I opted to change the tone a bit, perhaps in hopes that the message would then be more easily swallowed 🙂 As many of you know, Edyta has recently been writing a series of blogs about her time on the show that have been rather…bitter. Vengeful.  Even malicious.  And it’s unfortunately colored many of our opinions of her for the worse – she even went so far as to block a reader who dared to make a comment expressing “disappointment” in Edyta’s choice to be so critical of the show that made her a household name.  That’s when it dawned on me: some of the pros seem to have forgotten what life was like BEFORE they were on Dancing with the Stars.

For those of you unfamiliar with the “real” world of ballroom, first things first: prior to 2005, when DWTS & SYTYCD hit the air, most ballroom dancers (even the world champions) led lives of relative obscurity.  They may have been well-known within the ballroom community (which is still relatively small), and may have even been what I like to call “ballroom famous” – a title that me & my teammates from my college ballroom dance team bestowed upon dancers that were particularly respected & admired in ballroom circles – but they most certainly weren’t household names, and they weren’t mobbed by fans in public.  In short – they were just like you and I.  Just average people with a not-so-average occupation.

How bout a short poll: how many of you had heard the name “Tony Dovolani” prior to 2005? Now of those who had, how many of you HAVE NOT somehow been involved in the world of ballroom dance at some point in your life? If you fit both of the criteria above, then I applaud you – because prior to 2005, the only mainstream thing Tony had really done was a bit part in the American version of Shall We Dance?, and he was also credited as a choreographer in that film.  The fact that he actually got a few lines to say was pretty impressive, considering that, at that time, the biggest movie/tv role (besides choreographer) that most ballroom dancers could ever hope for was either dancing around in the background as an extra in a big dance scene, or maybe being a “dance double” for a particularly ungraceful actor (true story: the owner of my bf’s dance studio was Ben Affleck’s “foot double” in the movie Going All the Way – apparently Ben has 2 left feet!).  Dancers were lucky to even get credited as extras, let alone hope for a speaking part.  The widely held opinion with most casting directors was that “if you’re doing a dance movie, you’d better find actors that can dance…because you aren’t going to find dancers that can act!” It was a far, far cry from the starring movie roles that Julianne & Derek have been given in recent years, and the tv gigs that Maks (Bachelor Ukraine, Celebrity Ghost Stories), Cheryl & Louis (Suite Life of Zack & Cody), Edyta & Alec (CSI: NY), and Mark (Samantha Who?) were able to get due to their DWTS fame.

You know all those spiffy endorsement deals that so many of the pros on the show have gotten over the years, with their faces plastered over everything from shoes to hair extensions to diet pills to makeup to exercise tapes to dancewear? Yeah, pretty non-existent back in the pre-DWTS days – most competitive ballroom dancers were lucky if they could get a dance shoe or costume sponsor to help mitigate the exorbitant cost of competing.  And speaking of money – let’s just say they weren’t raking it in back then like they are now 🙂 Don’t get me wrong, some ballroom dancers make quite a good living for themselves just on coaching, choreographing, and doing exhibition performances, but it’s peanuts compared to what they’re rumored to make on the show (which I’ve heard reported as roughly $6k+ per week).  And can you really put a price on the exposure the show gives them??? Since the beginning of the show, how many of the pros have opened successful dance studios with their name plastered on it? So far, I count Cheryl, Karina, Chelsie, and Maks & Tony (with the new Dance with Me in CA).  For those who already had dance studios (like Jonathan & Anna), I can only imagine they started booking up faster after their appearance on the show – I know for a fact that Jonathan is now one of the most in-demand pro-am teachers in the country. 

How many pros have graced the covers of magazines since joining the cast of the show? Back in the day, the biggest magazine a ballroom dancer could hope to appear in was American Dancer, the bimonthly publication put out to its members by USA Dance – which, of course, was only sent to members.  All those invites to parties/award shows/premieres/charity benefits/etc? Probably wouldn’t happen to your average ballroom dancer. And how many pros can now count some pretty big celebrities amongst their friends…and sometimes exes? Without the platform of DWTS, Maks may never have met Kirstie, Derek may never have met Shannon, and Julianne may never have even been in the same room as Ryan Seacrest.  In the entertainment business, it really isn’t what you know, it’s who you know – and DWTS has supplied some primo connections for its pros. 

I don’t want ths post to be a neverending soapbox of why DWTS is so great, so I’ll get to my point: as much as the pros may bitch & moan in the media about the show and how “unfair” or “fake” it is, at the end of the day I daresay their participation in it has done them far more good than harm – it has plucked many of them out of obscurity and opened doors to opportunities far beyond their imagination as young ballroom competitors.  Some (namely Julianne, Derek, Mark, Cheryl & Maks) have parlayed those opportunities into success better than others (namely Alec & Edyta), but even the latter has undoubtedly benefitted from having the show on their resume – Dance Temptation may not have taken off with someone less notable at the helm.  And fans, you can take something away from this too – you may complain about how the show has been so “unfair” or “biased against” [insert pro here] (which, of course, is pretty subjective), but I challenge you to imagine a life without that pro in it.  Would you rather watch Maks occasionally “take a beating” from the judges, or have never known him at all? Would you rather see Tony tough it out with such duds as Wendy Williams & Kate Gosselin, or have no idea who he is? I know many of you will probably argue “you can’t miss what you never knew to begin with”, but I’ve seen how this show brightens some of your lives, and what an important role some of the pros play in it.  They inspire you, entertain you, and can even motivate you to better your own life. Yes, sometimes this show is indeed “unfair”, “fake”, “scripted”, & “storyboarded”, and I’m not saying the viewers or the pros should accept every aspect of the show without complaint. But when it comes down to it, it still fulfills one crucial purpose in the lives of its pros: to share their love of dance with the world…and reap some sweet benefits while they’re at it 😉

February 10, 2012 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.

DWTS Season 4, Weeks 1 and 2 -The Cheesecake Awards (Retrospective??)

So, is it a retrospective when it’s a re-airing years later ?? I’m going with yes 🙂  As I mentioned in an earlier post, we can’t promise that we will do these every week, and we can’t promise they will be as long as the regular Cheesecake Awards…but we can promise that we will try to be our obnoxious selves. 🙂  On with the show…

The Bad Acid Trip Award: The old “kaleidescope” opening credits

Courtney: Soooooo glad they got rid of that cheesy nightmare – damn near gave me a grand mal seizure.

Heidi: I think I may have actually had a seizure every time it was on because I’m lacking in recall.

The “Trying Too Hard” Award: Brian Fortuna

Courtney:  Admittedly, I actually missed a good deal of this season when it was originally airing, since I was still in college, working, and too broke for TiVo 😛 But what really struck me is that Brian (who I had all but forgotten about until that opening pro number in week 1) was just…too much.  The dude seemed like he was trying waaaayyyy too hard to make an impact and carve out a niche for himself on the show.  The face pulling, the exaggerated dance moves, the overgelled hair, the jewelry – just…no, dude.  He was like young Derek and Mark lite – but not as talented.  And quite possibly the best part of watching these old episodes years later? You already know that he ain’t going to be around for very long – kinda makes me wish I had a tin can phone system that could reach the past and tell him “Dude, you may as well dial it back about 5 notches…you’re not gonna be around much longer, anyway.  Don’t strain yourself.” 😛

Heidi: The thing that got me is what still gets me with Mark sometimes. The SMILE. Jesus dude. Almost constant, fake looking, very big smile.  Mark has that same glazed look from time to time where he would habitually have a smile on his face but it doesn’t seem to reach his eyes or he’s not really feeling it. It’s like perma-face or something. Hard to explain.  Brian does kinda look like Derek’s younger, squirrely, annoying brother.  The less attractive brother. But everyone knows that to be a Hough you have to have blond hair and blue eyes. 🙂  Freakishly strong genes in that family.

Courtney: Brian could be the weird cousin of the Hough family.  Kinda like cousin Oliver from The Brady Bunch…never did quite understand his purpose. Read more..

January 27, 2012 I Written By

I'm a nerd and proud of it. Two degrees in geology also means I love BEER. :-) I'm also a Derek lover - proud of that too. So don't scream at those of us on this site and call us a bunch of "biased Derek-lovers" - it's just ME. :-) It may sound like I hate DWTS at times, but really, I'm just a snarky nitpicker from way back. And I'm cynical and jaded too. But I do love DWTS. :-)

Casting: How Far Will Dancing With The Stars Go For Ratings And Popularity? (Rant Post)

Edyta Sliwinska has written a new blog at Dancing Pros about the producers pairing celebrities with the pros on Dancing With The Stars. In her new blog, she examines “who puts these couples together, how does it happen and, is it fair?” Let’s just say matching dancers and celebrities based on age, look, height or personality isn’t always how producers pair the couples up. Creating the right demographic for buzz, controversy, drama, and purchasing power is more the case. Are you surprised? Below is a take….

So let’s abandon this nonsense notion that the producers try to match dancers and celebrities based on age, look, height or personality. I could give many more examples to prove my point: Cheryl Burke and Chad Ochocinco (huge height difference), Karina Smirnoff and Steve Wozniak (this time the producers went for the ‘Beauty and the Geek’ theme), Derek Hough and Jennifer Grey ( born over 25 years apart). And really, if once in a while a couple happens to be a perfect match, I would claim that it simply happened by chance. The real motivation of the matchmakers from hell at DWTS is to create controversy and buzz. And therefore Cheryl was paired up with Chad and Karina Smirnoff with Mario Lopez, because the prediction was that these attractive and single people, paired up together would certainly generate rumors about their romantic involvement. And they did. However, publicity-hungry producers, at the same time created some great partnerships. My personal opinion is that not many couples could match the amazing chemistry that Mario and Karina showcased on the dance floor in season 2. You might also guess that egotistical Max Chmerkovskiy is not coincidently paired up with some of the strongest women that had appeared on the show. Leila Ali, Misty May-Tranor, Hope Solo and Erin Andrews succeeded in professions dominated by men. Mel B, Debi Mazar and Kirstie Alley are known for their feisty personalities. Pair up a woman who knows how to stand up for herself with an arrogant Russian dancer and you will get a recipe for a drama.

Getting a right demographic of the audience has been a long time struggle for the producers of DWTS. Please don’t get offended if you are 49 or older, but the most desired viewers age, the one that advertisers are willing to pay big bucks for, is between 18 and 49. These are the ages of people believed to have the most purchasing power. Personally I think its nonsense. Most people over 50 that I know spend and have more money then people my age. But I’m not here to convince you about the defectiveness of TV executive’s thinking. It’s a simple fact: major TV networks do everything to attract younger audiences. Does it surprise you then that younger pros usually get better celebrities? When Cheryl Burke won DWTS twice in a row she was at the time the youngest dancer on the show. Later, even younger Julianne Hough, Mark Ballas and Derek Hough replaced her on the podium.

Luckily for the audience the producers can’t predict everything. Some couples who were favored to win were voted off someway along the way, like Mark Ballas and Sabrina Bryan. Others, who no one expected to do well, made it to the finals or even won like Alec Mazo and Kelly Monaco in season 1. This tiny bit of unpredictability might be the reason why you still watch the show with a trill.

Be sure to read Edyta’s new blog in full at Dancing Pros.

I have to say I am not surprised by a lot of what she writes. I love this show and I will continue to watch and be a major fan, but, sometimes, I have to wonder about the heart behind the scenes? Also, I would suffice it to say that Maks is a guaranteed ‘shoe in’ to be on this show for as long as he wants (not that I mind that as long as he doesn’t cross the line like last season).

Heidi’s Note: Edyta complains that the producers are after a big audience and as much fireworks as possible???  Can I get a resounding DUH!!!! Please? Gee, that’s why TV shows exist.  Anyone who thinks their only goal is to entertain or be “fair” is naive in the extreme.

A) NONE Of this is a surprise, but; B) Edyta doesn’t know jack about how they cast the show.  She was one of the dancers, not one of the producers.  She’s hypothesizing like everyone else, but she’s got an actual ax to grind (from the sound of it) since she’s never won the show.  Her explanation for Derek, Mark and Julianne winning?? They get preferential pairings because they were younger. She clearly hasn’t seen a complete listing of Maks’ partners (or Derek’s, Mark’s or Julianne’s for that matter). Of course, she implies that Maks’ partnerships are designed to create fireworks – that doesn’t mean they aren’t good dancers or ringers.  At the end of the day, Edyta’s opinion is no more valid or “true” than Maks’ is when he said that “Derek always gets great partners” or when DEREK does one of his usual PC song and dances.  The truth is likely somewhere in the middle.   I think she’s right about some things, bitter about others. Just like everyone else.

I would also argue that the female celebs are easier to match with male pros than vice versa – the female celebs are more likely to be shorter or similar in heights, and they are more likely to have previous dance or performing experience. The producers can tinker more with matching personalities, age groups, whatever. With male celebs you are more likely to have a huge variation in height and are therefore limited in pairings….as for age not playing a part?? I bet it does…but Edyta never even considers the fact that some celebrities have the clout to request a particular professional. People have requested Derek, Mark and Maks (and probably Edyta herself, along with Cheryl and Julianne, etc)….and they’ve gotten them.  When you have a couple celebs in a season making requests and getting them, that really narrows down who the remaining ones can be paired with.

Of course she’s right about them wanting ratings and the various ways they will go about getting those ratings…they’re in business.  But I think she over simplifies and makes the easy argument without considering all the angles.  Just like many fans of the show.

January 12, 2012 I Written By

"Dance is the hidden language of the soul" ~ Martha Graham. That's what DWTS makes me think of every Monday night. To read more about me and my other interests, see Lisa Kay Photography. You can also follow me at Voguerista Twitter & Voguerista Soundcloud.

PureDWTS Exclusive! An Interview with Randall Christensen, Part I

A few months back, we asked you guys to submit questions for Randall Christensen, the costume designer for DWTS from seasons 2-12.  Well now that the holidays are over and we’re starting to get back into the swing of things, we’re sharing Randall’s responses 🙂

We’ve been lucky to get a chance to chat with Randall, since he has kept very busy since moving on from DWTS! He’s currently working a couture swimwear line with MiracleSuit (check out Vogue’s post on the Macy’s MiracleSuit fashion show last summer!), is working on a sportswear/ready to wear collection, and is still designing dancesport costumes for Randall Designs, Inc., his costume design company for the past 30 years.  Let’s see what this dancewear icon has to say in response to some of your burning questions 🙂

At what age did you start designing?

Randall Christensen: I started designing for my professional partner and students back in the early ‘80’s, learning the craft with “hands on” experience.  I am self-taught.

Who were your mentors?

RC: My first mentor (and still most influential) was Bob Mackie.  He was designing for Carol Burnett as well as Cher for their (respective) shows.  I was a pre-teen and tried to NEVER miss a single one of their shows, as I was mesmerized by their costumes!

Seems like things at DWTS run on a pretty hectic timetable. Can you descibe what a typical week was like for you at DWTS?

RC: A typical week at DWTS starts new on Monday/Tuesday with new designs for each couple.  If we are lucky enough to get the music by Monday (instead of typically Tuesday) I try to get the couples up to the wardrobe department to discuss concepts for the next week’s costumes.  I only get 15-20 (30 mins. tops) to listen to the music, research ideas, discuss, design and finalize.  Then the entire show is shopped Wednesday by 5pm and delivered back to the studio, where I go over every women’s design with our cutter/fitter (the mens’ costumes are done off site, by our dance tailor in downtown Los Angeles).  The costumes are cut/sewn/preliminarily fitted on Thursday, then I have celebrity fittings all day Friday. My assistant helps on Saturday with the professional women’s fittings, they’re altered and ready for the final fitting on Sunday, after the couples do their blocking for the camera.  Adjustments are made and then are trimmed, beaded, crystallized and trimmed out to completion.  Monday morning is time to review each costume before setting them in the individual dressing rooms.  We have dress rehearsal only a few hours before we go LIVE on the east coast.  During that time any last minute adjustments are made and redelivered to the couples’ dressing rooms, sometimes just minutes before they’re to go to the top of the stairs for their walk down – live!  We have to design/shop/fit/finish each and every costume in 3.5 to 4 days!!  Whew!

What types of fabrics are the best for ballroom costumes?

RC: Thank goodness for stretch fabrics, jerseys, lycras, etc.!  These help the costume to be quite comfortable as well as flexible.  We can then get a terrific fit with little to no wrinkles in the fabric.  Chiffon (both silk and polyester) are great for the ballgown skirts, due to the wonderful movement.  Charmeuse satin is a terrific vintage type fabric, reminiscent of some of Ginger Rogers’ gowns.

Are there limitations, or can you work with pretty much anything?

RC: I push the limits every chance I get!  How else can you continue to come up with fresh ideas?  That being said, some fabrics are VERY challenging!  I try not to use brocades, as they are just to stiff and unforgiving for costumes.  Not to mention the fact that they do not flow at all!  I love using natural trims, for an organic vibe, still mixing in crystal rhinestones of course.  We have to have a sparkle on almost everything.

What is the most extravagant costume you’ve ever designed for the show, and who wore it?

RC: I would say the most extravagant costume would have to be Toni Braxton’s Marie Antoinette-inspired Viennese Waltz gown (complete with powdered blonde wig and all).  To be as authentic as possible, we went to a costume house and purchased a “cage” to make the silhouette as close to the look of the era as possible.  It was almost all completely sewn by hand, on the dress form as there is no way to get that wide cage (for the hips) on the sewing machine to work on.  Quite labor intense, but what a gorgeous look!  And still, we did it in just under 4 days……I still break out in a sweat thinking about that one!

*photo courtesy ABC/Kelsey McNeal

If you could only pick one DWTS costume as your “all-time favorite”, which would it be and why?

RC: Besides Toni Braxton’s Marie Antoinette gown, I would have to say Joanna Krupa’s “Futuristic Paso Doble.”  We pushed the limits (again) of what we could do in just 4 days.  The silver silk lame with electric lights (all wired into the dress) was sensational, but a nightmare to get done in such a short time.  We had a lighting specialist up from San Diego for 3 days just wiring the darn thing.

*photo courtesy of ABC

Everyone has regrets. Have you ever looked back at a costume you’ve designed for the show and thought “What was I thinking???” If so, which one & why?

RC: Oh, I’m sure we ALL have regrets, but I have to say, we have a really good track record if you consider that from concept to completion is 4 days maximum.  The discipline the couple has to have to stick with the original design, in spite of choreographing after the design is done, a procedure which is completely backwards! That being said, each and every week I look at the costumes, making mental notes as to what we could have done better, or what I would have done differently.  The beauty is I get another chance 4 days later.

Who have been your favorite celebs and/or pros to design for, and why?

RC: I count myself quite lucky to have such a great rapport with the pro dancers, and we have such fun with (and trust in) each other.  Our design sessions are quite intense and rewarding. I have enjoyed the trust that almost all of the celebrities have shown to me.  I honestly think that they put their trust in me (and their pro partner) due mainly to the fact that they are in such a foreign and vulnerable area.  They have not danced like this before, and really have to rely on our experience and expertise.  The trust that Susan Lucci, Jennifer Gray, Florence Henderson, Chelsea Kane and Kirstie Alley (to name a few) showed me was quite humbling and really rewarding!  This definitely impacts how wonderful their costumes showed on them.

Do you have an all-time favorite? 

RC:  I would have to say that as far as professional dancers, Edyta Sliwinska made ME look good!  I wish I could take credit for her beauty, but she came that way!!  That being said, I have to admit that Edyta was remarkably prepared each week, knew what looked good on her, and above all else, she left me to interpret her ideas and trusted me completely.  What a dream lady to work with!  Toni Braxton and Brandy both were appreciative, trusting and so lovely to design for.

What happens to the costumes after they’ve been worn?

RC: The celebrities have the option of purchasing any of their costumes, once the season is over.  Kristi Yamaguchi and Shawn Johnson purchased all of their costumes, along with several celebs. buying their favorite one(s).  We keep a great majority of the costumes from past seasons in a storage facility quite close to the studio.  We also keep a few on hand right in the workroom, in case we need a last minute “fix.”  We have NEVER had to use one of those yet!

We’ve noticed some get reused and others don’t. How do you decide which ones get reused?

RC: We reuse costumes based on the producers’ requirements/suggestions, as well as our guest choreographers’ ideas.  Many times (most of the time) we re-work them so that their silhouettes more readily coordinate with each of the other dancers’ looks, for a more cohesive themed look. There is just not enough hours in the week to make ALL the costumes seen on Monday’s and Tuesday’s shows.  That said, we ALWAYS make something new for our couples for Monday’s show.  The pro numbers and (pro) group numbers may get previously worn costumes, but NEVER on celebs nor their partners for Monday’s competition!

*photo courtesy ABC/Adam Larkey

Do certain pros want specific kinds of alterations (i.e. shorter hems, lower necklines, mesh inserts, etc) on costumes that have been worn before by someone else?

RC: Again, it’s all about the overall theme/silhouette desired.  Our pro dancers do have their specific preferences, and if we could accommodate them, we most certainly would.  Some of those preferences are just going to be kept secret – no use spoiling the illusion……

Tune in later this week when we reveal part II of our exclusive interview…and Randall talks theme nights, panic attacks, and his love of princess seams (?) 😉 You won’t want to miss it!!!

January 9, 2012 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.