After tonight, I’m kinda left thinking that “Rock Week” should have been abandoned after the disaster that was “Rock Week” in season 11. There were a few standouts that I thoroughly enjoyed, but for the most part, the performances ranged from “meh” to just painful to watch…and I have to say, I think rock music is a bit of a punishment for these couples. Why? Because rock music seems to embody all that is raw & wild – and yet, they have to do these dances with such control & precision. Of course some of them are going to lose some performance quality – they’re going to look like they’re in slo-mo compared to the music!
One positive to come out of tonight, though: the judges seemed to finally start cracking down and scoring seriously. Still a bit of overscoring going on, but I think they’ve finally taken off the rose (or vagina) colored glasses and started seeing some of the couples’ weaknesses. Let’s hope it works to eliminate the couples in a fair fashion!
1.) Donald & Peta – And in week 4, we finally get to see the potential this couple developed in weeks 1-3 really pay off 😀 I could not stop smiling during Donald’s paso, which was the best of the night for me – you could tell he was having the time of his life out there, and his energy was electric. Loved all the “rock” faces he was pulling – Jimmy Hendrix would be so proud! And in reality, his technique wasn’t too shabby either – paso really seemed to suit him, being the “hunky dunky” football player that he is 😉 And that crazy spin Donald threw Peta into at the end???!!! BRILLIANT. I think this week just may have taken Donald from “dark horse” to “force to be reckoned with”. I think this couple is doing everything right – they’re working hard, steadily improving, and maintaining a great chemistry that makes them really likeable. Plus, I think Carrie Ann has a new crush now – and we know that can’t hurt.
2.) Maria & Derek – Broken foot? Psssh…just spray some Windex on it and walk it off. That’s the Maria philosophy, and man – if that’s how she does a tango with a broken foot (and some healing ribs), then GIVE ME MORE, dammit! I definitely think Maria had the best tango of the night – clean & controlled, but still with enough impact to fit the song well and put on an entertaining performance. I just get mesmerized watching the way she moves her torso – she just gets such a nice stretch through her upper body, and those arms just look GORGEOUS. I know everyone talks about how Katherine’s posture is so awesome, but Maria’s definitely giving her a run for her money.
3.) Katherine & Mark – I think we all knew that Katherine would eventually have an off-week, and this may have been it – I had a hard time believing that our graceful, gorgeous English rose would channel the aggression necessary to really attack this paso head-on. But I had an interesting problem with her paso, that I didn’t really expect: I actually thought she was better OUT of hold this week, even though many of us have gushed over how great she is IN hold. It was strange – every time she let go of Mark, the attitude and the sassiness seemed to come out, and I really believed her aggression…loved the stalking walks and cape work with her skirt. But then she’d reach out and go back into hold with Mark, and seemed to lose a little bit of the magic…plus she seemed to fumble a bit more than usual when Mark brought her in and out of turns. But for having an “off week”, this was still a pretty damn good paso – never missed steps, and did them all with conviction. I just hope Mark gives her the chance to really shine on her own in the future, because she did seem to really enjoy her solo work.
4.) Roshon & Chelsie – Truth be told, I started to freak out a bit tonight by how much I found myself agreeing with Carrie Ann – and I agree with her wholeheartedly that Roshon is the best male dancer (in terms of technique!) this season. I don’t think he’s quite mastered the same athleticism Donald dances with, or the charisma that Jaleel dances with, but I think he’s mastered the technique better than any of the other guys. And his greatest asset may also be his greatest downfall: his flexibility. I love how he manages to extend his arms and really move his legs with ease – but I do notice that sometimes he moves a little too fast and somehow gets his feet kinda tangled up, and there’s a bit of a hiccup when he tries to straighten them out. But man, this kid is impressing me – I think he had the hardest dance to contend with, given that it was Rock week. What the heck was he supposed to do with such a graceful, flowing dance when everyone else is stomping and kicking around in pasos, tangos, and jives? Granted, the song they gave him was BARELY a rock song (I’m of the opinion that, if you came from American Idol and your name is not Chris Daughtry, you are NOT a rock artist), but I feel like he really attacked the dance head on and gave quite a valiant effort – and the result was lovely. Now here’s the problem: I have absolutely NO IDEA how he’s doing in terms of votes. All we know for sure is that he hasn’t been in the bottom 2 so far, and he’s been getting good-ish scores…but is he getting the votes, too? I’m gonna guess that the points spread will keep him safe this week, but I think he’s still gotta appeal to the middle-aged female demographic in order to stick around for awhile. Read more..
