The pros for Dancing With the Stars will be announced in a couple weeks, so I thought that I should make a list of pros I want to see in the next season. It is a Spring season, so there are probably going to twelve couples this time around. Since that is such a small number for the large number of professional dancers on the show, here are the top 12 pros (in not particular this order) that I want to see next season on DWTS, along with one word that describes them to show why I want them on the show.
Mark Ballas
Unique.
Anna Trebunskaya
Dedicated.
Artem Chigvintsev
Intelligent.
Sharna Burgess
Show-stopping.
Valentin Chmerkovskiy
Multi-talented.
Peta Murgatroyd
Effective.
Tony Dovolani
Real.
Jenna Johnson
Star.
Derek Hough
Enforcer.
Kym Johnson
Traditional.
Henry Byalikov
Powerful.
Chelsie Hightower
Refreshing.
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I love so many pros on DWTS, so it was very difficult to choose only six men and six women for this list. Who are your picks for who you want to see as pros next season on the show? Why?
Remember to follow me on Twitter at @DWTS2016 for more news and updates on Dancing With the Stars!
There are a multitude of dances of dances on Dancing With the Stars that me go "huh?" due to the constant odd song choices given by the producers. It would be a good idea for people who actually know dance and music to decide the songs used for the show, but I guess that just makes too much sense. There are so many more dances that I could name for this list, but here are ten of the stand-out performances on DWTS that had a song that did not quite match the dance style. Tommy Chong and Emma Slater- Mambo Song: Pass the Dutchie by Musical Youth The music to this song was just way too slow. Obviously the producers just wanted a drug-suggestive song to represent Tommy Chong, which I'm okay with, but at least give him a dance style that matches the song he is dancing to! Candace Cameron Bure and Mark Ballas- Rumba Song: Say Something by A Great Big World featuring Christina Aguilera Mark did the best he could do with the song given, but there was not much he could do without it looking off. I would have rather seen a Contemporary or Viennese Waltz to this, but I guess the show was unable to find a suitable song for the "choose your own dance style" week. Michael Waltrip and Emma Slater- Argentine Tango Song: Give Me Everything by Pitbull featuring Ne-Yo, Afrojack, and Nayer (Acoustic) I actually like the fact that this song was turned into an acoustic piece for an Argentine Tango. It's just that the meter should have been different to make each move more hard-hitting. Brant Daugherty and Peta Murgatroyd- Tango Song: The Night Out by Martin Solveig I have noticed that Dancing With the Stars tends to use Cha-Cha-Cha/Samba/Disco-sounding songs for Tangos, which kind of works in certain cases. However, the music in this song was just way too wild for a Tango. Carlos PenaVega and Witney Carson- Argentine Tango Song: What Do You Mean? by Justin Bieber I feel as though if the music was changed slightly for this song (maybe make it a little less party-like), it would have been so much better. The music just did not go with the dance, and came off as a bit odd. Danica McKellar and Valentin Chmerkovskiy- Salsa Song: Watch Out for This (Bumaye) by Major Lazer featuring Busy Signal, The Flexican, and FS Green I have no clue where this song came from, but it is the furthest song from a Salsa that I have seen used for that style on the show before! Maybe it could work for a Hip Hop, but that's about it. Melissa Rycroft and Tony Dovolani- Hustle Song: Walk the Dinosaur by Was (Not Was) This is another song that I felt was too slow for the dance style. It was also another one of those weeks where the show forced "uncommon" dances into the show without paying much attention to the songs. Tony did a great job with the choreography, though, and made the mismatch between the song and the dance almost unnoticeable.
Jonathan Bennett and Allision Holker- Tango Song: Back to Black by Beyoncé and André 3000 I can't really think of a dance style this song matches well to. It was just a bizarre choice of a song for the producers to use. But once again, the show wanted a The Great Gatsby song, so this is what they used. If anything, it would match better for an Argentine Tango, which had several elements noticeably placed into the dance. Alexa PenaVega and Mark Ballas- Argentine Tango Song: Viva la Vida by Coldplay Once again, Mark did the best with the song that he could, but the song was just a big miss to the dance style. I could barely find any type of Argentine Tango rhythm in the song. Rumer Willis and Valentin Chmerkovskiy- Jazz Song: Bootylicious by Destiny's Child This seemed like a desperate attempt to make Rumer be someone that she isn't. This isn't really much of a song to dance to, but at least there was some sort of rhythm to it. The choreography could have had some more Jazz content in it, but I can't blame Val for it considering the song he was given. Rumer is already sexy without having to be forced to dance to a song like Bootylicious. Make sure to follow me on Twitter at @DWTS2016 for more content related to Dancing With the Stars!
Blog by @DWTS2016: From captivative to cringey , season 21 of Dancing With the Stars had some of the most iconic dances ever performed on the show. So, without further ado, here are the MOST MEMORABLE performances from the 2015 Fall season of DWTS!
10. Alek Skarlatos and Lindsay Arnold's Waltz Not only was this Waltz Alek's first perfect score of the season, but it was also an uplifting symbol to represent unity in the world after the attacks on Paris. This amiable performance was astonishingly memorable because it was beautifully patriotic, and supremely fitting for a hero such as Alek.
9. Alexa PenaVega and Mark Ballas's JazzDancing With the Stars meets Breaking Bad? Meth wasn't the only thing generating all types of different reactions on the dance floor! This was a iconic dance for a memorable series, showcasing a rather dark side to the plot's premise.
8. Paul Deen and Mark Ballas's JivePaula Deen's a flasher. . . Enough said there.
7. Bindi Irwin and Derek Hough's Viennese WaltzThe song, the blindfold, the choreography-- everything in this dance fell perfectly together to form something more prodigious than words could create. It was a stand-out performance on the show, and actually contributed to making the song Roses and Violets by Alexander Jean hit the top of the music charts!
6.Nick Carter and Sharna Burgess's ContemporaryThe most memorable part of Icons Week for Nick was not necessarily his dance, but what the dance represented. Before this breathtaking performance, he told about some of the difficult things that has happened in his life. Then, the exquisite dance routine performed in honor of his wife was heartfelt, creating an atmospheric glow of hope in the audience. But, the cherry on top was afterwards, when Nick found out that he is having a baby "Backstreet" boy!
5. Tamar Braxton and Nick Carter's Rumba Probably the most dramatic night of the season, this Rumba because iconic due to the shear fact that Tamar was in such a unique position, and did something that was never done before. Just minutes after arriving from the hospital, Tamar was able to push through this Rumba, truly showing her dedication for her show. Even Nick, her duet partner for the week's challenge, showed sincere leading qualities to care for Tamar every step of the way throughout the showstopping performance. What a night!
4. Team Nightmare's FreestyleSome people call this the best team dance ever on the show. It is, indeed, a unified performance that exemplified the power of teamwork, which could be why it received such rave reviews. But then again, it could be because of the choreography, costumes, set, song, etc.
3. Nick Carter and Sharna Burgess's Jazz Backstreet's back, alright! For Backstreet Boys fans young and old, this concert-style Jazz rocked the house with all sorts of nostalgia and power moves. It was funky, it was uplifting, it was clean, it was sexual-- it was everything that made this throwback dance spectacular!
2. Bindi Irwin and Derek Hough's Contemporary Almost everyone can remember Steve Irwin's death like it was yesterday; it was a phenomenon that stunned everyone around the world. Bindi made herself vulnerable while in center stage, expressing every raw emotion that flowed through her being. She channeled her father in the most tear-jerking way possible, not leaving a single dry eye in the studio.
1. Kim Zolciak-Biermann and Tony Dovilani's Salsa Kim's Salsa was the lowest-scored dance of the season. It was probably the slowest dance I have ever seen on this show before. So why is it so memorable? Well, everyone kept talking about it! It was so bad that even popular news outlets criticized how Kim was practically just carried around the dance floor. Not only was the negative feedback a reason why this was so iconic, but all the behind-the-scenes drama about the Biermanns added on to it. This was probably the cringiest Salsa ever performed on TV, but I can never forget about it!
So what do you think is the most memorable dance from season 21? Remember to follow me on Twitter at @DWTS2016 for Dancing With the Stars news, fan opinions, and more!
Hi everyone! I'm Sarah. Sorry to be vague, but I have never and will never put my last name online. The author of this blog has kindly agreed to let me post.
My favorite contestants would have to be a tie between Meryl Davis and Charlie White. Riker Lynch is my second favorite contestant. I started watching DWTS on Season 18 because I found out Meryl and Charlie were competing. My favorite genres of dance are the paso doble, jazz, quickstep, contemporary, and swing... so basically most of them.
This is a list of my personal 10 favorite dances. Everyone has their opinion. Feel free to tell me your favorites! Enjoy!
10- Charlie and Sharna, week 2
I thought this tango was pretty smooth considering it was only week two. I love that they used a chair in their dance. It gave it some variety.
9- Bindi and Derek, week 9
This waltz is so good! I love the idea of the blindfold! It really mixes thing up! Plus this song is perfect with this dance.
8- Riker and Allison, week 5
I've always loved paso dobles, but this one takes the cake in my mind. They took the paso doble which is normally a sexy, maybe-not-so-kid-friendly dance - and turned it into a striking dance.
7- Charlie and Sharna, week 5
This jazz routine to a song from Mary Poppins is adorable! Specifically when they encored it. Dancing with props is difficult due to the high number of things that can go wrong!
(I should know- I dropped my flag during a parade march once!). Charlie handled this mishap like a pro!!! I'll be darned if you can spell the name of the song they danced to! ;D
6- Charlie and Sharna, week 1
This contemporary is great! It looks very clean and polished. I love how they incorperated the lifts.
5- Meryl and Maks, week 2
I love this swing! It's so refreshing and fun! Meryl totally rocked whatever style they gave her each week! (Also, if you look when they're on the balcony, on the left side Charlie is clapping along and it's adorable!)
4- Riker and Allison, week 9
This contemporary is amazing! Unless you are a dancer, you cannot appreciate just how much energy this style takes. Riker nailed this!
3- Derek and Julianne Hough, finale
This dance is wonderful! The best dances should tell a story like this one does. The idea of having the young kids dance at the same time is pretty cool! Derek and Julianne are incredible dancers!
2- Bindi and Derek featuring Mark, week 10
This contemporary dance was awesome! Like the judges said, it could be mistaken for a professional company. Bindi, Derek, and Mark were the perfect pairing! (Sorry about the quality!)
1- Meryl and Charlie, finale
I love this dance! As you can probably tell by this list, I am a huge Meryl Davis and Charlie White fan, so I was elated when I found out they were competing in the same season. I only wish they hadn't performed over the commercial break so we had the whole dance!
Let me know what your favorite dances are! I hope you enjoyed seeing mine!
Julia here! I'm excited to share this debut instalment in a new miniseries of posts I'll be doing for this blog! I'm going to share my thoughts and observations on each of the DWTS Season 21 teams between now and the Season 22 première! As requested by @hannah_rob on twitter, this first post will be all about Tamar & Val, our fifth-placers of the season!
I didn’t have a lot of thoughts on this couple before the season première. I saw the announcement on Good Morning America and while I didn’t know a lot about Tamar, the pairing did intrigue me a little because I like it best when pros get different “types” of partners. The fact that she was a talk-show host and singer rather than an actress (which Val has had a parade of for the last six seasons) intrigued me and I was interested in seeing how this would go. I did see some comments with expectations that they would not get along very well due to both of them having strong-willed and dominant personalities, so I figured they’d maybe make it about halfway through the competition. But since some of the other pairings consisted of pros and celebs I knew I really liked, I didn’t pay much attention to Tamar and Val until the actual show.
For the first few weeks I enjoyed watching their dances, but moreso their packages. Val likes to have control and be in charge of things, and up until this point his partners have more or less complied with this system. Tamar, on the other hand, was not having any of it, and was not afraid to voice her opinion on the creative and technical elements of the routines. My favorite of these instances was when she was confused by Val’s, um, “creative choice” to go shirtless during their Charleston when it didn’t suit the theming of the number and when she called him out on repeating the same storyline of “secret affair between two lovers where the guy is always in control” in the dances. Seeing as the latter especially was a complaint I’ve had about Val’s routines in the past, particularly last season with Rumer Willis, I was all for it. I know a lot of viewers didn’t like Tamar very much and were sympathizing with Val in this situation, but I was on her side for sure. In my personal opinion, it was about time someone gave Val a reality check and reminded him he was not the be-all and end-all of DWTS!
However, at the same time I felt that Tamar just might not have been a good fit for Dancing with the Stars. She was a great dancer (my jaw dropped when she did an amazing Quickstep on WEEK 1 and I liked pretty much all of her numbers) but she seemed very guarded, which doesn’t usually get votes. In addition to good dancing, the majority of the audience roots for contestants who are likeable and have an interesting story. Most of Tamar’s screentime during the first few weeks of the season consisted of the aforementioned “creative discussions” with Val and her wearing this neutral, sort of “unimpressed” expression, which was not only present in her packages, but also when getting comments and scores from the judges. It was also in a lot of her dances, especially when she was dancing with Val instead of solo. I know she was used to being a solo artist and that this was a challenge for her, but her expressionless face seemed very strange and out-of-place during her routines.
.I was quite surprised when she did what was basically a 180 during Week 4, sharing her story about her family and finally managing some sort of connection with Val during their Rumba. As entertaining as their banter in the early weeks was. it was great to see Tamar finally show some sort of emotion other than annoyance with her partner, and I especially loved how she immediately headed over to her husband after the dance was done. It was a sweet moment and once again put Val in his place!
After the Switch-Up (I do plan on talking about the switch-up pairings in these posts but I honestly don’t have much to say on the Tamar & Louis except I think they worked reasonably well together and deserved slightly higher scores for their dance) I did notice an uprise in the bond between Tamar and Val. During Week 6 Tamar fell ill, but refused to back down and showed how much she wanted to stick around in the game by managing to pull off a perfectly-scored Jazz routine. I continued to see their connection improve with that routine and in their Foxtrot this next week, which also included the now-infamous package in which she claimed to be “the best dancer in the competition”.
There was a lot of controversy surrounding this statement, and apparently she was tricked into making that comment by the producers and didn’t actually mean it. But to be completely honest, I was not nearly as interested in whether or not Tamar believed the remark to be true as I was in seeing how Val would handle it, as pros who have been in similar situations have had various methods and degrees of success in doing so. And to be completely honest again, I was totally expecting Val to go on a frustrated rant and come across as egotistical and arrogant, digging the hole even deeper for them. But I was very pleasantly surprised at how he handled the whole thing. Yes, he was (understandably) upset and said so, but instead of trying to go all PR-specialist on the audience he focused on his partner and her needs, making sure she was okay and her confidence was kept up.
The package and dance that week along with this interview done after the show really showed how much both had grown over the season and had developed a strong bond. It made me really excited to see what they would do the next week, which, as it turned out, would bring the biggest test yet for their partnership.
I’m pretty sure we all know what happened with Tamar’s health during Week 9 so I won’t get into the details here. I was kind of surprised she didn’t tell Val, or anyone working on the show for the matter, that she was going to the hospital in the middle of dress rehearsal. That didn’t seem very fair to anyone, especially, Val, Nick, and Sharna (and Jenna who had to learn her part very quickly as a backup). I also wish she’d just gracefully withdrew at the end of the Week 9 show so Alexa didn’t have to be pointlessly eliminated (because it seemed quite obvious that there was no way she’d be able to recover, learn two new dances, and compete in the next week) but I think it all comes back to this being a pair of two very strong-willed, dominant people. Tamar wanted the world to see her as a strong and determined woman who put her all into everything she did and never gave up, so it was probably not in her nature to make a big deal about going to the hospital or to drop out of the competition unless she was told she absolutely had to (which, thankfully, she was).
I think Val is similar in that sense. He wouldn’t want any of his partners to endanger their health, but he seems to encourage them to persevere and push through any obstacles life throws at them, and wouldn’t want to discourage Tamar from doing so (though in this situation if he knew they full story I think he would have tried to get her to stay at the hospital) whereas I think certain other pros might be more precautionary in a situation like this and sort of “baby” their partner a bit more (though I don’t like to use that term). They would probably insist on being with their partner at the hospital and ensure they’d get clearance to dance before the show and if that didn’t happen, then they’d drop out. I understand Val wasn’t fully aware of what was going on, and I’m not saying one method of partnership is better than the other, but that he seems to trust the judgement of his partners more to a certain extent (as in, being somewhat okay with not knowing everything and trusting his partner is doing what is best).
Speaking of Val, I was again most interested to see how he would handle her sudden disappearance and the announcement that she was in the hospital. And, well, I do think he could have been a little more mature about it. (”I don’t want to hear what the judges have to say” seemed like a really rude thing for him to tell the world, especially when they were RIGHT THERE WHEN HE WAS SAYING IT, and I also didn’t like when he randomly attacked an Alexa fan after having to withdraw.) But I did appreciate his focus on his partner above all else (he even subbed in for her on an episode of The Real while she was sick, which was equally sweet and hilarious).
Of course, one very common question when it comes to celebrities on this show is whether or not they would have done better with another partner. In this case it certainly is something interesting to consider because if you don’t already know, Tamar was not originally supposed to be partnered with Val. I’ve heard mixed reports on what happened before the official announcement, but the most common story I’ve seen is that she was going to be the partner of Artem Chigvintsev (who had originally been announced as a pro for Season 21) but Val’s original partner had to drop out of the show and so Tamar was switched to him and Artem was dropped to troupe and pro numbers as a result. Why Artem got dropped instead of certain other male pros is beyond me, but unfortunately, that is what ended up happening. (And no, I don’t know who Val’s original parter was.)
So would Tamar have done better with someone other than Val? My guess is probably not. It’s hard to say how far she would have gotten had it not been for her health issues, but I couldn’t see her getting past third place at best even if none of that stuff went down.She was definitely a good dancer and probably would have done well in that department regardless, but my reasoning is mainly based on votes. Tamar was a “bigger name than a good chunk of the other Season 21 contestants, but I noticed most of the buzz surrounding Team Valentay was coming from people who were already supporters of Val from previous seasons and not much from Tamar’s pre-DWTS fanbase. Obviously internet buzz doesn’t always reflect the opinion of the general audience, but I definitely think at this point Val has a big enough fanbase of his own to make an impact on voting results (I know a lot of pros have sizeable fanbases, but few of those actually seem to have the power to affect the outcome of the competition without a lot of other factors mixed it) so I expect to see him do well in any future seasons he is a part of, and I don't think Tamar would have done any better unless she had a pro partner as or more popular with the regular DWTS audience than Val.
Despite the unfortunate end to her journey, I think Dancing With the Stars was an overall positive experience for Tamar. It seems to have helped her be a little less afraid of public vulnerability (both in terms of connecting with the audience and being open about her health struggles) taught her an important lesson in biting off more than one can chew, and made her a new friend in Val (I think he said she is part of “The Fam” now which is nice I guess).
As for Val, I think he may have taken away even more from the experience of this season than Tamar did. This was probably the biggest rollercoaster of a season yet for him, and was a real test for him in many ways. Despite not handling every single thing that happened perfectly, I was very impressed by Val this season and have a whole new respect for him. I do want to mention that I think he has “chilled out” a bit since his win last season. Earlier this year (er…LAST year now that it’s 2016) I heard him say he wanted to win the Mirrorball Trophy once and then after that it wouldn’t matter as much anymore.Honestly, I didn’t really believe that, but after this season I think it may be true, because I’m not sure he would have handled all of what Season 21 had to throw at him nearly as well if he had still yet to pull off a win. It was great to see Val grow so much this season, and I hope that we continue to see more of this attitude from him going forward.
What did you think of Tamar & Val’s partnership? Would you rather have seen Tamar compete with a different professional partner? And which Season 21 pairing would you like me to talk about next?
Until next time, check out one of my favorite moments from Tamar and Val!
The votes are in! I asked you guys on Twitter (@DWTS2016) what your favorite performances were on this previous season on Dancing With the Stars, and I have tallied up the votes. I made a list of the top ten performances of DWTS season 21 chosen by YOU. And, surprisingly enough, there was a three-way tie for both tenth place and sixth place. Here are the results:
10 (Three-Way Tie)
Team Nightmare's Freestyle (Nick, Tamar, Andy, Hayes) People raved all over social media about Team Nightmare, claiming that it was the best team dance ever on the show. And, come to think of it, I actually agree with that! I love the Allison feel of this performance with the strong influences of Val. Everyone came together for a cohesive dance in which everyone was a unique piece to the puzzle.
Nick and Sharna's Contemporary This dance was absolutely touching. I have noticed mixed reactions about this dance, with some people saying it was his best routine of the season, and others saying that it was way over scored. Whatever you think about this dance, there is no denying that it was very heartfelt.
Bindi and Derek's Viennese Waltz I can never get that Alexander Jean song out of my head! Derek said he had "dancer's block", but if that is his form of losing creativity, I want his brain!
7 Nick and Sharna's Viennese Waltz I have said it before, and I will say it again; this (as well as Bindi's second Quickstep) was my favorite dance of the season. This Downton Abbey number transported me into an elegant realm that I never quite seen on this show before. The originality of its intense emotions really stuck out to me.
6 (Three-Way Tie)
Bindi and Derek's Contemporary Almost all of us can remember Steve Irwin's death like it was yesterday, so having that be translated into poetic form and movement truly made a setting of this nature one to remember.
Nick and Sharna's Redo Jive This dance was hot! There was an overwhelming positive reaction to this dance online when it was performed, and I was not surprised. The sexy redheaded fireball and the suave and fast Backstreet Boy were the perfect duo for such an electrifying Jive.
Alek and Lindsay's Finale Freestyle This was clearly one of the favorite Freestyle routines of the season. Although I personally loved all of the Freestyles for different reasons, I do have to say that this was not my favorite. But that's the great thing about having separate opinions, right? Besides that, I enjoyed the fact that this original military-style performance was the perfect analogy for Alek's journey throughout the season.
3Alexa and Mark's Contemporary Alexa left on a high note the night she left because of both this dance and her Charleston with Bindi. It exemplified her struggles, informing others about the horrors of her eating disorder with true, raw emotion. And as always, I have to applaud Mark for his stunning choreography.
2Carlos and Lindsay's Quickstep Right when I asked about everyone's favorite dances on Twitter, I knew that this dance was going to be high up on the list! With this dance, Lindsay proved herself as a talented and competitive pro, and Carlos came out and shown that he finally became a competitor in the competition. It was extremely entertaining!
1Bindi and Derek's Foxtrot What amazing things can be said about Bindi that I haven't already said before? Bindi was by far one of the best dancers in the season, and it seems like I am in the majority when I say that. Of course, her success could not have been possible without a great partner such as Derek. Bindi's Foxtrot was superb, just like all of her other performances, and was definitely underscored!
Remember to follow me on Twitter at @DWTS2016 for more Dancing With the Stars news, updates and more! When the new season comes closer, we will be posting more about our thoughts on the season's dances as well as news about the show!
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