Stuart Sweet
05-06-08, 07:36 AM
"It's just entertainment, it's just entertainment, it's just entertainment..."
So I kept telling myself as I got angrier at the judges. Now, I'm not a ballroom dancer and I completely admit that I don't understand the technical aspects of ballroom dancing. I'm in no position to question any of the three esteemed members of the panel on anything, really.
However, I'm a big believer in fair competition and this is the part of the season where the competition doesn't seem fair. In past seasons the judges were too quick to give out 10/10/10 scores, essentially setting up a popularity contest for America to pick. This season they seem to be completely out in left field. As I said, they've got the technical stuff... but they weren't judging on technique. Honestly I don't know what Ms. Inaba was judging on. I'm tempted to say, not enough sleep (but that would be disrespectful.)
Ms. Yamaguchi is, in my opinion, dancing at a professional level. She does moves that seem more at home in the Macy's segments. She's smooth and fluid and expressive. She doesn't over-emote as I think some professionals do, but I think she's fantastic. I could see giving her a slightly lower score to encourage competition, and I'll allow the judges that.
I must say the same for Mr. Taylor. He has come a long way and while he's no professional, he is so athletic and so focused that he can do a great job. He doesn't have the technique but he does deliver on the choreography he's got. I think his dances focus a bit too much on Ms. Sliwinska and not enough on him though. Sometimes he skips a step or doesn't move at all while she twirls around. But, I think that's normal for ballroom dancing and I think his scores were fair too.
My reality check bounced when I saw the scores for Mr. de la Fuente's tango, though. This would have been a good dance a month ago but for the final five show it was boring, slow and devoid of passion. Mr. de la Fuente deserves to be judged on his merits, not on his arm. His footwork, his choreography, none of this was affected by his arm and they were not up to par. I felt the heavy hand of the producers here, trying to make sure that the show doesn't lose its Latina audience, and that is the only sense I can make of his scores. As for the lifts, they came off as a stunt and didn't enhance the performance. I could see doing one to prove he could do it but they were not "in the character of the dance."
All due respect, giving Mr. de la Fuente the lead seemed like a cheap stunt.
"Mario's" jive was a complete disaster to me for being this late in the competition. The judges forgave what seemed to me (and even to them) to be a sloppy effort, out of character, and "flat-footed" (their words). This is the sort of dancing they would have torn apart another dancer for. I am at a loss to understand his scores.
And now we come to Ms. Winokur. I really wish she had been dancing at this level three or four weeks ago. I think she does a great job but her dancing isn't up to where it needs to be for the finals. The judges were honest in their scoring here. If only Mr. Dovolani had given her a bit more challenging moves earlier in the show, who knows?
Don't forget to tune in at 8PM (go ahead, don't worry about that "other" show, you won't miss anything ;)) If you think you might want to switch to Fox, just put a Coke in front of you and say "dog" a lot. That ought to do it. Looks like a fun-filled show, just what ABC needs for sweeps, and maybe it will bring my blood pressure down.
So I kept telling myself as I got angrier at the judges. Now, I'm not a ballroom dancer and I completely admit that I don't understand the technical aspects of ballroom dancing. I'm in no position to question any of the three esteemed members of the panel on anything, really.
However, I'm a big believer in fair competition and this is the part of the season where the competition doesn't seem fair. In past seasons the judges were too quick to give out 10/10/10 scores, essentially setting up a popularity contest for America to pick. This season they seem to be completely out in left field. As I said, they've got the technical stuff... but they weren't judging on technique. Honestly I don't know what Ms. Inaba was judging on. I'm tempted to say, not enough sleep (but that would be disrespectful.)
Ms. Yamaguchi is, in my opinion, dancing at a professional level. She does moves that seem more at home in the Macy's segments. She's smooth and fluid and expressive. She doesn't over-emote as I think some professionals do, but I think she's fantastic. I could see giving her a slightly lower score to encourage competition, and I'll allow the judges that.
I must say the same for Mr. Taylor. He has come a long way and while he's no professional, he is so athletic and so focused that he can do a great job. He doesn't have the technique but he does deliver on the choreography he's got. I think his dances focus a bit too much on Ms. Sliwinska and not enough on him though. Sometimes he skips a step or doesn't move at all while she twirls around. But, I think that's normal for ballroom dancing and I think his scores were fair too.
My reality check bounced when I saw the scores for Mr. de la Fuente's tango, though. This would have been a good dance a month ago but for the final five show it was boring, slow and devoid of passion. Mr. de la Fuente deserves to be judged on his merits, not on his arm. His footwork, his choreography, none of this was affected by his arm and they were not up to par. I felt the heavy hand of the producers here, trying to make sure that the show doesn't lose its Latina audience, and that is the only sense I can make of his scores. As for the lifts, they came off as a stunt and didn't enhance the performance. I could see doing one to prove he could do it but they were not "in the character of the dance."
All due respect, giving Mr. de la Fuente the lead seemed like a cheap stunt.
"Mario's" jive was a complete disaster to me for being this late in the competition. The judges forgave what seemed to me (and even to them) to be a sloppy effort, out of character, and "flat-footed" (their words). This is the sort of dancing they would have torn apart another dancer for. I am at a loss to understand his scores.
And now we come to Ms. Winokur. I really wish she had been dancing at this level three or four weeks ago. I think she does a great job but her dancing isn't up to where it needs to be for the finals. The judges were honest in their scoring here. If only Mr. Dovolani had given her a bit more challenging moves earlier in the show, who knows?
Don't forget to tune in at 8PM (go ahead, don't worry about that "other" show, you won't miss anything ;)) If you think you might want to switch to Fox, just put a Coke in front of you and say "dog" a lot. That ought to do it. Looks like a fun-filled show, just what ABC needs for sweeps, and maybe it will bring my blood pressure down.