Dancing With The Stars Rock Week Rocks!

[LorraineC]

Before I started taking lessons, my knowledge of ballroom dancing was Fred & Ginger (that’s Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers), and dancing in my living room standing on my dad’s feet.  Based on Week 4 of “Dancing With The Stars”, ABC-TV’s smash dance competition, ballroom dancing has certainly evolved.

Week 4 was Rock Week â€" a dance choreographed to a rock song.  There were songs by Twisted Sister, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, and Alice Cooper, to name a few.  The dances of choice were tango and paso doble, with a jive and a Viennese waltz to round it out.   If you’ve never tried any of these dances, you simply can’t imagine what these celebrities, most with no dance experience, are able to pull off with just one week’s practice. 

One of the most endearing  qualities of dance is how it pulls you out of your comfort zone.  Nerve racking at first, then liberating.  Case in point â€" Katherine Jenkins.  Katherine is a classical vocalist from Wales, complete with the girl-next door look and the sweet disposition to go with it.  Her dance:  Paso Doble. Paso comes from music played at bullfights during the bullfighters' entrance or during the passes just before the bull is killed. In this dance, one partner plays the part of the matador and the other partner plays the part of the matador's cape or the bull.  Check out this video of a very traditional Paso Doble.

http://www.youtube.com/v/_r8VAn2UxtM?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0

None of these roles pop in to mind when describing Katherine Jenkins.  In order to get in to character for this dance, Katherine’s partner, Mark Ballas, brought her to a gym to learn how to fight.  In the beginning she was more smiles and giggles, but by the end of her session, she looked like she would be able to do some serious damage, at least to the dummy she used for practice.  Next, the costume â€" tight, black faux leather pantsuit with a cape, studded with rhinestones, of course.  Seems like Katherine’s training paid off as she delivered an intense routine.  The judges liked her attitude even though she seemed to lose control of her steps from time to time.   

http://www.youtube.com/v/_tCJo1TC8Es?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0

Say goodbye to the girl-next-door!!

Each week the stars are asked to abandon pretty much all they learned the week before, as every dance has a different attitude, technique and persona.  My favorite from last week, Donald Driver, (he performed an emotionally charged rumba dedicated to his late friend) also danced the Paso Doble.  Remember when I said how awesome it was to see this huge football player dancing so sweetly?  It was as equally awesome to see the brute strength he brought to the Paso.  Donald and his partner, Peta, received the most “WOW’s â€" see if you agree…

(http://www.youtube.com/v/7fM03bC549g?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0

When the ballroom glitter dust settled at the end of the night, another successful night of competition came to a close.

****LOCAL EVENT NEWS****Coming in September, local dance studio A Social Affair, will be hosting its own version of Dancing With The Stars.  I’ll be checking in with celebrity Kerry Speckman and her pro partner, Jake Lukic, as they prepare for the event, which will be held Saturday, September 8, 2012 at 7:00pm at the Terry Theatre in the Times-Union Center for Performing Arts in downtown Jacksonville. The event will benefit Special Olympics.  Check out their website http://www.jaxdwts.com/.

AND, Tuesday, April 17th, Burn The Floor comes to Jacksonville!!  Get all the info on MetroJacksonville.com  Do you have any questions you’d like to ask the stars?  Email me at LorraineCoversDance@comcast.net and I’ll do my best to get you an answer.