Metro Jacksonville

The what?  I know that face you’re making.  I made it too the first time I heard that phrase...and I LOVE the show!DWTS is a dance show for mostly B-list celebrities  - what kind of effect could it have?  What I am referring to is the effect the show has on its celebrity participants.

This is a competition â€" every week one contestant bids farewell.  The stars, most of who have little to no dance experience, practice long hours every day for weeks.  They suffer bruises, muscle strains, exhaustion - Melissa Gilbert sustained a mild concussion this season.  Sometimes they don’t see eye to eye with their demanding pro partner.  There is the stress of learning a new dance each week, finding out the results, and this season “the dance for your life” showdown between the bottom two couples.  But you know what??  No one ever wants to go home!!  Whatever they have in the water cooler on the set at ABC-TV is certainly making a lasting impression on the stars that grace the ballroom.

Why is that?  Time and time again, the celebs talk about the new “family” they’ve found among the cast and crew of DWTS.  For a competition, there certainly is a tremendous amount of camaraderie among the dancers.  They wish each other luck, they pick each other up, they offer advice, and they are truly saddened when one of them leaves to go home.  Even the ousted stars come back to just sit in the audience!  This past Tuesday, Gladys Knight was the one who did not survive to dance another day.  She said that DWTS “gives you another look at life… like the fountain of youth.”

Other stars have also had wonderful things to say about the experience.  Kirstie Alley, a contestant last season ,said she went from being “broken”, to “one of the luckiest people in the world.”  She lost quite a bit of weight, but found the part of herself that pushes toward success.  Her career is back on track and she’s happy again.

Mario Lopez pretty much owes his career revival to DWTS.  Best known as a child actor on “Saved By the Bell”, his dancing stint reminded everyone why he was so popular in the first place.  DWTS led to a new career move for him, performing on Broadway, and to the love of his life.

Rikki Lake was asked to join, and said no, to every season.  But now that she has appeared on DWTS, she calls it an “amazing platform to sustain a career.”

These are just some of the stories that emerge from DWTS, and there are plenty more.  So what exactly is it about this show that captivates an audience and alters the lives of its participants.  To answer this I am going to draw on my own dance experience to help explain it.  There is something about coming out of your comfort zone, realizing you can push yourself in ways you never imagined.  Having a pro partner along your side pushes you even harder than you would push yourself.  The confidence gain is monumental, and it carries over to other parts of your life. 
Secondly, the dance community is a tight knit bunch of fun-loving people from all walks of life.  I’ve met people from all over the world, all different backgrounds â€" and they all have wonderful stories to share.  Perhaps it is the love for dance that bonds us, but the friendships I have made in the past few years are some of the ones I value the most. 

So there you have it:  confidence builder, friendship maker, all-over-feel-good-mood maker!  What else do you need??  Come see for yourself!  Dance certainly gets you moving and is too fun to be called exercise.  Oh, and dancers love to hug.  Who couldn’t use more hugs in a day anyway!

Check out 'Stepping Out in Jacksonville' on this site.  I’ve started posting events and happenings for all things dance that are in the Jacksonville area.  Hope to see you out there!

How has dance affected your life?  I’d love to hear the stories.  Post a reply here or email me at LorraineCoversDance@comcast.net.