Ombailamos

DWTS, April 27

There are times when I disagree so completely with the judges on this show!  Let me go on record (with Kim, over at TelevisionWithoutPity) that I would be happy to never again see the Lindy Hop on Dancing with the Stars.  There are three major swing styles the show could be using - International style Jive, American style East Coast Swing, and style-unto-itself West Coast Swing - and if they are going to go outside the competitive ballroom dances (noting here that I can't even remember them ever using East Coast Swing) I wish they would use West Coast Swing.  They used it in season 7 and I think it is much more well-suited to these couples.  Lindy Hop, as danced in competitions and shows, is all about kicks and tricks.  It isn't particularly pretty, there is only one possible character to give it, and it is (at that level) fantastically dangerous.

I'm also done with mambo on this show.  This week's team mambo was, boys and girls, not a mambo; it was a salsa.  If there isn't going to be even an attempt to do the dance in a technically correct manner, it's time to can it.  What this show has done to popularize partner dancing again is great, but I think the guidelines should be equally strict for all dances: a fast foxtrot is not a quickstep, and a salsa is not a mambo, and if the producers are going to continue to characterize a dance selection as a mambo, then the pros need to actually create a mambo.

On to the individual performances.  Gilles & Cheryl got great comments from the judges, but I was appalled by the costumes, and the dancing was uncharacteristically disorganized and out of sync for the first 15-20 seconds.  It got better, and of course I loved the music (Big Bad Voodoo Daddy again), and I guess Gilles had fun, but whatever.

Kim & Derek, on the other hand, were terrific from start to finish (Edyta's signature flip!).  That was a real show-stopper.  Powerful, passionate, the lines were well matched, and as always Kim dances so much bigger than she is.  There is a lot of talent packed into that little person.

Chuck & Julianne's cha-cha was basically the same dance as their samba, except he did much more dancing last week; this time there was a whole lot of Chuck standing in split weight and moving Julianne back and forth.  I am continually distracted by his flat hands and pigeon toes.  Yes, yes, he's improved a lot and now seems really committed.  And I do realize how hard it is to teach the finer points of technique when putting on a show is the primary objective.  However, if a student never learns to keep his/her knees together in a Latin dance, that student is never going to look great.

Which prompts me to skip over to Ty & Chelsie in their salsa, to a Tom Jones song completely devoid of Latin flavor.  Ty's bull-riding legs really showed badly in this number.  He is fast, strong, knows his routines, and is pretty well tuned in to the music, but from the waist down it was kind of a mess.

Back to Shawn and Mark. Their samba seemed very slow.  Mark filled in the time with a lot of excess body action which Shawn wasn't able to match.  She always hits her marks, her footwork is really good, she always seems well balanced; but this dance calls for a character that I think she just isn't equipped to deliver yet.

I would have liked to see Tony & Melissa's jive "for real." But I can sympathize with her injury ... a few years ago, I separated a rib during a bout of post-flu bronchitis and if a hairline fracture hurts as much as that did, I'm amazed she could do some of those moves at all, even at a rehearsal level.  The song "We Got the Beat" is just as fast as the jive Gilles and Cheryl had, and Tony's choreography looked great.  This is a really disappointing development, because I would have bet Melissa was pretty much guaranteed a spot in the final, but her body may not permit it.

The group mambo ... well, I love the song.  The group sections were not perfectly synchronized.  Shawn was pretty good, Chuck was okay, Lacey is dancing so well this season ... but those leotards ... so wrong!!

The group tango ... well, I loved all of it.  The group section was brilliant, and all three solos were good.  Technically, Kim did lose the choreography for about two measures, and her head snaps were a little wobbly; in closed position, her hips were a little too far back.  Ty is always stronger in the "ballroom" dances than in Latin.  Here, he had intensity but not passion, and his hand position on Chelsie's back was a problem; for the first half, his hand was far too high on her back; in the second half of their solo, his hand came down but the fingers came apart.  Fanned fingers are great when they are intentional, part of stylizing a movement; they are not great as a default position. 

Gilles was accused by Len of atrocious footwork, so I watched his solo twice trying to see it, and didn't.  The camera work may have kept us from seeing what Len saw, or Len may just be an old crank.  What I saw looked really good.  His hand position was also consistently good; you may notice he had his hand slightly cupped over Cheryl's shoulder blade, so that just his fingers touch her back near the spine.  I don't know if she coached him to do that; if so, it was well considered, because that hand position is usually something you only see from professionals.  If he got it from watching the male pros, good for him!

Not sure what I want to happen tonight.  All six of these competitors are working hard, dancing well, and are likeable characters.  At this point, my favorites are Kim and Gilles, so I'll just have to hope they are both safe again.

what is this bird? spotted in Malibu

a quick note

I recently indulged in the Kate Martinelli series by Laurie R. King, with a couple of titles from her Mary Russell Holmes series as well.  From the latest in the latter series, the following passage (occurring during a discussion of feng shui) struck me:

" ... in life, a small adjustment in precisely the right place and time may have more effect than an enormous effort elsewhere and later."

This is true in feng shui and in fitness or dancing.  I'm posting this to remind myself to look for the opportunity to make small, carefully calibrated changes.

One reason I love the Huntington Gardens

Groovy! DWTS, 4/20

Usually in the "grab bag" episodes, every couple dances a different style; this one had a lot of waltzes.  And they were all fast waltzes.  And two of them were pretty good.

The standout routine was definitely Melissa & Tony's Argentine tango.  There was plenty good to say about that.  One thing that stood out to me was Melissa's stiffness.  Part of this is doubtless because she is not used to doing those kinds of moves, and you have to really turn your body into a single, still piece in order to do lifts like that; the problem was that her body stayed a single piece throughout the routine.  Authentic Argentine tango is low and slinky, with a fluid and sinuous quality.  This dance was very sharp and hard-edged, which looked great but ... well, when she landed on those stiff legs, you could see her foot stutter on the floor.

Shawn & Mark's cha-cha was also good, but not great.  With an extra day of rehearsal she could probably have really blown that one up.  Shawn had, as usual, the footwork almost perfect, but aside from a couple of choreographed moments, there was not much dancing happening between the hips and the head.

Chuck & Julianne's samba was distinguished chiefly by his total boob grab.  It was certainly his best dance so far - got to give the guy credit for improving - but I was so distracted by his inward-turned feet (and Julianne's killer dress) that I couldn't love it.

Kim & Derek ... I didn't get the whole "tone it down" thing.  This rumba's choreography was obscured by her dreadful dress.  It did not have the extemporaneous quality of her best dances, but she pulled off that braced arabesque pretty darn well.  She has also improved her foot and leg action in the swivels, and the upper body grace she shows continues to impress.

Ty & Chelsie, in a waltz or Viennese waltz or whatever, I wish the producers would take five minutes to look at what the tempos are supposed to be.  Ty really does well in these "ballroom" dances.  Chelsie has worked wonders with him.

LT & Edtya, another sort of waltz.  Ha ha, very funny with the coat dress, not.  The "real" dress's drape malfunction was something I've seen many times ... would be happy for that fashion to die.  This number had so many missed connections, out-of-synch moments, and wobbly steps, I was amazed.  It showed no improvement at all from his first two routines.

And the final waltz, with Gilles & Cheryl.  Though Gilles sometimes leans into the center, he still moves his body so well that he creates plenty of space for Cheryl.  He has dynamic movement, the foot placement (if not the footwork) was consistently good, and the performance was well-modulated.  There was a sequence of turns when Gilles' rise and fall was not quite right, but he is still my fave.

The group dance?  Ridiculous.  But I liked the black & white theme.

I was obviously wrong about voters being able to save Steve-O, so I'm not making any predictions here, but the alert reader can probably guess who I'd like to see in the bottom two.

Next week - two dances apiece, and we will really see the pack break apart.

Adaptation

Several times recently, I've found myself having conversations with dancers regarding fitness and health, and it occurred to me that I should probably write something about that.  It has been pretty lightweight over here at Ombailamos.

It always surprises me, but I keep meeting dancers who do not have a regular fitness routine aside from dancing.  Coincidentally (or IS IT!?) these dancers often have chronic physical dysfunctions that affect their dancing.  Here are a few general observations.

The body is conservative; it fears change.  When you begin any new physical activity, the body complains.  It wants to keep doing things the usual way.  If you persist, the body will adapt: it is capable, in fact, of continuous and progressive adaptation throughout life.  This is how a woman who never walked a mile until age 50 can start running marathons at 65, or how a man who never lifted a hammer can start bodybuilding in retirement.  But the key here is the first sentence.  If you start doing something you haven't done before, you are going to get a physical reaction.  Typically this manifests as stiffness, soreness, or fatigue, but it can also include changes in appetite, sleeping habits, or even temperament.

It is important to remember that, even if you do not think you are doing something drastically different, every action has an equal and opposite reaction.  That's not philosophy; it's physics - and physiology.  If you start exerting power through the large muscle groups of your legs, as in dancing, the deep stabilizer muscles that keep you from falling over are going to be called upon in unfamiliar ways.  They are likely to become tight, unresponsive, and irritated.  Because the stabilizers typically cross joints, muscle irritation can read as joint pain.  The student who does not have a flexibility routine to address this may find him- or herself at an orthopedist, who can do nothing about the pain because the problem is not related to the bones.

Muscle irritation and imbalance causes compensation.  That means that when a muscle is too tight or irritated to function properly, the body recruits other muscles to assist in the movement that's being called for.  This may temporarily relieve pain, but it often results in a dysfunctional movement pattern that causes different problems in its turn.

It is never a waste of time to learn more about how your body works.  If an apparently simple action is causing physical reactions that seem disproportionate, it's a good idea to analyze your movement and figure out what could be causing the problem.  Because, you see, the body is a little set in its ways.  It's perfectly happy to sit on a couch, or in a car, or in a desk chair all day; just don't expect it to then jump up and go dancing without complaint.

There is nothing about ballroom dancing that is "natural."  It is natural to want to move your body when you hear music.  But the figures, the posture, and above all the forces that it is necessary to generate in order to move one's self and one's partner are all learned behaviors and learned actions - as in any sport.

It seems to me that anyone willing to spend a couple hundred dollars a month on dance (or golf, or tennis, or ...) lessons ought to consider spending a couple hundred dollars a year on correcting their movement.  As the body adapts to any activity, a fitness routine that maximizes the body's potential for that activity should be adjusted so that the student's capabilities continue to improve.  It's a shame to see someone plateau for lack of a good stretch.

Out and About

I was enormously impressed with last weekend's Orange Blossom Ball.  The facility was very well laid out, and the organizers kept the event on schedule despite much larger fields of entries, in newcomer and bronze, than I have ever seen.  There were first rounds or quarter-finals in almost every division - this is great!!  I am so thrilled to see so many new dancers taking the floor.  There is really no better way to improve your dancing quickly than to train for a competition.

Ballroom by the Bay has added free lessons.  Visit their link to the right for information.  We had to miss last night's dance, and lesson by Ron Parker (an officer with USA Dance Los Angeles) on Cross-Step Waltz, because I was sick.  Boo!  The BBTB email included a video from Stanford of a Cross-Step Waltz demonstration, and it appears to borrow a lot from Country Two-Step. It is very progressive, with an open frame, lots of turns, and the freedom to borrow embellishments and figures from other dances, including West Coast Swing and Argentine Tango.  Looks like fun!

This weekend there will be a ballroom party at Hollywood Dance Center, hosted by Michael & Natalia of Ballroom Dance Academy.  We'll probably have to miss that too, but next weekend there will be another party at L.A. Dance Experience, and I refuse to miss that one.

The Wall Street Journal recently published a review of two new books about Fred Astaire, America's greatest (in my opinion) screen dancer:  "Puttin' on the Ritz," by Peter J. Levinson; and "Fred Astaire," by Joseph Epstein.  I am putting both on my Amazon wishlist.  Thanks to Mom for sending the clipping!

Upcoming at Santa Monica College, the Folklorico de SMC World Dance Company will perform on Saturday May 2 and Sunday May 3 at 7:30 p.m.  $15 general admission, free parking, 1310 11th Street.  Go!

Also at Santa Monica College, the Synapse Contemporary Dance Ensemble will take the stage Saturday May 30 and Sunday May 31 at 7:30 p.m.  Go!

And last but not least, Goddess A Go Go Dance Theatre (recently discovered by me, and I love everything they do) is appearing for three weeks at the Secret Rose Theatre in North Hollywood (see link at right).  May 15-17, May 22-24, and May 29-31, $20 general admission and do reserve your tickets in advance - the theatre is small and the show will be well worth seeing.  Go!

Oh - one more thing - some of you may have heard of something called the Emerald Ball.  It is one of the largest ballroom dance competitions in the country and is coming to Los Angeles at the end of this month.  See the nation's top competitors, or your friends from dance class - it's a few days of glamour, athleticism, and excitement, not to be missed.  www.emeraldball.com

Ballroom Dancing is Not for Sissies (book review)

I recently finished the above-referenced book and can sincerely recommend it to anyone who is experiencing, or has experienced, or anticipates the day when they might experience, conflict in a teamwork situation.  This means, of course, pretty much everyone.

The authors, Arthur & Elizabeth Seagull, are psychologists and relationship counselors who have framed this book specifically for dancers.  The advice in the book will apply equally well to non-dancers.  The dance framework allows the Seagulls to bring in specific ballroom-dancing scenarios, which were certainly familiar to me, and to explore their "3 R's" method at beginner (bronze), intermediate (silver), and advanced (gold) levels.

The 3 R's are Respect, Responsibility, and Responsiveness, and the method is based on cognitive-behavioral therapy.  (Cognition: you learn to hear and see yourself and to recognize your motivations; Behavior: you learn to change your words and actions to potentiate better results.)  The language in this book is simple and clear, the examples are consistent, and the method is pursued logically, but with a conversational tone and good humor.  I am sure that, going forward as a teacher, I will be referring to the book myself and referring my students to it quite often.

Some passages to give you the flavor (copyright 2008 Elizabeth Seagull and Arthur Seagull):

"The eternal, reliable truth that our partners are not perfect makes it all too easy to ignore the equal truth that we are not perfect, either. ... We can think whatever we want. (And we all have moments when our thoughts about our partners are dark and evil.)  But what we show externally will make a huge difference in whether we are able to create and maintain a dance partnership that will work over time."

"Bronze is your social dance level; its skills provide a foundation for everything that comes later.  These skills need to be practiced again and again, not abandoned as you progress to a higher level.  The same is true for bronze relationship skills."

" ... No dance expense brings a greater return for the investment than lessons and coaching from competent dance professionals.  But here is the oddity: despite the expense, dancers waste many of these precious hours because they resist learning what is being taught."

"Anxiety is critical for survival. ... But modern life in a developed country (one with ballroom dancing!) is generally safe, so most of us have more anxiety than we really need for our day-to-day safety.  This excess anxiety can float around and become focused on things that have no life-or-death consequences - like our dancing."

I intend to revisit some of these ideas later on in my own posts, but for now I do recommend "Ballroom Dancing is Not for Sissies" to any dancer (or anyone engaged in a team sport, or anyone in a relationship).  It is available on Amazon, in an affordable trade paperback edition, and has the potential to save you a lot of money; you will get more out of your lessons & coaching once you understand how to get out of your own way.

The judges try to mix it up ... DWTS 4/13

There have been times, throughout the life of Dancing with the Stars, when I suspect the producers have directed the judges to manipulate things. Whether to galvanize voter response (as ALWAYS happens when the judges really slam somebody, so expect to see Steve-O safe again; his rumba was, really, not worse than Ty's or LT's jive) or to create artificial suspense (is there any way Gilles is not going to be in the final? I trust not) or to keep someone on the show longer than they deserve to be there (a certain boxer comes to mind), there are times when the judges score so inconsistently that it has to be intentional.

That said, Len was pretty crabby last night. The schedule must be getting to him. Mr. P wondered why DWTS - UK and DWTS - US are on at the same time ... kinda dumb. Frankly, if BBC America showed DWTS - UK I would totally watch it, but whatever. On to the dance geek's critiques!

Ty & Chelsie, doing the jive to "Girls Gone Wild;" there was a little too much line dancing, and his bow-legged issue was definitely in play. Not a lot of bounce, and the timing was frequently off. One of the easy things to get wrong about jive is that bounce; it's not up and down on a straight leg, it's - a bit like samba - using a contraction of the body to draw up the leg. The upper body position should be really straight, from the hips to the base of the head, not curved forward. He is a charmer, but this was deservedly in the bottom three.

Shawn & Mark out next with a rumba, and it was a beautiful performance; soft, smooth, and controlled, and notably well-connected with a real sense of lead & follow. Great lines and great trust from Shawn. Her footwork was also good: stroking across the floor and keeping that connection, which is so helpful in managing balance during quick changes of direction.

LT & Edyta in a jive that, especially on a second viewing, seems very slow and heavy. The footwork was very flat, timing was frequently off, and LT, this time, did not seem to remember much of the choreography. He may have gotten a boost from the visit with Warren (who wouldn't?) but Edyta again seemed like she had an eye on her wristwatch all the time, like "when will this be over." Putting that flip in was a smart move in terms of pleasing the crowd, but it was also two fingers up at the judges. I don't feel any affection between these two ... after all these weeks, they ought to have something.

I had pretty high expectations for Melissa & Tony's rumba, but I was not feelin' it; and on second viewing, think it was overscored. It was well crafted, a visually pleasing routine, and technically competent, but some lines were not quite finished and the sense of lead/follow was absent. It looked like a Performance, not a romance. Shawn's was better, both technically and emotionally.

Kim & Derek, doing jive to "Jailhouse Rock" (which is just another example of the producers making funny with music assignments. They are not subtle). It was a great routine, though; Derek must have watched the movie, because he put some pretty authentic Elvis moves in there. A few mistakes of timing/connection but very high energy, fun, and, well, jivey. Could have used just a little more actual jive and maybe one less trick from Derek.

Steve & Lacey, doing rumba, and I feel if he had two weeks to learn each dance we would be seeing something really interesting. He learns the choreography, he stays in character, and his timing is good; his posture this week was vastly improved; he just lacks grace. If Len really wanted Steve to go, he would have bottled up the crankiness and given a score of, say, 6. Which would have been fair.

Gilles & Cheryl and the jive. I'm sure we would all like to see what he can do with a rumba, but this was pretty damn impressive. That was extremely fast music. Again, Len with the cranky; would he have preferred they single-time it?? Was Cheryl supposed to under-choreograph so that the steps were slower than the music? Annoying. Anyway; there were a couple of errors, but Gilles' footwork was really good; the kicks were sharp and the body action was correct, the feet were always placed and not just shuffling around, good partnering as always. His shoulders were just a tad forward this time, but with that tempo I think keeping the frame low was a good choice.

Finally, Chuck & Julianne doing the rumba, and it was his best dance by far, but I don't know why Julianne had to look like a Frederick's of Hollywood model, and to me, this choreography was more frantic than the preceding jive, which was just FAST. There was a lot of Julianne throwing herself at Chuck here, and I hope that does not actually reflect their relationship.

We'll see how it all shakes out tonight!

DWTS week 5

Viennese Waltz and Paso Doble. Any time they do Paso Doble, it is usually a pretty entertaining show.

And gee, it's pretty easy to tell who will be doing which dance just from the costumes, right?? Although Kym is trying to confuse us with her red, red, red dress.

Chuck & Julianne ... he doesn't like being average, does he? Julianne's advice in rehearsal was actually really helpful this time. Less wink-wink about their relationship. She's absolutely right about exaggerating the movements ... anything even slightly tentative or restrained just doesn't communicate in a performance. He is trying a little harder this week, I think. His footwork is still really all over the place, though, and his posture is still not great. It is so hard to get that the whole body has to move, not just the head and shoulders.

Lawrence & Edtya ... AGAIN they got a really difficult piece of music. I agree with him completely about lyrics making it so much easier to connect the dance to the music ... context is everything. (This is why I cringe at the notion of using "The Wind Beneath My Wings" for a wedding dance ... people, it's from a movie about someone dying.) Back on topic: LT looks smashing in that chocolate-and-gold ensemble. I wonder why the producers are punishing Edyta with that music. LT doesn't show much flexibility in the sides of his body. He can really move across the floor and obviously has tons of power, but he has no lift. As Carrie-Ann noted, limited range of motion.

Shawn & Mark ... She looks adorable. This should be a complete 180 from the Lindy Hop. And it is. She is so strong that she can keep up with Mark, but Len points out that her heel leads are inconsistent. Reaching out with the heel is what makes it possible to really connect with the floor and travel. She has a slightly flat frame, too; the back should be curved a little, so that the elbows stay just in front of the body; this also creates a sort of 'wrap' effect around the man's right shoulder, which helps maintain dance position in those continuous turns. And she is still "sitting" into her side by side lines, tsk.

Melissa & Tony ... wow, she's pretty. That Catherine Zeta-Jones in "Zorro" look is working for her. And she has not fully accessed her inner rage, lol. Mr. P notes that this is a very leg-centric routine ... there are several places where she could be dancing her upper body and is not. She's a little not in control here, I think all the changes of direction are messing her up. Tony may have slightly over-challenged her this week.

David & Kym ... what is with those feather fans? Well, I suppose they kind of speak to the music. Annoyance alert: that song is in 6/8 time, which is not the same as 3/4. It doesn't have the strong downbeat and, as this time, is typically faster - if you're trying to step on every beat. They do this to someone every season, and it always annoys me! ... If you listen to the orchestration, you can hear the one, two, one, two ... it should be ONE two three, ONE two three. Argh. ... They did their best but the music really doesn't call for, or permit, the romantic, swooping character of Viennese waltz.

Gilles & Cheryl ... oh yum. I knew it! I said it, right? Martial arts. Hah. Anyway ... Now see, the whole dragging the girl on your back thing makes sense if she's just put your matador jacket on you. His body action is so good in this, the way he stretches his sides to bring Cheryl around him and sends his pelvis forward to stop her. In case anyone cares, the music is the Habanera from "Carmen," performed with a nice operatic flair. Mr. P called it on the scores ... the routine had a very flamenco character, and Len does like a more strictly ballroom interpretation; he likes to see flamenco accents on a Latin base ... hence, a 9.

Steve & Lacey ... this is a nice piece of music, recorded by Rufus Wainwright for the "Moulin Rouge" soundtrack. I like this routine! It has a sweetness, and Steve is keeping the time and the character quite well. He's even trying to put hand and arm styling in there. His posture and footwork still need work, but frankly there is someone else I'd rather see go home.

Ty & Chelsie ... oh dear. I had high hopes for this one, but I think flexibility issues are showing up here, too. He looks great in that suit, he is really strong, and his lines - when he strikes a pose - are quite good. It's the shape in motion that is not great. And he looked nervous again.

Kim & Derek ... she's showing some stress, but I have faith. She is a talented little lady. Very Renaissance-festival thing going with her hair. Nice wrap & roll at the beginning, nice arabesque dive; she is doing very well at turning out her free foot to create a pretty line when she goes into a pose. Missing some heel leads here, but overall a lovely routine. Kim has a lot of grace & flexibility in her upper body and good core strength ... between the two, she can create really sweeping actions through the top that enable her to match Derek even though he has about a foot of height and armspan on her.

Good show!