Beat It and Balance on Dancing with the Stars
As Dancing with the Stars heads to the Semi-Finals, the judges introduced a rule exception allowing lifts during performances. What a wily move. The dancers were so excited to do lifts that it threw off the emphasis on dancing, except for one couple.
On Week 8, the one-armed Cristian de la Fuente and Cheryl Burke tangoed and mamboed their way to the top of the leader board. Simply amazing without the use of Cristian’s left arm. What this handicapped forced the couple to do was focus on the dancing to mask this disadvantage. While Crisitan and Cheryl did manage to incorporate lifts into their performances, they were well suited and well placed. Lifts weren’t just done to wow the judges and the crowds. For this balance, Cristian and Cheryl were rewarded.
Also, Cheryl Burke took it back to Season 2 in 2006 for an inspirational comeback in Season 6. In Season 2, Cheryl partnered with Drew Lachey to revolutionize DWTS with a paso doble to MJ’s Thriller. Let’s take a trip down memory lane…
With Cristian’s diagnosed ruptured tendon, Cheryl looked to Michael Jackson and choreographed a masterpiece to “Beat It.” Let’s rewind to last night…
Mario and Marissa Jaret Winokur have plateaued. They’ve come far, but I think the journey is at its end for the both of them. This would leave a finals of Cristian, Jason Taylor, and Kristi Yamaguchi. This is probably an appropriate Finals, but Cristian has a huge handicap with his injury.
Speaking of Jason and Kristi, their recent scores have fluctuated, but that’s probably a good sign. Instead of merely working on their dancing skills and techniques, they are expanding their repertoire and feeling out the judges. What works, what doesn’t, what do the judges approve and disapprove of. These couples are gearing up for the Finals.
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