The judges on Dancing With the Stars are only given a few precious moments to comment on the competition each week, which is why we’ve offered DWTS judge (and Parade favorite!) Carrie Ann Inaba a place to let her critiques run wild!
Each week, Carrie Ann Inaba will share her thoughts on the dancers, drama, and more on Parade.com. You can also follow Carrie Ann Inaba on Twitter @carrieanninaba and check out The Carrie Ann Inaba Animal Project.
Week six was party anthem night in the glitter dome and it was a blast! Guest judge Redfoo of LMFAO was in the house and brought the red glitter jacket and multicolored Vans to DWTS! He and Bruno had a red-off and the night was just a party all around.
I have to take a minute and appreciate that incredible Macy’s Stars of Dance number to “Animals” by Martin Garrixx. Everyone did a top-notch job in putting that together–the costumes, the lighting, the stage setup and the choreography! Congratultions to Derek Hough and his partner in choreography, Alison Holker. She’s also an Emmy-nominated choreographer and a good friend. I woke up still just so thrilled about that performance. I hope everyone loved it as much as I did.
But, let’s talk about the couples. It’s week six and the theme was Party Anthems. The songs were big songs and needed larger than life performances to match them.
Nene Leakes and Tony Dovolani’s salsa was fun and high energy. She was quite heavy footed and at times they lost their synchronization and timing, but she’s really performing now. So far, nothing has topped her Cruella DeVille performance, but this week was fun and Tony was getting down!
Candace Cameron Bure and Mark Ballas danced while in jeopardy, which I think is probably the hardest thing in the world to do, but at the same time, if that’s not going to cause you to bring out your best performance, nothing will. Candace was a lot less in her head this week which allowed her to have a lot more fun–which in turn, improved her performance over all even though she still goes in and out of it. Her choreography was intricate and she didn’t miss a beat of it. She lost her spot and her balance a few times but there’s improvement in her confidence, which is really the key for her. I’d love her to go back and watch her week one contemporary performance and see how great she was when she had no expectations of herself. Her legs were crisp and clean and much sharper in tone and movement quality as well. I’m looking forward to next week — Latin Night with Ricky Martin.
James Maslow and Peta Murgatroyd’s quickstep to “You’re the One I Want” was fast and full of content. He’s a star. He really is a great performer and has great musicality and athleticism when he dances. He’s a natural, however, his footwork needs work. And I think that with the competition being so close this year, this will matter in the end. I do try to help!
Danica McKellar and Val Chmerkovskiy are really fun to watch. She grows with every performance; it’s really wonderful to see how Val’s teaching skills really work. He’s very effective in teaching the styles and the details of the dance styles. I remember when I used to judge Val in some of the competitions. He outshines everyone when it came to the Latin dances– I mean outshined everyone! And his attention to detail and flair have shown themselves in his work with Danica. He’s built on the technique and now it’s really starting to pay off. Go girl! She’s had the most growth so far and I love it!
Now, this was the moment of the night if you ask me — when Meryl Davis and Maks Chmerkovskiy danced, it took my breath away — and my words. Magic happened in that tango. You could feel the room change as they danced. We were all transported to another world, the world of Meryl and Maks where passion ran thick and power fueled every movement. Her incredible strength and ability to finesse every movement at warp speed is unmatched. So far (in the mini competition between Meryl and Charlie White that has been going on), I believe Charlie has been winning. He has been consistently strong and entertaining. However, last night, Meryl took the lead. She and Maks have some sort of X-factor. It’s something that goes beyond words and that surpasses the movement alone. They have a sizzling chemistry that is intoxicating to experience. What a memorable moment.
Drew Carey and Cheryl Burke had a better night, but overall they didn’t have great chemistry together. I love Drew though, what a bright spirit and he makes your heart root for him without even trying. He’s so likable. And I’m so happy for him and all he’s accomplished for his son. He’s a happier, healthier man, and after the show, he came out and thanked everyone. He’s got grace and elegance in his heart and I can’t wait to see how he brings his dancing into his next projects. I’m looking forward to it! Maybe we will see a bit more of it on The Price is Right. Come on down!
Charlie and Sharna Burgess took me back to my Fly Girl days. I was impressed with his ability to get funky. I wasn’t sure if he had it in him, but he does and he brings a special Charlie White style to everything he does. He does everything with ease. I know I’ve said it before, but he’s like a Gene Kelly or Fred Astaire. He’s got such a stylistic stamp when he dances, you know it’s him immediately. It’s fun and fresh and clean. I really enjoyed his high-octane presence, but I do think that he and Sharna will be thinking hard about their next performance. I think we need to have impact from him. We need a surprise from them. Something unexpected needs to happen in their journey towards the mirror ball trophy. He’s definitely a contender and so is Meryl, and the competition between the two of them is going to get intense.
And there is another contender…that would be Amy Purdy.
Amy and Derek’s wedding-themed performance to “Shout” blew the roof off the ballroom! She faltered in the middle of the dance and lost her balance a few times–so I couldn’t give a 10, however, WOW! She gave us kicks and flicks like I’ve never seen before. The energy was moving the right way, down and out as opposed to just outward and, I don’t want to get too technical here, but after watching this performance I realize how incredibly detailed she and Derek have to be about the catalyst of every movement due to her unique circumstance. She is understanding the movements in a way most people would never have to and it’s created (when it’s possible) a highly-detailed understanding of the technique. This is what is helping her to perform these almost miraculous performances. I’ve read a lot of feedback about Amy–a lot of people feel she is getting special treatment and a lot of people feel she’s nothing short of a hero. I think that people think she’s getting special treatment because at least one of the judges comments about how incredibly special she is, but people have to understand to watch her dance is to see this. She is special, we can’t ignore it. As dancers ourselves, this is something to be in awe of. What she does baffles the brain. If we see mistakes, we have to take off for them, but it will never take away from the incredible ability she has to put a whole ballroom in awe.
It was a fun and exciting night in the ballroom, but I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone for their well wishes for my cat Taz who has been with me for about 12 years now. He’s a very special cat who lost his kidney early on and currently has only one kidney left. He’s had many surgeries with top specialists to get him through some very difficult times and complications. During those surgeries, I reached out via social media and asked for prayers and support. He has made miraculous recoveries and in someways is my own personal miracle cat, but I was told last Friday that he has a limited time left here with me and my heart is quite heavy. He’s been a true and dear friend, a comrade in life with me and my cloud of love and I just want to remind everyone that love is really what matters most and it affects us so positively. Whenever I have asked for prayers for his health and recovery, the prayers and love have come and Taz has always responded in ways that baffled the doctors. Love is healing. Even now, as we face our final chapter together, I can tell that he feels the love and support and it lifts him up. So I humbly ask for continued prayers for my love bug and I encourage others to reach out when they are in need of love and prayers. This is the biggest gift social media and life gives us: the power to connect to help each other and provide support in times of need.
While I am sad, I am also joyous in that this wonderful being, my friend Taz has taught me about love and how powerful it is. He is a cat that has had to have water given through a feeding tube for five years, every day, three to four times a day. Now, it’s six times a day and I’ve made this my priority in my commitment to him. He and I have spent so much quality time together during those feedings that I feel an extra special bond to him. The day he leaves me I will be so devastated, but to be aware that this day is coming is to be aware that we are alive and have time to share now which makes life even richer and all the more precious. I wanted to share this with you all because these are the important things in life. None of us know when our last day will be, so we should live each day with as much love and joy as we possibly can. Celebrate what we have and dance the dance of this beautiful thing called life.
And for all you fashion folks, here are my fashion credits:
Dress: Black Mesh Gown with Pewter Bugle Beads courtesy of Bariano
Shoes: Metallic Champagne Platform Sandals by BEBE
Jewelry: Earrings, bracelets and rings courtesy of XIV Karats Beverly Hills LTD