Episode Report Card Kim: B+ | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT I Try to Do A Waltz And I Stumble
By Kim | Season 9 | Episode 2 | Aired on 09.22.2009
Mya and Dmitry are the next couple to dance. Mya admits that she's been tapping since she was five, but she's never done ballroom. She's not just a part-time tapper; she's like seriously good. After rehearsing a bit, she realizes that her prior dance experience doesn't really prepare her for the waltz. But she is happy to be dancing with Dmitry, since she thinks he's cute. Mya is way more charming than I expected. I'm rooting for her.
I don't love her dress, though. It kind of looks like an '80s prom dress. They're dancing to "Vision of Love" though, so maybe it kind of fits. Their dance is really gorgeous. Mya has great leg extension, and her footwork is spot on as well. She doesn't stumble or hesitate once. My only nitpick is that there wasn't much waltz in their waltz; it felt more like what a little kid would do if you put on waltz music and told them to dance. There were a few measures done in hold with the old "one-two-three, one-two three" that you would expect, but compared to Mark's routine just prior, this one felt more like interpretive dance. A beautiful one, but not waltz-y enough. She's one to watch, though. She could tear this competition up. I'm excited to see how she does in the Latin round.
Carrie Ann thinks Mya set the bar, and she loved her quality of movement and turns. Len takes them to task for not following the rules of waltz, because they were only in hold for three measures. That's what I'm saying! God, every season I turn more and more into Len. Bruno shouts Len down, and the audience agrees with him. Len finally gets to talk again and says that Mya is a fantastic dancer and Dmitry let her down with his choreography. Tom rescues the moment (as usual) by doing a callback to Len's comment and asking if he's been to three bars tonight. Scores: Carrie Ann 8, Len 5, and Bruno 8. Look, someone has to be the standard-bearer of traditional ballroom, and Len has taken on that role. If there were no rules, this would turn into Solid Gold or Dance Fever. It's supposed to be at least partially a ballroom/Latin competition, and I applaud Len for taking the unpopular view. Plus, enough people will be mad at mean old Len that they'll vote for Mya and put her through anyway.
Dame Elizabeth Taylor's favorite, Kathy Ireland, is up next with her partner Tony. Seriously, Liz Taylor has been tweeting about voting for Kathy. It's weird. In rehearsals, Tony tries to teach Kathy how to shimmy and then laughs that she looks like she's driving a truck (which she does). And she also has trouble hearing the beat. This should be interesting.