Episode Report Card Kim: A | 35 USERS: B YOU GRADE IT Paso Doble from THE FUTURE
By Kim | Season 9 | Episode 16 | Aired on 2009.11.09
Len acknowledges that it was tough to follow Mya, but he loved how Aaron sold the routine. Bruno thinks it's difficult to merge '90s and the samba, but they did it with a lot of energy. Carrie Ann knows she gave them a hard time early on, but she thinks Aaron's tamed his energy. Really? Because I found it worse than ever. Scores: Carrie Ann 9, Len 9, and Bruno 9.
Joanna and Derek have the paso doble from THE FUTURE. So Derek starts acting like a robot, and Joanna gets annoyed, and I don't blame her. But I am looking forward to Derek getting creative with the choreography. Derek explains that their routine features them dancing side-by-side a lot, so if Joanna screws up, it will be really noticeable. So do they pull it off? Well, it's definitely different. They're dressed sort of like space traveler robots, and they move very stiffly, but because it's Derek, he also threw a lot of traditional paso moves in. It's missing the aggression of the paso; because they are robots, it's all done very unemotionally. It looks cool as hell, but I don't know how the judges will feel. It was a really difficult mixture to achieve, though and it really was a great accomplishment by Derek.
Bruno says "the replicants are taking over the dance floor," and he thought it was "a masterful reinvention." Carrie Ann compliments Derek's choreography and also notes that Joanna didn't miss a step. Len also thought it was genius, because he didn't know how Derek would even start. Scores: Carrie Ann 9, Len 10, and Bruno 10.
Kelly and Louis got the '60s for their jive. Kelly gets into the design of their costumes, as well as being able to contribute some of the moves since she knows her '60s dances. Her one concern is being able to keep up with Louis because the dance requires so much stamina. So they're dancing to "River Deep, Mountain High," an awesome song, but they start out with a whole skit where Kelly has a rag doll and Louis takes it and she gets it back and it's not dancing and Len's going to hate it. The routine itself is good, but not great -- it lacks the energy and confidence of her first routine. Ballroom really is Kelly's forte. She ends by sitting on Bruno's lap and sucking her thumb. This could have been awesome; instead it's back to mediocre. And I love Kelly and want her to do well.