By Kim
The actual dancing is about to begin, and the ballroom round is first. Melissa and Tony didn't do as well as expected with their Viennese waltz last week, but earned perfect scores for their samba. They're doing the cha cha and the quickstep this week. Melissa is really nervous about her footwork, because she knows that Len will be watching her like a hawk. Tony pushes her to get the heel leads right because he knows the details will make a difference this week. I still can't really tell the difference between a heel lead and lack thereof; I understand conceptually what it means, but their feet move so fast that I can't tell if they're doing them in practice. Anyway, their quickstep is very fluid and graceful, which are not normally two words I would use to describe that routine. I'm used to the quickstep being more frenetic and energetic; this almost seems like a waltz in 4/4 time with a few nods to a quickstep. It's executed beautifully and Tony (for once) does a great job making the movements fit the music well. It ends with a beautiful spin move. I'm always impressed when they do those moves where the man grabs the woman's arm and spins her around the floor; they always manage to look graceful and I would just look like an elephant clomping to the ground and then being spun like a beetle on its back.
Len tells Melissa that her feet are much improved and that the routine was a delight. Bruno thought it was very good, but he needs to be more nitpicky since it's the semifinals, but it lacked some zing. I totally agree. Zing! That's the word I was looking for. Carrie Ann agrees with Bruno and says that Melissa is a beautiful dancer but there's no soul to her dancing. Melissa looks like she's about to cry, but I've been saying that about Melissa for weeks. She's so used to performing, whether in ballet or cheerleading, that she has this fake smile pasted on at all times and you get the sense that she's performing instead of dancing. Shawn does a bit of that too. Backstage, Melissa thinks she did the best that she possibly could have. Scores: Carrie Ann 9, Len 10, and Bruno 9. Melissa and Tony are thrilled to get a 10 from Len.
Gilles and Cheryl got a great reaction with their foxtrot, but the judges thought their rumba was too steamy. This week, they have the salsa and the Viennese waltz. Cheryl tries to get Gilles to channel Lil Kim in his salsa, and then she invites Jonathan in to help Gilles with the sophistication of the waltz. Gilles found it really helpful to have a man show him how to do it. Jonathan gives Gilles a list of about twenty-five things to keep in mind while doing the waltz, and Gilles raises an eyebrow to camera. Their waltz begins to "Come Away With Me" by Norah Jones. Gilles starts sitting in a chair and Cheryl brings him onto the dance floor. I feel like we've seen Cheryl's white snow queen dress before. The routine is very pretty, and Gilles is very graceful, but I feel like these two can't keep the sexiness out of any routine. There's still a lot of "we're going to put our faces really close together and almost kiss but then not kiss" as well as "I'm going to stroke your face lovingly and then you break away like 'NO' but then quickly turn back like 'MAYBE'." Those are all patented Cheryl moves. I do see a lot of rise and fall, so Len should be happy. And it is pretty to look at.
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