I have mixed feelings about Disney night. The good part is that they freely let DWTS use Disney trademarks (songs, characters, etc.) when no other dance show can. The down side is that it often feels (like in this massive opening number, when they are ostensibly looking for Mickey, and he ends up coming down out of the ceiling), like a giant commercial for all products Disney. Not only Disney and its characters, but the other Disney/ABC show, Dancing with the Stars: Juniors, which has a fair number of participants dancing in this opening number, plus Jordan Fisher (host of said show) singing in this number. Oh, and the actual DWTS stars and pros and troupe dancing too. Plus, Erin and Tom for good measure. WHEW.
Thank God we have stunning choreographer Mandy Moore, to help all of this make sense, and not seem so schmaltzy. Best moment? In the midst of all the madness, Sasha and Emma (husband and wife) kiss. Awwww.
Tom calls this show Dancing with the Stars: Grown-ups. LOL
No one’s even danced yet, and I’m already throwing up with Disney overkill. Ugh. At the end of the package, the producer asks Alexis if she’s “developed any feelings for Alan”? Alexis nearly falls off her chair, before saying, “No comment.”
They are dancing foxtrot to some river song from Pocahontas. They project a huge rainbow over the top. Nice.
Len: “There was no stressing. There was no messing. Just a well-crafted routine, beautifully danced. Lovely chemistry between the two of you.” (Alexis and Alan both start blushing.) “For me, you’ve been on a bit of a plateau for three weeks or so. This week, Whoaa!” Bruno: “Definitely Disney magic is stronger than ever. Those two were so in tune, it was like two hearts, beating as one.” (Again, both of them blush.)
Bruno: “It was exquisitely lyrical. Your arm movements, the flow of your line. Your backbends. Abandon yourself in his arms. It was gorgeous.” Carrie Ann: “Disney Night is so many things, but it can be challenging to bring these Disney pieces to life. The way you danced made me believe in fairy tales. It was truly like walking into a fairy tale. The way your quality of movement was, the way you told the story. Everything was fluid, and it felt like you were on a cloud. It was your best dance so far this season.”
JUDGES’ SCORES: 29 (out of 30), with Disney (shaped like Mickey) paddles, of course
Juan Pablo tells Cheryl that he is “a full-on Disney freak fan.” And that “before I wanted to be an actor, I wanted to be a Disney animator.” He goes on to say that his favorite Disney movie is Beauty and the Beast, and that he’s “so excited to be dancing to Gaston. It’s going to be magic.”
Len is already irritated by the smoke that he has to brush away to see this Viennese waltz.
They also have the Candelabra on their desk (animated, of course).
Well, DWTS has beat “Be Our Guest” to death in several versions. But I don’t think they’ve ever done “Gaston.” It was pretty wonderful.
Bruno: “You nailed that character right on the bullseye. The feel, the style, the content. Spot on on every level.” Carrie Ann: “So good! What is fantastic about you is the flair. You have flair for days. The momentum you create. No one else is even close to you, the way you do that. It makes you so spectacular.” Len: “What I like is that the dance mirrored the music. It was full of gusto and zest. You, without doubt, are a fantastic dancer. Every number that you’ve had to do, you’ve coped with admirably. Cheryl, wonderful choreography.”
JUDGES’ SCORES: 29 (out of 30) (Bruno says it in French.)
At this point in the season, I really thought it was going to be Cheryl and Juan Pablo who were going to win this thing...
A nice princessy thing (bumper) to bring us back.
Lindsay and DeMarcus are dancing Charleston (love that dance!) to “A Star Is Born” from Hercules. Lindsay is just addicted to massive lifts. Ugh. He was just flipping and turning her all over the place in this one. Ugh.
Tom: “Lindsay, the Human Windmill.” Lindsay talks about the strap on her shoe breaking, just as they started.
Carrie Ann: “A hero is born. We have been waiting for this breakthrough this whole season. The double spinner, I don’t know what that’s called. I never even noticed you were missing a shoe, because of your partnering skills.” Len: “It was jam-packed, kicks, tricks, lifts... that is like a Disney movie. You finish it and you just feel great. Full of attack, full of energy. Not a lot of Charleston going on... however...I enjoyed it.” Bruno: “It started like the Ziegfield Follies, then it went to musical comedy. I thought, actually, your Charleston was pretty good. You’re very lightfooted. You never missed a beat. Now, you’re turning into a satellite. You’re spending more time in the air than anyone I’ve ever seen. It was your most complete performance to date.”
JUDGES’ SCORES: 26 (out of 30)
A Jungle Book bumper from the troupe. Nice.
Evanna is performing a song from Tangled, and she is portraying Rapunzel. They don't really explain how she starts in the set-up with the long long hair, and moments later, she is shorn. But no matter... In between many of these numbers are bits of video showing the couples enjoying the real Disneyland. I’ll spare you all the description. Here you go: Happy, happy, joy, joy. Done.
Evanna did a great job with this dance, but the sappy Disney music is already starting to bug me.
Len: “I liked the light and shade that was going on: fast, then slow it down. It had a lovely feel to it. I can’t say it was a spectacular number, cause it wasn’t.” Bruno: “Instead of being right on the musical phrasing, you chase it. The finish has to be always exactly on the beat.” Carrie Ann: “I think you did the Disney name proud. You’re so much like a princess. I saw all of it in the number. We are encouraging you, because we believe in you.”
JUDGES’ SCORES: 24 (out of 30)
It’s always a good moment when Val is in the bumper, even if he’s dancing with Minnie Mouse. Fun.
This is from as Tom says: “the upcoming Ralph Breaks the Internet” and they are dancing to “a new song, Zero, from Imagine Dragons.”
Well, they were doing a jive, and I gotta say, Joe is trying SO Hard. But wow... that dance. Also they were kinda trying to recreate the Internet... and not only that, but the Internet world of Ralph Breaks the... so... dunno. In the middle of the dance, other Disney princesses (troupe members) come out and dance with them. It was just too much and not enough simultaneously.
Bruno: “Joe, I can sense a very faint glimmer of hope. The timing is slightly better. At least you tried. And you did a baby step in the right direction. You gotta work on the quality of what you do as well.” Carrie Ann: “Go Joe! Really, the choreography. You did not miss a step. Jenna loaded up the choreography. If anybody should be confident, it should be you.” Len: “I liked... you get knocked every week, but you dust yourself off, and you give it your all. My advice to you. There wasn’t enough jive in the jive. Whatever the dance is, get in there, learn the dance, and give it some welly.”
JUDGES’ SCORES: 17 (out of 30)
Some promo for the upcoming Nutcracker movie with Andrea Botticelli and his son...
I was gonna fast-forward, but then Val and Artem and Gleb are dancing with these beautiful princesses. (Hayley and Brit and Morgan) Gorgeous. Gorgeous song, and gorgeous dancing.
Sasha does such heartbreaking choreography. I was all hating on Disney and the whole merchandising of it, and his choreography just takes my breath away and makes me believe again. It’s so beautiful. Plus! Sasha does a couple of somersaults in it.
And there is this whole section in the middle, where they roll on the floor, and with the lighting, it was just stunning.
Mary Lou is crying at the end of it. So beautiful.
Tom gets her to talk about how she first told Sasha how hard it was for her to feel vulnerable. “I’m making so many changes with this show,” she says, through her tears.
Carrie Ann: “This is the beauty of our show. These kind of moments. I live for these kind of moments. Because they are real. You’re having real transformation through dance. The way you opened your heart. For a moment, you got a little tight. But then you opened, and the tears flowed. And in that moment, you connected with all of us deeply.” Mary Lou says, “Oh, thank you.” Len: “It was gentle. It was understated. There was lovely fluidity in the movement. The musicality was beautiful. I wasn’t over keen on your silly roly-poly (this makes Sasha laugh). You’re the gymnast, Mary Lou.” Sasha says that they are saving it. Also, btw, Sasha is a pretty incredible gymnast himself. Bruno: “I love you, my darling. I love your determination. You don’t give up and you get there eventually. We are engaged with what you do. Your performances are stronger, so don’t worry about it. Enjoy it!” Sasha goes on to explain how she was broken when she came in, and now she’s standing on her own two feet. “She inspires me every day that we work together.” She hugs him.
JUDGES’ SCORES: 25 (out of 30)
We have a performance by Jordan Fisher and the kids from Juniors that I’m just going to skip through.
Then, lovely Emma is dancing a quickstep with John Schneider to a Jungle Book song. Just wonderful. Her precision as a choreographer is just stunning. But John complains about it being too fast in the package.
Len: “Full of quickstep content, that’s what I like. High energy. I thought you did a spectacular job. You were worried about this dance, and it’s transpired, in my opinion, to be your best dance.” Bruno: “Don’t worry, my darling. You brought some sparkle to the jungle. That was a proper, recognizable quickstep. You are much lighter on your feet than Baloo.” Carrie Ann: “For me, it was your best performance as a whole. Everything was connected.”
JUDGES’ SCORES: 24 (out of 30)
More kids and Mickey and Minnie as our bumper.
Bobby Bones and Sharna are doing a dance from The Little Mermaid. Bobby talks in the package about how MC Hammer Tweeted him, after he did the MC Hammer dance last week. “I never scored so low and felt so good.”
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| How much do we love these costumes? |
Bruno: “You’re a lucky man. You’ve got the catch of the day, haven’t you? It was a bit slippery at times. It was a brave effort.” Carrie Ann marvels at his posture. “I love you so much, Bobby Bones. There is improvement. I love the way you focus so deeply on what Sharna’s teaching you. I can see it. Try to not giggle with your body, and I think we’ll see the evidence on the dance floor.” Len: “Bobby, you were right outside your comfort zone. Your thing is fun and entertainment. And suddenly, you’ve gotta do a waltz. What I admired, you played it straight. You went for it in a proper way. Credit to you, Sharna, a proper waltz, and pretty well done.”
Bobby, talking to Erin: “My critique was I giggle too much? I love that critique.”
JUDGES’ SCORES: 21 (out of 30)
Erin: “I’m gonna say this right now. (She points to Sharna.) The hottest mermaid I’ve ever seen. Made Ariel proud.”
Of course, Milo swings onto the dance floor on the zip line (they haven’t used that one in awhile). Wait! The bad guys have Tom locked in the cage? What??? Oh, they let him out. It’s OK.
Carrie Ann: “That was incredible. It was a fabulous routine. It was really long. What I’m so impressed with is you pulled off a quickstep that requires the most form and technique. In a unitard. And I loved it. Truly. Look at Mr. Incredible! He’s quickstepping.” Len: “I look for certain things in these dances. One of them is body contact. There was a lot of gapping going on.” Tom says that’s very common in Spandex. Bruno: “You can carry it, I tell you. It was a blockbuster. Worthy of the film. Tonight, everyone in production. Every aspect of this show has been amazing. Fantastic guys!” Very true. I definitely agree.
JUDGES’ SCORES: 27 (out of 30)
Who goes home? Psych out. No one goes home on Disney Night.
And a good Disney Night was had by all...
Miche’s Favorites of Disney Night
1. Bobby and Sharna (waltz)
2. Mary Lou and Sasha (contemporary)
3. Juan Pablo and Cheryl (Viennese waltz)
4. Alexis and Alan (foxtrot)
5. John and Emma (quickstep)
6. Evanna and Keo (jazz)
7. Milo and Witney (quickstep)
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