This week on "DWTS," the celebs were asked to pick a song that had personal meaning to them. Now in case you're unaware, the stars don't typically pick their songs. It's my understanding that the producers assign them a song. So allowing them this type of input makes things a little more interesting. When you add in the fact that the song was supposed to be one that meant something to them and that they had to incorporate the story of why it was important to them in their dance; it proved to be a very powerful and moving show.
Were all of the dances phenomenal? Of course not. But there were two outstanding performances and those are the ones that I want to highlight. According to Dictionary.com the definition of valiant is "1. courageous, intrepid, or stout-hearted; brave 2. marked by bravery or courage: a valiant deed" and this week the effort put forth in the performances of Chris Jericho & Cheryl Burke and Kirstie Alley & Maksim Chmerkovskiy were positively VALIANT!
When Cheryl was partnered with Drew Lachey in season two of "DWTS" and choreographed their freestyle to "Save a horse ride a cowboy;" I was a fan. When Cheryl and Emmet Smith performed to "Can't touch this," in season three; I was still on her bandwagon. But when Cheryl did her self-promoting "What A Feeling" freestyle with Gilles Marini; I wanted to kick her ass. Pardon my French. Gilles had been such a fantastic competitor that season; and he should have won the mirror ball trophy, but Cheryl choreographed this lousy freestyle that only showcased HER and he lost. Ever since then, I have not been a Cheryl fan, BUT this week she redeemed herself (a bit) in my book, when she arranged a dance that did justice to Chris Jericho's touching story of the loss of his mother. Chris (who used his given name of Chris Irvine for that number;) chose "Let it be," and Cheryl's choreography really echoed the sentiments that Chris had shared in his package.
I didn't know anything about Chris, before "DWTS," but I have to say that he's been impressing me since day one; and it's not just because he's a hot tamale. There's just something about a strong man, who can move his body so precisely and show vulnerability at the same time. If I had a paddle, (the judges kind of course;) I would have given them a ten, for everything that they did and all that they made me feel.
When I wrote "Two Standouts," I sang Kirstie Alley's praises; as well as gushed on and on about why I want, I mean like Maks. But this week's routine gave me new reasons to love them both. Let's start out with the fact that Kirstie shared an extraordinarily painful experience with us; in explaining why she had chosen "Over the rainbow" as her song. I was prepared to be moved, just after hearing her story. But shortly after the music started, Maks fell and he brought Kirstie down with him. Maks managed to get up, as did Kirstie; but it was clear that Maks was in pain. Nonetheless, Maks continued with the dance; which was breathtaking and they received a score of 21, accompanied by accolades from the judges. I think that this particular routine was valiant on two accounts. One, that Kirstie had the courage to share this very private experience with the audience and have it translated into a dance for the world to see her grief, her pain and her resilience; and two, for Maks to take full responsibility for his fall and apologize for it profusely.
I can honestly say that these two performances are some of the reasons that I'm such a big fan of reality TV. I'm thoroughly convinced, that not even the best writers could have written scenes with the heart, soul and honesty, that were demonstrated on this week's "Dancing With the Stars." Lastly, I want to acknowledge Chris, Cheryl, Kirstie and Maks, because I know from experience who terrifying it can be to expose your real self and your feelings, to the world.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING
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