'Dancing With the Stars' Week 6: Anna Trebunskaya Blogs on Stevie Wonder Night
For week 6 of " Dancing With the Stars," " Good Morning America" brought in one of our favorite pro dancers, Anna Trebunskaya, to weigh in on Stevie Wonder night, where each of the performances were set to the music of Stevie Wonder. The competition is heating up, so let's get started!
Image credit: Adam Taylor/ABC
Hello, everybody! I'm stepping in for [friend and fellow 'Dancing With the Stars' pro] Louis Van Amstel this week, and am excited to share with you my thoughts on last night's show . I'm a huge fan of Stevie Wonder. I grew up listening and dancing to his music, so I loved the concept of Stevie Wonder night. It turned out that I was also in two out of three pro dances. It was a beautiful experience. I love the opening dance by the pros and the troupe. I think it sets up a tone to the show. Now, let's get to our contestants!
The Routines
Zendaya's Cha Cha: One of the best technical Cha Cha's that's ever been done by a celebrity! She is consistently getting better. Val is getting tougher on her in rehearsals, but she's handling it really well. Being one of the youngest competitors on the show, she brings so much maturity and fullness to her performances. Her biggest strength is her ability to capture the character of each dance. She looked gorgeous, wearing appropriate costumes for her age, and young, flirty and fresh.
I had a chance to work with her for last week's Argentine tango. I see now why she's so good. She's humble, all about improving, learning and doing her work. She's a star!
Andy Dick's Samba: Great routine! He's so much fun to watch. You just know that he loves it. As a performance it was fantastic, but as a Samba, it was inconsistent. I could go and on on all the technical things he didn't do, but that's what the judges are for. I agree with their comments about Andy (and that doesn't happen very often!) Another huge positive for me is that he keeps improving and pushing through, no matter what. I think it's very inspiring and we all can learn from that. Keep it up Andy, you're a joy!
Sean Lowe's Samba: Good attack ! You can see how hard he works at it. Unfortunately, Samba is a dance that requires musicality and an innate rhythm. I would agree with Carrie Anne that he doesn't really interpret the music he dances to. But, then again, the effect of the routine, the costumes and his natural charm are working for him. Not his best dance though.
Aly Raisman's Foxtrot: I really like her in the ballroom elegant dances. This was a beautiful presentation, starting from the cafeteria set-up to her extended frame during the whole dance. She has a natural cool about her, but she's a tough competitor. She keeps improving and polishing her dancing. She'll stick around and we'll see her blossom.
Ingo Rademacher's Tango: Happy Birthday to Ingo! Solid Tango. Really well done. Lots of technical elements, good frame. It was evident that he enjoyed this dance. He needs to keep this momentum going, keep the intensity in all the future dances. His hard work from previous weeks is finally paying off.
Kellie Pickler's Quickstep: She did amazing! She looked fantastic, stayed in character and was very consistent with footwork and frame. Wonderful execution of a very classy routine. She is getting better and better with every routine. I actually like her a lot in ballroom dances. Kellie has such a spunky personality, but she can bring total class to her dances as well.
Victor Ortiz's Rumba: Sorry to be a "Debbie Downer" here, but not the best dance for Victor. I like Victor's personality so much, but he wasn't able to merge it with the character of Rumba. Victor needs to find joy and fun in the slower , elegant dances as well as the fast-paced ones. I'm worried that he may be going home tonight. If he is still in the competition, he needs to challenge himself and find his personality again.
Jacoby Jones's Quickstep: Pigeon toes or not, he's a musical dancer. Jacoby lets music run through his body and energize his movement. His frame was good, speed was great and energy was never ending (as usual) . But please, smile! Just because a ballroom dance has a frame , still show your enjoyment. I do agree with Len that Jacoby is a better Latin dancer.
Overall I enjoyed everybody's dances, and loved the music tonight!
Full Recap of Week 6: Kellie Pickler Regains Lead on Stevie Wonder Night
The Scores
(Individual Dance, Team Dance, Total)
Kellie Pickler and Derek Hough: 29, 25; 54 out of a possible 60 points
Zendaya and Val Chmerkovskiy: 29, 22; 51
Aly Raisman and Mark Ballas: 27, 25; 52
Ingo Rademacher and Kym Johnson: 24, 22; 46
Jacoby Jones and Karina Smirnoff: 23, 22; 45
Sean Lowe and Peta Murgatroyd: 21, 25; 46
Andy Dick and Sharna Burgess: 18, 25; 43
Victor Ortiz and Lindsay Arnold: 18, 22; 40