Episode 5 - 4/15 - DWTS 16 - Discussion - Spoilers

Dancing's Derek Hough: I'm Having Choreographer's Block

Hey everyone!

How are you?

Thanks for all your comments this week. I'm so glad you enjoyed the routine with Brilynn. It was truly an honor to dance with her. I was overcome with emotion throughout the whole thing. We don't see those video packages before we dance, so I was just a viewer for a second. Her story and she herself are so incredible. Brilynn really emulates what I try to live my life by, which is following your passion no matter what. She doesn't make any excuses, and just makes it work and makes it happen. I felt very blessed to be dancing with her. I didn't know much about her before we met. They just told me that she was legally blind and asked if I'd like to dance with her. I immediately said, "absolutely." Anyone who's willing to dance, I want to work to dance with that person. When we met, I was just blown away not just by her ability, but her heart.

Kellie and I are happy with our rumba. I like to think of it as her and Kyle's rumba. I was just assisting in the moment for the two of them. I was pretty surprised with the high scores we got after the judges' comments, which I agree with. It was a little tight. Our dress rehearsal went really well, but Kellie definitely gets nervous on show days. This time, she got really, really nervous. Things felt a little stiff because she held a lot of her nerves up high, so things did look stilted. That's the thing about the show: You can dance the routine 100 times and do it great, but you only get that one chance to do it when it counts. She was pretty bummed out afterward. She kept saying, "Aw, man, I'm so mad at myself because I didn't dance as well as I danced before. I just wanted it to be perfect." I told her perfection doesn't lie in what we do because it will never be perfect. The judges will always find something wrong or something will go wrong. But perfection lies in the feeling that it gives you. I said, "How do you feel right now?" And she said, "I feel amazing that I got to do that with my husband." I said, "There you go. Then it was perfect."

The same is true for Andy's dance. That was just the sweetest dance. It was so beautiful in its simplicity and so rich in emotion. That was not a technically perfect dance, but I don't think anyone was not moved by it afterward. You might have been moved to tears like Carrie Ann, but you felt something. I was so happy for him. That's one of my favorite moments of the season so far.

This week we have the foxtrot. It's going... OK! I'm not going to lie — it's been one of those weeks where I'm not liking anything I'm choreographing. It's one of those things where the creative process is not coming to me. On Wednesday, I was banging my head against the brick wall. Sometimes you just have your off days. It's choreographer's block, I guess. I have a lot on my plate this week, so it's about compartmentalizing and not getting overwhelmed. But I'm excited for the dance. Whenever I beat myself up about the choreography, it's only because I want to arrive at the right stuff, so I think it will turn out good.

It's also a little tricky for us because this is Kellie's first ballroom dance, so I feel a little bit behind. I had to teach her the frame and the technique. We couldn't just jump into the choreography, which is kind of frustrating, but she's doing well. It's completely different from any of the dances we've done, so it's just a matter of her getting used to it. We're also missing the entire day of Saturday. She has a show in Alabama and I can't go with her because I'm choreographing a routine for the results show that is very elaborate. There's a lot going on this week, but they're good problems!

Henry and Anna are dancing with us. I know some people are confused by the side-by-side dancing, so here's how it's going down: Henry and Anna will dance for 30 seconds, then Kellie and and I come in and we all dance together for 15 seconds, and then Kellie and I dance the rest of the routine. It's more about couples dancing side-by-side than the celebrity and another pro. It's something interesting to do to keep the show fresh. I'm curious to see how it all pans out.

I'm really going to miss Lisa. She's such a wonderful woman and a great personality. I think she did great. The show is so incredibly physically demanding. We don't get a single day off. Not having a day off can be relentless. I think she exceeded expectations from the beginning. And to go out and dance like that after being ill is a testament to her fight.

Someone pointed out to me that Lindsay, Gleb and Sharna, our new pros, were part of the last three couples standing for the second time this season. I didn't even realize that! Obviously two of them were in the bottom two both times, but that is interesting. The producers have a way of planning out the results show and who to declare safe when. I have no idea how they decide it, but I think sometimes leaving a couple in jeopardy until later in the show helps them. Some casual fans might not be paying attention that closely and think that the couple is in the bottom three when in fact that's not the bottom three, so it might spur them on to vote the next week. Still, I don't know about you, but I'd much rather be safe first than wait that long!

Thanks for reading! See you Monday!

Derek

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Dancing's Aly Raisman: "This Has Been the Most Difficult Week"


It was mission accomplished for Aly Raisman on Dancing with the Stars last week: She impressed Carrie Ann Inaba. "I was really excited. I couldn't believe it. I honestly thought it might take a bit longer," Raisman tells TVGuide.com. "She actually told me on Tuesday that I did it better [during the encore] than I did on Monday." Of course, Inaba wasn't the only judge Raisman blew away. She and Mark Ballas earned a 27, the highest score of the season so far. So what's her goal for this week's side-by-side dancing?

Congrats on the 27. That's got to feel good.
Aly Raisman: Thanks! Yeah, I did not expect that. Mark thought I could do it, but I just wanted to do a good dance. It's only the fourth week, so to be on top is great, but it's not over yet. I want to keep improving and peak at the right time.

When you were doing it and after you were done, were you thinking, "I nailed it!"?
Raisman: I just felt really good doing it. I felt in the moment and in character and I think I brought a lot of emotion out there. It felt good being able to describe through my dancing how intense it was to train for the Olympics. But I could feel good about it and the judges could not like it, so it was awesome that they did. And also, having Gabby [Douglas] and Kyla [Ross] there was amazing. Hopefully they can come again, and McKayla [Maroney] and Jordyn [Wieber] too. It meant a lot to me.

You need a Fierce Five reunion.
Raisman: I know. Well, we had one last season! [Laughs] Maybe later, hopefully.

How much confidence do the 27 and the comments give you going into this week?
Raisman: I feel definitely more confident with performing, but the samba is a whole new dance and it's really hard. I'm really not thinking about the score or being on top or anything. It's, like, all samba, all the time.

What's hard? The rolls?
Raisman: Yeah. This is, technique-wise, the hardest dance for me. There's a lot of bouncing, so you're bending and then straightening. You have to have the exact technique because Mark and I are side by side. On top that, we'll also be side by side with Witney [Carson] and Tony [Dovolani], so I can't really be off or out of sync. This has been the most difficult week so far, but it's coming along.

Is Mark choreographing all of it or do Witney and Tony also have input?
Raisman: It's pretty much all Mark. We've only had a few hours with Witney and Tony. They've been giving me tips and stuff. I think it will be a fun dance. The dance itself is upbeat and the song we have is great. It's kind of like a huge dance party. I like that after last week when it was all intense.

Do you like this side-by-side dancing idea? It puts a lot of pressure on the celebrities to be up to par.
Raisman: Right. I think it's really difficult. I've been doing the samba for five days and I have to do it against professional dancers who've been doing this their whole lives. I've also only been dancing for two months. So that's like me doing a tumbling competition with someone who just started gymnastics two months ago. It's not the same level at all. I'm not sure how they're going to judge it or what their expectations are. I just know I have to really focus. But I'm excited because it's a challenge and I think it'll be fun to see all the routines and all the other pros back and performing. It's also helpful to have two more professionals there, especially a female pro.

Len [Goodman] teased you again last week. Why does he keep picking on you?
Raisman: I don't know! First, I was like, "What is he talking about?!" [Laughs] Then I realized he was joking. Who knows? Maybe because he knew I fell for it last time. But it's better than him being serious about not liking something.

Lisa [Vanderpump] had some health issues last week. How are you holding up? I'm assuming, as an athlete, you know how to look after your body.
Raisman: Yeah, I'm OK. It's been tiring and I'm sore, but nothing major. I'm good so far. I felt bad for Lisa and I'm really sad that she left. I really like her a lot as a person. She's really classy and hilarious. And Giggy is so cute! The whole cast is planning to go to her restaurant one night. I'm not sure when yet, but it'll be fun, like a binge night to unwind.

So now that you've impressed Carrie Ann, what's next?
Raisman: Well, this week, I just want to do a good job with the samba. It's really hard for me — I'm not joking. I know I have to step it up and the samba's all about performance too, so I can't hold back. I'm going to go out and pretend like I'm dancing in my room.

Dancing with the Stars airs Mondays at 8/7c on ABC.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]