Andy & Allison, Tamar & Val,
and Bindi & Derek All Tie For The Lead On
DWTS’ Exciting Famous Dances Night!
Season 21, Week 06
Dancing With Stars’ highly-anticipated Famous Dances Night turned out to
be thrilling in more ways than one, as the Season 21 Teams of Andy &
Allison, Tamar & Val, and Bindi & Derek all met Monday night and ended at the top
of the Leader Board in a shocking, three-way tie, each Couple having earned A
PERFECT SCORE!
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| Bindi & Derek
DWTS Season 21, Week 06 -
Famous Dance Week
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| Tamar & Val
DWTS Season 21, Week 06 -
Famous Dance Week
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| Andy & Allison
DWTS Season 21, Week 06 -
Famous Dance Week
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Beginning this seemingly catching, high-scoring trend, Andy Grammer and his partner, Allison Holker, danced a delightful Jazz routine to “Good Morning” from the timeless Musical classic, Singing in the Rain.
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| Andy & Allison
DWTS Season 21, Week 06 -
Famous Dance Week
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What has happened to Andy, because that dance was FANTASTIC!
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| Andy & Allison
DWTS Season 21, Week 06 -
Famous Dance Week
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Seriously now, some well-deserved choreography props must first go out to Allie, who took a world-famous TAP routine and made it danceable for Grammer; AND with that, Andy’s dancing was SO very good!!
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| Andy & Allison
DWTS Season 21, Week 06 -
Famous Dance Week
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His Frame was great, his Musicality was DEAD-ON (!), and his overall appropriately-lighthearted Character Portrayal in the dance was terrific!
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| Andy & Allison
DWTS Season 21, Week 06 -
Famous Dance Week
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To be completely (albeit brutally) honest … and perhaps too picky … I thought it was more than a little cheesy that Allison had Troupe members Sasha Farber and Alan Bersten come in at the climax of the routine and help flip the couch for the Couple.
I agree with what Allison said in the Rehearsal Package, that the “couch
flip/ride” IS one of the more memorable moments from the scene … so why
wouldn’t she and Andy take the time to properly learn it?
Of course, it is possible that Allison was wary of the couch sliding on
the always-slick Ballroom Dance floor; but, if that was indeed the case, why
wouldn’t she have a carpet brought in, or something? The weekly live production that is DWTS
has pulled off many a crazier notion!
I am just saying, it is such a famous ending that it probably
required a little more thought and effort then it seems was afforded it.
However - and having noted that - I positively LOVED it, very well done!!
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| Andy & Allison
DWTS Season 21, Week 06 -
Famous Dance Week
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Also earning a perfect score of all 10’s was Tamar Braxton and her Professional partner, Valentin Chmerkovskiy, who danced a Jazz Number to “Rhythm Nation” by Janet Jackson.
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| Tamar & Val
DWTS Season 21, Week 06 -
Famous Dance Week
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Now, here is a Week 06 routine that I found undeserving of a perfect
score (Key word here being: “PERFECT”.)
Granted, Tamar’s Musicality was excellent; and, for the
majority of the routine, her dancing terrific; however, there were more than a
couple of times when Tamar’s moves were not quite finished, a fact most easily
spotted when also watching the Professional Dancers that surrounded her during
the routine.
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| Tamar & Val
DWTS Season 21, Week 06 -
Famous Dance Week
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Not to mention, when attempting the all-important, in-sync steps and arm
motions, Tamar’s was distinctly (and once again … you’re killing
us here, Tamar!) LAZY, and lacking in that crisp, sharp edge.
And so, as usual, and while certainly near-perfect, Tamar fell
tragically short of dancing-greatness.
(But as for Val, it should be noted, this Chmerkovskiy
just completely killed it [We would expect nothing less!] with the condensing
down of the choreography of this well-known piece! … Fantastic job!!)
And now we come to what just might have been my ABSOLUTE favorite routine of the night (!!) …
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| Tamar & Val
DWTS Season 21, Week 06 -
Famous Dance Week
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And now we come to what just might have been my ABSOLUTE favorite routine of the night (!!) …
Ladies and Gentlemen, dancing a Rumba and earning her first perfect
score of the Season, it’s Bindi Irwin, and her Professional
partner, Derek “Swayze” Hough, performing what was truly a
timeless, DWTS-take on “(I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life” from Dirty
Dancing.
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| Bindi & Derek
DWTS Season 21, Week 06 -
Famous Dance Week
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Nobody puts Bindi in the corner!
You know that I the time of MY life watching this gratifying routine; and, I STILL cannot believe how exquisite Bindi’s dancing was on this night!!
Her Frame was nothing short of excellent, her Musicality superb, her
Footwork amazing, and her so-very-important-to-get-it-right-Character Portrayal
of Baby, positively endearing!!
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| Bindi & Derek
DWTS Season 21, Week 06 -
Famous Dance Week
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But we cannot compliment Bindi, and not take one (or more!) paragraphs
to talk about the one and only Derek, who did an absolutely
REMARKABLE job of redesigning this iconic routine and condensing it down to
Ballroom size!
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| Bindi & Derek
DWTS Season 21, Week 06 -
Famous Dance Week
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First off, Derek’s imitation of the still-beloved Patrick Swayze
was just completely stellar (and, let’s face it movie-goers, so very
thrilling!); and secondly, his choreography was positively 100% BRILLIANT!!
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| Bindi & Derek
DWTS Season 21, Week 06 -
Famous Dance Week
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Seriously now, I loved each and every tiny and perhaps seemingly-insignificant-on-the-surface Dirty Dancing detail that quite literally made
this performance; not to mention, afforded a most-welcomed nostalgic dance
back through time to that delightful Talent Show-climax of the 1980’s classic!
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| Bindi & Derek
DWTS Season 21, Week 06 -
Famous Dance Week
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From the exciting nod to the ever-cool “Swayze Walk”, to the (PERFECTLY
duplicated!!) costumes of the routine’s surrounding Cast, to the “live
audience” that lined that famous isle,
this dance’s film-inspired conception exceeded all expectations … and that is saying an awful lot!
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| Bindi & Derek
DWTS Season 21, Week 06 -
Famous Dance Week
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| Bindi & Derek
DWTS Season 21, Week 06 -
Famous Dance Week
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this dance’s film-inspired conception exceeded all expectations … and that is saying an awful lot!
And what about the Lift? … THE Lift that has stood the test of time,
spanning decades in the ever-fond memories of Dance Fans and Cinema Lovers the
world-over?!!
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| Bindi & Derek
DWTS Season 21, Week 06 -
Famous Dance Week
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Well, it made Dancing With The Stars veteran and 5-time Mirror
Ball Champion, Derek Hough, the most nervous he’s ever been on the show (as he
has readily admitted time and again - before, during, and after Monday night’s
episode);
it had only had (according to Hough in a post-show, accesshollywood.com
interview) a “50-50” success rate leading right up to the night’s daring
performance;
it required some distinct, last-minute assistance from DWTS’
Wardrobe’s Department (According to people.com Derek had also revealed,
“We were practicing the lift and Bindi's dress kept
sliding up. If it came up too high, she
would fall down. We ran over to wardrobe and I said, 'Please sew the dress to
her underwear so it won't slide up.'
They were literally cutting the string right as we were running on stage
to perform,”);
and the incredible team that is Bindi & Derek pulled
it off BEAUTIFULLY!
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| Bindi & Derek
DWTS Season 21, Week 06 -
Famous Dance Week
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Now granted, once lifted, Bindi’s actual arm placement left a little
something to be desired, falling short of what could be called “perfect” … that said, however … she made it.
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| Bindi & Derek
DWTS Season 21, Week 06 -
Famous Dance Week
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…She made it, and in more-than-decent Form at THAT (!!); and the elation felt from the immediate Standing Ovation given by the show’s
live audience, the Australian Teen, her relieved and can-breath-now partner
Derek, and the Judges’ Panel was a little more than contagious and duly made
complete when awarded with a much-cheered-for-scoring of all 10’s!
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| Bindi & Derek
DWTS Season 21, Week 06 -
Famous Dance Week
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“You just have to jump and know you can rely on your partner. So I did.”, Irwin later told people.com,
following the Dynamite Duo’s performance while her still ecstatic Pro dished
to accesshollywood.com, “… it was one of the greatest moments ever on the show
for me.”!
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| Bindi & Derek
DWTS Season 21, Week 06 -
Famous Dance Week
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