#Catch Up T24

[fineartsjournal]

213341 Art Studio IIIA ⋆ Week 4 - Ducks in a Row

With my Age of Empires 'beat-tape' published and critiqued, I set my sights towards sampling the Super Mario 64 soundtrack. I had the idea back in June. I made a minute's worth of music, sampling the in-game song Cave Dungeon in Audacity, looping it to a soft layering.

The tongue-in-cheek attitude towards nostalgia in my current project is already present in the title "Ouroboros", referencing an ongoing cultural cycle of longing for the past.

This got better refined in a title I came up with for this new project:

This particular font is taken from the in-game text in SM64.

Better yet, the title can be rearranged.

This June prototype also consisted of two iterations of a potential album cover for the whole thing - I collaged different 'skybox' graphics from the game with an edited screenshot; small segments of the in-game experience, identifiable if only by the corner of one's eye. I won't be using these, but will draw inspiration from them.

Our group got together after class for another meeting.

✦ WHAT DO WE (as a group) NEED BY NEXT WEEK?

Proposal with everyone's statements.

A chat with Mike about our tech needs.

Following proposal and space selection... -> Scope out our space.

Link planning slides to workbook!

Following this catch-up, I drafted up an idea for my piece:

The work, under the title discussed before, centres around a mixer, with four [chosen so I don't get overwhelmed] MP3 players hooked up to it. Playing on loop (each at different speeds), the whole setup is connected to speakers, which not only project the piece, but accompany the group exhibition as a whole.

I also decided to change the title to "Everything [IS] Better Yesterday", as this more effectively covers the retroactive lumping of the past into a 'glory day' of anything not 'now'.

I got to work creating our group proposal - necessary for securing a gallery space of our choice, but also doubling as a means to create a visual style for our whole group.

I went HAM with all manner of formatting tricks, letter sizing and typography - creating this kooky reinterpretation of early-90s office aesthetics, with as many instances of Microsoft Wingdings as I could muster.

This black-on-white-default-font-straight-out-of-a-1995-online-learning-manual look fits within a visual style typically accompanying a deeply style-centric music genre of the same name, called 'Utopian Virtual', nostalgically evoking a time where the possibilities of computing were bright, and Microsoft Word was king.

Style comes at a cost however, as the amount of Wingdings and Webdings and otherwise Google Doc-specific formatting means that Word is not compatible, and a straight-to-PDF conversion ended up erasing half of the symbols. At least we had our pamphlet to look forward to.

Of course, the main goal for the exhibition proposal is to secure a space; and we set our sights on T24 Dark for its spaciousness, built-in projector, and pitch-black immersion.

To legitimize our request, we'd need to give a good idea of how we'd use the space, and I decided that two perspective drawings would do the trick.

Being terrible at drawing perspective myself, this involved 'rebuilding' the space in Minecraft. From there, our team drew rough estimates of their work onto the space.

I then re-mapped this into Minecraft.

From there, I traced up our space, along with labelling each person's works, framing them to the best of my knowledge. The whole process took about two hours.

We didn't end up getting the space. Instead, we were assigned 2E Dark - a fair deal smaller, but hey - less painting!

That Friday, we had our first workshop class! I chose Mike's tutorial, which guided my group through the Block 6 Studio, showing off the ins and outs of the gear at hand.

Passing through Block 1 afterwards, I took note of a stripped back, four-input mixer, all hooked up for talks. Perhaps it could be worth borrowing?

Around this time, I was browsing forums for fresh ways to get the most out of my SP-202. I stumbled across this neat suggestion - will I use it in my current project? Maybe not. But it's good to keep building my knowledge of this machine.

[completeoveranalysis]

[11]

AHA!

Just when I begin to wonder if Fog will having nothing in particular for me with my hindsight goggles, Fai comes in clutch to save the day. 

Made infinitely better by the immediate follow up:

Because of course. 

Also:

~

Warning! This post contains spoilers up to chapter 170 of Tsubasa (and Chapter 71 of xxxHolic). Please skip this if you have not read that far. 

Please also make no comments about what happens after that point in either manga. 

~

Naturally on the first read through you can tell Fai is speaking from mysterious experience, and that he’s giving Syaoran some advice that will lighten the load for him and help Sakura at the same time. Fai explicitly gives Syaoran permission to have fun with Sakura in THIS moment, because Syaoran gets so caught up on what he’s lost that he might miss the chance to connect with this new version of Sakura moving forward, so it’s a great moment for growth. 

And it SUCKS knowing what Fai has gone through on the other side of this advice HOLY HECK. Fai has so much suffering in his childhood alone that he could dwell in those memories continuously forever, including the moments he thinks he caused (but didn’t). A Fai that was caught up eternally in that guilt and always acted in that manner would be a very different character entirely. 

But I think the biggest twist here is that in the moment we first read this it sounds like WELL ADJUSTED advice. And it absolutely IS NOT. 

Fai’s advice makes it sound like he’s even partially come to terms with his tragic past and is making efforts to move on. HE ISN’T. HE’S NOT DOING THAT. He’s very specifically on this quest to die at the end and reverse what he thinks he did, and in doing so bringing his brother back to life. Fai’s able to momentarily let go of the horrific weight he bears on his shoulders BECAUSE he’s in the process of working to erase it, and that means having a bit of fun on the way is ok, because it doesn’t mean anything. After all, there is absolutely no way his actions haven’t haunted his every living moment for centuries already. Fai’s advice is sound to Syaoran, but for Fai himself the advice hides the grim decision he’s already made and is still working towards. 

And lucky us - this shows us some of Ashura’s long term influence on Fai as well. The entire reason Fai endeavors to smile so much is to lighten the load on everyone else around him, specifically to make up for what he sees as one of his central flaws. His magic can’t heal people like he wants it to - it can only destroy - so instead he has to smile for people, to help them in any way he can. Making other people happy is and has ALWAYS been at Fai’s core, at every moment of his life, and this really shines a spotlight onto how he acts most of the time. He knows a great deal of the darkness is lying ahead for these people (some of them he thinks HE might have to cause, if he has to kill Kurogane) but by this point he’s already connected with them. So he gives Syaoran the piece of advice that his public persona hinges on; that acting happy even when you aren’t will make OTHER people happy, and that’s sometimes just as good!

But it’s not, really. Not for Fai. He deserves so much better than his own falsehoods, and I LIVE for the fact that he will eventually (after Seresu) be able to claim back his playful nature and incorporate it into living for HIMSELF for the first time in his whole life. Fai will, eventually, get to act happy to make HIMSELF happy, as well as others, instead of entirely for others, and this is just The greatest growth possible. 

Still! His advice to Syaoran in this moment is actually helpful and will help Syaoran himself grow in ways that Fai won’t for a while - because Fai is still trapped in the prison of his own trauma right now, and that’s ok. He’ll get out eventually!

[bloglilyjoyce]

Performance writing (?) ‘Make it right’.

Middle space. T24 -B. Planned to take it up for 3 hours but only got to 1 hour and 45 minutes. The waiting was insufferable. I’m no Simone Weil. I don’t have the patience. 

Me. The empty room, squares of transient light flowing through the windows, sun crawling past. I scramble past them faster than the other sides. I’m already exerting too much energy. I’m already too hot as it is. For now, it’s only me, the sun, and a plastic container full of handmade charcoal - soon to be crumbling remnants. The same container loretta gave me to take the charcoal home, after we made them in her fireplace in brooklyn. 

I start from the door, like a 300 meter sprint, starting bold and not stopping. Getting to the first corner I quickly realise I can’t do what I originally planned; to write like I would on an A4 piece of paper - from left to right, left to right, and so on. I don’t have time to contemplate in between - crawling back to the other side each time. I round the corner before I can change my mind. I keep going. Picking up the pace now. Words, brain, moving faster than my body can take me. Soon, I realise I can’t sustain it. I collapse on the forth loop. Dramatic and heart pumping. A quick break (2? 20 seconds?) I’m too exhausted to understand. I’m still thinking about righting. I know the next sentence and it needs to come out. Up again. 

This goes on, taking intermittent breaks. Lying flat on the ground, I feel like a bug, my mind pulling strings like beetle legs might flail in the air, attempt to mount the body the right way up. Action and mind disconnect, fighting against each other. Write, rest, write, rest. A tug of war. I see black shoes, lanky shadows in the corner of my eyes.. I could be accused of falling out of the trance, for these milliseconds. I feel a presence, I wish it would leave. When it is gone, I miss it. Who is this for if not for you? I can’t do it on my own. 

The more I go on, the smaller the loops. I start to get tired. Sweat drips on the floor in front of me more than once. In moments of vanity, I picture my bright red face, and push it out as fast as it comes. I try to throw down my ego, but it’s faster than me. Always catching up. Loops getting smaller again, I feel dizzy. I’m past the point of knowing exhaustion, now it is like a third leg. Am I even close? I’m already dreaming of what it will be like to lie down in the middle. Will I feel the steam of energy rising up from my writing? Will it cover me with glory? 

The last words are pushed out of me, with all my mite. I break down, in a snow angel of charcoal and blue-grey floor. I’ve emptied myself of all the words. I didn’t know it was possible to ever feel this way. I thought I would fall asleep, but nothing feels further away than that. i feel like I could lift into the sky with this feeling. I am light with the release of my heavy heart, my heavy brain. My head is emptied of all the problems that were, at least for next ten, twenty, forty seconds? 

After minutes (?) I start to get restless, resisting looking around. The whole time I was writing I didn’t have a chance to, only able to focus on the endless string of pearls being pulled from my brain, trailing down through my hand, mind, charcoal - a vessel to be emptied. 

Now, making stagnant snow angels from the charcoal. Body probably shaking slightly, but also, who knows? I hear steps and whispers coming and going. Observing, reading (?) and leaving. Heart pulsating, plunging, soaring then coming back to me, slowly.

I let time fly past me, then like a snail, ‘traveling by muscular contractions’. Crawling slower or faster than ever. I’m done with this now, when will the timer go off? 

I get up, not waiting any longer. 1hr, 45 minutes. 1hr, 15 minutes earlier than planned. I will never forget the feeling of collapsing into a pool of my own leftovers, I may have sooner shat myself. Feeling so vulnerable, yet all the better to have let it all out. 

[dwtspd]

DWTS 28 catchup: weeks 7-8

k so I had a crazy end to the last month/start of this month and forgot about this show (except during the airing hours where I would see people start arguing/complaining on social media and be like ‘shit I have to avoid my phone for hours now’). I’ve managed to avoid major spoilers.

Week 7: Halloween night

Kel’s jive this was pretty tame, I thought Kel could give more energy. He was also lacking bounce. 9-9-9 T27

James’ Viennese Waltz wow, what can I say? James continues to impress. I’m just watching clips for this catch up instead of going through the whole episode and seeing rehearsals so I wonder if he was a specific character or something. 9-9-9 T27

Ally’s Tango decent dance. I would have liked more tension/impetus for a tango, but also the music wasn’t really lending ito that mood. One jupmy moment from Ally, otherwise solid. 9-9-9 T27

Hannah’s jazz like Kel, I expected more energy. Also, the choreography was very bland. The song doesn’t get my hyped up either. 8-9-8 T25

Karamo’s paso doble We’ve seen this before - Karamo, I feel, was trying very hard to nail the mood of the paso that he got too stiff throughout his body. Also had a few missteps. 9-8-8 T25

Lauren’s argentine tango the AT steps were okay. They needed more body contact, the gap between them was very perceptible. Lauren was quite loosey goosey with her frame which made their lifts and tricks look like a chore. And the whole dance felt oddly heavy. 9-9-9 T27 

I dunno why Lauren and Kel are equal to Ally and James. Their dances this week haven’t been their strongest.

Lindsay’s partner jive Nothing more than we were expecting. Just enough to pass again, though I think this style did expose him. Flappy feet, went off time, had a few stumbles. 6-6-6 T18

Kate’s rumba This dance felt unusually short. Some posture and hip action anomalies here and there. There were times I felt Kate could have extended her lines just a bit more. Finally a ‘Wicked Games’ dance that isn’t an angst-wrought faux-contemporary. 8-8-8 T24

And team dances! I wonder how the teams were chosen

Team Trick (James, Ally, Hannah, Lauren) Relatively simple and clean but very nice to look at. Dunno if James slipped or he was meant to fall and crawl back? He was solid otherwise. 9-9-9 T27

Team Treat (Karamo, Kate, Kel, Lindsay’s partner) Also simple and clean. The concept is really weird though and I don’t know I want to read too much into it. 8-8-8 T24

Karamo and Kate (NO!) were the bottom 2. CAI saved Karamo. Bruno saved Kate. Len save Kate. I agree in saving Kate.

Week 8

Cute opening titles...what was that about?

Jenna stepped in for Lindsay this week.

Lindsay’s partner’s jazz wasn’t expecting much but somehow this ended up being his most pedestrian dance. it’s a jazz ffs, you can pass anything off as jazz on this show. 7-7-6 T20

Lauren’s jive her hard-hitting tendencies were coming out again. Also the dance felt very disjointed, like there were a lot of “okay, run to next formation now” or “okay we’re gonna stand here and wait for the next phrase”. 8-8-8 T24

Kel’s Salsa damn! Where did this come from! Kel brought the moves here. His side-by-side with the other male pros was wonderful. A good dance in a week where he’s at risk. 9-9-10 T28

Ally’s paso doble Good job Ally! Nice, fierce, intense paso, but still very controlled. The production and musicality were also all on point. 10-10-10 T30

Hannah’s quickstep A good, cute dance. Nothing wrong I noticed, just not the most memorable on the night. 10-9-10

Kate’s Jive I don’t understand their costumes but it was a really good dance. Kate had a nice bounce in her step. Shame about the mishap in the middle, though she didn’t let that faze her. 8-8-8 T24 I feel like she could have gotten one 9 if not for the missteps

James’ contemporary this style could have either been really exposing or really good for James. I’m glad it was more towards the latter. His movement was really really good. The dance on a whole was also very nice, though some parts I felt a bit disconnected because the camera zoomed in and cut out James’ action, or I just felt like I wanted more from the choreography there and then. 10-10-10 T30

Okay so there were immunity dance-offs...who picked who? Also there were parts in each dance-off where the contestants interacted with each other that makes me think the pairings were predetermined before the show instead of picked live in previous seasons this was done. Again, I’m just watching clips to catch up so I don’t see the whole procedures.

James already immune because he had the highest score these 2 weeks and overall highest average.

Ally vs Kel - Jive I thought they were both equally matched. Kel’s jive was a lot better than his Halloween one, which makes me think that Kel really shines if you give him a song he can get into (Queen, High School Musical, etc). Winner: Kel (2-1)

Kate vs Lindsay’s partner - Cha cha we all know who would be better in this one. Anyway, the song just made me miss Charlie White’s cha cha and wow HOW DID CHARLIE WHITE NOT WIN THE SHOW WITH SHARNA Winner: Kate (3-0)

Hannah vs Lauren - Salsa Have either of them done salsa before this point? Hannah and Alan did a very good job - went right for it and didn’t stop. Lauren was very tame, and I blame Gleb here because they didn’t have much salsa steps, just some basics and a hella bunch of showboating. The part where he left her alone was so awkward and Lauren didn’t even milk a second of her solo. Hannah wins for me. Winner: Hannah (3-0)

Oh wait is the immunity for this elimination or the next?? The next?

Kate and Ally were in the bottom 2 which is RIDICULOUS. CAI and Bruno both save Ally. Which is fair, as much as I’ve come to love Kate.

[completeoveranalysis]

[10]

YOU KNOW WHAT I’ve decided I’m impressed that CLAMP took their cute little flashback in-between arc to give the characters a break and let them relax and USED IT TO NOT ONLY SCARE SYAORAN HALF TO DEATH AND LEAVE THE AUDIENCE ON A CLIFFHANGER UNTIL THE NEXT CHAPTER, but also deliberately spelled out the fact that the series is going to get increasingly dark and you should all be aware of this ahead of time. “There WILL be many more scares of that sort” is not only a warning but a PROMISE on CLAMP’s part.

Like they basically have Fai turn to the camera and point blank and say, “We’ve had fun here tonight, but you know what’s not fun? Major Character death. Which we will have! Multiple times. Goodnight everybody!”

[dwtspd]

DWTS25 Week 9: Semifinals!

These semifinalists look really good in leather.

Round 1: Pro’s pick.

Drew and Emma - Tango Emma picked I’m Gonna Be (500 miles) to describe Drew because he is heartworking and he has Scottish roots, like the band that originated this song. Definitely a hilarious and memorable opener, but Drew got a bit rough with his handling of Emma. He was kinda skippy during the fast parts, and his feet turn in when he has cross steps. Anyway, Drew gets to be the first person to dance in a kilt and bobbysocks. 8-8-8 T24

LOLZ at Jordan and Mark doing the tango kicks

Victoria and Val - Contemporary This was supposed to be a waltz. On one hand, this song wouldn’t fit a waltz so that’s the good thing about changing it. On the other hand, I’m not sure doing a contemporary is the best idea given her spasms last week. I didn’t catch it. Did they mention it? I like the concept based around Victoria’s family home, but Victoria didn’t do much. She just stood or sat around and did hand movements. And I’m not sure there was much else she could do. The little hand signals I think are from Jenna’s part, since she knows ASL. I didn’t get the part where she was leaning on the door. Because it’s close to her heart, though, it was Victoria’s best emotional performance. 9-9-9 T27 I don’t think it should be a whole 3 points above Drew, because it was far simpler, though Victoria performed it better.

Jordan and Lindsay - Argentine Tango “Brother” by Needtobreathe isn’t the brother song I thought. Not a very apt AT song, but I felt like Jordan had great musicality with it. I didn’t think Jordan was emotionally disconnected, but I do think it was a bit loose and swishy for an AT. I think Bruno got a good word for it: mature. Lindsay hurt her leg during a pro rehearsal on Sunday and I could see her compensating a bit as she danced. I thought Jordan’s expression was a biiiit weird. They mentioned he scratched his cornea (???!!) so I guess that’s why. 9-9-10 T28

WHAT WOULD I DO WITHOUT THE SWIFFER AD

Lindsey and Mark - Contemporary Head High. Mark and BC’s song. Really Mark? Lindsey has a really cute slouchy hat, and I just realised that Mark’s hair looks different in every single rehearsal shot. Like Victoria, given Lindsey’s recent injury I’m not sure doing contemp is the best idea right now. I found Lindsey to still be holding back and as a result some of the more technical parts like the jumps looked a bit wonky. I think it would have been more mindblowing if she had been able to go full out. 10-9-10 T29

Frankie and Witney - Salsa So Frankie said that if he made it past week 8 he would take his shirt off. And he did open his shirt to show off his spray-tanned abs or lack therof. I dunno if the song reflect Frankie’s personality, but I think it definitely brought out his SWAG. I knew Len wouldn’t like the hip hop, but hip hop salsas are Witney’s specialty. The basketball dunk was kinda random in the middle but would have been great in a freestyle. Like his NSYNC samba, not the most technical, but hella entertaining. 8-8-9 T25 God bless Bruno on this night.

That tour pro preview number was super out of sync. Britt fell out of one of her turns. Oh well, they have, like, half a month to polish it. I don’t think I saw Lindsay in that number, probably because she hurt her leg during this number.

Round 2: Iconic former DWTS dances

Drew and Emma - Corbin Bleu’s Jazz from season 17 Ironically I don’t remember this dance as well as some of Corbin’s other ones. I didn’t expect Drew to be as dynamic as Corbin, but I thought Emma did a good job tailoring it to Drew. She didn’t hold back on throwing in so many big moves and extensions, even with Drew’s long limbs. I thought Drew’s expressions were quite funny an gave it a bit of character. OH MY GOD EMMA. That move is so scary, and they did it like FIVE TIMES?????? But Drew gave it his 110% and didn’t lose stamina. 8-8-8 T24 8s were low, I think he deserved one or two 9s.

Victoria and Val - Amber Riley’s Charleston from season 17 For the first time, I feel like Victoria really threw herself into this dance. Lots of time-wasting parts put in by Val. Victoria had a cute, flirty kinda of character that suited her and worked really well rather than trying to force Amber’s kind of swag. CAI was kinda hypocritical, praising Victoria for making the dance her own and nothing like Amber’s, but she criticised Drew for not being like Corbin. I think the troupe made the dance seem more dynamic than it really is, but Victoria actually didn’t move around much. She twisted one of her legs in rehearsal???!!!!! 9-10-10 T29 No way this was anywhere near Lindsey’s contemp. Still a very simple dance. I get that there’s only so far Victoria can be pushed, but 29 is a stretch. Amber only got 24 the first time she did it, but danced a whole lot more, and only in week 3 or 4.

Jordan and Lindsay - Paige VanZant’s Jive from season 22 YES YES YES!!!!!! AMAZING. SHOWSTOPPING. WOW. There was a lot of things nodding at the original number. The lighting was similar, there was parts of the choreo that reminded me of Paige and Mark’s. But there was a kind of...snazziness, that was uniquely Jordan and Lindsay. Instead of trying to differentiate themselves from the original performance, they ran head first into the challenge and paid a good homage to Paige and Mark while also putting on a fantastic performance and dare I say it, one-up Paige’s dance. Jordan did the double cartwheel with straight legs, which was better than Mark. Did they speed up the music ever so slightly? INSANE. And they still stayed in sync and did so much content. Also, Jordan subtly brought up Lindsay’s farting in David’s face from last season. Bonus. 10-10-10 T30

Lindsey and Mark - Meryl Davis’ Tango and season 18 Another couple that didn’t shy away from trying to match the original and did something great. Just argh, those flashy lights were so distracting. I agree Lindsey kinda stumbled on one of the turns. Again, still think she is holding back because of her rib. And from personal experience, the frame in tango, in particular, stresses a lot of the torso and back, so I guess that’s why. Someone pointed out on PureDwts that this is the first time Mark will be doing a standard tango for the show since season 11. 9-9-10 T28 Meryl looks really cute with that hair.

Frankie and Witney - Apolo Anton Ohno’s Paso Doble from season 4 Is it bad that I remember this song more as Shawn and Derek’s freestyle? Well, that was a remix so... Witney pulled some muscles doing the split move. I feel like Frankie was trying too hard so he looked very tense through his whole body rather than coming across as strong and fierce. Didn’t hit his spanish lines and sometimes looked like he was hunching forward a bit. 9-8-9 T26

And now for the elimination. Safe: Lindsey, DREW, Jordan.

Eliminated: Victoria. She’s very upset.

The moment they called Drew safe, I knew Victoria was going home. In another season, she might have gotten in, but Jordan and Lindsey are powerhouses and Drew and Frankie just happen to be very VERY popular with the main demo.

Julianne will be back to guest judge the finale. Is the finale really the best time to have a guest judge?? Why not bring her back this week?

In any case, I think Drew will be fourth and for the first time, I really don’t care who of the remaining three wins. I love them all.

Total scores: Jordan: 58 Lindsey: 57 Frankie: 51 Drew: 48

[dwtspd]

DWTS 25 Week 7: This is Halloween

Once a year, regardless of our favourite pro, regardless of whether we believe the show is rigged, regardless of whether we think the choreography value of this show is going down, we all gather to watch a certain episode of Dancing with the Stars because of...Sasha Farber. What would we do without our in house prankster?

The best prank moments this year are:

Nikki thinking the scarecrow is Frankie

Sasha knocking stuff over as he tries to jump Frankie, who is carrying some foam thingy under his arm as if he is going to the pool

Terrell not reacting to the interview jumpscare

Terrell doing karate chops at the bat

Mark running from the bat

Drew’s “It’s gonna hit you” when Emma swings the bat, right before it actually hits her in the face

I could watch a whole hour and a half of this, but there are dances. And team dances. And another opportunity to do a Descendants number on the show wasted.

Victoria and Val - Viennese Waltz Val calling out Jordan and Lindsey’s dance experience? Scared, Val? Btw, Jordan is more of a gymnast. This song is kinda overrated. Victoria did really well. Their hold got a bit loose in one of the turns, but this is still one of her best dances. 9-9-9 T27

Jordan and Lindsay - Paso Doble Yes Jordan call out Len. I love the choreography. The breakdown parts transited nicely into the pure paso sections, the formations were great, the mood was all out. 10-10-10 T30

Nikki and Artem - Jive Artem likes kitten videos??? These two have great chemistry. Not only does he make Nikki enjoy the process, Nikki also makes Artem smile a lot. Okay, I didn’t notice the nametag. I like the theme. Nikki was sharp and had great footwork. I do agree with Len it wasn’t as energetic as one would expect for a jive. 8-8-8 T24

Vanessa and Maks - Paso Doble So Maks was kidnapped by the walking dead during rehearsal and has been turned into a zombie. The smoke machine was overused in the front. Vanessa’s arms were very flimsy, she didn’t quite hit her spanish lines, and looked like she lost balance a lot of times. 8-8-8 T24

LOL that Swiffer floor wipe ad is a gem.

Terrell and Cheryl - Tango oooh watch out, Terrell looks like he has a good shot of catching up with the pack. He was clean, he had great posture, his butt was tucked in. The head flicks, oh wow. The little lyrical broadway-ish part at the beginning with the troupe was also well done. 8-8-9 T25 I would have given one more 9.

Mark and Lindsey - Paso Doble Their makeup are over the top, so nothing new for Mark. Knowing her rib injury, Lindsey was very obviously holding back on arcing her back during the spanish lines. The choreo was ON POINT. The KNEE WALKS. 9-9-9 T27

Frankie and Witney - Contemporary Oh. My. God. I am at a loss for words. The storytelling was amazing. The set up with Frankie behind the window with the lighting set the scene so well. The camera direction was perfect. Frankie lended himself into the sinister character so well. The choreography I felt featured Witney more than Frankie, and his black costume made him disappear sometimes. An A+ production nevertheless. 10-10-10 T30

Drew and Emma - Charleston I feel like the props got in the way and blocked them a lot. Drew managed to keep on time and deserves commendation. So the fall wasn’t purposeful? 9-9-9 T27

Kelly Monaco looks like she hasn’t aged. Hey Corbin!

And now for the team dances. Terrell and Drew were the team captains, something different from what they usually do making the highest scorers pick teams. I want to know how the teams were picked. How did Jordan and Lindsey end of on the same team??

Team Monster Mash: Terrell, Jordan, Lindsey and Nikki Cute concept, interesting use of the corn plants. The part where Terrell was jumping up and down like he was trying to see over the others even though he is taller than all of them was hilarious. I have to say I expected more from a team that has Cheryl, Mark and Lindsay all choreographing. The moving corn plants were really distracting at times, but they also created some cool effects at times, like when Mark and Jordan ran into each other. There was a part where Terrell looked like he went off time. Jordan and Lindsay’s pirouettes are awesome. 8-8-8 T24

Team Phantom of the ballroom: Drew, Frankie, Vanessa and Victoria hahaha at Frankie being the nervous wreck. Loved his intro, though. I think he was the most in character. I think this group had a better song and they rose up to the occasion. I don’t think it’s the best team dance ever, though. I found it very boring, although it was very well performed. Drew and Vanessa looked liked they stumbled when they were dancing together. Victoria and Val’s part didn’t even have any dancing. I thought tango was a very good choice, but I felt that paso doble didn’t really fit. The music was too slow, not intense enough, and the poofy skirts restricted the girls from stepping fiercely into the floor, so the paso parts felt very lackadaisical. 10-10-10 T30

Overall verdict: Monster Mash was more exciting and ambitious, but Phantom was more cohesive and cleaner even though they had a very basic number. I would say Team Phantom wins, but they were completely overscored. The disparity should not be this big. It should only be one or two points.

In jeopardy: Terell, Nikki, Vanessa, Drew.

Drew and Terrell are safe. And plot twist...both Nikki and Vanessa are eliminated. Apparently all the pros were told there would only be one elimination this week. 

Next week, trio dancers with former contestants! I think it’s a really good idea. Already looking forward to Frankie/Witney/Alfonso. 

[dwtspd]

DWTS 25 Week 2

The last time we had a two-night event with contestants learning two dances in WEEK TWO, was also the last time a married couple competed on the show. Huh. Well, good thing is that each couple does one ballroom and one latin. Bad news is that they are learning two dances in week 2. Bear in mind that for their week 1 dance they usually have 2-3 weeks to prepare, and in week 2 that rehearsal time is suddenly cut short. And then now they have to cope with not one but two dances.

Night 1 - ballroom

Debbie and Alan - Quickstep I like Debbie’s positive attitude regarding her condition. There was a leap in the middle that looked a bit messy, otherwise it was pretty good. 7-6-7 T20

Nikki and Artem - Waltz Nikki dedicated this dance to her grandmother. They used very little of the stage but the background was gorgeous. Nikki can work on extending her arm lines more moving on in the competition. 7-7-7 T21

Lindsey and Mark - Quickstep Animal costume? Wild sets? Gotta be Mark! Cute dance, I like the little quirks like flapping their hands and arms like flapping wings. 7-7-7 T21

Barbara and Keo - Tango I found this dance appropriately choreographed. Simple, but to let Barbara shine in. I agree with Len - could be sharper. And it would have been nice if she kept a straight face until the end. 6-5-6 T17

Nick and Peta - Foxtrot This dance was so short! Why? It was pretty nice! He still looked kinda stiff and could extend his arms more, be more flow-y. Like the dandelions. 7-6-6 T19

Drew and Emma - Quickstep Hey Drew! That was pretty uninhibited for a guy who hurt his hamstring the day before. Risky for Emma to give him those shoes. They draw attention to the feet. Not the cleanest performance, but definitely entertaining. I saw him trying to keep on his toes. Good choreography from Emma. The “Mark Ballas face” lmao. He’s about 80% there for that. 7-6-7 T20

Vanessa and Maks - Foxtrot I like the lighting at the beginning but that part lasted a bit too long. It took up a whole verse. As a result the dance felt a bit too short. There was not as much travelling I would like in a foxtrot, but I thought Vanessa nailed the character. 8-8-8 T24 I don’t think it was a three whole points above Lindsey and Nikki, maybe 22-23 would be more appropriate.

Frankie and Witney - Tango Weird song...it has the mood but it just didn’t really sit as a tango. It’s pretty fast too - props for Frankie for keeping up! I thought Frankie’s intense face looked kinda awkward. He felt a little robotic, maybe it’s the back. But he’s working hard to push through it. 8-7-8 T23 I would have given it slightly less but one point behind a slightly overscored Vanessa seems about right.

Terrell and Cheryl - Foxtrot This is the first time I’m hearing this song, and I’m not even sure it is the original version (or true enough to it). This dance was okay. I found it boring. As soon as it ended I already forgot what they did. 7-6-7 T20 I would give him less. It’s not as good as Debbie and Drew.

Sasha and Gleb - Viennese Waltz Another dance that felt really short. Sasha’s dress is very nice, but the red lighting didn’t let the colour shine through. Sasha’s dancing is nice, there just felt something lacking and I can’t put my finger on it. 8-8-7 T23

Victoria and Val - Tango Ugh I hate this song. Victoria was great though. She had intensity and a very nice frame. 8-8-8 T24 It is fair but shouldn’t be tied with Vanessa.

Derek and Sharna - Foxtrot Wow! This was pretty smooth and sweet. I had a smile watching Derek. With some fine-tuning, he could become really good at ballroom. Derek’s mum is such a knowledgeable DWTS fan. Love that. 6-6-7 T19 I thought it could have one more point.

Jordan and Lindsay - Viennese Waltz Mesmerizing! I knew Len would complain about the staccato, but it complimented the music so I can look over that. Bruno described it well - musical interpretation. 8-8-8 T24 In the lead again, as deserved.

In jeopardy: Terrell, Barbara.

Eliminated: Barbara. Keo really can’t catch a break.

Now, I think they should have left both eliminations to after the second night because now Barbara doesn’t get to perform her latin dance even though she trained for it.

Night 2 - latin

Short opening number, but I wasn’t expecting any opening number at all. Erin’s dress was oversized.

Nikki and Artem - Samba Ah, I knew we’d be hearing this song sooner or later. Was this sexy? Yes. Could it be a lot sexier? Definitely. Nikki felt like she was stepping very gingerly and as a result a large part of the musicality was lost. 6-6-6 T18

Victoria and Val - Rumba “It feels like I’m choking you.” LOL. This was not a very good song for a rumba. Some of the moves were very rough and I don’t know if it is the song or Victoria not being able to feel her legs. That was the most stern birthday wish I have ever heard in my life. 7-6-7 T20 I would tie it with Nikki tbh

Derek and Sharna - Paso doble Derek was trying very hard to be fierce and intense so he looked very tense and tightly wound throughout. Some of his moves were a bit jumpy. 7-6-6 T19 I thought all the three dances so far should be the same score.

Sasha and Gleb - Samba I like Sasha, I hate this song. But I get the sentiment. Nice message from Sasha. It still felt very shy, but Sasha started getting more into it as the dance went on. By the way to the men, you will never win prom king in a silk pyjamas shirt like Gleb’s. 8-7-7 T22

Nick and Peta - Argentine Tango Hmm Vanessa you might wanna rethink your faith in your husband’s memory. Nick still looked very stiff, but he did not look to be trying too hard. He was stompy. 7-6-6 T19

Jordan and Lindsay - Samba Holy crap. Jordan is a cute guy but that was HOT. I don’t know if I want him to keep the denim vest or lose a feel more layers of clothing. That was a wonderfully entertaining samba with mostly great execution - I found some bits a little jerky. 8-8-8 T24 compared to the previous night I could have spared them a 9. Also did I mention this is one of my favourite songs this whole year?

Drew and Emma - Rumba The staging looks very similar to Rashad’s rumba... This is Drew’s best dance. He had nice flowing arms. Kinda stiff at the hips and throughout his body. That was that one point where one spotlight in back washed out the whole scene. I don’t know what CAI said that was so funny but Bruno fell out of his seat so like Drew said, he “must be doing something right.” 7-7-7 T21

Debbie and Alan - Argentine Tango Debbie has to point her feet more and her legs must be sharper. Nice characterisation. The whole thing felt a bit soft for an AT. 7-7-7 T21

Vanessa and Maks - Salsa Those pants don’t look good on Vanessa and I think they might have swallowed up her hip action, because it looked like she was working her body. I like the faces she was making. “You know Tom isn’t going anywhere, right?” THAT’S RIGHT. TOM WILL NEVER LEAVE DWTS. YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST FROM MAKS. 8-8-7 T23

Terrell and Cheryl - Samba I’ve never heard anyone compare relationships to Kraft cheese before. Well okay, I think TO enjoyed himself but once again I didn’t really remember any of their moves. I only know there was a fire truck theme. 6-6-7 T19

Lindsey and Mark - Salsa Whoohoo! Nothing weird and wild about this, it was just straight salsa all the way through. Fantastic 8-8-8 T24

Frankie and Witney - Cha cha Lmaskdnjsglan Frankie is so cute. Can he create an instagram account dedicated to doing yoga with his cat? And damn, this was a hella entertaining routine! Great energy, great fun, could use a bit more hips action. Not the most technically advanced dance, but he got the crowd on their feet and hollering. 8-8-9 T25 first nine of the competition!!! I think he should only tie with Jordan and Lindsey, if anything, these could be tied at 25 altogether. Frankie was the most entertaining, but the other two had more technique. They are my top three though.

In jeopardy: Nick and Debbie

Eliminated: Debbie. SO much for Alan’s first run as pro. I think he did okay and will probably get another shot next season.

Next week is “guilty pleasure” week and I think we haven’t had that since season 15. Tom also mentioned some stuff about upcoming weeks - most memorable year, halloween, and I’m not sure if I heard wrong, but I think he said Disney night. So we’re having Disney night every season now? Not the worst decision.