#Quickstep

[gifs-of-puppets]

The Muppet Show (1976-1981)

[ktkellart]

Puttin' on the ritz - Good Omens version

When I saw Layton and Nikita dancing the quickstep to 'Puttin' on the Ritz' on Strictly come dancing in their beige and black trousers, my mind wandered to Good Omens, (naturally). So by the time the dance finished, all I could see was Aziraphale and Crowley dancing and having the time of their lives. Which gave me an idea. 

So, with nearly 400 individually drawn and coloured frames later using the rotoscoping technique, edited using free programs and an embarrassing amount of hours of work. (I have a new found respect for animators now!) here is my silly little animation! I hope you enjoy and it puts a smile on your face!

I may tidy it up in the future, or I might leave it as it is... I’m working on 4 or 5 animatics at the moment so we’ll see. Haha! Too many ideas, not enough time!

- Music by George Porter 

- Background from Good Omens Season 2 ‘Before the beginning’ scene 

- Rotoscoped from Layton and Nikita’s dance on Strictly

[dozydawn]

[dwtsfun]

Dancing with the Stars Season 33 Week 2: Sending Off an Ingrate and a Shocker

Work is still awful, but I need to come on here to talk to you all about the show this week. A lot happened and we need to discuss. I'm gonna rank the stars based on my enjoyment of each performance (mostly) combined with how I feel they may fare with votes. But before that, let's address the elephant in the room. That elimination. So first of all, I was SHOCKED to see Tori Spelling out in the first week. Was she amazing? No. But I think she did enough to cement a third week. I guess I underestimated the fact that she seems to be really disliked. Because between being a part of Beverly Hills 90210, being the daughter of Aaron Spelling and being constantly talked about for decades at this point, I thought she was gonna be around til week 5 at least. Y'all know it takes a lot to shock me with regard to this show. The double did her in and that's why I always hate double eliminations in week 1. It always takes out one person that maybe needs a little more time to get going. As for Anna? Well it was expected. What I wasn't expecting was her parting words. I feel for Ezra mostly, because that man was riding for her since the day he met her. He took amazing care of her and I know it was hard for him to see the heat she was taking. And you're telling me she couldn't even thank him for showing her that she was more than her crime. Or CAI who tried uplifting the past two weeks? What a waste. Even I didn't go in like I could've and really wanted to because I think people deserve a second chance after committing certain crimes (not drugging, murder, sexual assault, trafficking and your third time physically assaulting someone).She played in all of our faces. You know who I don't feel bad for? Conrad and the rest of the producers for DWTS. I said on twitter, "play stupid games, win stupid fucking prizes". She got on that show, on that platform that y'all gave her and bent over backwards to make it work for her, just for her to spit in your faces and tell y'all that y'all ain't shit, ain't been shit and will never be shit. And honestly, that's the one positive thing I can take from her response. Showing them that they are fools for casting her was great. Hate that this show has fallen so far that someone can say that and the show deserves it. Alright, let's get into these couples:

Top Four

Chandler and Brandon might be my favorite partnership in quite some time. They work well together. Chandler is an incredible dancer with the most gorgeous movement quality. And Brandon is creating some great dances. That was a beautiful rumba. I want them to go far. I think they can go far. I don't want another Tinashe situation to happen. But so far, they are doing exactly what they need to do.

Stephen and Rylee are super fun to watch together. They mesh well and Rylee is definitely choreographing some good numbers that showcase Stephen extremely well. I have a concern though. Stephen is a very awkward mover. That was super obvious in this paso. His hips and shaping looked strange. His footwork made me scratch my head. It was a little strange. His timing is still a bit off. He's got a lot of potential, but they really need to work on finetuning these dances. I can see this being a bigger problem in the more fluid Latin dances and the Argentine tango.

Ilona and Alan are just so much fun. I'm glad Ilona let her guard down a bit more this week. She wasn't moving as small in this salsa and really settled into and owned her sexy more. I love that Alan added a couple of lifts for her as it may have helped her feel more comfortable. She has a ton of potential too and I'm super excited to see their dances once she really lets loose. I actually feel like she might shine in a ballroom dance. I know they have that coming up next.

Dwight and Daniella actually did a great job with the foxtrot. Dwight really really wants to do well and you can tell. He is paying so much attention to the details. He connects his moves. He finishes his lines. And he really handles Daniella with so much care. Two things though. I know that the height difference definitely affects this, but he's gotta work on tucking his butt under him. Second is the footwork needs to be cleaned up.

Middle of the Pack

Joey and Jenna made a believer out of me this week. He is definitely one to watch for sure. He is charming. He seems to be a fast learner. He has great movement quality, especially for a man this early on in the competition. He's still gotta work on his hip action. It isn't natural. Once he get that figured out, I'm a little scared about how good those Latin dances will be. Because this rumba was really really nice.

Danny and Witney are my dark horses of the season. Danny is light on his feet and he stays on time (mostly). Witney is doing great choreography and his technique in this jive was great. I still want him to loosen up more, but I can tell that he made a big shift from week 1 to week 2 in comfortability and confidence. These two, as well as the 5 above them, have me super excited for this season. I can't remember the last time I was this genuinely excited for 6 different couples in one season.

Phaedra and Val are interesting to me. I don't think Phaedra is very good. And I don't think Val is choreographing to her dance strengths that well. That section of their foxtrot that was super fast exposed A LOT of Phaedra's technical setbacks. She was super hoppy. That said, I like their partnership. Phaedra is a larger than life personality, so she makes up for the lack of ability with her performance. I want Val to slow things down though. I think that would better suit her at this point.

Jenn and Sasha are an interesting couple. While Jenn handled some of the production issues like a pro, some of the choreographic choices were a choice. I do not understand why there was a cartwheel thrown into this dance. Or jumps and side by side choreography? I'm cool with that stuff being thrown into quicksteps, but a tango? Why? And why are we using these types of songs for tangos while we're at it? There are so many movies that have been nominated for Oscars that have actual tango music in them. Moulin Rouge comes to mind immediately. I feel like that could've forced Sasha to not make stupid choreography decisions. So this is what I'm going to say. Jenn is a good dancer. A lot of her undoing and early departure (because I'm feeling a "shocking" elimination from her) will be due to his choreography. Because again, why?

Bottom Three

So I'm just going to make this easy for these three. Eric and Reginald are both terrible. There's really not much that either Britt or Emma can do for either one of them at this point. They really won't get all that much better, if at all. In fact, I can see both of them getting worse as the season goes on. The one thing I can say is that they both improved this week.

Brooks and Gleb are interesting. Brooks is good. But that quickstep was not it and Gleb is relying way too much on this STUPID SHOWMANCE that they keep trying to shove down our throats. We're TIRED! It sickens me to my core. The fact that Derek clocked that they did a tango hold instead of the correct hold lets me know exactly where his priorities are. So I say that it's time for us to take a stand. We have to stand against showmances on this show. We gotta let these folks know that we are TIRED. We are not stupid. You cannot play us for fools. I'm ready for them to GO!

So that's it. No show this week. Two shows next Monday and Tuesday. Let me know your thoughts and I will talk to you all soon.

[strictlycomedancers]

Sarah and Vito | Quickstep - 9 to 5, Dolly Parton

Score: 8,8,7,7 (30)

[genevieveskingdom]

After 6 years I bought a new dancing shoes 🙈 The old ones were literally falling into pieces and I felt like Barbie in 12 Dancing Princesses 🩷🩰 where the girls' shoes were in desolate condition every morning after they spent all night in an enchanted world dancing and dancing and dancing ✨

Old ones vs. new ones 🖤 I hate to let them go, because they experienced so many dancing adventures with me; they were here when I first entered the ballroom; when I learned the first basic steps of all 10 ballroom dances; when I had my first performance... 🪩 They will always remain in my heart and stored in a box so that everytime I look at them, the beautiful memories will come back to me 🫶

[it-happened-one-fic]

Dancing With Visions - Create a Stir - Ayato - Quickstep

Author Notes: I may have enjoyed writing this a bit too much. But what can I say? The quickstep is a fun little dance and Ayato is a fun guy to write. The dance in this fic was heavily inspired by Charlie White and Sharna Burgess’s Quickstep to “My Heart Goes Boom” by Miss Li on season 18 of Dancing with the Stars. If you would like to read more of this series, the fics can be found here: Dancing with Visions Masterlist.

Type: Female reader/ dance/ fluff/ flirtation/ sfw

Word Count: 1829

Life as a servant directly under Kamisato Ayaka, the Shirasagi Himegimi, was by no means a bad one. She was a sweet girl who didn’t ask for much, and the majority of my duties involved assisting her with maintaining her appearance.

She was universally loved, but had confided in me before that she felt that I was one of the select few she was genuinely close with. And it was true that I got to see the real Ayaka. A young lady with a bright future but who was terribly unsure and sometimes felt trapped by her position.

And, by the same token, I also often got to see her brother’s true personality as well, but the real Ayato wasn’t quite as innately charming as the real Ayak was. In fact, bluntly put, he was a bit of a fart.

I didn’t get to see my lady’s brother very often though, which limited his ability to mess with me as he so loved to do. And while that often spared me his antics, it also meant that I was wholly unprepared for him to come strolling up while I was going about my business with a smile on his face.

I hardly knew what to expect from him as I bowed in a deferent manner, but it certainly wasn’t for him to ask about my dancing skills.

He tilted his head though, a well-practiced smile sliding across his face as I straightened, “Ayaka has told me you know how to do the quickstep. Is this true?”

I felt myself frown at his words. Because while it was true that I knew how to quickstep, I had no idea why Ayato would want to know about that of all things. And, in all honesty, I’d just learned for fun the fun of it and hadn’t made use of that skill in quite some time. 

After all, one can’t exactly go doing the quickstep without a partner who also knew that dance, and that wasn’t exactly common in Inazuma.

I was almost wary as I glanced around the room before my stare found the young man standing in front of me once more, and I answered, “Yes…. May I ask why you are inquiring about such a thing?”

The way he tilted his head was innocent enough, but I knew him well enough, both from chatting with Ayaka and Thoma as well as from my own interactions with him, to be wary.

“I’m going to be attending a function at which there will be varying dignitaries from other nations, so I thought it might be wise to brush up on my dancing,” He explained calmly, and I found myself nodding with a slight smile.

“Ah, I see. I would recommend against the quickstep, though. It’s quite the fast-paced dance. I doubt it would fit in at such a function,” I made to go past him only to find myself blocked as he sidestepped back in front of me.

I felt my eyebrows lift as he spoke, his smile one that I could only describe as worrying, “Yes, but you see… I already know the quickstep.”

All confusion fled at his words, and I knew that I was going to have to have words with Ayaka. Because as dear of a girl as she was, she had set me up, and now I was either going to have to figure out a very nifty escape plan or resign myself to dancing with Ayato.

And perhaps odder was the thought of Ayato, as carefully managed as his images was, doing a bouncy dance like the quickstep. 

I smiled, “Perhaps the foxtrot might be a good fit then? The two dances are very similar, and the foxtrot might be better suited to this function you’ll be attending?”

He nodded, but that smile of his didn’t change in the slightest, and I knew my fate was sealed. I didn’t realize quite exactly what this entire thing was going to entail before he spoke once more, “Perhaps, but I’m also supposed to bring an attendant with me.”

I faltered, seeing the writing on the wall but still trying for a winning smile, “I’m sure Thoma will be thrilled.”

Ayato nodded, humor slipping into his tone, “Indeed, he’ll get to play that little hotpot game with Ayaka that night. After all, you’ll be with me, so she’ll need someone to attend to her.”

It was impressive that I didn’t visibly droop at his words that left me no more outs. I nodded, though, already accepting my fate for what it was, even if both me and Ayato knew it was utterly ridiculous for him to bring a handmaiden, of all things, to any function that had foreign dignitaries, “I’m honored, Lord Kamisato.”

His smile twitched at my use of his title, but that was the only sign that anything was amiss as he smoothly held out his gloved hand, “The pleasure is all mine, but we will still want to be prepared.”

I sighed and nodded as he shifted to stand next to me, linking my arm with his as he looked at me with a far too smooth smile. But then he had won this fight.

He shifted to the side, pulling me with him before he went back the other way. Matching ourselves to some unheard rhythm that apparently only the two of us knew.

But then, it was just the two of us in the room. 

The rhythm was part of what made the quickstep so unique, though. The dance was done in 4/4 time, which was incredibly common in dances, but uniquely it was done at approximately 200 beats per second, which was ridiculously fast. 

He spun me to the side, ever elegant as he managed to shift at high speeds as he spun me the other direction so that he would be exactly where he was supposed to be. But somehow, with how accomplished he was at everything else, I wasn’t surprised that he was a good dancer.

He led me gracefully around the room and the longer we danced, slipping into closed hold with effortless skill, the more I found myself doubting he really needed to practice.

Even the pauses in our back and forth rotation, where we’d give a slight hop and look towards each other before continuing, were a little too perfect for him to be worried.

Which told me something very simple. We were either doing this so he could see how good I was or so he could mess with me, and something strongly told me it was the latter. Especially considering who my partner was at the moment.

Though I supposed it was also possible that he was just showing off for the mere sake of it.

I couldn’t deny that it was nice to be dancing once more with someone who knew what they were doing, though. Especially as we entered a more fast-paced section involving little hopping kicks and marching proudly across the floor in a horribly playful manner.

We slide into our speedy rotations with him leaning me backwards playfully before pulling me back up to look me in the eye once more and then leaning me back again. 

Our motions slowed again as we came to a stop and stayed in place, though. Him spinning with me still in closed hold and causing me to wonder exactly what he was going to do next.

Because that was the difficulty of lacking choreography. I had to predict what he wanted.

I found myself frowning as we did a few more customary motions before he straightened, almost like he was at attention and looked towards me pointedly. A smile on his face that only grew as I looked at him in confusion.

My eyes widened, and I unintentionally let out a quiet “Ah,” before kicking my leg up and letting it swing around him.

It looked like he barely suppressed his laugh as he leaned to the side, and I found myself frowning at him.

I really was doing my best, but Ayato had always been a difficult man to predict. And that, paired with how distracting he could be when one was too close to him, put me in a difficult position.

And he knew it. He obviously did. Because he was doing this for precisely the same reason he enjoyed messing with me. He reveled in my reactions.

That could be the only reason for him to walk back, pulling me with him so that I leaned across the floor and relied on his support with our faces mere inches from each other as he held my gaze with that seemingly permanent smile of his.

But I had said it before, and I would say it again. Kamisato Ayato was a fart. 

I started backwards, letting him continue to lead as I slowly straightened so that our position was once again a proper dance hold and we could do the customary trot across the floor.

By now, I was pretty sure that he was just seeing what he could get away with. And if that was how he wanted to play it, then I certainly wasn’t going to let him down.

He looked at me directly before we took off once more, racing across the dancefloor before leaping, almost entering a perfect split midair before we came down again for him to spin me with a smile that actually spread widely across his face. Almost like he was starting to lose his hold on his careful mask that he always wore.

He leaned against me, forcing me to lean backwards as we went into our spinning rotations, where we stayed in place. Gradually picking up speed as I found myself grinning despite myself.

Ayato straightened, with me mirroring his motions in time for him to spin me across the floor in front of him so that we were both facing out with our arms raised.

My eyes widened, and I let out a startled exhale as I spotted Ayaka and Thoma standing in the doorway with matching smiles. My lady clapped with a bright smile on her face as Thoma also applauded, though he was chuckling.

“You see, I do believe that will be perfect for the function,” Ayato’s hand lowered, with mine still clasped in it as I looked his way. 

I was half out of breath, and there was no denying that my heart was pounding like a drum that was trying to keep pace with a quickstep, but I managed to maintain a rather unimpressed mask, “Perhaps if you want to create a stir.” 

He held my gaze, smiling with far too much pleasure as he leaned slightly towards me, his voice softening so much that I doubted Thoma and Ayaka could hear what he was saying, “Oh yes, my dear. That is precisely what I would like.”

And quite frankly, that was precisely what I expected from him.

If you would like to read more:

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[zolwyo]

Do you remmember when Johnny and Britt… ?

#dwts2020

[figureskatingcostumes]

Cagla Demirsal and Berk Akalin's short dance costumes at the 2014 World Junior Championships.

(Photos by David W. Carmichael)

[cross-swivels]

Lesson notes 9/25/23

I got a surprise lesson today! It was supposed to be Thursday but they asked if I wanted to move it up to tonight. Made my night honestly

Since I'm not prepping for any particular event currently, my instructor went for some oddball choices - we did lindy hop, peabody, quickstep, and a little bit of paso doble. Out of that list peabody, was the only one I had worked on in a private lesson before, so it was a ton of fun to try some new things.

Having never done quickstep I sort of assimilated it to foxtrot on fast-forward in my head... that's not correct. There are lots of lock steps, even in the basic! It's a real challenge at such a fast pace.

I really enjoyed paso doble, even though we only played with it for a couple minutes. I wish it had been longer. For how harsh and dramatic the music is, it has a surprising amount of flow.

Lindy hop is one I've tried socially and really struggled with, but it clicked once I got weight distribution explained. (It's not actually about jumping and is a lot more grounded than it looks.)

After the lesson I voiced to my instructor how frustrating it is to see people who started at the studio after me leveling up way ahead, and constantly have to remind myself that it's only because I can't afford as frequent lessons and not because I'm just plain worse than they are. He validated that I'm not worse and predicted that I'm going to have a very fast rise once I hit the point where my resources allow for it. So that's cool.

[decorworks]

Quick-Step laminate flooring for a Haarlem home project

Voor Nederlands scroll je naar beneden // In collaboration with Quick-Step floors, I was given the opportunity to choose a floor together with the owners of a new bought home in Haarlem. Haarlem is a municipality between Amsterdam and the coast. It is also the town where my grandmother was born, and I often visited as a child, making it  extra special to work on this project. The house from 1905 is really beautiful but as it wasn’t touched since a long time it needs some renovation. The residents opted for a new kitchen and bathroom  and of course a new floor. I think it’s great to be able to choose a laminate floor together with them and to brainstorm about the different styles and possibilities. Quick-Step offers a wide range of long-lasting laminate, vinyl and wood flooring, topped off with matching skirting boards and finishing profiles. Beautiful designs, waterproof floors and easy installation characterize the brand. In the coming months Quick-Step will be a ‘vosgesparis partner’ and I will show you more about this project.  

Choosing a floor Step by Step

The choice for laminate, Quick-Step also has PVC floors, was quickly made. For a home like this, we thought a laminate floor with wide planks would fit very well. Laminate has an authentic and lifelike wood design. Many of the floors are water-resistant and both scratch-and stain resistant, which makes cleaning easier. The floors also will not lose their colour under the influence of UV light. The Quick-Step website has a handy step-by-step plan that guides you through the process of choosing the right floor for the right room. For example, we were advised to choose a water resistant floor, because the floor will also be installed in the kitchen.  Thanks to their innovative “HydroSeal” water-repellent coating, the latest Quick-Step laminate floors are truly resistant to water and even can be installed in the bathroom. The step-by-step plan helps you make the first choices and not to overlook important details. After this, it is certainly a good idea to go and see the floor of your choice in real life and perhaps take some samples of your kitchen with you. You can find all the sales points on the website.

Which floor in which room

Because we had already received the tip that not all laminate options are suitable for the kitchen, we chose the kitchen as the room to choose a floor for in this case. The floor also had to be suitable for underfloor heating. And the residents had a clear preference for a lighter floor in a warm shade. All points that you should pay attention to when choosing the right floor for the right project. Due to its high resistance to stains, Quick-Step laminate is perfectly suited for installation in the kitchen. The “HydroSeal” coating also prevents moisture from entering the joints and dirt from penetrating the floor.    

  Which colour floor

The preference was for an oak look in combination with a long, wide plank, which fits well with the historic house.  When choosing on the site, you can also see how the chosen floor would look in your room, which we did! You can then order a sample, but we made a round along one of the sales points. We chose the ‘Desert warm natural oak‘ floor with planks of  2050 mm long and 240 mm wide. For the underlay we chose the ‘Silent walk’ which combines perfect with underfloor heating. For now a sneak peek into the charming apartment and I will be back with the end result! Meanwhile visit the Quick-Step Partner board on Pinterest for more inspiration Written in collaboration with Quick-Step – vosgesparis partner –

In samenwerking met Quick-Step vloeren kreeg ik de mogelijkheid om samen met nieuwe eigenaren van  een huis in Haarlem een vloer uit te kiezen. Haarlem is een gemeente tussen Amsterdam en de kust en het is ook de gemeente waar mijn grootmoeder is geboren, wat het extra leuk maakt voor mij. Het pand uit 1905 heeft wat renovatie nodig. Zo kozen de bewoners voor een nieuwe keuken en badkamer. En natuurlijk een nieuwe vloer. Ik vind het superleuk om samen met hen deze laminaat vloer uit te mogen kiezen en over de verschillende stijlen en mogelijkheden te sparren. De komende maanden heb ik een partnership met Quick-Step en laat ik jullie meer zien van dit leuke project waar ik aan mocht werken

Stap voor stap een vloer kiezen

De keuze voor laminaat, Quick-Step heeft ook PVC vloeren, was snel gemaakt. Bij een woning als deze vonden we een laminaatvloer met brede planken heel goed passen. Ook hadden de bewoners een duidelijke voorkeur voor een lichte vloer. Via de Quick-Step website is er een handig stappenplan dat je helemaal begeleid in het kiezen van de juiste vloer voor de juiste ruimte. Zo kregen wij het advies om voor een watervaste vloer te kiezen, omdat de vloer ook in de keuken zal worden gelegd. De “HydroSeal” coating maakt dat de vloer echt resistant voor water is en zelfs in de badkamer kan worden gelegd. Het stappenplan helpt goed om de eerste keuzes te maken, en belangrijke dingen niet over het hoofd te zien. Hierna is het ook zeker een goed idee om de vloer van je keuze in het echt te gaan bekijken en misschien wat stalen van bijvoorbeeld je keuken mee te nemen. Op de website vind je alle verkooppunten.  

Vloertype

De keuze voor laminaat was al gemaakt, laminaat heeft een authentiek en natuurgetrouw houtdessin. Veel van de vloeren zijn waterbestendig en zowel kras als vlek bestendig, wat het schoonmaken makkelijker maakt. Ook verkleuren de vloeren niet onder invloed van UV licht.

Welke vloer in welke ruimte

Omdat we al de tip hadden gekregen dat niet alle laminaat opties geschikt zijn voor de keuken kozen we in dit geval de keuken als ruimte. Ook moest de vloer geschikt zijn voor vloerverwarming. Allemaal punten waar je op moet letten bij het kiezen van de juiste vloer voor het juiste project. Door de hoge resistentie tegen vlekken is Quick-Step laminaat perfect geschikt om in de keuken te plaatsen. En door de “HydroSeal” coating waardoor er geen vocht in de voegen kan komen, trekt ook vuil niet in de vloer.

Welke kleur vloer

De voorkeur ging uit naar een eiken look in combinatie met een lange, brede plank, welke goed bij het historische huis past. Bij het kiezen op de site kun je ook nog kijken hoe de gekozen vloer eruit zou zien in jouw kamer of keuken! Vervolgens kun je een sample bestellen, maar wij hebben een rondje langs een van de verkooppunten gemaakt en uiteindelijk gekozen voor de ‘Woestijn warme naturelle eik‘ vloer. De planken van deze vloer zijn 2050 mm lang en 240 mm breed. Voor de ondervloer kozen we voor de ‘Silent walk’ welke goed te combineren is met vloerverwarming en perfect voor deze woning. Voor nu een sneak peek in het charmante apartment. Binnenkort het eindresultaat! Bekijk ondertussen het Quick-Step Partner board op Pinterest voor meer inspiratie. Images by vosgesparis Written in collaboration with Quick-Step – vosgesparis partner – Read the full article

[guyanesegirls]

[dozydawn]

[dwtsfun]

Dancing with the Stars Season 5 Week 10: Rewatch

So we are at the end of the season. I really don't want this to end, but we gotta finish it up. Each couple has a redemption dance and the freestyle. Once the final 2 is revealed, they do their favorite dance of the season. So let's just get this started.

Redemption Round

Mel and Maks- Cha-cha (Judges' Score=28, My Score=9)- This was a great cha-cha. Mel's technique was perfect. However, I did mark them down because (and I'm about to step into my Len bag here) I felt like there was too much messing about. The first 15 seconds of the dance was nothing and truly not necessary. The end, while great, should've been cha-cha material and not a redo of the butterfly from the previous season with Laila. And the running in the middle to transition from chorus to verse, only added to the problem. Maks should've kept either the end or the beginning. Doing both was too much.

Marie and Jonathan- Samba (Judges' Score=24, My Score=8)- So the dance wasn't bad. It was pretty nice actually. But, it felt underrehearsed. The technique was all over the place. The entertainment factor was amazing. But her technique just wasn't up to par.

Helio and Julianne- Jive (Judges' Score=25, My Score=8)- I'm sorry but this was a mess. Helio made quite a few mistakes, something that he never does. His feet were hideous. He was off time in some spots. The performance was cool. He definitely entertained everyone. But the technique was lacking.

Freestyle Round

Mel and Maks (Judges' Score=27, My Score=8)- This routine SUCKED. Maks sucks at choreographing these things. That shit was dreadful. The lifts were great. But it didn't flow and she was way better than that routine.

Marie and Jonathan (Judges' Score=22, My Score=7)- Whew. This round was bad. This dance was bizarre. And outside of that, it was just bad. I understand why they did it but it just didn't work at all in my opinion. The lifts were good though.

Helio and Julianne (Judges' Score=29, My Score=9)- These two saved this round. Cuz this was going left real fast. The routine was engaging. It was energetic. It was charismatic. It was fun. Helio knocked it out of the park. There was a messed up dismount on one of the lifts toward the end when Julianne came through his legs. Otherwise, it was great.

My Rankings and Scores Out of 60:

1 Mel and Maks- 54 (28 for cha-cha, 26 for freestyle) 2 Helio and Julianne-53 (24 for jive, 29 for freestyle) 3 Marie and Jonathan- 46 (24 for samba, 22 for freestyle)

So on the Tuesday show, Marie came in third and did not get a chance to do her favorite dance for a score. She had an incredible journey and even though it ended on a very strange and bizarre note, you can never take away how good Marie was and the performer that she showed us she was every single week.

Favorite Dance

Mel and Maks- Mambo (Judges' Score=30, My Score=10)- I love this dance. And I truly think it was better the second time around. It was tighter. It was bigger. It had more energy. A flawless routine. Loved it!

Helio and Julianne- Quickstep (Judges' Score=30, My Score=10)- I am so glad that they 1) did this dance again and 2) didn't change a thing about it. It's such a classic and a crowd pleaser and I truly loved it. What both Helio and Mel did this season has been incredible.

My Rankings and Scores Out of 90:

1 Mel and Maks- 84 (54 from night 1, 30 for mambo) 2 Helio and Julianne- 83 (53 from night 1, 30 for quickstep)

So as we all know, Helio and Julianne won. And just like I said earlier on in the season, anybody in that top 7 could've realistically won. This was an incredible and highly competitive season. I cannot think of any other season that was nearly this strong. And it wasn't just the celebs themselves. The pros were killing it week after week. It was honestly an amazing season. I really miss having seasons like this. Like even thinking about the way the past 7 seasons have gone, we really lost so much. Even going back 10 years. This show jumped the shark in season 18 and things have never been the same. It really does make me sad. So that was season 5. Let me know y'all thoughts and I will talk to you all soon. Maybe a quick season 6 rewatch before the summer ends?

[strictlycomedancers]

Layton and Nikita | Quickstep (Judges' Pick) - Puttin' On the Ritz, Gregory Porter

Score: 10,10,10,10 (40)

Layton & Nikita originally performed this in week 2 receiving a score of 36

[aplaceonthisworld]

Home Office Freestanding Mid-sized transitional study room idea with a freestanding desk and blue walls.