Re: The Hinchburg Chronicles

by **suebob16** Tue Sep 27, 2016 2:27 am

Very nice! Loved that brief close-up shot of the smile on his face as they started the second half of the dance. I think choreography-wise James was able to show more variety in his part of the cha cha more than Ryan, even pulling off some decent hip moves. So glad they got the immunity!

by **Lesallee** Wed Sep 28, 2016 1:03 pm

LOS ANGELES – IndyCar Series driver James Hinchcliffe has asked to sit for this “Dancing With the Stars” interview because his body is too tired – his feet too sore – to stand.
This weekly television show now in its 23rd season might glitter with glamour, but it requires movement that shakes a body to its core, and celebrity contestants spend up to 40 hours a week practicing. Dance routines call for flips, spins and lifts amid fluid synchronicity, and the goal is to avoid a flub Hollywood’s tabloid media will latch onto.
Besides, millions of people are watching live, making the pressure as real as the physicality. The combination is exhausting and borders on overwhelming, and it takes a special person to endure it. The edge goes to athletes accustomed to pushing their bodies to extraordinary lengths.
On this day early this week, Hinchcliffe has just completed a four-hour practice, and he has a costume fitting and another four hours of dance training to come. Only a few hours earlier, the 29-year-old Canadian and his professional partner, Sharna Burgess, arrived from Las Vegas where a late-night publicity appearance had been scheduled.
Hinchcliffe’s face showed tired, but the focus his career demands was evident.

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INDIANAPOLIS STAR

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“The idea of zoning in on one task for a long period of time is certainly nothing new to me,” he said.
Hinchcliffe is one of four athletes in this celebrity cast, joined by longtime NFL receiver Calvin Johnson and a pair of Olympians, gymnast Laurie Hernandez and swimmer Ryan Lochte. Not surprisingly, none has been among those eliminated so far and the first three have consistently received the highest scores from the judges. Based on show history, they’re also likely to stay in the competition longer than most because their bodies and minds likely will hold up.
One in three DWTS champions have been current athletes, including Season 5 winner Helio Castroneves in 2007. Many other athletes have reached the finals, and it’s not a coincidence, Burgess said.
“Athletes have an advantage because they’ve been training their whole lives to do something physical like this,” she said. “The mental pressures you go through here are what they’ve experienced in their careers.
“James has an incredible work ethic, and he can focus for a long period of time. He’s also very in tune with his body, which is a major asset.”
Burgess also noted the science of Hinchcliffe’s racing background.
“He has a fantastic understanding of momentum, so I can do things faster with him, speed-wise, than I could with, say, (an NFL receiver) who doesn’t understand contra body movement or centrifugal force,” she said. “That makes James an amazing student.”

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INDIANAPOLIS STAR

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Professional dancer Derek Hough has won this show’s Mirror Ball trophy a record six times, plus runner-up finishes with athletes Shawn Johnson (a gymnast) and Amy Purdy (a snowboarder). They process instruction faster, he said.
“When I ask them to activate their back and their lats muscle, they know what that means, and that muscle is developed, too, so you can push them even more,” he said. “A non-athlete will say, ‘I don’t even have that (muscle).’
“Athletes also seem to get more leeway from the audience where it’s like ‘Aw, they’re sweet (and) trying to do their best,’ whereas a (stage) performer is expected to perform since that’s what he’s done his whole life.”
Johnson recalled one of his early DWTS practices when professional partner Lindsay Arnold utilized a footwork drill from her background. He breezed through it.
“It was similar to what I’ve done all my life,” he said. “Depending on the dance, so much of what we do correlates to football. It’s core strength without the (contact).
“The rest is bringing the facial experiences, working on my arms. That comes from (dance) coaching.”
That doesn’t mean it’s easy.

“I did some dance lessons before I got married earlier this year and I was like, ‘Is this all there is to it?’” Johnson said. “I figured I was ready for (this show), but I was wrong – way wrong. This is hard.”

by **DeadManDancing** Wed Sep 28, 2016 1:14 pm

Thanks sis, good to see James gets that media attention. Interesting how Sharna evaluates his racing skills and makes use of them in rehearsal. I really would have liked to know where the scores came from. We may complain about the judges' comments here and there, but this time I missed them and I didn't understand these sevens at all.

by **Psychee22** Wed Sep 28, 2016 1:32 pm

They are not making much sense to anyone, Deadie. A big part, I think, is the truncated range of scores they are working with. They are basically handing out 7's for "good, better than expected", 8's for the "wow" factor, either because the dancing was superb (Laurie) or because someone well exceeded what the judges expected (Megatron). Then they are giving 6's for "could be better" and 5's for "Time for you to leave, buddy".

by **DeadManDancing** Wed Sep 28, 2016 2:44 pm

Never thought I'd say this, but If I had to rank the judges, Len would currently be in fourth place. I was shocked when his retirement from SCD was announced, but I'm beginning to like the idea he should give way for someone else on DWTS as well. Maybe Maks was right back then.

by **Psychee22** Wed Sep 28, 2016 3:13 pm

But I think he serves a role on the panel as a bridge to UK standards. I think Americans rather like curmudgeonly old guys with British accents. We might roll our eyes at them at times, but mostly there is a deep respect for their opinions. Also, there must be someone who takes the role of hard-to-please on the panel. It adds spice.

by **Lesallee** Wed Sep 28, 2016 3:16 pm

Taking my response to the General Chit Chat topic.

by **DeadManDancing** Wed Sep 28, 2016 3:18 pm

Psychee, I've been thinking like you for years, but it's getting stale lately. If you watch both shows, you can't help but realize how much he's repeating himself.

by **Psychee22** Wed Sep 28, 2016 3:21 pm

Taking my response to the Chit Chat board.

by **suebob16** Wed Sep 28, 2016 10:19 pm

I don't know if any of you caught Celebrity Family Feud during this past Summer, but one of the episodes was IndyCar Drivers versus Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Models. The drivers were Helio Castroneves, Tony Kanaan, James Hinchcliffe, Will Power, and Conor Daly. The first video is a conversation with Steve Harvey--and the title says it all. The drivers win the game, and in the second video it's James and Tony in the Fast Money round. I didn't know Tony was such a funny guy! Smile

NOTE: James's appearance in Celebrity Family Feud was the start of his eventually being on DWTS. He met a rep from DWTS on the set that day and that started the conversation.

by **kincaid53** Wed Sep 28, 2016 10:56 pm

Too funny!! LOL!

Thanks!!

by **Lesallee** Wed Sep 28, 2016 11:12 pm

Thanks for this suebob.

#TeamStopAndGo all the way to the MBT.

by **kincaid53** Wed Sep 28, 2016 11:24 pm

..

by **peebeeb** Thu Sep 29, 2016 3:09 am

That was funny. LOL!

by **Lesallee** Thu Sep 29, 2016 1:20 pm

James and Sharna have Quickstep next week. Song still unknown right now.

by **DeadManDancing** Thu Sep 29, 2016 2:29 pm

If Sharna makes it as energetic as the Pitbull number with AB last season, it should be a killer. Remember Jacoby's mum, Len? "I got my eyes on you".

by **Psychee22** Thu Sep 29, 2016 3:51 pm

Lesallee wrote:James and Sharna have Quickstep next week. Song still unknown right now.

It should be terrific. The Cirque production she is assigned is Broadway-esque. I was kind of hoping that Derek and Marilu would get that so we could see some tap, but James and Sharna is just as good.

by **Lesallee** Thu Sep 29, 2016 4:30 pm

https://www.facebook.com/dancingwiththestars/posts/10154553562771740

James and Sharna, Season 23s fun couple.

by **Lesallee** Thu Sep 29, 2016 5:08 pm

Just read a while ago that James and Sharna are both Peta's and Emma's pick to win Season 23.

by **suebob16** Thu Sep 29, 2016 7:19 pm

I was glancing at some Cirque Du Soleil Paramour videos. One of their songs is The Hollywood Wiz, which has the feel of a possible quickstep number. There is of course the acrobatics, but it seems to be a take off on a 1930's Hollywood top hat production number.

Because their first three dances were in darkened settings, I'm hoping James and Sharna can pull this off because this will probably be their first brightly lit dance--which means they can't hide anything.

by **peebeeb** Thu Sep 29, 2016 7:41 pm

Always look forward to these two.

by **Psychee22** Thu Sep 29, 2016 7:58 pm

I expect that this dance will be a show stopper. Sharna will do her Jessica Rabbit bit and we will all drool at how gorgeous she is while she rocks the Quickstep with James.

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by **kincaid53** Fri Sep 30, 2016 3:40 pm

Thanks TeamStopAndGo for keeping it lighthearted and fun!!

Must be that Aussie-Canadian combination...................right sis Wink

by **Lesallee** Sat Oct 01, 2016 12:08 pm

James and Sharna are keeping a very low Twitter profile right now. It's driving me crazy! I want to know how things are going!!!! C'mon you two, drop us a hint.

by **suebob16** Sat Oct 01, 2016 3:51 pm

DWTS has an Instagram pic of James on the floor supporting Sharna as she balances herself above him. I don't know if this moment will be part of their dance this week, but it's fun to see them working on something.

Also check out the Instagram shot of Terra and Sasha working on a similar pose. Terra is strong!

James also has his latest Video Diary out on the DWTS YouTube channel. James is in a thoughtful mood looking back at his DWTS experience so far.

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