Re: Week 11 - Finals

by **Psychee22** Wed Nov 23, 2016 9:11 pm

Lesallee wrote:I heard Edyta Sliwinska yesterday say that when she was teaching children to dance any that had gymnastic or ice skating training had a big advantage over those that didn't. Edyta's words, not mine.

Yes, but did she say what the particular advantage was? Could it be something as simple as having a healthy body? Or good core strength development? Or the ability to balance? Or the sense of one's position in space? Flexibility to kick high and do splits?

Neither gymnastics nor sole ice skating teaches anyone about partnering, and normal gymnastics does not teach musicality, nor emotional artistry (acting). I can't imagine anything in gymnastics that would prepare someone for the lilting movement of a waltz or the bounce of a samba.

I think some people are natural dancers; if they also happen to have spent their lives keeping fit, and they have a sense of fun, basic ballroom dancing should come pretty easy to them.

James is a fine example.

by **Lesallee** Wed Nov 23, 2016 9:33 pm

Figure skaters, as it used to be called, have a huge advantage. They train and perform to music to a set routine. Everything they do is choreographed to music. Every movement they do is choreographed. So dancing is much easier for them. I think Edyta felt gymnasts ability to follow teaching and coaching directions gave them an edge in learning a dance routine.

Athletes on this show always do very well and their training and ability to be coached plays a large part.

by bailadora Wed Nov 23, 2016 10:18 pm

Remember that Laurie's life from age 5 up to the conclusion if the Rio Olympics has revolved around gymnastics. When she was 5 her parents wanted to enroll her in ballet classes but she didn't like them and begged them to enroll her in gymnastics INSTEAD. She has been homeschooled since the 3rd grade to allow for intensive gymnastic training. She has not had the time to be enrolled in dance classes. Laurie's interest in dance comes from trying to mimic hip hop moves from music videos, not from formal training, as opposed to other DWTS contestants that have had extensive formal dance training such as Ginger Zee, Paige VanZant, Rumer Willis, Alfonso Ribeiro, Riker Lynch, Meryl Davis, Charlie White, and even Marilu Henner this season.

Recognizing the different skill set needed for gymnastics and dancing does not devalue James and Calvin's achievements in learning sets of movements and interpretative skills that are alien to their fields. The top 3 were all terrific in their own way and the MBT could have fallen to any of them.

by **Glittersisgld** Wed Nov 23, 2016 10:56 pm

I would think if you are a gymnast, you at least have plenty of flexibility too. They are also jumping around. I think there are plenty of gymnastic and skating moves that are very similar to dancing. I'm not sure I agree with the healthy part. You can be completely healthy and have no sense of rhythm or be a good dancer. Skating to me is dancing on ice.

by **DeadManDancing** Thu Nov 24, 2016 1:25 pm

Psychee22 wrote:...

Neither gymnastics nor sole ice skating teaches anyone about partnering, and normal gymnastics does not teach musicality, nor emotional artistry (acting). I can't imagine anything in gymnastics that would prepare someone for the lilting movement of a waltz or the bounce of a samba.
...

Good point. Reminds me of our German mbt winner 2012, a retired olympic gymnast. Her extensions and hold were the best ever, but even in her fiinale redemption ChaCha she was marked down for the lack of hip action. Folks, let's not depict Laurie's win as based on her gymnastic skills alone; that wouldn't do her justice. Calvin's strength enabled him to do the most spectacular lifts with Linds, and Sharna has explained in a fb-chat how James' ability to control a race car with his entire body and compensate the huge gravitational forces has actually helped his balance and perception of his body in the dances. I'd say the playing field was even.

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