Hi people,

For those of you suffering from Strictly Come Dancing withdrawal symptoms, you might be interested in this promotional footage for the second series of Dancing with the Stars, which previously featured Rachel Hunter and Evander Holyfield.

Dancing with the Stars Series 2 Promotional Trailer

This is hosted on Raphael Pungin's excellent website, which is worth checking out for the first series footage alone. It also features a gallery of photos taken of dancers promoting the series. Chances are that after the series kicks off on the 5th January, if Raphael is feeling generous, he might put up some superb quality Realplayer clips that will show us dance footage from the actual shows when the series gets under way.

So, this way, you needn't go without your dancing fix!

Thanks for this Estilolibre! Merry Christmas to you!

And a Merry Christmas to yourself, gillypand and all our other forum members!

PS. gillypand, I'll help myself to some of that neglected toffee cheesecake if it's still going.

On topic: I don't know if the BBC is going to pick this series up for TV, but I hope that they do!

Your slice is sitting waiting in the fridge....! Why are you on here today? Lonely like me???

On topic: I really hope the beeb cash in on the popularity of SCD and show this too.

Me three!

I've had Chrismas DInner.. escaping for a little while. My Grandma's dog has decided to hibernate to my bed while my big white cat is staring across the room (very annoyed that the dog has come up here too!) - consequently there is no space for me up here and I'm having to lean across the dog to reach my laptop keybpard!

*HUGS* to you both! Gillypand, you're not alone... you're here swaying in the forum!

OK...seeing as you're all hopelessly hooked...

1.) Check out this link to find photos of the dance teams for Dancing With the Stars Series 2....

http://abc.go.com/primetime/dancing/index.html
AND/OR
http://realitytv.about.com/od/shallw...pictures_3.htm

For me if I had to pick out three couples to watch right now, I'd pick...

1.) Louis van Amstel (fmr. World Showdance Champ with Julie Fryer) and Lisa Rinna (American soap star - think along the same lines as Patsy Palmer) - Lisa just seems like a natural, incredibly flexible athlete...and Louis?!? Being a part of one of the greatest pairings to ever hit the dance floor speaks for itself.

2.) Jonathan Roberts (2003 Rising Star Latin finalist at Blackpool) and Giselle Fernandez (TV journalist)...
He's won major titles in International Latin, Int. Standard and American ballroom - can do any of the three well; is also a seasoned competitor on the US Pro-Am circuit. Giselle is an award winning journalist whose father is a well known flamenco dancer in his native Mexico; she has also danced this style, which to me could be an advantage esp. with the Tango or Paso Doble.

3.) Tony Dovolani (One half of the reigning World Rhythm (American cousin to International Standard) champions and a US Open winner) and Stacy Keibler (World Wrestling Entertainment personality) - Tony's pro record ought to tell you what you need to know... but he is ALSO a seasoned competitor on the US Pro-Am circuit and has great knowledge when working with and getting quality results out of amateur students. From what I've read Stacy has been dancing in some form (from cheerleading to freestyle and ballet) since the age of 3. Could be a possible advantage- but then again, so could having legs up to your freakin' ears! (41 inches long....considering she's 5'11", that's a lot of leg! *LOL*)Nerves shouldn't be an issue...not when performing in front of thousands of fans a night is part of everyday living.

This is part of your Christmas pressie from me to you. I'll be speaking with Raphael soon about putting up Season 2 footage on his site. If he cannot, and the BBC doesn't put it on your telly, then I will be more than happy to help you get this fix!

Cheers!
EyesOFire50

Hey everybody,

Estilolibre shares a beeg group hug with Peach, gillypand and EyesOFire50.


EyesOFire50, thanks for your detailed commentary. It's always a pleasure to read your detailed insights. I have you to blame for posting Raphael's link in the first place and being much more knowledgable about Dancing with the Stars.

Out of all the celebrities, I think that Stacy Keibler has the biggest advantage. She is accustomed to performing in front of a live audience on a daily basis as part of her work in a WWE wrestling ring. And she has made it known that she is accustomed to following choreography. Her dance experience will definitely be a strong asset and her flexibility is impressive, so I see Tony making the most of that. Given the amount of times I've seen the female participants performing the splits on the dance floor, Stacy will probably end up cartwheeling around and showing off her athleticism.

On paper, I honestly cannot see anyone beating her. And she has a huge following in terms of her wrestling fan base who can keep her in every week. However, the competition hasn't begun yet, so the other contestants may be able to match her abilities. For now, my monopoly money is on her.


Thanks for the cheesecake. I sneaked in and scoffed it down while no-one was looking. As for lingering on here, I've been relaxing with the family all day, but couldn't keep away. Just wanted to see what people's responses were to yesterday's SCD Christmas Special.


Hey Peach. I didn't realise that you were going to have so much trouble with the animal kingdom in order to log on!

I've pretty much been sociable last night and saw in Christmas day through the twilight hours by doing my own unique interpretation of Karen's Christmas Jive in a nightclub - minus the Billiant choreography and basic steps. The rest of the day I've spent hanging out with family - imagine spending the day with four different nationalities, three generations and two turtle doves. Okay, there weren't any turtle doves. So, it's been a thoroughly pleasant day and I thought I'd dip in and out just to see how things were going.

I got rid of the animals Now working on clearing some bed space so I can lie down and relax with my laptop!

I asked an American friend the other day if he would PLEASE record 'Dancing with the Stars' on his VCR, transfer it to DVD taking off the region barrier things and post it to me each week... he didn't sound like he was going to do it even though I begged and told him how much it would mean to me... i will keep working on him (though still hoping BBC will show it over here - how can they not?!? ITV show American Idol!)

Oops...I meant to say "American cousin to International LATIN" in my previous post!

I can see where you're coming from Libre....but let's face it; this is also a VERY different animal from what she is used to doing.

Another couple to watch could be Jerry Rice and Anna Trebunskaya Sure, Jerry is an athlete like Evander in what is considered a "masculine" sport (American football) but somehow, I think the outcome will be very different. Jerry's position (wide receiver) in American football demanded that he be both fast and light on his feet with swivels for hips...the better to get away from some 200+ pound defender trying to separate his head from the rest of his body! That coupled with both his crazy intensity in training and his attention to detail is still the stuff of legend.

Anna is a tremendous dancer in her own right. Wife of Jonathan Roberts, her primary focus is Latin American but like Jon is also a major event winner in both the International Standard AND American Smooth divisions. In their photos, there's not one shot of either of them without a BIG smile on their faces - Jerry and Anna look like they're having an absolute ball. Think the US version of the much talked about Giggle Twins here...

Glad you like my posts...I'd like to think that Mum's "Put some thought into it before you open your mouth" philosophy has a lot to do with it! All the credit has to go to her...*LOL*


Cheers!
EyesOFire50

P.S. - If you ever want to see Jon and Anna in action, head back to Raphael's site (Estilo you know where that is... ) there is a set of dances at the very bottom of the page that are professional exhibitions. Just click on the "Jonathan Roberts and Anna Trebunskaya" link, sit back and let your jaw hit the floor...

Last one for the day....*LOL*

This just came to me -

Since the Americans were involved with the UK Christmas Special, on UK turf, then I think it only fair the Americans got a shot at the Brits... on THEIR home soil. The entertainment value alone would be through the roof. Question is - who (IF this were to go down) would you like to see go? My answers...

UK Pros

1.) Karen Hardy (dancing with John O'Hurley - another partnership with potential to bring down the house)

2.) Andrew Cuerden (dancing with Kelly Monaco - the energy level alone would be worth spending the money needed to buy a ticket in order to see it happen)


UK Celebrity Dancers

1.) Bill Turnbull (dancing with Edyta Sliwinska - she's as bold & cheeky a dancer as they come, and it shows in her moves. Bill was all bashful and shy with Karen - how would he do with a dancer who'd be not at all shy about butt grabbing and hip wiggling....and expect the same from HIM all over again? )

2.) Zoe Ball ( dancing with Nick Kosovich - although he is recently retired, this half of the reigning World Champions of American ballroom could bring the very best out of her, as did Ian Waite. )

I love a good debate....but in the spirit of Christmas, let's keep it light and fun, just as we have so far OK?

Cheers!
EyesOFire50

Another intriguing analysis, EyesOFire. I still maintain that Stacy will be the contestant to beat. It may be a different discipline, but look at what someone like Jill Halfpenny achieved having had a previous foundation in dance-related disciplines. I think that Stacy will have a similar impact. However, I do accept that this is not a given though. Rachel Hunter was knocked out in spite of her qualities, so who can really second guess how the voting public and the judges will react to her?

For the British public, I think that the only well known contestant in this series of Dancing with the Stars would be Tia Carrere of Wayne's World fame. The others would be a bit more obscure unless you had access to satellite television and American television programmes. How do you rate Tia's chances? With her musical and performance background, she could do well. Beyond that, it does depend on how she gets along with Max Chmerkovskiy. I don't know too much about him, in all honesty. Perhaps you can enlighten me.

Predictably, I have already checked out the professional displays. I may have made a few references to Raphael's website in the past. Just wanted others to share in Raphael's splendid efforts. I have another question. When Jonathan Roberts and Anna Trebunskaya danced the Rumba it looked more akin to a Ballroom style dance to me. Am I just dreaming this? You'll have to pardon my ignorance as I am not very knowledgeable about the American style.

I hope that Raphael does keep posting clips of Dancing with the Stars footage on his site, as I would not want to miss this televisual treat and need something after SCD to keep me sane!

It was actually a little typo on Raphael's part - I was thinking the same thing when I first saw it. When I looked at it more closely, I realized that the hold was the first dead giveaway. You were correct in assuming that it was a ballroom routine Estilo. To be precise, it was an American style Foxtrot, and a VERY good one at that.

As for Max Chmerkovskiy, I don't know a great deal about him myself, but let me do a little research and I'll get back to you with some answers. As for Tia's chances - it's true she has a dance/performance background, but the bulk of it is going to depend on that great unknown - the ability to anticipate and connect with one's partner.

Cheers!
EyesOFire50

Okay, I'll take you up on your little debate. Bear in mind though I haven't seen the training vignettes, so I can only make an estimate based upon the dance footage I've seen through Raphael's website.

UK Pros

John O'Hurley and Karen Hardy

In essence: Yes, yes and yes. Did I say yes? Good. I think that these two could potentially annihiliate the others in terms of putting together a spectacular package of performance, poise and personality. Karen has so much energy and enthusiasm when she dances. Pair her with John, who exudes elegance, style and an almost chameleon-like ability to adapt to the character and demands of each dance and you will have dancefloor dynamite. Now I have to stop myself from salivating.

Kelly Monaco and Darren Bennett

Keeping the British flag flying, I nominate Sheffield's own Darren Bennett to dance with Kelly Monaco. Their height and builds would complement each other well and I am intrigued by the possibility of pairing together two individuals of Champion pedigree. She is a hard worker and I think that Darren would create some super choreography to make the most of Kelly's capabilities.

Joey McIntyre with Lilia Kopylova

Lilia's worked with one musical performer already, so why not another in the shape of Joey McIntyre. Joey's Paso Doble was probably my favourite of all his dances, although I liked his Cha Cha Cha as well. Imagine a Latin specialist like Lilia getting her hands on him. Again with her Champion pedigree, creative ingenuity (Would you like to have fun ... fun ... fun? ) and rampantly Russian charisma she could be the one to elevate Joey's game and get him challenging for the top honours.

UK Celebrity Dancers

Colin Jackson and Charlotte Jorgensen

As far as I am concerned, Colin is technically the most proficent British male celebrity ever to have graced the SCD series. He has a stronger balance in both Ballroom and Latin and is extremely focused on delivering a good performance. However, prior to his Rumba and American Smoothie in series three, I felt that he lacked something on the performance front - namely chemistry. Pair him up with someone like Charlotte Jorgensen, possibly the US series' answer to Hanna Kartunnen and Karen Hardy, and I think you'd be on to a winner. Colin's sense of mischief and fun could be drawn out more effectively and Charlotte's strength in both Ballroom and Latin would ensure that he would be among the frontrunners.

Jonathan Roberts and Patsy Palmer

Imagine how the Brit actress would do an American Smoothie with this American Smoothie. We had a Professor Higgins/Eliza Doolittle type escapades with Anton, so this time we could indulge in some amusing Anglo-American relations. Would the ever-smiling Jon be capable of invigorating Patsy's performances and raising her to a higher level?

Well, that's yet another of my lengthy contributions done for now.

OK - seems like there's an interest here!

Estilo, I've been in contact with Raphael and am just waiting for a reply. #2 - IF there is an interest, why not pester the BBC about the idea? Get enough people talking about it...and who knows? They might try to make it happen. It worked in the U.S. - people were so upset over the results of the first series (Kelly was good, but a blind man could have seen that John was clearly the class of the field) that many started raising Hell, writing to ABC and calling into question both the validity of the results AND the judging. Many suggested a Dance-Off...and on Sept. 20th it came to pass, with John and his partner rightfully claiming their place at the top of the ladder. With changes being made to this year's format, a lot of the problems encountered last year hopefully will not occur, or at the very least be minimised. Fixing the machine that is DWTS can only serve to make the dancing better and the expectations much clearer. And that can only mean even GREATER entertainment "bang!" for the viewing dollar.

Cheers!
EyesOFire50

EyesofFire, just wondering......how well did Evander and Rachel do in their season of Dancing With The Stars? And tell me a bit about their respective professional dance partners in the show.


Isn't she in Relic Hunter? She's hot!

Funny you should mention that, but I did contact the BBC via the official SCD website a couple of weeks ago. They said that they have forwarded it to the "appropriate department", which could mean that it's either being looked into or they've written it down on somebody's to do list and left it to gather dust somewhere. I hope that the former is true. If I hear anything, I'll let you guys know. I also led a fledgling campaign to get people and the BBC interested in Dancing with the Stars via my "There's Life After Strictly" thread, which has now gone the way of other forgotten threads.


Ai Ling, I hope EyesOFire and yourself don't mind if I intervene briefly here. If you check out Raphael Pungin's website, not only can you see that Evander Holyfield came fifth and Rachel Hunter came fourth, but you can also see footage of their dances.

You can use EyesOFire's links above on this thread to find out about Rachel's partner Jonathan Roberts and Evander's partner Edyta Sylwinska. Otherwise, I'm sure that EyesOFire can provide you with another of her detailed and informed perspectives about these dancers.

Tia Carrere was also the lead protagonist of the Relic Hunter series and she sure is smokin'!

I just hope that Dancing with the Stars will make it over here!

Not for the first time, Estilolibre crosses his fingers

If anyone wants to see it, e-mail the BBC at strictlycomedancing@bbc.co.uk and hope for the best.

You're right Estilo... I just got in from work and have all this pent up energy to expend (at 3 AM!!) so off I go on one of my rambles...

To answer your question about Max Chmerkovskiy...
(taken from danceteamusa.com)


Max arrived in the United States in 1994, at the age of fourteen. Max played many sports growing up, and developed himself as an all around athlete. However, his passion for dance has been the main focus of his life. Max firmly believes dance is an art first, a sport second - and he thrives on improving the artistic side as much as he can. Success to Max is about individual achievement, more so than winning competition - though, in 1999, Max won the USA OPEN in the under 21 category. He describes winning as as nerve-racking, then a complete release. Aside from the grace and beauty of DanceSport, Max points out the athletics involved, and compares the rigor to many other sports, such as Tennis and Soccer. However, Max knows there's only room for one passion, and that's DanceSport.

My impressions - I hope Tia is ready for whatever Max has up his sleeve. He sounds like an incredibly driven, focused dancer with a passion for his craft that's second to none. It's been my experience that dancers like him also expect the exact same thing in their partners - anything less in their eyes is seen as coming up short.



About Edyta and Jon Roberts
(taken from genesisdancesport.com)

Edyta Sliwinska

Edyta comes from a humble working-class Polish background and has made many sacrifices to pursue her dream to become the world's greatest Latin dancer.

She misses her family greatly but feels she is on the road to stardom in the dancing world so the sacrifice is worth it.

Music was what first drew Edyta to dancing, and what keeps her so passionate about it. Edyta believes very strongly in creating chemistry on the dance floor.

Despite only turning professional recently, Edyta sees herself as a future world champion and her sudden emergence on the professional scene has ruffled the feathers of many of her competitors.

Full of contradictions, Edyta is passionate and animalistic on the dance floor, firm in the rehearsal room but also possesses an undeniably soft side.

Jonathan Roberts (the American Smoothie... )

onathan started dancing 10 years ago, at the age of 20. He is one of the few competitors representing America who was actually born in the U.S.

Coming from a big sports background in high school (namely basketball), it was as much of as shock to Jonathan as it was to his family and friends when he discovered a passion for ballroom dancing. Jonathan went to see the Al Pacino movie Scent of a Woman and there was something about the famous tango scene that struck a chord. He took advantage of the free ballroom lesson offered on his movie ticket stub, and the rest is history.

With his first partner, Jonathan won the 1997 USA Rising Star American Ballroom before deciding to focus on the Latin style.

Jonathan also competes in Pro-Am (the Professional/Amateur circuit), where he trains a student and also competes with her - Jonathan and his amateur partner Pam Butler are 2 times undefeated USA Pro-Am 10 dance champions, 3 times undefeated USA pro-am Latin champions, 2 times USA Pro-Am American Ballroom champions.

He has been dancing with his current partner (and wife) Anna Trebunskaya for 4 years. Together they represent the USA in competitions around the world.

Jonathan trains 6 days per week; training includes dance practice, Pilates, ballet, yoga and gym work. Although only having danced together for a relatively short time, Jonathan and Anna have achieved many high placements in competitions around the world.

Jonathan and Anna currently rank 6th in the US and 24th in the world, and Jonathan has his signts set on the top.



My impressions here?!? - Giselle Fernandez is a very lucky woman to have drawn him as her partner. In Jonathan she's got a well rounded, more than just average ( ) dancer capable of a fantastic performance regardless of the style or the dance. Oh, and the fact that he competes regularly on the US Pro-Am circuit can't hurt either - it never does when your partner already has volumes of experience dealing with and competing alongside an amateur dancer that he's helped build from the bottom up.

See...I told you all that I was off on one of my rants again! *LOL* But hey - this sort of thing happens when you get off of work at 3 AM and you have all this pent up energy (not to mention plenty of tea in your system... ) that you need to get rid of before you can sleep....

This might be of some interest to you lovely people.

I was just looking around the official WWE website and it so happens that they have some footage of Stacy Keibler rehearsing with her dance partner Tony Dovolani.

Click here, then on "Stacy Goes Dancing"

Please note that the page tends to be updated quite regularly with wrestling news headlines(!), so chances are the footage will be relocated within another part of the site fairly soon.

There's also an interview with Stacy about how she came to be involved in the show:

Stacy's interview with WWE about Dancing with the Stars

Looks as if Tony and Stacy were practising the Rumba. They're looking good!

Got another one!!

And since it is still the holiday season, I won't be selfish and keep this pressie to myself. *LOL* For those of you in need of a further "Strictly" fix...head on over to www.rubymaarse.com and click on the "Dancing With the Stars - Holland" link. There you will find each dance from Week One straight through the final in their entirety. Sure, the commentary is in Dutch, but who cares?!?

In this case, the dancing should speak for itself.

I have to be honest here. IF I was someone from the Beeb, I would be sweating BUCKETS if either the Yanks or the Dutch threw down a challenge. These folks (the Dutch) were so good, it was down right scary. Two couples in particular had my *nearly* undivided attention...

1.) Joris Lutz and Euvgenia Parakhina - It's hard for me not to be taken in by someone (or a couple) for whom no matter what happens has a smile on their face, a laugh in their bellies and makes it obvious that they're having the absolute time of their lives. Sure, they didn't make the final - but for me it didn't matter; they were still quite handily one of my favourites.
Best Dance (s): No contest...Jive and Paso Doble

2.) Jim Bakkum and Julie Fryer : I have to wonder - did the Beeb even TRY to get this tiny dancing firecracker from Manchester to appear on THEIR version of "Strictly"?
Trust me, the word "cheeky" doesn't even begin to describe Julie Fryer...and neither does the word "legend". The dancing partnership she had with Louis van Amstel is STILL talked about even today amongst dancesport enthusiasts...and quite often is regarded as one of the greatest partnerships to ever hit the competitive stage.

The entertainment value of the above partnership (Jim and Julie) alone should be enough to make your jaws drop. At first I was thinking " Here we have this tiny ball of fire (can't be more than 5'2" out of heels from the looks of it) from Manchester and her partner is a long (about 6'3") lean, 18 year old kid from the Netherlands who's OTHER claim to fame was winning the Dutch version of "Idol" as a 16 year old. It's not going to work."

Yeah, right.

It worked in a very big way. So big in fact, that this pairing was the one to win it all come finale night. Their skill level was absolutely off the charts, and their connection with each other was unmatched. For me, there wasn't a single team on that show truly capable of matching up with that total package, especially with Julie's innovative and challenging choreography thrown in for added measure.
Best Dance(s): Can't really pick all of them, but if I must choose I'd say it was their Samba, Jive and Freestyle

All in all people, feast your eyes on that. Hopefully, it SHOULD tide you over until "Strictly" hits your tellys again.

Cheers!
EyesOFire50

Eyes of Fire - thank you, thank you, thank you. I really enjoyed both shows.

Thank you Estilo and EyesofFire!

You're welcome, my dear.

Sit back and enjoy it all to your heart's content.

Aww.....

Jonathan and Anna remind me of Darren B. and Lilia already

Great website. Thanks for the info EyesOFire50.
Also check out Jim and Julie's Rumba. In the end it has a lift quite similar to the one James and Camilla did in the beginning of their Foxtrot during the Christmas Special In this clip it is easier to see how it's done. For all the none-believers out there: watch: 'no ropes'

It's interesting seeing other versions of SCD but IMO nothing beats ours