Carrie Ann in the hot seat!

[Beto]

Those comments she made about the professional dancers have caused a bit of a backlash. I was just now flipping channels between Entertainment Tonight and Access Hollywood and on the latter we heard comments from Maksim, Drew, Louis (who looked really P.O.'d). Anna said that Carrie Ann "should be really careful about what she says" and Maksim said "She has to understand that we are professionals and that what we're putting together we did in 3 days". Drew said "the professionals are dancing down to our level." Lisa was somewhat defensive and said that Carrie Ann probably had a moment like hers (Lisa's) in that she put her foot in her mouth.

[Big10]

Some of the things that offend ballroom aficionados are very peculiar to me. If anything, I'm surprised that Bruno isn't in the hot seat for his "kamikaze" remark directed at Carrie Ann. That was the most offensive thing I've seen on the show over the past two seasons, and it doesn't surprise me that most of that verbal exchange was even censored on the West Coast.

[SDsalsaguy]

Good for them! Louis in particular could both dance and choreograph circles around that *bleepity bleep bleep*!!!

[Beto]

Some of the things that offend ballroom aficionados are very peculiar to me. If anything, I'm surprised that Bruno isn't in the hot seat for his "kamikaze" remark directed at Carrie Ann. That was the most offensive thing I've seen on the show over the past two seasons, and it doesn't surprise me that most of that verbal exchange was even censored on the West Coast.
Bruno's comment was outta line given Carrie Ann's ethnic background.

As far as the professional ballroom dancers are concerned they have every right to be p.o.'d given Carrie Ann's naive comments.

Was the show really censored on the West Coast????

[musicchica86]

ANY of them could.

Like I said in the main thread, if any pro watching that show wasn't offended, I'm offended enough for them. I've been dancing ballroom at least a lot longer than Stacey, and I know my pro's way better than I will EVER be.

[pygmalion]

Carrie Ann's remarks were pretty offensive, I thought. But then, I wonder what kinds of dumb things I'd have to say, if I were ad-libbing on a live show in front of millions of spectators.


Of course, the controversy can only help ABC. Hmm... :rolleyes:

[SDsalsaguy]

Was the show really censored on the West Coast????
Yes, it was "bleeped."

[pygmalion]

What was bleeped? :?

[SDsalsaguy]

Carrie Ann's remarks were pretty offensive, I thought. But then, I wonder what kinds of dumb things I'd have to say, if I were ad-libbing on a live show in front of millions of spectators.
That's tha thing though, she can comment on line, posture, musicallity, etc. -- her comment to Stacey was absurd, as is the idea that she can tell Louis ANYTHING about ballroom samba!

[Beto]

What was bleeped? :?

Whoa.:shock: Which snippets of dialogue got bleeped? If it's one thing I noticed about last night's show it was that the judges kept talking over each other and overlapping. I had to pause, rewind my tape, turn on the captions and watch again.

[SDsalsaguy]

What was bleeped? :?
Bruno's slur at the idiotic one.

[pygmalion]

Ahh. Yep. Kamikaze was way too un-PC for an American audience.

[pygmalion]

That's tha thing though, she can comment on line, posture, musicallity, etc. -- her comment to Stacey was absurd, as is the idea that she can tell Louis ANYTHING about ballroom samba!

Yeah. I think it's fairly well established that she's clueless. :? I can only wonder why she's still on the show. They replaced the co-host from the first season. Why not replace Carrie Ann?

[SDsalsaguy]

I'm thinking it may be in my best interest not to go back for any more tapings... :?

[alemana]

please use the term "PC" correctly. it wasn't bleeped bbecause it was 'un PC.' it was bleeped because it was potentially or patently offensive, which is entirely different.

[pygmalion]

Don't get me started.

I found the remark offensive on its face. I'll leave it at that. :cool:

[pygmalion]

I'm thinking it may be in my best interest not to go back for any more tapings... :?

Why? Are you going to be overcome with righteous indignation and go tell Carrie Ann a thing or two? Nah.

Go for the tapings, if you can. This is history in the making. :cool: :)

[SDsalsaguy]

Yeah, historty in the making alright... "And in tonight's top story, an irate DWTS fan disrupted the show to tell one of the judges exactly how clueless she was about ballroom dancing..." :oops: :oops:

[pygmalion]

ROTFL! At least you'd make it to Entertainment Tonight. :lol:

[Frodo]

ANY of them could.

Like I said in the main thread, if any pro watching that show wasn't offended, I'm offended enough for them. I've been dancing ballroom at least a lot longer than Stacey, and I know my pro's way better than I will EVER be.

I'm pretty surprised, and find it quite depressing, how touchy / easily offended competitive orientated ballroom dancers seem to be about it.


Yeah. I think it's fairly well established that she's clueless. :? I can only wonder why she's still on the show. They replaced the co-host from the first season. Why not replace Carrie Ann?
This is an entertainment show, which as a side effect is likely to do ballroom dancing a whole lot of good. Carrie Ann fulfils a role in that, and provides some balance IMO.

I'd be really sorry to see her go from an entertainment standpoint.

[Bradamant]

I'm pretty surprised, and find it quite depressing, how touchy / easily offended competitive orientated ballroom dancers seem to be about it.



This is an entertainment show, which as a side effect is likely to do ballroom dancing a whole lot of good. Carrie Ann fulfils a role in that, and provides some balance IMO.

I'd be really sorry to see her go from an entertainment standpoint.

I don't think I'm touchy or easily offended. Really. I think I am pretty good at letting most of the absurd aspects of the show roll of my ducky feathers. I accepted early last year that this show is an entertainment and an illusion with a great deal of scripting and "packaging."

Carrie Ann's comment was just bizarre. Out of left field. Not to mention untrue. Pathetically untrue, actually. I am just trying to wrap my mind around what motivated her to say something so DUMB. It was not politic, oui? Even if it could in a million years be construed as true. If she actually believes such a thing, it really undermines my confidence in her as a judge. Just . . . bizarre.

[pygmalion]

This is an entertainment show, which as a side effect is likely to do ballroom dancing a whole lot of good. Carrie Ann fulfils a role in that, and provides some balance IMO.

I'd be really sorry to see her go from an entertainment standpoint.

I agree that it's an entertainment show. That's why I wondered aloud, earlier in this thread (I think,) if perhaps her "offhand" remark wasn't all that offhand. The controversy can only do ABC good. Yeah? :cool:

I agree with you. Reality TV isn't real. :wink:

[Joe]

ROTFL! At least you'd make it to Entertainment Tonight. :lol:
If not the hoosegow. ;)

[pygmalion]

Anything, even the hoosegow, in the name of ones art. :wink:

[Chris Stratton]

In light of this thread, I've just been comparing the videos of Tony & Stacey vs Louis & Lisa, and I think I have an idea of what prompted the contrast in Carrie Ann's comments:

Louis' samba interpretation is too subtle for Lisa to copy in a way that preserves excitement. For that kind of understated action to work, he'd need a partner who could similarly move from point to point with precision - creating the action, without making it look like work. With a partner who can't do that, it just looks half-hearted - you see the disco element in the music and miss the samba, not because it isn't there (it is if you only look at him), but because it's not an overtly obvious joint element.

In contrast, Tony & Stacey didn't exactly dance a perfect samba either, but what they did matched very well between the two of them, and it was loud and energetic enough to have quite a bit of appeal in this setting. For the purposes of TV, that's a win.

Notice the other judges gave Louis & Lisa 9's compared to the 10 for Tony & Stacey.

Beyond the contributing factors though, I really have a problem with people saying that Carrie Ann needs to be carefull what she says. She may not be qualified to judge a ballroom competition, but that's the producer's problem, not hers. For someone to judge, they need to have the freedom to call things as they seem them without influence of other's opinions or existing rankings - otherwise you might as welll fill out the scorsheets before the dance.

[pygmalion]

She may not be qualified to judge a ballroom competition, but that's the producer's problem, not hers. For someone to judge, they need to have the freedom to call things as they seem them without influence of other's opinions or existing rankings - otherwise you might as welll fill out the scorsheets before the dance.

Hmm. Food for thought, Chris. :cool:

[Bradamant]

In light of this thread, I've just been comparing the videos of Tony & Stacey vs Louis & Lisa, and I think I have an idea of what prompted the contrast in Carrie Ann's comments:

Louis' samba interpretation is too subtle for Lisa to copy in a way that preserves excitement.

That's interesting as far as it goes. I'm more interested why Carrie Ann would make her left-field comment to the first dancer of the night.


Beyond the contributing factors though, I really have a problem with people saying that Carrie Ann needs to be carefull what she says. She may not be qualified to judge a ballroom competition, but that's the producer's problem, not hers. For someone to judge, they need to have the freedom to call things as they seem them without influence of other's opinions or existing rankings - otherwise you might as welll fill out the scorsheets before the dance.

I don't have a problem with people saying that Carrie Ann should watch what she says, because I am of the opinion that all people should be careful what they say. I don't think expecting Carrie Ann or anyone else on the show to refrain from making statements like "You're getting better than some of the pros" to a rank amateur in any way impinges on the freedom or integrity of the reality show judging.

As for the substance of their comments: I've disagreed with Len Bruno and Carrie Ann in the past. I've agreed with each of them in the past. I've never taken them all that seriously, just as I try mightily not to take the show too seriously, but rather sit back and enjoy the spectacle and exposure.

This one comment from Carrie Ann was beyond the Pale and should not have come out of her mouth.

[Joe]

For someone to judge, they need to have the freedom to call things as they seem them without influence of other's opinions or existing rankings - otherwise you might as welll fill out the scorsheets before the dance.
You mean, like the instance when they had to "correct" the score Carrie-Ann displayed? ;)

[Larinda McRaven]

I for one was not offended. If I were offended that easily I probably wouldn't be hanging out here...! Non-ballroom people say things all the time that sound absurd to me. Heck even my family makes wacko statements about dancing that make me cringe, but I am not offended. I just remember that they are not ballroom people that have the same perceptions as me or my peers.

I have many students that go out dancing in restaurants and dinner clubs... or cruises. They eventually come back to a lesson and say. "We had so much fun dancing on that cruise... everyone thought we were professionals!" So am I to be offended? Not really, it just means that as a teacher I am doing a good job of elevating students to a level that the "layman" is impressed.

Sure the ballroom people with a clue can tell the difference. But that is our area of expertise and passion, we should know the difference. Carrie-Ann is simply stating things from a general non-ballroom audience perspective.

[pygmalion]

Good point, Larinda. On some level, I keep forgetting that this show is "for entertainment purposes only," and not really about dance.

Maybe C-A serves a useful purpose, after all. :wink: :lol:

[Chris Stratton]

This one comment from Carrie Ann was beyond the Pale and should not have come out of her mouth.

I think she probably got carried away - they all did, but she may have been a bit more beyond logic than the rest.

I do think though that this was one of the few times on the show when it was not constantly, glaringly obvious to the causal eye which partner was the teacher and which the student - and while that impression lasts there's some reason to feel like the student has arrived at a new level of performance. That does not make her better than the pros in the general case, however some of the holding the pro in awe rebuttal reactions also seem a bit beyond reality. Everyone makes mistakes, everyone has issues they are still working to overcome, and students can learn to start to see those things long before they match their teacher's length or depth of experience.

[Big10]

This one comment from Carrie Ann was beyond the Pale and should not have come out of her mouth.
As opposed to Bruno's "kamikaze" comment? Do you think Carrie Ann's comment was worse than his?


On some level, I keep forgetting that this show is "for entertainment purposes only," and not really about dance.
I never forget that, especially since I'm not a ballroom person anyway. Perhaps that's why Bruno's non-ballroom comment offended me much worse than Carrie Ann's ballroom-related one (although I'm still surprised that more ballroom people seem to disregard Bruno's).

Moreover, from a purely entertainment standpoint, I would actually agree with Carrie Ann -- watching Stacy dance is sometimes more entertaining to me than watching many of the ballroom pros do their stuff. I feel the same way about the entertainment value of Drew and Cheryl.

I was reminded of the differences when Jonathan and Anna danced during the PCD's version of "Sway." In many ways, Anna is just as physically attractive to me as Stacy is (hubba-hubba for both of them :raisebro: ), so it's not about that -- it's just that the most technically correct ballroom movements are a little too sharp and "extreme" for my tastes. The slightly toned-down version of ballroom resulting from the pro/celebrity pairings is a big part of the reason why I could stay glued to the TV for 8 weeks of DWTS, but I don't think I could watch 8 weeks of a pure ballroom competition comprised solely of pros. Carrie Ann probably speaks for many of us who know enough about dancing to appreciate the general skills involved, and to know what we like as entertainment, even if we don't know the technicalities of the various ballroom dances.

[Bradamant]

As opposed to Bruno's "kamikaze" comment? Do you think Carrie Ann's comment was worse than his?

First, I did not hear the Kamikaze comment, perhaps, as I am on the West Coast, it was censored as someone posted earlier.
Second, any shouting matches between the three escape me because I cannot and will not focus on what they are screaching about.
Third, You have no earthly idea how I despise racism; do not dare infer or insinuate anything beyond the meaning of a my very specific comment in response to another specific comment about "Ballroom people" taking offense to Carrie Ann's statement re: Stacy being better than some of the pros.

[Joe]

Carrie-Ann is simply stating things from a general non-ballroom audience perspective.
Well, that's probably all she's qualified to do...I have no idea what her previous exposure is to ballroom. Bruno, at least, had been judging the British version previously to DWTS.

[wyllo]

What bothered me about the comment is that Carrie Anne didn't say something along the lines of 'you could be a pro." She directly compared Stacey to the pros on the show and said Stacey was getting better than some of them. It just struck me as a bit rude, but I do agree with people who have said its nothing to get worked up about. After all, competitive dancers are constantly being judged and hopefully have a thick skin.

[mamboqueen]

I just did one of these: :rolleyes:

I can't imagine any of the pros would have been offended given that it came from a non-ballroom person.

I, too, missed the kamikaze comment, so not knowing the context, I couldn't say anything one way or the other. Is it something he would have said to Len??

[Big10]

I, too, missed the kamikaze comment, so not knowing the context, I couldn't say anything one way or the other. Is it something he would have said to Len??
The uncensored version is on Raphael Pungin's website. It's during the judges' evaluation of Lisa & Louis's Samba. Either in or out of context, Bruno's reference had absolutely nothing to do with the meaning of the word "kamikaze." So, no, it's not something Bruno would have said to Len, since it was completely unrelated to Carrie Ann's preceding statements, and the only conceivable connection was Carrie Ann's Asian (by way of Hawaii) appearance. Moreover, in the context of the heated exchange, it's very clear that Bruno intended it as an insult.

Carrie Ann was clearly flustered by it and tried to joke it off. Tom Bergeron immediately recognized it as inappropriate and made a joke about "the PC police" coming to get Bruno. The comments aired live in the Eastern and Central time zones, but ABC censored the exchange for the tape-delayed version on the West Coast.

[mamboqueen]

Yikes! I hope she got some sort of apology out of him then. I generally like to give people the benefit of the doubt if there's some sort of gaffe that came out inappropriately, but was just a poor choice of words. This doesn't sound like the case. Lordy....

On the subject of Bergeron...I thought his comment about Drew's "string and peanut shell" costume was kind of funny....something to the effect that not many men he knew would admit to a peanut shell doing the trick.

[Medira]

On the subject of Bergeron...I thought his comment about Drew's "string and peanut shell" costume was kind of funny....something to the effect that not many men he knew would admit to a peanut shell doing the trick.
Oh man, did you see the band members cracking up behind him after he made that comment?

[Ralph]

I think Bruno can drink Fook Yu's blood, and the other way around. I mean, it could be something Bruno would say as a joke. But the way he sad it, it sounded pretty insulting.

[africana]

just a random thought when I saw this topic:

how come it's okay for ballroom posters here to write harsh critiques on these celebrities who have ONLY been learning ballroom for a few weeks, as though they expect them to already be at a pro competitors level, but somehow it's not okay for Carrie Ann to voice a converse -though erronoues opinion - that these novices are getting improving faster than pros lol ??
All the praises and curses here focus so much on how poor some aspect of the celebrities dacing is - but compared to what? to pros? to real amateurs? THose celebrities who progress at a "normal" real-life rate are constantly belittled and berated in favor of the "naturally"-talented ones?
That's too is cheapening the amount of work that real dancers/pros have to put in to get to where they are, and i think just as bad as Carrie Ann's comments

[alemana]

interesting.

i think the main difference is, most of the posters on this board know something about ballroom, and see their commentary as a corrective to the impression of ballroom dancing that the show, intentionally or not, promulgates.

i don't think any of us expect the celebrities to be at a pro competitor level, but what burns us up is when blatantly false criteria is used to 'evaluate' the dancing.

speaking as a person with glaringly NEGATIVE natural talent, i like to root for the underdogs, sometimes at the risk of common sense. some people, on the other hand, just want their eye to be pleased - in that case, the effect of several toned yards of leggy female flesh (aka stacey) is immediate.

[alemana]

i mean if i were watching a televised salsa competition and they had Johnny Knoxville and Jenny McCarthy judging the salsa, and stupid crap came out of their mouths, i'd tell them to shut the hell up too :)

[africana]

interesting.

i think the main difference is, most of the posters on this board know something about ballroom, and see their commentary as a corrective to the impression of ballroom dancing that the show, intentionally or not, promulgates. hmmm yeah that makes sense, and we gotta admit it's entertaining to notice everything that's going wrong ;)

although sometimes it comes across as making oneself feel better about themselves by pointing out flaws in others, to assure oneself and others how good you really are

[fascination]

this is an excellent exchange...I really enjoyed reading it...thanks guys

[alemana]

hmmm yeah that makes sense, and we gotta admit it's entertaining to notice everything that's going wrong ;)

although sometimes it comes across as making oneself feel better about themselves by pointing out flaws in others, to assure oneself and others how good you really are

yes on the entertainment value. plus, the entire modus operandi of reality contest shows is the tension between expert commentators and Joe Blow Public. this is a big part of the reason why America has embraced these shows - we like pitting ourselves against experts.

another point: most of the ballroom dancers i know are beginners like myself. i experience the show as sort of educational in that it gives me a chance to play judge, which is useful because typically I am the one being judged, not the other way around.

[alemana]

and finally, since i myself dance pro-am, seeing other pro-am couples (the contestants on the show) gives me a HUGE dose of humble pie and motivation.

one week, for example - the week they did rumba i think - i saw so many DREADFUL swivels on the part of the female amateurs that i resolved to clean my own swivels up so i never looked that bad.

[africana]

Ok that's huge! The fact that this show is really contributing to the growth of other *real* dancers like a mirror....so that makes these celebrities sort of heroes, taking JUST one week to learn each dance and some of them managing to fool some of the audience (people like me lol) into thinking that they know what they're doing, when they may be mostly clueless

that's huge, they deserve some applause for that :) Plus they even managed to fool Carrie Ann :lol:

[alemana]

i think they are doing Cliff's Notes dancing, pretty much.

[alemana]

i mean in terms of how much they can absorb and demonstrate with so little time. basically each pro decides what to sacrifice (because of time) and what to show (in an attempt to highlight the amateur dancer's stregnths and score well.)

let's note this is not that distant from what *my* pro does when he choreographs with me, except that of course there's a THEORETICAL dedication to mastering 'the basics' first.

[LindyKeya]

Ok that's huge! The fact that this show is really contributing to the growth of other *real* dancers like a mirror....so that makes these celebrities sort of heroes, taking JUST one week to learn each dance and some of them managing to fool some of the audience (people like me lol) into thinking that they know what they're doing, when they may be mostly clueless

that's huge, they deserve some applause for that :) Plus they even managed to fool Carrie Ann :lol:

Just one week? Anyone with that amount of time in rehearsal could accomplish what these stars have in the course of one week. It only looks exceptional if you're comparing it to John Doe and his one group lesson (and maybe one private) a week.

What's more impressive is that they're willing to do it on national television.

[pygmalion]

What's more impressive is that they're willing to do it on national television.

Amen. It's a big risk they're all taking. :D

[alemana]

Just one week? Anyone with that amount of time in rehearsal could accomplish what these stars have in the course of one week.


don't really agree with that. folks without performance experience at all would likely fare significantly worse. i myself have been dancing 2.5 years, one of them seriously and preparing for competition, and i spent the entire last competition staring at the FLOOR while my coach stage-whispered at my downcast eyes, LOOK AT ME. LOOK. AT. ME.

[alemana]

in other words, "the steps" are only half the battle.

[LindyKeya]

As Master P has pretty clearly proven. ;)

[mamboqueen]

don't really agree with that. folks without performance experience at all would likely fare significantly worse. i myself have been dancing 2.5 years, one of them seriously and preparing for competition, and i spent the entire last competition staring at the FLOOR while my coach stage-whispered at my downcast eyes, LOOK AT ME. LOOK. AT. ME.


OMG! We have the same instructor!

[pygmalion]

*giggle*

[Medira]

Just one week? Anyone with that amount of time in rehearsal could accomplish what these stars have in the course of one week. It only looks exceptional if you're comparing it to John Doe and his one group lesson (and maybe one private) a week.

What's more impressive is that they're willing to do it on national television.
Step-wise, probably. I agree with alemana though...the steps and choreography are only a small part of the whole picture. What I like though, is the fact that it's showing the audience that anybody can do this. It's something that anybody can try! I think it sends a really positive message... John Doe can do this. Most likely, he won't be able to put in the same amount of time and effort, but that just means it'll take longer than just a week.

[Josh]

don't really agree with that. folks without performance experience at all would likely fare significantly worse. i myself have been dancing 2.5 years, one of them seriously and preparing for competition, and i spent the entire last competition staring at the FLOOR while my coach stage-whispered at my downcast eyes, LOOK AT ME. LOOK. AT. ME.

Yeah, but are you a celebrity? These people are used to being in the spotlight. It's easier for them than most people, since they are used to the cameras.

And from what I understand, they are practicing about 5-6 hours per day. 25-30 hours of private instruction on one dance? Yeah, that's a LOT of time. Even if it is crammed into one week. Most amateurs would look that good after that much time. After this show, they will have spent over 200 hours of private instruction with professionals. That's more than some pros have when they first go from amateur (i.e., not paid) to pro (paid) status. If you had 10 or so solid weeks of doing nothing but dancing all day every day, you'd come out looking just as good if not better than these celebs.

[alemana]

Yeah, but are you a celebrity? These people are used to being in the spotlight. It's easier for them than most people, since they are used to the cameras.




you misread - i agree with you. my point was, average person who is not a celebrity may be able to learn steps, but their performance anxiety/skills are significantly different.

celebs have an edge in the performance/anxiety front. hence my argument against the assertion "anybody" with that much instruction could "look that good."

[Josh]

you misread - i agree with you. my point was, average person who is not a celebrity may be able to learn steps, but their performance anxiety/skills are significantly different.

celebs have an edge in the performance/anxiety front. hence my argument against the assertion "anybody" with that much instruction could "look that good."

oh sorry for the misread... :oops:

[Big10]

After watching Stacy's jive, I think Carrie Ann was right. Stacy's partnerwork in that routine wasn't great, but her solo work was AWESOME -- timing, lines, everything!

I remember at least one professional jive demonstration from Louis/Ashly, and there may have been one more. In any event, Stacy's performance of jive footwork, flicks, timing, and body control was clearly on par with the professionals.

[wooh]

But she's dancing a choreographed routine, something she's used to. Let's see her do ANY lead/follow with a pro other than Tony, she'd never make it. As you said, her partnerwork wasn't great, and these are professional partner dancers. The pros could pull together a ballroom/latin routine in minutes, and if they had to, could go out and put on a suitable show with no prep. That's being a pro, that's being "as good as our pros."

[alemana]

dahlink, many competitive dancers, pro-am and pro, cannot dance lead-follow at all.

[Fedya]

But she's dancing a choreographed routine, something she's used to. Let's see her do ANY lead/follow with a pro other than Tony, she'd never make it. As you said, her partnerwork wasn't great, and these are professional partner dancers. The pros could pull together a ballroom/latin routine in minutes, and if they had to, could go out and put on a suitable show with no prep. That's being a pro, that's being "as good as our pros."

That is right; she is dancing a choreographed routine. That is what any pro or most amateurs especially at the top do. Competitive Ballroom is about the performance, and one easy thing to do is to get the steps down, so you can worry about everything else, footwork, appearance, and all the other technique. If a pro had to worry about that step was coming it would never work, because they do so many steps that are not in the syllabus, the woman would have no idea what the man wants, and the man would not know how to get the woman where he wants. They may be able to get through the dance, but it would not look polished at all.

As for being a pro, it takes time and experience. The people on this show only have a few weeks of ballroom and every week is a different dance. I agree that she would not stand a chance if she was entered in a real competition, but that is the commentary you get from a non ballroom judge.

[Big10]

she is dancing a choreographed routine. That is what any pro or most amateurs especially at the top do. Competitive Ballroom is about the performance, and one easy thing to do is to get the steps down, so you can worry about everything else, footwork, appearance, and all the other technique.
That's basically my point. I'm not saying that Stacy could create a routine all by herself or do improvised lead/follow, but when you put Stacy in a pre-set routine, her sense of timing and her movements are just stunning.....even "as good as the pros."

[Joe]

dahlink, many competitive dancers, pro-am and pro, cannot dance lead-follow at all.
Yes, Zsa Zsa. ;)