Emmanuel Pierre-Antoine with Joanna Zacharewicz Rocked!

[DanceMentor]

I just LOVED the mambo demonstration tonight. What a great performance.
Does anyone know about these people?
I believe Emmanuel had a different partner in 2004. Am I right?

[alemana]

yeah alexandra gregoire

[Big10]

"Rocked" is a strong word, but I did think they had an entertaining routine, with great stage presence. Probably my favorite "guest performers" of this season.

[salsera_alemana]

I was positively surprised tonight! After all the salsa disappointments on this show I had not put my hopes up. And what I saw of them on Wednesday night did not impress me. But I am not a ballroom dancer and the "artificial look" and the exaggerated moves always bother me. I am just used to a different kind of dancing. Tonight I liked their performance! And considering all the terrible music on this show it was a real surprise to hear a real mambo being played. This was the first time that the audience got an idea of what mambo/salsa really is.

Nevertheless, I would have preferred a "real" mambo by one of the mambo greats out there, e.g. Jason Molina.

[africana]

OMGGGG THAT MAMBO WAS RIGHTEOUS!!!!!!

thanks for telling me about it alemana :D :D

[mamboqueen]

Loved it! He is soooooo made for that dance. And she was quite good, too. I had only seen him with Alexandra. Glad they did a half-way decent job with the song, too. (Anyone want to comment on the head kick??? *LOL*)

[Medira]

(Anyone want to comment on the head kick??? *LOL*)
Hee! It made me wonder what he had done for something like that to have come up when they were choreographing the routine. :tongue:

Seriously though, I loved the performance. I thought it was great!

[gusmahler]

Nevertheless, I would have preferred a "real" mambo by one of the mambo greats out there, e.g. Jason Molina.
They (Pierre-Antoine/Zacharewicz) were on the OSB on PBS. They finished 3rd in the Mambo, 5th overall in American Rhythm

http://www.douglassassociates.com/ohiostar/osb05_ResultsCategory_11.htm

[chachachacat]

I really enjoyed the Mambo performance! This was my favorite dance for a long time. They had a good strong "hold" on the one.

[Porfirio Landeros]

If you think about it, other than the mambo Bob Powers and Julia Gorchakova did on an episode of the old PBS ballroom series, this is probably the first time the "world" has seen the best of the ballroom world doing Mambo.

Over the years, I've heard lots of people make blanket negative ballroom-mambo judgements based on what they've seen people doing in their local clubs/studios, but those really in the competitive ballroom world are striving for performances like the one on Friday night.

I'm really so happy people are finally seeing the cream of the crop... BTW, as the U.S./World rhythm champ, Tony D. can do a kick-@ss Mambo, too.

[africana]

oh make no mistake: ballroom mambo is quite different from the club mambo/salsa

However, I can appreicate excellence when I see it, and that includes seeing THAT mambo for what it is: excellent competitve ballroom mambo
that choreography was AWESOME, but that's just what it is: choreography.
it's a different game from social non-choreographed non-competitive club/street mambo/salsa, a different culture too

and I've never seen any ballroomers dance so expressively/explosively/creatively socially, so I assume it's a performance/competitve thing depending on the abilities & influences of the choreographer....but then I don't watch much of ballroom ;)

[Joe]

Um, social/street dancing and performance dancing are two very different animals. There's little point in even comparing or contrasting them in the context of a performance show like DWTS.

[salsera_alemana]

excellent competitve ballroom mambo
that choreography was AWESOME, but that's just what it is: choreography.
it's a different game from social non-choreographed non-competitive club/street mambo/salsa, a different culture too

africana, I agree with you on that! I really enjoyed it, too!

and I've never seen any ballroomers dance so expressively/explosively/creatively socially, so I assume it's a performance/competitve thing depending on the abilities & influences of the choreographer....but then I don't watch much of ballroom ;)

I have! My hubby recorded some US ballroom show performances from the different ballroom categories a couple of years ago on TV that we have on tape. There was a real exciting mambo couple, the lady was definitely Latin and had the Latin "fire" and body moves. It is my favorite dance on that tape and it is phantastic. They got standing ovations. I would have to find the tape to see who this couple was.

[GJB]

I think you are referring to John Abrams & Adriana Chessa. She teaches at a studio in NJ but does not compete professionally anymore.

[alemana]

OMGGGG THAT MAMBO WAS RIGHTEOUS!!!!!!

thanks for telling me about it alemana :D :D

you're welcome... i had a feeling you would feel it :)

that routine was mostly their competitive routine - i've seen it quite a few times now and it just gets better. expressiveness is a very important stregnth of both of those dancers - they are very well-matched in that regard. it's also extremely sound technically, but part of what makes this routine so great is that the technical part is transparent - what comes through is their feeling and musicality. if only more dancing were like that!

[alemana]

btw the whole performance is up on raphael's blog.

[africana]

oh sweet! It's worth downloading - what's the link to the blog?

[africana]

it's also extremely sound technically, but part of what makes this routine so great is that the technical part is transparent - what comes through is their feeling and musicality. if only more dancing were like that! amen!!

[alemana]

journals.rpungin.fotki.com/dwts/