savion glover

The three-part premiere week finally reached its conclusion, and one star was sent packing. Tom's introduction really played up the battle of the sexes angle, calling Week 1 a "dance duel." Drew returned as Tom's co-pilot, and I'm curious to see how long he'll stick around. As usual, there was a tidy summary of the previous night of performances. The men answered the call after Len's warning on Monday night. Like Jennie Garth, Cameron set the standard with his Foxtrot. In his post-performance interview, Cameron was very proud of all the work he did.


Floyd failed to impress the judges, but believed that the "fans don't lie." Mark Cuban won over the judges with his smile, and was thrilled in his interview. Wayne Newton earned the respect of the ballroom, and bragged that "old age and treachery will overcome youth and skill." That remark should have gotten a way bigger laugh. Albert Reed left Carrie Ann speechless and confused, and hoped that his pelvic thrusts earned him some fan support. Finally, Helio was declared to be the biggest threat among the men.

Cheetah Girl Sabrina Bryan and Mark Ballas were chosen to do the encore. Len said that they were the couple that best combined classic dancing and overall entertainment. I was a little surprised that he counted their routine among the best Cha Cha Chas in the history of the show, since he had such a problem with the hip-hop element. Now that I've seen all the routines, I agree with this choice. Sabrina and Mark definitely belonged at the top of the heap this week. I hope that they'll at least move away from the hip hop as the competition progresses; you cannot integrate that style into all types of ballroom dance. Or can you?

Tom and Drew provided a run-down of the combined judges' leaderboard. Josie and Alec were in dead last, which wasn't very encouraging, and Floyd and Karina were in eleventh place. I still can't believe that he got such a low score on Tuesday. Wayne and Cheryl rounded out the bottom group in tenth place. The five-way tie for fifth included Jennie Garth, Mark Cuban, Albert Reed, Cameron Mathison, and Marie Osmond. The lovely Jane Seymour and Melanie Brown tied for third place. Helio and Julianne landed in second place, behind Sabrina and Mark. Apparently, the couple had the highest first show score ever, which is pretty impressive.

The first portion of the elimination put two couples on the safe list. Sabrina and Mark are going on to Week 2, which wasn't much of a surprise. The crowd went crazy for their encore. Jennie Garth and Derek Hough were also put on the safe list. Jennie looked terrified at first, but was visibly relieved to be continuing in the competition. I'd like to see Jennie have a bit more confidence in the coming weeks and move away from the middle of the pack.

Dolly Parton performed her first song of the night, accompanied by pros Derek, Julianne, Mark, and Cheryl. She sang "9 to 5," which is one of my favorite songs of hers. I love that her look never changes--big hair, sparkly outfits, etc. There's something comforting about that kind of consistency. She always has such an expressive face during her performances, too. The highlight of the pros' routine was the back-to-back flips that Derek and Mark did. All in all, a fun little number.

Just in case the workout DVD wasn't enough, there's now a Dancing With The Stars book called Dancing With The Stars: Jive, Samba, and Tango Your Way Into the Best Shape of Your Life. It has a really long title, so you know it's good. If any of you actually buy the book, please fill us in on the details.

Backstage, Drew interviewed the male contestants and threw in a Top Gun reference for good measure. Cameron was nervous and felt that anyone could win the show. When asked which of the men would be back next week, Wayne cleverly replied "Drew!" Helio was confident but reserved about his chances. Floyd hoped that his fans' votes would help him advance. Mark got a rush from the competition, and Albert thanked his fans for the standing ovation. Thank your personal trainer, Albert.

The audience got a chance to throw in their two cents. Two young girls loved Jane Seymour and aspired to look like her, and I second that. We should all be so lucky to age that well. The Bachelor and Chris Harrison agreed that Josie was "pretty." Things were not looking good for Josie. There are now tons of Cheetahlicious fans out there. Women went crazy for Cameron's winning smile, and Albert was declared the best-looking male contestant. A girl in a beret was convinced that Floyd was robbed (seconded, again). At this point, it was anyone's game (except for Josie).

The second phase of the elimination put two more couples on the safe list. Helio and Julianne advanced to the second week, which was also not surprising. More shocking was the declaration that Albert and Anna were safe. The fans must have really come through for Albert and his open shirt. I think he just found his gimmick.

Drew interviewed the advancing couples backstage, and we learned that Sabrina and Mark are already looking ahead to next week. Jennie's confidence got a huge boost, and she thanked "whoever may have voted" for her. Helio made a comment about missing his helmet out on the dance floor, which prompted Drew to joke about the male professionals' helmet-like hair. Albert promised to keep his routines fun and sexy.

In the first of a new series of performances called "Stars of Dance," Savion Glover and Bare Sounds did a phenomenal tap routine. It began with a cool dark, shadowy set-up. The costumes were certainly interesting: matching yellow shirts, pale blue pants, with Savion in some unusual green shoes. Bare Sounds consisted of two male dancers and three women who essentially served as fly girls of some sort. I don't have the dance vocabulary to describe the group's moves, but they were incredible. I wonder who they'll get for the next installment?

Dolly Parton was back with a pros-free performance from her new album (the hilariously named Backwoods Barbie). The song, "Better Get to Livin," was one of those country songs where the singers put themselves into the lyrics, kinds of like "Mississippi Girl" by Faith Hill. Dolly imparted the standard country music advice about not sweating the small stuff and keeping your chin up. I might sound like I'm being critical, but I'll probably end up singing along with the song on the radio in a few weeks.

Finally, the return of Kenny Mayne! I was disappointed that they didn't bring DanceCenter back, but The Origins of Dance was funny in its own way. Anything beats Jimmy Kimmel and Guillermo. Dressed in a sparkly blue dance shirt and walking along a "generic beach," Kenny imparted some of the history of dance. He wasn't able to get close to Stonehenge, but he did make it Africa, which "looks amazingly like Malibu." There was a lame Cavemen crossover, as if anything can save the show from all the bad buzz at this point. Kenny did a few man-on-the-street interviews, mostly with one weird guy and an amorous couple. He also took a few shots at fellow DWTS alumni Drew Lachey and George Hamilton. The segment was funny, but I'd rather see DanceCenter again. If it ain't broke...

Melanie Brown and Maksim were saved from elimination, as were Cameron Mathison and Edyta. The remaining couples started to look concerned. The announcement was followed by a segment about the physical and mental aspects of training, as well as the subsequent judgment. For some reason it was important for those elements to be in all caps.

After being spooked by Tom's description of her performance, Jane Seymour was put on the safe list. Wayne Newton's fans came through and helped him advance to Week 2. This left Floyd, Marie, Josie and Mark. Tom announced that either Marie Osmond or Josie Maran received the lowest overall total for the women, and we all knew who it was. Marie advanced, and Josie was put in the bottom two. Thankfully, Floyd was put the advancing group, which put Mark in the bottom two as well. Both Mark and Josie had the lowest overall total for their night.

Josie and Alec looked completely miserable, and were put out of their misery after a commercial break and a long pause. They both took it so hard, and I truly felt bad for them. Tom baited Josie into confronting the judges, and Josie simply said "Thanks for being honest. Is that what it is?" It was a fair question. Alec urged their fans to give their votes to Cameron and Edyta next week. The couple's parting dance was performed to The Cars' "Drive." Interesting side note: Ric Ocasek, the lead singer of The Cars, is married to former contestant Paulina Porizkova.

This week's elimination wasn't much of a shock, but that's typical for this point in the competition. On to next week! The results are in...

Seriously, is there a single person with even half an ounce of common sense who thought she'd make it? Pretty as she may be, as I said before, looks aren't everything, and as Len said last night, you never get a second chance to make a first impression. Alas, Josie Maran and Alec Mazo are no more.

Two things bothered me. One: there is nothing quite as obnoxious as that final commercial break before the results are unveiled. I hate commercials to begin with, and that last little "ooh, it's so suspenseful, what's gonna happen?" is just annoying. And two: I thought Mark did surprisingly well on Tuesday, and his score was higher than Floyd's, so I was surprised that he had the lowest judge and public combined score. I guess what everyone's been saying is true. It's anybody's game and you never know who's going home.




Bonus highlights of the night were appearances by country star, Dolly Parton, who sang her classic, "9 to 5" and one of her new songs, "Better Get to Livin'," and possibly the greatest tap dancer in the world, Savion Glover. I really enjoyed the pros dancing to Dolly, that was fun. Plus, it's always nice to see what the dancing is supposed to look like. Savion is awesome, and his effortless, happy tapping was a nice detour from all the stress and criticism that surrounds the guilty pleasure that is Dancing with the Stars.


If you've seen tap-dance whiz Savion Glover slam the floor, his shirt drenched and dreadlocks flying, you know that tap can be a real workout. And if you've got a little Broadway in you, you may have thought, "Gee, I want to do that."


JIM BAIRD / Union-Tribune
Pam Thompson-Spinner, teaching a class at Hammonds Dance Studio, says tap dancing is great for bone density.
Tap classes are offered at various locations around San Diego, and depending on how you do it, tap dance can be a heart-pumping gallop à la Glover, or you can take things at a calmer pace � think Fred Astaire.

Either way, tap dance is a terrific exercise whose benefits include cardiovascular conditioning, strength, flexibility and coordination. There's also the boost to cognitive functioning that, according to recent studies, comes from committing dance routines to mental and muscle memory.

� JANICE STEINBERG
Josie Maran never had problems striking a pose. Pulling off a foxtrot turned out to be a different story.

The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition cover girl was voted off of Dancing with the Stars Wednesday, becoming the first casualty of the hit ABC show's fifth season.

While Maran, 29, certainly looked stunning in her glittering backless gown, the long skirt couldn't hide what judge Len Goodman called her "one constant": bad footwork.

Resident metaphor king Bruno Tonioli compared the model-actress to "a beautiful sailing ship stranded on a sand bank" and Maran's 16 was the lowest score of all 12 competitors.

"Thanks for being honest, is that what it is?" a glum yet gracious Maran told the judges after getting the news.

"Thank you for this amazing experience…This has changed my life. I have the dancing bug―and I'm going to dance alone," she added sassily.

Partner Alec Mazo, who won the inaugural Dancing crown with Kelly Monaco two summers ago, told the fans at home to reroute their votes to his wife of four weeks, Edyta Sliwinska, who's dancing this season with All My Children star Cameron Mathison.

Barely hanging in there was billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban, who was in the middle of the pack, score-wise, with a 21, but who apparently doesn't yet have the built-in fan base that boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr., who only earned an 18 but is 38-0 in the ring, has.

As expected, the appropriately dashing racecar driver Hélio Castroneves and Cheetah Girl Sabrina Bryan, praised for her "surgical precision" footwork, were among the first celebs to find out they were safe for the week.

Bryan and partner Mark Ballas Jr., making his first Dancing appearance, scored a 27 Monday, the highest first-week total awarded to a couple in the show's history. But after praising the 23-year-old for her rockin' cha-cha, judge Carrie Ann Inaba warned the Disney Channel star not to trot any more hip-hop moves out to the ballroom.

"We're already starting to rehearse for next week―tonight!" Bryan told guest host Drew Lachey backstage. Lachey is filling in for Samantha Harris, who's on maternity leave.

Castroneves foxtrotted his way to a 26, which tied the previous record set by Mario Lopez and Karina Smirnoff on the first episode of season three.

Dolly Parton also stopped by Wednesday night to sing her Oscar-nominated tune "9 to 5" and the new single "Better Get to Livin" from her latest album, Backwoods Barbie. Additionally, tap-dancer extraordinaire Savion Glover brought in noise, funk and some major style with his signature "how does a person's feet move so fast!" brand of showmanship.

Also as expected, Dancing with the Stars hit the ground running this week. Monday's premiere averaged 21.3 million viewers, putting it on par with last season's March debut. We'll wait and see whether the show's new three-night format can maintain the momentum.

Eleven contestants remain to hoof it out for bragging rights and the prestigious disco ball trophy.



THEM BONES: Tap dance also makes the grade as a weight-bearing exercise that can promote bone density, says Pam Thompson-Spinner, director of the San Diego-based California Rhythm Project. "My bone density is like that of a 19-year-old," says Thompson-Spinner, who started tap-dancing as a teenager and is now 55.

Best of all, she says, tap � done to music that includes jazz, pop, or, in a recent Glover show, Beethoven � makes exercise a joy. "You're connecting with something that's like the river of life."

ALL-AMERICAN: Tap is a uniquely American form, a mix of African and British Isles traditions that came together in the U.S. beginning in the 1600s. The footwork is related to step dancing, while the syncopated rhythms are African.



JIM BAIRD / Union-Tribune
Proper shoes, which cost between $60 and $85, are essential gear when taking a tap dancing class.
Tap builds strength in the legs and feet and flexibility in the hips, knees and ankles; the joints have to be loose, or you won't produce a clear sound. There are also general conditioning effects. "I can't tap without my entire body and core responding," Thompson-Spinner says.

While anyone with joint issues should avoid Glover's high-impact approach, tap offers a range of styles. Many famous hoofers have kept going for decades; Astaire did his last performance at 76.

GETTING STARTED: Thompson-Spinner teaches an adult class at Hammond Studio of Dance in Solana Beach, and you can find classes at other private studios, community colleges and through the San Diego Park and Recreation Department's Civic Arts Dance Program. (The city program's fall semester starts next week.)

A typical class goes for one to two hours. You'll be introduced to individual steps � for instance, crawls and shuffles � and then try them in combinations. Classes often include rhythm training, for instance, hearing the instructor clap a sequence and repeating it.



AdvertisementThe only equipment you'll need is a pair of tap shoes, which can be found at several local stores that specialize in dance shoes. Wear clothes that are comfortable to move in. Cropped pants will let you see what your feet and ankles are doing.
COST: A pair of basic tap shoes runs $60-$85. San Diego's Civic Arts Dance Program costs $35 per semester. Classes at private studios cost $10-$15 per class, and the classes tend to be smaller.

Contacts: Hammond Studio of Dance, (858) 481-1464. San Diego