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I'm surprised that a show such as Dancing With the Stars exists, with traditional dances like the waltz, and couple's dances like the foxtrot and the quickstep, and other intricate dances like the jive and the jitterbug. Hip-hop has not made it on the list. I keep getting optimistic that our contemporary culture yearns for beautiful things. The fact that young dancers like the Hough siblings (see below) are dedicating their dance careers to such types of dances, and that a show like DWTS exists, is perhaps proof of this optimism.
Still, this season's DWTS seems to be a repository of personalities we might shun under normal circumstances, but who now receive our weekly attention. That is of course true of most TV programs.
I've already written about Chaz Bono on DWTS, who keeps making it to another week of competition, and who made it through to next week by punching into the air to the theme song of Rocky.
I neglected to mention two other personalities.
The first, although it is hardly his fault, is Iraq war veteran J.R. Martinez who received burns to 40% of his body (including his face) when his truck went over a landmine. Cosmetic surgery and make-up does improve his facial scars, but I'm sure at one point wounded soldiers were more modest, and more retiring, about their injuries.
The other is the homosexual presenter of the fashion makeover show "Queer Eyes for the Straight Guy" Carson Kressley. There seems to be a common agreement that gay men are natural aesthetes. The history of aesthetics (art) is filled with straight men. Perhaps the few homosexuals we encounter are given unusual publicity, perhaps by gay art historians and the like, for their homosexuality.
Kressley's "gay flair" is so noticeable, and ever-present, that it overshadows (and cancels out) his other positive abilities.
On another note, half (of the twelve) professional dancers are Eastern European. This week, I noticed that two, Tony Dovolani and Maksim Chmerkovsky, were unduly harsh on their all-American partners, Chynna Phillips and Hope Solo (their bios are here). These are normally confident and outspoken women. They expected to participate in the dance creations and routines, rather than simply follow instructions. The men made it clear that they were the bosses, at times even walking out of rehearsals when they felt the women weren't allowing that to happen.
In a desperate bid, the women appealed to the men's "pride" by buttressing their egos with admiring words and self-effacing attitudes. It was awkward, and embarrassing to watch. Chynna Phillips got low scores and was sent home last night anyway. At her exit, a glint of regret escaped from her hardened face, as though she was angry at having succumbed to her partner's bully tactics. Next time, she'll know what to do when "culture" gets in the way.
On a positive note, there are the talented siblings Derek and Julianne Hough, who are the real stars of DWTS. I've written about Derek before, comparing him to Fred Astair. Julianne could be his Ginger Rogers. This video is of Derek and Julianne dancing together.
Now, let's just all vote next time and get rid of the "Chaz Bono factor" (i.e. the "freak show factor").