Meryl Davis is the Olympian figure skater from the US,who came back from the 2014 Winter Olympics with two medals, one gold and one bronze.
Derek Hough, the star dancer and instructor of Dancing With the Stars, choreographed the Ice Dancing routine, for which she won gold with her partner Charlie White (who is also competing in Dancing with the Stars this year)
Meryl is partnered with Maksim Chmerkovskiy, the competing "star" instructor of Dancing with the Stars, for the 2014 season.
Below is the video for week two, with her and Maksim doing the Foxtrot:
In week three, there was a "switch-up" of partners, and Meryl danced with Maksim's brother Valentin.
Here is the video, with her and Val doing the Tango:
Meryl is the talent to watch. She's received some flack for competing in Dancing With the Stars with her dancing background, but dancers are quick to point out that figure skating might actually be a disadvantage, for the kinds of moves that make up that discipline.
Derek won an Emmy for Choreography at the 2013 awards. For this episode of Dancing with the Stars, he choreographed the Dancing With The Stars Macy's Stars Of Dance. Below is the video:
It is a dark and sombre piece. But what is to be expected of young artists today influenced by vampires and dark fairy tales?
Still, the weavings of Derek's choreography shows true talent. Perhaps, at some point, he will find a better subject then death and destruction (or nihilism). The glimmer of hope is the beautiful young woman in the dance, who might be the muse trying to get out of the horror story.
But, at some point, beauty will have to stand side-by-side with talent, as I hoped at this posting in 2011 on another television dance competition, So You Think You Can Dance. One step at a time.
Dancing With the Stars is also one such show, where amateurs train for weeks to perform like graceful dancers. Some even succeed. And they can all go home and spread the message of beauty.
Posted By: Kidist P. Asrat
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------