“Dancing with the Stars” Recap: Disney Villains week

“Dancing with the Stars” had an action-packed second night in the ballroom Tuesday where dancers performed as everyone’s favorite Disney villains.

The stakes were high as there was a double-elimination at the end of the show.

Jimmie Allen and Emma Slater (Jazz)

Judges’ scores: 9, 8, 9, 9 (35/40)

Country music star Jimmie Allen danced an intense Jazz routine to “bad guy” by Billie Eilish, portraying the character of Captain Hook from “Peter Pan.”

He had a good sense of rhythm, and I enjoyed watching him embody his character. He broke out of his shell this week, and as judge Bruno Tonioli said, it was his best performance yet.

For next week, Jimmie should work on mastering the technique of the dance he learns. He’s feeling more free and confident onstage, so he can now focus on his dancing.

Cody Rigsby and Cheryl Burke (Viennese Waltz)

Judges’ scores: 8, 7, 8, 8 (31/40)

Fitness guru Cody Rigsby performed a light-hearted Viennese Waltz to “Gaston” from “Beauty and the Beast,” as he portrayed the song’s titular character.

His acting was great, and I liked how his body movement was open and expressive. I applaud him for learning two dances in three days. Since he and his partner both tested positive for COVID-19, and were quarantining for the past two weeks, they had Zoom rehearsals for most of the week.

Judge Derek Hough mentioned that Cody needs to work on getting lower in his legs. This will help him control his movement and it will balance him so he doesn’t have any stumbles.

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Melanie C and Gleb Savchenko (Viennese Waltz)

Judges’ scores: 9, 8, 9, 9 (35/40)

Sporty Spice Melanie C danced a powerful Viennese Waltz to “Once Upon A Dream” by Lana Del Rey while portraying the character of Maleficent.

Her dance was much cleaner than Monday night, and her frame and footwork stuck out to me. I also loved that she was focused and totally in character. Bruno described the dance as if the ballroom was put under a spell.

Melanie should improve on capturing the essence of the dance. Because it was Disney week, the professionals had more freedom in their choreography. I want to see her do a dance with a lot of content and technique in later weeks.

JoJo Siwa and Jenna Johnson Chmerkovskiy (Paso Doble)

Judges’ scores: 8, 9, 9, 9 (35/40)

“Dance Moms” star JoJo Siwa performed a strong Paso Doble to “Ways to Be Wicked” from “Descendants 2,” portraying Mal from “Descendants.”

She was fierce, powerful and strong, and she had good footwork and technique. The judges were split on her energy, though. While Carrie Ann Inaba thought it was hectic, Len Goodman thought it was controlled.

I would like to see JoJo work on where to focus her energy. I think it’s coming out in the character and emotion, rather than the steps. If she can focus her energy on the technique, it may look less hectic.

Kenya Moore and Brandon Armstrong (Viennese Waltz)

Judges’ scores: 7, 7, 8, 8 (30/40)

“Real Housewives” personality Kenya Moore danced a powerful Viennese Waltz to “Dangerous Woman” by Ariana Grande, as she portrayed The Evil Queen from “Snow White.”

There were beautiful and smooth turns, and I really liked how the performance was powerful and elegant at the same time.

Derek mentioned she needs to “own the fierceness.” She has the steps down, so now it’s all about being in the moment and really feeling confident while performing.

Iman Shumpert and Daniella Karagach (Argentine Tango)

Judges’ scores: 9, 7, 8, 8 (33/40)

Basketball player Iman Shumpert performed a majestic Argentine Tango to “Arabian Nights” from “Aladdin,” portraying Jafar.

The lifts at the beginning and ending of this dance were insane. The judges were amazed at how the performance brought them into the world as magic was happening around them.

Although this was an experience-based dance, I think Iman should work on his footwork and technique for next week.

Melora Hardin and Artem Chigvintsev (Jazz)

Judges’ scores: 9, 10, 9, 9 (37/40)

Actress Melora Hardin danced an intense Jazz routine to “Mother Knows Best” from “Tangled,” as she portrayed Mother Gothel.

The embodiment of the character, good lines and good lifts made Len say, “From Len, the 10” as she received the first 10 of the season and climbed to the top of the leaderboard.

Carrie Ann said Melora was playing it “a little safe,” so it’s best for her to work on showing her emotion through her movement. There should be no holding back.

The Miz and Witney Carson (Argentine Tango)

Judges’ scores: 9, 8, 9, 8 (34/40)

WWE star The Miz performed a strong Argentine Tango to “Be Prepared” from “The Lion King” while portraying Scar.

The Miz impressed me with the lifts in the beginning, and the sharpness and intensity throughout the dance. He had a good “specificity of movement” as Carrie Ann put it.

He should work on grounding his legs while lifting up his upper-body. It will help him a lot with balance and control, and it will eliminate the chance of stumbles in his performance.

Brian Austin Green and Sharna Burgess (Paso Doble)

Judges’ scores: 7, 6, 7, 7 (27/40)

Actor Brian Austin Green danced a powerful Paso Doble to “He’s a Pirate” from “Pirates of the Caribbean,” portraying Captain Barbossa.

I enjoyed watching him actually perform. It wasn’t a dance that required a love connection, so it forced Brian to move to portray his character.

Sadly, he was eliminated from the competition.

Matt James and Lindsay Arnold (Paso Doble)

Judges’ scores: 8, 7, 8, 8 (31/40)

“The Bachelor” star Matt James performed a dominant Paso Doble to “Jungle” by X Ambassadors & Jamie N Commons, portraying Kaa from “The Jungle Book.”

This was Matt’s best performance so far. He had intense energy and improved his technique. His facial expressions were good, and I could tell he was having fun portraying his character.

He was the second contestant to be eliminated this week through the judges’ decision to save Kenya Moore.

Olivia Jade and Val Chmerkovskiy (Jazz)

Judges’ scores: 8, 9, 9, 9 (35/40)

YouTube influencer Olivia Jade danced a cute Jazz routine to “Remember Me” from “Coco,” portraying Ernesto de la Cruz.

It shocked Derek that Oliva had no dance or performance experience, and that shocked me too. She’s a natural performer, and her personality shines onstage.

Carrie Ann said she danced a little safe. My advice for her is to work on energizing the movement of the dance while telling the story. The story and character should enhance the movement.

Suni Lee and Sasha Farber (Viennese Waltz)

Judges’ scores: 9, 8, 9, 9 (35/40)

Olympic gymnast Suni Lee performed a magical Viennese Waltz to “I Put a Spell on You” from “Hocus Pocus,” as she portrayed Winifred Sanderson.

As always, Suni’s technique and footwork was great. She finally broke out of her shell and this was the most expressive performance for her. Carrie Ann mentioned the performance matched the technique.

Going into next week, she should work on maintaining that energy. She needs to challenge herself to push her emotion and expression even further.

Amanda Kloots and Alan Bersten (Paso Doble)

Judges’ scores: 9, 9, 9, 9 (36/40)

Broadway performer and TV host Amanda Kloots performed a dynamic Paso Doble to “Call me Cruella” from “Cruella,” portraying — yep, you guessed it — Cruella.

Full of passion, intensity, power and scaring Len with a piercing stare, Amanda portrayed her character perfectly. I also loved how she was so in-sync with her partner.

There was a slight misstep and Derek recommended she should work on placing the arms instead of “whacking” them. This will help her confidence and presentation.

@LLFreiberg

freibell@miamioh.edu