Dancing with the Stars-positive or negative portrayal of the ballroom industry?

There is a huge debate of whether Dancing with the Stars is a positive or negative representation of competitive ballroom dancing. Honestly, I love every bit of publicity that this and So You Think You Can Dance has brought to our industry. For too long, dancers have worked so hard to achieve so little.

Dancers have just as much or more commitment as professional football, basketball, actors, poker players, etc.I hope that one day this new publicity will lead to more televised competitions and create awareness to the reality of the dance industry. This has happened with things like poker....and call me biased......but watching ballroom dance is more exciting than watching a stagnent, strategy driven game of poker. I would even argue there is more action watching ballroom than golf....but we will save that for another blog.

The one issue with the television shows such as Dancing with the Stars is that it does not produce a total picture of how someone really learns to dance.The concept of the show is produce quality television which requires a very particular scripted format.Watching celebrities learn basic syllabus steps will not be as desirable for TV ratings as flashy routines.Regular beginner ballroom students do not have the benefit of working with the industry's top professions eight hours a day every day for weeks at a time. Most beginners attend weekly group classes, a few private lessons, and lots of social dance functions.

The celebrities are not really learning how to honestly do the dancing. They are learning flashy choreography that is put together especially for them to PROTECT their lack of training.Although many of the tricks and spins are hard, they are not getting to truly understand the basics of how to make the dances work. The routines are designed by top pros (in addition to their instructors) in a way that the celebs' strengths are showcased and their weaknesses are covered up. This is a great strategy and does produce a better show.

This is why we saw fan favorites Jerry Springer and Wayne Newton use their showbiz skills in routines that allowed them to act more than dance. They put on an excellent show and their performing was stronger than their dancing. Good pro's dance "Pro Am" in the ballroom world. This is a normal every weekend occurance and covers all age groups. Many times in the showdance catagories, the routines can be similar to those we see with Dancing with the Stars.

The pros on the show have experience getting Am's through routines.The only difference is that at a competition, many pro's dance more "silent" to show off their student. On Dancing with the Stars, many of the pros dance just as hard or harder than they do on the competition floor. They treat it more as a competitive partner than a Pro Am. It is fun watching the pro's really go for it.

That is why they get injured, angry, and have all the same struggles as their regular professional partnerships. These pros really give it 100 percent and more! One difference is that in "Pro Am" there are required figures and stricter judging on the dance content than on television.Very traditional dancing may not be as appealing to a mainstream audience. I do not know how entertaining it would be to see Joey Fatone struggle through left boxes or for Cloris Leachman to struggle through step locks.

I am not saying these celebs could not learn. They could! They are extremly talented. Given the right circumstances, these pro's could turn these celebs into the most amazing dancers. What they do produce is short of a miracle and I am in know way downplaying their accomplishments.

The pros and celebs have my respect. For the pros to teach those dances in one week with that much material and complexity.....it is extremely impressive. It completely shows their abilities as pro's to and the celebs talent to learn.Although the dances aren't technically sound on every step, you can see the pro's have made some influence on things such as footwork, motion, lines, etc. The pros are able to sneak in technical aspects when they can, but it is impossible for them to produce a true, technically sound dance in one week.

The bad side of this is that the show presents dancing in a false reality. Many regular people think because their favorite NFL player danced well on the show, they should be fine because they played high school football.Some of them get frustrated at their local studios because they are taught basics, syllabus steps, and focus on technical aspects. Many students come into a studio for the first time expecting big tricks, lifts, and impressive drops.The students also become frustrated because dancing, just like any other sport is a private lesson function. Just as people take privates in golf or tennis, there are fees for ballroom lessons.

The celebs are not worrying about costs for lessons, outfits, or studio time. Regular students have to keep their budget in mind and look for ways to learn to get their best bang for their buck.With this being said.....is the show a good thing?YES! this show provides great exposure to our sport and has made many professional dancers Hollywood celebrities. The rub from the celebrities has created awareness to an industry that has been ignored by the general public except for small explosions created through Dirty Dancing, Dance with Me, and Shall we Dance.I have the upmost respect for the pros and the celebs.

I enjoy what they put on the floor every week and I love the way it represents the sport.I could honestly do without Carry Ann and I prefer to listen to Lynne's conservative view of wanting "more traditional dancing." Lynne is an insider to the industry and is somewhat of a hero to those of us wanting to see less show and more dancing.

Lynne is right......a breakdancing "worm" and cheesy gimmicks are an insult to an industry and talented people that are capable of doing the steps. I think that more people will attend live dance functions (hence the Dancing with the Stars live tour) and there will be a surge of people trying dance for the first time.

I am glad this is the number one show in the Nielsons and I hope it remains that way. I am very proud to be part of this industry and I am glad that it has representation on network television.