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Jenna Johnson

Dancing with the Stars 23-Mirrorball Champions!

Mirrorball Champions are…

I have been a fan of this show ever since Season 1 and I have to say this season will be a hard one to top. The entire cast truly came in with a great attitude and really put in the effort. It was hard not to fall in love with the personalities and stories of each of our stars this season. There were so many shining stars.

Just a few quick notes:

RIP to the wonderful Florence Henderson who sadly passed away on Thanksgiving. She was a contestant on DWTS and a regular smiling face in the audience.

Congratulations to Mark Ballas & BC Jean who were married on Friday.

This season also brought the engagement in the ballroom of the very kind Emma Slater and Sasha Farber! They are both such sweethearts and it will be a night we always remember from Season 23

I want to give a huge shout out to the Season 23 Dance Troupe: Brittany Cherry, Alan Bersten, Hayley Erbert, Keo Motsepe, Britt Stewart, and Dennis Jauch. You all worked so hard all season and truly provided us with fantastic quality and creative dance numbers. I think it’s time to have a few of the troupe members from the last several seasons get a chance at Pro. They truly have proved themselves.

It was announced on the finale that Laurie would be joining the #dwtstour #wecametodance. I am sure she will be a fantastic high energy addition to the show and I look forward to seeing her perform.

I will be attending a handful of tour shows and will be posting pics to my various pages starting with my Instagram page so please feel free to follow me @lightscmemories.

On to the finale:

I absolutely loved the opening number. Choreographed by the amazing Mandy Moore. She is an absolute creative genius.

Andy Grammer also performed his new single Fresh Eyes tonight. Andy is not only a DWTS alum he is a fabulous live performer. If you get a chance to check him out in concert, do it! Allison and Keo danced along to his performance and did a beautiful job!

cx7udgyxuaagixl-jpg-large It was too fun to watch Maureen McCormick live her huge fan dream of dancing with Babyface, Ryan, Artem, Keo and Dennis tonight. Maureen was one that I truly felt grew a lot this season. It’s always fun when a star is also a fan of the show because it allows us at home to live it through their eyes.

The number that Maks did with a group of the ladies was a lot of fun too. It was so nice to have Maks back this season. I know he has said he won’t be returning next season because we will enjoying his time being a new Daddy. I am so happy for him and Peta and wish them so much happiness!

I loved the friendship that developed between Vanilla Ice and Rick Perry this season. Vanilla’s performance was a fun blast from the past and even though they might not have been the strongest dancers the partnerships between Witney/Vanilla and Emma/Rick were fun to watch all season and both did work hard.

For the first time ever it came down to 3 athletes in the finale!

Sharna Burgess & James Hinchcliffe
#TeamStopandGo

They chose their favorite dance to perform again which was the Foxtrot from Cirque night which was a great pick for them. Full of energy and truly highlighted the skills, fun and fabulous relationship of this team. James and Sharna had that something truly special. Sharna has such a humble, unique, genuine way she builds relationships and performs. She has had several memorable partnerships but, this one truly had that very special magic. James had tremendous growth all season, he has such an amazing survival story and a personality that shines.

The gift that James gave to Sharna of the race suit he wore the first time he raced again after his accident was truly sweet. Sharna truly put together the most amazing piece to close the chapter on James’s survival journey. They performed a fusion dance of Foxtrot & Viennese Waltz. It was absolutely beautiful. James demonstrated all the grace in his movements and it again highlighted the beautiful friendship that developed between them this season. It was stunning.

Calvin & Lindsay
#TeamLindsatron

Calvin and Lindsay chose their Argentine Tango from Latin Week as their favorite dance and it was a fabulous choice for them as well. That dance was filled with passion, absolutely out of this world lifts and it absolutely was a great reminder of the growth that Calvin has had this season. Calvin really had such a glowing personality and it was fun to watch him develop into a dancer this season.

Calvin & Lindsay did a Jive & Quickstep fusion. Calvin and Lindsay almost developed a big brother/little sister relationship this season. Calvin should be so happy with his journey this season. He grew immensely and I think kept his attitude on the fun this entire season. He was a joy to watch! Their fusion dance was a lot of fun, high energy and again showed off all the great dance qualities that Calvin brought to the floor.

Laurie Hernandez & Val Chmerkovskiy
#TeamVaLaur

Laurie and Val picked their Trio Dance with Maks for their favorite dance. This Samba was crazy good and it absolutely highlighted Laurie’s amazing skills and the ability to truly get into character of the dances. Plus who wouldn’t want to dance with the Chmerkovskiy brothers. Laurie has been such a bright light this season. She showed a lot of talent, positive energy, poise, courage and maturity beyond her years.

Val and Laurie had a Foxtrot & Argentine Tango Fusion dance. Their package was so adorable. It was sad hearing them talk about this season ending. I think Val was a tremendous positive influence on Laurie. Laurie grew so much before our eyes and is truly a remarkable young lady. Their fusion dance was incredible. Laurie had that fire, pure determination and the look of champion in her eyes when they started that fusion dance. I do disagree with those that felt Laurie had an edge this season because of gymnastics. Laurie was the first gymnast that didn’t use the tricks in the dances this season. I can speak from personal experience at a lower level. I was a cheerleader and when I started taking ballroom & latin dance lessons it is totally different and definitely not easy to learn to dance with a partner.

More on the finale…

The holiday performances of Babyface and Felicia Barton and the beautiful dance numbers performed by Artem & Jenna and Allison and the dance troupe really got you in the holiday spirit!

That all male dance number was totally off the hook. Hmmm wondering if we might get to see that on the DWTS Tour this year like we did the Magic Mike number from last year’s finale. I know they are going to switch up the format a bit this year.

What a treat to get to see Jana & Gleb’s hot Argentine Tango again. That dance will absolutely go down in the DWTS history as being one of the hottest numbers of all time. I am really excited that Gleb will be joining the tour this winter. It will be nice to meet him and see him perform live!

Terra and Marilu’s special highlight number was also a lot of fun to watch. Many people were asking where Derek was, he was at rehearsals for Hairspray Live!

The Macy’s Stars of Dance number was also choreographed by the amazing Mandy Moore. This was truly remarkable. It was creative, it was a technical and visual delight the way she was able to bring the story into motion using the special screen to make the young girl’s dream a reality. It truly was an absolute Masterpiece!

I loved the tour preview dance we had tonight. I highly recommend the tours, if you are able to go you will not be disappointed. It’s always a fantastic entertaining time and the cast this year is fantastic!

Jana’s performance of her hit song Circles as we watched the video of the final 3 couples was just perfect.

The Results:

Lindsay and Calvin came in 3^rd place.

Mirrorball Sharna & James and Val & Laurie were the final two couples and truly they were both so good it could have been a tie this season. Each partnership just had that special something. The talent, the creativity of Val & Sharna with their respective partners was just unstoppable this year. I would have been absolutely thrilled if their partnership had won.

Sharna & James came in 2^nd place.

Dancing with the Stars Season 23 Winners are:

Laurie & Val!

Bravo & congratulations to Laurie & Val. What a season it was and your partnership was just incredible. It was great to see Val relaxed and so happy and Laurie grew and improved as a dancer and just proved she was the total package with dynamic ability. Laurie you absolutely do inspire as does Val! Keep it up!

Please feel free to follow me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook: @lightscmemories

Finally meet & greet VIP Packages and general tickets are on sale for the DWTS Tour so don’t miss out! www.dwtstour.com

Until next time,

XOXO

Heather

November 26, 2016

Entertainment Blog

Dancing with the Stars-Semi-Finals/Trio Wk

Dancing with the Stars-Semi-Finals & Trio Night

Season 23, Week 10

#dwts

I seriously cannot believe we are already at the Semi-Finals, this season absolutely flew by and it truly has been one of my favorites. The talent and personalities have been such a pleasure this season. Everyone came to work hard and enjoy the experience. Welcome back Sharna!

Sharna Burgess & James Hinchcliffe (Argentine Tango)
#TeamStopandGo

It is so absolutely fantastic to see Sharna and James back together again, they have one of those amazing partnerships and I am glad they will be able to finish out the season together. I still predict they will be in final 2. I loved the blindfold idea. It’s a little similar to what my dance instructor did recently to get me to stop looking down. Dancing with your eyes closed/blindfolded is a totally difference experience you have to trust and just be able to feel everything. I LOVED their Argentine Tango it was sexy, intense, filled with fun content and that hand stand at the end was just so good.

Trio dance with Jenna Johnson (Jive): This was a super fun, high energy Jive. What a creative job Sharna did on the choreography. I loved it, truly highlighted all of James’s strengths and it was absolutely flawless. Fantastic PERFECT score!

Terra Jole’ & Sasha Farber (Rumba)
#TeamXL

Terra has truly been so impressive this entire season. Her attitude, her drive, her fabulous personality have just absolutely shined this season. Sasha has always been fantastic but, he took it to an even higher level this season with how wonderful he worked with Terra and reminded everyone what a wonderful man he is. I really liked their Rumba tonight. It was beautiful dance and how they related to each other. You can see the amazing effort that this pair puts in each week. Loved Carrie Ann’s quote: “Quality of the movement was like the quality of you, it was untouchable”. Well-deserved PERFECT score…BRAVO!

Trio dance with Artem (Tango): The package had me cracking up. Yes Terra we agree Artem is hot and sweet too! I absolutely LOVED this dance. It had sex appeal, it was intense and Terra just nailed it. Both Artem and Sasha were fabulous with Terra…BRAVO! Another PERFECT score!

Jana Kramer & Gleb Savchenko (Quickstep)
#TeamGlamer

Jana has steadily improved this entire season. I have really enjoyed the partnership of Jana and Gleb. You can see how the show has almost helped her through a difficult time in her life too. She just shines now. First off I loved her dress tonight, stunning. Their quickstep was a ton of fun, very elegant, full of energy, a lot of great content and spunk. I truly think they deserve to go to the final 3.

Trio dance with Alan (Paso Doble): These 3 have a fun relationship too. It was incredibly creative, powerful, intense, fabulous content and Jana really nailed the character of the dance. Bravo to this trio they really did a fantastic job. You can tell Jana wants to be in the finals she was in it to win it tonight. BTW we need to see Alan have a chance at Pro next year he would be fantastic! PERFECT score, BRAVO!

Calvin & Lindsay (Tango)
#TeamLindsatron

Calvin seems like such a fantastic and genuine soul. Loved the package description. Their tango was good but, I wouldn’t classify it as one of their better dances. There was a slip up mid-dance which seemed to get them off time a bit. Calvin is still always a joy to watch. I am on the fence on this pair in regards to the finals. I do think Calvin improved a lot as the season went on but, I am not as engaged in them as a partnership.

Trio Dance with Witney (Salsa): This looked a comedy skit in rehearsals. Their salsa was full of energy and they took advantage of Calvin’s strength to do some really fantastic choreography and lifts. Perfect score…BRAVO!

Laurie Hernandez & Val Chmerkovskiy (Foxtrot)
#TeamVaLaur

I literally cried my eyes out with the package on Laurie’s grandmother and her unfortunate passing the day after the video was recorded. It’s heartbreaking to lose your grandparents and even harder to watch them suffer through Alzheimer’s. I have been there and it’s not easy. Laurie is only 16 years old but, demonstrates the strength, courage, grace and maturity of someone much older. I don’t know how she found the inner strength to get through that but, what a treasure for her to always have that video of her Grandma telling her that she loves her and is proud of her. Given how important family is to Val it made me even happier to know they were partnered up and he treated her with such care and compassion. Their Foxtrot was on a whole new level this week, all that emotion was so evident in each movement and their partnership grew even stronger. Absolutely beautiful in every way. Well-deserved PERFECT score!

Trio Dance with Maks (Samba): Laurie was living so many girls’ dreams of getting to dance with the Chmerkovskiy brothers and again on such a difficult week for her I am glad she had two of the sweetest guy’s ever to do this Trio with. I absolutely LOVED this dance. It was fun, filled with fabulous energy, content and just crazy good! I totally agreed with what Carrie Ann said that it was her best dance EVER! It showed off her talent, her sassy side and highlighted her fabulous shining personality. PERFECT score once again!

Elimination Time: It was so sad to see Terra and Sasha eliminated. They truly have been amazing all season, Terra showed the world nothing should ever hold you back from trying something you want to do. Sasha and Terra seem like they will be forever friends. It was one of those amazing partnerships you see develop on DWTS that you will always remember as truly special and Terra should be very proud of herself for a tremendous job on DWTS!

Next week is the 2 Day Finale:

Monday Night: 2 hour show:

Laurie & Val:

Redemption Style: Paso Doble-“Wicked Ones” by Dorothy

Freestyle: “Brand New” by Ben Rector

James & Sharna:

Redemption Style: Tango-“It Had to Be You” by Harry Connick Jr.

Freestyle: “Beethoven’s 5 Secrets” by The Piano Guys

Calvin & Lindsay:

Redemption Style: Viennese Waltz-“I Am Your Man” by Ryan Shaw

Freestyle: “Please Mr. Postman”/”I Want You Back” medley by The Marvelettes/Jackson 5

Jana & Gleb:

Redemption Style: Tango-“Stay the Night” by Zedd

Freestyle: “Unstoppable” by Sia

At the end of the night one couple will be eliminated and three final couples will compete for the Mirrorball.

Tuesday Night: 2 Hour Finale

All 13 of this season’s couples will reunite at the Grove. It will be filled with great performances from Vanilla Ice who will perform “Ice Ice Baby” featuring Rick Perry and Witney Carson; a special guest performance by Andy Grammer of his new global hit single “Fresh Eyes”, Babyface will perform “Winter Wonderland” featuring pro dancers Artem, Cheryl and Allison. There will also be an all-male number to Bruno Mars “24K featuring all the males from this season. It will also feature a special performance choreographed by Mandy Moore that promises to be truly magical. There will also be a special performance from the upcoming DWTS “We Came to Dance” tour hitting the road soon!

Couples from across the season will celebrate their time on the show by repeating one of their favorite dances. The final element will be the final 3 competing for judge’s points a dance they put together in 24 hours called the “24-Hour Fusion Challenge”.

Who will win the Mirrorball? What are your predictions? I would love to hear from you!

Please feel free to follow me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook: @lightscmemories

Finally meet & greet VIP Packages and general tickets are on sale for the DWTS Tour so don’t miss out! www.dwtstour.com

Until next time,

XOXO

Heather

November 17, 2016

Entertainment Blog

Dancing with the Stars-Showstoppers Night

Dancing with the Stars-Showstoppers Night
Season 23, Week 9
#dwts

What a fun opening number. Mandy Moore is such a creative talent and truly amazes each week. Today’s guest judge is Idina Menzel. Also absolutely stunning job to Keo & Allison on their beautiful contemporary. Fantastic job to Mark Ballas and his co-stars in Jersey Boys as well! Go check them out on Broadway! Idina’s performance was also absolutely flawless.

Marilu & Derek
Dance: Samba to “December, 1963 (Oh What a Night) from Jersey Boys featuring guest performances by Mark Ballas

I thought Marilu and Derek did a good job this week. I am glad that Marilu finally got to the point where she is just having fun. She has improved a lot over the course of the season. She had a lot of content in the Samba and performance was her best one to date.

Calvin & Lindsay
#TeamLindsatron
Dance: Waltz to “Memory” from “Cats”, featuring guest performance by Leona Lewis

Side note: I loved Leona Lewis’s dress. So pretty and her voice is amazing. Calvin and Lindsay are just adorable. They truly seem to have developed a really sweet friendship. They are having a lot of fun and it absolutely shows. Calvin is such a graceful dancer and he should be so proud of his journey on the show, his weekly improvement has been measurable. He went all in when he signed up for the show and that is what I love to see as a viewer and fan of the show.

Sharna Burgess & James Hinchcliffe (Jenna filling in for Sharna)
#TeamStopandGo
Dance: Jazz to “A Brand New Day” from the “The Wiz”

My gosh it was so sad watching Sharna struggle with what to do. Safety and protecting your body is always first but, I get it. You develop a bond with a dance partner. I have been in dance lessons all year and it’s an interesting process on the partners you just gel with the best. I have had 2 that I instantly clicked with and one that I just couldn’t connect with. I know how bad Sharna wants this not only for herself to potentially get to the finals but, she truly wants it for James. I think this is the first time this entire season you saw James have a misstep and forget the choreography for a sec. His dance was good and creative and I still he think he belongs in the final 3 for sure.

Terra Jole’ & Sasha Farber
#TeamXL
Dance: Charleston to “If My Friends Could See Me Now” from “Sweet Charity”

I know I keep saying but, Terra inspires every week and I am so glad her confidence has grown, it truly shows. Sasha has been absolutely tremendous in working with Terra all season. I loved their dance this week, it was spunky, fun and a total joy to watch. On top of improving as a dancer Terra has been so great at getting into the character of the dance. Well-deserved two 10’s for that performance!

Jana Kramer & Gleb Savchenko
#TeamGlamer
Dance: Waltz to “She Used to Be Mine” from “Waitress”

Gleb was also facing an injury this week. Alan filled in for him this week in practice but, he was able to dance tonight which obviously meant a lot to Jana. I really love this partnership too. Dance has truly been a healing journey for Jana and it makes me happy to see her turn the page in her personal story. Jana has truly been another that has grown so much and transformed as a dancer this season. Their dance was absolutely beautiful, emotional and raw. It truly was a well-deserved PERFECT score!

Laurie Hernandez & Val Chmerkovskiy
#TeamVaLaur
Dance: Argentine Tango to “Cell Block Tango” from “Chicago”

On this first and foremost I have to say some of the things I read about Val telling Laurie she needed to be sexy have been off the wall. Maybe a better word would have been intense and passionate but, he certainly didn’t mean it the way some have portrayed it. Laurie is still such a fun and innocent teen. There are some dances that just are more passionate and intense than others but, I think with the younger contestants have been on various seasons you just have to adapt it in a classy way which I feel they did. Their dance was absolutely incredible! It was their best dance of the season in my opinion. It was classy, it was intense and passionate. Laurie really was able to show off her immense strength and that was just totally mind blowing! Absolutely deserved a PERFECT score! Way to go!

Team-Up Challenges:

James/Sharna & Calvin/Lindsay: Paso Doble
#teamlastmenstanding

Calvin and James are just too adorable with their Bromance. I loved their dance it was so creative, intense and straight out of the Wild West.

Marilu/Derek & Terra/Sasha: Jazz
#teamCubs

Artem filled in for Derek during the practice for the dance. Marilu and Terra were another fun match up. I love this point in the season where everyone truly develops friendships. Their dance was great too, very Broadway and truly matched up to the Showstopper theme really well!

Jana/Gleb & Laurie & Val: Contemporary
#teamSisters

Jana and Laurie are another special friendship. I love to see two women truly supporting each other and lifting each other up. Their dance was absolutely breathtaking. That front trust fall was incredible. It showed off the pure physical and emotional strength of each woman, their emotion, ability and I loved every single second of it. I admit I watched it a few times. Well-deserved PERFECT score!

Next week the couples will do a dance they have not done yet:

Laurie & Val: Foxtrot to “Hollow” by Tori Kelly

James & Sharna: Argentine Tango to “Santa Maria” by Gotan Project

Calvin & Lindsay: Tango to “Seven Nation Army” by The White Stripes

Terra & Sasha: Rumba to “Scars to Your Beautiful” by Alessia Cara

Jana & Gleb: Quickstep to “Go Mama” by Wayne Beckford

Next week is also Trio Week:

Laurie & Val with Maks: Samba to “Magalenha” by Sergio Mendes

James & Sharna with Jenna: Jive to “Gimme Some Lovin” by the Spencer Davis Group

Calvin & Lindsay with Witney: Salsa to “Limbo” by Daddy Yankee

Terra & Sasha with Artem: Tango to “Hideaway” by Kieza

Jana & Gleb with Alan: Paso Doble to “Kill of the Night” by Gin Wigmore

Eliminated tonight was Marilu & Derek. Marilu should be proud of her journey on show this season. She made a lot of strides from the first few weeks and I am glad on the night she was eliminated she had one of her best, most relaxed performances.

PS: GREAT news! Sharna will be back next week!

Please feel free to follow me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook: @lightscmemories. I will be doing some giveways soon so stay tuned to social media:-)

Finally meet & greet VIP Packages and general tickets are on sale for the DWTS Tour so don’t miss out! www.dwtstour.com
Until next time,

XOXO
Heather

November 10, 2016

Entertainment Blog

Dancing with the Stars-Halloween Night

Season 23, Week 8 Halloween Night

#dwts

#halloweennight

It should be a Spooktacular time during Halloween Week on Dancing with the Stars! It’s another fun and creative night on our favorite show. This season is flying by! I was hoping to be able to get out to LA for a show but, with everything else going on this fall I wasn’t able to. I love this cast and truly am looking forward to the tour!

Terra Jole’ & Sasha Farber

#TeamXL

Dance: Cha Cha

Terra keeps showing everyone how much she can do week over week! Her positivity is amazing. I love her partnership with Sasha too and how she worked so hard at pulling a prank on him. Their dance was a lot of fun and Terra continues to amaze every week. Lots of personality, great content, fabulous relationship with Sasha and fun dances.

Laurie Hernandez & Val Chmerkovskiy

#TeamVaLaur

Dance: Viennese Waltz

Awe their package made me cry this week. Val has such a huge heart and I hated hearing him doubting himself. I know he has had special partnerships in the past but, I truly feel this one is the best yet, it’s raw and beautiful. I love that he is so invested and it’s so special watching their partnership and relationship grow. Val you are amazing always remember that. Their dance was absolutely magical! I loved how beautifully arranged it was and it truly highlighted Laurie’s amazing grace, beauty and talent. It absolutely deserved a perfect score, BRAVO!

Derek Hough & Marilu Henner

#teamhennergy

Dance: Argentine Tango

I know in the packages it shows a few issues in the partnership but, then reading Derek’s blogs you see that isn’t necessarily true. I know from watching the show from Season 1 the packages don’t always show the reality. Their dance was good and Marilu has continued to improve. It does still seem she is unsure of herself at times. I am a fan of Derek so this is only my thoughts, I do think they should be the next to go next week because when compared to the others remaining in the competition it’s time. This is the time of the season I always wish votes were cast for the best dances.

Lindsay Arnold & Calvin Johnson Jr

#TeamLindsatron

Dance: Quickstep

Calvin is the dark horse in the competition for me. He has grown so much since week 1 as a dancer and he and Lindsay clearly have an amazing friendship and partnership developed. I absolutely think we will see him in the final 4 or maybe even final 3. Their dance this week was so fun and creative and again showed his tremendous growth. They earned a well-deserved perfect score…BRAVO!

Ryan Lochte & Cheryl Burke

#TeamCherLoch

Dance: Tango

I love the Tango it’s been one of my favorites to learn. Ryan has absolutely grown in the competition just maybe not as fast as others

but, what I think he was able to show the audience is another side to him, the family man, the guy that wants to grow past his mistakes and look ahead to a brighter future. Their dance this week was creative, intense, a lot of content and overall a good job.

Jana Kramer & Gleb Savchenko

#TeamGlamer

Dance: Jazz

This will be an interesting week for this team since Gleb has never put together a Jazz routine. They have such a fantastic partnership. I thought their dance this week was super fun, full of energy and the characters were perfect! Jana is another one that has grown so much since week 1. I truly think it’s between her and Calvin on who gets to the final 3. Gleb is really doing well as a Pro this season and I am looking forward to watching him perform on tour this winter.

Sharna Burgess & James Hinchcliffe (Jenna filling in for Sharna)

#TeamStopandGo

Dance: Viennese Waltz

I was so sad to hear that Sharna’s knee injury sidelined her. I know how much she wants to finish this season out with James it’s truly a magical partnership and they absolutely are in the running for the mirror ball so please take care of yourself Sharna and know you are missed. I am curious about something, how do they determine who fills in when a Pro is injured. Not to take anything away from Jenna as she is a great dancer I am just curious with the level of talent that James has why a more seasoned Pro like Witney, Emma or Allison wasn’t matched with him to fill in. Not a slight towards anyone just curious. James was so sweet to Sharna and I hope she will be back before the finals if her knee is better. James did another amazing job, his talent as a dancer is just incredible to watch and his growth since the beginning is amazing. He was perfectly in character and absolutely deserved the perfect score this week…BRAVO!

Next up was the Dance off:

Laurie and Val

Vs (Jive)

Lindsay and Calvin

I loved how Laurie said I think Calvin should pick on someone his own size. That’s the heart of of a champion to pick someone she feels closely matched up with. Both couples did great, they had crazy high energy but, Laurie & Val edged out Calvin & Lindsay to win the dance off.

Jana & Gleb

Vs (Salsa)

Terra & Sasha

Loved Terra’s spirit to try something new and do the Salsa. Both couples were fun to watch and gave it a great effort and a ton of energy. Jana and Gleb edged out Terra & Sasha and won the dance off but, both couples should be proud of their effort.

Marilu & Derek

Vs (Cha Cha)

Ryan & Cheryl

Both couples gave it a good effort. I actually thought Ryan was really good and got into it more and was a bigger draw on the performance side. I think Ryan just has more of an ability to shake it off and just have fun with moments like that. Ryan and Cheryl won the dance off!

Elimination Time:

Bottom two were: Ryan & Cheryl and Terra & Sasha

We had to say goodbye to Ryan & Cheryl. Ryan should be proud of his run on the show and what a way for him to go out winning the dance off! I did not agree with Sasha & Terra being in the bottom 2.

Next week is Showstopper week:

Marilu & Derek: Samba to “December, 1963 (Oh What a Night) from Jersey Boys featuring guest performances by Mark Ballas & The Four Seasons.

Laurie & Val: Argentine Tango to “Cell Block Tango” from “Chicago”

James & Sharna: Jazz to “A Brand New Day” from the “The Wiz”

Calvin & Lindsay: Waltz to “Memory” from “Cats”, featuring guest performance by Leona Lewis

Terra & Sasha: Charleston to “If My Friends Could See Me Now” from “Sweet Charity”

Jana & Gleb: Waltz to “She Used to Be Mine” from “Waitress”

There will also be Team-Up Challenges and they will be:

James/Sharna & Calvin/Lindsay: Paso Doble

Jana/Gleb & Laurie & Val: Contemporary

Marilu/Derek & Terra/Sasha: Jazz

The one other comment I have is I truly hope everyone votes for the stars dance and not just for the Pro because there have been a few people in the bottom 2 that absolutely did not belong in the bottom 2. It’s important to the integrity and fun of the show.

Please feel free to follow me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook: @lightscmemories

Finally meet & greet VIP Packages and general tickets are on sale for the DWTS Tour so don’t miss out! www.dwtstour.com

Until next time,

XOXO

Heather

November 3, 2016

Entertainment Blog

Dancing with the Stars TV Night!

#dwts

This season absolutely is filled with a lot of talent, a lot of heart and a desire to be a part of the show and they are giving it 100% which is fantastic. I also am personally glad that it’s back to 2 nights. I loved how they did it last night and hearing the insight from the mics on the judges as the couples danced. I was excited to see what they all would do with TV Night

A few other things I noticed:

It was great to hav dwts e the dance with Cheryl, Derek & Maks since they returned to the show and all three had been on the show for a long time so they deserve the extra recognition. However, I think they should have been paired up to dance with the 3 other returning pro’s Emma, Allison & Gleb just to give them some credit and recognition as well.

Bravo to the 3 musical performances including Gavin DeGraw who performed both nights, Daya & Charlie Purth. I also loved all the Pro numbers this week. Mandy Moore is just amazing! Bravo to all the hard work of the troupe too! You all work so hard and it’s absolutely recognized.

Artem Chigvintsev and Maureen McCormick

#TeamMaureen

You cannot help but route for Maureen, she has such a great spirit and drive. I love their partnership. Artem has that natural calmness which I think will help Maureen throughout the season. I really thought they improved a lot over last week. Maureen seemed to shake off the nerves and had a lot more confidence and have fun with the dance. I thought they were underscored by a few judges when compared to the other dances of the night.

Jana Kramer & Gleb Savchenko

#TeamGlamer

Jana shared that she had an injury that she was battling this week in which she has torn muscles between her ribs. Injuries like that are so hard because it really just takes time, I know she mentioned after the show that she had a steroid shot and they do work wonders so let’s hope she heals quickly. They are such a great couple with so much promise. I thought they performed really well tonight given the injury and have the potential to be in the final 3 on the show as of right now. Also kudos to Gavin DeGraw for a great performance as they danced.

Rick Perry & Emma Slater

#TeamDanceForOurVets

Rick really got lucky with his partnership with Emma. Emma has natural spunk, great sense of humor, patience and she’s a great teacher. I thought the dance was full of character and it was entertaining to watch. Definitely could be better but, Rick has never danced before and he truly is putting his heart into learning and has an exuberance that is contagious. It was fun. Half the battle in learning anything new is the attitude you have.

Lindsay Arnold & Calvin Johnson Jr

#teamLindsatron

I am enjoying Calvin. He has a captivating personality and he’s a lot of fun. He and Lindsay have a fun banter and are developing a great partnership. I loved their dance to Family Matters. He looks like he is having fun and working hard. He also has the ability to get into character which isn’t always easy as we have seen in the past on the show.

Amber Rose & Maksim Chmerkovskiy

#TeamSpicySalsa

I like this partnership. I truly didn’t know much about Amber prior to the announcement but, I am glad so far the packages are allowing us to get to know her better. I know she had a rough first week but, overall I thought she improved a lot this week. I thought she showed a lot more confidence and engagement with Maks. She did a great job of staying in the character of the dance and WOW Maks looked so good as well. You can tell she is a hard worker and will keep building on her performances.

Jake T Austin & Jenna Johnson

#TeamJSquared

I had a feeling Jake was going to be the one that went home this week. The performances both weeks were a bit off on timing and it looked like he was constantly trying to catch up. Plus complaining about the judges this early was probably not the best and there was one or two eye rolls when the scores were given. Confidence is good but, also understand you need feedback to grow at anything in life. You are learning to dance and the judges are trying to provide feedback to help you improve your scores week over week. Jenna worked hard at her first season as a pro and its unfortunate it ended after the 1^st elimination.

Vanilla Ice & Witney Carson

#TeamIceNSpice

OMG Witney nailed the character! It was super fun to watch. He has a great personality and has been fun to watch on the show so far. Definitely could use a bit more polish but, it’s week 2 and all of the celebrities will continue to grow as the weeks go on. I thought they did a good job and loved the character of the dance.

Terra Jole’ & Sasha Farber

#TeamXL

Terra is really doing so good! I give her a lot of credit and her attitude is fantastic. She works thorough her challenges but, doesn’t want to be defined by them. Her revenge on Sasha’s prank too was absolutely hilarious. Bravo to Sasha who has done a fabulous job of working with the challenges and putting together wonderful dances. Terra keep that confidence up girl you are doing really well.

Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds & Allison Holker

#TeamHolkerFace

Babyface really floored me this week. I think he is going to be a dark horse and one to watch in this competition. He also mentioned that he is shy. It’s so interesting to learn that many entertainers are actually quite shy people. I thought their dance this week was really good. Bravo to Allison on her creativity. It was so clean, precise, sexy and a lot of fun to watch.

Laurie Hernandez & Val Chmerkovskiy

#TeamVaLaur

Laurie came out and owned the dance floor once again this week and her personality just shines when she performs. She is just so precise and just a total dynamo to watch. She is living her dream being on the show and clearly working hard at her performances. I disagree with those that say she has an advantage from being a gymnast. Yes she is fit and had to do floor routines but, ballroom dancing is totally different. She clearly is working hard and it’s so much fun watching Val having so much fun with this partnership. Bravo! Loved that Julianne told her she is Disney’s Beyoncé!

Sharna Burgess & James Hinchcliffe

#TeamStopandGo

I absolutely think James and Sharna have the potential to be in the final 3 this season. James has the natural dancing abilities for sure and clearly also can get into character of the dance. He is taking all of the feedback and improving every week. I am excited to watch him perform each week. Sharna is absolutely fabulous as always. I really love this partnership. I thought they were scored a bit low.

Derek Hough & Marilu Henner

#TeamHennergy

Derek had a real challenge on his hands this week. The music was incredibly slow but, Derek was able to work with it and put together a unique performance. Marilu was graceful and showed improvement over last week. It’s always so much fun watching people live their dreams.

Ryan Lochte & Cheryl Burke

#TeamCherLoch

I think after this week they should stop discussing the incident and let Ryan shine on his dancing. Their dance was a lot of fun and I thought Ryan did a good job. He clearly is not a natural dancer but, you can tell he is working at it and wants to be successful. I thought the dance was creative and showed improvement.

In Jeopardy:

Amber & Maks

Ryan & Cheryl

Maureen & Artem

Jake & Jenna

Jake & Jenna were eliminated.

Next week:

Per Maks’s blog on EW.com

“Next week will be the presidential debates, and we will only have an hour-long show. So, the format will be different — it’s going to be a face off. They split us into six groups of two pairs, and each pair has the same style of dance. So we’ll each dance, and then we get a score, and whoever has the higher score will have immunity from elimination.”

These are the Face Off Match ups:

Laurie & Val VS Marilu & Derek: Dance Tango

Calving & Lindsay VS Terra & Sasha: Viennese Waltz

Ryan & Cheryl VS James & Sharna: Cha Cha

Jana & Gleb VS Babyface & Allison: Jive

Rick & Emma VS Vanilla Ice & Witney: Paso Doble

Amber & Maks VS Maureen & Artem: Salsa

On a style note: Ck out http://www.bebe.com/ for some really beautiful fall fashions and really fun new bag colors go to: http://www.coach.com

Until next time,

Xoxo

Heather

September 21, 2016

Entertainment Blog

Dancing With the Stars Season 23 Premiere!

Dancing With the Stars Season 23 Premiere!

#dwts23

I have been a fan of Dancing with the Stars since the very 1^st season. It keeps improving year over year and still is one of the hottest shows on TV and absolutely one I look forward to. This was the first premiere I wasn’t able to watch live due to a prior commitment but, you can look forward to regular blogs the rest of the season and live tweeting.

This season brings back some of our favorite pro’s including Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Emma Slater, Derek Hough, Cheryl Burke and Gleb Savchenko and it brings in Jenna Johnson a former troupe member for her first season as a pro.

I think the cast for this season is absolutely amazing and it promises to be another entertaining season. One thing I noticed on twitter is some of the cruel comments being made about some of the celebrities. Let’s all remember to practice kindness. Making comments about anyone’s appearance is just not nice but, remember you too will be in your 60’s one day and you will see changes in your body.

What an amazing opening number and a tremendous way to kick off the show!

Derek Hough & Marilu Henner

#TeamHennergy

Marilu has a lot of super positive energy and overall they did well, I think the first night always brings a level of nerves but she clearly has the desire to work hard and do well and I am sure Derek will bring out the best in Marilu’s skills.

Sharna Burgess & James Hinchcliffe

#TeamStopandGo

Wow James is quite the survivor. He has a lot of heart and spirit and I am so excited he is paired with Sharna. After watching him dance I think he will be one of the ones to watch this season and it would be great to see Sharna win a mirror ball!

Lindsay Arnold & Calvin Johnson Jr

#TeamLindsatron

I thought Calvin showed some promise as a dancer and it will be fun to watch him grow this season. He definitely has a fun positive personality and I am sure Lindsay will bring out the best in him.

Artem Chigvintsev and Maureen McCormick

#TeamMaureen

Maureen is so sweet and I love that she is paired with Artem. I think Artem will help increase her confidence as a dancer. There were a few nerves in play in their first dance but, I think it’s wonderful to see someone come on with such excitement and desire to make an imprint on the show.

Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds & Allison Holker

#TeamHolkerFace

I thought Babyface was good. He and Allison will be a fun partnership to watch this season. I think each week he will get more comfortable on the floor. He clearly has grace in his movement.

Amber Rose & Maksim Chmerkovskiy

#TeamSpicySalsa

I was so glad when Maks announced he would be back on the show he has been missed! I am excited about this partnership too. I think their combined personalities will be great. Maks is intense but, he is so kind. I hope Amber will have many princess moments this season. I thought they did well, nerves were showing in many of the couples but, it’s the first week.

Vanilla Ice & Witney Carson

#TeamIceNSpice

This partnership will be a lot of fun given Witney’s abilities in hip hop First week was lacking content but I am sure Witney will find ways to integrate his style with the content each week. I think he could be a dark horse and may just surprise everyone as the season goes on.

Jana Kramer & Gleb Savchenko

#TeamGlamer

One word for this couple is smoldering…holy smokes! They are absolutely going to be couple to watch this season. They have the passion, the skills and quite clearly are in it to win it.

Jake T Austin & Jenna Johnson

#TeamJSquared

The Jive must be a tough first dance to do for a beginner dancer. I think it looked like Jake was chasing after Jenna through most of the dance but, I think if they can even out their energy and tempo and get in sync they will be better.

Rick Perry & Emma Slater

#TeamDanceForOurVets

First of all I am so glad Emma is back, she was so missed last season. She is so sweet and has such positive energy. I must say I wasn’t sure what to expect when I saw that Rick was on the show but, he has a desire to learn and enthusiasm which is key.

Terra Jole’ & Sasha Farber

#TeamXL

This partnership I was interested to see. I love Terra’s attitude and I think Sasha will do a good job with the challenge ahead of them. What a challenge they had the first week with the Jive. Terra clearly showed her joy in dancing and she should be proud!

Ryan Lochte & Cheryl Burke

#TeamCherLoch

I had mixed feelings about Ryan being given the chance to dance this season. I had always been a fan of his in the pool and was disappointed in his actions in Rio. However, I also know that nobody is perfect, we all make mistakes big and small and we all deserve redemption. If Ryan can find that on the dance floor then good for him. I thought what happened was absolutely awful and thankfully nobody got hurt. I know when you enter the studio you do go through metal detectors but, still must have been scary for everyone. I thought Ryan did a good job on the dance. He showed good presence and promise in this dance.

Laurie Hernandez & Val Chmerkovskiy

#TeamVaLaur

I was extremely excited to see this partnership announced because Val and Laurie both have insanely bright and positive personalities and I knew they would SHINE on the dance floor. It must not have been easy to take the stage after all that happened in the ballroom ahead of them but, Laurie took that stage like she owned that dance floor. I loved the look they shared before the music started it was like saying the journey starts now let’s do this! If they keep up performances like today this season they will be mirror ball champs hands down.

I am so excited for this season! After tonight’s performance I would say the 3 to watch couples would be: Val & Laurie, Sharna & James and Gleb and Jana but, bravo to all couples for week 1. It’s not easy to learn how to dance and everyone should be proud of their performances.

This week will be TV Theme night! Spoilers on dances/songs below:

*Jake T Austin & Jenna Johnson: Cha Cha to Go, Diego, Go! Theme

*Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds & Allison Holker: Argentine Tango to The X-Files Theme

*Marilu Henner & Derek Hough: Foxtrot to Taxi Theme

*Laurie Hernandez & Val Chmerkovskiy: Jive to Ducktails

*James Hinchcliffe & Sharna Burgess: Paso Doble to The Walking Dead

*Calvin Johnson Jr & Lindsay Arnold: Foxtrot to Family Matters Theme

*Terra Jole’ & Sasha Farber: Quickstep to Bewitched

*Jana Kramer & Gleb Savchenko: Tango to “I Don’t Want to Be” from One Tree Hill, performed by Gavin Degraw

*Ryan Lochte & Cheryl Burke: Quickstep to The Muppet Show Theme

*Maureen McCormick and Artem Chigvintsev: Quickstep to Brady Bunch Theme

*Rick Perry & Emma Slater: Quickstep to Green Acres Theme

*Amber Rose & Maksim Chmerkovskiy: Viennese Waltz to Game of Thrones Theme

*Vanilla Ice & Witney Carson: Foxtrot to “Love and Marriage” from Married with Children

On a style note: Ck out http://www.bebe.com/ for some really beautiful fall fashions!

Until next time,

Xoxo

Heather

September 18, 2016

Entertainment Blog

Dancing With the Stars – Dance All Night Tour

Dancing With the Stars

Dance All Night Tour 2015-2016

This was my 3^rd Dancing with the Stars tour and hands down the BEST one to date! The stage set up with fantastic, great music/dance selection and the cast was filled with not only great talent but, the kindest people.

I went to four shows on this tour and did VIP for each. I will talk more about the VIP portion of the experience in another entry.

The cast included: Valentin Chmerkovskiy, Sharna Burgess, Peta Murgatroyd, Lindsay Arnold, Artem Chigvintsev, Keo Motsepe, Emma Slater, Alan Bersten, Brittany Cherry, Jenna Johnson, Paul Barris, Julz Tocker and celebrity from Season 21 Alek Skarlatos and Hayes Grier also joined the cast for a handful of shows!

I have been asked by several friends what were your favorite dances. That is just so hard to pick because they were all so good for different reasons. I think the ladies would all agree that the men of DWTS doing the Magic Mike dance to Pony was well let’s just say HOT, anyone else need a cold shower after? I took two videos if you want to check them out. This one I affectionately call Magic Val: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biaVy845yV4

The 2^nd video I tried to capture more of the dancers, my seat was a tough angle. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gFBdHV-uM0

Val and Peta’s dance to Young and Beautiful was so moving. I loved the Gatsby Swing portion as well. The Around the World & Movie section was filled with so many great performances from Brittany & Paul’s Salsa, Alan and Sharna’s “Godfather,” Artem, Emma, Brittany and Lindsay’s “James Bond,” Peta and Keo’s Samba. Brilliance! Artem and Lindsay did a fantastic Argentine Tango that was excellent. The performance of Val, Lindsay, Jenna and Alan to Wicked Games was one you could feel the emotion in the dance. Brittany and Alan’s contemporary to Jealous was also just stunning. Emma and Julz did the most moving waltz, they truly told a story in their dance and you couldn’t help but be caught up in it.

Every style of dance was perfectly portrayed, you could feel the raw emotion and energy and each performance flew by because it was just that good. I personally loved the audience participation segment. It was fun to watch and for individuals to get to live their dreams of dancing with one of the pros!

One of the most special moments of the night was the section where the Dancers all described why they dance/what dance means to them. So often on #DWTS it’s always focused on the celebrity. It was so special to learn all of their stories and see how it shaped their joy not only in dance but, in life.

The group performances were all absolutely stellar. Ending the show with Andy Grammer’s “Good to Be Alive” was perfection. You couldn’t help but, have that song and that happy energy in your head the rest of the night. The dancers gave it their all every single night of the performances and I cannot say enough what a privilege it was to meet them at the meet and greets, but to sit in the audience and watch their talent and brilliance come to life.

For even more photos please visit my Instagram page @lightscmemories or Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/Lights-Camera-Memories-935628749847172/

Until Next Time,

Xoxoxo

Heather

March 14, 2016

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