Dancing with the Stars Performance Recap Show on ABC

By Ally Matteodo

ABC’s Dancing With the Stars Performance Recap Show wins the award of Best TV Show of the Week.  Airing on at 8:00 p.m. ET on Saint Patrick’s Day, March 17^th, this hour-long reiteration of the stars’ performances was a great way to catch up with the show for those just tuning in.  So far in this competition, each couple has been required to dance two numbers. The stars in this season’s competition run the gamut, from Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson to pop singer Belinda Carlisle. The scores are determined by three judges and voting done by audience members and viewers.  At the beginning of the show, there are thirteen couples; they are whittled down over the weeks until only one pair reigns supreme. 

It’s a thrilling experience to watch the couples glide across the floor.  Although one individual in each pair dancing is a professional, the stars are novices, and it’s impressive to see how much they can accomplish with a short period of training.  In a recap show, it’s easier to see how much they improve, and the gradual evolution of their dancing.  Contestant Steve Wozniak couldn’t have a background further from dance: he was the computer whiz at Apple for many years, and a self-proclaimed geek.  To see this clever inventor out of his element and on the dance floor is sweet and amusing, and also gives us all encouragement to try new things; “Woz” looked like he was having the time of his life.  Dance is a beautiful medium that can teach us many things. The contestants often make mistakes, and can appear rigid and stressed on the dance floor, but it’s amazing what a bright smile and a relaxed attitude can do for their performance.  It’s the couples who make the mistakes but keep dancing that continue to move on to higher levels.  This show captures the joy of dance, and the camaraderie among the players is a shining example of great sportsmanship in competition.