Dancing with the Stars: Evan Lysacek Danced a Lively Foxtrot & Fierce Paso Doble to Top the Leader Board

Tom Bergeron said it best later on in the show this was his favorite live performance telecast in all of the seasons he's hosted Dancing with the Stars. It was certainly a great show all around, especially for my favorite dance couple, Evan Lysacek and Anna Trebunskaya. To say they were on fire would be an understatement. Instead, they were certainly at the very top of their game literally stealing the show at the end with their absolutely stunning Paso Doble. Monday night's show was truly stellar, not because it was the semi-finals, but because everyone did their absolute best performances of the season. Normally I tend to get bored quickly while watching other couples give marginal performances in the past. I was truly entertained from start to finish. All of the couples got well deserved marks, so it's going to be interesting who is going home Tuesday night.

Ballroom Round - Foxtrot: I've Got the World on a String - Frank Sinatra

Evan let us in on what makes him happy in their pre-performance film. Its coffee, cards or cars (didn't quite catch it) and his nephew. That was so sweet to see his nephew on an iPhone. It was cute how the routine started out with Evan Lysacek kissing a photo of Anna. The he broke out into what looked like a brief solo before Anna stepped out onto the dance floor. Evan and Anna were in rare form. Evan looked like he was having the time of his life for a change. None of the serious game face he's had in the past. What I loved about the foxtrot was their spin on the old Hollywood glamour. Evan wore a very dapper white tuxedo while Anna was in a beautiful flowing gown that's typically worn in the classic films. One thing about Evan Lysacek and Anna Trebunskaya is how well-suited they are in time period pieces such as the golden era of Hollywood or the early 20^th century like the 20's or 30's. More than likely when they make it to the finals their freestyle dance should definitely incorporate these eras mixed in with some contemporary parts too for a nice balance. The judges gave them a total of "29" or of "30". Len was the only one who gave them a "9".

Latin Round - Paso Doble: Bring Me to Life - Evanescence

During the Latin round all of the celebrities were required to do a brief solo in their routine. I was truly looking forward to seeing what Evan would do. Instead of the constant bickering or crying crocodile tears because the performance won't be perfect type films of certain couples, we saw their biographical pieces that I positively loved. Of course my favorite one was Evan's. It was put together perfectly with interviews from other fellow figure skaters like Kristi Yamaguchi and Scott Hamilton, Evan's skating coach, fashion designer Vera Wang, and his other friends and family members. One of my favorite Latin dances is the Paso Doble, so I was excited to finally see how Evan would do this dance. Let's just say I was not disappointed one bit. It was beyond brilliant with phenomenal choreography, sublime costumes, incredible setting, and great music.

Basically the routine was a tribute of sorts to the Twilight saga and the Vampire Diaries. Evan Lysacek literally stole the entire show with his solo by first taking the cape off of Anna and doing the swirling cape routine before his full dance solo. Their Paso Doble was perfect in every way musically, fluidity and technical. In all my years of watching Dancing with the Stars I have never seen such an intense, passionate and hot dance routine like Evan and Anna's. Len stated he was truly impressed how Evan dominated the dance from start to finish, which is something a lot of the celebrities don't do. In the end they received their second set of "30" out of "30". This was a grand total of "59" out of "60", a near perfect score that tied them for first place with Nicole and Derek.

Tuesday night's results show will be jammed packed with the Design a Dance performance by the Dancing with the Stars alumnae Melissa Rycroft and Joey Fatone, College Dance Championships with Utah Valley University and Rutgers University and musical guests Miley Cyrus and Sarah McLachlan. More than likely Evan and Anna will be chosen for the encore dance. Bruno stated it was the best Paso Doble of the season. I sure would like to see it again.

SOURCES:

http://abc.go.com/shows/dancing-with-the-stars

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

Examiner.com - Dancing with the Stars

TVGrapvine.com - Dancing with the Stars May 17, 2010