'Dancing with the Stars' Week 8 - Chelsea Kane Shines "Like a Precious Jewel"

Disney star Chelsea Kane has proven herself a worthy competitor on "Dancing with the Stars" 2011, but she and partner Mark Ballas took their game to an even higher level Monday night with a Waltz that earned the youthful duo a near-perfect mark from judges Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli and Carrie Ann Inaba.

Entering the Ballroom Round of the night's competition, the 22-year old actress hoped to showcase her "romantic" side, while Ballas, who had previously complained loudly over what he considered subpar scores, planned to take a backseat to his talented partner.

They began their performance in dramatic fashion, as they often do, with both on the floor and engaged in a 'romance will save us' kind of embrace. The routine was nearly spot-on from a technical perspective, but it was the emotional and theatrical aspects of the dance that headlined their effort. Kane and Ballas have a near-magical ability to captivate the audience with their fluid movement and powerful, emotionally evocative storytelling.

Head judge Goodman accused them of focusing excessively on storytelling, but added that he'd enjoyed the dance anyway. Tonioli called it "fabulous" and likened the blonde to a "precious jewel". Foreshadowing her score, Inaba asserted that the pair had "earned perfection".

And near-perfection it was, as the duo received 29 points total for their "Dancing with the Stars" week 8 ballroom round waltz. They went on to score 26 additional points for their Instant Latin round dance, for a leaderboard-topping total of 55 points on the evening.

To see if Chelsea Kane survives to dance another week on "Dancing with the Stars" 2011, watch the week 8 results show at 9 p.m. on ABC.