dacascosfan.com

ShaolinLace1 · Joined: 17 Sep 2009 Posts: 99 Location: CANADA

Hi Everyone! I'm a huge Dancing Fan, and I'm very green about Mark's films , but I'm really really excited to see Mark Dacascos on the DWTS show this season.

I'm in Ontario Canada and I love everything dance.

I'm a Ballroom Dancer, and former dance teacher, and I saw lots and lots of potential when I saw Mark's work on youtube. He has a lithe but muscular body for dance, his artistry is very beautiful, and I can see him doing very very well.

I joined this board to watch Mark's journey on DWTS this season, and to support him in any future endeavours.

I am very excited to learn more about Mark's career and I have learned so much from this site.

Thank you Anne and all the nice people here.

Best

Marilyn

Anne · Posted: Sat Sep 19, 2009 3:25 pm Post subject:

Hi Marilyn,

Welcome on the forum.
As you can see, it's a bit quiet, but who knows .... Wink

So I'll be the expert on Mark - with some help, and you be the the expert on dance.
I did take dance lessons - waaaaaay back in time when my age was in one digits, so that doen't count for anything.

Hopefully it will be a long and prosperous journey for Mark, dancewise.

Anne
_________________
"[martial arts] ... and if the person does it right, and with passion - it's good." Mark Dacascos

ShaolinLace1 · Joined: 17 Sep 2009 Posts: 99 Location: CANADA

Thanks Anne...I am glad you're an expert on Mark because I really don't know him at all because I've never really watched Kung Fu. And while I don't profess to be an expert in American Smooth and American Rhythm, I do have a background in International Standard and Latin..there are some slight differences.

There's also some dances that aren't even part of Ballroom at all,
The Two Step, The Lambada, The Charleston...these are new this year and they're considered social dances. So who knows what to expect!!

What is fun to see is there's a lot of anticipation for Mark this season. He's really Lacey's best partner so they could go all the way.

Anne · Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2009 3:02 pm Post subject:

Considering how few messages there are in this thread, it's surprising to see that it has 179 views so far!

So Lace - how did you like Crying Freeman?
I've read some of the manga and watched a bit of the anime, but I prefer the live action movie
_________________
"[martial arts] ... and if the person does it right, and with passion - it's good." Mark Dacascos

deltaTN · Joined: 25 Oct 2009 Posts: 2 Location: United States

Hello, all you lovely folks from Mark and Lacey threads on the abc DWTS forum. I haven't looked at the memberlist lately, but I know several of us are here! Very Happy

I expect we'll have some lively conversations on your board. Anne! I hope we'll have this forum hopping before long. We seem to be quite a chatty bunch. Wink

Delta / Joy

Anne · Posted: Sun Nov 08, 2009 8:08 pm Post subject:

Hi Delta/Joy,

I'm looking forward to the hopping!
But PM's don't count as hopping Wink

A
_________________
"[martial arts] ... and if the person does it right, and with passion - it's good." Mark Dacascos

ShaolinLace1 · Joined: 17 Sep 2009 Posts: 99 Location: CANADA

LynS75 · Joined: 09 Nov 2009 Posts: 15

Wow Shaolin, I didn't know you were a Ballroom dancer or former teacher, but with my untrained eye I thought Mark should have made it to the finals as well. Crying or Very sad

I'm glad we have this forum here because we're all on the same page about Mark, but without all the negativity.

I'm going to watch Finding Freeman this weekend and I can't wait!

LynS75 · Joined: 09 Nov 2009 Posts: 15

OOps, I meant Crying Freeman..lol. I was looking at a Finding Nemo DVD when I typed that. Better get the name of the movie right if I plan on watching it! Shocked

ShaolinLace1 · Joined: 17 Sep 2009 Posts: 99 Location: CANADA

LynS75 · Joined: 09 Nov 2009 Posts: 15

I agree with you 100%. People with prior dance training can learn routines faster and also have better musicality and technique. It didn't bother me as much in past seasons when someone had prior training in dance, as long as it wasn't ballroom. But after reading some of your posts and luvsthepros posts, it finally sunk in what their advantages were. I actually feel guilty that I voted for Melissa Rycroft last season, not only for her prior dance training, but I felt ABC had a hidden agenda with her and I felt duped. This season, I figured I couldn't go wrong supporting Mark or Natalie because they both had tons of potential and were beautiful to watch. With both of their untimely departure from the show ABC really proved that they most certainly have a hidden agenda that it makes me sick thinking about it.

If I wanted to see a show with professional dancers such as Mya, I'd be watching the pro circuit.

Donny's trained in dance, but he doesn't dance that well. He just has all the baby-boomers voting for him.

Kelly and Joanna are the only ones left that don't have dance training, but they haven't progressed and watching them dance is like watching paint dry for me. I don't understand how they manage to garnish enough votes.

Sorry to ramble on, it's just I'm still fired up about Mark being eliminated.

ShaolinLace1 · Joined: 17 Sep 2009 Posts: 99 Location: CANADA

Melissa Rycroft is a pleasant girl and came into this contest with the advantage of "faking" Ballroom dance, because her lines were beautiful, her hold was lovely, but she was definitely a very practised ballet dancer, with ballet turnout and dancing on top of the floor instead of a ballroom dancer really getting into their feet, with strong heel leads meaning lead foot with flat to the floor before rising to the balls of the feet. That did not change throughout the season. But since the voting public doesn't particularly notice the technique, they see the overall vision and assume it's correct, and they figure Len's a fuddy duddy for nitpicking

Now, in the case of Mark, I want to point out some really fine dancing he did, particularly in the Quickstep. It is a real shame that little trip up on the pants was a 7 and not an 8, because as Baz said Mark could be a great Ballroom dancer, and he's right.

Where I began to see the favoritism is in Joanna getting a high mark for her Tango, when she was clearly being led around, she was tentative, and the trip she and Maks had caused them to completely lose focus for about 3 measures, which is a definite demerit in competition.

His lines on the Quickstep were spectacular. You can take years and years to get that dance position. Even trained pros in other styles can have difficulty with that, and he just nailed it. Further, they were in close body contact, which is difficult to maintain, and the footwork, save for the pant trip was really classic quickstep, with appropriate light and shade and deft athleticism. His final move on the Quickstep with him falling ever so cleanly to the floor was something Gene Kelly would have done.

I was really hoping to see more Ballroom from Mark, I really miss what he could have done for us on the Foxtrot, the Tango and the Slow waltz...for me, that is his forte. He is like one of the classic dancers of the old movies, with amazing athletic skill to boot.

LynS75 · Joined: 09 Nov 2009 Posts: 15

I've been away earning my badges at pogo all morning. What a task!

You're right about Melissa not progressing throughout the season. Even Tony said that when someone is trained in another form of dance they have to unlearn bad habits. I was mainly happy that I got to see Tony in the finals more than anything. He was the main reason I voted for them and I personally think they should have came in 2nd behind Gilles. The only way I'll watch that show again is if they have a "second chance" show and bring back stars that did not win, but were fan favorites.

Back to Mark, I agree that aside from him tripping on his pant, his quickstep was outstanding. I don't know why Donny can make several missteps in one routine and receive 8's and 9's, but Mark got 7's and 8's. The Samba he did with Anna T. and only learned within 48 hours of the show was not as bad as the judges would have you believe it was. It certainly deserved at least 7's from every judge. I guess they didn't feel bad having him as their pawn because he is such a nice guy.

Joanna is really irritating to watch because even I can see that she is not dancing in proper Ballroom form. Her legs are very weak and out of control. I don't know the proper terminology, but every time she takes a step it appears her legs step out way too far and it looks sloppy.

Kelly tries, but she is not up to par and it is a shame that she, Joanna and Aaron outlasted Mark.

ShaolinLace1 · Joined: 17 Sep 2009 Posts: 99 Location: CANADA

In Ballroom, Joanna is simply not applying correct technique, so instead we get a cheat, and Derek covers up with dazzling choreography. I did not think that is what the show is about. Now to compare her with Brooke Burke, Brooke did the dances well, did the proper technique, at times her legs did look a little awkward due to her double jointedness, but that's not a flaw that a dancer can change.

With Joanna, there's no excuses for not employing the proper technique so that she can push through the step from the core through the hip flexor on the down beat and then to the balls of the feet on the 2, 3 count, for say the waltz. .. proper technique is being ignored for flash. On the rumba, again, where is the cuban motion? She didn't have it, and yet that dance was scored high. Definitely a problem and definitely an agenda for Joanna to possibly win this competition. Shawn Johnson was a good technician compared to Joanna.