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While it was a surprise that Lil Kim and Derek went off the show last week, it was no surprise that Ty went off this week. But this is television and ratings count. So I can see that certain people are brought on to keep the ratings high, to keep the show’s audience entertained, and to elicit from the audience a sense of belonging by our being able to contribute votes and a sense of being involved in the high drama and conflict of a behind-the-scenes show that sets up pretty much what they’d like the viewers to see.

How a judge can demolish an Olympic Gold Medalist of 17 who gave us all she knows as heartfelt in her second dance of the evening on Monday, May 11, and then argue with another judge that Ty only made a few mistakes shows the fallibility of judges (because they’re only human) and the growth potential for the show. I’d love to see some energy healing happen in the entertainment industry. I’d love to see someone on the show offering a way to go toward the solution so the weaknesses or growth lessons behind a judge’s comment can be addressed.

I said from the beginning in an e-mail I sent to one of the dancers on the show that I didn’t see how anyone could beat Gilles. As is the pattern on the show, he went down in the ratings from the judges, and his performances seemed less appealing to the ladies, especially when he tried to be funny. Monday night he regained his momentum. While I’m not here to predict that he will win, it has been the pattern on the show that he has the most probability of winning, just as putting down the next contender, Shawn, has occurred in the past.

For me, this show is a fabulous opportunity to see how I would help some dancers grow more into themselves, as people and as performers. Melissa intrigues me because she is so talented. Everything comes easily to her and she is showing more of herself. The comment from Carrie Ann that Melissa did not seem to be fully enjoying herself is covered by Melissa’s smiles and her ease and facility. All performers know how to cover fear, nerves, or whatever else may be going on. But in the context of this competition, DWTS cannot go further right now. In the context of life, I’d want to know what is at the core of this hiding. The way Melissa holds herself back is subtle. I doubt the audience sees it. She seems such a happy girl.

Sometimes it’s a matter of feeling into it. Does she makes you sing? Do you feel like joining her on the dance floor with all of yourself? What do you feel deep inside when you see Melissa? I feel a weakness in how she comes across. She can’t be all there because–? It’s something emotional. She needs a Ladies Night Out where she’s free from pressures and can be her ordinary self.

What do I feel when Gilles dances (besides heat)? Not always, but on Monday night, I felt how he cares, how he can be both vulnerable and connected to his sexuality. He loves to move. Do I still think he’ll win? Yes, but I also think Shawn and Mark are the cutest couple going. What a challenge to work with a gymnast, since gymnastics is in some ways antithetical to dance. Shawn herself called dance a sport, which it is not. It is an art form. Shawn would need some intricate coaching, I think, for her to grow in an art form. She would need to learn something we call in Laban Effort-Shape, fine-touch. She needs more contrast and more freedom. Like Melissa, I’d like to see Shawn the way she is when she hangs out with her friends. DWTS and perhaps Mark have attempted to make her this grand, glamorous star who looks twenty-something rather than the teenager that she is. This is what we do in America. Girls, women… we’re never fine the way we are. We’ve got to put on makeup, put our hair up, get thinner. We can’t play at makebelieve any more. I’d like to see Shawn be a teenager dancing with Mark to music that expresses her soul.

I wonder what would happen if there were a contest of ballet dancers, the best in the world, and ballroom dance stars doing what comes natural to them rather than what is forced pretense so one can please and thus win a competition. Get me tickets to that. In the meantime, I’ll be watching next Monday to see who wins. At the same time, Derek and Lil Kim, I’ll never forget some of what you showed us. I know I saw it, and I believe in magic. Thank you.

Many blessings.