{"id":6028,"date":"2018-02-05T13:51:46","date_gmt":"2018-02-05T11:51:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/?p=6028"},"modified":"2018-02-05T13:51:46","modified_gmt":"2018-02-05T11:51:46","slug":"dancing-with-the-stars-sa-launches-with-electrifying-live-extravaganza","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/blog\/2018\/02\/05\/dancing-with-the-stars-sa-launches-with-electrifying-live-extravaganza\/","title":{"rendered":"Dancing With The Stars SA Launches With Electrifying Live Extravaganza"},"content":{"rendered":"

First 6 dancing pairs dazzle the judges!<\/strong><\/p>\n

M-Net\u2019s brand new\u00a0Sunday\u00a0night\u00a0reality\u00a0competition\u00a0show\u00a0Dancing With The Stars SA kicked off with a dazzle of sequins\u00a0tonight,\u00a0Sunday\u00a04 February live from the top of Hyde Park Corner in Johannesburg. The first six couples doing battle for the glittering trophy showed their skills off to esteemed judging panel Bryan Watson, Debbie Turner, Tebogo Kgobokoe, and Jason Gilkison.
\nFirst up to strut their stuff with the Cha-Cha was\u00a0radio host and former Miss SA Liesl Laurie and three-time British Show Dance champion\u00a0Ryan Hammond. Liesl was speechless after her number but the judges weren\u2019t \u2013 Jason Gilkison advised her to transfer more of her energy to her feet. \u201cBut what a way to start the season!\u201d he praised. \u201cThe Technique Terrorist\u201d Tebogo Kgobokoe agreed that Liesl had great energy, \u201cand I\u2019d like you to match that with your technique,\u201d she said. Bryan Watson joked that this had been by far the best Cha-Cha he\u2019d seen on\u00a0Dancing With The Stars SA\u00a02018 yet, and Debbie Turner said Liesl looked great out there. \u201cAs your confidence builds week after week, you\u2019re going to be stunning,\u201d she said.
\nBryan and Debbie scored Liesl 5 points each, Jason 6 points, and technique stickler Tebogo only 4, for a total of 20. An emotional Liesl said she would work on her footwork, as soon as she gets used to those dance heels! \u201cI\u2019m coming back stronger next week!\u201d she vowed.<\/p>\n

The next couple to compete, doing the Quickstep, was retired Bafana Bafana winger Delron Buckley and his partner, former professional ballerina Angelique Allison.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom a footballer I expect fast, flighty, intricate footwork and impeccable timing, and I don\u2019t think you delivered on that,\u201d Tebogo said in her judgment, and she advised Delron to focus on his natural power and energy.\u00a0 Bryan noted that there was a little but too much \u201cgap\u201d between the two dancers, \u201cbut I can see you have your eye on the ball,\u201d he said. A smiling Debbie remarked that Delron was a very charismatic dancer, but advised him to work on posture. Jason remarked that he should really be Red Card-ing Delron because he saw quite a few moves that he\u2019d never seen in a Quickstep before, \u201cBut I was entertained, somehow, which I loved!\u201d he smiled. Like Debbie, he advised Delron to work on his framing.<\/p>\n

Bryan scored Delron 4 points, Debbie scored a high 6, Jason 5 points, and Tebogo a skimpy 3, for a total of 18. \u201cIt\u2019s something I can work on,\u201d said a phlegmatic Delron.<\/p>\n

South Africa\u2019s beloved \u201cOuboet\u201d, Frank Opperman, surprised the nation \u2013 and the judges \u2013 with his slick Tango skills with seven-time undefeated Amateur\u00a0Latin American Champion\u00a0Jeann\u00e9 Swarts. \u201cOuboet, we are so pleased that you\u2019re allowed to do a show like this!\u201d Bryan joked. \u201cI enjoyed that thoroughly,\u201d he said. \u201cThere was a little bit more stomp than stealth, but great job.\u201d Debbie noted that Frank had already won her heart with how invested he was in his every move. \u201cI was not expecting that from you,\u201d Jason admitted. \u201cI\u2019m really proud of you,\u201d he told Frank. And even the Terrifying Tebogo admitted that she was surprised, but cautioned Frank to work on his agility.<\/p>\n

Bryan scored Frank\u2019s Tango 4 points, Debbie and Jason 6 each and even Tebogo a generous 4, for a total of 20.<\/p>\n

\u201cJissie, dis \u2018n 20 wat ek nog nooit gehad het nie!\u201d Frank beamed.<\/p>\n

Proving that speed and grace runs in the family, athletics coach Odessa Swarts \u2013 the mother of Olympian Wayde van Niekerk \u2013 was a picture of old-world elegance doing the Waltz with her partner, Latin American champion Dylon Daniels. The audience gave them a standing ovation. Jason pointed out how difficult the classic Waltz can be and he cautioned Odessa to use her legs just a little bit more. Tebogo said she found Odessa just a little timid \u2013 \u201cDance is liberating,\u201d she said, \u201cgo for it!\u201d Bryan complimented the choreography and he said Odessa handled it \u201cwith flair, finesse, and elegance,\u201d while Debbie praised Odessa\u2019s natural elegance and grace.<\/p>\n

Bryan scored Odessa 6 points, Debbie and Jason 5 each and Tebogo 4, for another 20-point score.<\/p>\n

Singer-songwriter Connell Cruise proved that he can move too, burning up the dancefloor with a fiery Cha-Cha with Latin champ Marcella Soliemo! Tebogo admitted that Connell\u2019s lifts were impressive but they wouldn\u2019t be anymore by Week 3, she cautioned, and she urged him to exercise a little more control. \u201cYou don\u2019t have a confidence problem, clearly!\u201d said Bryan. Debbie said it was a great first outing and cautioned Connell to work on his footwork, but Jason thought that Connell might be the one to watch in this competition.<\/p>\n

Bryan\u2019s score of 6 points, Debbie and Jason\u2019s 7 each and Tebogo\u2019s personal high of the evening of 5 points put Connell and Marcella in an early lead with 25 points. An excited Connell admitted that he was particularly pleased to get a high score from the formidable Tebogo.<\/p>\n

Actress Zola Nombona and her partner,\u00a0Dance SuperSeries\u00a0winner Tebogo Mashilo, brought a spectacular evening of dance to a rip-roaring close with an energetic Jive. \u201cAyeye!\u201d Bryan Watson exclaimed. \u201cI think you locked down that jive!\u201d \u201cI loved your sass,\u201d Debbie agreed, and Jason agreed that Zola had raised the bar in this competition. \u201cYou shouldn\u2019t be able to do that in Week 1!\u201d he marveled. Even Tebogo admitted that Zola \u201clit the floor\u201d, but cautioned her to focus also on \u201cneatness\u201d.<\/p>\n

Bryan and Debbie scored Zola an unprecedented 7 points and Jason went even higher with 8, and even Tebogo gave her highest score of the night, 5, bringing Zola\u2019s total to a remarkable 27. Up in the tower with host Tracey Lange, a speechless Zola was reduced to tears.<\/p>\n

Viewers were treated to a live performance by South African legend Zolani Mahola while the judges tallied up their scores one last time and at the end of the first episode of\u00a0Dancing with the Stars SA, Zola\u00a0Nombona\u00a0was at the top of the leaderboard with her 27 points. Connell Cruise was in second place with 25 points and\u00a0Liesl Laurie, Frank Opperman, and Odessa Swarts were in a third-place tie with 20 points each. That left soccer star Delron Buckley bringing up the rear in last place with his 18 points.<\/p>\n

No-one was sent home tonight, but the judges\u2019 scores for these first six couples will be carried through to the third episode\u00a0on 18 February, when these scores will be combined with the viewers\u2019 votes to determine which two couples with the lowest scores will have to dance again for their survival in the dreaded Dance-Off!<\/p>\n

To vote for their favourite dancers, viewers have to pre-register at least thirty minutes before the start of the live show at\u00a0mnet.tv\/dwtssavote, and voting will be open from the start of the show from 17:00 to 19:15. And then, for the first time ever, M-Net will announce the results of each episode on the same night, in a special\u00a0Dancing with the Stars SA Live Results\u00a0show at 20:00 every Sunday after\u00a0Carte Blanche.<\/p>\n

But first, coming up next week, the judges will get their first look at the next six couples taking part in the competition, in\u00a0Dancing with the Stars SA\u00a0episode 2 on Sunday, 11 February, at 17:00 only on M-Net channel 101.<\/p>\n

Dancing with the Stars SA\u00a0is produced for M-Net by Rapid Blue and is sponsored by Lottostar.\u00a0Join the conversation on the\u00a0Dancing with the Stars SA\u00a0Facebook page,\u00a0or on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #DWTSSA.<\/p>\n

For more information about M-Net\u2019s impressive new local slate, visit\u00a0www.mnet.tv<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

First 6 dancing pairs dazzle the judges! M-Net\u2019s brand new\u00a0Sunday\u00a0night\u00a0reality\u00a0competition\u00a0show\u00a0Dancing With The Stars SA kicked off with a dazzle of sequins\u00a0tonight,\u00a0Sunday\u00a04 February live from the top of Hyde Park Corner in Johannesburg. The first six couples doing battle for the glittering trophy showed their skills off to esteemed judging panel Bryan Watson, Debbie Turner, Tebogo… Continue reading Dancing With The Stars SA Launches With Electrifying Live Extravaganza<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[21],"class_list":["post-6028","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-television","tag-mnet","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6028","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6028"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6028\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6028"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6028"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6028"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}