Tour doesn't copy series, but does offer a few favorite routines Special to The Observer Celebrity dancers and their pro partners from ABC's hit series "Dancing With The Stars" covered many eras and styles of dance during Friday's show at Charlotte Bobcats Arena. From the opening group dance of "Luck Be a Lady" to the "Footloose" finale, fans were treated to big group productions, an all-star boy band salute to the Rat Pack, and popular routines from the series. Some routines were familiar to fans who attended the first "Dancing With The Stars" tour in Greensboro in January.
But as choreographer and creative director Louis Van Amstel told the Orlando Sentinel recently, this tour wasn't a copy of the series. There were fewer dances from the show than before, but those were still the ones that got fans moving. Joey Fatone's perfect-10-scoring, disco-inspired freestyle from the Season 4 finale was a favorite.
But Drew Lachey and Cheryl Burke's winning freestyle to Big Rich's "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy" remained the sexiest showstopper of the night. The crowd was more subdued than the one in Greensboro, at least for the first half of the show, with fans cheering on muscular Joey Lawrence as he wooed three shapely dancers to Lou Vega's "Mambo #5." All of the dancers were featured at some point, but charismatic Season 4 winner Julianne Hough proved a star.
The 18-year-old pro has come into her own since substituting for Kym Johnson as Joey McIntyre's partner during the first tour. It's hard to take your eyes off of her even during big group dances. There were a few bumps -- most notably, Johnson's missed lift onto Fatone's shoulder during the big group finish, which the N'Syncer laughed off.
His charisma shined as much off the dance floor as on as he bantered with Lachey and Johnson and co-hosted a short local ballroom dance-off. The show wasn't all dancing, though. Just like the series, which occasionally throws in bits of hip-hop or "Star Wars" along with strict ballroom standards, the tour attempts to appeal to a variety of ages -- mixing Beyonce's "Crazy In Love" and Maroon 5's "Makes Me Wonder" with Sinatra and swing.
McIntyre crooned a couple of standards from his new album, in addition to the so-so Rat Pack tribute. Although not as true to the series as the show's first tour, the amazing bodies, live band, fabulous dancing, and 200,000 rhinestones on fabulous costumes made for good family entertainment. Season 5 of "Dancing With the Stars" premiers Sept.
24 on ABC.
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