Movin' and Shakin' in the Lehigh Valley

Wednesday night, in the spirit of "Dancing with the Stars," members of the Lehigh Valley Arts Council looked on while three area dancers paired up with untrained-but-game community members to compete for... bragging rights (a REAL reality show). As with most arts endeavors the greater reward was not in the destination, but in the journey. Although they did grip those trophies tightly.

Joining me on the judges' panel, above, were ceramicist/"dancing monk" Rafael Canizares and Allentown Main Street manager/glass blower Peter Lewnes. With a 19-year background in this capacity at The Morning Call (writing under the names Kathryn Williams and Kathryn Williams Craft), I can tell you it was the most fun I've ever had as a dance critic. No grant money would ride on my words, no tender creative spirit would be squelched beneath them. Indeed, like Simon Cowell on American Idol, the more I "let it rip," the greater the booing and the higher the entertainment value, everyone realizing it was all in good fun.

While the female judge usually sits on the left on this show, once we figured out that I was the oldest, I drew the Len Goodman spot. My comments were aimed toward performance quality. "Carrie Ann" was Rafael, who tapped his background in ballroom dance to dissect technical expertise; Peter, like effusive Bruno Tonioli, played cheerleader. (Of course, Peter's main qualification for the judges' panel was that he does his laundry on Monday nights at the house of a friend who watches the show.) 

The hosts were Randall Forte, Executive Director of the Arts Council, and Pam Deller, Associate Publisher of Lehigh Valley Style. First up were John Thoder of the Allentown Area Swing Dance Society and Anne Episcopo of Alvin H. Butz, performing a competent jitterbug/smooth lindy. They had met previously for six rehearsals. My comments ran something like:

Martha Graham said it takes ten years to make a dancer. The good news is that nothing just happened here that 9 years and 11 months more couldn't solve. [boos] But you looked great, Anne, and while you often wore a smile as a facade, I appreciated all of the funny faces John made at you that helped the real smile break through.

Next came Eric Feinstein of Repertory Dance Theatre and student Betsy Harting of Olympus America doing the waltz. They admitted to only rehearsing three times including the dress rehearsal, but they pulled off an elegant performance thanks to Betsy's previous dance training on the very Cedar Crest College stage where they performed. (Way previous, she added.)

You set a difficult challenge by picking such slow music, which demanded that you luxuriate to fill every count—instead, you sometimes hit a pose on "one" and simply held. But there were some moments of real tenderness in this performance, and I dare say we watched you fall in love--and if we didn't, don't tell us!

Up last were HALA (Hispanic American League of Artists) dance instructor Aja Jefferson with student Joe Owens, editor of the Express-Times, performing the merengue/salsa. It wasn't just the beat that energized the stage, but the, er, enthusiasm of the dancers as well. It was enough for the couple to win the competition. Watch their performance to see for yourself. Video of the runners up is also available, so check these out and share in the fun (video clips thanks to Pennlive.com). My comments to Aja and Joe are on the video: I'm the back-lit wraith at the center of the judges' panel. 

Your styles were disparate yet complementary, with Aja's energy all horizontal and round and Joe's all vertical and jittery. So jittery, in fact, that I think it would have been fun to see Joe perform the jitterbug with John. Peter's assessment: Hot, hot, hot!

After the competition, the audience was invited onto the stage for a salsa lesson taught by Aja. It was a most enjoyable evening, a lot of laughs, and due to the participation component, the best idea Randall has ever had for the annual Lehigh Valley Arts Council member reception. Thank you to the organizers, the contestants, and my fellow judges for making it so much fun.