“So we’re dancing to my version of ‘You’re Welcome’ from the ‘Moana’ soundtrack,” said Jordan Fisher about his dance for “Disney Night” on “Dancing with the Stars.” “I was working with Disney when I was 16-years-old on an ABC Family show, and that turned into me working for the Disney Channel on ‘Liv and Maddie’ … These are my people, they’re ingrained in my system.” So he definitely had an advantage when he stepped onto the dance floor this week, and he made the most of it. His “Moana” foxtrot was another milestone for him: the highest score of the night, the highest score of the season, and the first perfect 30 out of 30 of the season. Watch it above.
Judge Carrie Ann Inaba said, “You are unstoppable. Your talent is so undeniable. And here I’m watching that, and it’s a foxtrot and you had your little breakdown in the middle, and it was a little long even for my tastes, but I can’t take anything away from you for it because you delivered it so perfectly.” Len Goodman added, “What pleased me so much was all the foxtrot in hold because you not only danced it beautifully, but you got sway going, there was a swing in the body. I’m normally not a big fan of that mucking about in the middle there … but that part in hold was so good I can forgive anything.”
And Bruno Tonioli concluded, “You did it to a contemporary beat. This beat had syncopation. Usually in a classic foxtrot you don’t have syncopation. You kept the technique absolutely perfect, and yet you managed to put the syncopation in it without losing it.”
The comments from Goodman were especially noteworthy. He’s the biggest traditionalist on the judging panel and has deducted points from numerous stars over the years for routines that deviated from traditional technique — he did that to Fisher just a few weeks ago with his Charleston. Do you think he should have deducted points for the hip-hop breakdown like he has for so many other celebs, or was he right to finally loosen his rigid standards? Vote in our poll below to let us know what you think.
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