Season Premier of Dancing with the Stars- a recap by your local Fred Astaire Dance Studio

Monday night was the Premier of the 17th Season of Dancing with the Stars, and what a premier it was! The Fred Astaire Studio of Warwick will give you a breakdown and analyses of each week and the dancers performance.

The lowest score of the evening with a 14 went to Bill Nye and his professional partner Tyne.

“The Science guy” Bill seems to have some partner dance skills which was shown on the preview before he danced. Sadly this did not seem the case anymore in the ChaCha he and Tyne preformed. I am not quite sure if the slightly uncoordinated movements the routine started off with, were part of the story (a science guy meets a pretty girl), but they continued on throughout the entire routine and made Bill look a bit uncoordinated. Perhaps he was nervous, because, based on the short clip in the preview, he seems like a smoother dancer than his performance portrayed. I am curious to see, what the next dance he performs will bring to the floor.

Scoring a 17 were Keyshawn and his professional partner Sharna.

The former wide receiver makes his dance debut with a ChaCha routine. In the past football players have performed very strongly on the show so there were a lot of expectations for this ESPN broadcaster. First of he showed a lot of energy and enthusiasm and came right out and attached the dance. His posture was at times a bit hunched and he needs to work on his timing. I also believe that the choreography could have showcased his dancing a bit better as it seemed like there was quite a bit of non dancing time in there. So Keyshawn has room to grow as a dancer, will he be able to do so?

Scoring an 18 were Bill Engval and his professional partner Emma.

Comedian Bill has set his goal on being the "redneck dancing king", and he seems quite talented albeit slightly uncomfortable (in the preview) on what his friends will say. He foxtrotted his way to 18 points and some decent judges reviews Bill does need to work on keeping the entire dance fluid but he has good lines and an elegance about him unusual for comedians in past seasons.

The most emotional couple of the night Valerie Harper and her professional partner Tristan scored a 21

This award winning actress in inspiring to watch. She was diagnosed with terminal cancer but is excited to make her "dream" of dancing come true. Valerie radiates positivity and determination. Her foxtrot at times looks effortless and she performed with an ease. Val seems more comfortable dancing solo than with a partner and I am sure will work on improving her frame to make her look as comfortable in dance hold as our of it.

Next up on the leader board are Leah Remini and her professional partner Tony.

The "King of Queens" actress comes out in her first week with a solid performance. She has a good frame and controlled movements. At times a bit too controlled; I recommend Tony and her work on the energy level to make her a contestant to be reckoned with as she moves gracefully already.

Bringing home a score of 22 are Chrisina Milian and her professional partner Mark.

This contemporary number was a more tragic piece than the other contemporary dances. It was well choreographed and performed strongly. Christina seemed a bit hesitant in the beginning which might be due to the fact that she expressed some distrust in her partners choreography. But just as he predicted the performance was very good and she turns out to be quite the talented dancer. Lets see what happens once she starts to dance with confidence

Also scoring a 22 were Brant Daugherty and his professional partner Peta

The "Pretty little liars" actor Brent is more than just a handsome actor. He has some good moves and seems quite controlled in this exciting ChaCha. His footwork was very precise for week 1. Brent needs some work on his timing and posture but he danced quite strongly. Him an Peta have a fun connection and look well together on the floor

Bringing home a score of 23 are Nicole Polizzi (Snooki) and her professional partner Sasha.

This dynamic couple started off with a dance that seems to fit Nicole's personality, it's fun, flirty and cheeky. She performed it well with good timing and had good actions in it. Nicole needs to work on her fluidity and connecting her body parts to her core. I appreciate that Sasha had her dance a lot of Basic ChaCha instead of wild and crazy choreography.

Skipping their way to 24 points are Jack Osbourne and his professional partner Cheryl.

Jack already bounced confidently into this foxtrot number and showed some true performance skills. He seemed very confident with choreography and energetic in his dancing. He has a very solid frame which I would like to see just a bit more relaxed and he needs to work on his footwork. He has room to grow in the show and talent to do so

Also walking of the floor with a 24 are Elizabeth Berkley Lauren and her professional partner Val.

This contemporary number was very nice to watch with great light and dark shades to it. The two dancers were very in sync and Elizabeth is a very elegant dancer.  Her musicality is sharp and timing beautiful. I'd like to see her arms work a bit farther but overall beyond week 1 standard and one can tell that she has danced before.

The third couple with a score of 24 are Corbin Bleu and his professional partner Karina.

This “High School Musical” star has a strong background in ballet, tap and on broadway and it comes together beautifully in this contemporary number. Corbin has a great use and understanding of his body and displays fluidity and expression way beyond what we ever get to see in the first week of this show. I can’t wait to see how he will tackle ballroom

The highest score of the night went to Amber Riley and her professional partner Derek.

This ChaCha was full of fun filled and fast choreography. Amber ist fast and sharp, able to keep up with Derek's always fast choreography and performs with character far beyond the usual week one contestant who has no prior dance experience. I am impressed with her leg lines and look forward to seeing her development. She has set a very high standard for herself to compete against.

Overall this was a highly competitive and entertaining season premier with many talented dancers. Who will take over the leaderboard next week? Stay tuned for the Fred Astaire update next week!

This article was written by Juliet Thibodeaux, Co-Owner of the Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Warwick. For more information on the Studio please visit our website at www.fredastairewarwick.com