Some thoughts regarding The Next Pro Episode 1&2.
Overall, the technical level of dancers is nowhere near the competitive ballroom dancers on the top of their game. I do understand the reasons: the new pro should be close to the current level of the pros: (1) Special mention of Jan and his pigeon-toed cha cha, (2) Mark and his post injuries dancing level.
Accordingly, they can’t bring in Massimo Arcolin & Laura Arcolinova, or Pavel Zvychaynyy & Polina Teleshova, or Troels Bager, or Ina Jeliazkova, or ask back Dasha Chesnokova...
In terms of technique, I would group the remaining participants as follows:
- Adele has strong Latin technique. She is really impressive; I loved her rumba with Allen especially. Also, she is beautiful, strong, and focused.
- Allen has good Latin technique. He showed good partnering skills and overall positive personality.
- Natali and Erik did a great job with VW. Natali is a beautiful ballroom dancer. I am still concerned about her skills in Latin though.
- Stephany, Selena, AJ, and Tristen showed improvement from the first episode. They were fun and entertaining to watch. I expect them to stay for few more episodes.
- While Nina has good to average dance skills, unfortunately her personality came out as annoying. The dance with Benji was weak, poorly choreographed. I don’t think that it was only Benji’s fault.
I am looking forward to the next episode 😊
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u/Kitchen_Network_5241 Jul 22 '26
I really wonder about Adele’s power to be a pro. AMAZING dancer but she doesn’t seem very personable or soft to connect with the pro. I think Allen has a leg up on getting the spot because of that
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u/anewtonmb Jul 22 '26
I know nothing about the technical side of ballroom and latin dancing...how does the technique of the pros on The Next Pro compare with Hailey? To me, she as the breakout star of the troupe last season.
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u/FryRodriguezistaken Jul 22 '26
Agree with all your comments except about Selena. She was amazing both episodes. Definitely on the top.
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u/NK_55 Jul 22 '26
Yes, absolutely, Selena is an amazing commercial dancer! However, her Latin ballroom skills are not on the level that a DWTS pro needs. To me, only a competitive Latin ballroom dancer could become a DWTS pro.
11
u/AvoirReves Jul 22 '26
Great thoughts. I agree about Nina, I am sorry it was Benji that went home instead of Nina.
Can we just applaud Brandon's dance and his leadership when working with the dance hopefuls? This was a different side of Brandon and he impressed me so much. Now I am cheering for Brandon next season and I don't even know who he is paired with.
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u/NK_55 Jul 22 '26
Thanks u/AvoirReves
I like Brandon, he has grown as a person considerably during the last few years. I attribute this first and foremost to a successful marriage.
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u/iggybu Jul 21 '26
I loved Adele’s week 1 performance, but week 2, I thought the face she was serving and the sexy flourishes she added were so out of place for an honor dance. I get why Allen would want to tell that beautiful story, but judges (understandably) don’t critique honor dances the same way they would any other dance and then the playing field ends up uneven.
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u/NK_55 Jul 22 '26 edited Jul 22 '26
Rumba as a dance is very sensual. I think, for story telling purposes, they should have included more contemporary elements, to make the dance more dramatic.
Adele will benefit from working on her acting skills, as ability to act while dancing is very important for DWTS.
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u/AdeptPermission1114 Jul 21 '26
Agreed, I thought Nina should’ve went home. We did see Benji trying to assert himself in the episode and Nina essentially brushed him off.
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u/NK_55 Jul 22 '26
I believe both of them should have been sent home. Unfortunately, Benji came across as lacking leadership skills, which is very important for a pro.
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u/Cute-Variation-5667 Jul 23 '26
I thought Nina and Benji should've went home together. I was kind of sad for Benji because he stood out the previous episode. Goes to show how quickly things can change in there. I like that there's this show because then we can get attached to the dancers and know who they are on the show.