Dancing in Style With the Stars

One of the shows currently on the air on ABC each week is Dancing wtih the Stars. It’s effectively a dance competition, with one couple being eliminated from the contest each week. One member of each dancing couple is a celebrity of sorts. The other is a professional dancer. Within a short period of time, the professional has to assist the celebrity in learning often tricky dance steps which they’ll then demonstrate in the competition on live TV.

A panel of three judges votes on the performance of each couple. Additionally, members of the public at large can vote, too. Rankings each week are determined on the basis of the combined voting of the panel’s judges and the public’s vote. The couple with the lowest number in that combined vote winds up being eliminated from the competition.

Much to the surprise of many people, this series of shows has become wildly popular. It scores high in the Nielsen ratings, drawing large viewing audiences.

What accounts for such success? Among the factors which can possibly explain it are the following: (1) the belief on the part of a viewer that she/he, too, could learn how to dance so well so quickly, (2) the vividly-colored, gorgeous outfits the female dancers wear, (3) the musical selections to which contestants are dancing, and (4) of course the fact that someone, no matter how good, is going to lose each week.

Aside from those considerations, yet another factor merits attention. And that’s the fact that ballroom dancing is once again becoming popular throughout society at large. Not only here in the United States, but also in many other countries, people are flocking to dance studios to learn how to do the Viennese waltz, the foxtrot, the rumba, the tango, the samba, and so many other dances.

Latin dances are especially popular with people. Salsa has grown in popularity by leaps and bounds. And everyone seems fascinated by the tango. The samba has its own appeal, as does the bolero.

Dance sport, where couples are judged on how well they perform the specific steps of specific dances, is gaining ground in the arena of athletic competitions.

Thus, for all these reasons, it’s no wonder that ABC has scored a bullseye with “Dancing with the Stars.”