Gladys Knight lost Tuesday night's dance duel on "DWTS the Results" to Roshon Fegan as they faced off in challenging jive routines after landing in the bottom two spots on the leader board. To her credit, though, her last dance was not all that bad, if only because she has mega wattage stage presence. And, hey, she's 68 years old to Roshon's 20. We say, good for her for getting out there and strutting her stuff without a hint of reticence or nerves.
Carrie Ann said Gladys was in control and confident while Len complimented her for handling the pressure well and Bruno called her "unique and special." Carrie Ann actually voted to save Gladys, but Len and Bruno voted for Roshon. Instead of a final turn on the dance floor, Gladys was treated to an emotional group hug by all the rest of the cast. They will clearly miss the legendary Empress of Soul, and it's a good bet every one of them has been enriched by getting to know her.
On another note, the evening's "Stars of Dance" segments included a lush group number by "Shaping Sound," a hot new contemporary troupe, as well as an exquisite performance by a talented 17-year-old ballet student from the American Ballet Theatre's Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School. Michaela DePrince was orphaned in her native Sierra Leone and then adopted at the age of 4. Her doting and justifiably proud parents appeared with her in an inspiring pre-performance video. She danced beautifully, partnered by Adé Chiké Torbert in a pas de deux choreographed by ABT ballet mistress Susan Jaffe and accompanied live by Natasha Bedingfield signing "Wild Horses."
An aside from a ballet insider: Michaela was forced to resort to an old trick for dancing safely on pointe on a slick floor without the "Marley" covering that gives ballet stages traction. She had a shoemaker glue rubber to the souls of her pointe shoes and she admits that working in them took some practice. She clearly got the hang of it, though! Michaela is featured in the April issue of Marie Claire and will be in a forthcoming Teen Vogue photo spread. We predict a stellar future for this rising young ballerina. Congratulations to her and to her lovely Boomer parents!
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