Dancing's Derek Hough: I'm So Proud of Amy

Hey guys,
How'd you like Disney Week?
Thanks for all your votes and messages this week. They've really meant a lot to us, Amy especially. The waltz was a hard one for us, but we pushed through and I'm so proud of Amy and how well she did. We had our usual pep talk before we went out to dance and I just told her to really enjoy it. At the end of our performances, Amy is quick to criticize herself. As soon as we finish, she'll point out what she did wrong or say, "I was off-balance" or something. As I'm holding her, she'll say something in my ear. So I told her, "The moment after you finish the dance, when everyone's applauding, just soak it in and enjoy that moment. You're denying yourself that by immediately critiquing yourself. Enjoy it."
That's the one I really wanted to get through to her because the waltz was so difficult. I think part of it is Amy being a world-class athlete. Athletes are all hard on themselves and want to be perfect. I told her, "It doesn't matter if it feels terrible or you mess up. Just revel in that moment. We can always talk about the performance five minutes later, one day later, one week later, but you can never have that moment right after you finish back." We only have a month left if we make it to the final and I want her to really enjoy every second of it.
I know there's been some discussion about Carrie Ann choosing not to dock us on a lift because of Amy's circumstances. Both of us would've been fine had she penalized us, but I think there's a fine line in making that judgment. The particular lift Carrie Ann was talking about was when I was lifting her down the stairs. Walking up stairs is easier for Amy than walking down the stairs. When we were practicing it, we were doing it and it didn't look smooth and elegant, and it took away from the moment. So I said, "I'm going to gently lift you up and walk you down, so it looks better." I feel like that's not purposely doing a trick or doing a lift knowing you're breaking the rules or defying the judges, which I've done consciously. I feel like we were on the other side of the line. Neither of us wants the judges to hold Amy to different standards, but I think this was a very specific incident and a minor detail in the overall performance.
This week, we have the jive for Party Anthem Week. The jive was another dance I was worried about when the producers were telling me about Amy before the season because of the flicks and kicks. But it's going well so far. Amy is a rock star, as you know. I don't want to give away too much, but she's got all these different types of feet that allow her to do these amazing things. Every week, I'm just blown away at what we can do with them. The pair we're using for the jive is one we've used before. I'm also glad we have a lively dance. Firstly, the slower the dance, the more difficult it is for Amy, so the jive is a great change of pace from last week. The waltz wasn't stressful, but it was challenging. It's Party Anthem Week and we want to celebrate. This is the point in the competition where everyone starts to get tired and hit a wall, so I want to remind ourselves to go out there and have fun.
See you Monday!
Derek