Strictly Come Blogging: Monday Musings: Week 9

Here are my thoughts on Week 9 of Strictly Come Dancing.

The competition is getting very close, so please excuse me if my comments seem over-critical this week. It's harder to find flaws with the couples, so I'm starting to be a bit picky!

I thought this was one of Carol and Matthew's strongest weeks in the competition. Their Viennese waltz was graceful and elegant. Perhaps Carol could have relaxed her shoulders a tad more, but that's picky! Their fleckle was wonderful. I loved the opening, the changes between natural and reverse turns were very smooth and I loved the lift at the end.

Carol and Matthew's samba was excellent, too. Carol finally seemed to enjoy herself in the way Bruno and Arlene were suggesting. It was energetic and entertaining. I loved the musicality in the choreography. Their samba rolls were fab and the dip at the end was great.

Matt and Lilia did an excellent quickstep. I love Lilia's ballroom choreography. They covered the whole floor and Matt looked like he was having fun. It was fantastic.

I really liked Matt and Lilia's rumba. It was romantic rather than passionate. Matt does peculiar things with his hands from time to time. I loved the ending. The whole routine was really touching. But perhaps it lacked the passion it is supposed to have.

Something about Emma and Darren's waltz left me a bit cold on first viewing. Emma spent the first half of the dance with a very serious expression on. Perhaps that was nerves. Their standing spin was gorgeous. Once Emma relaxed into the dance, it was much better.

The choreography and music for Emma and Darren's paso doble was fantastic. The performance was excellent, the footwork was great too. For me, Emma lacked a bit of aggression, particularly in her face. It needed a tad more attack. Despite telling everyone how she can have a nasty streak, I didn't see it one the floor. But all that said, I still loved it.

I liked Mark and Karen's foxtrot. It didn't really have a wow-factor. Foxtrot was always going to be a difficult dance to sell in, and by going for a less traditional piece of music they lost some of the romance.

Mark and Karen's samba was fantastic. It had heaps of energy and was the carnival dance it was supposed to be. They were synchronised in the places they should be. I could live without Karen's "I told you so" looks at the judges, though, although it was all in good fun. It was wonderful.

I really liked Louisa and Vincent's routine as a dance and a performance, but there was too little Viennese waltz to it. In fact, during the routine I wondered if they were going to do any. It was well performed, and Louisa cannot be faulted for Vincent's choreography. It was enjoyable.

Louisa and Vincent's cha cha was very good. It was fast and fabulous. The footwork was busy, but not too packed, and Louisa executed it very well. It was a pleasure to watch.

I really didn't know which way things would go this week. The whole competition is so close. It was a real shame to see Carol and Matthew leave this week. I have changed my mind about this couple all throughout the competition. I liked them, then I didn't, then I did again. But they were so strong this week, I was sorry to see them leave.

The biggest shock was seeing Emma and Darren back in the bottom two, especially as they had been top with the judges. Are they really that unpopular with the public? Or was it that people didn't vote, assuming they were safe? Surely after all the shock exits in this competition, the public would know better than to assume anyone is safe.

Next week, according to the listings magazines, the participants will get a 'surprise' to resolve Jimmy Tarbuck's early exit. We'll have to see what that is.

Here are the videos...

Carol & Matthew - Viennese waltz