Strictly Come Blogging: January Musings: Week 12

Here are my thoughts on the final of Strictly Come Dancing.

Ballroom

Matt and Lilia chose to do the waltz. This was the right thing for them to do, as the waltz was their best scoring dance of the series. Their reprise of it was elegant and smooth.

Mark and Karen took a calculated risk by deciding to dance the tango in the final. Buoyed by their Argentine tango in the semi-final, their second go at Eleanor Rigby was easily better than their first performance and all the tango training lead to a slick performance. I actually think their Vienese waltz was their best ballroom, but they were unable to use it becuase of the group dance.

Latin

Latin has never been Matt's strong point, so chosing the fun samba was a good idea. Matt and Lilia got the crowd onside with their performance, and I don't think Matt could have put in a better performance.

Mark and Karen's salsa wiped the floor with everyone last time, although part of the crowd's energy came from 'micgate'. But this reprise was as Hot, Hot, Hot as the first go. There was no doubt that latin was Mark's strength, and this showed in the salsa.

Judges' Choice

The judges' choice was an interesting addition to this year's Strictly final. Both professionals were given Jackie Wilson's Higher And Higher to choreograph a routine to.

Lilia opted for a quickstep. This was a good choice. It played to Matt's ballroom strength, and quickstep is one of the most exciting ballroom styles to watch from an audience perspective. As I've said before, Lilia has a real flair for ballroom choreography. I loved the musicality of the choreography, especially the grande jetés on the line "higher and higher". That was wonderful.

And while Lilia went for ballroom, it was no shock that Karen went for samba. The samba allowed Mark to showcase his latin strength. The samba wowed the crowd, and was very strong.

Group Vienese Waltz

There was absolutely nothing to split the couples. They both performed the Vienese waltz well.

Showdance

The showdance can make or break the competition. I always felt that Matt and Lila might have an advantage, due to Lilia's size and Matt's strength. Lifts were going to be easier for this couple. I was surprised by the music choice. Say A Little Prayer is not the high-energy stuff that Strictly showdances are usually made of. But this made the routine nice and controlled. The couple seemed to be really connected throughout the dance. At times, however, it did feel like a series of lifts with little content in between.

Mark and Karen went for the much more up-tempo Shout. When the routine started, I wasn't sure the first lift was going to come off, but they got there, and the drop was sensational. The smile on Karen's face showed that she was pleased it had come off. I really liked the bit where Mark pushed Karen across the floor on her feet. The routine contained all of Karen's hallmarks; finger pointing, the clapping from the cha cha, those famous shimmies. Getting into the lift midway through looked a little laboured in my opinion, but once Karen was above Mark's head, it was fine. I loved the lift on the end.

The Result

I don't think anyone was surprised by the result. I thought that, although Matt showed elements of greatness, there was no way he could have beaten Mark. Mark had had an edge throughout the competition. I'm not sure if he was the best dancer in the series, but he was a worthy winner.

I'm more delighted for Karen. It was clear from the moment she stepped on the floor last series how much a Strictly title would mean to her. I admire her passion for dance. There were rumours early on that Karen would not be back for Series 4, but I'm sure she's now glad she made the decision to return.

So, that brings us to the end of another series. So many wondeful routines, so many personalities, so many highlights. Let's hope there will be a Series 5.

Here are the videos.

Matt and Lilia - Waltz