Strictly Come Blogging: Sunday Service: Week 7

Here are my thoughts on Week 7 of Strictly Come Dancing.

If there's one thing Erin always does well, its the quickstep. Austin did a 'marvelous' job with the quickstep. It was light and nippy. Austin looked in control and led the dance well. It was exciting, bright and glamourous. Austin was at his best.

I had to agree with the judges about Heather & Brian's cha cha. Heather was frequently out of time and she appeared to be looking to Brian for propmting all the time. I liked Brian's choreography, and I loved the music choice, but it was just off. Heather seems to go to pieces on Saturday nights. The training footage always looks good, but it goes to pot on the floor. I would like to see Heather come out and kick butt, but it's just not happening.

I recently commented to someone that Jodie & Ian were my guilty pleasure, the couple I shouldn't like, but I do. But not any more. Jodie continues to grow as a dancer and is getting better every week. Jodie & Ian's waltz was romantic, elegant and tender. I loved it. Jodie is really stepping up, and the hard work is paying dividends. I hope her latin will improve at the same rate as her ballroom.

I enjoyed Andrew & Ola's samba. Andrew seemed to really enjoy himself this week. Yes, his dancing is awkward, but he appearedd to have a confidence on the floor that I haven't seen before. Perhaps it's because he knows his days are numbered and had decided to throw caution to the wind. Either way, I enjoyed what he did this week.

Lisa & Brendan's tango was everything a tango should be. It was dramatic and passionate. They covered the floor well. Lisa had the stacarto action and feel down. Lisa has a habit of flexing her knees too much, but that's not a problem with tango and this was totally her dance. It was fantastic to see a tango danced to traditional tango music.

Frankly, I thought Cherie & James' salsa was a bit of a car crash! She made mistakes all throughout the dance. And when she wasn't doing it wrong, she looked like an embarassing older lady - something she had distanced herself from up until now. She went from amazing to embarassing. And frankly I think it was her past form that saved her from being cruicfied by the judges. I thought they were very soft on her considering how truely awful her performance was. I'm sure it was just another off week, and I have every faith that she can pull it out of the bag next week.

Meanwhile, I thought the judges were unfair to John & Kristina. John doesn't make any mistakes. His foxtrot was competent and confident. Yet they still like to have a go at John. John should sail through again this week.

Why has Len suddenly started to object to cape work? It has always been a feature of Strictly pasos, and if it is done well, it can really enhance the number. I thought Tom's cape work was good (actually, the music was a little slow for it but it still looked OK). I certainly don't think it was time wasting. What is Len's problem all of a sudden? I'm glad Camilla commented on it in the red room. I thought Tom's facial expression was a bit comedy, but I liked the routine and think he did a good job. Tom's mind is definitly back on the task at hand.

Christine & Matthew's American smooth was very cute. I agree with Arlene that a ballet class wouldn't do Christine any harm. It would teach her to use her feet and help her understand turnout, both of which would improve Christine's work. Christine is going to have to raise her game soon though, if she wants to be a contender.

I'm with Len on Rachel. I expect to be wowed by her, but somehow I'm not. Her performances are solid, but I'm not blown away. Like Len, I was expecting a Louisa-esque jive, with real bounce and energy. But something was missing. Everything about Rachel is a bit 'nice', a bit 'dancing school', a bit dainty really. I loved Vincent's routine, though, expecially the bit where her stepped over Rachel's leg. Vincent often gets overlooked in discussions of Strictly's best choreographers, but he has fantastic musicality. Like Christine, Rachel will have to raise her game if she want's to be left standing at the end.

Sadly, I think Heather has to be a candidate for the dance-off again this week. I think she'll probably be joined by Andrew, but he was more pleasurable to watch this week, and not so tentative. I thought Cherie had a absolute shocker and would like to see her dance again to know if she can do it.

Here are the videos...

Austin & Erin