Strictly Come Blogging: Saturday Service: Week 2

Here are my thoughts on Week 2 of Strictly Come Dancing, a little earlier than usual.

One thing I feel I have to mention is how tough it's been for the celebrities doing tango, rumba or even both. Tango and rumba are both intimate dances that usually come later in the competition when the couples have built up a rapport. Having to do that at the beginning is pretty harsh.

Anyway, on to the couples.

Natalie did well with her tango. It was a little stompy in places, but it was vey competent. Personally, I found the passion a little 'acted' and not very genuine. I didn't like it as much as the judges. But Natalie & Vincent have good chemistry. A little work on her posture would go a long way.

I agreed with the judges that sending Natalie off to do the cha cha walks on her own was very brave, but shows how much faith Vincent has in her ability. But the rest of the routine was a little lacking in content. Natalie's personality shines through. I hope she stays for a while, because she loves it so much.

Zoe & James were wonderful in the waltz. I loved the opening. The whole thing was graceful and romantic. She did a good job with some great choreography.

Zoe has beautiful arms and uses them so well. Unlike the judges, I didn't like the rumba as much as the waltz. I thought her hip action was great on the basics, but lacked on other steps. She's very much a contender.

Craig & Flavia's tango had lots of attack, although I didn't really like Jai Ho as a tango music choice. I agreed with CRH that Craig was leading with his left arm in places. The choreography was very complex, and Craig handled it pretty well.

Latin certainly doesn't come naturally to Craig. It was like dancing by MFI instructions - stick arm A into position B. He really lacked finesse. Maybe the more up tempo latin dances will be more Craig's thing.

Richard & Lilia's waltz was quite impressive. It was graceful and calm. I agreed with Craig that Richard needs to watch his balance, but it was a good first effort and showed potential.

The cha cha wasn't really Richard's dance. He had terrible timing, but he was so much fun to watch. Like Ricky last week, Richard went out and entertained the audience and had bags of personality.

Laila's tango was fabulous. A class act with beautiful poise.

The cha cha was not as good as I'd expected. We all know that latin is not really Anton's passion, but I'm really not sure I liked the comedy choreography. That aside, I thought Laila was a little bit wooden. I expected more.

Phil's waltz was really charming. Like Len, I was really surprised at how good Phil's performance was. Katya has done a good job with him.

The cha cha was a solid effort. It was fun. Phil's posture was a bit iffy, but any lack in his technique was made up for with his personality which sparkled through.

Jo is not a natural dancer, but she managed to get through Brendan's tango choreography and certainly wasn't the worst we've ever seen.

Jo's rumba was awkard. She actually has nice lines at times when she's still, but she was terrible when she was on the move. Mentally she's in Strictly Come Dancing and is giving it everything. But sadly physically it's not happening for her.

Ricky & Natalie's waltz was beautiful and romantic. Aside from that tiny slip, it was fantastic.

In the rumba they had great chemistry and drama. I actually thought he needed to watch his timing just a little at the start. He seemed to be fractionally ahead of the music (unless I'm imagining things). He had the best hip action since Colin Jackson. Where's Arlene when you need her? I'd love to know what she'd say to Ricky.

I enjoyed this week's Michael Jackson group number much more than last week's group mambo. They seemed better rehearsed and together. A much better team effort.

Overall, I thought Jo & Brendan should have been sent packing, but we all know the public likes the underdog. I don't think either of the bottom two couples should have gone, but I think the judges made the right decision. While Richard & Lilia were entertaining, Craig & Flavia were the stronger pair.

Here are the videos...

Natalie & Vincent - tango