Sunday Service: Week 8

Blackpool. Always a special show. It's great to see everyone dancing on the big floor.

Sophie & Brendan's quickstep was very fast, and covered the big floor very well. Sophie looked like a show pony galloping around the floor. There was lots of choreography packed into 90 seconds. She coped very well with the change of tempo. There was a bit of gapping at times, but otherwise it was pretty good. And I loved the ending.

Patrick & Anya's samba had great rhythm. It was spectacular. Since being in the dance off, Patrick has found his mojo. He gave it so much performance. I loved the lay-out ending. It's such a shame Anya got her heel caught in her dress, because they didn't seem to recover until the side-by-side section.

It's a shame it was about 20 minutes before Ben actually started dancing in the American smooth. The dance was very good, but it just didn't do it for me. Ben is confident, and lifts Kristina with ease, but he needs more style. The performance is lacking a bit. Ben is competent, but a bit insular. He's not bringing us into the dance. He seems to be dancing for himself and Kristina, but not for us.

When I heard that Ashley & Ola would have a cowboy theme for the paso doble, I didn't really know what to think. But I really liked it. Ashley had great shaping. He had lovely arm lines and hip position, great passion and control. I think Bruno was right. Ashley really held his own beside the other pros. It was one of my favourite Ashley performances so far.

Fiona & Anton's American smooth was pleasant enough, but not very interesting. I liked Fiona's performance. She lit up the room with her smile. It was classy, but a bit flat. The last lift was very laboured, and it was clear that she didn't really fancy it. I agree with Bruno that Fiona lost focus a couple of times. She needed to bring her A-game to Blackpool, but I think it got left on the baggage carousel.

I really enjoyed Abbey & Aljaž's quickstep. The covered the floor very well. Abbey gave it lots of personality. There was lots of choreography, and Abbey coped well with all of it. The pair of them look gorgeous together. Totally deserving of tens.

Mark & Iveta's jive was as good as it was going to be. Mark's performance level was awesome, but the dance did not have very much technique. It needed more bounce. It was more rock 'n' roll than jive. It was a lovely performance to watch, though.

You just knew as soon as Susanna took her place on the stage that it was going to be good. She showed power and confidence. It was so emotional and magical. She and Kevin connected with the dance and each other. Brilliant performance.

Natalie & Artem came back with a Bang Bang. Their Charleston was packed with steps. Natalie was cheeky and sophisticated at the same time. The side-by-side steps were beautifully mirrored. The audience didn't seem that impressed, but I loved it.

I think the leaderboard reflected the competition perfectly. I think Mark and Fiona were genuinely the bottom two. It's difficult to choose someone to go home between them. Fiona and Mark both performed well, even if their dancing wasn't that great. I think perhaps Fiona should go home. She's a little more flaky than Mark.

Here are the videos...

Sophie & Brendan



Patrick & Anya



Ben & Kritsina



Ashley & Ola



Fiona & Anton



Abbey & Aljaž



Mark & Iveta



Susanna & Kevin



Natalie & Artem