Sunday Service: Week 2

Week 2, and someone has to go home, but who?

Jamelia & Tristan kicked things off with the cha cha. Jamelia was fierce, but that was all that was good about it. Her legs were so bent that the dance didn't look very nice, and she didn't close her feet together. It was a bit cowboy-like. Loved the attitude, though.

Daniel & Kristina's Charleston was fun, but not very interesting. Daniel has a good sense of rhythm, but he didn't attack it enough. I agree with Craig that it didn't have enough swivel. It was all just a little flat. And he needed more facial expressions.

Kirsty & Brendan's salsa appeared to be a series of poses. Kirsty makes pretty lines, but the steps in between were awkward. The lifts were very good, though, and Kirsty was fearless in that respect. The dance was better than last week, but I don't think she'll be around for very long.

Jay & Aliona's waltz was lovely. Jay has a lovely, balletic was about him. His turns were stunning, and very technical, he spotted like a pro. He connected very well with Aliona, it was full of romance. He needs to pull back his shoulders just a little more in hold, but otherwise it was gorgeous. I just can't wait to see his progression over the series.

Iwan has lots of showmanship, and all the parts that weren't actually dancing were great. I loved the poses, the breakdancing and the knee slide, but it was quite a way in before I could actually work out that he and Ola were doing a cha cha. The dancing parts were not pretty.

Georgia & Giavanni's waltz was very nice, but I felt a little bit excluded from the party. The performance was too intimate, and I felt like they were dancing for each other and not me. Georgia needs more heel leads, and needs to make sure she keeps her shoulders down. Georgia is very classy, but despite her high standard she has a lot to work on.

If there was a dance that I thought would suit Ainsley, it was the salsa. Sadly, I didn't enjoy the routine as much as I hoped I would. There were couple of errors, and the final lift was uncomfortable. There were a lot of shimmys, but I would have liked more work together. There was not enough connection with Natalie. I wanted more armography.

Carol & Pasha's foxtrot was much better than their cha cha, but she has a long was to go. She seemed to just follow Pasha, and not know what was going on. There was a very noticeable mistake near the beginning. I really want to like her performances, but I don't think she'll go too far.

Kellie has so much potential. Her cha cha with Kevin looked easy, and being an actress she definitely gets the characterisation and stroytelling. However, I would like to see Kellie do more. She can dance, so I want to see her dance. There were too many poses for me.

Anthony & Oti's waltz was fine, but a bit dull. He still has pigeon toes, and he needs to work on his footwork. Like Georgia, he was lacking in heel leads. I didn't like it as much as the jive last week. There was too much tension in his upper body.

Anita & Gleb's Charleston seemed to take a while to get going, but once it did, it was quite good. Anita was fearless, and threw herself into the lifts. It's not going to go down in history as a classic Charleston, but it will easily see her into next week.

There is something so watchable about Jeremy. He's quite charming on the dancefloor. Getting American smooth before the foxtrot, in fact before any other ballroom dance, is really harsh. Jeremy's timing is excellent, and he knows where the dance is going. I think the judges were very hard on him. I really want to see more of him and Karen.

When I heard that Katie & Anton were dancing to Telephone, I was dubious. But a brilliant arrangement! There were times when Katie's head movements were not quite sharp enough, but overall it was great. She certainly had the attitude. I did find Anton's brown polo neck distressing, as it made it look like he wasn't wearing anything under his jacket. Katie is going to do well.

Peter & Janette's quickstep was lovely. Peter was like an excited puppy. He looked a little ahead of the music after the Charleston section, but otherwise it was great. He could have had straighter legs in some of the driving steps. He had very nice footwork. He's still the one to beat.

Helen & Aljaž's cha cha was delicious. She has gorgeous legs, although perhaps the judges are right that her legs are too straight. I loved the storytelling, and the balance of story and steps was great. There was actually a good amount of cha cha content.

My favourite of the weekend was Jay, and I liked Peter and Helen as well. The leaderboard seemed pretty bang on the money, except I would have Jeremy on more points than Carol. My bottom two were Iwan and Carol, and I would send Iwan home. Iwan had way more performance than Carol, which would usually swing it in his favour, but his dancing was so bad that I wouldn't be able to justify keeping him in.

Here are the videos...

Jamelia & Tristan



Daniel & Kristina



Kirsty & Brendan



Jay & Aliona



Iwan & Ola



Georgia & Giovanni



Ainsley & Natalie



Carol & Pasha



Kellie & Kevin



Anthony & Oti



Anita & Gleb



Jeremy & Karen



Katie & Anton



Peter & Janette



Helen & Aljaž