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Louise. Lou. Loulabelle. Loulabelle44. Louby. loulabelle44@outlook.com.
Proudly blogging about Strictly Come Dancing ALL YEAR ROUND since 2006. Always spoiler-free.

Sunday, October 16, 2016

Sunday Service: Week 4

Week 4 was definitely a show of two halves. The first half was a bit of a disaster, but the second half delivered and rescued us all!

Greg & Natalie started with their salsa. I found the Grease references at the beginning of the dance a bit out of context. However, once they got into the salsa content it was a decent routine. His hip action was good enough. The lifts were clean, especially the one at the end.

Laura & Giovanni's quickstep had great energy. The Charleston sections were particularly good, especially the one danced on the stage. Laura's knees were a bit too bent on the slower section. Her footwork was a bit iffy, which was exposed on the slower section. She needs to close her feet together properly.

Anastacia & Brendan had the tough job of performing the competition's first rumba. Rumba can be a hard sell on Strictly, because it's not as spectacular as other dances. Anatsacia gave the rumba a good go. The transitions could have been much smoother, but her lines were OK. She posed well, and there was a nice développé, but she needs to fill all of the music. She also needs to keep her eyeline up. She seemed to look at the floor quite a bit.

Claudia & AJ's foxtrot had a decent amount of content, for these days at least, although it would have been even better if they didn't break hold. Claudia needs to keep her feet together on heel turns, although at least they were in there for her to attempt! She should also release her toes on backward steps to give it a more professional finish.

Oh dear. Ed & Katya's paso doble was a complete mess. He had a complete mind melt. The whole thing was a car crash. It was the minciest paso I have ever seen. Terrible shaping. Awful, just awful. And yet oddly entertaining... I did like the ending...

Naga & Pasha's Charleston was generally OK. It was a nice routine. Naga looked to lose it a bit after the lifts in the middle. It was a more confident performance than we've seen from her in the past. But she's really going to have to step it up if she wants to stay much longer.

Louise & Kevin finally started to steer the show around a corner into a better place. Their foxtrot routine was lovely. Great storytelling. It was a classy routine with lots of content and nice turns. It was clean. Another solid performance from Louise. I just wish they'd got into the routine a bit quicker, but this is 2016.

Danny & Oti's quickstep was a masterclass. It was classy, fast and flawless. They flew around the whole floor. Danny has great posture. There really wasn't much wrong with it. But where can Danny go from here? Can he get any better? The public like to see progression. Where can he progress to? My hubby, who doesn't follow Strictly, happened to walk in the room while they were performing. When it got to the end, he was surprised to find that Danny was the celebrity. "Oh, I spent the whole routine watching her - I thought she must be the celeb".

Daisy & Aljaž did one of the best rumbas we've seen in a while. It was intimate and tender. It had lots of content, lots of recognisable steps and no faffing about. The only thing which let it down was Daisy's weird facial expression. You would think that would be a major concern for a model, but she was challenging Robert in the gawping stakes.

Speaking of Robert (Barrister Rinder if you prefer - he's not actually a judge), he and Oksana danced a ill-themed Viennese waltz. Not sure what milking cows has to do with Boom Bang A Bang or indeed Vienna. I think the geography was a bit out. Dodgy theming aside, it was nicely danced. I wish there had been more in hold. I found the constant hold-breaking a bit disruptive. But this is 2016. They covered the floor well, and it was pleasant enough to watch. He forgot his footwork toward the end. He needs to remember everything throughout.

Lesley & Anton did an energetic Charleston. It was neat and tidy, and entertaining. Lesley used her facial expressions well, and without gurning. I'm really enjoying their partnership.

Ore & Joanne's jive was action packed! Nice side-by-side sections. It was neat and precise. Almost spot-on with the timing. I loved that Joanne gave Ore a part by himself, it shows the faith she has in his ability. Just a shame that the only mistake he made came right after that.

Did anyone miss Will Young?

I would expect the bottom two to come from the first half of the programme. There are so many that could be in danger. Based on the performances, I would put Ed in the bottom two, probably with Naga. I think the leaderboard was pretty fair last night. However, I think the bottom to is likely to be a little more shocking. I would expect to see Anastacia and Naga, or maybe Greg. Greg is good, but easily forgotten in the crowd. Laura and Claudia could also get lost in the middle. I don't think we've seen the last of Ed yet.
Here are the videos...

Greg & Natalie



Laura & Giovanni



Anastacia & Brendan



Claudia & AJ



Ed & Katya



Naga & Pasha



Louise & Kevin



Danny & Oti



Daisy & Aljaž



Robert & Oksana



Lesley & Anton



Ore & Joanne

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