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Proudly blogging about Strictly Come Dancing ALL YEAR ROUND since 2006. Always spoiler-free.
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Ed Balls Joining Strictly Tour
Six celebrities have been confirmed to be part of the Strictly Come Dancing Live tour in the new year. 'People's Champion' Ed Balls, Daisy Lowe, Lesley Joseph and potential finalists Louise Redknapp, Ore Oduba and Danny Mac will all take part. The remaining celebrities and professional dancers are still to be announced. Judges Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli and Craig Revel Horwood will be joined at the desk by Karen Hardy, and former participant Anita Rani will be on hosting duties.
Week 10! Time slips away quickly...
I loved Danny & Oti's tribal samba. I often find myself looking at Oti, but tonight I couldn't take my eyes off Danny. His hip action was very good. He was in time with Oti this week. There were enough basic steps to call it a samba. Awesome job. That's why Danny is worthy of being in the top slots each week.
I loved Ore & Joanne's different take on the paso. It was moody. It was precise and hot. It totally stood up to Danny who proceeded them. Ore totally led the whole routine. The lines were lovely. He can do Hollywood and contemporary. Totally undermarked.
I was worried for Louise this week. The waltz is not a show-stopping dance, and she could have got lost in the crowd. However, Kevin's routine had a touch of drama, and Louise performed it beautifully. She kept her eyeline up for the most part, which was nice. The story telling was lovely, and she got into the character. I thought it was was better than last week's paso. And that set of turns at the end was delightful.
I liked the story of Robert & Oksana's rumba. From the waist down, he was pretty good. His arms were a bit ugly in places. They were a bit stiff and it lacked a bit of fluidity. He didn't connect enough with Oksana for me. It wasn't bad for a male celebrity, but at this stage in the competition, it wasn't good enough. That said, it did have a charm about it, and it was horrible to see Robert looking so crushed at the judges' comments.
Ed & Katya did OK this week. It wasn't a show stopper, but it was reasonable. His neck was lost a times, and he lost his frame a few times. It was a bit stompy and a little pigeon toed. I found the tango quite inoffensive. I agree with Darcey that he lost focus from time to time.
It was so good to finally see Claudia & AJ do something more adult. It was powerful, sexy and commanding. Perhaps she was anticipating some of the moves as Craig suggested, but it didn't matter. I just wish there wasn't such a height difference between them, because it stops them from connecting as much as they should. That has to be one of the best dances she's done. I can't believe we've had to Week 10 to finally see this Claudia. The only thing I didn't like was the musical arrangement.
The night ended with the cha cha cha-athon. I like that they didn't know what the music would be before they started. It's always to watch these sort of dances on TV, because we can only look at what the camera shows us, so it's hard to completely understand if the judges are correct in their voting. Based on what I could see, I thought they should have placed as follows:
Danny & Oti
Claudia & AJ
Louise & Kevin
Ore & Joanne
Robert & Oksana
Ed & Katya
I really can't see how Ed can not be in the bottom two tomorrow, probably with Robert. If anyone else in the dance-off, it really would not be fair.
Blackpool is a bit like Halloween. Highly anticipated, sometimes underwhelming. The standard is so high this year that I expect to be blown away every week, and I'm often left disappointed. Last night there was definitely a sync issue with sound and vision. It made Claudia appear to be totally out of time on her jive. It looked better watching it back on YouTube. She wasn't out of time. However, it still wasn't amazing. I don't know if her heels were too high, or if AJ's routine was too fast for her, but she seemed to be struggling to keep up throughout. She also needs to keep her legs together when she's standing still to avoid a masculine look. Claudia is definitely a ballroom girl. Latin is not as kind to her. I liked the use of the mannequin challenge at the start of Ore & Joanne's Viennese waltz, and then the slow motion as they came out of that. The rest of the routine was nicely danced. Ore's footwork was good, getting most of the heel leads. But I really didn't need a 20 minute flekerl (actually 24 counts, which is way too long), and that kind of spoilt the routine for me. Ore is better than the need to kill time, even if it is with a difficult step. They could have stopped and reversed or something. Louise is way too nice for these aggressive dances. Her and Kevin's paso was a bit on the tame side. The skirt work looked a bit messy too. And she needed to get her eyeline off the floor. It should have been amazing - paso at Blackpool to Explosive. Louise is a lovely dancer, but she's starting to leave me a bit cold. I want to shake her and get her to really attack the dances, and give even more performance. She's exactly like Holly or Rachel or Sophie or Kara. All lovely dancers, all very controlled and all struggled to really let go and push over the edge. Some managed it, some didn't. Louise hasn't so far for me. However, I did vote for her because I believe she still deserves to be in the competition. I love Danny & Oti usually. But that was not a perfect performance and should not have got a 40. I'm ashamed of Craig. For one, they were not in time with each other on the first couple of side-by-side sections. It's really obvious! He also went a tiny bit wrong up on the table. I don't want to take anything away from Danny. It was a lovely routine, it did deserve to be top of the leaderboard, and it was well-danced for the most part. It just wasn't perfect for me. Ed & Katya did everything they could to get to Blackpool. Last week was a fantastically entertaining routine. Now I feel like they know they are on borrowed time. Their jive wasn't a patch on past weeks. Ed was very heavy footed. It was in time, but his technique was poor. He didn't have the retraction needed on the flicks. And it wasn't entertaining enough for me to forgive the technical shortcomings. I really enjoyed Greg & Natalie's Grease-inspired quickstep. They moved around the floor really well. It was smooth, and Greg showed great musicality. Greg's topline was better than in other weeks, although that could be because he didn't have any pivots, which really expose a poor posture. The grande jeté was clearly on the inside foot, and he landed it very heavily. And now that he's 30, he needed a little sit-down in the middle of the routine. I've really enjoyed seeing Greg's progression. He's come so far. I thought that as Robert & Oksana were last, that their routine would be a showstopper. Sadly, it wasn't. Like Greg, I think Robert has progressed really well, and I've enjoyed watching him, but I felt that the salsa was a step back. The whole thing looked a bit chaotic and uncontrolled. The faces were back again as well. There were good points, though. The lift was very clean. Danny and Ore were the most impressive this week, and I enjoyed Greg as well. I really hope that Ed is in the bottom two tonight, as I feel if he remains, it will be the expense of someone who really deserves to stay. Claudia could end up in the bottom two tonight. And if Ed it not there, Robert, Greg and even Louise could be with her. It's going to be an interesting results show. Here are the videos... Claudia & AJ
I have been away, which is why I am only getting around to this today. Unlike most weeks, I am writing this already knowing the outcome. I watched the results immediately following the main show. With a place on the fun bus to Blackpool up for grabs, no-one wanted to miss out, and they all threw themselves at the dances. I wasn't a massive fan of Daisy & Aljaž's salsa. There seemed to be a lot of posing and not much dancing. The whole thing was a bit static and on the spot. I wanted it to be more dynamic. Daisy went for it, but it just didn't excite me. Greg & Natalie's paso was a lot more dynamic. I liked it very much. It was strong and powerful with such great intent. A fantastic leap at the beginning. The only part I didn't like was the scarf/cape work at the beginning. And he needs to watch his top line and make sure his shoulders are kept down. Robert & Oksana's sweet foxtrot was pitched perfectly. They created a lovely story piece, and it was very nice to watch. Robert needs to watch his top line on the pivots, he was leading with his shoulders instead of his body. They covered the floor well. It was a good job. Ore & Joanne's rumba was pleasant enough. It was romantic, and had a nice amount of light and shade. I didn't buy them as a couple, though. It lacked a bit of chemistry for me. He could have used the floor more on the walks too. But it was certainly one of the better rumbas we have seen from male celebrities. Oh Ed Balls. Anyone who has read this blog over the years will know that I am not usually a fan of the novelty act. John Sergeant, Ann Widdecombe, Russell Grant, Judy Murray, I pretty much loathed them all. But Ed Balls has won me over for most of the series. He and Katya certainly went Hell for leather to make it to Blackpool with their salsa. I wasn't convinced until the chorus, but as soon as he took that leap at her, I was on their side. I liked all but the first lift, which was a bit clunky. I liked Ed's execution of the Gangnam Style moves. And, as always, Ed kept in time. Such fun to watch. It was hard for Claudia & AJ to perform anything after that, but they did their thing and it was lovely. Their Viennese waltz took too long to get into hold for my liking, but once in hold it was lovely. The flekerls were very nice. AJ did a better job at showing Claudia off, and matched his stride to hers. It was very sweet. When I heard that Danny & Oti were doing an Argentine tango to Heard It Through The Grapevine, I was not impressed, but it was such a good arrangement that it just worked. I liked the aggression and attack between them. I thought it was fab. It was hot. I agreed with Craig that perhaps they could have had more of an 'A' frame, but I loved it anyway. Lovely lifts, especially the last two. Louise & Kevin's American smooth was definitely one of her best dances. I didn't really think the fans were necessary, I don't think they added anything to the routine. It was definitely the routine that Louise has appeared the most engaged with all series. She needs to point her toes more on kicks, but otherwise she did a good job. The only thing that distracted me was the flesh-coloured back to her dress. Why wasn't it just open? I would have been on the pros. They usually only do that with the larger ladies. Weird. I think that Daisy was the right choice to leave the competition. She was at the top of the show, and got lost in the crowd with a very plain routine. Greg performed his routine much better the second time around. The big question is will Ed's journey end at Blackpool? I actually think he might still have a couple of weeks left in him.
All this talk about the Christmas special got me thinking about panto. Here is where you can find former and current Strictly stars this festive season. Craig Revel Horwood (judge), Peter Pan - Churchill Theatre, Bromley
Arlene Phillips (ex-judge), Dick Whittington - New Wimbledon Theatre, Wimbledon
Julian Clary (Series 2), Cinderella - Pallidum, London
The BBC have announced the participants for this year's Strictly Christmas Special, all of whom are former participants from the main series. Denise Lewis, Series 2 finalist Gethin Jones, Series 6 semi-finalist Pamela Stephenson, Series 8 finalist Frankie Bridge, Series 12 finalist Ainsley Harriott, fourth eliminated in Series 13 Melvin Odoom, first eliminated in Series 14 Professional partners are still to be announced. I can only assume that Melvin was included because some felt his departure was unjust, due to Anastacia's failure to perform in the dance-off. Ainsley was popular with the public, and all of the others were successful in their respective series.
The Sun reports that Strictly bosses are considering adding two new judges to the panel, not just one to replace Len. They suggest that any new judge would not have the seniority to have the 'deciding vote' that Len has as head judge, so adding a fifth judge would guarantee a split vote. A source told the paper: "There is a feeling without Len’s calming measured influence the panel might need a fifth judge to stop there being a deadlock and casting vote. It is an idea that has been discussed privately. The plan would be for Anton - or the other judge - to join the panel and the other judge to join for the results show to stop there being a need for a casting vote currently used by Len.” Having five on the panel for the main show would be a mistake. It would mean that not all of the judges have time to give comments. Adding a fifth judge for the results show only seems an odd solution. Why would the public respect the opinion of someone who is only there to vote? I would think that if they don't want to give the casting vote to a judge, then they should adopt the 'deadlock' mechanism used on The X Factor. This would also give the power back to the voting public, who are often frustrated by the judges' decisions. However, I would caveat that by saying that the judges must 'lock in' their votes before they are given, so that none of the judges can cop-out and deliberately send the vote to deadlock to avoid looking like the bad guy.
Davina McCall would like to do Strictly, but feels it would be too disruptive for her family. She told the Huffington Post: “I’d love to do Strictly Come Dancing, I really really would. But the fact is, it’s training all week, and working all weekend, and even if I wasn’t in it for very long, I’d still be working weekends for three or four weeks. And actually... that would be really hard on my family. I think for anyone with young kids it’s really, really difficult. It’s too much time away. And I work hard, but I do get my weekends, and I really value those. So no.” But, it's not 'no' forever. “When [the children]’ve all left home. So… eight years. If Strictly is still going in eight years, I’ll do it.”
Who wouldn't love to see Davina do Strictly? She'd be a fantastic signing. The team need to sign her up for a special so she can test the water without the full commitment.
I have been tweeting about Strictly Come Dancing since 2009, and finally one of them has made it into a news article. Sadly it wasn't a witicism about Strictly, but a comment about Chas 'n' Dave who made a short appearance on Saturday's show during the T&Cs section. The Daily Mirrorarticle picked up this tweet:
Is Ola Jordan following in the footsteps of Camilla Dallerup and Vincent Simone by heading into the jungle? The Sun reports that Ola will be part of the line-up for the new series of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!, which begins on Sunday. A source told the paper: “Ola is a no-brainer of a signing. She’s well-known, gorgeous and has strong opinions. Add difficult challenges and starvation to those qualities and she’s sure to make great telly. Having a very vocal husband is an added bonus in the deal. James is not afraid to air his opinions and will make a great guest on the spin-off show while Ola is in camp.” Other celebrities rumoured to be heading Down Under are former Strictly participants Lisa Snowdon and Carol Voderman, and Frankie Bridge's footballer husband Wayne.
Ah. A 'normal' week. No themes, just dances. This is a relief. Danny & Oti got things started with their jive. I liked the cool, relaxed vibe. However, he looked a bit hunched over in places, and needed to keep his shoulders back a bit more. I also didn't think he led Oti as well as he had in previous dances. He wasn't as in charge of the dance as he had been. Daisy & Aljaž really needed to bring it to avoid another dance-off, but I am sad to say that I don't think they did. Their Viennese waltz was sweet, but a bit dull with it. She did a neat fleckerl, and I liked the 'tandem' choreography at the end, but the whole thing was just 'nice'. I was also distracted by Daisy's head placement, which looked a bit odd. I'm a total sucker for Turn The Beat Around, so I had high hopes. for Ore & Joanne's salsa. It had some nice armography. Ore really went for it, but it just didn't have the wow factor of some of his other routines. The lifts were a bit clunky and cautious in places, and he could have brought more hips. Like Daisy, it wasn't bad. It just wasn't amazing either. He's set expectations high with his previous performances. While it pains me to say it, I really loved Ed & Katya's quickstep. The choreography was excellent, and perfectly in keeping with their Laurel & Hardy characters. Ed showed some great storytelling and musicality. There was possibly a bit too much out of hold, perhaps to cover some of Ed's technical failings. I think Katya was supposed to end up picking up his had on the forward roll at the end, but she missed it. In hold, Ed had loads of energy and made it through from one end to the other, but the whole thing was a bit skippy and he missed loads of heel leads. But I liked it anyway. I didn't really enjoy Giovanni's samba, probably because he left Laura out of so much of it. It's easier for the female pros to get away wit that kind of thing. Ola used to dance around her less-able partners regularly. But Giovanni just came across as selfish. Laura really seemed to struggle to get in time at the beginning of the routine. She gave it a decent go, but she didn't quite get the difficult bounce action. I was pleasantly surprised by Robert & Okasna again. Their quickstep had plenty of content, and they remained in hold for most of the routine. There was a nice grande jeté in the middle. His technique wasn't perfect, but as Craig said, he was a joy to watch. Classy and fabulous. Louise & Kevin had the challenge of performing the first Argentine tango of the series. It was nicely danced. It had good atmosphere, but personally I just didn't feel the chemistry. I can't deny it was good, but the best Argentine tangos provoke an emotional reaction, and this one just didn't move me. I did love the ending, though. That was hot. If only it had been that hot all the way through. Greg & Natalie's Viennese waltz had more heat in the opening and close of their routines than Louise & Kevin had in the whole routine. They really set the mood, although I wish they'd have kept that throughout, instead of breaking into big grins in hold. Greg gave the fleckerl a good go, and strode out well. It's just a shame that he lost his hold about halfway through. His left arm got closer to his body, making the hold almost tango-like. I don't know if AJ is picking the music for his and Claudia's routines, but if he is someone needs to direct him in a different way. The choice of Shut Up And Dance was truly awful. I wanted to finally see Claudia stretched out of the twee, sweet world she's been in for all these weeks, but the music totally killed any chance of that. She was way too happy throughout the dance. Technically, it was a decent performance, but there was no mood. She just needs to make sure she closes her feet together. It places she stands with her feet apart, and it looks a bit unladylike. Ed, Greg and Robert were my favourites this week. I would expect Laura and Daisy to be the bottom two, but no-one is safe. I truely think we'll lose someone good in the next couple of weeks, especially if people want Ed to make Blackpool. Heck, I voted for Ed last night. It's probably a good thing I'm not around to vote next Saturday. I can't be trusted. Here are the videos... Danny & Oti
