Sunday Service: Week 9
Blackpool! Blackpool! BLACKPOOL!
It's rammed down our throats so hard that I'm always fearful of an anti-climax. Will it meet expectations? This year, though, it actually looked as though Blackpool was going to be a show to remember.
Chris & Karen kicked things off with their salsa. I love Chris' energy and enthusiasm. I enjoy watching his routines. But this routine lacked content. It was clearly put together to be a spectacle rather than worry about the dance they were performing. We were almost at the chorus before they really did any salsa steps at all. There was about as much content as Abbey & Aljaž's infamous 'disco salsa'. Chris' dance was more 'funk salsa'. Chris seemed to spend a lot of the dance holding the female dancers up, and little time moving his feet. It was fun and entertaining, but there wasn't enough dance content for me. Chris is so endearing, he kind of gets away with it.
Like Michelle last week, Emma had the advantage that she had already done a foxtrot, which makes the American smooth a bit easier. The routine was OK, and Emma seemed to light up when she got to dance with the additional dancers. As you would if you'd been with Anton since August! It was clean and well danced, but I wasn't wowed. It had a about 10 minutes of pivots at the end, which Anton always seems to put in. I felt like it was overmarked. I don't think it was a 10 routine.
I loved Alex & Neil's paso. Choreographically, it was excellent. It had some actual paso content, but it had lovely nods to Beyoncé as well. Alex was able to shine with her squad of additional dancers, whom she was in sync with. Neil was there just to present her and show her off. It was amazing. My only criticism was that Alex failed to close her feet together on some of the poses, which made it look a bit ungainly. But it was everything a Blackpool dance should be - spectacular and entertaining.
I was concerned that Kelvin might be a bit heavy footed for the jive, but he did a really good job. I loved the press-up-ography! There was lots of jive content, and he kept the energy level up from start to finish. He mirrored Oti well. He was a little pigeon toed, sadly, and his knees were a bit too bent on the pivots. But a brilliant routine.
I think the quickstep was probably Saffron & AJ's best dance of the series. Loads of quickstep content, with a sensible amount of the routine in hold. It was cheeky and fun. I wanted to go to their Marvelous Party! Saffron really performed from head to toe in this one. I think she is finally hitting her stride, and it couldn't come at a better time in the competition.
Oh, Michelle. I love Michelle. I love that she is shining a light on the LGBTQ+ community on prime time BBC One. I love how down-to-earth and real she is. I had such high hopes for her street/commerical routine to Vogue (although I am slightly baffled as to why they didn't call it theatre/jazz, since it was so theatrical). I wanted to love it. I really did. But it was little more than walking and a few vogue arms. I wanted more. I wanted something to rival Johannes in the Fame routine. Why did she spend so long sitting on a piano? I actually enjoyed watching Giovanni more than Michelle. It was fine. It just didn't blow me away.
Karim & Amy's Charleston was fast, energetic and fun. I could have lived without the entrance from the ceiling, as it just seemed to take up music and didn't really serve any purpose (other than the producers' desire to have someone 'fly' because it's Blackpool). Karim suits the zoot-suited character dance, and he gave it everything.
I feel I have to comment on the additional dancers this year. For once, I felt as though they complimented the couples, rather than drawing focus. Both Emma and Alex's routines really benefited from having them there, and I think they were a good addition to all of the routines.
My favourites this week were Alex, Saffron and Kelvin.
Michelle was good, but I was expecting so much that I ended up not enjoying her routine. I wasn't that taken with Emma this week, and Chris' routine lacked content. I think Michelle's army of fans might save her this week, having seen her in last week's dance off. If it comes down to Emma and Chris, I would expect Chris to be packing his bags. But it's all so close, who knows?
It's rammed down our throats so hard that I'm always fearful of an anti-climax. Will it meet expectations? This year, though, it actually looked as though Blackpool was going to be a show to remember.
Chris & Karen kicked things off with their salsa. I love Chris' energy and enthusiasm. I enjoy watching his routines. But this routine lacked content. It was clearly put together to be a spectacle rather than worry about the dance they were performing. We were almost at the chorus before they really did any salsa steps at all. There was about as much content as Abbey & Aljaž's infamous 'disco salsa'. Chris' dance was more 'funk salsa'. Chris seemed to spend a lot of the dance holding the female dancers up, and little time moving his feet. It was fun and entertaining, but there wasn't enough dance content for me. Chris is so endearing, he kind of gets away with it.
Like Michelle last week, Emma had the advantage that she had already done a foxtrot, which makes the American smooth a bit easier. The routine was OK, and Emma seemed to light up when she got to dance with the additional dancers. As you would if you'd been with Anton since August! It was clean and well danced, but I wasn't wowed. It had a about 10 minutes of pivots at the end, which Anton always seems to put in. I felt like it was overmarked. I don't think it was a 10 routine.
I loved Alex & Neil's paso. Choreographically, it was excellent. It had some actual paso content, but it had lovely nods to Beyoncé as well. Alex was able to shine with her squad of additional dancers, whom she was in sync with. Neil was there just to present her and show her off. It was amazing. My only criticism was that Alex failed to close her feet together on some of the poses, which made it look a bit ungainly. But it was everything a Blackpool dance should be - spectacular and entertaining.
I was concerned that Kelvin might be a bit heavy footed for the jive, but he did a really good job. I loved the press-up-ography! There was lots of jive content, and he kept the energy level up from start to finish. He mirrored Oti well. He was a little pigeon toed, sadly, and his knees were a bit too bent on the pivots. But a brilliant routine.
I think the quickstep was probably Saffron & AJ's best dance of the series. Loads of quickstep content, with a sensible amount of the routine in hold. It was cheeky and fun. I wanted to go to their Marvelous Party! Saffron really performed from head to toe in this one. I think she is finally hitting her stride, and it couldn't come at a better time in the competition.
Oh, Michelle. I love Michelle. I love that she is shining a light on the LGBTQ+ community on prime time BBC One. I love how down-to-earth and real she is. I had such high hopes for her street/commerical routine to Vogue (although I am slightly baffled as to why they didn't call it theatre/jazz, since it was so theatrical). I wanted to love it. I really did. But it was little more than walking and a few vogue arms. I wanted more. I wanted something to rival Johannes in the Fame routine. Why did she spend so long sitting on a piano? I actually enjoyed watching Giovanni more than Michelle. It was fine. It just didn't blow me away.
Karim & Amy's Charleston was fast, energetic and fun. I could have lived without the entrance from the ceiling, as it just seemed to take up music and didn't really serve any purpose (other than the producers' desire to have someone 'fly' because it's Blackpool). Karim suits the zoot-suited character dance, and he gave it everything.
I feel I have to comment on the additional dancers this year. For once, I felt as though they complimented the couples, rather than drawing focus. Both Emma and Alex's routines really benefited from having them there, and I think they were a good addition to all of the routines.
My favourites this week were Alex, Saffron and Kelvin.
Michelle was good, but I was expecting so much that I ended up not enjoying her routine. I wasn't that taken with Emma this week, and Chris' routine lacked content. I think Michelle's army of fans might save her this week, having seen her in last week's dance off. If it comes down to Emma and Chris, I would expect Chris to be packing his bags. But it's all so close, who knows?
posted by Loulabelle44 @ 4:40 pm
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