Sunday Service: Week 4

On a Saturday night during Strictly, if I am at home, I usually spend the duration on Twitter reading everyone's reactions to the routines and posting a few thoughts. I follow quite a cynical bunch of people, but I enjoy the humour.

This week, I decided to just sit back with a drink and totally immerse myself in the programme. I caved a number of times and looked at my timeline, but overall it was quite a liberating experience. It took be back to a time before Twitter, when the audience sat around cabaret tables and the VTs were actually of the couples' week in training. Hang on... 

Harvey & Janette's salsa was everything you want from this dance. Compact, great timing, nice fluid hip action, and there were steps on every count. Not much time to catch breath. There were some good lifts, although it was clear that Harvey still isn't that comfortable with them. And to put in that pot stir felt a little shady, but it looked good, so who cares? I liked their performance.

I was quite shocked to hear Ravir talk about her body confidence issues in the VT. Girl does not show any confidence issues on that dancefloor, and nor should she. She's gorgeous. The cha cha started well with those super hot hip circles. But it sadly wasn't as good once the dance really got going. The hip action on the walks wasn't quite there, and it wasn't fluid enough. There were some lovely moments, though, like the New Yorkers where she hit the line well, and that stare down the lens at the end of the dance fierce. Giovanni is doing a great job of pushing her out of her comfort zone, and it is paying off.

Max & Dianne's American smooth was inoffensive for the most part. A somewhat bland filler in the middle of the show. Something about his frame is off. Maybe it's his pigeon toes, which looked even worse on step-points. Maybe it's his always-slightly-bent knees. I spent the routine waiting for a knee slide, convinced he was wearing knee pads under his trousers. It never came, and I realised that his knees were just sticking out. Maybe his shoulder aren't far back enough. I don't know. But this routine left me a bit cold.

If last week hadn't been movie week, I guess JJ & Amy would have done their military-themed jive for remembrance weekend. JJ's story is pretty amazing, and representing his command in uniform clearly meant a lot to him. The jive was a very exposing dance for JJ. Amy did a brilliant job at keeping the most challenging parts to a minimum and once again JJ performed to the best of his ability. Even without his injuries, the jive would always be a tricky one for JJ with his long limbs.

I really liked Maisie & Gorka's cha cha. I loved the doll section at the top. Their movements were so spot on. The cha cha section was really good too. The judges seemed to be quite hard on her, and I wasn't sure if it was genuine, or just reigning back praise so she doesn't just get nines every week.

Bill & Oti's couple's choice, loosely billed as street/commercial but apparently we aren't putting firm labels on these things this year, was a blinder. As Bill noted himself, there was something going on on every count. This was not an easy routine. But Bill and Oti were in unison throughout. It was slick and smart. The embodied the characters. What a triumph. And it was a dance we'll be talking about for years to come.

I am dying for Caroline to have a breakout week. She is a lovely dancer with lovely lines and so much ability. Sadly, the waltz wasn't it. The waltz is always a hard sell, and it doesn't have anything flashy about it. The only way to make the audience love a waltz is to get them to feel something, to make them cry. Caroline and Johannes' waltz didn't make me feel anything. It wasn't even as technical as you'd expect from this pair. It lacked rise and fall. They didn't maintain body contact in hold. She could probably do with a higher heel as well.

My expectations for Jamie Laing performing a samba were pretty low. It sounded like a recipe for disaster. I was so wrong. It was a delight. His samba walks at the beginning were in perfect unison with Karen. The stripes down their trousers would have highlighted the tiniest hint of being out of sync, but they were spot on. Technically, it left a lot to be desired, but for entertainment and synchronicity, it was fantastic. I loved it. If there was a Strictly tour next year, that would be a routine I would want to see again. Fun and visually pleasing.

After such entertaining routines from Bill and Jamie, Clara had to really pull out all the stops in her Charleston, and she delivered. It was slick and fun. The joy on her face was infectious. She was so engaging that I barely looked at Aljaž. I especially loved the up-tempo section in the middle.

My favourites this week were Bill, Jamie and Clara.

I think the bottom two for me were probably the same as the leaderboard, Max and JJ. I'd rather see Max leave, but I wouldn't be hugely distressed to see either go. Caroline will need to find that breakout week if she is to continue to evade the dance-off.