Sunday Service: Week 2

After the high of last Saturday, last night's show felt really flat and took a long time to really get going. Definitely a show of two halves.

Rhys & Nancy’s cha cha routine took a little too long to get going for my taste. He tried hard with the leg action but it just wasn’t quite right for me. I can’t put my finger on why. The whole thing was a little jerky. Not as good as last week, but he’s still a great performer. He was better with the non-cha cha parts of the choreography.
 
Nina’s timing is fantastic, but sadly her tango wasn’t the triumph that the samba was. It looked a bit stompy out of hold. In hold, her head wasn’t far away enough. She needs to stretch over to her left much more. Her feet also didn’t look great, she needed to point her feet on the Argentine sections, and work through the heel better in the ballroom tango walks. I also felt she was anticipating the steps, rather than letting Neil lead. I love Nina, and she can give us so much more.
 
Adam & Kayta’s quickstep was OK, but not a stormer. Another routine which took a bit too long to get going. They weren’t in sync at all times, and it looked as though they were fighting against each other throughout. The grand jeté at the end didn’t come off either. It just wasn’t his dance.
 
Katie & Gorka’s jive just didn’t quite hit the mark. Katie has great timing, but seems to not quite to use her whole body. Everything seems a bit robotic in dancing terms, but she has the personality. She needs to point her toes as well.
 
Greg & Karen’s Couple’s Choice disco routine was very sweet. It was calm and easy on the eye. He looked a tiny bit lost just before the big lift, but thankfully turned back in time.
 
I loved how John & Johannes avoided issues around who was leading and who was following by staying out of hold for almost the entire routine. They were so synchronised, and they needed to be for it to work. It was a great routine, and I am looking forward to more from them. I agree with Shirley and I hope they don’t shy away from being in hold. Based on last week’s tango, I’m sure they won’t.

I liked AJ & Kai’s foxtrot. It was elegant and effortless. I would have like to see AJ work more on her footwork. Her heel turn could have been better (sorry, Anton) and I would love to see her flicking up her toes on the backward steps. I’m being super critical, though. AJ is great.

I loved Judi’s samba so much! It was so joyful. And Graziano actually put plenty of samba content into the routine. There was a natural top, whisks and voltas. I’d love to see Judi push her arms out more in places – they were a bit too far forward. But who cares, it was great!

Robert & Dianne's tango was good. I was glad to see him take it seriously. He demonstrated that he is a capable dancer. He has great timing. I think the only thing that let him downs was his topline. He was leaning in to his left hand a bit. But overall it was good.
 
Rose & Giovanni’s salsa was brilliant. It looked even better than last week’s jive. Great movement throughout. I’m not sure she enjoyed it as much as the jive, but I did. Brilliant lifts. The faith Giovanni has in Rose’s timing was evident, as he put her in front of him for a section where she could not see him.
 
Sara has had a complete turnaround from last week. Her foxtrot was effortless. Her footwork was excellent. She and Aljaž filled the music completely and looked so elegant. I loved it.
 
I really liked Dan & Nadiya’s paso. It wasn’t perfect, but I really enjoyed. Perhaps it did lack a bit of light and shade and fluidity, but it worked somehow.
 
Ugo & Oti’s quickstep was decent. They covered the floor well. He had a good frame, and looked comfortable on the floor. He was better than last week, and proved why he should stay another week.
 
There was so much choreography in Tilly & Nikita’s Charleston, and she kept up with it really well. It was a really tricky routine. I think she might have started to flag toward the end, but who wouldn’t? It was fun. And you have to love racketograhy.

My favourites last night were Sara, Judi and Rose, closely followed by John.

It's so difficult to predict who might go home. Those that were bottom of the leaderboard in Week 1 pulled it out of the bag last night. For the first time, I can't pick an obvious candidate for an exit. It could end up being a shocker.

For me, the most likely candidate to go home is Katie. She has been the one that no-one has really talked about. She's not a bad dancer, but really didn't stand out in either week. I loved her tango, but it wasn't memorable enough. Nina could also be in trouble, although I hope last week's samba will swing it her way. Greg is flying a bit under the radar as well. And Tilly's first week wasn't so good, but she ended on a high with the Charleston. It's really too close to call.