Sunday Service: Week 10

Oft. This is getting tough. They really are all so good. It's going to be so sad to see anyone leave.

The paso wasn’t Rose & Giovanni’s best dance, but I certainly enjoyed it. Her walks could have perhaps a little more power and perhaps it was a little stiff. But I loved everything in hold, and the characterisation was spot on. She lived the character. She is so watchable that I end up forgiving the things that aren’t so great.
 
I expected Dan & Nadiya’s rumba to be a bit vanilla and a bit cringy, but I actually found myself enjoying it. It was quite intimate. The choreography was simple, but it meant that he was able to execute it well. He presented Nadiya very well. It wasn’t perfect, of course, but it was enjoyable. It’s nice to see the rumba on Strictly, because so many couples shy away from it.
 
AJ & Kai’s Couple’s Choice was cool and stylish. It was sharp and very well danced. It could have been a final showdance. The jump lift was brave and she executed it with confidence. It was a really strong performance.
 
I really wanted to love Rhys & Nancy’s waltz, but I just liked it. The opening was wonderful, so relaxed and calm. Once they took hold, his dancing was lovely, but his timing felt a little off in places. Just a little rushed some of the time. His frame has improved so much, his footwork was great and his smile was wonderful.
 
It was clear that Tilly enjoyed the samba. She brought the party and did a decent job at dancing it. I didn’t love Nikita’s choreography, though. It didn’t seem very fluid, a bit disjointed. I feel as though Tilly could have delivered a better performance with different choreography.
 
It was wonderful to see John & Johannes get back to their best. Their Argentine tango was strong and intimate. It was spot on, and it was great to see them do the same choreography that a couple of opposite gender would do, rather than the more ‘battle’ style we’ve often seen the pro men do in the group numbers.

My favourites of the week were AJ and John. While I am firmly in the 'Dan has overstayed his welcome' camp, I actually think Tilly was the weakest of the night. I almost want to see Dan and Tilly in the dance-off together to see who the judges save. It's going to be tough to see anyone leave. 

Saturday Service: Week 9

It's Musicals Week. Even though at least four of the dances were actually movies before they were musicals. But, hey.

AJ & Kai’s waltz was very sweet. It’s really hard to sell such a slow dance, which has nothing flashy about it, but they did. It was calm, the footwork looked good, the whole thing was magical. A wonderful start to the show.

Rhys didn’t seem as confident in his jive as he has in other dances. He seemed to keep looking to Nancy for reassurance. There were a few errors, and timing issues. His feet were not pointed, which made everything look a tad untidy. It was a little uneasy to watch.

Tom & Amy’s Couple’s Choice was well danced, but lacked heart. Cynthia nailed it, he just doesn’t connect to the dancing on an emotion level. He’s a very nice dancer, but I guess there’s a reason his sister is an actor and he is a musician.

I loved Rose & Giovanni’s quickstep. It was fun and cute and joyful. The storytelling was great and the dancing was lovely too. There was a lovely balance of dancing in hold and out of hold. Rose nailed all of it. They are so wonderful to watch.

There were so lovely moments in John & Johannes’ Viennese waltz, but also some less lovely moments. John looked great when he was leading, especially on the natural turns. It looked less smooth on the reverse turns. And when he switched to following it was a bit flat. Out of hold, he looks great. Very confident.

I struggled to really get into Tilly & Nikita’s Couple’s Choice. I think it was the weird counts of the music. I’m not familiar with Matilda, so I ended up feeling a bit confused. That aside, I really enjoyed Tilly’s performance. She seemed to stay in time even if my brain couldn’t. I didn’t love the choreography, but Tilly gave it everything and made it an enjoyable watch. I didn’t really even notice Nikita.

Dan & Nadiya’s Charleston was annoyingly good. It was quite charming. His timing was good. His performance was good too. I was actually quite surprised by the 7s from Cynthia and Motsi.

Rose was my favourite this week. My least favourite were probably Tom and Rhys. But with so few couples left, anyone could end up in the dance-off.

Cynthia Erivo To Guest Judge

Actor and singer Cynthia Erivo will stand in for Craig Revel Horwood as a guest judge on Strictly for Musicals Week.

The BBC announced on Monday that Craig would miss tomorrow's programme as he had tested positive for Covid-19.

Today it was announced that Cynthia Erivo will join the panel as a guest in his place. This will be the first time that the panel has been more than 50% female.

Cynthia said: “I’m so delighted to be joining the Strictly judging panel for Musicals Week. Musicals have a unique place in my heart, it’s such a special way of connecting all art and making it one. I’m excited to bring my experience to the show and I can’t wait to see what the couples have in store this weekend.”

Cynthia definitely has the credentials to judge the competition during Musicals Week. She won Tony award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical for her portrayal of Celie Harris Johnson in The Color Purple on Broadway. She also appeared in I Can't Sing! in the West End, alongside Nigel Harman and a cardboard cut-out of me! And lots of other shows, obviously.

Sunday Service: Week 8

 Here are my thoughts on last night's Strictly.

The show kicked off with a bright and light quickstep from Tilly & Nikita. It was a really strong performance. Tilly looked as though she was having lots of fun and acted really well. There was very little gapping. Great choreography from Nikita. I definitely seemed to like it more than the judges did. I thought they were a hit harsh on Tilly.
 
I don’t think the paso was AJ & Kai’s strongest dance. She looked unbalanced on some of the turns and it seemed a bit unstable. The running steps lacked flair. Everything in hold was fine, but it was lacking a little out of hold. I never thought we’d see a dance which AJ didn’t nail, especially one with the drama of the paso.
 
Dan & Nadiya’s American smooth lacked the smooth. The top of the routine on the step was actually quick stylish, but it fell away as he got into the routine. His knees were bent when it was in hold, and forward steps lacked drive. The lifts were pretty awkward and laboured. On the positive side, his timing was good. The little bits out of hold were quite nice.
 
Rhys & Nancy’s Charleston had the trademark Rhys attack. It could have been dialled down a little, but it didn’t detract from this dance as much as it has on other weeks. It was fast, but it was all in time. This is probably Rhys’ dance to date, and I have a feeling we’ll look back on this dance as his peak. I’m not sure he’ll be able to top this one.
 
I wasn’t a fan of Sara & Aljaž’s Argentine tango. It lacked resistance and tension. It also lacked story and chemistry. She seemed to be anticipating the steps, and it’s so important to wait for the lead in Argentine tango. It wasn’t awful, but it could have been so much better.
 
I smiled all the way through John & Johannes’ samba. It was so joyful. Johannes did steal the show a little bit, and John looked laid back and was happy to let him go for it. It just worked.
 
Tom & Amy’s Viennese waltz was just OK. His frame wasn’t great, his bottom was stuck out a little and his shoulders weren’t pulled back enough. I agree with Anton that they got lost among a really big song. The whole thing was just a bit lacking for me.
 
I totally agree with Anton. I’ve watched Strictly since day 1. I’ve not missed a single dance. In all these years, nothing has moved me as much as Rose & Giovanni’s couple’s choice. Dancing has power and can communicate things which cannot be communicated in words.

My favourites of the night were Rhys, John and Rose. My bottom two are Tom and Dan. Neither of them excites me. I never look forward to the moment they walk on the floor. 

It's getting really close now, and it's concerning that there might come a point when two really good couples end up in the dance-off.

Congratulations Pasha & Rachel!

Congratulations to former Strictly pro Pasha Kovalev and his partner Rachel Riley who recently welcomed their second daughter Noa into the world.

Rachel posted the news and some photos on Instagram.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Rachel Riley (@rachelrileyrr)

Sunday Service: Week 7

The week after a theme week is often a bit flat, but this was a strong week for many of the contestants.

Adam & Katya’s jive was light and relaxed. His kicks were neat and everything was pretty tidy. It’s a shame there was a big error in the middle, which threw his timing off. But I think this was an improvement for Adam. He deserved to be saved last week. I don’t approve of their dancing on the baize, though.
 
Is there anything Rose can’t do? Her samba looked so natural, her hip action is amazing. It’s clear that Rose has to work harder with the timing in Latin, and she was counting out loud again, but it was still a joy to watch. I love Rose & Giovanni’s partnership. Wonderful stuff.
 
A pretty decent paso from Tom & Amy. Tom is very ‘up and down’ for me, but this dance was an up. It was nice to see a proper traditional paso on Strictly. We don’t get enough of those these days. Lovely lines, everything was very neat, and some lovely cape work in the middle. Not 100% sure about his ‘stank face’, but if it helped him get into character then that’s fine.
 
I didn’t really follow why the theming of Rhys & Nancy’s quickstep was Uptown Girl. It was probably the most calm we’ve seen these two and their hard work showed. In hold, they were glued together with no gapping. It’s not perfect, but it was an impressive improvement for Rhys.
 
I loved Tilly & Nikita’s tango. It was fierce and staccato. Tilly has improved so much, and she is no longer someone to overlook. I really enjoyed her performance. I’m not sure why the judges didn’t love it.
 
I found Dan & Nadiya’s Couple’s Choice baffling. I didn’t hate it. But I’m not sure I loved it either. I don’t really know what it was, and there were several times where my brain went ‘That’s Dan off BBC Breakfast’. This is probably why Couple’s Choice is better when there are clearly defined styles to choose from.
 
Loved John & Johannes’ rumba. Absolutely wonderful, beautifully danced. Gorgeous choreography, beautiful hip action, and it was so simple. It was beautifully immersive and like Motsi said, it was like you were in a room alone with them. Possibly their best dance for me.
 
AJ & Kai’s Charleston was everything we expected. It was sharp and fizzy. The lifts were insane, the swivel was perfect. Brilliant.
 
Sara & Aljaž’s quickstep was solid. Their hold was better than I expected based on their training footage in the week. Sara is very comfortable in hold, her frame was good and her footwork was good. But I wasn’t moved by them.

I did not agree with the leaderboard this week. I was shocked to see Rose and Tilly so low down. They were my favourites, alongside John and AJ. It's really hard to predict who might be in the dance-off, but it could easily be Dan and Adam. I really feel that it's Dan's time to go, but he seems to be really popular with the public.