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.