Monday Musings: Week 6

Week six, and already our third theme week of the series. Halloween is one we always look forward to, but it's sometimes a treat, but quite often a trick.

Tony & Katya's quickstep was OK, but there were so many timing issues. His timing was especially bad out of hold. I thought the judges were overly complimentary. I just didn't see what they saw in it. I liked the walkover lift thing at the end, but otherwise it left me cold. I think he has done better in other weeks.

I can't help thinking that the mummy theme of Will & Nancy's cha cha might have saved him a little bit. Perhaps I'm no giving him credit, but it would be easy to hide technical flaws behind the styling. I did like it, I'm just not sure about it as a choice. It was good fun, but it's hard to judge as a classic cha cha.

I really liked Kym & Graziano's rumba. Kym's technique was really good, wonderful straight legs, beautiful armlines. Great acting. The routine had light and shade, quickness and stillness.  Kym is getting more and more confident and it's great to see. Probably Kym's best dance so far.

James & Amy's Charleston was not the most exciting choreographically. It had some big lifts, which all seemed to have a long preparation to get into. Some of the lifts were quite challenging, but it's a shame they were so clunky. James had nice swivvel in the beginning when he was on his own, but when he was in the loose hold it was totally lacking.

I loved Molly & Carlos' Argentine tango. It was full of drama and atmosphere. Molly's lines were clean and she looked gorgeous. I see where Craig was coming from though, perhaps she was anticipating the choreography a little, but it's hard for an amateur to make it look spontaneous when it is so choreographed. And to be honest, I didn't care. It was a lovely routine to watch.

Tyler & Dianne's cha cha was a hoot. I loved the styling, I loved the references to Beetlejuice. I could have lived without the handkerchief section in the middle, as it took away from the cha cha content. Great musicality. Very enjoyable.

I loved Helen & Gorka's foxtrot because it had so much foxtrot content, which was so beautifully executed. Lovely footwork and lovely lines. She'd getting better and better, especially on the performance side. She had a gorgeous smile, which shows how much she is starting to relax. Yes, there was some gapping, but overall it was a great routine well performed.

I liked Hamza & Jovita's tango for the most part. Something bothered me about his frame. I agreed with Anton that his left hand was slightly too far forward. It made things a little off. Aside from that, his technique was good. Lovely drive and a nice line in other areas. It seemed to me that this dance was not his vibe. He didn't seem comfortable with this dark kind of character. And I didn't like it as much as other Hamza performances.

I really didn't get the theme of Fleur & Vito's salsa. What did the fortune teller thing have to do with the song? It had a bit too much power again, and lacked the armography that I love to see in a salsa. It was a decent dance, but quite forgettable.

I thought the judges were unnecessarily harsh on Ellie & Nikita's foxtrot. Her footwork was so clear and clean. Absolutely brilliant. Perhaps it wasn't the most inspired, especially out of hold, but I really liked it. Perhaps it was a dance, rather than a whole performance. But it was some of the best technique we've seen this series.

I liked the acting part of Ellie & Johannes' couples' choice, but the routine itself left me cold. It seemed to be a bunch of skirt swishing and spins. I didn't find it all that entertaining, and I just don't see what the judges saw. Ellie performed it very well, but the choreography just didn't do it for me. The judges liked it but didn't say much, because... couples' choice!

My favourites of the week Tyler, Helen, Kym and Mollie.

The bottom two for me were James and Tony, and it felt right for James to leave, especially against Fleur.

But I am certain I wasn't watching the same show as the judges this week.

Sunday Service: Week 5

 After the highs of last Saturday night, I wondered if the BBC 100 episode of Strictly could even come close to being as good. Surprisingly, it held up well.

Helen & Gorka kicked things off with their hornpipe-inspired Charleston to the Blue Peter theme. It was energetic and fun. The side-by-side parts were really synchronised and Helen confidently danced several parts on her own. I loved the use of props as well. It was a brilliant, bright, bubbly start to the show.

I really enjoyed Tyler & Dianne's Doctor Who tango. Tyler was intense. He had drive and movement. His posture wasn't quite right. His left arm was slightly too far forward. But I loved the drama. His timing was very good. A really good job.

Fleur & Vito did a jive to Eurovision favourite Waterloo. I really loved the routine, it was packed with jive content. I love how Fleur has grown as a dancer. She's much softer and more musical than she was before. She needs to watch her shoulders, she was raising them up quite a bit last night. And she could have been higher up on the balls of her feet.

Amy & James' foxtrot to the EastEnders theme was very sweet and romantic. James had clearly worked hard on his footwork and I thought he led Amy pretty well. There was a bit too much choreography out of hold for my taste, it felt more like an American smooth. But James performed it really well. I loved the storytelling. James continues to get better.

I loved Ellie & Nikita's paso to Montagues & Capulets (the theme tune to The Apprentice). It's a fantastic piece of music, and they did it justice. The choreography was fantastic. It had drama and intensity. Yes, it did have an illegal lift, but I don't really care. Ellie started off the routine with her chin down, as many celebrities do in the paso, but she raised it pretty quickly and I don't think she did it again.

The trouble with Couples' Choice, is that the judges don't know how to mark it because they don't know what they are looking at or for. I thought Mollie & Carlos' routine to the Grange Hill theme was decent enough. It was clean and relaxed. It was fun. There really isn't too much to say outside of the choreography, which the couple have no control over.

I liked Hamza & Jovita's Planet Earth-inspired quickstep. It was light and bright. They covered the floor well and his footwork was good. Craig is right about his pigeon toes, and I think he could have pulled his shoulders back a little. But it was very cute and I love watching them. I really hate when they dress the couples in the same dark colour as it makes it difficult to see where one person ends and the other begins.

I loved Ellie & Johannes' tango to the Casualty theme. The comedy at the top of the routine was brilliant, but there was nothing comical about the routine. They had attack and drama. Perhaps it could have been slightly more dynamic and staccato, but I absolutely loved it. Like James, Ellie continues to get better.

I wanted more from Jayde & Karen's Charleston to Victoria Wood's The Ballad of Barry & Freda. Jayde spent too much time standing still while Karen danced around her. I want more energy and more quality from Jayde. As Motsi said, she has all the performance but needs to work harder on the dancing. I think Jayde has been coasting on performance for too many weeks now.

It was great to see Will back on form again. I loved his and Nancy's dramatic Viennese waltz to the Line of Duty theme. It had lots of drive and intent. Will has such star quality on the dancefloor. The fleckerl was really well executed. I loved it.

I wasn't a fan of Tony & Katya's cha cha to the Grandstand theme. It was really chaotic and really didn't flow very well. The expression on Tony's face was painful to look at. Tony had made real progress in the last few weeks, and it seemed to totally fall apart this week. I know everyone likes Tony, but I really didn't find him entertaining this week.

Kym & Graziano closed the show with their Come Dancing quickstep to Ballroom Blitz. It was just OK for me. It was a little flat. It didn't seem to have enough movement. It was fine, but it was a bit of a whimper of a finish to a big programme.

My favourites this week were Ellie T, Ellie S and Fleur. Will, Tyler and Helen were also great.

Tony was definitely bottom for me. I'd probably put Jayde or Kym with him, but really has has to be Tony who goes home for me. I think he's reached the end of the road.

Sunday Service: Week 4

What a night of dancing last night! Some weeks you don't need a theme. All of the numbers just click, and last night was one of those nights.

I could have lived without the dentist theme for Ellie & Nikita's salsa – I’m just glad she got to remove her white coat in the first few seconds. The routine had ambitious lifts and was pretty clean choreographically. Ellie was very sassy, as always in the Latin numbers. I don’t think it was Ellie’s best week, but it was pretty good. Shoe could have had a bit more rotation in the hips, but pretty good overall.

I loved Will & Nancy’s rumba. The storytelling was gorgeous. It wasn’t technically perfect, but I still loved it. It was sensual but also tough. For a man who didn’t get much training time this week, I think Will did a decent job. I love their chemistry. They can do fun, sexy and now pain and sorrow. I love them together.

Having an Elvis themed jive helped to disguise Matt's inturned knees and feet. I can see improvement, but it was clear than Nadiya was totally leading this dance herself and couldn't really rely on him to provide the resistance she needs to perform her steps. There was a point in the dance where he actually smiled and looked as though he was having fun and it was disarming. More of that please, Matt! Len would call him a tryer, and he’s certainly committed to everything he does.

Once again, I respect the message that Jayde & Karen were putting across of grief and celebration of those no longer with us. But that cannot excuse all of toe leads in Jayde's American smooth. Her top half is wonderful – beautiful arms and hands, and good posture and frame. She leads well. But her feet leave a lot to be desired. Toe leads, flat footed, lacked rise and fall. She really needs to start working on the detail. Personality is not enough to make it to the end.

Mollie & Carlos' routine didn't have enough cha cha content for me. It was quite a way in before I could figure out what routine it was. (I'll admit that sometimes I don't take on board everything in the week, or even in the intro.) The judges liked it more than I did. Molly’s performance was as strong as every week, but I felt that she got lost in a week of breakout performances. She should be high enough on the leaderboard to go through, but this routine was forgettable.

This was a better week for James & Amy. His quickstep had decent footwork. His posture still needs work, as he still has a tendency to hunch into Amy a bit. But otherwise it was relaxed and easy on the eye. Definitely his best dance so far. He seems to be enjoying himself more now. Room to improve, but he’s on the right track.

Fleur & Vito. One hundred percent redemption. That Argentine tango proved why she should stay in the competition. And was a massive 'F you' to Shirley, who said she would have saved Richie last week. Hot, clean, intense, moody, strong, sexy. Everything. 

Kym & Graziano's samba had nice content, nice movement. Lots of recognisable steps. We don't see enough samba rolls anymore so it was good to see them here. This was a very decent performance for a novice. Samba is really hard, and she made it look pretty good. I love that Kym has found her mojo. I’m enjoying watching her.

Tony continues to improve. Their routine had some decent Viennese waktx content, and it was danced well. Katya is a lift maniac. She pushes lifts to the max, is not afraid of taking literal risks, and they just about pulled it off. Enjoyable to watch.

Hamza is just fantastic. It was a brilliant salsa. He is such a good lead, relaxed and confident. Looked great himself while also presenting Jovita. The the lifts were showstopping. They trust each other. It's a great partnership.

I enjoyed Helen & Gorka’s flamenco take on the paso. It had a different feel to other pasos, and it looked more romantic than strong and fiery. I really liked it. I think the judges were a little hard on her performance. She's getting more confident every week. But who wouldn't with Gorka cheerleading and telling you that you're amazing. I'd like a recording of that speech so I can play it to myself in times when I lack confidence.

Ellie & Johannes' Viennese waltz was lovely, but it got totally lost among all of everything else on the night. She’s so much better in ballroom than latin. Lovely flekerl, lovely rotation. I fear that like Richie last week, the theme may have totally stitched her up.

Tyler & Dianne's 'Couples' Choice' commerical routine felt like a little bit of an anti-climaz after everything else. It had some clever moves and lifts, but just wasn't as capitvating as dances earlier in the evening. The ‘megamix’ aspect actually made it seem shorter than the other dances, but it obviously wasn’t.

My favourites of the night were Hamza and Fleur. Both were just amazing.

It's so difficult to pick a bottom two. Matt, despite working hard is not a natural dancer and is still the bottom of the pack. But I'm not sure who I'd put with him. Perhaps James or Tony. It's getting really tough already. Ellie T, Ellie S and even Mollie could have easily have got lost among all of the excitement of last night's routines.

Monday Musings: Week 3

I had a busy weekend, so I am only getting to write this today. I am writing without knowing the result.

Movie week comes along early, and I'm still not sure if that's a good thing. On the one hand, it means that all but the first couple out get to experience a theme week. On the other, it means that the couples don't really have to focus on technique, because they have an early week where they get to fudge it a little.

The first couple out this week, and definitely using the theme to hide the technique was Richie & Giovanni. Even my husband said "When are they actually going to start dancing?". There was a lot of character work, and eventually some very basic samba steps. Were they well executed? Not really. I didn't think it was anywhere near as good as last week's quickstep.

Molly & Carlos' waltz was wonderful. Lovely characterisation, perfect storytelling. Her lines were gorgeous, her footwork was well studied. It was dreamy. Wonderful choreography from Carlos. When the theme and dance come together, Movie Week can actually be a joy.

I loved Kym & Graziano's Charleston! It was so wonderful to see such a fearless side of Kym. She was a little tentative over the last couple of weeks, but she gave this everything and it made for a much more enjoyable performance. The lifts were challenging and well executed. This version of Kym needs to stick around. I feel like this could be her breakthrough routine.

Hamsa & Jovita's rumba was pretty simple, but it worked well with the understated music. They made some nice shapes, and Hamsa presented his partner very well. A competent rumba, which was sweet, but perhaps a little safe as Anton suggested.

Ellie & Johannes' cha cha seemed a bit tentative. She didn't look very confident, and tended to drop her eyeline. She also needs to work on her arms, which tended to not be very well placed and were either too short and close to the body, or a bit droopy. Her New Yorkers weren't too bad, but overall a good effort. She gives good facial expressions, and I still want to see more.

I find Matt really difficult to watch, and I still can't pinpoint why. His posture is very odd. Nothing her does looks natural. I can see that he's working really hard, and he's feeling it in his heart, but it's just translating to his body. The parts of his Viennese waltz where Nadiya was in hold were probably the better parts, but it just isn't coming together.

I loved Tyler & Dianne's Charleston. It was high energy from start to finish. It was clean, fast, the lifts were ambitious but well executed with very smooth transitions. Absolutely deserving of the 10s it received. 

I liked Fleur & Vito's American smooth. Fleur is getting better every week. She needs to work on her footwork more and really needs to straighten her legs more, and make sure her feet track together more closely. This is definitely going to be a journey for Fleur. The thing that bothered me most was her shoes. I don't understand why she was in light shoes. If it was a style choice, because Ariel really wants to have feet like humans, then they should have matched her dress. If not, they should have put her in brown shoes.

James gave us lots of dad dancing. His cha cha with Amy had lots of timing issues, and didn't hit the mark stylistically. It was fun, but he needs to work really hard to have any chance of progressing further in the competition.

I really liked Ellie & Nikita's quickstep. It was very well presented in hold. Ellie is confident and performed really well. The timing was dodgy right at the start, but she quickly rescued it. The judges seemed a bit down on her routine this week, but I really liked it.

I loved Will & Nancy this week. Give me an Amercian smooth, but make it sexy! Will was perfect in the Johnny Castle role. He captured the character perfectly, and had brilliant chemistry with Nancy. He presented her so well. He looked so in control and I felt so comfortable watching it.

Tony & Katya's samba was definitely theming over content, but I actually didn't mind because it was so entertaining. His timing was off in a number of places, and it lacked content, but it didn't really matter. I still felt more relaxed watching Tony than I did watching Matt.

I really loved Helen & Gorka's Viennese waltz. It's so lovely to watch a Viennese with so much content. There wasn't much filler in this dance. Lovely natural and reverse turns, and a very well executed fleckerl. I loved the sequence of underarm turns toward the end as well. This was my kind of dance. More of this please, pros!

I love the message of Jayde & Karen's cha cha. I love the body positivity. I loved that Jayde and Karen were side by side in very similar costumes with completely different body shapes. I love that Jayde wears whatever she wants in training. When I was growing up, there were very few women who looked like Jayde on TV, and even fewer in the dance space. I stood on stage with girls half my size in costumes I was not comfortable in, and I would have loved to have had someone like Jayde to look to. Jayde's performance in the cha cha was great. She's there, she's doing it and she's living her best life. But all I really want from Jayde is for her to get up onto her toes and use her feet. It seems that every larger woman who has ever been on his programme has been flat footed, and I am dying to see a bit more care taken with footwork. But it was inspirational, and I am here for it!

My favourites this week were Will, Tyler, Kym, Helen, closely followed by Jayde and Ellie S.

The bottom for me was Matt, followed by Richie and James. Tony rescued himself this week by having such an entertaining routine.

Saturday Service: Week 2

A busy weekend for me, so an early review of this week's dances. Week 2 is where things start getting real for our celebrities, as they realise that someone is leaving the ballroom. Not sure why every training VT had the couples sitting on the floor. Bit odd.

Will & Nancy kicked us off with their salsa. Will looked really at home with this dance style. Down into the floor and relaxed, it suited his personality. The lifts looked pretty good. There might have been a little mistake early on, but I really liked this routine. I really didn't mind that it wasn't perfect.

I liked everything James did out of hold, or even in the close hold, but his tango frame wasn't quite there. Anton was right, he was too hunched over Amy. The storytelling and intensity was great, but the frame killed the routine a bit. He has potential, though. I think it'll come over time.

Ellie & Nikita's waltz was really lovely. A very sweet routine, romantic and controlled. I'd like to see Ellie take more care with her footwork, as it was a bit up on her toes. Her arm lines are really nice. She understands the music, and feels it too.

Helen & Gorka's cha cha was good, but it had its flaws. She could have straightened her legs a bit more, and straightened her arms too. She seemed to be looking to Gorka for something, reassurance perhaps. She needs to believe in herself more. She's got it, but I don't know if she knows she's got it.

The Charleston was probably the best choice for Tony & Katya. It was fun and it didn't require any technique, aside from the swivels which were not great. Sadly, it lacked pretty much anything else. The timing was dodgy, there was a lift error in the middle. The performance wasn't dazzling enough to make up for everything else. Tony's a nice guy, but that's not enough to stay in.

Ellie's paso was very good for someone who is new to dancing. She looked at Johannes with intensity. I agree with the judges that something was missing, but I really couldn't put my finger on what. I still believe she's got lots of potential.

Such a massive improvement from Richie & Giovanni this week. The quickstep was light, controlled and in time. His hold was good. It was clear that he had really put the effort in. I thought it would be a car crash and it was anything but. I was really surprised.

A much better performance from Fleur & Vito this week. I wasn't mad about the overly long contemporary break in the middle, it would have been better put in an American smooth. But Fleur's performance was very good. She totally nailed the storytelling.

I enjoyed Kaye & Kai's Charleston more than Tony & Katya's, but it wasn't the best. Yes, it was an improvement from last week, but the timing was off here and there. Brave lifts, and she looked as though she had more fun than last week. The parts in hold were better than the side-by-side sections.

Hamza is actually quite light on his feet. I wasn't that keen on the choreography, it seemed very stop and start and lacked flow. Hamza needs to get his eyeline up off the floor as he was looking down a lot. But I still love watching him and Jovita.

Kym & Graziano's  Viennese waltz was pretty inoffensive, but a bit vanilla. Something weird happened at the end of the flekerl, and she stuck her bottom up in a very odd way. But it was mostly fine. And she acted it very well, I liked the storytelling.

Well, Matt & Nadiya's disco samba was not too bad out of hold, which was most of the bloomin' dance. But this was far from a samba. There were barely any recognisable samba steps. Some of the walks were really mincey. It was not easy to watch. I really expected more from Matt, but he's not delivered so far.

I enjoyed Tyler & Dianne's jive a lot. It was by far one of the most confident performances of the evening. He was a little flat footed in places, especially at the beginning, but he knew the choreography and it was all in time. He performed very well.

There wasn't too much wrong with Jayde & Karen's tango. Great hold, great storytelling. A better performance than last week

I can totally see why they saved Molly & Carlos until the end of the show. It was light, bright, colourful and delightful. They covered the floor and there was no dead time in the routine. Easily the best of the night.

Molly was my favourite of the night, followed by Ellie S with an honourable mention for a much improved Richie. My bottom two are Tony and Matt. I can't expect anyone but Tony departing.