Sunday Service: Week 10

We are properly at the business end of the competition. The post-Blackpool hangover can often be a disappointing week. This year's offering wasn't disappointing per se, but you can tell the couples are starting to get tired. While they all continue to be fantastic, and are putting in some great performances, they all lacked the X factor last night.

With Kym out with Covid-19 for the week, it makes the stakes even higher, so perhaps that is what gave this episode a level of anxiety, which was more palpable than usual.

Will & Nancy opened the show, with a very unusual take on the Charleston.  No 1920s theme, no flapper dresses or spats. It read like a Couples' Choice routine. Probably because of the suits. I wasn't keen on all that coloured trim, it looked chaotic. All that said, I didn't dislike the routine. It had some great choreography which was fun. Although there was a lot of stylised walks and runs that made me wish it was performed to One Step Beyond. Will was out of sync with Nancy a couple of times, which was a shame. But overall, I think it was good. I probably liked it even more on second viewing.

Molly is probably the most technically skilled and competent dancer left in the competition. I loved her tango. It was sharp, it had light and shade, fast and slow moments. It was absolutely packed with steps - there was no dead air here. Her technical ability is amazing, and her chemistry with Carlos really comes across on the dancefloor. I'm not really sure why she didn't get any 10s this week. Her biggest problem is that she has been so good since the beginning that people have lost interest. She absolutely deserves her place in the competition, and I really wish she was more popular with the voting public.

Ellie is starting to get left behind in terms of ability. Her jive was quite flat-footed and lacked spring. I remember when the judges would give you a bit of a pass if you were tall. They'd spend ages talking about how much more difficult it is for those with longer limbs. But no such pass for Ellie & Johannes. There was a mistake toward the end, which was a shame, and she needs to make sure she doesn't look at the floor. But I enjoyed the performance. It was joyful and engaging.

There was a lot to like about Fleur & Vito's rumba. Fleur's legs were brilliant. She really pushed into the floor, and her legs passed each other beautifully. And her shoes were actually the correct colour this week. I loved the chemistry between the pair of them. It was intimate and sexy. I just felt as though they hadn't spend enough time working on the upper half of Fleur's body. The undulations seemed to stop at her hips instead of resonating up though the torso and through to her arms. If the top half of her body had reacted to motion coming up through her legs, it would have been perfection.

I love Hamza. He is a lovely, watchable dancer. But he's a nice guy, and I felt he was too nice for the Argentine tango. He absolutely led Jovita, no question. Her supported and presented her beautifully. But the routine lacked the passion to make it a show stopper. Jovita was going all the heavy lifting on the acting front. And he really needed to point his feet. They looked like ugly coat hooks at times in the gancho sections and in the pirouette. It definitely was not a 10 dance for me.

I hope that Helen & Gorka were already meant to be a couple in this routine, because a receptionist ripping open his shirt when a guest walks up to the desk could easily be construed as sexual harassment, no matter how good looking he is! The routine was fun and bright. It lacked quality on the technical side. It lacked hip action, it had a lot of running steps (not the promenade runs, which were pretty good, but actual running), and the trolley section, which meant she was able to skip a few steps completely. But I enjoyed it anyway.

It's really hard to pick favourites now, as even though I was able to pick holes in almost all the routines this week, I still enjoyed them all immensely. I think my favourite this week was Molly, because I am almost always going to root for the most technically skilled dancer, as long as they have the performance to match.

I genuinely don't know who will be in the bottom two. Logic says Ellie, but she is a crowd pleaser. Literally any of them could be in trouble.

Don't forget the results show is at 6pm tonight!

Panto Time

A little later than usual, here is where to find your favourite Strictly stars, past and present, in pantomime this Christmas. There's still time to book your tickets! I'll be seeing Anton in Bromley.

Anton du Beke (judge, ex-pro), Jack & The Beanstalk- Churchill Theatre, Bromley

Craig Revel Horwood (judge), Cinderella - Bristol Hippodrome, Bristol

Katya Jones (pro), Snow White - Middleton Arena, Middleton

Flavia Cacace Mistry (ex-pro), Jack & The Beanstalk - Pavilion, Worthing

Brendan Cole (ex-pro), Peter Pan - His Majesty's Theatre, Aberdeen

Joanne Clifton (ex-pro), Cinderella - Grove Theatre, Dunstable

AJ Pritchard (ex-pro), Cinderella - De Montfort Hall, Leicester

Ian Waite (ex-pro), Cinderella - New Theatre Royal, Lincoln

Claire Sweeney (Series 1), Beauty & The Beast - Port Civic, Ellesmere

Claire Sweeney (Series 1), Beauty & The Beast - Civic, Whitchurch

Julian Clary (Series 2), Jack & The Beanstalk, London Palladium, London

Brian Capron (Series 5), Snow White - Bridlington Spa, Bridlington

Matt Baker (Series 8), Goldilocks & The Three Bears - Richmond Theatre, London

Patsy Kensit (Series 8), Aladdin - The Atkinson, Southport

Anita Dobson (Series 9), Aladdin - Brighton Centre, Brighton

Jason Donovan (Series 9), Goldilocks & The Three Bears - Mayflower, Southampton

Lesley Joseph (Series 14), Snow White - Milton Keynes Theatre, Milton Keynes

Ore Oduba (Series 14), Sleeping Beauty - Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury

Robert Rinder (Series 14), Snow White - Milton Keynes Theatre, Milton Keynes

Alexandra Burke (Series 15), Jack & The Beanstalk, London Palladium, London

Brian Conley (Series 15), Cinderella - New Victoria Theatre, Woking

Davood Ghadami (Series 15), Aladdin - Waterside Theatre, Ayelsbury

Joe McFadden (Series 15), Beauty & The Beast - The Grand, Swansea

Debbie McGee (Series 15), Cinderella- The Anvil, Basingstoke

Ranj Singh (Series 16), Dick Whittington - Birmingham Hippodrome, Birmingham

Faye Tozer (Series 16), Snow White - Theatre Royal, Nottingham

Emma Barton (Series 17), Beauty & The Beast - Bournemouth Pavilion, Bournemouth

Karim Zeroual (Series 17), Peter Pan - The Hawth, Crawley

Su Pollard (Christmas 2011), Jack & The Beanstalk - Memorial Court, Northwich

Rufus Hound (Christmas 2013), Jack & The Beanstalk - Theatre Royal, Norwich

Please drop me a line if I have missed anyone.

Sunday Service: Week 9

After a week of Blackpool fever on It Takes Two, it was great to finally see the hype train pull in after a three year absence. Anticipation was high, and we were kept waiting until 7.45pm for the show so everyone was ready.

Hamza & Jovita kicked things off with an American smooth. Hamza said in the week that he prefers to dance the ballroom routines as he's not great at counting and it's easier to dance in hold. He certainly looked the part in his gorgeous tailsuit. The routine was competent, but for me it came across a little soft. It would have been perfect for the studio at Elstree, but the Tower Ballroom requires a bigger performance and that's what was lacking here. The final lift was absolutely glorious, and that's what I wanted from the whole routine. It was clean, well-danced and sweet, but I wanted bigger.

Personally, I felt Molly was let down by the choreography this week. Carlos' rumba last week was a triumph. This week, he left Molly looking like a spare part while he jived up a storm. He had all the best moves, while she waited for him to dance around her. As always, Molly danced what she was given with accuracy and performance, but she is capable of so much more, and she just didn't get the chance to bring the house down like she should have had. It's a shame.

There are two dances you really want to get in Blackpool week - Paso and quickstep. Kym & Graziano got the former, and certainly used all of the Tower Ballroom's extra space to make everything bigger. The routine was great and Kym sold it. There were a few moments where I felt she lacked power, while in other moments she dominated. Really hit and miss. Her confidence has grown so much and it was great to see her really go for it.

Can we just make disco salsa a thing and be done with it? Tyler & Dianne certainly delivered the spirit of the '70s with their routine, and I did actually quite like it. I yearn for the kind of salsa routines that Chris & Jacqui used to perform (look them up on YouTube), but this was a solid effort. It could have had more armography and less Hustle, but Tyler sold it and seemed to be having a blast. The lifts were very impressive.

It's a good job that the judges get to watch what is happening in the room, and not what we watch on TV, because the camerawork for Ellie & Johannes' American smooth was all over the shop. Lots of bad angles and zooms, ending with us having to watch Ellie clipping herself into the lift when we should have only seen Johannes and friends in the foreground. That aside, I thought it was a nice routine. I preferred the chorus part where they covered the floor with their lovely natural turns and were alone on the floor. Classic Blackpool. I'm not sure the additional dancers really added value to this routine. Ellie seemed really upset with herself at the end, and I'm not sure why. I didn't see anything wrong.

Helen & Gorka got the other dance you long for at Blackpool - the quickstep - and they absolutely made the most of it. The routine was pure content. They flew across the floor in promenade position with virtually no gapping. The additional dancers did add value to this routine, I really wanted to be a part of their gang. Helen had the biggest smile on her face and I absolutely loved her this week.

Beyoncé lives again at the Tower Ballroom. On our last visit, we had Alex Scott's fantastic paso to Run The World (Girls), and this time Fleur gave it absolutely everything with her Destiny's Child mix Couples' Choice. I'm not sure Beyoncé is a dance genre, but who cares? It was epic. This was the dance she was destined (no pun intended) to perform. She had the moves, the attitude and the performance. Was Vito even in this dance? I barely even noticed him, or any of the additional dancers. Fleur owned the routine, and the dancefloor. I especially loved the end where they both stared down the camera as they lowered themselves slowly to the floor. Epic.

It was tough for Will & Nancy to follow Fleur, especially with a campy, '70s samba. They did a good job, but it was slightly anti-climatic. This felt like a very Gilkison routine. Very big, very bright, very camp, with feathers, silks, staging and props. It lacked a lot of samba content. It was all gyrating and voltas. It was a performance, but I wanted more steps. Will performed very well nonetheless.

My favourites of the night were Helen and Fleur.

It's difficult to decide who might be in the bottom two. Molly didn't stand out this week. Kym could be forgotten in the middle of the show. Ellie seemed a bit deflated. I just don't know. Someone good is going to be leaving us every week, and I don't think I'm ready for anyone else to leave.

Tuesday Chatter: Week 8

This weekend I learned how much context matters when you watch Strictly.

I was away (hence the tardiness of this post), and because BBC iPlayer won't work outside the UK, I just watched the dances on YouTube so I would at least know what went on and which order they performed in. I also accidentally saw the result via the Strictly Facebook page, again with no context. So I was really surprised to find out just what an emotional show it had been.

I liked Ellie & Johannes' Charleston routine. The style totally suited Ellie's goofy side, and the choreography was pretty well executed. Friendship is a really fun number in Anything Goes, and this routine captured the same spirit. I especially liked the jacket section. It was a fun number, and a good start to the show. I've not really been convinced that the pair are actually that close, but Ellie does really seem to like Johannes.

I wasn't so keen on Tyler & Dianne's paso. I just can't put my finger on why. It was absolutely fine, barring his topline in hold from time to time. But I just didn't connect to the dance. It didn't move me. I wanted something more.

Kym & Graziano's American smooth was pleasant, but really didn't move me without the context of her emotional connection to the song. It was a nice, well-danced routine, and was more emotional than Tyler's dance. But add the context of the loss that Kym experienced, and it totally changed my perception of the dance. I bought into the whole thing more. Apparently pulling on the heartstrings works.

Helen & Gorka's salsa was lively and fun. Helen's performance had sass, but was still a bit 'nice' for a salsa. I loved the cartwheel lift, and she certainly threw herself into the dance. It was a great performance, but it could have been even better.

Tony & Katya's jive was actually pretty entertaining. I loved him bursting through the poster at the beginning. I was amused by Katya's constant counting. I thought the sequence of forward rolls was very ambitious (even if not a typical jive step!). He's not a great dancer, but he has improved and I did enjoy him this week.

I loved Molly & Carlos' rumba. It was an absolute treat. Light and shade, fast and slow, packed with recognisable rumba figures and hot! I loved the combination of intimate, passionate moments, paired with outward performance to us. There was no dead time in the routine, every count was danced. Their connection was tangible, and you could believe that they were actually romantically involved by their brilliant storytelling. I loved it!

Fleur was also brilliant on Saturday. As the judges noted, she has now discovered how to control her power, and she channeled it brilliantly into her samba. Vito's choreography was brilliant - I loved the natural top - and Fleur's hips and body moved so rhythmically and stylishly.

Without the emotional context, Will & Nancy's waltz was lovely but really didn't make an impression on me. Just a nice ballroom dance. With the context of Will's story of loss, it took on new meaning, especially the end of the dance where he walked alone into the light. I was surprised how much more I enjoyed Will's dance after seeing the VT, and seeing Will's reaction at the end.

Couples' choice is often a difficult routine to judge, and it's usually because the style of dance is not well defined. Even without seeing the VT, I knew exactly what Hamza & Jovita's routine was all about. There was no question that it was an afrobeats routine, and it was brilliant. Hamza has such presence on the dancefloor that even the smallest of movements has impact. And the amazing lift where he swung Jovita around like a guy flipping a directional ad at the side of the road was just magic. More clearly defined CC routines, please!

My favourites of the week were Hamza, Fluer and Molly.

It was the right result. I think it was Tony's time to go. I would've probably been really mad at his presence in Blackpool if he'd knocked out anyone else. And I'm not mad at him for not performing again in the dance-off. Short of Tyler falling over mid-dance, he would never have been saved by the judges anyway.

So, off to Blackpool we go for the first time since 2019. But with no couples doing a paso which seems a real shame.

Sunday Service: Week 7

Halfway through the competition, we means we must open the show with a moody 'I'm not ready to go home yet' montage.

Personally, I haven't yet picked a favourite. Every week I like a different couple. It's making for an interesting competition.

Hamza & Jovita kicked things off this week with a cha cha, which the judges went crazy for. The training footage showed that Hamza had really struggled with the timing, but that certainly didn't show on the dancefloor. Well, if you turn a blind eye to the obvious counting aloud from both of them. He is still also a little pigeon-toed. But the routine had loads of cha cha content, which was well executed. And the story was cute. I'm not 100% sure it was worthy of 39 points, but I definitely liked it more on second viewing.

Can we just take a moment so acknowledge Alison Hammond reading the T&Cs? She came dressed ready to dance, and I'm sure she spent the whole night hoping someone would get injured so she could leap in.

Ellie & Johannes' rumba was very disappointing. She has beautiful, long legs, but they were not very well controlled. Her knees were often bent when they should have been straight. Her hands often don't finish the line nicely. Her wrists are bent awkwardly, or her fingers splay out. The whole thing lacked chemistry for me.

Mollie & Carlos' foxtrot was a delight. I'm starting to feel that Mollie's problem is that she has been so good from the start that she has almost nowhere to go. Her heel turn at the start of the routine was spot on. The routine was lyrical and she performed everything beautifully. The only thing that would have made it better would have been if she flicked her toes up on the backward steps. But otherwise, it was perfect.

As expected, Ellie & Nikita's Charleston had a lot of lifts. A lot. I thought Ellie performed it well, but it lacked light and shade for me. It was a bit one-note. Ellie lacked swivel, and her timing was off in a couple of places as well. I think she has done enough to do through, but I'm beginning to wonder if Ellie has reached her plateau.

Tyler & Dianne's Viennese waltz should have been really hot, but it fell a bit flat for me. I liked the opening on the bench. And Tyler definitely captured the mood of a late night, one last dance before the band go home moment. His posture really let him down, thoough. His top half was too far forward, which made his bottom stick out. We've seen better from Tyler.

Kym continues to grow in confidence, and her Argentine tango with Graziano showcased her confidence brilliantly. It was intense and moody. It wasn't as packed with steps as Mollie's Argentine tango last week, but it didn't need to be. Instead it smoldered, and had greater intimacy. And beautiful lines. I really liked it.

I didn't have any strong feelings about Will & Nancy's quickstep. It was fine. There was one big where he looked a bit hunched over her, but I wondered if that was a chorographical choice. It wasn't perfect, but it wasn't bad either. Just fine. I was most interested in Nancy's eye make-up than the dance.

Helen & Gorka's jive was probably the coolest we have seen on Strictly. It just oozed cool. I didn't even notice that Helen knocked her hat off at the beginning and had to mime throwing it away until the second viewing. I loved the routine. It had some nice staccato timing which Helen looked really at ease with. Everything about it looked relaxed and effortless.

I feel a bit bad for Fleur. Not a good week to get a dance as understated and forgettable as the waltz. It was a very nice, very competent routine. Fleur looked comfortable in Vito's arms, and her lines were nice. It was very elegant and temperate. Definitely one of Fleur's better routines. I think it's a shame that it might get lost among the good and the bad.

I definitely buy Tony more as a superstar DJ than I do as a dancer. The first few salsa steps he did alone looked fine, but where totally out of time. Unless Katya was directly in front of Tony, and sometimes even when she was, the timing was horrific. It's a shame, because the moves themselves are actually nice. He has a fluidity in his hips which is very watchable. 

Scores aside, the order of the leaderboard felt about right. For me, Helen and Kym were as good as, if not better than, Hamza. But the three were definitely the best of the night.

Tony and Ellie T were definitely the weakest. But I fear that we could see Will, Fleur or Mollie in the dance-off, as people vote to save Ellie. It really should be the end of the road for Tony, but he brought the entertainment last night, and he went last, and people will likely respond to that.