Saturday Catch-up: Week 11

Having a holiday in the middle of the Strictly run is really inconvenient for writing blog updates. Here I am writing thoughts about Movie Week on the Saturday afternoon ahead of the final. Never mind...

I loved Movie Week. There were some amazing routines, and it really could have been anyone in the bottom two. I watched the dances on YouTube while I was away, so I didn't see any of the judges comments, and I was impressed by everyone.

The start of Molly & Carlos' Charleston routine seemed to be in Tess' old 'Red Room'! The dance and performance were spot on. Molly captured the spirit of Chicago perfectly. She was absolutely brilliant. The lifts looked easy, her facial expressions were flawless. I loved it.

Hamza & Jovita's samba was absolutely fantsastic. Samba can be a dance of death for a lot of celebrities, but Hamza totally smashed it. His hip action was amazing. His samba walks were mesmorzing. His samba rolls were great and his solo batucadas were a delight. I loved the calmness of the routine, which I think was propelled by the music.

Kym & Graziano's cha cha was very enjoyable. Kym's legs and hips were stunning. There were a couple of small choreographic details I didn't like. I didn't like the bit where Jake came over purely to catch Kym on a back fall. Seemed superfluous. I didn't the little solo section. I found it disruptive, and Kym didn't give it enough power. And I didn't like the very end. It should have been a punch pose to end, and instead it faded up to a pose. But this is Craig levels of nitpicking. I really did like the performance.

I've never seen Miss Saigon, but I understand it is a little problematic by today's standards. Taking Will & Nancy's foxtrot at face value though, it was a very sweet routine which captured the romance between the main characters. I still have problems with Will's posture in hold. I think he favours his left arm, which makes his topline slightly out of place. But emotionally, it was great. Will's a very emotional person, you know...

Helen & Gorka's Couples' Choice was magnificent. Absolutely stunning. It was very much the Helen Show, with Gorka mostly being a prop - table, chair, car seat. It was Helen's best dance of the series, and a big middle finger to her ex. Incredible.

I loved Fleur & Vito's quickstep. It's the sort of routine that deserved a bigger floor. It was fast, fleet of foot. It had tricky changes of tempo which Fleur took in her stride. I loved everything about the routine. The additional dancers totally complimented and elevated the routine. It must have been difficult following Helen, but she totally held her own.

This was easily my favorite week of the series. Every routine was a winner. It wasn't surprising to see Kym leave the competition, and it was probably the right result, but they all could have been semi-finalists.