Saturday Service: Week 2

This week's show took a little while to boil. It was a little flat to begin with, but we got there by the end.

Bobby & Dianne's Charleston was fine, if a little uninspiring. High energy, perhaps a little untidy. I didn't enjoy it as much as the foxtrot, but it was good enough to get through to next week.

When Annabel knew the steps, she looked elegant and in control. In the parts where she was less confident it showed all over her face and went to pieces. At times, she was fighting with Johannes. She also needs to point her toes on the kicks. Their quickstep covered the floor well. She has lots of potential.

I didn't really like anything about Jody & Jowita's paso. It was all a bit wooden. Scarecrow arms, lazy free arm during the cape work, stompy. It lacked flow, the movements didn't seamlessly blend. He's trying hard, but it just wasn't there.

A gorgeous foxtrot from Ellie & Vito. Cute story and even better dancing. The footwork was very good, nice toe releases, decent heel turns, nice top line. Quite a bit out of hold, though. This is not American smooth. 

I loved Nigel & Katya's Viennese waltz. He's a great actor, and the storytelling was amazing. I was so wrapped up in the story, that I didn't see the technical flaws that Shirley did. His left arms was leading just a little, but otherwise I loved it. He was leading, he looked in control throughout.

I liked Nikta's sass and attitude. But her Charleston with Gorka lacked any swivel at all. I don't think I've ever seen a Charleston on Strictly with less of it. It was stompy and heavy. I really like Nikita, and I would like her to stay and have the chance to get better.

I feared for Les & Nancy doing the samba, but it wasn't as bad as I feared it might be. The action wasn't right, but it still had a bounciness. It was better in hold than out of hold. The salutes were a little twee. There weren't too many samba steps present after the first 30 seconds. But in a series with probably a greater number of celebrities who are less well-known, Les might be around for a fair few weeks yet.

Adam & Luba's tango was just OK. He broke character when something went a bit wrong in the middle, which was unsettling for me. It was a little soft and lacked drive. There were points where he seemed to be doing too many steps, which made it look panicky. I think Adam will get lost in the middle of the field.

I'm glad Giovanni liked Amanda's salsa so much, because I wasn't so keen. It was a bit aggressive in places. Something about her arms looked a bit odd. The last lift was very clunky. It was good, but not a patch on last week.

Out of hold, Krishnan is a delight. He brings a smile to my face. As soon as he took hold of Lauren, it all went a bit south. He spent the whole time looking at the direction of travel, rather than keeping his head back. He needs to raise his eyeline. And he needs to work on that frame. But I still love watching him. They need to put the foxtrot behind them, and move on to the next dance. 

Eddie & Karen's cha cha was high energy and high performance, but it was also read more like a salsa. His cha cha technique wasn't there. It was flat-footed and pigeon-toed. It was a crowd pleaser more than a judge pleaser. I definitely want to see more of Eddie. And we need to take a moment to appreciate Karen's J-Lo look.

I thought that Zara & Graziano really improved this week. Zara's head was sinking into her shoulders early on, but her posture got a little better as the dance went on. If she can improve her posture and get some core strength, she could really improve. I fear that she might not get the chance.

The jive seemed to be a bit too quick for Angela in places. She seemed to be struggling to keep up with it. I think Carlos might have packed it too much. Angela must have done Irish dancing in the past, because her leg positions definitely had that look and the whole dance had that Irish bounce.

Angela & Kai looked as though they have been dancing the foxtrot together for years. It was classy and elegant. Lovely leg extensions, decent footwork. Simple and beautiful.

Layton & Nikita's quickstep was pure Hollywood. Light and bright, covered the floor beautifully, high energy and anything but basic. Fierce.

No-one is really that bad. Les is clearly the weakest dancer, but his fame will probably keep in him for a few weeks. I think we could be saying goodbye to Zara, Nikita and Adam could all be in trouble.