Monday Musings: Week 10

With so few couples left in the competition, everyone is now fighting for their places. And while there can be no 'shock' eliminations at this point, anybody really could be in the dance-off.

Layton & Nikita were up first with a somewhat disjointed American smooth. On paper, It's Oh So Quiet looks like a good song choice. It has light and shade baked right in. It has crescendos and stillness. Yet somehow it didn't translate into a coherent ballroom number. I think they did a good job, it just didn't pop. Layton's foxtrot footwork was excellent with a lovely toe release and a neat heel turn. But some of the faster parts were a bit wild and loose. I think it is the sort of dance that requires multiple viewings. But there's no time for that on Saturday night.

Throughout Nigel & Katya's rumba, I was distracted by the curtain on the left, which seemed to be waving at an unnatural rate. Which doesn't say a lot for the dance. There was a lot of wafting, and not as much content as I would like. I liked the musicality though, although when I wasn't looking at the curtain, I was looking at Katya. Was Nigel even in this number? I barely noticed him.

While I love a good rock song for drama, you just cannot beat traditional paso music, and the music really elevated Annabel & Johannes' routine. She continues to get better and dance without inhibition. It's wonderful to see. Her paso had attack and drama. She looked in control. She still needs to watch her facial expressions - at times she veered from intensity to nothingness.

The thing I noticed most about Angela & Carlos' cha cha was how neat Angela's arms were. Her free arm was on her hip for a large part of the dance, or tucked in. It was as though they had identified that it sometimes looks uncontrolled, and this was a way of keeping it in check. Cha cha is a hard dance to make interesting, and I thought they gave it a good go. They sold it, and I had a good time watching.

I really struggled with Bobby & Dianne's couples' choice. It seemed to me that production had decided that he needed to do a routine in tribute to his mother. I'm not sure this would have been his choice. The general public had a deep relationship with Jade that Bobby can probably never fully comprehend. I can't help feeling that production wanted to tug the nation's heartstrings in this way, and it may not have been Bobby's choice to do so. And it worked. Some of my friends reported that they were in bits. Cynical me wasn't so moved. The routine itself was a pleasant enough lyrical, contemporary number. It was nice. He danced it well, it was musical and because of the style it looked free. For once their height difference wasn't a factor. I liked it, but I'm not willing to be manipulated in this way.

Ellie & Vito's Argentine tango was outstanding. Gorgeous loose legs, lots of push and pull. Drama, tension, sexuality, musciality. A wonderful routine and was absolutely deserving of a place at the top of the leaderboard.

Ellie and Annabel were my favourites of the night. There are no bad dancers here, and picking the bottom two is difficult. It's probably right that Angela was in the bottom. I might have put Bobby or Nigel with her. 

There seems to be a lot of negativity towards Layton online because of his theatre background. So many people seem to have decided that that is not allowed on Strictly. I don't know where that comes from. Being a novice has never been a requirement.

Everyone still in the competition deserves to be there. They are all worthy, regardless of how much experience they started with. They have all entertained and worked their behinds off.

I'm going to be pausing the blog for a couple of weeks as I won't be able to watch, but I'll be back for the final!