What a fabulous opening with "One" from one of my favourie musicals 'A Chorus Line'! It was a lovely touch to have all of the celebrities come on at the end of the number.
And how lovely to hear "Sir Bruce Forsyth" announced! Well deserved Sir Bruce!
Now here are my scores and opinions.
Holly & Artem - 7 (Tango - Cell Block Tango from 'Chicago')
I was curious to see this dance as I heard Holly say on It Takes Two that she hated musicals. Their routine was from 'Chicago' one of my other favourite musicals.. this seemed to be inspired from the film version. Holly's wig made her look very much like Catherine Zeta Jones who played the part of Velma in the film (On a side note... my two cats are called Roxie & Velma). Now onto the dance... as a whole piece, Holly played the part well and the dance routine was effective. As a tango.. there was barely any content and what steps I saw seemed to be done on the balls of the feet when going forward which made it look like she was trotting in stilettos and unable to manage the height of the shoes. It was certainly strong and passionate but I do feel there should have been more tango content. The music was perfect to do a tango to. I marked 7 but this could have been higher if the tango section had been done with a better technique. I do have to mention that she did deal very well when her dress got caught in her heel.
Dan & Katya - 6 (Viennese Waltz)
I had high hopes for Dan but this just seemed somewhat disjointed. The Viennese Waltz should be a flowing dance yet it didn't seem to really start. Lots of stopping.. and when it finally seemed like they were about to get a rhythm going they stopped again! He seemed rather flat footed but there wasn't much chance for him to get into the rhythm of the dance. His posture was quite nice and his leather waistcoat suited the music but I wish it had all had more flow. It seemed like he was delivering steps rather than actually 'dancing'. I do still believe he has the potential to do much better than this.
On a sidenote.. I write my reviews before listening to what the judges say on 'Strictly'. (Felt I had to say this as the judges seem to be agreeing with me some of the time).
Anita & Robin - 8 (Jive)
Anita has a great smile! Perfect for the jive and this had plenty of content and fit the 'Hairspray' theme. The speed was a good one. Often the jives are played super-fast and it is impossible for the celebrities to keep up but this slower speed meant that Anita got her steps in and was able to 'perform' the routine. I enjoyed this performance and though she matched Robin well.
Alex & James - 8 (Viennese Waltz 'Memory' from Cats)
Oh this was beautiful. A perfect routine for Alex from James. I loved the subtlety of the 'cats' paws at the start and end of the routine. In contrast to Dan & Katya's Viennese Waltz this flowed really well.. and even when they slowed down the momentum kept going. Of course it would have been easier for James to lead Alex than for Katya to lead Dan so Dan is at a disadvantage there. The dress was beautiful and I thought Alex did this the best she could have done at this stage in the competition. She definitely has further to go! My favourite performance so far.
Rory & Erin - 8 (Quickstep - Top Hat & Tails)
Oh I can't stop smiling. What a great show! I want to give Rory an 8 but I think it's more a 7. Umm.. changed my mind... given him an 8. Again, another great routine. Well done to Erin! It was just out of a Fred Astaire movie. I loved the opening and end and loved that it was also a great quickstep. Rory was very light on his feet and well in control of himself. I think his back could have been straighter but this is only the 3rd dance! He really got into character and delivered a very good quickstep.
Lulu & Brendan - 7 (Rumba - All I Ask Of You (Phantom))
Well I heard Brendan say on ITT that there wasn't much rumba content so I wasn't expecting much but there was a rumba 'look' to the routine. I'd have liked Lulu to have walked with straighter legs to emmulate the rumba style more but she made a good attempt. The song is beautiful and they both performed with emotion. The dry ice effect on the dance floor was very apt for the 'Phantom' setting but not too great for watching their feet. I thought Lulu's dress was perfect for their rendition of the routine. Brendan's cape was actually the same as the capes my girls performed in tonight at our show in their 'Phantom of the Opera' ballet medley. I liked the way he took the cape off and used it. A good performance but still hoping for more as Lulu's confidence grows.
Extra note after watching the judge's comments:- I did wonder if the 'lifts' rule applied to the 'Broadway' show as they did the lift and find it quite strange to see Len accepting the lift and Craig not!!!
Nancy & Anton - 5 (Tango)
Hmm.. what to make of this. Loved Anton's jacket. This was an ok performance. It was quite striking but there was something missing that I can't quite put my finger on. I was watching her feet and she seemed to be walking rather than dancing on the walks.. which I know sounds like a strange thing to say... but there are many ways to walk in a dance and I don't think she mastered the 'tango' walk. But this was certainly better than the previous two performances. It just didn't excite me.
Audley & Natalie - 5 (Quickstep - Too Darn Hot from 'Kiss Me Kate')
I love Audley's smile. I love his natural groove but the performance didn't work for me tonight. The dance also felt rather disjointed. The first section of 'quickstep' worked well. The second section went wrong which was sad as it was near the end of the routine. He has a good fluid rhythm but I don't think the dance was great tonight.
Sidenote: liked the lights/projection at the back at the start of the routine with 'starring Audley & Natalie'.
Robbie & Ola - 6 (Tango - Gimme Gimme Gimme (Mamma Mia))
The passion in this tango was fiery. I wanted Robbie to be the 'man after midnight'. Ola did a lot of the work in this routine though. She fiddled around him while he 'looked' the part but I dont' think that he competely was the part. Really enjoyed the performance though.
Russel & Flavia 7 (Foxtrot - Don't Rain on My Parade)
Their advantage.. one of the best songs of the night. Russell just loves this which makes me love it and makes me want him to go all the way! There was a lot of foxtrot in this routine which he managed well and smoothly. It was certainly more 'American movie' than elegant foxtrot but it had that showbiz finasse and he looked extrememly comfortable performing in that style. I wanted to be up there dancing too.
Jason and Krystina 8 (Tango - I Will Survive (Pricilla)
Well that was possibly the campest and most vocal tango I've ever seen on Strictly. The section where Jason & Krystina had their backs to the judges was Jason's finest musical 'camp' performance and then it was straight into a classic tango with what looked like shouts and rather masculine sounds! I feel Jason was using a lot of ball leads instead of heels but his posture for the tango sections was stunning and the routine was most enjoyable to watch. Can you tell I'm loving 'Broadway' week? (Love Jason's pink diamante collar)
Chelsee & Pasha 6 (Cha Cha)
I know she said she was going to tone it down.. but she was still dancing the cha cha as a 'disco' dance. The leotard costume did her no favours as it showed off her un-latin-like legs. A Latin dress may have helped disguise that somewhat. She definitely can dance but as of yet she hasn't adapted the style to the correct Latin dance. I actually suspect she will be better at the Ballroom dances as they're different to disco.
Harry & Aliona 7 (Jive - Greased Lightning)
As a show piece, this was a 9! Fabulous! Harry was a great 'Danny Zuko' but as a jive there was barely anything to judge. It's really hard to mark. I think if there had been more jive it would have been great and I could have warranted giving him a 9 but I think I've got to be stuck on 7 because there was barely a step of jive in there and it's so sad because the routine was a great show piece.
Best Performance of the Night
The one I want to watch again is Jason & Krystina's tango - but I'll will him to walk with heel leads.
Most Entrancing Performance of the Night
Alex & James' Viennese Waltz
Makes me want to get up and dance too
Russell & Flavia
Couple to leave
Nancy & Anton :(
Well there are my thoughts of the night.
Judge Peach
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