Rory & Erin 6 (Cha Cha)
Great attempt and he can obviously use his hips but the grinding and rotating made me grimace rather than be turned on. Much preferred him doing Ballroom.
Nancy & Anton 4 (Paso Doble)
Walking... walking... and more walking. Really not keen on Nancy's attempt at dance.
Lulu & Brendan 6 (Samba)
Absolutely loved the red costumes. Loved the energy and performance. Lulu's samba technique needed work but showed lots of promise. I also liked the 'using of the stairs' up to the other pro's and celebrities.. it may have taken time out of the actual dance routine.. but it felt like they got support when they went up those stairs and then they came back down with warmth and love from their fellow competitors.(may be just me being a bit soppy!)
Chelsee & Pasha 8 (Quickstep - Sing Sing Sing)
Bright, bubbly. I liked the airhostess theme. Lots of energetic steps. At times I would have prefered there to be more body contact but with all the jumps and charlston steps they were doing it was probably hard to maintain that.
Harry & Aliona 9 (Waltz)
The waltz was absolutely beautiful. I didn't want it to stop and then they came out of hold. I wanted more waltz. I did like the story telling but the waltz was so good I wanted more. I felt like I was cheated out of more exquisite waltz.
Sidenote: I'm sorry Tess... I'm not a fan of your swirly purple dress.
Anita & Robin 5 (American Smooth)
Very clever camera effect with the black and white picture.
I did feel however that Anita looked nervous and was almost running and wobbly throughout the routine. Her smile is gorgeous so she's obviously used to performing but I thought the actual dancing wasn't really there tonight. There were several mistakes and it just seemed like she wasn't confident with what she was doing.
Robbie & Ola 7 (Jive)
So light on his feet during all the flicks and kicks. Fabulous performance! Really got into the 'love man' role! Basic jive work was a great attempt. There wasn't any hip swing in the basic steps but it was made up for in the lightness of feet and fabulous performance! (Did part of Ola's dress come flying off - beads perhaps - when Robbie swung her skirt?)
Russell & Flavia 6 (Tango)
Good to see the actual tango steps in the routine. I felt it was a bit too 'fantasy'.. I would have preferred more actual 'tango' performance during the middle section of the routine (stacatto/knees flexed/atmosphere) but I really enjoyed watching it as a show piece.
I'm waiting for Iplayer to watch the following dances as I got in from work after these guys had performed. (I did see Audley & Natalie but wasn't watching them as I was attending to my cats. They didn't understand that 'Strictly' was on and just wanted food!). I'll edit my post when I've watched them. (I've now edited the post and added my reviews below)
Jason & Kristina 7 (Paso Doble)
I liked their costumes. They certainly looked the part of the Paso Doble. I'm not sure what I didn't really like about it.. but it seemed a bit like a series of steps rather than a complete dance. Almost like Jason was counting in his head. There were moments where steps looked a bit skippy too. It could have been the music - much as I like Queen the music seemed a bit repetitive which could have made the steps seem like they were danced repetitvely. I can't quite put my finger on it. Jason is certainly very talented and performed with conviction and aggression - this just wasn't a performance that thrilled me. I'm sorry.
Alex & James 5 (Rumba)
Well if anyone could look gorgeous in a sheer catsuit it is Alex. She looked stunning but in my opinion also looked quite self-concious. She hit all her lines but I was just willing for her to really push down into the floor and use her hips. The costume was very brave but I think perhaps something with a little bit more material may have given her the confidence to use those hips. She also seemed to be struggling to move in the high heels. It was like she was dancing on top of the floor instead of using the floor to aid her. It is a tough dance and she did look good but it was more a case of 'picture' moments rather than dancing. If it hadn't been a rumba, I would have marked higher. I loved the 'Bolero' beginning.
Audley & Natalie 5 (Foxtrot)
What a beautiful dress Natalie wore! This looked lovely.. but Audley's dancing of the foxtrot was only a 5 to me. I did enjoy the performance and he looked very comfortable but I wanted him to step out some more and really feel the dance through his feet and legs. His posture was very good and his smile was adorable.
Looking forward to next week's Halloween special! Last year's one was so good so I hope this one lives up to expectations! I do like the idea of themes. I think it keeps Strictly fresh though I do hope they don't go away from the actual dances too much.
Couples who I think are in danger this week:-
Audley & Natalie, Rory & Erin, Nancy & Anton.
Couple who I think should leave: still Nancy & Anton
Couple who surprised me the most this week: Chelsee and Pasha - didn't think she coudl produce a quickstep like that. Was really surprised and thrilled.
My opinon on the rift between the judges and professional dancers that seems to be arising:- It's a tricky one. I can see why the professionals are frustrated by the seemingly constant references to their choreography (and I know I do it as well) but it does contribute to the celebrity's performance. Their ability to choreograph for their particular celebrity really does come into play. I suppose it's a bit like song choice on 'singing' shows. The choice of song REALLY does make a difference as does the choice of choreography on Strictly. I understand why it is hard for the judges not to comment on the choreography when it makes such a difference to the performance and I also understand why the professionals are upset that their choreography is being criticised when it seems that the focus should be on the 'dancing' ability of the celebrity. I don't think there's anything wrong with talking about the choreography but perhaps the judges could focus more on the celebritiy's dance ability before taking the choreography into account.. perhaps more a 70/30% situation? I think the pro's objections are more to when 'just' the choreography is being discussed and not the performance of the celebrity or when the choreography is deemed to be the downside to a performance. Professional dancers/teachers follow a code of professional etiquette whereby we don't criticise other professional's work and support our fellow professionals. I think perhaps some of the pros on Strictly feel that this practise is not being followed. It's a tricky situation.
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