Re: SCD 2019 Tango's 'Little Bit Of Honesty' Thread

[B4p]

Oh I did. That severe look is very fashionable at the moment isn't it and it's one that suits her I think.  She has the head shape for it.  I thought her whole outfit was rather... "splendid".

I like Karen's new hairstyle too. She reminds me of an Egyptian Pharoah, (a latin Hatshepsut) all proud and regal. I think it shows her strong features off.

[diamondsandpearls]

Welcome back Twirlie

My thoughts for week 1

 He seems lost and vulnerable, not one of the boys.

Kelvin - Wow. He meant business. The Samba is my favourite dance, and for week 1, he did a decent job. The music made it for me, and they looked the part. I'm glad he was dressed in an understated outfit. It's too early for lycra, tops off and pecs out. .

1.Yes, I totally agree - lost and vulnerable is a very good description. I am quite concerned for him.

2. Kelvin was in the tightest lycra shirt they could possibly have poured in him too! Even Rylan commented on it! So most definitely not understated or without the lycra

[B4p]

I guess when I was thinking lycra, I thought at least he didn't look like a Christmas tree, all full of multi-colour and sparkles. I think the monochrome look was probably as understated as Strictly usually goes!

[diamondsandpearls]

Watching James in rehearsal I have worked out that he is in fact the tin man who has been left out in the rain for a while and is in need of some WD40. He moves so stiffly and creakily... Basically he is in need of some Luba-cation... *groan*!

But he seems to look less like he is awaiting a root canal without any injections, so that makes me somewhat relieved. I can let go of a lot of not very good dancing if they look like they enjoy it (although, there is an upper thresh-hold on enjoyment - I am chuffed to bits that Will is so full of joy but he is so like a 6 year old hyped up to the eyeballs on sugar that her needs to rein it it just a tad)

[diamondsandpearls]

NEWSFLASH!

My Afor/Agin-ometer has swung right roud on Soapy Katherine. I was Agin her. On the basis of her ITT appearance she is now firmly in my Afors.

ENDS

[B4p]

Watching James in rehearsal I have worked out that he is in fact the tin man who has been left out in the rain for a while and is in need of some WD40. He moves so stiffly and creakily... Basically he is in need of some Luba-cation... *groan*!      

That is so strange. I have just been walking around the Retreat Centre carrying a tin of WD40 doing battle with squeaky hinges!

I shall miss Saturday's show as I'm in the wild's of Scotland where the TV is banned. In fact the boss man has disconnected the router, and hidden the internet password. Fortunately for me, I've still got the password from previous visits (unless the boss suddenly updates it). Could someone kindly make a note of the scoreboard figures please, and I'll put them on next week with the 'week 3 music & dance choices'. I should be ok to post again from Tuesday evening.

Enjoy the show tonight folks. I'll be thinking of you all in Strictly Land as I go into a Dharma talk and meditation class. OMMMmmmmmmmmzzzzzzzzzzz

[diamondsandpearls]

That is so strange. I have just been walking around the Retreat Centre carrying a tin of WD40 doing battle with squeaky hinges!

I shall miss Saturday's show as I'm in the wild's of Scotland where the TV is banned. In fact the boss man has disconnected the router, and hidden the internet password. Fortunately for me, I've still got the password from previous visits (unless the boss suddenly updates it). Could someone kindly make a note of the scoreboard figures please, and I'll put them on next week with the 'week 3 music & dance choices'. I should be ok to post again from Tuesday evening.

Enjoy the show tonight folks. I'll be thinking of you all in Strictly Land as I go into a Dharma talk and meditation class. OMMMmmmmmmmmzzzzzzzzzzz

Enjoy the Scottish Wilds and the peace of having no TV, Wifi (and presumably phone signal?) I shall be thinking of you Omming in rural bliss as I shout at all the props, mangling of well-loved songs, stupid barely-relevant themes - and maybe cheer at a bit of lovely dancing and glamorous frocks!

[TANGOLERO]

In Paso, a woman is either the bull or a flamenco dancer. Since the cape was used and Espana Cani the music, I assume she was the bull tonight. Neither, as far as I know wear Mary Poppins lace up boots. Bit of a wardrobe malfunction? Just asking...

[TANGOLERO]

Easier to start at the bottom tonight. Such a shame when people who don't dance are really trying, but sadly, some folk just can't and probably never will. It's only week two granted, but unfortunately, James C and David James are two of these, not too far ahead of Chris Ramsey and Aneka. Poor James was made to look a bit of a buffoon by wardrobe in that suit. Surely they can be a little more thoughtful. David James is also no dancer and both must know they're skating on very thin ice.

Mike, the Rhinstone Cowboy had a totally wrong song and outfit for American Smooth; not sure what Katya was thinking. I don't always agree with S hirley's views as she's judging week two like a gold medal ballroom exam, but she was right about this, and I'm already well sick of the word "musicality". Listening to music and dancing to it is what they're supposed to do. If they can't relate to the music they won't be catching any Blackpool trams.

As first up, I thought Saffron was poorly marked by C raig and M otsi, and Dev's Jive was far to upright (another victim of wrong judging).  Of all the dances, Jive is the one least concerned with "core" and posture" two things guaranteed to distract from what jive, boogy, rock and roll and bee-bop (and northern soul)are all about. Ballroom posture has nothing to do with any of them. Flexibility is far more important in these disciplines.

The rest were pretty good with Michelle and Gio's V.W the most enjoyable for me (but who wouldn't dance well to That's Amore?)

Those were my first impressions quite briefly.

[diamondsandpearls]

In Paso, a woman is either the bull or a flamenco dancer. Since the cape was used and Espana Cani the music, I assume she was the bull tonight. Neither, as far as I know wear Mary Poppins lace up boots. Bit of a wardrobe malfunction? Just asking...

Given that theirs were the best outfits of the night I am turning a determinedly blind eye to boots.

[mauveangel09]

Tried to vote on line but the vote was only open for a ridiculously short time.

A bit of leveller from last week as expected. I think most of them struggled a bit and I agree with your comments about Saffron and about Dev Mr T. For me, only Michelle, Karim, and Kelvin maintained their standard with Saffron and Emma B just behind along with Dev. Will is a real delight. Anneka improved slightly, as did Chris (courtesy of a routine that really suited him – so the jury’s still out on him) Jury’s still out on Catherine and Emma W.

First impressions were that the costumes had taken a bit of a dive – but then there were a lot of themed dances this week and fast tempo dances – too fast for most of the celebs to cope with.

Saffron and AJ
I quite enjoyed this one and by the end of show I thought she had been undermarked. Granted it was quite a fast cha cha and I felt she was struggling to keep up by the end, but at the end of day I thought it was a decent cha cha with nice straight legs and probably one of the best for me amongst those of these first two weeks.

Anneka and Kevin
I’m so glad that Kevin has taught her some basics. All credit to him as a teacher she did a good basic waltz and looked great in that lovely floaty dress. So much better than last week and she is so enjoying it.

Dev and Dianne
I know I will be out of kilter with my views on this one but I didn’t really like it. I found it a bit heavy and was distracted by his feet and legs (in a not good way) but he did get through a fairly complex routine and kept in time well.

Emma and Alijaz
Not bad but judges were right about running out of steam and losing it a bit towards the end. I thought the footwork was good but Emma needs so much more expression she started off staccato but ended up looking a bit wooden. I did feel again it was too fast and didn’t rate the music much – rather forgettable. I do hope she can poll the votes as she is not so high profile as some of the others and her routine last week was much better. I still think she has potential.

Chris and Karen
So much better than last week. The slapstick routine really suited him and played to his strengths. I thought that the choreography went off a bit in parts and too much stop and start (agree with CRH on this one) but I liked that he did some actual Charleston steps.

Emma and A nton
Bit disappointed with the music – I think A nton should have made sure that they got more of a traditional track that would have packed more of a punch – like Karim and Amy’s track. That said it was pure Foxtrot and he put some complex choreography in there. Glad she did the heel turns. Felt she looked unbalanced and a bit unsure at times but overall it was good for this stage in the contest – shame they didn’t get further up the leaderboard.

James and Luba
He just hasn’t taken to dancing. He did definitely seem as though he was enjoying it more. If she could have at least taught him one set of kicks and flicks it might have done down better

Catherine and Johannes
Not a natural latin dancer – agreed with the judges that there were flashes of brilliance and some steps she coped with well but in other parts she looked as though she was still trying to remember the routine. she had a good stab at what is a difficult dance for these first weeks. Thought CRH was a bit over mean with his comments and marks.

Michelle and Giovanni

The dance of the night for me - this lady can dance. I think she will be a good all rounder and I really enjoyed this.

BTW – I thought this routine seemed familiar and it is very similar to one that Vincent did some years ago (I can’t remember his partners name but they got to the final) It was practically the same set even down to the gondola. Anyone remember it?

David and Nadiya
Waste of the most sublime paso music ever (grrrrr!) great music shame about the dancing. He just didn’t seem to get the paso and seemed to stomp about and then smile in the wrong places. But then again he hasn’t got the best teacher………… and paso on first two weeks – no.

Karim and Amy
I can’t deny this was really good – good lines and he lead the dance too - he is a natural who looks really confident and the music really helped it too.

Mike and Katya
OMG – I love Mike but this just didn’t work for me. A bizarre mix of country and western peppered with a bit of ballroom dancing in between along with some circus acrobatics and none of it fitted with the music I thought. It is very rare that I dislike Katya’s stuff but I felt this was too ‘out there’ for their own good and didn’t work - Ed Balls he isn’t! Here was the sort of early week lumbering American Smooth that I loathe and doesn’t really resemble any known ballroom dance.

Oti and Kelvin
What was with the Peaky Blinders costume he was wearing? Really didn’t think it suited the dance and the somewhat dramatic dance didn't seem to fit with the lovely understated music. Whilst I thought it was very good and he is going to be consistently good I think, It didn’t blow me away.

Alex and Neil
Unmemorable and had to figure out at first whether it was a cha cha. Agreed with CRH more like a disco salsa – had bent legs. Not as good as Saffron and the whole was a bit ragged I thought. Shame she was not as good as last week as I do like her. Still feel she has potential.

Will and Janette
Wow he really went for it and you can’t help going along with him – whilst it wasn’t that complex I thought it was a nice piece of choreography that played to his strengths and it was joyous – really liked it and like seeing him falling in love with dance.

[diamondsandpearls]

I was underwhelmed to be honest.

I think I am seeing a different person to the rest of you in Michelle Visage. I see a woman who is paying attention and very much wants to learn and give her all. And indeed, she is learning and doing quite well. But there is no way her waltz was on the same level as Karim's foxtrot. His and Amy's dance was the only one I genuinely enjoyed this evening.

Anneka in a dress was a vision to behold - it was a particularly beautiful dress - but sadly it  didn't make her find her ballroom feet. I really love that she is ejoying dancing so much but I nearly threw up in my mouth when she intoned that she danced that dance "with her heart"...

Kelvin is never going to make me happy because he is too over-inflated on his top half  with a thick neck and that never makes for an elegant dancer. And I like an elegant dancer. And tonight's Peaky Blinder's wardrobe theft didn't help.

Lady Emma, Katherine and Alex all look lovely but they have a way to go yet.  Which is fine, cos we all love a J urnee...

Saffron moves her feet in all the right ways and at the right speed but the rest of her just doesn't really go with the music. Also, I still haven't warmed to her - but her family seem nice...

Chris is hampered because he drew Karen in the lottery and I hate her choreography. She's not really a ballroom dancer and it shows. The Charleston was, as I had feared, over the top and slapstick-y, and I could not fathom Karen's costume. But she looked great in Flavia's memorial wig, it must be said.

I will draw a discreet veil over Mike and Katya. She really needs to stop throwing the kitchen sink at her partner in order cover up their inadequacies. It's Ed Balls and Gangnam Style all over again and I am not impressed or entertained.

David and Nadya (along with Anneka) looked the best tonight (traditional accuracy and  the sight of David's hairy bear-y chest showing through his mesh top aside). I voted for them for that reason because though David can't dance, and Nadya can't teach, there was very little to tempt me to vote for anyone else. And I feel sorry for David.

I also feel sorry for Luba. There is a chance David might do a tad better with a different teacher, but James has real difficulties stemming from his brain injury and I can't see how Luba can do much to help him improve in the short space of time before he gets voted off. David looks like he is enjoying the experience, whereas I am convinced James views the whole thing as some brain physio which has to be endured to try and improve his co-ordination and memory etc, but which is as much fun as a root canal without anaesthetic.

Will needs to calm down. Which given he is with Janette is very unlikely. Again, really happy that he is enjoying himself so much, but he needs to lay off the haribo.

Dev let me down. He was more than a 'tad flat-footed' and was way too upright. Also, all that locker theming made me cross. Dianne can be super annoying with the theming and choregraphy.

If Soapy Emma is a ringer then she is hiding it tremendously well. She seemed like she couldn't keep up with A nton and at times looked like he was dragging her round. One of the nicer dresses though.
If there was anyone else then... they weren't memorable

[CaledonianCraig]

Here are my thoughts on last night's show which was not as enjoyable as Week 1.

Saffron:- There was faffing at the start and to me she looked unsure at times but she did move well too although her posture looked awkward at times. A 6 from me.

Anneka: This had a nice feel to it. Okay there were a few errors but a good improvement on last week and she looks to be loving it which is always good to see. A 5.5 from me.

Dev: To me he looked a little ungainly at times with bow-leggedness. No doubting he has rhythm and timing though. A 6 from me.

Emma W.: Again faffing at the start and she looked unsure at times but there was some good stuff in there but like C.raig I thought it lacked a bit of attack. A 6 from me.

Chris: He had some nice swivels and it was a dance that clearly suited his personality. It had some messy moments but a big improvement on last week. a 5.5 from me.

Emma B.: She seemed to have balance issues in the spins and there was some gapping at times but on the whole a decent effort. A 6 from me.

James: Oh dear. I do feel really sorry for James. This dancing lark is just not for him. He really struggled and the long faffing at the start sums it up. Odds on to be the first to exit I am afraid. A 3 from me.

Catherine: Her arms need work. It was a mixed bag with some good stuff but messy moments and thought B.runo's comments were spot on. A 6 from me.

Michelle: Apart from the faffing in the boat and that oar I really enjoyed this dance. She moves very well and captured the mood of the dance very well. One of the sances of the night for me. A 7.5 from me.

David: A stompy effort with no real attack and was smiling throughoutr which does not catch the mood of the dance for me. A 4 from me.

Karim: The hands need work and aside from losing posture once this was a very polished effort from the (insert the r word). A 7.5 from me.

Mike: Oh dear. They are clearly attempting to transform Mike ionto the comedy act of the series. Sad to see that. This did not resemble an American Smooth and over-stuffed with lifts. Song did not suit either. Shame after an opening week of promise. Hope he can get back to serious dancing next week if still here. A 4 from me.

Alex: I enjoyed this. Good timing and thought she danced it very well and has decent musicality. Judges were a bit harsh for me. A 7 from me.

Kelvin: Very nice dance. Had some rise and fall. Posture bit off at times but had a lovely feel to it. A 7 from me.

Will: I wasn't keen on the use of the table tennis paddles but he has very good rhythm and sells the dance well. Decent effort. A 6.6 from me.

It is glaringly obvious that James should be the one to exit sadly as I would have loved to have seen him blossom into a dancer. Very sad that Mike is being turned into the resident clown too. Quite evident as they are using him to do fill-ins with comedic value too. Stick to learning to dance Mike.

[Moova 12]

Second week is often poor and this one even more after last week.
Totally agree with the points about Katya and Mike it was truly a mess. I have always like Katya but she is totally hyper and over the top at the moment and this dance showed it all.
Karim is good and I am pleased for Amy.
I actually liked Michelle. Didn’t expect to as I expected a Nancy type.
Silver tongued Italian Stallion was on whatever Katya is on.
Tess was Tess and Claudia was auditioning for a part as an Egyptian handmaiden in Joseph and his technicolour dream coat.
I recorded it and switched off before the reruns voting bit.
Is it movie week next week.? Just remembering Jay’s jive was week 3.

[jingle]

Thought is was an enjoyable show, though nothing particularly memorable about it. Is it just me, or is there a recurrent American 50s theme to a lot of the music/outfits?  Anyhow, I’m looking forward to the results show this evening, I imagine James may get a sympathy bounce (well, he got my votes at least, I really don’t want to see that jive or his outfit for a second time). A few thoughts…

Saffron. I took a peek at one of her youtube vlogs and ewwww, her heel blisters are shocking – I honestly don’t know how she can bear to wear shoes, it must be agony. Thought the cha cha choeography was a tad too fast, but that’s fairly typical for AJ. In hindsight think she was undermarked at 23 (compared to 27 for Dev’s flat footed jive?)

Anneka.  Looked a very simple waltz, and she fell behind at one point where it speeded up. To be honest I'm already a little bored with the 'I don't wear pink / dresses' storyline, I'm sure I've seen Anneka in plenty of frocks before

Dev. Not keen on the choreography or outfits for this, and he didn’t seem to have mastered much of the jive technique. I do wonder if he’s able to put in enough hours training, given his day job.

Emma W – tango started off very well but she lost it somewhere near the end.

Chris – I really liked the house staging and lighting for this, it definitely added to the impact.  A much better effort, to get exactly double his score from last week is quite an achievement.

Emma B – Thought there were a lot of wobbles in this foxtrot, as well as quite a few lunging strides .  24 was rather generous imo

James – Before the show started I was pinning my hopes on James, so very disappointing that he’s likely to be an early exit.  

Catherine – much as I tried, I found it hard not to just watch Johannes, with Catherine merging into the background. Thought the choreography for this samba was rather frantic, she looked good in places and lost in others. That said, I’m surprised that she’s close-ish to the bottom of the scoreboard, I would’ve placed her right in the middle

Michelle – I’m so glad that our Diamonds has already said it – I’m not getting the Michelle hype either. Thought this was a competent VW, though didn’t much like the faffing around with the oar.

David – for such a tall man he’s so soft and light on his feet, so a paso was rather an unfortunate choice

Karim –Proved himself to be equally adept in ballroom as latin with a lovely foxtrot.  I think his main problem is going to be coming across as a bit over-confident, and B.runo describing him as a young Gene Kelly won’t help.  I did like 'mumsy' in the VT though

Mike – Yuk, yuk, yuk. There was nothing I liked about this routine (was it an American smooth at all?). Katya isn't firing off all cylinders yet, and like CC says, there's a risk of Mike becoming the 'resident clown'

Alex – Thought a tad overmarked, her shoulders rose up a few times.  

Kelvin – I thought he looked quite tense at times, rather forgettable waltz

Will – frantic and jerky in places. I love that he’s so enthusiastic, but he seems like the polar opposite of James and David to me – a bit too uninhibited. If he's got ballroom next week then I hope he's solemn in tails.

Overall I thought it was a fairly standard second week. Costumes a little hit and miss, many dances a little underwhelming, although there aren't as many apparent ringers as previous years.  Personally I haven’t felt an instant attachment to any of the couples yet, feels like this year may have a few slow burners. No idea who’ll leave tonight, but I’m hoping James that gets a reprieve.

[mauveangel09]

I actually liked Michelle. Didn’t expect to as I expected a Nancy type.
.

So did I

Morning all -  it is still bugging me about the Venice routine being a copy of something V incent did - so I'm going to try to find it today.

Reflecting on the show this morning -  I did enjoy it and I agree that things always slip or at least level in the second week. I did think that strategy wise, a few of them would have been better off doing the first week dances last night (Emma W for example). I still feel that Saffron was undermarked compared to Dev.

I think much as the first show was very exciting -  it appeared that some of them were almost too good so I feel that the levelling of the second show is a good thing - I would prefer to see people progress and go on the 'J' and I hope we are going to get that this year as they also seem very competitive.  As Jingle says, there seems less obvious Ringers this year - Karim being the exception.  I am trying to warm to him as I am pleased for A my -  I did think that that he needs to work on his rear end posture but it hasn't been pointed out yet.

[TANGOLERO]

Morning all -  it is still bugging me about the Venice routine being a copy of something V incent did - so I'm going to try to find it today.

Ever controversial, I'm bit surprised, don't ask me why, (even from Vincent) that Venice (and gondolas)would be the typical Italian night life scene for "That's Amore). Immaterial I suppose, but a bustling Rome or somewhere would seem less "One Cornetto" than Venice for a Viennese Waltz. Not much room for whirling about in a gondola or vaporetto; bit like all Italians are gondoliers just like all Spaniards are flamenco dancers. Anyway, nit-picking over, it's the Bubble Bath Company.. ( I actually "love" "That's Amore" and all things Dean Martin) .... .....

Despite this being a comments forum, I don't want to be drawn too deeply into judgement after a fortnight. The contestants probably had more time to polish the first week's dance than the seven days to learn the second and we do tend to imagine they're all natural Gene Kelly's and Cid Charissees and not just normal folk. Dancing was a bit second nature to my generation, but not so today. I'll hold back a bit ( fault finding is far easier then learning a foxtrot after all) till we see what we'll see. James and David do seem Room 101 candidates, but the G.B.P have a habit of making heroes of people with two left feet after all.

[CaledonianCraig]

Here you go mauve:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqBM-jMOBlo

[mauveangel09]

Thought so!

I knew I could rely on you CC

……. and I knew I was getting Deja Vu last night. However, what a treat to see the Vincent and Dani routine again - I think it was one of their best - not so much faffing about with the oar either! However, to be fair I think this was from much further on in the series rather than week 2. Rather reinforces your stereotypes though Mr T - I think 'That's Amore' is a wonderful track for the Viennese Waltz but you are right...……… not much room to twirl on the Venetian Canals

[jingle]

Goodness, well remembered Mauve, and well found CC. They've even used the exact same Rialto backdrop. And yes, several parts of the choreography look like direct copies from 2012.

[TANGOLERO]

Goodness, well remembered Mauve, and well found CC. They've even used the exact same Rialto backdrop. And yes, several parts of the choreography look like direct copies from 2012.

Cuts must be made everywhere Jingle, even at the Bubble Bath Company....

[Twirlie]

Hi one and all,

Here's my impressions of last night's show.

Saffron Barker & AJ Pritchaard – Cha Cha Cha
I enjoyed their routine very much. There was the one hiccup in the middle but it was slight and she did cover it up well – I suspect because she didn’t realise she’d gone wrong. She’s very nimble and will bring more good things I hope. I thought the 5s were a little low for the dance. 6s and 7s more like the thing.

Anneka Rice & Kevin Clifton – Waltz
Well she can dance after all. After a fashion perhaps, but she’s not so abjectly awful as she was last week. She wasn’t perfect by any means but it was such an improvement and she looked lovely in the dress. The 5s were about right.

Dev Griffin & Dianne Buswell – Jive
I enjoyed this as well. It was a much higher standard of course. He does have sickle toes but that can be cured. There was loads of energy but those long legs make it harder for him to make them move as fast as Dianne’s. The 7s were right.

Emma Weymouth & Aljaz Skorjanec – Tango
Lovely Emma made quite a good job of this. She did let her shoulders creep up towards the end of the dance so I suppose that’s what they meant by running out of steam. The 6s were much more appropriate than C.raig’s 4.

Chris Ramsey & Karen Hauer – Charleston
Such a fun routine and pretty well executed. I found myself smiling all the way through. Yes the cartwheels could have been cleaner, but he deserved his 7s I thought.

Emma Barton & Housewives choice Du.Beke – Foxtrot
Well he didn’t make it easy for her but she kept up pretty well. A couple of stumbles perhaps but she (nearly) looked like she knew what she was doing. A good start- the 6s were right.

James Cracknell & Luba Mushtuk – Jive
Nothing much to be said here. Awful. My only critism worth mentioning is of Luba. She knows James is rubbish and isn’t the slightest interested in supporting him. Not a good example if she want another celebrity next year. I thought the 3s were generous.

Catherine Tildesley & Johannes Radebe – Samba
There were elements in this dance that reminded me of Oti and Danny Mac’s samba, but this was a much more cut-price version. She definitely found it hard to keep up and made it – just. It wasn’t outwith her capabilities I don’t think, she just needed more practice. 5s or 6s.

Michelle Visage & Giovanni Pernice – Viennese Waltz
Utterly confident and competent. This was a joy to watch. She’s a natural dancer and should be around the competition for a very long time. The 8s were justified.

David James & Nadiya Bychkova – Paso Doble
Not great. The cape work was pretty dire and there was no strength or purpose in his movements. 3s   from me.

Karim Zeroual & Amy Dowden – Foxtrot
So good & a joy to watch. He’s such a natural dancer and it seems he can do anything. Beautiful smooth movements, and it did seem as if he was leading her for most of the time. Very impressive and I think the chemistry between him and Amy is excellent. She’s obviously doing well by him. The 8s were well deserved.

Mike Bushell & Katya Jones – American Smooth.
God, but Katya’s brave! Those lifts looked pretty precarious. Mind you when I was her appear with those loose diaphanous chaps over her jeans I thought they could make lifts a bit unstable, and they did. It wasn’t like any American Smooth I’ve ever seen before. They definitely went for comedy over sophistication! A 4 for the dance and a 6 for the fun.

Alex Scott & Neil Jones – Cha Cha Cha
The judges were right. She has all the energy but if she’d had a little more straight leg action it would have helped everything else. Not bad though.  I loved Motsi’s “Chaaa Chaaa Chaaa” imitation of C.raig. I don’t know if he was too pleased about it though.  6s.

Kelvin Fletcher & Oti Mabusi – Waltz
Very good. Not as good as last week perhaps but still very good. I don’t know about the heel leads that Shirley was talking about but I thought that the rest was very smooth and flowing. An 8 seems to high for him this week but a 7 too low. 7.5 then.

Will Bayley & Janette Manrara – Salsa
He is so good and such fun. These two make a terrific combination. Obviously he can’t do some of the dance shapes well, but they’re still pretty good as were the lifts. 7s

It was a good show generally. Not perhaps as exciting as last week’s but they were all getting over the shock of learning a dance in one week instead of two.

I’m really enjoying the interaction between Shirley and Motsi. They complement each other well and I think because of it Shirley’s a much nicer and more positive person than she’s been in the past.
Motsi has fitted right in seamlessly. I don’t miss Darcy at all.

[TANGOLERO]

Just one I forgot to mention, the Usain Bolt tango. Whilst well done,(and I'm a great admirer of Aljaz, ) it was quickstep fast and also lacking tango "mood". (daft music notwithstanding) I hope in the pros' desire for unique choreography that tradition doesn't suffer. Both Paso and Tango have meanings outside just learning steps, and staccato is a brief action, not a neck exercise. Slowness and even stillness can be highly effective if the body and face actions are right. At last night's speed they wouldn't need a lift to Blackpool, they could run there in half-an-hour.

[mauveangel09]

I so agree Mr T - why do the pros feel the need to make everything so fast????? Real Tango is not fast.

[B4p]

Enjoy the Results Show tonight Tango - the guest was made for you

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