2020 Tango's 'Little bit of Honesty'

diamondsandpearls wrote:

I feeltheir peeve... and yet I had to Chortle at such avery British problem!

(Also, I thought Maisie was talking Elstree the studio complex, rather than a place called Elstree.  I know the studios are in Borehamwood, but had no idea there was an actual village called Elstree.  So Borehamwood didn't lose out this time!)

Well no I think she was talking as if she thought the town was Elstree - it isn't. As why speak about being at home at Elstree when they film EastEnders at the BBC Elstree Studios and Strictly Come Dancing is filmed at the Elstree Film and Television Studios over half a mile to the south west of the BBC complex. The name Elstree stuck with the studios as when the first Elstree Studios were built Elstree was the nearest town and Borehamwood (closer to the studios location) was no more than a village. Once the studios became established Borehamwood began to grow in size and more studios were built in the growing town but still the Elstree name was used. Today Borehamwood is probably about ten times the size of Elstree.

An interesting bit of TV and film history I never knew! Thank you CC I learn so much on these threads!

[quote="diamondsandpearls"]

The was in response to DP's post from before - nothing to do with Borehamwood or Elstree - sorry

The line was:

'I get brat vibes from the no vowels child' - Very funny

I didn't get the quote bit right!

Feeling a little tingle! Some interesting pairings.
Now to spot my chance to grab the remote from him indoors!

Countdown to the opener. I will post my views either later this evening or early tomorrow.

Well I enjoyed that! (Which is a change from the moany min I've been the past couple of series). I can't remember the order so they are as they come into my head.

Jamie and Karen: All I can remember is the white trousers - oh my eyes!

Caroline and Johannes: She looked marvellous (that dress was SO of the era and it suited her and she looked the part). She has a lightness and elegance (yes, yes, ballet when she was a gal) and that inner joy. She and Johannes are a gift. Loved that dance (Foxtrot my favourite ballroom anyway - I'm with Aljaz on that).

Max and Dianne: Meh. He looked stooped and the song/arrangement was all a bit static and sterile. I think he has it in him to do better, but music and choreography did him no favours. That cherry red hair is exasperating me now and it overpowered her white ensemble (which itself was very weird for a tango)

Not The Charlie's Angel MP woman - not he worst opening dance from a politician, or indeed from a partner of Housewives choice's, but I don't feel any of the others have much (anything) to fear.

JJ and Amy: I KNEW I would love this. Amy didn't let me down on the choreography, and I see she is still keeping up her excellent briefings to the costume team and bringing them homemade brownies, because that gorgeous soft grey gown was the dress of the night. I know CC was worried about the pace of Wonderful World, but Natalie proved it worked in 2015 and I found it used for a waltzon the internet by professionals and loads of people for a wedding waltz, so it's clearly and old favourite for a waltz. Anyway, as predicted, that dance raised a lot of dust which got in my eyes a little...

Jason and Luba: He was clearly enjoying himself, but felt he needed to contain both that excitment and his movements. I think he has the ability but he looked like an excited and exhuberant labrador. Luba needs to pull on the leash! Like C raig I wasn't a huge fan of the routine. And I so wanted to like Luba's dress, because it had so many elements that I like - but it didn't come together in a pleasing way for me.

Ranvir and Gio: Surprise of the night for me! She looked MAGNIFICENT and her performance was very good. She needs work, but there's time and Gio has a track record of being a good teacher. However, Gio's fringe is disturbing me.

Maisie and Gorka: They were FIERCE! Her hips don't lie... Loved that she loved her dress and how she felt it was 'her in a dress', ie it summed up her essence and personality - I feel we are spirit animals.

Nicola and Katya: No surprises that Nicola is nifty with her feet but felt her posture was still too hunched. There was considerable and noticeable gapping, but I realise that it's too much to expect a week one contestant to conquer that (unless a very ringery ringer)

Clara and Aljaz: This was pleasant but didn't set me on fire. I feel there is more potential there that needs to be unlocked. And she seems to have just been given Maisie's dress from the launch show. Which is a bit mean.

Bill and Oti: I was disappointed after seeing him dance in the launch show last week. He has rythym, but he is so stiff. Not as much potential as I first thought. Pata Pata a great tune though, and had me dancing...

No Vowels and Karen: conversely, he has more potential than I thought. He has massive performance skills and has the musicality. It wasn't particularly tidy and his posture needs work, but hey it's only week 1 and he clearly is the best partner Janette has had since the JLS guy. (But I am still very much agin him - I can acknowledge his skills but not have to like him).

I felt Maisie was the most technically proficient of the night (despite the judge's scores), and that JJ and Caroline delivered the most charm and enchantment. It was a very enjoyable show, and for me, whilst I sort of miss the other contestants being in the Clauditorium, it all seems much calmer and I think I quite like that. It's making me feel not as bored and jaded as I was last year.

FootnoteL Tess back in a one shouldered thing. Oh well, it was nice while it lasted...

I am sure I will have other things to say once my brain is nudged by reading all your comments and thoughts!

Hi One and All, I hope you're all well and have survived the various lockdowns etc etc.

The first week is always a much of a muchness, though tonight there was a fair bit of potential on show. I enjoyed watching Jamie, Clare, JJ, Nicola and HRVY. I wanted Bill Bailey to be better than he was as I'm a big fan of his. We'll see. I didn't see what the judges saw in Pauline or Max. Otherwise it's a case of wait and see what the other celebrities bring over the next few weeks.

Just notes this week, just a superficial glance through the pairings.

Jamie Laing & Karen
Much better than I expected, and I was a little surprised that their score was so much less than Pauline Quirk's

Pauline Quirk & Johannes
I was astounded that she got such high scores. She was OK but not that good. Certainly not so much better than Jamie Laing.

Max and Dianne
A little stiff I thought, and not very exciting. Dianne was doing most of the leading and carrying the performance.

Clare and Aljaz
Not perfect but sooo enjoyable.

JJ Chalmers and Amy
Very beautiful, very elegant. I enjoyed it very much. I hope his latin is as good.

Jacqui Smith & Housewives choice
Will she be first out? 'Nuff said.

Maisie Smith & Gorka
Brill - really enjoyed it. They deserved their scores. Her dress colour with that strawberry blonde hair was just outstanding! (Yes I was watching the dancing as well.)

Jason Bell & Luba
I don't know what to say mostly because I couldn't find anything I wanted to say about them. I don't think there's much chemistry there. I don't think Luba likes him. Then again does Luba like anyone? She always seems rather sour to me.

Ranvir Singh & Giovanni
She was OK, and the dress work was fabulous, but I thought she was a bit stompy with some of the steps.

Nicola Adams & Katya
I thought this was absolutely fabulous. An ideal dance for their first outing and such an exciting routine. Katya is so clever and Nicola rose to the challenge of her choreography. Deserving more than 7s I thought.

Bill Bailey & Oti
Lots of enthusiasm but Motsi was right, he needs more technique. He is a wonderful guy and will keep us entertained for as long as he stays in the competition.

HRVY & Janette
Wow! Very, very good. Such a terrific performance. When did we have such a good jive on the first week. However. A 9 in week 1? I don't care how good the performance was, I don't think this was the place to give a 9. Just sayin'.

So Week 1 down, how many to go? 9? I'm getting withdrawal symptoms already.

(P.S. I thought the Pro's group dance at the beginning of the show was one of the most enjoyable I'd seen.)

Hi all
Hi Twirlie - glad to see you back - enjoyed reading your post.

I really enjoyed the show, down to some great choreography, great music and great costumes (except for Motsi's fluffy white bath towel!) It was a bit strange to see dances like the American Smooth and Paso Doble on week one but I think the series is going to be so short (it will be nearly November next week and it will only be the first elimination!) that we won't be see all the dances unless they throw them all in. I felt that the dances had been specially chosen tonight to suit each celebrity and their style, but I didn't mind as it made for a positive first show in fact I couldn't believe it was only the first show with the high standard that we saw - I liked all the contestants who all made a big effort I thought.

I think there are some good pairings and no mis-matches for me this year. I'm also enjoying the pared down and more intimate feel of it (not missing the big audience at all) and despite some props and sets most of the dances did not have too much 'faffing about' and went into straightforward dancing all the way - it kind of had the feel of the 'old' Strictly for me..................

Jamie and Karen - Probably one of my least favourite performances but ok. He made an effort to get the steps right but didn't do them that well, although the energy was very good. The whole thing wasn't helped by having the most unflattering trousers in history,

Caroline and Johannes - A lovely routine with some great characterisation from Caroline - I thought there was some very detailed sequencing in it and she did very well, looking lightfooted and elegant. At the beginning of the show I didn't get the costume and thought it looked like something from a charity shop - however once the dance started I totally got it and it was a real dress of the era in which the dance was set.

Max and Diane - A decent effort particularly for the first night and good chemistry between them. Shirley wasn't so keen - although I'm sure I've seen other Tangos on SCD that have had a lot more out of hold stuff than what this one had.

Clara and Alijaz - This was one of my favourite performances of the evening and I think she is a real contender. Very impressed with what was a straightforward and classic 'sock it to them' cha cha - thought CRH was off beam with his 'poor' comment, thought her timing was great, she did mainly have straight legs and couldn't see why he would say that.

Jaqui and Housewives choice - I have to say that I admired her for the way she coped with props on her very first ballroom dance as a non-performer. Liked the concept of the routine and the choreography which worked well to the music for me.

JJ and Amy - A lovely waltz and a lovely dress for Amy who looked breathtaking. Another partnership with great chemistry (so much more suitable than her partner from last year) JJ did very well.

Maisie and Gorka - Wow - what can you say? a full on bells and whistles samba - not something we expect on the first night!! Excellent music to go with it and full of controlled abandon. I really liked her costume too, but find Gorka's hair disconcerting and wrong!

Jamie and Luba - Another well put together routine although it was a bit of a strange fusion - the style suited him and although it was a bit loose, what it totally lacked in ballroom technique and posture was made up for in the energy and good rhythm.

Gio and Ranvir - Whilst I wasn't so enthused about this one as the judges I thought she looked brilliant and did some magnificent skirt work. It was a difficult dance to cop on the first night and for me it was a bit too 'walky' and repetitive and I wasn't so keen on the music. However, she was a better dancer than what I was expecting and Gio had choreographed a good basic routine.

Nicola and Katya - Clever Katya! Can't wait to see how this partnership pans out. Great music and an athletic QS that was well suited to Nicola and I liked the way they were changing the hold.

Bill and Oti - Really loved it, very Bill and it brought a smile to my face - it had great energy and danced to some great music - what a performance! Felt like dancing along - I forgot the technical shortcomings..........

HRVY and Janette - Yes I'm afraid he is going to be a lot better than Joe Suggs - suspect he might be bit of a ringer but I'll forgive him that on the first night as it was such a watchable Jive with some excellent footwork. Nice to see that Janette has a contender this year.

Really liked the latin medley at the start of the show (although I feel they don't need extra pro dancers as the floor got quite crowded in parts). Thought T ess drew the short straw on the frock front tonight - in a reversal from last week!

First up I am sure we all agree it is great to have Strictly back. The show got off to a great start with the pro dance where Johannes really stood out. The dance had a great party feel. It put you in the mood for the main course.

Jaime and Karen:- I thought he began looking stiff in the upper body but it did improve. Also you could see him thinking through each step and gave it a ponderous look' He did have good rhythm though and showed promise. A 5 from me.

Caroline and Johannes:- What a lovely first dance by Caroline. It really showed off her ballet skills as she had poise and looked elegant in the spins. A very good opener. A 7 from me.

Max and Dianne:- For me his frame was a bit weak and in his effort to not make a mistake it held back on the attack front. But safe without any big errors. A 5.5 from me.

Clare and Alijaz:- What a great dance. I had a feeling this would be great and it was. It was a dance that suited her and she showed great rhythm, musicality and timing. Well worth a 7.7 from me but was undermarked by the judges - certainly more than one point better than Max and better than dances that judges marked higher.

Jacqui and Housewives choice:- After faffing at the start and totally the wrong music for the dance it lacked rise and fall for me but it was better than I thought it would be. A lot to work on though. A 4 from me.

J J and Amy:- They had a lovely song to waltz to and I felt he did okay. Again it seemed to lack a lot of rise and fall and was ponderous at times but he held a great frame and was elegant. He could be a slow burner. A 6 from me.

Maisie and Gorka:- Our ringer for this series. Gorka was so confident he let her have the first 20 seconds alone to show off her talent. A very polished effort with good energy, musicality and timing. An 8.5 from me.

Jason and Luba:- A great song that suited the dance but I was left disappointed. It was a mish-mash of all sorts with dad dancing flung in. Still I think he'll do well given decent choreography as he has fitness, strength and ease of movement. A 5 from me.

Ranvir and Giovanni:- She had the skirt wafting nailed and good characterisation of the dance but at times was a bit stompy to me. Judges a bit too kind for me. A 6 from me.

Nicola and Katya:- I really enjoyed this. Nicola showed lovely bounce and timing. The only part I did not like was the knee spin - it didn't work for me. That aside very promising opening dance. A 6.5 from me.

Bill and Oti:- Not a bad effort at all. Great commitment and sure his technique needs a lot of polishing but he caught the spirit of the dance and kept up despite it being an energy packed dance. A 5.5 from me.

HRVY and Janette:- Dance of the night for me. I refuse to accept that was a result of just two weeks training he was that good. Timing, kicks and flicks and musicality all very sharp and makes me suspect he's done this before. A 8.5 from me.

So for me the stand out dances came from Maise, Clare and Hrvy. Very promising opener from Caroline and Nicola. Slow burners being J J and Max. Really enjoyed Bill's effort to. Disappointed by Jason and Jaimie. I thought Ranvir was a bit meh but judges felt otherwise. Jacqui looks prime candidate for the first exitee at the moment.

Twirlie wrote:I was a little surprised that their score was so much less than Pauline Quirk's

Pauline Quirk & Johannes
I was astounded that she got such high scores. She was OK but not that good. Certainly not so much better than Jamie Laing.

Pauline Quirk???

Twirlie wrote:I was a little surprised that their score was so much less than Pauline Quirk's

Pauline Quirk & Johannes
I was astounded that she got such high scores. She was OK but not that good. Certainly not so much better than Jamie Laing.

diamondsandpearls wrote:
Pauline Quirk???

Duh!!! I don't know where I got that from. Caroline Quentin - of course. Sorry about that.

Great to see people returning here - love reading everyone's take on the show. It seems my first impressions of a few of the contestants are quite out of line with the popular views, I’m not sure why!

Overall impressions - I thought Claudia handled the post-dance interviews very well and managed to keep the atmosphere alive when it could have fallen flat.  I prefer T.ess when she (by necessity) doesn’t keep grabbing contestants’ hands.  The three person judging panel worked fine, although I expect it’ll result in a lot more ties on the scoreboard.  Yes to NHS workers in the audience, and particularly to their sparkly masks. I want one!   Finally, and superficially, I’m glad to see A.nton has decided to ‘go natural’,  he looks much more distinguished with his grey temples.

A few thoughts on the dances…
Jamie Didn’t really live up to expectations with this very camp cha cha. His shoulders went up and his feet got twisted... however I do think there’s potential.

Caroline  Oh dear, I find myself adrift from the popular view, didn’t enjoy this American smooth much at all. I felt she was dancing to the camera rather than with Johannes, and the routine seemed a bit of a plod.  I’ll keep an open mind for next week, but not my favourite

Max  The first of some large props (a motorbike) for no obvious benefit. I found his tango a little skippy in places, and definitely agree with Diamonds that Dianne’s red hair was a distraction.

Clara  Loved her attitude and enthusiasm in the VT and I felt this translated into a very competent and energetic cha cha. Agree with Mauve in disagreeing about CRH’s negative comments, I felt she was undermarked and I would’ve put her third on the leaderboard rather than seventh. Definitely one to watch

Jacqui  Glad it wasn’t a full-on comedy routine. Probably an early exit for this pair though.

JJ A nice enough waltz, didn’t wow me

Maisie – Whereas this samba definitely did wow me. Jaw droppingly good for week one, where does she go to from here? I’m surprised this wasn’t top of the leaderboard. Yes, she most likely is a stage school ringer, but there’s something naively exuberant about Maisie which makes her very likeable.  A finalist surely, unless she turns out to be useless at the ballroom

Jason Competent with the steps, but I really didn’t like the choreography for this American smooth. Another early exit perhaps?

Ranvir  With the red and black costumes and all the flouncing around this was a very visually impactful paso….and yet when I rewatched there didn’t seem to be much difficultly or substance to it.  Overmarked I thought

Nicola I really enjoyed this routine, although the choreography was maybe too ambitious in places. Lots of potential, and I’m really interested to see how this partnership develops

Bill  Clever choreography but technique was lacking, I expect he may suit ballroom better

Hrvy Impressive and energetic jive, but I agree with Twirlie, the judges should leave their 9 paddles under the table for week 1.  

So, after the first week my final four prediction is Clara, Maisie, Nicola and Hrvy – basically the young ones!  Already looking forward to next Saturday…I guess it’ll be Halloween, but not sure if they’re doing a theme night?

Hello everybody. It's good to see a lot of people returning. He's hoping the main Tango man will join us if and when he's able.

I enjoyed the show last night, lots to like, particularly the opening pro dance. I thought the judges were more constructive except Cr aig when he crushed Luba's routine.
I liked the stripped back look with the other pro and celebs sitting around their separate tables down the side of the dance floor. It’s good to see them supporting each other, instead of just being able to see one or two hanging over the balcony. I didn’t miss the usual whooping and hollering of the audience or pros in the Clauditorium at all. I liked the use of the floor graphics. I thought it was a lovely gesture to give the few audience seats to the front line NHS workers and celeb families. I loved their perspex face shields.

What I would like to see more of is the singers. Maybe they could have a screen above or to the side of the orchestra pit so that you can see who is singing which song? Respect to the live band. I really didn't know how they'd get round using them this year.

I thought all of the celebs put on a tremendous show. There is a good mix of abilities, and I’ll watch the middle of the pack with interest.

Jaimee - Cha-Cha. Difficult to be first out and I think the nerves got to him. I thought Karen's routine was a bit of a mish-mash which I wasn't keen on. I didn’t see a lot of cha-cha. There seemed to be a lot of filler: roly-poly arms, stiff legs, and flat feet. I was a bit disappointed, he’s known for a year the sort of dances that might come up. He knew he would be called back this year. I’m surprised he didn’t have a little bit of an idea of one or two of the basics. Maybe he was taught them, but forgot them in all the excitement.

Caroline - I liked this A.Smooth. It was a simple, understated routine, but Caroline managed to add lots of little details. Her arm and hand positions were lovely. Her footwork looked neat and precise. She even managed to land elegantly from the couple of waist lifts she completed. I was pleasantly surprised.

Max - I think he did well with this tango. At the beginning, I thought he was going to break Diane’s hand he was gripping it so hard and his focus was completely internal. The second half, he relaxed a lot more. He was driving through on flexed knees. His timing was good and I think once he manages to relax a bit more, he’ll be one to watch.

Clara - I really liked this cha-cha. She looked happy and relaxed so the rhythm flowed. Clara was one of the few who actually looked at her partner. She looks like she’s getting on well with Alijaz. Nice arm placements, mirroring Alijaz. Recognisable Cuban break. I liked the syncopated section where Alijaz danced, then she followed. She did a few sections solo which I thought went well. I thought her latin leg action wasn’t bad. I thought she was under marked.

Jacqui - Foxtrot. A slow start, lots of time wasting tactics. Very little time in hold to do much foxtrot, with a few stumbles when moving backwards needing to be steered back on track. An tons usual top hats, canes and lots of pivots as fillers. As L en would say 'too much faffing abaarht'.

JJ - Waltz. I thought the chemistry between JJ and Amy was lovely. Despite my doubts about the rhythm of that piece of music (which I love), I thought Amy had created a lovely waltz and JJ had a good connection with her. I wondered if he’d gone a bit wrong halfway through as he seemed apologetic and seemed to say he was sorry, when she tipped his chin up. Lots of rise and fall and a half decent frame. He did well.

Maisie - A fine samba, including lots of different rhythms to a fast tune. Gorka must think his Christmas has arrived early. They seem to relate well to each other. I can’t remember who she danced with when she won the Strictly Children in Need the other year?

Jason - A.Smooth (not). I liked the opening nod to the Temptations dance moves. Not sure why Luba decided to put in that ugly ‘back walk over’ at the beginning. Not sure why they did the An ton style ‘we’re off to see the wizard’ skipping or the disco bits. I think the whole emphasis on ‘smooth’ was missed. I thought the lifts looked clunky, interrupted the flow and didn’t really add anything. The smooth operator looked like he’d had one too many expresso coffees, full of beans and high as a kite. So much potential, but I think Luba tried to pack the kitchen sink in and missed the brief.

Ranvir - Paso. Swoosh that skirt girl, then stomp from A to B. A few nice flamenco hand moves and arm placements but not a lot of content. Not sure if these two connect? The simplest routine I can remember Gio creating.

Nicola - Quickstep. Looked neat, quick, and fairly in synchro. I know Katya raves about how the two of them change from the male/female hold during the dance but I find that distracting. I just about coped with it in Stacey & Kevin’s Tango, but when it’s happening more than once in a short space of time, my brain can’t cope. A lot of trotting. Not sure why the knee slide was put in. Looking forward to seeing a latin dance.

Bill - Cha-Cha. He’s not a natural dancer, but he had a lot of content in that routine, stayed on time, remembered his steps, kept up with Oti and gave his all. His straight leg gait resembled a miser holding a penny tight between his buttocks, but I loved his total commitment. I think he did well.

Harvey’s jive - I loved it. I think Jeanette did a fabulous routine. Considering he’s had Covid, lost his vowels, and weighs less than one of my canaries, he managed to maintain his stamina levels from start to finish. A difficult routine, with lots of change of pace. His footwork was good. Arm placement good. He remembered his steps, related well to Jeanette, and put a bit of acting in too. What’s not to like.

B4p wrote:

Harvey’s jive - I loved it. I think Jeanette did a fabulous routine. Considering he’s had Covid, lost his vowels, and weighs less than one of my canaries, he managed to maintain his stamina levels from start to finish. A difficult routine, with lots of change of pace. His footwork was good. Arm placement good. He remembered his steps, related well to Jeanette, and put a bit of acting in too. What’s not to like.

His best acting skills came in the VT I thought? 'Jive? What is that?' he said with those innocent me eyes. If he hasn't had dance training/experience before after that first dance then Janette is the greatest dance trainer of all-time.

I am so loving us being here all together again.  I feel we needed this in lockdown - being connected to others with a shared enthusiam.

However, the time is now, and I am really enjoying reading everyone's opinions.

Twirllie, it made me laugh that you meant Caroline when you siad Pauline Quirke - I am very tempted to call her Pauline Quentin or Caroline Quirke from now on!

Jingle, you say that you feel your opinion differs from the popular ones, but I don't think you have strayed that far.  You clearly didn't enjoy Caroline's elegance and detail as much as some of us, or weren't as moved by JJ and Amy as many of us, but other than that I think we're all pretty much on the same page.  I even agree with three out of your four finalists - I feel that Max is going to find his, erm, feet, a bit more, and his musicality will win through over Nicola, who will get to the semi final, but possibly lacks the natural musicality that will take her further (having said that, she may get to the final due to the sheer force of Katya's will... I don't feel Dianne is any match for that!).

B4p, again I agreed with much.  My overview was written straight after the show and done on the first impressions - so basically, what they wore, the music, and how much fun they seemed to have.  Digging deeper (difficult for one so shallow as I...) I agree that Clara was undermarked and seems to be havinga good rapport with Aljaz, that Ranvir's choreo was simple as and that her and Gio are possiby not a match made in heaven (I still think she looked magnificent in that skirt, swishing it about all moody-faced as though her life depended on it.  Even though it wasn't actual technical dancing) and that switching holds all the time in one dance, whilst clever, and proves a point, is actually a bit frenetic to watch (hopefully, now the point has been proven, they will just take it in turns each week?). And yes, that knee thing was clunky and awkward and added nothing.

And the bit about No Vowels having had covid, lost his vowels and weighing less that one of your canaries had me splurting on my redbush tea!  And I loved CC's response, to the effect that he is acting the innocent, but that he knows a thing or two about dancing... And then I had to waste another mouthful of redbush when I read the bit about Janette being the greatest dance trainer of all time...

A note about No Vowels...  I feel, given his estuary accent and the way he actually says his name, he could dispense with a further two letters and just call himself RV. I certainly shall....

I meant to say...

I'm really missing the great Tango himself. I really hope he is fine and well, and that he will be joining us any minute. xx

Glad to entertain diamonds.

Well the secret is out now as CRH was on a show this morning revealing Harvey on YouTube does lots of contemporary dancing. So you do not need to worry Janette is NOT the greatest dance teacher of all-time.

I think another leveller this year is the virus.

I read somewhere that if any of the dancers tested positive then they'd probably have to leave, as they wouldn't have time to isolate and come back with the season being so short.
I wonder if that's one of the reasons we seem to have some additional pro dancers this year as a standby?

CaledonianCraig wrote:Glad to entertain diamonds.

Well the secret is out now as CRH was on a show this morning revealing Harvey on YouTube does lots of contemporary dancing. So you do not need to worry Janette is NOT the greatest dance teacher of all-time.

It's interesting that on one of HRVY's videos he is dancing a salsa and his instructor looks a lot like Jeanette. He's got a ballroom dance this week, but I'm sure he'll cope with the intricacies of the dreaded fleckerl. Let's hope he's got enough driving power to push Jeanette like a vacuum cleaner around the floor

I'm hearing that the Couples Choice (CC) is due to begin in week 2?
If they do keep the CC this year, I wish they'd just make one week of it so that comparisons were easier. Some of the dances already have fusion/mish-mash elements added, which I find sometimes detract from the flavour of the primary dance that they're doing.
What does everybody else think?

Yes, B4p, Nicola and Katya announced they wouldbe doing street/commercial on next week's show. Gien the shortness of the series, I could well do without couples choice. They are so rarely enjoyable viewing (bah humbag mode is back, I see...)

The samba, which in my opinion (with it's 7 different kinds of rhythm) is the hardest dance to learn, yet alone in a week, has been given to the weakest contestant.
Someone must have a warped sense of humour unless she particularly requested it. Not that anyone will notice the contrast between Maisie who smashed it on week 1, with Jacqui who struggles shifting weight from one foot to the other.

Oh my, I guess that means the return of An ton's ghastly yellow samba pants and maracas again. Will Jacqui end up being thrown 'Widdy like' around the floor?

B4p wrote:The samba, which in my opinion (with it's 7 different kinds of rhythm) is the hardest dance to learn, yet alone in a week, has been given to the weakest contestant.
Someone must have a warped sense of humour unless she particularly requested it. Not that anyone will notice the contrast between Maisie who smashed it on week 1, with Jacqui who struggles shifting weight from one foot to the other.

Oh my, I guess that means the return of An ton's ghastly yellow samba pants and maracas again. Will Jacqui end up being thrown 'Widdy like' around the floor?

8 B4p, 8 different kinds of rhythm!!!

And yes.  A samba for Jaqui.  With A nton.

An early bath.