2023 Weekly Music & Dance Choices

Layton and Nikita: American Smooth to It’s Oh So Quiet by Björk
https://youtu.be/hG7QFTalIns?si=CA2YHJCsKF0ltapO

Angela and Carlos: Cha Cha to I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor
https://youtu.be/6dYWe1c3OyU?si=J4RiHLHwXbGIO4JZ

Nigel and Katya: Rumba to It’s All Coming Back To Me Now by Celine Dion
https://youtu.be/j8fHNdrZTSI?si=uy9ELyI84dQVxqfE

Annabel and Johannes: Paso Doble to España Cañi by Trad.
https://youtu.be/bP67TwGWUh4?si=Vz_Kf5ForKjzCs7Y

Ellie and Vito: Argentine Tango to Bills, Bills Bills by Destiny’s Child
https://youtu.be/vMGR-uFDPxI?si=hoYLQeqlPfSCiM7c

Bobby and Dianne: Couple’s Choice to This Woman’s Work by Maxwell (after Kate Bush!)
https://youtu.be/gkeCNeHcmXY?si=syGMBhq7dfFIyT4C

Always love a bit of Espana Cani for the paso doble - what a treat after all the dud paso music this season. Annabel and Johannes have had some good music over the weeks.

At last, a Paso Doble with actual corrida music. Oh Joy. I'm guessing they'll dance it flamenco style rather than matador and bull, but I maybe wrong. I hope I'm right because too much time is usually spent on meaningless cape work that has no resemblance to actual torero work. . I don't doubt Johannes would do that excellently, but I'd rather see the versatility that flamenco brings. Oh to be thirty again..

As for the rest, head scratching confusion.

I so agree with you Mr T - on all fronts

The paso would be the dance I'd want to do on SCD - followed closely by the American Smooth.........................dreams

Musicals Week

Annabel and Johannes: Foxtrot to For Good from Wicked
https://youtu.be/TZ0pXUb5jVU?si=qoxMEqpwbMSxuon9


Ellie and Vito: Quickstep to Belle from Beauty And The Beast
https://youtu.be/tTUZswZHsWQ?si=loj4VyToUYGbVIG8


Bobby and Dianne: Salsa to (I’ve Had) The Time of My Life from Dirty Dancing
https://youtu.be/WpmILPAcRQo?si=obKByOlma6tAU5xf


Layton and Nikita: Paso Doble to Backstage Romance from Moulin Rouge! The Musical
https://youtu.be/_cbHj6SBGWc?si=voxgmV28Ti0MjFZZ


Nigel and Katya: Charleston to Step In Time from Mary Poppins
https://youtu.be/YSCdFVc6DoY?si=vqYb_gGSp3cCZTX8

Out of all the musical choices available, I'm a bit disappointed in the never-ending repeats. It's more than just a bit lazy. Come on Strictly Music Monitor - wake up!

Well, both women have ballroom and are in hold. Two men have Latin, and all three have more freestyle opportunities.

I feel a bit for Bobby having to fill such iconic shoes and do 'that' lift. Looking forward to seeing Nigel's Charleston. Katya usually comes up with some good Charleston routines and that track is joyful. Will Layton take on board Shirley's complaints of last week and keep the Paso true to it's original form, or will it be yet another show dance?

Probably another Showdance ! I will be most annoyed if it is all posturing and no technique.

I'm with you B4P - quite dull choices some of which we've seen before. I've got a feeling that Step in Time has been done before too but looking forward to what they come up with for this one.

Sorry, but I'm not overly thrilled with any of them this week (don't know most) and the "READY, STEADY GO..." lift from Dirty Dancing never had much to do with dancing anyway. It was just a pointless crowd-pleaser. No doubt a few "Baby" fans will shriek with delight and faint ecstatically, but what is it exactly but junior school gymnastics? I'd much rather see "Johnny's Mambo" anytime.....( That said, the sound track from Dirty Dancing is still one of the finest popular music compilations ever). A nicely conveniently timed Paso for the Brylcream Boys should ensure they go through, sadly, for truthfully I've had enough of them.

The whole thing has become forcing square pegs into round holes and lost the soul of ballroom/Latin dance. Ah well, Mr Sandman and co were new once upon a time I suppose. Take your partners then for "The Dashing Rainbow Sergeant."

Well out of those dances and musical choices I am most looking forward to Nigel and Katya's Charleston to 'Step in Time'. Potential for the dance of the night.

CaledonianCraig wrote:Well out of those dances and musical choices I am most looking forward to Nigel and Katya's Charleston to 'Step in Time'. Potential for the dance of the night.

Unfortunately it seems we'll never see it, as he's apparently quit due to injury

Semi Finals

Annabel and Johannes:
Salsa to You’ll Be Mine (Party Time) by Gloria Estefan
https://youtu.be/vIlZ5nGs4JI?si=qDCqWYUq3oAEvvbg

Viennese Waltz Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want by Slow Moving Millie
https://youtu.be/8j4hg9VrYX4?si=9LmO-Vt-TWTms2EK


Bobby and Dianne:
Quickstep to Mack The Knife by Bobby Darin
https://youtu.be/4jcCwmtVAIM?si=1ykV9F4_cK0NAXN_

Paso Doble to Run Boy Run by Woodkid
https://youtu.be/lmc21V-zBq0?si=N-kLmg0bSCqjCgeJ


Ellie and Vito:
Couple’s Choice to Dua Lipa Medley 

Cha Cha to Mambo Italiano by Bette Midler
https://youtu.be/Z67C-Q0H89k?si=kpZwI69OT5-ryIt8


Layton and Nikita:
Charleston to Fit As A Fiddle by Gene Kelly & Donald O’Connor
https://youtu.be/VnBJDXFpH9I?si=eBSXXy35M7FO24p1

Rumba to Lift Me Up by Rihanna
https://youtu.be/Mx_OexsUI2M?si=7G8kIg0GHWYA_XXw

I would have liked all of the semi-finalists to have to do a ballroom and Latin dance. It's their last chance to show that they have learned skills from both before the final.

I so agree B4P.  It's the semi final and only a quarter of the dances are ballroom   That highlights one of the reasons my interest in the show has waned over the past few years - it feels like the balance has shifted too much in favour of latin, as well as the inclusion of the Couples Choice.

Looking at this list the only dance I'm really looking forward to is Annabel's Viennese Waltz.  If it happens that the dance off is between this and Bobby's Paso, then I think Annabel will get through

I agree too. They all had some ballroom left that they hadn't done.
Not sure I agree with Couples Choice in the Semi-Finals. I think these should be done a bit earlier than this in order to be fair, since they always seem to score well. I hope Ellie does a good cha cha - great track for it! I am so behind Ellie and Annabel.

No ballroom again for Layton.....................

The track being used for Dianne and Bobby's paso is usually something I would hate - but there's a really strong paso beat in there isn't there?

Always been a Gloria Estafan fan (if you'll excuse the pun). I've still got her "Cuts both Ways" vynil album somewhere. and I've loved Mambo Italiano since it came out way back when via Rosemary Clooney and then Dean Martin. You might say it was my introduction to a life-long love of Mambo.(No, Sophia Loren had nothing at all to do with that) .The Mambo scenes in West Side Story and Jonny's Mambo in Dirty Dancing live on forever. One day, we may see it in Strictly about the same time as King Charles and Donald Trump are contestants...

Beyond that..Que Sera....