Highs & Lows 2015

I've only just finished watching the programme (after midnight) and might have another look in the morning before choosing my highs & lows

Highs
Strictly's back  
Tess & Claudia working well together
Helen's Waltz
A range of lower marks to start the series off with

Lows
Darcey's unoriginal (copied from L en) cliche soundbites not adding much to the constructive criticisms
One of the female singers strangling one of the songs
The silly female finger wagging drawn out starts to the dances (as L en would say - stop faffing about and get on with it)
Cheese overdose on the themes and scripted comments

Highs...the show's back, the members here are back (excet Hatlady who I hope is well and will show, and a few more like Millicent etc..
Pleased with the decent standard of first night dancing- except for poor Carol who needs an adrenalin input. Metatone might work (although I doubt it). Generally just glad Strictly is back.

Lows. Totally agree on the "faffing about", B4p. Just time-wasting and frustrating. They only have ninety seconds to dance anyway, so it's hardly a danceathon.
The appearance of the jaded telephone box and the doors idea. Are we being warned the jukebox, gas lamp and park bench are in the offing? I love the fifties and Happy Days as much as anyone, but don't overdo it please.

Highs, lows love 'em all. I'm just glad it's back. I can't dance to save my life, but love, love, LOVE Strictly. Part of the attraction is watching people grow in ability and confidence. Saturday's are good again - Strictly and The Doctor. What more could you ask?

So far, putting bias aside and going for the Brummie Girls (Helen and Jamelia) I am liking Peter. Hope is ex, she of the morphing B**bs, doesn't crawl out of the woodwork to put a spoke in his wheel.

And so glad A.nton has got a contender! The Love God that is Leonard The Lion Goodman's right, he might make it to December! Thought Katie D was good too.

Can't wait for next week. That's when things really get going....

Agree totally with Vonee - the highs and lows make Strictly the rollercoaster ride we love!
I too have never danced ballroom or Latin being a Child of the Seventies dance wise but how I love ❤ love ❤ love ❤ to watch it when done well and how I empathize with those celebs who have no experience to draw on and who struggle but keep on working at it

My 'lows' tend to be about those aspects out of the celebrities control - twee stage sets and some of the music choices. Some is down to the professionals including too much faffing about instead of actually dancing but hey, they probably do it with best intentions to cover up for their partner's lack of skill.

But highs and lows - I can live with them- as a Sunderland supporter I'm used to the lows but as with Strictly, I'll remain forever a fan!

Saturdays Show

Highs
Loved Jeremy's enthusiasm. He gave it a good shot and his enjoyment was infectious
Tristan giving Jamelia a pink shower cap then squirting her with a water pistol every time she giggles - brilliant idea
An ton realising that Strictly didn't end on week 3 and he might get a place on the Blackpool bus after all
L en's positive feedback despite some of the dancers struggling

Lows
Kirsty's battle with nerves
Cr aig nit picking
Darcey giving Jay and Peter an 8

Highs
Strictly being back
The forum being back
Some good routines that actually looked like the dances that they were supposed to be
Helen, Jay (unexpected) and Katie (unexpected)
Great atmosphere and fun on the first weekend  (Jeremy and Ainsley)
The brilliant repartee when A nton realized he is in with a decent shout this year  (with the judges and up with C laudia afterwards)
Sensible marks with just a few exceptions   (see below)

Lows  - not many really
'8' for Peter and for him overall and the implications of him being in the contest from the beeb (sorry folks - I am ready to stand being corrected in
the coming weeks)
Terrible music choice given to B rendan and K irsty - disappointing - hope it is not the shape of things to come for other contestants
C RH could have been more encouraging

Not really a 'low' but a comment- hope that gets the literal translations in the dances out of the way for this year!!
Looking forward to the shows being on Saturday and Sunday nights and visiting this thread on Sunday night...........

Highs

1. Jay - I like that there's something a bit different about him.
2. Anita - stood out when I expected her to fade into the background.
3. Katie - another great surprise.
4. Tristan

Lows

1. Hyping Peter with the pimp slot and over-praising of a Cha Cha that looked nothing like one.
2. Iwan - just seems odd that they'd offer him a place on the show and/or he'd accept when he could only do 3 days of training for the first dance 'cos of his day job! Already playing catch-up.
3. Let there be no more pre-dance monologues. Carol and Jeremy's were excrutiating!

Sid wrote:

3. Let there be no more pre-dance monologues. Carol and Jeremy's were excrutiating!

Hi Sid and you are so right. Apart from being obvious dance-time wasters, they serve no purpose in a show like this. Just like all the running up and down stairs The pros must accept some responsibility for this and must know they are bad form. The whole show is about teaching people to dance, not taking over from Trevor McDonald. And that giant Hornby OO track for Iwan, dear dear. That and O la's Morgana the Sorceress frock made a real hash of it all and blurred any theme idea. Thought she was going to wave a wand and he could suddenly dance. No chance of that then.

TANGOLERO wrote:
Hi Sid and you are so right. Apart from being obvious dance-time wasters, they serve no purpose in a show like this.

Twas like a game of Give Us A Clue! "What is my day job?"

I think/hope they're getting all the clichés and faffing out the way Weeks 1 & 2. L.en will definitely pull them up on it later.

Highs

mauveangel09 wrote:
Strictly being back
The forum being back

B4p wrote:
Tess & Claudia working well together

I so agree mauveangel and B4p. Plus Claudia's fringe (welcome back) and Tess's dress being able to stay up as if by magic!
Housewives choice and Katie
Jay and Aliona
Oti's legs
Oti

Lows
As everyone else agrees, the faffing about at the beginning of dances, the use of props and the vile, vile contrived videos before the dances proper. What happened to previews from the rehearsal space without all this artifical nonsense? They may have been shorter, but much better in my opinion!

TANGOLERO wrote:O la's Morgana the Sorceress frock

Absolutely abysmal costume. Ah, I long for the shows and costumes that inspired O la's proper name of put a vest on you strumpet! Those were the days!

Twirlie wrote:
Oti's legs
Oti

Lows
As everyone else agrees, the faffing about at the beginning of dances, the use of props and the vile, vile contrived videos before the dances proper.

Surely it must have come home by now that nobody likes the " down on the farm" or other non dance related kerfuffle that precedes the dance. Going to a salsa, flamenco or even ballet venue is fine, it's dance, the rest just popcorn. Even the "training" bits are mainly tomfoolery rather than showing progress. Then again, what's dance got to do with it?

Ah well, off with the negative mask and on with my Mr Positive face...A Danny O'Donnel Paso Doble or jive will surely make up for a lot.....

Oh dear! I'I'd just enjoyed a delightful Sunday lunch with a gorgeous bottle of wine at pub in Yorkshire when the image of Daniel jiving made my tummy do bunny hops! On the back of defeat from Wales I'm delicate!

Main Show Week 1 (two nights):

Highs:

1. Anita! (see lows)

2. Katie and A.nton (looking so happy)!

3. Many good enough celebs already, besides the two mentioned above, Helen, Jay, Kellie, Georgia and Peter. Not forgetting potentially good ones like Anthony and Jemelia. And with the exception of Jay, they all seem to be interesting enough characters. All these make me really excited!


Lows:

1. Gleb lovefest. *gags*

2. Costume department putting the men in tight, non-elastic material and damned pockets that make the male celebs and pros look stumpy and inelegant, breaking the silhouettes we have come to associate with latin dancers/dances.

3. Those damn props and silly VTs already present on first week.

saxonsiren wrote:  Oh dear! I'I'd just enjoyed a delightful  Sunday  lunch with a gorgeous bottle of wine at pub in Yorkshire when the image of Daniel jiving made my tummy do bunny hops! On the back of defeat  from Wales I'm delicate!

Much as it also turns my tummy a little at the prospect of Daniel jiving, I am somewhat (sickly?) intrigued in seeing how K.rsitina is going to choreograph one for him...

cellar-door wrote:

Much as it also turns my tummy a little at the prospect of Daniel jiving, I am somewhat (sickly?) intrigued in seeing how K.rsitina is going to choreograph one for him...

We used to love jiving to Chris Barber's jazz band playing "It's tight like that" and "Whistling Rufus". Very fast, wonder what they'd make of them on Strictly?

TANGOLERO wrote:

We used to love jiving to Chris Barber's jazz band playing "It's tight like that" and "Whistling Rufus". Very fast, wonder what they'd make of them on Strictly?

It's tight like that sounds more like a Charleston to me though...

cellar-door wrote:

Much as it also turns my tummy a little at the prospect of Daniel jiving, I am somewhat (sickly?) intrigued in seeing how K.rsitina is going to choreograph one for him...

Even worse a rumba
Hide behind the cushions time!!!!

cellar-door wrote:

It's tight like that sounds more like a Charleston to me though...

Nought to say it couldn't be if it fits C.D. It's just that it was 1956 and Rock and Roll was king of the ballroom right then, Bill Haley and Elvis had just arrived and the Charleston was something Pinkie Pinkham did on The Roaring Twenties TV series.

Moova 12 wrote:

Even worse a rumba
Hide behind the cushions time!!!!

Mentioning rumba Moova, I'm absolutely fixated at the moment on the idea of two of the pros doing a ghostly dream theme rumba to "She moved through the Fair". It has to happen, has to....please....

Mr T - I remain fixated on their being a rhumba to 'Guantanamera' - there you go - I have to mention it at least once in a series....................

[quote="Sid"]Highs

1. Jay - I like that there's something a bit different about him.
4. Tristan

![/quote

Well I think I know where we will both be coming from this year................

mauveangel09 wrote:Mr T - I remain fixated on their being a rhumba to  'Guantanamera' -   there you go - I have to mention it at least once in a series....................

No argument there Mauve, especially if it's by Compay Segundo and The Buena Vista Social Club. I'm playing it right now..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QO4aegj-jA

Moova 12 wrote:

Even worse a rumba
Hide behind the cushions time!!!!

You evil, evil creature! Now how am I going to sleep tonight?!

TANGOLERO wrote:

Nought to say it couldn't be if it fits C.D. It's just that it was 1956 and Rock and Roll was king of the ballroom right then, Bill Haley and Elvis had just arrived and the Charleston was something Pinkie Pinkham did on The Roaring Twenties TV series.

Yeah, the tempo definitely suits jive too...