Strictly 17 A little bit of Honesty

TANGOLERO wrote:

If the judges table is at the Organ end they'll have to reduce the floor space some or they'll need binoculars to see the dancers, never mind their feet.

I hope they are not relying on watching live on a monitor because of course we rarely see their feet out here in viewer land either !

TANGOLERO wrote:

If the judges table is at the Organ end they'll have to reduce the floor space some or they'll need binoculars to see the dancers, never mind their feet.

Q: where do judges normally sit when the professional competitions are on Mr T? I presume they get a decent view? I am also presuming that you know the answer to this as our very own resident   of ballroom

And is it the same same place for the Fab Four? How long have we been watching this guys?! I feel like we should know the answer, but I can't picture where they normally sit at all!

The judges sit roughly where they are positioned at Elstree. No difference.

CaledonianCraig wrote:The judges sit roughly where they are positioned at Elstree. No difference.

Yes, C.C, the Elstree studio is based faithfully around the Tower Ballroom set up. The B.B.C originally wanted to film the whole series there at one time, Allsewn, but the place is too popular to allow even that. I've never seen a Strictly live there but been many times in the past. The Tower is a magnificent place, but large. I don't know if the judges have monitor help. Gee, I'm no ballroom expert, just an enthusiastic lifetime dance lover.

My thoughts on the dances at the Tower Ballroom is as follows:-

Mollie's Charleston was severely handicapped by a loust musical choice lumbered on them. However, the dance was generally good and the only faults I could pick with it was a slight balance issue early on and clumsy exit from the first life. That aside it was good. 7

Susan's Paso Doble was a bit lame in my opinion. Skirt wafting was tame and facial expression was more of a snarl. Not her best and I agree with C.raig's comments. 6

Debbie's Samba was very good though not of the highest standard of last week. She did look to tire near the end as Darcy rightly said. 8

Jonnie's Tango was blighted again by his poor posture. Also felt involvement of other dancers didn't work here. He had decent attack though. 5.5

Gemma's American Smooth had faffing at the start. Once underway though it was a really enjoyable routine which she danced really well. A step back in the right direction for her but not meriting two 10's in my opinion. 8.5

Davood's Paso Doble again had faffing at the start. It had great intensity throughout. I really enjoyed it. As C.raig and Darcy said thiough the shaping of his hands were off at times. 8.5

Alexandra's Quickstep benefited from an ideal musical piece to dance to. I found it a bit skippy but apart from that spot on and....meh. 9

Joe's Salsa was better than I thought it would be. It had a number of bold lifts that just about came off and had great energy and party mood feel to it. 8

Clearly, the dance-off should be between Susan and Jonnie this week as they were some way behind the rest tonight. And was it my imagination or was Peter Kay p***ed?

A bit of a mixed back tonight but great atmosphere.

Well....!!!

So that was Blackpool...

As feared, Molly and AJ had an uphill battle with their music, but if you do what I did with their paso (turn down the sound and play an appropriate to the dance music) you will see that it was better than the Judges marked. In my unlearned opinion. If anyhting I thought it was too Liftastic - A few lifts for comic effect go well in a charleston, but this was SO many lifts.... Still, Mollie was fearless and did them amazingly well - I thought her recovery out of them was better than Debbie a couple of weeks ago (or was it last week?) in whatever dance it was that was Liftastic (a word coming to a dictionary newar you any moment now...), despite what Silver tongued Italian Stallion said. But it should have been in the 30s and def more than one point above Susan....

I was a little bit sad that Kevin didn;t get to do that Paso with someone who could do it a bit more justice. I do like Susan, and she really tried wiht her feet and face, but her body shaping was non-existent. I have no idea why the producers have been so agin that routine for 5 years or how it could be anything but a crowd pleaser, rather than a risk (even if you HAVEN'T seen the film...). Producers are weird.

Johnny - posture! And I didn't like the routine - the tune works really well for a tango but I felt Oti didn't make use of it's accents.

Alex and Gorka - again, not so struck on this routine as the judges, though it was a fantastic show piece and executed very well. I just felt it had MORE charletson in it almost than QS. But the gold dresses were GORGEOUS... Alex's was nice too, but the gold were better. If I was her, I would have asked for a swap....

Joe and Katya - hmmmm. Not really a Salsa as I know and love it. Didn;t do much for me and didn't think Joe had quite got the hip wriggling.

Davood - oh. my. god. That guppie mouth is beyond the pale at this stage. Weird faces are usually called out much earlier in the series so they can work on them - none of the judges have mentioned it and he STILL has the gaping cod look. I found the music didn;t really fit the paso (yes, yes, I know it has been done before, but they didn;t pull it off this time...) I don;t find Davood an easy dancer to watch - he is all beef and little elegance and I didn;t think he had the matador shaping sufficiently. But what would I know?

Budgie - as ever, it was a very serviceable rendition of the dance she was supposed to be doing. She started with a lot of energy and bounce but seemed to tail off, particularly on the podium and after. I don;t like the samba (silly...) and this did nothing to convert me.

Which leaves me with Gemma and Aljaz... Dance of the night for me. Just lovely. A gorgeous routine, a lovely dress (waist in place at the natural waistline) which swirled and moved with the music, and executed with style, elegance and... yes, smoothness. Love, love, loved that. My only beef was Aljaz's shirt. It hurt my eyes. (I think the turquoise or the pink form Gemma's dress would have been better).

I fear for Mollie and AJ. But for me, the worst dance was Jonnie's, though Susan's wasn't much better.

Not the best Blackpool show sadly. I felt that the choice of music and/or theme led to rather contrived dances for many routines, and the backing dancers were so distracting.  

Mollie – totally rubbish music, the routine hardly looked like a Charleston, which is a real pity because I think she could’ve done a wicked Charleston in the smaller studio. At least AJ didn’t drop her.

Susan – I felt her role was peripheral to Kevin, but what she did do wasn’t great. Poor shaping, strange facial expression, all looked a bit flimsy.

Debbie – ha! she was a good sport wearing that wig. As with Mollie’s Charleston I felt the essence of the samba suffered because of the music, theme and backing dancers.

Jonnie – I just didn’t like this routine, and it looked like they were wearing polyester dressing-up outfits. Jonnie looked fed up during the judges feedback, think the sparkle has worn off for him.

Gemma – a proper American smooth, though I wasn’t wowed as much as the judges, a 9 from me. And I so agree with Diamonds….the clash in colours between her dress and Aljaz’s shirt was so wrong

Davood – I’m out of synch with the judges, I really didn’t like this routine. I didn’t like his see-through shirt, it made him look like he was just pushing his stomach out rather than doing Spanish shapes.  

Alexandra – loved the dress, and this was about the only dance where the backing dancers weren’t distracting me. As expected a very competent quickstep danced with flair (did anyone notice the pros faces behind her when she was being a bit gushing in the Clauditorium…Kevin was literally tongue in cheek)

Joe – this seemed a mixture of some really good salsa steps and then some clumsy footwork, and the lifts weren’t perfect.

Overall my dance of the night was Alexandra, though all my votes went to Mollie. Bit disappointed - it felt like there were some opportunities missed because of poor music choices.  And the seagull on Claud’s head…please no.

I'll put some thoughts on in a bit, but first impressions - Spatchcock Spice

A few general comments because, you saw it all, you don't really need a commentary, so....

The show started well ( and not getting into fashion) and Tess's, canary outfit (nice as it actually was, and I'm not the world's greatest T ess fan) lost out hands down to Claudia's Queen of the Gypsies bottle/forest green stunning dress which only needed some silver jewellry for total perfection. Why the producers continue to make her the court jester is beyond me. She's a very attractive lady. Carnival was the opening theme and went down quite nicely.

I just can't get enthusiastic about shoehorn dancing to utterly crap music and much was in evidence. The great Strictly ballroom paso music was wasted on Susan because whilst she done very well, portraying her in a fairground fortune teller's outfit worth of the promenade and dancing flamenco (really?) ,whilst Kevin capered aroud most of the floorspace, really was never going to work (Imagine me as Eddie the Eagle or on Dancing on Ice, or The Krankies do Benidorm ). She and Jonni have done well to get this far, but Waterloo looms if fairness reigns ( what, you cry, "of course it does"). Jonni has been heroic, but he's competing above his level now and his Flash Gordon stomp to awful music could never have helped his case.

The rest did well enough to pass without much comment. Gemma proved that good ballroom always takes some beating, and my one word written comment was "Uptown". A super smooth rendition at just the right time. Well done the girl.

Couldn't fault the drama queen's almost faultless quickstep and she preened magnificently just short of gushing "And I love you all" Great dancer, probably Dance of the Night.. but.....sorry...(My wife thinks she's a drama queen, shock and horror)

Mollie and AJ risked it with their lifts but carried it off very well. Hope Mollie manages to stay because she deserves to.

Budgie has been on extra Trill it seems, but Spice girls and she dressed as whatsit as the band played that obnoxious tune being the music for Samba, is more my idea of twerking in Tottenham than Botafoga,ing in Brazil. Sorry again. .She'll get voted through no doubt.

Davood and Joe did what they had to do to stay on the Waltzer for another two shilling's worth. Next two weeks (in a real world) should see Susan and Jonni depart gracefully.

Amen.

I missed the first 5 minutes but managed the dances.

Mollie -  I wasn’t keen on that Charleston routine. If I turned the music down, I'd be hard pushed to name the dance. That will be one of my future criteria - what dance is it on mute. Typical AJ - lifts over substance. Awful music. I like her enthusiasm and drive, but for me she’s forever fragile, and a bit wobbly, regardless of the dance. Not for me I’m afraid.

Susan - Pained expression like she’d sat on a stick of Blackpool rock. Trotting about like a calf around Kevin during his solo. Extra dancers intrusive, blocking the view. Arguing with Shirley - not a good idea! Time to go. Shame. Kevin’s skills just showed up Susan’s faults.

Debbie - Scrawny Spice. Got my back up when she said ‘nobody’s done that lift before’ (meaning last week). I hope she meant contestants, cause I’m sure I’ve seen that lift a couple of times before. Yes she got some of Samba steps, though I didn’t see my favourite bochicardas. Yes she does a good shadow Samba roll, but I agree with one of the judges (? Cr aig) that her latin hips always look spikey and stiff. She doesn't sink and rotate on the straight leg (Chloe did a good demo of that on ITT). She also has wobbly footwork, and balance issues when she does latin, although it’s rarely mentioned. For me she’s too clinical and controlled, even with that wig on. I liked the backing dancers staying back out of the way. Interesting that the judges have put her mid table despite (as usual) no negative feedback.

Jonnie - Liked Oti’s  Automaton concept. I thought it was a clever angle for Jonnies difficulties. It’s ironic that I was asking for some hip and leg detail on the male dancers trousers last week, yet they went and put it on Jonnie. Absolutely disgusted at all of the judges comments about Jones posture. Total anatomical ignorance. Felt so sorry for Jonnie and Oti. Why not rub salt into something he cannot change? No positives? Disgusted and will no doubt vent on the Judges or Lemon Tart thread later.

Gemma - dance of the night for me. I loved her technicolored dream dress. I loved the dance. She looked so happy and relaxed. Well deserved marks I thought. I love Alijaz's ballroom routines. A proper American Smooth, mostly glamorous dancing with lifts that suited the mood. I liked the use of the extra dancers, the concept around the Blackpool Tram, and the sections where the extra pros where ‘frozen’ whilst Gemma & Alijaz whirled about but they stayed back out of the way.

Davood - Better than I thought it would be from his training VTs. I liked the spy story, and Nadia’s choreography. I liked the way the 3 male extra dancers were used. Not a perfect Paso, (some posture weaknesses - not sure if the judges mentioned anything) but I think he’s upped his game on the performance side. I agree the shirt looked tacky. Bond would never be so ‘Eastend Market Stall’. A Tux or smart  sparkly jacket would have looked so much better. I wonder if he’s got adenoid trouble and mouth breathes, particularly when he’s getting out of breath?I'm not sure he can help his open mouth expression.

Alexandra - I think this was a little over marked. 9s for me. Lots of Charleston bits. Did they do any pendulums? Darcey commenting on the topline yet again, but doesn’t mention when Alexandras shoulders often go up around her ears, or the gapping. Starting to resemble Ore now in the Clauditorium. Too much verbal gushing, desperation, and eye watering. Pull yourself together girl, you’re a performer not a Luvvie.

Joe - Well everything but the kitchen sink. A bit too frantic and spikey. Too many lifts for me BUT some of those, I’d actually not seen before (take note Mrs Spatchcock). Armography, and now we have legography. Please cpuld we just have one recognisable Salsa (and Samba). I like Joe so he got a couple of my votes.

Sorry to be a spoilsport but the opening number did nothing for me. I guess I'm a less is more kind of a guy. I'm over JG to be honest.

Onto the couples...

Mollie & AJ - Even taking the terrible music into account, Mollie wasn't great at Charlestoning. And like some of their previous routines it felt like she spent more time in the air than on the ground. As lovely as she is, I didn't feel an urge to come to Mollie's rescue this week - the odd nice Ballroom number doesn't cut it at this stage. I want a bit more and I'm not convinced she can give it to me.

Susan & Kevin - I was expecting the pimp slot for this so when they put these two on early I had a feeling it might not be as great as they'd hyped it up to be. And I was right. That was partly down to Susan not quite embodying the Paso shapes (and alternating between wearing a weird grimace on her face and looking like she was about to cry)  and Kevin making the choreography too much about him. The whole thing would've been more entertaining with A.nton in the background in a blonde wig playing Ken Railings.

Debbie & Gio - Look I love Debbie McGee but 9s for that mess was bs. I can't defend Shirley's scoring any longer. And I'm surprised Gio didn't swerve the Samba.

Jonnie & Oti - Sultry guyliner and a sticky-out-arse did it for me. I threw him 2 votes (not just for those qualities) but I'm done with the judges banging on about his posture when it's impossible to fix with a prosthetic leg.

Gemma & Aljaz - I thought we were never gonna get a decent dance but this was beautiful and touching. And for once the backing dancers were incorporated into the dance well. They didn't overshadow the stars of the performance but they did add to the overall routine. Gemma is back and I'm really pleased.

Davood & Nadiya - And we're back to extra dancers obstructing as opposed to enabling the performance. Also back to crap choreo from Nadiya. Not even that mesh shirt could save this.

Alexandra & Gorka - This is what I'm talking about! Full of Hollywood razzmatazz, I loved it. She absolutely won't win but she's given me by far the most watchable dances this series. And Gorka in blingy trousers was a total hit.

Joe & Katya - A Salsa to Ride On Time: I don't think I've ever been so ready for anything in my life. And it was as nuts as I hoped (highlights: Joe doing a pot-stirrer with his FOOT and Katya literally "bouncing" off the platform at the end   ). Overmarked though.

Votes to Jonnie and Joe. Think Mollie and Jonnie will be dancing off. Rather it were Mollie and Davood / Susan.

And now I'll go and read your thoughts.

Enjoyable show - great atmosphere but I think I've seen better Blackpool shows, some of the music choices weren't brilliant really - it was a case of the 'haves' and 'haves nots' in music terms tonight.

Mollie and AJ - 7/8 - As we suspected, they were victims of poor music when as Diamonds says - once you turned down (or forgot) the music, it was an ok ish Charleston for me.  I agreed with the judges that she gave a much more confident performance.  Some of the lift sequences were excellent, and overall I felt she had improved.   I threw some votes her way as I feel that having duff music and opening the show is a double whammy in terms of being forgotten.

Susan and K evin - 6 -  Another one that was very much as we had predicted all week.  It was really the Kevin Clifton Show and all about him.  Susan just seemed to do a lot of walking, running and skipping to keep up with him.  I hate to say it but I felt there was just the hint of W iddy about her tonight.    Despite her height I think she could have got some more shaping and tighter moves into it.

Debbie and Gio - 9 -  So far people don't seem to have particularly liked this on here - however, I love the Samba and there were loads of recognisable Samba steps and moves in this . In contrast to Susan and K evin I found that I did not watch Gio once - the timing was excellent and I thought it was a good fun routine. My votes went their way as they ended up in the middle of the leaderboard, which is vulnerable territory.

Jonnie and Oti - 6 - he's done brilliantly and always manages to hold his own but like last week this wasn't up to the standard of this stage in the competition.  Again, didn't particularly feel the music did them any favours and I think he lost it a bit towards the end.  He looked a bit crest fallen I thought by having to listen to all the same stuff said again by the judges as they have been saying for the past few weeks.   Yup - time to go..............the judges just aren't helping either.

Gemma and Alijaz - 9 -  One of the best dances for me tonight - she did what she had to do and raised her game in terms of the performance aspect and they really looked like they enjoyed every minute of it. Despite faffing at the start, Loved the routine and the track - lots of lovely Foxtrot - really enjoyed it.

Davood and Nadiya - 8  One of the surprises of the night for me - as I wasn't expecting to enjoy it, particularly as the music has been used several times before.  But............... I felt he certainly did give a dramatic performance. I much preferred this paso to the other one tonight.  I felt it actually got better from the middle of the dance onwards. One thing I would say, and wasn't really picked up by the judges was that despite some good shaping there were many times in the dance where he was static.

Alex and Gorka - 9 - Everything we thought it was going to be - how could you not produce something great to that perfect QS music!  It was an excellent routine, light and fast - I loved the Charleston bits but actually felt there was almost too much out of hold  (10 second rule seemed to disappear here!). She really looked the part too. Enjoyed the routine but didn't enjoy the faux tears/gushing afterwards.

Joe and Katya - 9 - Great finish to the show - even though it wasn't a traditional salsa I felt it went really well to the music and he showed lots of skill - did lots of dancing on his own and the energy and timing was spot on for me.  Some very difficult lifts and moves executed well.

In general I felt that the backing dancers were used quite well tonight and weren't too obtrusive. The opening n umber was also good.  If there is natural justice then one of Jonnie or Susan should be exiting with the other one not far behind.   I agree with CC when he says that Davood, Gemma and Joe are very close and this is where the interest will be in the next few weeks....if they are all still there.  

Sid wrote:Sorry to be a spoilsport but the opening number did nothing for me. I guess I'm a less is more kind of a guy. I'm over JG to be honest.


Susan & Kevin - I was expecting the pimp slot for this so when they put these two on early I had a feeling it might not be as great as they'd hyped it up to be. And I was right. That was partly down to Susan not quite embodying the Paso shapes (and alternating between wearing a weird grimace on her face and looking like she was about to cry)  and Kevin making the choreography too much about him. The whole thing would've been more entertaining with A.nton in the background in a blonde wig playing Ken Railings.



Jonnie & Oti - Sultry guyliner and a sticky-out-arse did it for me. I threw him 2 votes (not just for those qualities) but I'm done with the judges banging on about his posture when it's impossible to fix with a prosthetic leg.

Alexandra & Gorka - This is what I'm talking about! Full of Hollywood razzmatazz, I loved it. She absolutely won't win but she's given me by far the most watchable dances this series. And Gorka in blingy trousers was a total hit..

Yeah - I really didn;t enjoy the opening number. Messy. And not what the Tower Ballroom is all about.

A.nton as Ken Rainlings...!!! (But YES!)

Is is true that Jonnie's posture is to do with his prosthetic? I genuinely don;t know. I accept that as a sprinter he has well developed glutes which means he has more of sticky out bum than moat men, but women(like me....) can have quite a lot of junk in the trunk and can tuck it under, so I don't think it is the size/muscularity which means that it sticks out. He tends to bend over - and yes, maybe that is to do with needing the balance? I really don't know. But maybe the judges need to find out before they criticise and make, ahem, such a big thing of his bum...

Gorka and the gold dresses were the best bit in this. As I said, Alex's dress was lovely enough - but as the lead dancer I felt she needed the posher, more special gold dresses. The gold dresses really said hollywood razzmatazz for me...

Finally - B4P - Spatchcock Spice I went into spasm at that!

jingle wrote:
did anyone notice the pros faces behind her when she was being a bit gushing in the Clauditorium…Kevin was literally tongue in cheek

I had to play it back to have a look once you had drawn my attention to it Jingle...

Kevin and Aj were nudging each other from the moment they arrived next to Claud. AJ did quite a good job of looking like he was just smiling in general way- but he gave a couple of meaningful sideways glances at Kevin when Alex was uber-gushing. And Kevin... could barely contain himself :-D As you say, tongue firmly lodged in his cheek, and at one point he had to cover his mouth. Nadyia also seemed to be in on the joke and Aj was giving smirks to someone on the other side of Cluad (Gemma? - she had her mouth clamped shut....)

All very funny. GLad you made me go back and have another look - I missed it totally the first time round

Have just got in and watched the show, it's fab fast forwarding over all the fillers!
No time for a full rundown, but my general thoughts are, not a vintage Blackpool, marred by some truly awful music choices for some whilst others get corkers. Alexandra's QS was predictably fab almost like watching a West End show.... but dance of the night for me was Gemma absolutely loved it, I was smiling all the way through. So glad she's back! The extra dancers complemented well I thought.
As I said earlier, I voted blind for Mollie Gemma and Joe.  I think Mollie might have needed all three    stitched up by crap music, apart from the lifts there was not much else to write home about. Joe actually did OK in what was a naff week for him. Didn't like the Kevin roadshow at all, Susan just not good enough to pull it off- why didn't he do it with better dancers in previous years ?? As I've said all along Debbie cannot do the Latin like she can the graceful ballroom, did I like it? Not a lot. But to give credit to Giovanni he did showcase her and I was focuses on her not him, I just didn't really like it. Davood? smoke and mirrors from YASB
Jonnie really has reached his peak and I think he and Susan should be the next ones to go. I wouldn't be surprised for Jonnie to be in DO, should be with Susan but fear for Mollie. Hope my three that I voted for are safe
Now back to read your comments.......

allsewnonbyhand wrote:Have just got in and watched the show, it's fab fast forwarding over all the fillers!
No time for a full rundown, but my general thoughts are, not a vintage Blackpool, marred by some truly awful music choices for some whilst others get corkers. Alexandra's QS was predictably fab almost like watching a West End show.... but dance of the night for me was Gemma absolutely loved it, I was smiling all the way through. So glad she's back! The extra dancers complemented well I thought.
As I said earlier, I voted blind for Mollie Gemma and Joe.  I think Mollie might have needed all three    stitched up by crap music, apart from the lifts there was not much else to write home about. Joe actually did OK in what was a naff week for him. Didn't like the Kevin roadshow at all, Susan just not good enough to pull it off- why didn't he do it with better dancers in previous years ?? As I've said all along Debbie cannot do the Latin like she can the graceful ballroom, did I like it? Not a lot. But to give credit to Giovanni he did showcase her and I was focuses on her not him, I just didn't really like it. Davood? smoke and mirrors from YASB
Jonnie really has reached his peak and I think he and Susan should be the next ones to go. I wouldn't be surprised for Jonnie to be in DO, should be with Susan but fear for Mollie. Hope my three that I voted for are safe
Now back to read your comments.......

You write much more succinctly what I thought....! I think we are the only two unimpressed by Davood though.. I really didn;t like his shirt and wasp waist belt combo - I have never seen James Bond in one of those. His is not a physique I admire to be honest - it's the result of brute strength rather than real athleticism, which is much more what I go for.. not htat anybody neded to know. But I thought I would tell you anyway...)

I gave all three votes to MOllie. She wasn't great (but the music and routine weren't great ) and I don't want her to go befoer Jonnie or Susan.

Gemma or Joe to win. I like both of those as people as well as dancers. Davood - meh. Debbie - a bit over her now but prefer to her Davood. Alex - school prefect, good at everything but had private tutor before she got to school (we're talking metaphors here peeps - should anyone think that Alex literally was school prefect or had a private tutor!)

diamondsandpearls wrote:  I think we are the only two unimpressed by Davood though..  

Me three!  The guppie mouth, as you described it perfectly, has appeared every week yet the judges seem blind to it.  I remember the grief that Jay McG and Louis Smith were given about their expressions, yet Davood so often looks vacant. As Allsewn said, I found their routine last night all smoke and mirrors from YASB. When I rewatched the show this morning I disliked it even more, especially his sticky out stomach and some skippy footwork.
Not his fault, but the costume was double yuk.

I wont make comments on the dances as such and I am not knowledgeable  enough to  know if they are actually good .But a few points from a viewer who just watches the show for the glam
My Agins
The group dance left me bedazzled , too many on the floor , the floor itself was far to busy and flashy and so I really couldnt make head or tail of it

I honestly got angry at the judges last night once again showing their ignorance about Jonnies posture .To balance on a prosthetic leg must surely involve leaning forward and using the strength  from wherever he is most comfortable . In my opinion it was like saying to Susan she really would look better if she grew 6 inches and could lengthen her legs before next week

I laughed out loud at whoever named Budgie Scrawny Spice !!!  The wig and get up was so awful that regardless of what she danced she was at a huge disadvantage from the get go

Looking at the pros faces while Alexandra  did her  melodramatic gushing said it all .They all looked sooo bored and their "whateva " faces made me laugh .I think she might just have blown her chances of winning by once more using her dramatics to influence the public .The public will  have sussed her by now surely .

Davood could be the best dancer ever and reach the dizzy heights of dancing like a pro and i still would not be able to see past his gaping goldfish mouth .

Kevins  dream made me laugh out loud ...............He strutted about like a snooty peacock and Susan looked like a toddler who was asked to dress in Aunty Bettys clothes and  do a party piece and she stomped about in a moody temper  . I howled at the whole flop of a hyped up  mess

My Afors

Gemma and Aljaz were just fabulous , gorgeous beautful old fashioned less is more ballroom .I loved it  

I loved Mollies  Charleston and yes the music was awful but they did a great job and I gave them my 3 online votes to keep them in .

Alexandra  and Gorka are wonderful dancers  and i always enjoy them until Alex opens her mouth and  spoils it with her melodrama  


I love Joe and Katya and I just enjoy them and what they do and how they always smile and relax me

My gut tells me that Alexandra wont win , nor will Debbie so I have a feeling it just might be Gemma . I dont think Mollie will now and not sure that Davood will but who knows .Stranger things have happened .

Still loving it , even the silly bits and Claudia can do no wrong in my eyes even with a seagull on her head .

Roll on the result show and hopefully Susan will paso  out tonight  .

Tappingfeet wrote:
Kevins  dream made me laugh out loud ...............He strutted about like a snooty peacock and Susan looked like a toddler who was asked to dress in Aunty Bettys clothes and  do a party piece and she stomped about in a moody temper  . I howled at the whole flop of a hyped up  mess

jingle wrote:
Me three!  The guppie mouth, as you described it perfectly, has appeared every week yet the judges seem blind to it.  I remember the grief that Jay McG and Louis Smith were given about their expressions, yet Davood so often looks vacant. As Allsewn said, I found their routine last night all smoke and mirrors from YASB. When I rewatched the show this morning I disliked it even more, especially his sticky out stomach and some skippy footwork.
Not his fault, but the costume was double yuk.

Both of these are my pet hate too . Mouth gaping while tummy stuck out front

Tappingfeet wrote:
Kevins  dream made me laugh out loud ...............He strutted about like a snooty peacock and Susan looked like a toddler who was asked to dress in Aunty Bettys clothes and  do a party piece and she stomped about in a moody temper

B4p wrote:I'll put some thoughts on in a bit, but first impressions - Spatchcock Spice

Thanks both for giving my ribs a work out

diamondsandpearls wrote:
Kevin and Aj were nudging each other from the moment they arrived next to Claud.  AJ did quite a good job of looking like he was just smiling in general way- but he gave a couple of meaningful sideways glances at Kevin when Alex was uber-gushing.  And Kevin... could barely contain himself :-D  As you say, tongue firmly lodged in his cheek, and at one point he had to cover his mouth.  Nadyia also seemed to be in on the joke and Aj was giving smirks to someone on the other side of Cluad (Gemma? - she had her mouth clamped shut....)

All very funny.  GLad you made me go back and have another look - I missed it totally the first time round  

lol'd at this too but Kevin, mate, she's prolly been taking lessons from your own partner

I would have liked to have seen a few more ballroom dances for Blackpool. That setting and superb floor just crys out for a V. Waltz or Foxtrot with all the pizzaz that goes with it.

Tappingfeet wrote:
My Agins

Kevins  dream made me laugh out loud ...............He strutted about like a snooty peacock and Susan looked like a toddler who was asked to dress in Aunty Bettys clothes and  do a party piece and she stomped about in a moody temper  . I howled at the whole flop of a hyped up  mess

My Afors

Gemma and Aljaz were just fabulous , gorgeous beautful old fashioned less is more ballroom .I loved it  

I loved Mollies  Charleston and yes the music was awful but they did a great job and I gave them my 3 online votes to keep them in .

... Claudia can do no wrong in my eyes even with a seagull on her head .

Roll on the result show and hopefully Susan will paso  out tonight  .

I just snarfled into my redbush (rooibos if you're posh) tea at that description of Kevin and Susan's Paso!  I said more or less the same thing about Susan's dress, ie it looked like she was playing dress-up with whatever cothes could be scrounged.

And - yes;

yes, so did I (give Mollie my 3 votes);

yes;

and absolutely!

Great review of the proceedings Tapping

I missed the show last night. We had to meet up with our wee boy and his girlfriend to celebrate his 29th birthday (not so wee then). They’d come up from Bristol to London and we went for a meal and then to see The Mousetrap. We’ve been in London for 30+ years and never seen The Moustrap! Well… Imagine a cast made up of Gemma, Joe, Mollie, Jonnie, Susan and Rev Richard translated from their dancing standards to acting standard and you’ll get the idea of the range of performances onstage last night. Some were very good, some reminded me of Am-Drams. Never mind – it was great to see the laddie and his girl.

Well all that’s apropos of nothing except that as a result I saw the show on catch-up when I got home and couldn’t be bothered writing anything till today. I’ve also cheated and read quite a few other reviews as well this week. As usual, some I agreed with and some I didn’t.

Mollie and AJ – Charleston
HATED the music! It did nothing for the dance and completely failed to enhance the joyous nature of it. In fact I felt the dance was positively drab. I took diamondsandpearls’s advice and played it again with the sound down. It seemed much better. Once the dance took off it was fine, but at the beginning and quite often during the number, I agree, it didn’t really look much like a Charleston. The lifts were, no doubt about it, very brave and mostly well executed though a couple of times she looked a bit clunky getting out of them. Even so the lifts didn't seem very Charleston like either. 7.

Susan and Kevin – Paso Doble
Susan really has come a very long way in her dancing but she’s never going to get any better now I don’t think. I admired her commitment to the number although it was obviously beyond her. Her days are numbered! Like everyone else I was impressed to see JK Rowling there supporting her. I was almost more impressed to see Jeanette Winterson beside her (Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit). I wouldn't have taken her for a Strictly fan.  Susan obviously moves in literary circles! Does anyone know who the fourth woman was? 7.

Debbie and Giovanni – Samba
Good enough, but not as stunning as some weeks. Darcy’s right, I thought it petered out towards the end which stopped it being really wonderful. Not Giovanni’s best choreography either. 8.

Jonnie and Oti – Tango    
I liked the costumes – under the lighting of the dance that is. When you saw them under the real lighting they looked very tatty. I also like the concept of the dance and the use of the other dancers. Sadly, Jonnie just doesn’t have it. Projecting bum aside, he’s never not going to be stiff, except for his arms which seem to just hang by his sides when they’re not doing anything positive. Time for him to go too. 6.

Gemma and Aljaz – American Smooth
What can I say? At last Gemma has given us the dance we have all expected from her week after week. There weren’t many lifts, nor were they spectacular, but I think the dance was all the better for that. She was able to concentrate on the beautiful choreography (well done Aljaz) and give a smooth and elegant dance that I thought was terrific. I also liked that Aljaz kept his other dancers static at the back for most of the time, just making a colourful background to Gemma and himself. It was all that was needed. They filled the dance floor more than adequately. It wasn’t the best dance of the night – Alexandra took that prize – but it was the most enjoyable and satisfying. My dance of the night in fact, though she didn’t deserve a 10 I didn’t think. 9.

Davood and Nadiya – Paso Doble
Mrs Twirlie wasn’t impressed with Davood’s see through shirt. “James Bond would never show his nipples like that. More James Bondage than James Bond!” Other than the song, I didn’t really see anything James Bond-ish about the number. The judges loved his Paso,  but I thought he didn’t really draw the eye. He kept getting lost among the other dancers and of course the colour of Nadiya’s dress was much more eye catching. It was also the first time in a few weeks that I thought Nadiya  had missed out in the costume dept. It reminded me of a dress badly made out of poor quality curtains! It was a fairly strong performance I suppose but it didn’t do it for me. 8

Alexandra and Gorka – Quickstep
Easily the best dance of the night. Tremendous speed, precision and accuracy with amazing flair! Great choreography Gorka. I too wish she’d get a grip in the Clauditorium. Is she putting those tears on, or are we just fed up with contestants continually crying after Ore’s blubbering last year? Anyway the dancing was great. 10 from me!

Joe and Katya – Salsa
This was my third favourite number of the night after Gemma and Alexandra. I loved the huge amount of energy it engendered and I loved the costumes and I loved that he was obviously having soooo much fun. I loved the legography! Have we seen that before? I can’t think of any time we have. It was a great idea. The following lift was also a great idea but he wasn’t quite strong enough to remain static while she whirled around under his arm. I wasn’t quite sure what happened at the end of the number. I presume the idea was that she drop down his torso and have a brake applied by reaching his spread legs before she hit the floor with what would otherwise be a rather hard thump! It seemed to work. I don’t know what happened that the judges kept mentioning. Katya can be hit and miss with her choreography. This was a hit. 9.

I generally enjoyed the show although people are right, it wasn’t the best Blackpool show ever! Awful Seagull gag. Why don’t they just let Claud be witty. It’s what she’s good at. Brilliant Peter Kay – don’t care if he’d had a drink or not – very funny. On the down side, back to those awful, contrived, (expletive deleted) VTs. What a shame.


 .

Sorry, sorry - it's me again.... But I've had another thought...

It's about last night over-all.

Blackpool requires drama and power in order to fill that huge space. I was looking at some past pasos on Youtube (to get some better music to play over Davood adn YASB so I could really judge the choreography) and realised that the ones that really worked were the ones that had big tunes. Live and Let Die perhaps could have, and maybe should have, worked - but it didn't. In contrast, Anita and Gleb's Paso from a couple of years ago was unblievable theatre. I was Agin Gleb totally, and his choreography was often ugly, but by 'eck that Paso was something. It may have been technically rubbish - I don't know and don't care, because it ws just so full of drama and Spanish passion. And they were doing it to Malaguena - a huge, big tune, which sets the tone and creates the power needed. The staging was true Theatre too - there were two other dancers only - who were integral to the routine. Anita danced with each of them. There was a huge curtain of red satin. It was a spectacular spectacular (to steal from Moulin Rouge - another Baz Luhrman piece of theatre...)

Kevin's Paso could have been a powerhouse of drama - but sadly with Susan performing with him it all fell flat and was a one-man show.

I think the producers are confusing 'a lot going on' with theatre and drama. Gemma's dance worked the best because,actually, sometimes less is more. The dance was the theatre(once the opening faff had finished). The opening pro dance had WAY too much going on and was messy and confusing and quite horrible to watch (also - the theme of fairground and clowns is the stuff of a lot of people's nightmares). Blackpool is about ballroom dancing - not West End musical He is. And we obey him.. It needs to big and bold, but also simple so that it makes a statement. One big statement, rather than a lot of things all getting it eh way of each othere, all trying to make a statement.

There were no goosebumps last night. I think they are trying too hard now to make a huge production out of Blackpool and failing by bringing to much extraneous STUFF. The Ballroom is the star of the show and they should let it shine....