SCD 2018 Tango's 'Little Bit Of Honesty' Thread

[B4p]

The forum wouldn't be the same without Tango's thread, so I would like to thank him for keeping it going year after year, giving us all a space in which to meditate, cogitate, and ventilate.

[B4p]

Hello all my virtual SCD friends and comrades.
I got a little shock when I tried to access the forum this afternoon. I was diverted to another webpage (with a very similar name) that wouldn't let me log in, or recognise my details. After a prolonged 'oh no' groan, I tracked down the brilliant Sid on Twitter, who slipped me the right link - phew, panic over. I'm so excited I might need to order in some tenna pads!

[TANGOLERO]

Hey, B4p, nice to hear you back and in good order. I'll be happy to see the honesty thread carrying on because it isn't my thread, but as you say, a place we can all contribute to. It has being going for a year or two now and hopefully this season will be no different with all the old faithfuls and some new ones too. Been an awful long time since I first got dragged protestingly onto a youth club dance floor at fourteen to shuffle around the floor to Victor Sylvester playing Mr Sandman, but my love affair with dance is still undiminished as a I approach my 79th birthday next month. Strike up the band maestro....

[B4p]

Hi Tango
Welcome back

[saxonsiren]

Hi Tango and B4p Welcome back. ..

[B4p]

Hi Tango and B4p Welcome back. ..

Hi sax. Pencils sharpened ready?

[saxonsiren]

Yup pencils sharpened and paddles ready Good see you B4p again... I've been quite busy and mmm like an eejits responded to an email re a tv show and within 20 days from phone interviews/Skype interview and filming 7 hrs at my house, then morefilming 3 hrs 2days before left. We flew off to Europe! Still like this 3 weeks later . I'm hiding for the next 10 years in dark corners.....

[B4p]

That sounds intriguing. A reluctant vlogger or budding TV star?

[TANGOLERO]

Yup pencils sharpened and paddles ready Good see you B4p again... I've been quite busy and mmm like an eejits responded to an email re a tv show and within 20 days from phone interviews/Skype interview and filming 7 hrs at my house, then morefilming 3 hrs 2days before left. We flew off to Europe! Still like this 3 weeks later . I'm hiding for the next 10 years in dark corners.....

Hey, keep us informed on that one Sax; sounds intruiging. Meanwhile I've given up all hope of seeing any real dance based on basic ballroom skills. It'll be a learned weekly routine to make the pros look skilled in choreography with not much recognisable from the L en G oodman encyclopedia of walnut pickling and knickers in the air chucking. I'm betting if you asked any previopus contestants up to dance in a ballroom dance school now they'd want to practise for a fortnight to perform a waltz. No, I'll treat is as an entertainment show with pro demonstrations as the highlights and C.R.H and Silver tongued Italian Stallion as the comedy. Bring it on..

[allsewnonbyhand]

So we have 2 famous TV stars in our midst now...sax and Mr T!! I did nearly go on Eggheads once with our pub quiz team- blimey it's like Fort Knox getting onto those with all the background checks and security - but we couldn't get dates when we could all make it so my TV career ended there...I was quite relieved tbh, it wasn't my choice I was just dragged along with the others!
I still think we should badger the ITT researchers to get us all on the Friday show one day ... Who can sleuth an email or @twitter????   Oy Sid you're practically BFF with our Marian on there surely you can swing it?!

[saxonsiren]

Good idea Alls! I think Mr T we might be surprised this year re dance abilities. I'm hoping to bedazzled and back to basics emerge. ...Maybe our prodancers will stop the comedy?

[TANGOLERO]

Good idea Alls! I think Mr T we might be surprised this year re dance abilities. I'm  hoping to bedazzled and back to basics emerge. ...Maybe our prodancers will stop the comedy?

I hope so Sax. All the Ballroom and Latin basics are beautiful rythmic and graceful dances on their own without the need for cartwheels and splits. I never can recall Fred, Ginger, Danny Kay, Gene Kelly, Cyd Charisse, Eleanor Powell, Rita Hayworth or any of the other legion of great dancers doing or needing them. I'm all for skill and talent emerging, but strict tempo was the mandate that taught the world. Get back to basic guys and gals and do something we recognise...

[B4p]

I've just been rewatching Joe & Katya's novel samba to 'Money' from Caberet. I still think it was brilliant, despite howls of protest from the Dark Side and on Twitter that it wasn't Rio carnival enough, too slow and not a real samba. I liked the slower style, the acting, the costumes, but most of all, that I could recognise lots of samba steps.

[TANGOLERO]

Once again I make no apology for re-posting what I think one of the most beautiful examples of the art of ballroom dance. Ian Waite and Jodie's "Greensleeves" waltz.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aWnff_A3Dk

[B4p]

That's stunning Tango, they matched beautifully. I miss seeing Ian dance. I saw him, Oti and Ot's husband Marius dance in Kettering a few months ago. He was great with the audience, lots of chit-chat and gossip in between the dancing. I'm surprised a place wasn't offered to Marius if more male dancers were needed. After all, he did dance in the Strictly Tour Show and he's a great dancer.

[jingle]

Just bumping the thread, all ready for tonight.

I admit it, I CAN'T WAIT!!   It's been such a rubbish year for me for various reasons,  so the thought of Strictly escapism every weekend followed by weekday ITT  is filling me with comfort and joy.

And, like every year, I'll probably be one of the biggest grumblers once the show starts - but sure that's just part of the fun of it!

[CaledonianCraig]

Just bumping the thread, all ready for tonight.

I admit it, I CAN'T WAIT!!   It's been such a rubbish year for me for various reasons,  so the thought of Strictly escapism every weekend followed by weekday ITT  is filling me with comfort and joy.

And, like every year, I'll probably be one of the biggest grumblers once the show starts - but sure that's just part of the fun of it!

Things can only get better jingle (so the song says).

[CaledonianCraig]

Just hours from the start of the new Strictly series and here is how I'd categorize the couples so far:

My favourite couples:-

Charles Venn and Karen Clifton
Graeme Swann and Oti Mabuse
Kate Silverton and Aljaz Skorjanec
Susanna Constantine and An.ton Du Beke

Looking forward to seeing them couples:

Seann Walsh and Katya Jones
Katie Piper and Gorka Marquez
Vick Hope and Graziano Di Prima
Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton

Halfway House:-

Joe Sugg and Dianne Buswell
Laren Steadman and A J Pritchard

A Bit Meh:-

Lee Ryan and Nadia Bychkova
Dr Ranj Singh and Janette Manrara

Beware of the Ringers:-

Ashley Roberts and Pasha Kovalev
Faye Tozer and Giovanni Pernice
Danny John-Jules and Amy Dowden

[CaledonianCraig]

Almost time folks. Enjoy. I will post my views probably early tomorrow.

[TANGOLERO]

Almost time folks. Enjoy. I will post my views probably early tomorrow.

I'll defer till tomorrow too. I need to have a think about what I saw tonight.

[CaledonianCraig]

My opening week thoughts...

Danny and Amy (Foxtrot) He had good footwork and nice rhythm but it is to be expected due to previous experience. Spotted a slight slip at the end. 7

Kate and Alijaz (Cha Cha Cha) A bit stiff and ungainly at times but she can do the sext stuff nicely. Needs to relax and be more fluid but this is a fun couple. 5

Lauren and AJ (Waltz) A nice performance. She moved very well  and there was not much to criticise. Very good for first week. 7

Seann and Katya (Tango) Tough dance for him. He showed good attack but posture needs work and looked messy in places. He can improve. 4.5

Vick and Graziano (Jive) Looked a little wild in places and lacked control. But she had a lot of energy and this couple have a good feel about them. 5.5

Sussanah and An.ton (Samba) Sadly, a mess. She looked very uncertain and missed a lot of steps. The throw at the end was the best part of the dance. I was wrong a few weeks ago when I said there was no comedy act this year. 3.5

Charles and Karen (Cha Cha Cha) Really enjoyed this. He has great natural rhythm and timing. Thought the walks were a little stiff though. 7

Ashley and Pasha (Viennese Waltz) As expected it was very polished. All in all a bit meh for me given her vast dance background. 8

Dr Ranj and Janette (Cha Cha Cha) A big surprise. He had very good rhythm though thought his steps were a bit skippy then stompy at times. Good timing and confidence. Good effort. 7

Katie and Gorka (Waltz) Seemed unsure and nervous at the start. Made lots of mistakes but improved at the end. She can do better I feel. 4

Graeme and Oti (Samba) I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. He had a nice hip action and feel for the steps but C.raig was right that he needs to work on his hand. 6

Stacey and Kevin (Quickstep) A tough dance to try in the first week but it was surprisingly good. Footwork was pretty good. 7

Lee and Nadia (Waltz) Backside seemed to stick out a bit. He did produce some nice lines at times though. Not bad. 5.5

Joe and Dianne (Jive) Very good kicks and flicks and great energy. Enjoyable. 6.5

Faye and Giovanni (Cha Cha Cha) Timing very good. Aside from balance issues on early spin the ringer shone. 8

Enjoyed the opening pro dance of the series. Loved the setting before they transferred to the studios. Early impressions are that Susannah will not last long unless the voting public want a good laugh.

[B4p]

I enjoyed the Saturday night show, although it was a long one.
The Pro dancers must be on their knees by the end of tonight, with the result show stuff to complete as well.
Looking forward to the Pro dancers doing their Tango performance on the result show.
I liked that most of the judges kept their scores on the lower side for week 1.
There were one or two harsh comments from the judges that didn't help the celeb's nerves.
Wardrobe gave the males some decent outfits instead of last year's job lot of waistcoats and jeans.
Biggest surprise for me was Joe (Hurray) and Ashley (Oh dear).
Surprised at how many celeb's were answering the judges back. That could work against them as the weeks go on.

[B4p]

My thoughts on the Saturday show.

Danny - (Foxtrot) the showman. Not sure about the amount of time out of hold, or the balletic touches in a Foxtrot, but I still enjoyed it.

Kate -  (Cha-Cha-Cha) Charismatic, confident and feisty. Seems to have clicked well with Alijaz. Bent knees affecting hip action.

Lauren - (Waltz) For 2 days training, I think she did a stunning waltz. I liked AJ’s choreography. Good job.

Sean - (Tango) He went for it. Maybe a bit too hard, but not an easy dance for week 1. He did drive forward on bent knees and lead Katya. I thought the ‘chuck’ at the end was an unnecessary addition to the routine. I was surprised at Shirley’s personal comments about Sean’s hair (has she seen Graziano’s?).

Vick - (Jive) a high energy dance for week 1. A good looking couple. Great personality and performance. Brave to have the ‘side by side’ sections. Too much out of hold gyrating for me, not enough basic Cha-Cha.

Sussanah - (Samba) Not an easy dance. Some recognisable steps, rushed through nerves. Felt a bit sorry for her.

Charles - (Cha-Cha-Cha). Marked down for being too disco, but I really liked it. He had great timing, rhythm, and performance. Looking suave and relaxed. Reminded me of a Motown performer (I kept thinking of a thin Barry White!).

Ashley - (V.Waltz). Disappointing after all the ‘ringer debate’. Had to smile when Ashley said it was SO difficult to learn (3 steps?)  Not sure if she did a Fleckerl. I thought she was off balance in a few places (grabbed by Pasha more than once) and her bum was sticking out all the way through. Couldn’t believe Darcy’s 8? 7s at most for me.

Dr Ranj - (Cha-Cha-Cha) A recognisable Cha-Cha. It looked as though Janette was going into New Yorkers near the end, but I’m not sure he followed her. I enjoyed it but I couldn’t understand Shirley’s comment that his ‘Cuban breaks were worthy of a semi-final’ or her 8 score. Again, 7s for me.

Katie - (Waltz) Felt so sorry for her. She was a bag of nerves. She stepped off on the wrong foot and froze but recovered well. Hopefully she’ll relax into it a bit more as the weeks go on.

Graeme - (Samba) Oti does it again. Loved her choreography. Lots of basic Samba steps. Great energy and performance. He looked like he was enjoying himself which helped him relax into it. I thought he did a great job. I’m surprised he got two 5s.

Stacey - (Quickstep) Liked Kevin’s choreography. She did well to keep up and complete the footwork without faltering. Light and bright. I thought it interesting that Kevin let it slip that the Quickstep wasn’t his choice, particularly on week 1.

Lee - (Waltz).  He was definitely leading her. I felt a bit sorry for him. Concentration and nerves pushed him ahead of the beat. I agree with CC about his backside sticking out. I thought Cr aig’s 4 was a bit mean. Interesting that Darcey used the word ‘lustful’ for Nadia’s choreography. Thought Jamie sang the Eagles song beautifully.

Joe - (Jive). I loved it. I was shouting ‘go Joe’ at the TV. I enjoyed Dianne’s choreography, and thought Joe gave his best shot. For a non dancer, he did great. The side by side sections were synchronised and clean. His energy level was constant. Performance, kicks and flicks were all good for me. Fabulous start. Loved his outfit too.

Faye - (Cha-Cha-Cha) A good routine by Gio. I got a bit bored. I don’t know if she went to stage school, but I just kept thinking ‘teeth, hair, and jazz hands’. Two judges commented on her lack of hip action. Not sure where Darcey saw an 8 score.

Nice to get to see some choreography from Dianne & Amy.

[mauveangel09]

Great opening night show and agreed with B runo that it was a night of surprises. Will comment on the show itself tomorrow but have just watched it (recorded it) and wanted to commit thoughts on the many couples tonight.....

Danny and Amy - Good music choice and no doubt he can really move showing some real pzazz - but agreed with CRH 100% that there was too much out of hold (which Shirley did not comment upon like she did with some of the others) the few foxtrot bits were stompy and had no flow at all - I'm surprised he ended up so near the top of the leaderboard with what came after him - but he has got loads of potential. Looking forward to seeing what they do next.

Kate and Alijaz - Great chemistry and a good no frills cha cha - she went for it and it was a good effort for the first night. I enjoyed it and hope she can develop her hip movements.

AJ and Lauren - another great pairing - whilst she needs to work on posture this was impressive for only a couple of days training and a good first week performance.

Sean and Katya - I actually quite enjoyed it and found it a clever routine from Katya although most of the judges obviously did not. Not an easy dance for the man for the first week and it had some performance value - he didn't do badly at all.

Vick and Graziano - not as good as I what I thought it might be. Liked it but agreed with the judges that it was a bit loose and I thought she lost energy half way through - but fair play for doing a jive on the first night and keeping up.

Susannah and A nton - a comedy samba is not the right choice for week one with a self conscious newbie IMO

Karen and Charles - still don't really like him but felt it was a great routine - a refreshingly uncomplicated cha cha from Mrs Clifton and I had to disagree with Shirley as I thought I could see the cha cha in there.

P asha and Ashley - all judges comments were valid on this one - it was a beautiful dance but was it in keeping with a week 1 SCD show? Not sure. I think GBP will have to decide whether to get on board with her or not.

Janette and Ranj - Good effort with good footwork - beyond that it was a bit rough round the edges for me - didn't understand the over gushing of the judges on this one - although enjoyable and he has potential.

Katie and Gorka - Hope she can control her nerves and gain some confidence as she didn't seem to really be enjoying it very much - pity as it was a solid week one waltz performance and a nice gentle routine - Gorka seemed very encouraging.

Oti and Graeme - when it opened up I was annoyed that they were using Karen and Ramps salsa music!! I also thought it was going to be another ill advised week one samba - but was really surprised at how well he did and how he kept up - he did well and put in some samba steps. A good routine plenty of energy and fun.

K evin and Stacey - at first I didn't know what the dance was supposed to be as they took so long to get into the QS - I thought it was a mish mash of a start but whilst I didn't like the bits out of hold I thought she did really well in the QS bits - she kept in time and what she lacked in finesse she made up for in energy.

N adia and Lee - it was a typical showy N adia N umber - thought he made a good effort particularly when he went wrong and I think was quite nervous - I actually quite liked the routine overall.

Dianne and Jo - kept up really well, timing and rhythm excellent. Who would have thought it? I think in general the men seem to cope better with an early jive than the girls - still not sure of the chemistry with this partnership but will reserve judgement until I have seen what they do next week.

Faye and Gio - confident ringer performance - good chemistry and good routine - what more can be said.

[jingle]

Great comments all!  I hope our other regulars appear soon, and that the change of website hasn't lost anyone.  Here's a few week one thoughts...

Danny - I thought the pace of the music made this foxtrot a little pedestrian. We were shown that Danny can spin very well, I just hope that doesn't become an overused signature move (in the way Debbie's 'leg up' reappeared in so many dances last year).  Danny was the one I'd heard of most before the show and I was expecting him to be my favourite, but a little 'meh' now.

Kate - an enthusiastic novice, she's very likeable and I imagine that she'll prefer the grace of ballroom to the latin.  Just one small thing about Aljaz and also Janette...I wish they wouldn't get over-hyped and punch the air the moment the dance ends, they both need to tone down a bit.

Lauren - nice and floaty, how did they manage to achieve this with just two days training while the others had two weeks!!  AJ is my favourite pro, so I hope they go far (but please Lauren, stop saying you're 'in it to win it'....that never works with a Strictly audience).  Thought AJ's shirt was yuk!

Sean - just based on the VTs I've taken to Sean (who I'd never heard of before). And after Shirley's unnecesary 'tidy yourself up' comments I like him even more.  I actually really liked their modern tango, it was very much in the style of Katya's interesting choreo I thought. Though probably not the best choice for week one.

Vick - oh dear, Graziano seemed to hog the limelight...not a good start from him, although I suspect Vick will get better and better each week. I really didn't like some of the choreography, especially the bits borrowed from Ed Ball's gangum dance.  

Susannah - grrrr.  I felt sorry for Susannah - I wonder did she really want to take on the comedy role. Unfortunately she looks to me a little like a younger version of Anne Widdiecombe, and the choreography for this samba was very reminiscent of Anne in her yellow dress being swung around the floor.  For Susannah's sake I really hope A.nton choreographs a comedy-free ballroom dance next week. If I remember right, Susannah was voted out first in the jungle show, and I suspect it may be the same here.

Charles - I think he's definitely one to watch, just hope Karen doesn't mess up his chances with the wrong choreo

Ashley - clearly a ringer. I even wondered whether her stumble was intended, to avoid looking too good

Dr Ranj - I got a bit distracted by Janette's face, was she singing along or was she giving him instructions all the way through?

Katie - nice posture, poor footwork, I thought this was a very tentative waltz. Hope Gorka can help calm her nerves for next week

Graeme - a good dance, despite the inclusion of the cringe-y sparkly cricket bat prop (glad to see there weren't too many naff props in the show)

Stacey - very promising

Lee - the VT didn't do him any favours, he needs to inject a bit of personality into the dance and the VT.

Joe - wow, what packed choreography. Probably my favourite dance of the night.  However, not sure how he'll fare with ballroom

Faye - I'm not sure why, but I don't see Faye as such a ringer as Ashley or Danny.

Overall, really enjoyed the show. I think Sean, Charles and Joe are my early favourites, but can't wait to get to know them all a bit better on ITT

Yay!! It's back

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