New Couples Choice Dances 2018

I'm not sure what I heard. Are all the couples choosing one of three categories?  

I thought that was the case until Lauren said she was the first to choose contempory as her style for next week. How will they judge just one person doing a different style?

As far as I could gather, each couple can pick one week to do their own alternative dance choice, selecting just one out of the 3 choices. No idea how it's to be judged, I foresee an almighty muddle coming up. It also sounds suspiciously like mid-series showdances to me, and bound to further advantage the ringers...did I see somewhere that Ashley has done street dancing (oh please, none of that booty popping that she keeps going on and on about).

I'm not liking that Lauren and AJ are the guinea pigs for this

jingle wrote:did I see somewhere that Ashley has done street dancing (oh please, none of that booty popping that she keeps going on and on about).

Shirley said that Burlesque could be included. That's Ashley sorted then. A Pussy Cat Doll Dance will be a-coming. I thought everyone would be doing one of the 3 categories as a sort of one-off theme week.

Yes I thought it was all going to be on one night or over two shows - so that everyone was being judged on doing their alternative offering - but it became apparent that this isn't the case and it will be one or two per week. This dance choice thing will I agree favour the ringers.

I've got a Video/DVD somewhere of "Burn the Floor" that's all contemporary dance. Apparently it was done for Elton John's birthday quite a while,years, back. Some of it is fine, but looks way ahead of what contestants could achieve.

Pasted my thoughts on the sat show here in error

Have nothing to say about the People's Choice or whatever it's called. It'll be whatever they decide they want it to be.

Super run-down D & P...didn't expect to find it under the New Dance thread, but very welcome reading anyway.

diamondsandpearls wrote:
And what about the laundrette?  What had that to do with Salsa?  Another dance for which I have to blame a third party (didn’t catch their name) denying me the pleasure of blaming Karen for substandard chorepgraphy.  And as Tango said above, why was Karen dressed for a tennis party? (For me, less Billy Jean King than an extra in an Agatha Christie whodunit).

Excellent (and epic) post Diamonds.  The laundrette storyline particularly bothered me, because I thought Charles' actual salsa technique and timing was spot on. The props, the strip act and his spangly vest weren't just unnecessary, but I think they spoiled the look of the dance. I think creative lighting and the occasional use of projected images are much more effective in setting the scene than physical props.

Anyhows, in terms of the new dance malarky... I wonder are the couples allowed to replace either latin or ballroom with this choice...I wouldn't like to see one less ballroom per couple due to this new direction. I'd much prefer if they'd removed one of the latins (especially the daft rumba) and put the couples choice in its place.

I'd love to see the criteria for scoring the new dance too.

Bit worried for Lauren and AJ, I can't see contemporary being her style really (my idea of contemporary is running around barefoot, angst-ridden, wearing nowt but a white nightie and occasionally flinging yourself at your partner....but maybe there's more to it than that

jingle wrote:

bit worried for Lauren and AJ, I can't see contemporary being her style really (my idea of contemporary is running around barefoot, angst-ridden, wearing nowt but a white nightie and occasionally flinging yourself at your partner....but maybe there's more to it than that

Loved that Jingle.

You also need to be a ballet trained contorsionist who has represented your country in gymnastics and with a body build that can crawl up a flute and show your rectum at every hole.

TANGOLERO wrote:Super run-down D & P...didn't expect to find it under the New Dance thread, but very welcome reading anyway.

Lol! I posted it in the wrong thread by mistake - I still have no idea how I thought I was in The Little Bit of honesty thread! I tried to edit it (delete it) and post it in the right place but the wifi crahed and I only now have it again... I might post it where it should be, just in case....

jingle wrote:

my idea of contemporary is running around barefoot, angst-ridden, wearing nowt but a white nightie and occasionally flinging yourself at your partner....but maybe there's more to it than that

Mine too, Jingle, mine too! I enjoy a good one mind :-) But I can't see cheeky cherub AJ channelling his inner angst, never mind Lauren, who is so self contained (check out her expression whilst waiting to see if they are in the dance off) that I can't imagine her releasing the level of emoting required in a million years

To me these new dance choices are meddling for meddling's sake and to me are messing with learning celebs too much. Maybe have it in the round of the Final as an extra challenge to those who are known to be most competent and by then comfortable and more confident with dance. Now though? When many are still struggling to get to the grips with the basic technique of the set dances is far too soon. And why stuff like break dances and modern? I do not want to see people on their backs spinning around or robotic break dancing with no style - we have a PM for that.

CaledonianCraig wrote:To me these new dance choices are meddling for meddling's sake and to me are messing with learning celebs too much. Maybe have it in the round of the Final as an extra challenge to those who are known to be most competent and by then comfortable and more confident with dance. Now though? When many are still struggling to get to the grips with the basic technique of the set dances is far too soon. And why stuff like break dances and modern? I do not want to see people on their backs spinning around or robotic break dancing with no style - we have a PM for that.

Yes, precisely - they are just getting the hang of ballroom posture and latin hips and then along comes a completely alien style - a one off - to throw them and pause their learning curve and progression in those techniques. They won't be using the techniques they learn in the new dance for any further dances. So a waste of learning opportunity.

And I don't why they are drip feeding them amongst the remaining shows, rather than having a special week (to replace the execrable Hallowe'en theme - pretty pretty please with very many cherries, icing, extra marshmallows and chocolate sprinkles on top....), or as you say, in the final. Or even start from week 1. Week 5 is a bizarre place to start.

That's the word that keeps cropping up: bizarre.

No rhyme, no reason, just... bizarre/

And have you noticed that for someone who said they hadn't got anything to say on the matter that I have managed to unearth a fair few words?

diamondsandpearls wrote:

Yes, precisely - they are just getting the hang of ballroom posture and latin hips and then along comes a completely alien style - a one off - to throw them and pause their learning curve and progression in those techniques. They won't be using the techniques they learn in the new dance for any further dances.  So a waste of learning opportunity.

And I don't why they are drip feeding them amongst the remaining shows, rather than having a special week (to replace the execrable Hallowe'en theme - pretty pretty please with very many cherries, icing, extra marshmallows and chocolate sprinkles on top....), or as you say, in the final.  Or even start from week 1.  Week 5 is a bizarre place to start.

That's the word that keeps cropping up: bizarre.

No rhyme, no reason, just... bizarre/

And have you noticed that for someone who said they hadn't got anything to say on the matter that I have managed to unearth a fair few words?  

Lots of words there.

There are many reasons why this detracts from the competition. It serves to pander to the ringers who will cope whilst others won't. It breaks up the natural learning of dance basics of ballroom and Latin and also acts to cloud the thought processes of those not so well versed in dance. And is it fair if it is only Lauren who has that dance this week where it could kybosh her challenge if she cannot master the new style whilst the others stick to what they have learnt so far?

I think half the problem is that Strictly has gone from its original aims as an adult (so sue me!) dance show, into an all-out ratings war with all the other "entertainment" shows on T.V, plus the producers are aware of the popularity of Dancing with the "Stars" across the pond and can't seem to be seen as less of a glitterbug fiasco than the cousins weekly hoe-down. Keeping up with the Simpsons, so to speak. A pretty good indication of what Strictly's about now can be judged by the manic screaming and whoopeedo-ing from the Ceebeebies loonytunes galleries every time a B runo butttock twitches or Shirl gives a twirl and a couple of hundred mobiles go into automatic selfie mode.

Since L en left, Darcy has emerged as the most sensible of the judges when she can complete a sentence without using the words "core" or "yah", and I will say on the plus side of things, I've noticed less flipper-flapping along with everything of late but I put that down to not wanting to risk damage to their "every child needs one",Samsung I-phones.

In short, there are only about a couple of dozen serious dance lovers around and they're all on here.

Just changed the heading around, to make it a bit clearer that the thread is about the new 'couple's choice' dances. The first heading sounded too similar to the music & dance choice thread

jingle wrote:bit worried for Lauren and AJ, I can't see contemporary being her style really (my idea of contemporary is running around barefoot, angst-ridden, wearing nowt but a white nightie and occasionally flinging yourself at your partner....but maybe there's more to it than that

Kate Bush in her 'Wow-Wow-Wow-Unbelievable' nightie sprung to mind  

I'm with you Jingle and B4... I thought something Swan-Lakey with Kara and Artem, but so far Flackers is all I've found... Can anyone else guess what is in my head??!!?? I'm sure we have had someone prancing around in a nightie

allsewnonbyhand wrote:I'm sure we have had someone prancing around in a nightie

Usually Janette

Oh Lordy!!

It's not Halloween week yet is it?

If we don't get anyone in a nights I will feel shortchanged!

There's a wonderful scene from a film, possibly starring Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire(Funny Face?), or quite possibly just in my head, where a load of beatnik types posture and pose and Fred does a mickey take, all dressed in black polo neck and tight trousers....

And the there is, of course, this: https://youtu.be/s-cXP1uDFpA

How tiny was Vera Ellen's waist? ?
I must admit I'm not really,looking forward to these couple's choices for all the reasons discussed above. Save it for the showdance in the final.

Contemporary.....why not.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9DwQmqVMSU