Well we've just seen the first performances from our celebs, taking on either the Cha Cha Cha, Jive, Tango or Waltz. We've had a few surprises, a few 'overmarking' complaints, and a few duffers :) Here's my thoughts on how each couple performed:
Ashley & Ola - Cha Cha Cha - "What Makes You Beautiful"
First off - Ola's been slacking choreography-wise. Is it just me or is this what she would have given Sid Owen last series had they not been forced to do 'Ghostbusters'? This routine was mainly him spinning her, along with the obligatory 'holding a gyrating bum' move. To be honest, I'm surprised that the infamous 'Starfish' move wasn't in there, although I'm expecting to see it at some point. Onto Ashley - his footwork looked alright, but his upper body (and in particular his arms) is really letting him down. His free arm was just hanging there, and when they were doing the New Yorkers, his arm movement was just 'thrown away' as Craig would put it, no extension at all. Added to which, his hand had a tendency to go spatulistic. He also missed a hand grab going into a spin, and he's doing the 'Chris Hollins' faces already. I'm a bit disappointed really.
Judges' score: 25/40 (5, 6, 7, 7)
My score: 4.5 (not much content, bad arm and hand movements)
Tony & Aliona - Waltz - "What'll I Do"
Firstly, *RECYCLED SONG ALERT* (Ricky G & Erin's Waltz in series 7). Anyway, Aliona did a great job with the routine, giving Tony steps that he can do well, whilst still making it a lovely performance. One little criticism though - WHY DO PROS KEEP PUTTING IN RUNNING SPLITS? THEY NEVER LOOK ELEGANT SO WHY BOTHER?? And endeth my short rant. Onto Tony - there were a couple of gapping issues and he did appear to have forgotten the routine at one point, but I must say that his hands and his arm extension were great (apart from one moment towards the end where he didn't extend the hand fully). It was a pleasant surprise just how non-duffer-y he was. Shame he has the Charleston next week though, that's probably one of the worst dances for him and Aliona (and the outside choreographers) is really going to have to pull something out of the bag to make him look good.
Judges' score: 16/40 (2, 5, 5, 4)
My score: 5.5 (problems with frame and seemed to lose it at the beginning, but there was a lot that he did right)
Mark & Iveta - Tango - "Hernando's Hideaway"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT* (Sarah & Brendan's Tango in series 2). I wasn't a big fan of what Iveta had done with the choreography, but having watched it again, she probably did the best thing for Mark in that he could show his performance skills whilst still showing that he could dance. I just hope that she doesn't make him into a comedy act, as on this showing, he can definitely dance. Onto the man himself - he has the same problem as Ashley: decent footwork (he got it spot-on for the most part, he just seemed to mess up one quick series of steps, and then he was out of sync with Iveta when they lifted their knees to push the foot forwards - not sure on the name of the step but the dance bods will know which part I meant), but bad frame. There was quite a lot of gapping throughout the routine, and he didn't fully extend his arms, making his hands appear spatulistic. I do like Mark but I'm a little unsure about the partnership - Iveta hasn't shown much spark so far in terms of personality, so I'll be looking forward to their first ITT appearance to see if she's more relaxed there. They've got Salsa for week 2, which could be good or bad. Mark's definitely got the performance side down, it's just the technique that could be lacking. There probably won't be much armography in that routine.
Judges' score: 24/40 (5, 6, 7, 6)
My score: 5 (I'd put him just ahead of Ashley, the routine and performance as a whole was better imo, even though both men have the same issues)
Susanna & Kevin - Jive - "Shake Your Tail Feather"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT* (Alesha & Matthew's Jive in series 5). I know some have criticised Kevin for including the cartwheel, but it may have just been the case that it was fine in rehearsals but went wrong on the night (if you want random cartwheels put into routines then have a look at Kara & Artem - their Quickstep had one, iirc their Salsa also had one). On the whole, I quite liked the choreography, minus the twerking bit. One thing Kevin does need to learn though is to not out-dance his partner, Susanna probably looked worse than she really did because he just went for it. Onto Susanna - she clearly ran out of steam about two thirds of the way through, and it looked as though she'd forgotten the routine in 2 places. Her arms and hands were good for the most part, and she seemed to cope really well with the difficult armography section. Sometimes her footwork did look a little laboured (the small kicks and flicks section at the beginning being one example), but I'm quite impressed with her.
Judges' score: 28/40 (6, 7, 8, 7)
My score: 6.5 (losing energy, dodgy footwork in places, but had lots of content and she did well with a very difficult dance).
Sophie & Brendan - Waltz - "Moon River"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT* (Louis & Flavia in series 10). I'm sad to say it but this routine was pretty forgettable. Maybe because it's a Waltz, but it's not a good sign. Onto Sophie - her footwork looked really good, and most of her arm movements were great (although sometimes her free arm wasn't utilised very well and some of the transitions into those sweeping arm motions were a little ugly). My only issue with her is that sometimes she appeared to lose her balance a little, which is something she'll need to work on quite a lot. I didn't really feel a connection between Brendan and Sophie, which is something that I hope they'll rectify this week when they have a Latin routine. As it stands, she definitely has potential.
Judges' score: 28/40 (7, 7, 7, 7)
My score: 7 (only minor issues)
Natalie & Artem - Cha Cha Cha - "Rasputin"
This was another routine that I found a little boring. The song (much as I love it) isn't that suited to a Cha Cha Cha, and Artem looked like he was doing a Paso Doble. Onto Natalie - her footwork and arms and hands were all great, although there was one moment where it looked as though she tripped or missed a step - she seemed to almost skip before she went into the next step. I can also see what the judges meant by the lack of hip action, but I'm wondering whether she was just sandbagging like everyone thinks DVO did in her week 1 Waltz last year. Natalie's definitely up there, but I don't think she'll be the out-and-out frontrunner like DVO was, I can see a few of the girls at least who have potential to catch her up. Let's just see how she does in her Ballroom routine this week.
Judges' score: 31/40 (8, 8, 8, 7)
My score: 7 (about on a par with Sophie, if not slightly ahead)
My Leaderboard:
=1. Sophie & Brendan - 7/10
=1. Natalie & Artem - 7/10
3. Susanna & Kevin - 6.5/10
4. Tony & Aliona - 5.5/10
5. Mark & Iveta - 5/10
6. Ashley & Ola - 4.5/10
The Saturday musings will be up on Thursday, as I'm going away for a few days with no access to my laptop.
Hope you enjoy my non-expert thoughts on the routines :)
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