It's Thursday night, and so I'm here with part 2 of my week 5 musings.
I must admit, I was a bit upset when Deborah went out. She had a brilliant attitude to the whole thing, she could actually dance, but the best part was that you could tell she was loving every second of it. I wish more celebs could be like that really.
Anyway, here's the final 6 dances of Saturday night (so going from Rachel to Sophie).
Rachel & Pasha - Paso Doble - "Maneater"
For the second week in a row, I'm disappointed with Pasha's choreography. It was too much posing and posturing and nothing like a Paso Doble. The role of the pro is to make their celeb look good, and Pasha doesn't seem to be doing that with Rachel. She just looked stiff and awkward, he probably needed to get her into hold at the beginning, and then have some small sections apart to make her feel more comfortable. He also should have told her to point her toe on the leg extension. I feel a bit sorry for Rachel as having that much fabric on the dress can't have helped her. Skirt wafting does not equal Paso. However, the song choice was completely wrong and whoever thought that would suit a Paso has clearly never listened to it as it's much more a Tango song. This week, Rachel's got the American Smooth, which they will use a Viennese Waltz base for. If I remember rightly, Harry & Aliona did a beautiful VW-style American Smooth so the potential for greatness is there.
Judges' score: 22/40 (4, 6, 6, 6)
My score: 5 (not great choreography, but she did get into the character of the routine)
Mark & Iveta - Waltz - "Apologise"
I thought this was so lovely. The song in its original arrangement isn't in 3-time, but I really liked how the band adapted it to suit the Waltz. Iveta's choreography was great as usual, and Mark danced it superbly. Only a few minor issues - he needs to tuck his bum under a little more, and to shape his hands whenever he's doing an extension. The only other thing was that the sweeping move that he did with his left leg in the middle didn't look smooth, but I think that's the side that his knee injury is on, so I guess that's as elegant as he could make it. Mark has brilliant musicality, and he gets into the character and feel of the dance every time. If he was younger and fitter, I'd say he'd be the main contender to Natalie. As it is, I hope he gets to dance at Blackpool at least, he deserves that. Mark has the Paso Doble this week, and the song that he has to dance to - oh good lord.
Judges' score: 28/40 (7, 7, 7, 7)
My score: 7 (he's more than half a point behind Natalie on technicality, but he just performs every dance perfectly)
Ashley & Ola - Jive - "Johnny B Goode"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT!* (Kelly & Brendan from series 5). 20 seconds of faffing there at least. Ashley definitely needs to work on his arm placement, he can do it for the Ballroom dances but it seems to disappear when he does the faster Latins (excluding his Samba). Also, he looked to mess up on the solo spin a little - I'm not sure if it was a case of him not spotting properly or if it's because he had to do it so quickly that it unsettled him a bit. Ola's gone back to her usual Latin choreography I see - for god sake Ola, this is the first good celeb that you have had in years, if ever, so give him more actual dancing to do! Not playing guitar for 20 seconds followed by a knee slide and a leap over your head. He can do the choreography, so challenge him with it. Otherwise, you're going to struggle to break into the mid-30s and beyond. I can see Ashley's point about the dance shoes - they did curl up slightly at the front, making it look as though he wasn't point his feet on the kicks and flicks when he may well have done. They've got the Tango this week, which could be a good dance for Ashley as he gets to show another side performance-wise.
Judges' score: 31/40 (7, 8, 8, 8)
My score: 6.5 (he didn't have as much content as Mark and there were a few mistakes)
Susanna & Kevin - American Smooth - "Sunny Side of the Street"
I really liked this routine and what Kevin did with it choreographically, much better than last week's Samba. Susanna seemed to mess up one or two of the leg kicks, and it looked like they'd missed a hand grab towards the beginning. Besides that, her footwork was good and her frame and arms were too. She has the same issue as Natalie in that she's trying a bit too hard with the facial expressions, and the transitions into the lifts were a little off. It was classy, elegant, and very enjoyable to watch. Susanna has the Charleston this week. If she can get the technique sorted then this could be a very good dance for her. Kevin also needs to make sure that he doesn't overdance as he tends to do in the Latin dances (I know Charleston isn't technically Latin, but for some reason it is on this show so........).
Judges' score: 32/40 (8, 8, 8, 8)
My score: 7 (some errors in technique and the faces did detract from the performance a little)
Ben & Kristina - Quickstep - "I'll Be There for You"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT!* (Diarmuid & Nicole from series 2). Friends theme tune! Sorry, that's the first thing I think of when I hear this song. Also, why was there a female singer on the track, let alone having her mic turned up so high? The male singer was doing a fine job on his own, thank you. Onto the dance itself - at least 20 seconds worth of faffing at the beginning, and it had the same problem choreographically that Rachel's Quickstep had: they were doing a slower routine to a quick song, and it just didn't work. Also, the height difference really hindered the dance as there was so much gapping, and this was perhaps because Ben and Kristina were effectively going at different speeds, they were never in sync (Kristina probably had to take 2 or 3 steps for every one that Ben did). I don't know what the judges saw as this dance was so overmarked. They had a good song there and Kristina could have, and should have, done much more with it than she did. Ben has the Paso Doble this week, and I feel a bit sorry for him as it's probably going to pale into comparison with Mark's PasoDisco offering. At least they're dancing to one of my favourite songs, by one of my favourite bands.
Judges' score: 27/40 (6, 7, 7, 7)
My score: 5.5 (a lot of things wrong technically, even though I can't really blame either of them for that, and at least Kristina attempted to make an effort with the choreography)
Sophie & Brendan - Cha Cha Cha - "P.Y.T"
Oh Sophie, can you not be bothered to put in effort for the Latin dances anymore now that you've got the Charleston out of the way? There were a few technical issues - some of her arm extensions (especially those at the beginning) weren't finished properly, she kind of just 'threw them out' really. Also, like some of the others, she seems a bit uncomfortable with spins. Similar to Fiona in her Quickstep, it looked like Sophie pre-anticipated some of the steps. I was a bit disappointed with Brendan's choreography - it didn't feel as though Sophie was really doing all that much (even though she was), and the beginning wasn't great either. She really needs to lose the 'too cool for school' attitude for when she performs the Latin routines - it makes them look worse than they are because the performance isn't coming from her. She got the performance right in her Charleston, so she just needs to adapt, assume a character for the other dances if it helps. The judges are always telling people that they need to 'let go' in the Latin numbers and I think that's what Sophie needs to try and do. She's got the Jive this week, I hope she can get it together and produce both good dancing and a good performance.
Judges' score: 30/40 (7, 8, 7, 8)
My score: 6.5 (I agree with her being about the same as Fiona - Sophie probably edges it on technique, but Fiona gave a better performance)
So my leaderboard for the week goes like this:
1. Abbey & Aljaz - 8
2. Natalie & Artem - 7.5
=3. Mark & Iveta - 7
=3. Susanna & Kevin - 7
=5. Patrick & Anya - 6.5
=5. Fiona & Anton - 6.5
=5. Ashley & Ola - 6.5
=5. Sophie & Brendan - 6.5
9. Deborah & Robin - 6
10. Ben & Kristina - 5.5
11. Rachel & Pasha - 5
12. Dave & Karen - 3.5
And a list of what the couples will be dancing this week:
American Smooth - Rachel & Pasha
Charleston - Fiona & Anton, Susanna & Kevin
Jive - Dave & Karen, Sophie & Brendan
Paso Doble - Ben & Kristina, Mark & Iveta
Quickstep - Patrick & Anya
Rumba - Abbey & Aljaz
Tango - Ashley & Ola
Viennese Waltz - Natalie & Artem
Thursday 31 October 2013
Monday 28 October 2013
SCD 2013: Week 5, part 1
It's Monday night and I'm back with my thoughts on the series. Last time, Julien & Janette failed to spice up our lives as they went out of the competition on their third and final dance-off against Rachel & Pasha.
Today, I'll be covering the first 6 dances from Saturday night (so from Natalie up to and including Fiona).
Natalie & Artem - Samba - "Bambeleo"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT!* (Gavin & Katya in series 8). Bit of a dodgy song choice in my opinion. I can see it going with a Paso or a Salsa, but not a Samba. Also, who did Natalie annoy in wardrobe to get that monstrosity? The dress would have been fine if it didn't have that big poofy part at the back. Onto the actual dancing - no mistakes as far as I can see, just that the pull-through at the end looked a bit messy, as if she wasn't in the right position for that. One thing though - try and stop the faces Natalie, as they are very distracting. I really want to like this pairing as the dancing is so good, but I just can't. None of their performances have made me go 'Wow! That was brilliant!' thus far, maybe something like a Paso or Tango might do it. As of yet, we don't know what Natalie will be dancing this week, but we expect it to be a Ballroom routine.
Judges' score: 35/40 (8, 9, 9, 9)
My score: 7.5 (just the one slight error, but personally just didn't enjoy the performance)
Abbey & Aljaz - Foxtrot - "Dear Darlin'"
Another dodgy song choice here. This suited the Foxtrot about as much as 'Someone Like You' did (ie not at all) and yet unlike the performers of that previous routine, Abbey and Aljaz did really well with it. Only a few niggles with this - there was quite a bit of gapping, and Abbey looked a bit uncomfortable doing the underarm turn. I liked the storytelling (although not the ending, guess I just didn't 'get it'), that was great. Loved her dress, not exactly Foxtrot-y, but it was beautiful all the same. We don't know what Abbey will be dancing this week, but my hunch is that she'll get a Latin, possibly the Rumba.
Judges' score: 35/40 (8, 9, 9, 9)
My score: 8 (more errors, but a much better performance)
Dave & Karen - Salsa - "Cuban Pete"
Only one word I can use to describe this: AWFUL! The man can't even Conga in time to the music! (and I'm actually in disbelief at that one as surely everyone can do the Conga?) The only decent parts were the armography sections and the aeroplane spin at the end. Apparently this was the result of 30 hours of rehearsal, I'm starting to think that either Dave simply isn't trying, or he's deliberately being bad. Either way, he should be on his way soon. Expecting Dave to have a Ballroom routine this week.
Judges' score: 17/40 (3, 5, 5, 4)
My score: 3.5 (some nice touches, but overall, 'dahnce disahstah' territory)
Deborah & Robin - Viennese Waltz - "It's A Man's, Man's, Man's World"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT!* (Jade & Ian from series 7 - it's credited under a different name but it is the same song). Ok, so I do kind of get what Robin was going for with the table and all that jazz. But the fact is, messing with the table took up over a third of their routine, and that is way too much. They needed to get into hold earlier, because when they did, it was much better and actually really nice. Deborah seemed to have got the hang of the footwork, the problem was with her frame. She doesn't extend enough through the neck and she seems to have a bit of a loose hold. Nevertheless, I was quite upset that she was eliminated. I loved the partnership - and it is so nice and refreshing to see someone that you know is just loving and enjoying the whole experience of learning to dance. Deborah's attitude was perfect and I wish more of the celebs were like this. Take it seriously by all means, but for god sake, just go out there and enjoy yourself - even if you're not the best dancer, you'll still come across very well to the public.
Judges' score: 27/40 (6, 7, 7, 7)
My score: 6 (kept in time all the way through, good footwork, just a bit too much faffing and a loose hold)
Patrick & Anya - Salsa - "Wings"
First off, I felt so sorry for Patrick. Due to his hand injury, they had to alter or take out some of the lifts, and Anya had to completely change the choreography so that Patrick could dance it with his one good hand. I have to say, they both did a fantastic job considering all that. I thought the routine as a whole was great, and very entertaining. Patrick still needs to do some work on his upper body - it seems to be very loose, and it's causing him problems both in the Latin and the Ballroom (his hold isn't good). His footwork was quite good though (only a few small mistakes). Hopefully he can improve his Ballroom, as he has the Quickstep this week. The worrying thing though, is that he doesn't seem to have much of a fanbase if he was in the bottom 2 this week with the injury.
Judges' score: 28/40 (6, 8, 7, 7)
My score: 6.5 (probably closer to a 7, but it wasn't only 0.5 behind Natalie. I'm also taking into account that he had to dance it all with his less dominant hand, which would have been difficult for him)
Fiona & Anton - Quickstep - "If My Friends Could See Me Now"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT!* (Verona & Paul from series 1). To start with, Tom Chambers' Showdance music anyone? (Albeit a different version I think) Bit of faffing at the start, but only half as much as Deborah's routine. Well done to Anton for putting the little 'cloth' breaks in to help Fiona (it detracted from the dance a bit for me, but I can't deny that it was clever). As for the dancing itself - Fiona messed up the little jump just after they'd got into hold, and she seemed to pre-anticipate some of the steps, so she did them before they were meant to be done. It was a little skippy in places, but it was certainly Fiona's best routine by far. We don't currently know which dance she's doing yet, our guess is a Latin routine.
Judges' score: 30/40 (7, 7, 8, 8)
My core: 6.5 (sorry judges but this was overmarked)
So my leaderboard at the moment goes like this:
1. Abbey & Aljaz - 8
2. Natalie & Artem - 7.5
=3. Patrick & Anya - 6.5
=3. Fiona & Anton - 6.5
5. Deborah & Robin - 6
6. Dave & Karen - 3.5
Part 2 shall be up on Thursday night :)
Today, I'll be covering the first 6 dances from Saturday night (so from Natalie up to and including Fiona).
Natalie & Artem - Samba - "Bambeleo"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT!* (Gavin & Katya in series 8). Bit of a dodgy song choice in my opinion. I can see it going with a Paso or a Salsa, but not a Samba. Also, who did Natalie annoy in wardrobe to get that monstrosity? The dress would have been fine if it didn't have that big poofy part at the back. Onto the actual dancing - no mistakes as far as I can see, just that the pull-through at the end looked a bit messy, as if she wasn't in the right position for that. One thing though - try and stop the faces Natalie, as they are very distracting. I really want to like this pairing as the dancing is so good, but I just can't. None of their performances have made me go 'Wow! That was brilliant!' thus far, maybe something like a Paso or Tango might do it. As of yet, we don't know what Natalie will be dancing this week, but we expect it to be a Ballroom routine.
Judges' score: 35/40 (8, 9, 9, 9)
My score: 7.5 (just the one slight error, but personally just didn't enjoy the performance)
Abbey & Aljaz - Foxtrot - "Dear Darlin'"
Another dodgy song choice here. This suited the Foxtrot about as much as 'Someone Like You' did (ie not at all) and yet unlike the performers of that previous routine, Abbey and Aljaz did really well with it. Only a few niggles with this - there was quite a bit of gapping, and Abbey looked a bit uncomfortable doing the underarm turn. I liked the storytelling (although not the ending, guess I just didn't 'get it'), that was great. Loved her dress, not exactly Foxtrot-y, but it was beautiful all the same. We don't know what Abbey will be dancing this week, but my hunch is that she'll get a Latin, possibly the Rumba.
Judges' score: 35/40 (8, 9, 9, 9)
My score: 8 (more errors, but a much better performance)
Dave & Karen - Salsa - "Cuban Pete"
Only one word I can use to describe this: AWFUL! The man can't even Conga in time to the music! (and I'm actually in disbelief at that one as surely everyone can do the Conga?) The only decent parts were the armography sections and the aeroplane spin at the end. Apparently this was the result of 30 hours of rehearsal, I'm starting to think that either Dave simply isn't trying, or he's deliberately being bad. Either way, he should be on his way soon. Expecting Dave to have a Ballroom routine this week.
Judges' score: 17/40 (3, 5, 5, 4)
My score: 3.5 (some nice touches, but overall, 'dahnce disahstah' territory)
Deborah & Robin - Viennese Waltz - "It's A Man's, Man's, Man's World"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT!* (Jade & Ian from series 7 - it's credited under a different name but it is the same song). Ok, so I do kind of get what Robin was going for with the table and all that jazz. But the fact is, messing with the table took up over a third of their routine, and that is way too much. They needed to get into hold earlier, because when they did, it was much better and actually really nice. Deborah seemed to have got the hang of the footwork, the problem was with her frame. She doesn't extend enough through the neck and she seems to have a bit of a loose hold. Nevertheless, I was quite upset that she was eliminated. I loved the partnership - and it is so nice and refreshing to see someone that you know is just loving and enjoying the whole experience of learning to dance. Deborah's attitude was perfect and I wish more of the celebs were like this. Take it seriously by all means, but for god sake, just go out there and enjoy yourself - even if you're not the best dancer, you'll still come across very well to the public.
Judges' score: 27/40 (6, 7, 7, 7)
My score: 6 (kept in time all the way through, good footwork, just a bit too much faffing and a loose hold)
Patrick & Anya - Salsa - "Wings"
First off, I felt so sorry for Patrick. Due to his hand injury, they had to alter or take out some of the lifts, and Anya had to completely change the choreography so that Patrick could dance it with his one good hand. I have to say, they both did a fantastic job considering all that. I thought the routine as a whole was great, and very entertaining. Patrick still needs to do some work on his upper body - it seems to be very loose, and it's causing him problems both in the Latin and the Ballroom (his hold isn't good). His footwork was quite good though (only a few small mistakes). Hopefully he can improve his Ballroom, as he has the Quickstep this week. The worrying thing though, is that he doesn't seem to have much of a fanbase if he was in the bottom 2 this week with the injury.
Judges' score: 28/40 (6, 8, 7, 7)
My score: 6.5 (probably closer to a 7, but it wasn't only 0.5 behind Natalie. I'm also taking into account that he had to dance it all with his less dominant hand, which would have been difficult for him)
Fiona & Anton - Quickstep - "If My Friends Could See Me Now"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT!* (Verona & Paul from series 1). To start with, Tom Chambers' Showdance music anyone? (Albeit a different version I think) Bit of faffing at the start, but only half as much as Deborah's routine. Well done to Anton for putting the little 'cloth' breaks in to help Fiona (it detracted from the dance a bit for me, but I can't deny that it was clever). As for the dancing itself - Fiona messed up the little jump just after they'd got into hold, and she seemed to pre-anticipate some of the steps, so she did them before they were meant to be done. It was a little skippy in places, but it was certainly Fiona's best routine by far. We don't currently know which dance she's doing yet, our guess is a Latin routine.
Judges' score: 30/40 (7, 7, 8, 8)
My core: 6.5 (sorry judges but this was overmarked)
So my leaderboard at the moment goes like this:
1. Abbey & Aljaz - 8
2. Natalie & Artem - 7.5
=3. Patrick & Anya - 6.5
=3. Fiona & Anton - 6.5
5. Deborah & Robin - 6
6. Dave & Karen - 3.5
Part 2 shall be up on Thursday night :)
Thursday 24 October 2013
SCD 2013: Week 4, part 2
It's Thursday so here is part 2 of my week 4 recap.
But first, I would like to respond to a derogatory comment that was made on a previous post. Basically it went along the lines of 'you don't have any comments so your opinion isn't worth anything' (but addressed in a more rude way than that). Well, this is the very first time that I have done a blog for a TV series - I don't expect to get comments. People can choose whether to comment or not; if they do, then great, and if not, then that's fine as well. As long as the viewers of this blog enjoy it and want to read the next installment then I'm happy. If I do get comments then that's a nice bonus. What I will say about that is that whilst constructive criticism is perfectly fine (in fact it's quite welcome), derogatory comments just aren't worth it. If you don't have anything nice to say, then don't bother saying it. If you don't like it, then you don't have to read it. There's a lot of great Strictly blogs out there, mine just offers my own personal take.
That's all I'm going to say on that subject. I'm sorry if it made for slightly uncomfortable reading, but I only discovered the aforementioned comment last night, and I felt that it did need some sort of response.
Now that the slightly depressing part is over and done with, onto the remaining dances!
Deborah & Robin - Jive - "Making Your Mind Up"
Poor, poor Deborah. She got completely screwed over by wardrobe this week. Who on earth thought that wearing a tight pencil skirt teamed with flat, slipper-style shoes was going to produce a good Jive? Ok, so it was definitely Deborah's worst dance, but she still had some nice moments during that routine. That armography part towards the end was good, and some of the arm work throughout was executed well. It didn't help that Robin completely over-danced it either, or that she did forget a couple of the steps. Overall, she did well to get through it. She's got the Viennese Waltz this week, which she should do well with. Just needs to make sure that there's as little gapping as possible and she'll be fine.
Judges' score: 23/40 (5, 6, 6, 6)
My score: 4.5 (I think she deserved the same as Julien)
Natalie & Artem - Quickstep - "Yeah!"
Well Artem has kind of done this routine before - he was part of a group of dancers that performed to this on DWTS. I do agree with Darcey on this one - he could have done with simplifying the routine a little to make it a bit easier on Natalie. As to how Natalie did - she was out of sync with Artem a few times in the beginning, and she seemed to mess up a step towards the end and didn't really recover from it. Also, there was quite a bit of gapping going on during the parts in hold, and either Artem overdanced or Natalie wasn't up to going full pelt. Hopefully her back has got better, as she has the Samba this week. Artem's never done a Samba on Strictly before, so this is kind of unknown territory. I think she'll do a good routine though.
Judges' score: 35/40 (9, 9, 8, 9)
My score: 7.5 (I'd say she was slightly lower than Sophie, but a 7 would be too low)
Patrick & Anya - Cha Cha Cha - "Mercy"
*RECYCLED SONG CHOICE* (Andrew & Ola in series 6). Now this was a nice surprise. Patrick's footwork is great, but his upper body has let him down previously. Whilst that aspect wasn't completely sorted, he's definitely been doing some work on it as it was much better in this routine. I have to admit though, I was kind of scared of the faces he was pulling. Enough for him to present some serious competition to Chris Hollins in the 'Inappropriate Sex Face' contest. That aside, this was definitely his breakthrough with me - I'd found his previous routines a bit boring to watch, but I was glued to this. Loved the little tricks too. He has the Salsa this week, and I predict great things for that performance, if this was anything to go by.
Judges' score: 33/40 (8, 8, 9, 8)
My score: 7 (The faces alone..... *shudder*)
Abbey & Aljaz - Tango - "Spectrum"
I haven't been Abbey's biggest fan, but the girl did good with the Tango. Definitely the wrong song choice, it made the routine quite boring to watch. However, I couldn't spot any errors with this at all. She had the character of the routine down perfectly, she had the staccato and sharpness all the way through. I'm really impressed, if she can get her Latin to the same standard as her Ballroom then she'll be able to rival Natalie no problem. Abbey has the Foxtrot this week, and as her Ballroom is just sublime, this has to be good.
Judges' score: 35/40 (9, 8, 9, 9)
My score: 8 (purely down to the song choice limiting the performance a little)
Dave & Karen - Waltz - "Take it to the Limit"
*RECYCLED SONG CHOICE* (Peter & Erin from series 8, but also Zoe & Ian from series 3). Aww, this was so sweet. Certainly Dave's best dance. He had decent footwork, and delivered a good performance, now he just needs to sort out his arms and hands. They're still quite flat and need to be extended properly. Also his bum does stick out a bit so he has to tuck it under for his next Ballroom dance. I thought the little spin where he pretended to be in hold before he actually got into hold with Karen looked messy at first, but the transition into hold was really smooth. And the reaction at the end was just, so endearing. Dave has the Salsa this week, I think the only words I'll be using are either 'replay button' or 'brain bleach'.
Judges' score: 23/40 (5, 6, 6, 6)
My score: 5 (executed better than Deborah and Julien in my opinion)
Susanna & Kevin - Samba - "Whenever Wherever"
*RECYCLED SONG CHOICE* (Roger & Camilla in series 2). What on earth did I just watch? Kevin, you didn't do that well with the choreography this week. Too much attempting to be sexy and hair-tossing for me (I wonder if he thought he was doing the Salsa instead). You've got to say though, at least Susanna gives it her all in the Latin numbers. She might have made quite a few mistakes, but she just went for it. That was just so cheesy though. The proper bits of Samba that they did were good (apart from a couple of missed hand placements). Brave of Kevin to let her effectively open and close the routine on her own, but I don't know, this just felt like it should have been a comedy routine. Susanna has the American Smooth this week, and as she did really well in her Viennese Waltz a few weeks ago, I think she could get near the top of the leaderboard again.
Judges' score: 29/40 (6, 7, 8, 8)
My score: 6.5
So here was my leaderboard for week 4:
=1. Ashley & Ola - 8
=1. Abbey & Aljaz - 8
=3. Sophie & Brendan - 7.5
=3. Natalie & Artem - 7.5
5. Patrick & Anya - 7
6. Susanna & Kevin - 6.5
=7. Mark & Iveta - 5.5
=7. Rachel & Pasha - 5.5
=7. Ben & Kristina - 5.5
10. Dave & Karen - 5
=11. Julien & Janette - 4.5
=11. Deborah & Robin - 4.5
13. Fiona & Anton - 3
And to end, here's what dances everyone will be doing this weekend:
American Smooth - Susanna & Kevin
Cha Cha Cha - Sophie & Brendan
Foxtrot - Abbey & Aljaz
Jive - Ashley & Ola
Paso Doble - Rachel & Pasha
Quickstep - Ben & Kristina, Fiona & Anton
Salsa - Dave & Karen, Patrick & Anya
Samba - Natalie & Artem
Waltz - Mark & Iveta
Viennese Waltz - Deborah & Robin
But first, I would like to respond to a derogatory comment that was made on a previous post. Basically it went along the lines of 'you don't have any comments so your opinion isn't worth anything' (but addressed in a more rude way than that). Well, this is the very first time that I have done a blog for a TV series - I don't expect to get comments. People can choose whether to comment or not; if they do, then great, and if not, then that's fine as well. As long as the viewers of this blog enjoy it and want to read the next installment then I'm happy. If I do get comments then that's a nice bonus. What I will say about that is that whilst constructive criticism is perfectly fine (in fact it's quite welcome), derogatory comments just aren't worth it. If you don't have anything nice to say, then don't bother saying it. If you don't like it, then you don't have to read it. There's a lot of great Strictly blogs out there, mine just offers my own personal take.
That's all I'm going to say on that subject. I'm sorry if it made for slightly uncomfortable reading, but I only discovered the aforementioned comment last night, and I felt that it did need some sort of response.
Now that the slightly depressing part is over and done with, onto the remaining dances!
Deborah & Robin - Jive - "Making Your Mind Up"
Poor, poor Deborah. She got completely screwed over by wardrobe this week. Who on earth thought that wearing a tight pencil skirt teamed with flat, slipper-style shoes was going to produce a good Jive? Ok, so it was definitely Deborah's worst dance, but she still had some nice moments during that routine. That armography part towards the end was good, and some of the arm work throughout was executed well. It didn't help that Robin completely over-danced it either, or that she did forget a couple of the steps. Overall, she did well to get through it. She's got the Viennese Waltz this week, which she should do well with. Just needs to make sure that there's as little gapping as possible and she'll be fine.
Judges' score: 23/40 (5, 6, 6, 6)
My score: 4.5 (I think she deserved the same as Julien)
Natalie & Artem - Quickstep - "Yeah!"
Well Artem has kind of done this routine before - he was part of a group of dancers that performed to this on DWTS. I do agree with Darcey on this one - he could have done with simplifying the routine a little to make it a bit easier on Natalie. As to how Natalie did - she was out of sync with Artem a few times in the beginning, and she seemed to mess up a step towards the end and didn't really recover from it. Also, there was quite a bit of gapping going on during the parts in hold, and either Artem overdanced or Natalie wasn't up to going full pelt. Hopefully her back has got better, as she has the Samba this week. Artem's never done a Samba on Strictly before, so this is kind of unknown territory. I think she'll do a good routine though.
Judges' score: 35/40 (9, 9, 8, 9)
My score: 7.5 (I'd say she was slightly lower than Sophie, but a 7 would be too low)
Patrick & Anya - Cha Cha Cha - "Mercy"
*RECYCLED SONG CHOICE* (Andrew & Ola in series 6). Now this was a nice surprise. Patrick's footwork is great, but his upper body has let him down previously. Whilst that aspect wasn't completely sorted, he's definitely been doing some work on it as it was much better in this routine. I have to admit though, I was kind of scared of the faces he was pulling. Enough for him to present some serious competition to Chris Hollins in the 'Inappropriate Sex Face' contest. That aside, this was definitely his breakthrough with me - I'd found his previous routines a bit boring to watch, but I was glued to this. Loved the little tricks too. He has the Salsa this week, and I predict great things for that performance, if this was anything to go by.
Judges' score: 33/40 (8, 8, 9, 8)
My score: 7 (The faces alone..... *shudder*)
Abbey & Aljaz - Tango - "Spectrum"
I haven't been Abbey's biggest fan, but the girl did good with the Tango. Definitely the wrong song choice, it made the routine quite boring to watch. However, I couldn't spot any errors with this at all. She had the character of the routine down perfectly, she had the staccato and sharpness all the way through. I'm really impressed, if she can get her Latin to the same standard as her Ballroom then she'll be able to rival Natalie no problem. Abbey has the Foxtrot this week, and as her Ballroom is just sublime, this has to be good.
Judges' score: 35/40 (9, 8, 9, 9)
My score: 8 (purely down to the song choice limiting the performance a little)
Dave & Karen - Waltz - "Take it to the Limit"
*RECYCLED SONG CHOICE* (Peter & Erin from series 8, but also Zoe & Ian from series 3). Aww, this was so sweet. Certainly Dave's best dance. He had decent footwork, and delivered a good performance, now he just needs to sort out his arms and hands. They're still quite flat and need to be extended properly. Also his bum does stick out a bit so he has to tuck it under for his next Ballroom dance. I thought the little spin where he pretended to be in hold before he actually got into hold with Karen looked messy at first, but the transition into hold was really smooth. And the reaction at the end was just, so endearing. Dave has the Salsa this week, I think the only words I'll be using are either 'replay button' or 'brain bleach'.
Judges' score: 23/40 (5, 6, 6, 6)
My score: 5 (executed better than Deborah and Julien in my opinion)
Susanna & Kevin - Samba - "Whenever Wherever"
*RECYCLED SONG CHOICE* (Roger & Camilla in series 2). What on earth did I just watch? Kevin, you didn't do that well with the choreography this week. Too much attempting to be sexy and hair-tossing for me (I wonder if he thought he was doing the Salsa instead). You've got to say though, at least Susanna gives it her all in the Latin numbers. She might have made quite a few mistakes, but she just went for it. That was just so cheesy though. The proper bits of Samba that they did were good (apart from a couple of missed hand placements). Brave of Kevin to let her effectively open and close the routine on her own, but I don't know, this just felt like it should have been a comedy routine. Susanna has the American Smooth this week, and as she did really well in her Viennese Waltz a few weeks ago, I think she could get near the top of the leaderboard again.
Judges' score: 29/40 (6, 7, 8, 8)
My score: 6.5
So here was my leaderboard for week 4:
=1. Ashley & Ola - 8
=1. Abbey & Aljaz - 8
=3. Sophie & Brendan - 7.5
=3. Natalie & Artem - 7.5
5. Patrick & Anya - 7
6. Susanna & Kevin - 6.5
=7. Mark & Iveta - 5.5
=7. Rachel & Pasha - 5.5
=7. Ben & Kristina - 5.5
10. Dave & Karen - 5
=11. Julien & Janette - 4.5
=11. Deborah & Robin - 4.5
13. Fiona & Anton - 3
And to end, here's what dances everyone will be doing this weekend:
American Smooth - Susanna & Kevin
Cha Cha Cha - Sophie & Brendan
Foxtrot - Abbey & Aljaz
Jive - Ashley & Ola
Paso Doble - Rachel & Pasha
Quickstep - Ben & Kristina, Fiona & Anton
Salsa - Dave & Karen, Patrick & Anya
Samba - Natalie & Artem
Waltz - Mark & Iveta
Viennese Waltz - Deborah & Robin
Monday 21 October 2013
SCD 2013: Week 4, part 1
It's Monday night and here I am again with my usual ramblings. So as a quick recap of last time, it was Love Week and Natalie & Artem topped the leaderboard with their Rumba, whilst Vanessa & James Tango-ed their way out of the competition against Julien & Janette (again) in the dance-off.
We're now a third of the way through the series - it's gone quick hasn't it? Soon we'll be at the final, and that's a scary thought (but not as scary as the thought of Halloween week in 2 weeks - awful song choices just to fit the theme, just another normal day at Strictly as far as I'm concerned :D).
Let's get on with the blog. I'll be running through the first 7 dances in this part (so from Sophie & Brendan up to and including Ben & Kristina).
Sophie & Brendan - Foxtrot - "Cheek to Cheek"
It's probably mean of me to say this, but I really want Sophie to lighten up a bit, as sometimes she looks very detached and disinterested - as if she doesn't really want to be there, and as much as I like Brendan it's not helping me to warm to them as a partnership, as much as I want to like them. Onto the dance itself - I think Sophie was excellent in this, only minor issues really. Her arms and hands needed a bit more work, she had what Craig would call 'pancake hands' and she didn't extend her arm as much as she could have at the end. Also, there was quite a bit of gapping in the first half of the dance and you could see Brendan trying to keep her in place. The final thing, and it might just be me not knowing any better, but her head placement seemed a bit odd - Darcey is always telling people to extend so that you can see the neck, and well, I couldn't see Sophie's at all during that routine. That being said, Ballroom is definitely her forte. Currently we don't know her dance for next week, but I feel she'll be doing a Latin.
Judges' score: 35/40 (8, 9, 9, 9)
My score: 7.5
Fiona & Anton - Rumba - "World of our Own"
First off, whoever picked this song should be hung, drawn and quartered, and then shot just to make sure. WooO (funnily enough the initials are perfect for a Rumba) is way too fast for a Rumba, and I just can't believe that no-one would have been able to foresee just how bad this would be. Fiona managed only one good arm extension throughout the whole routine, she definitely forgot most of it (you could tell she was looking at Anton for the next step) and it just looked awful. That being said, either Anton shouldn't have put in the floor parts, or he should have worked out an elegant way for Fiona to get up from them. Also, just before the spin at the end, she caught her heel in the bottom of the dress, which is what made her stumble (and you think the costume people would have thought about that possibility when they designed it). Her worst dance and deservedly her worst score. Fiona has the Quickstep next week, and I reckon Anton will have to do what he did with Jerry Hall and make it quite slow for her so that she can keep up.
Judges' score: 22/40 (4, 6, 6, 6)
My score: 3
Mark & Iveta - Cha Cha Cha - "You Can't Touch This"
I LOVED THIS! Sorry, just had to say it. Iveta's choreography was brilliant once again, Mark can do comedy and he can dance. The section with the shifting feet and then the body rolls from side to side was awesome. I had to dance to this song once back when I used to do cheerleading, and we had to do similar moves for that section - it's difficult to make it look good but Mark managed it so props to him. Ok, so there might not have been much recogniseable Cha Cha content to us non-dancer viewers (although apparently there was quite a bit in there), and he shouldn't have got 8s, but I think the overall score was about right. Again, we don't know what dance they're doing next, but I think they'll be doing Ballroom, as according to Mark his dance is 'totally different' to the Cha Cha Cha and that we 'might be surprised'.
Judges' score: 26/40 (3, 8, 8, 7)
My score: 5.5 (I loved it enough to give more, but I did take into account that it wasn't really a CCC)
Ashley & Ola - Viennese Waltz - "Angel"
Whoever thought this song would suit a Viennese Waltz should also be punished. It's a Waltz song, although I thought Ola did really well in trying to choreograph a routine to it. The only thing is that I wish she didn't put in that bit when Ashley was doing the 'walking whilst floating and extending alternate arms in front of him' (don't know what it's called hehe), it just looked very awkward and out of place with the rest of the routine. Ashley has definitely been working on improving his hands and arms as they were so much better in this dance. To be honest I think they were underscored - you don't need 'gusto' in a Viennese Waltz, and any shortcomings in the performance were down to the song choice really. I thought Ashley should have at least been tied with Patrick, if not one point higher. They have the Jive this week, and I think this may well be Ashley's breakthrough dance. I'll have to see how it looks in training but I have high hopes.
Judges' score: 31/40 (7, 8, 8, 8)
My score: 8 (purely because I personally found more errors in Sophie's routine, I was thinking about an 8.5 score, but then I don't know if he should be a whole point above Sophie in my marking. 8.25 would be more like it)
Julien & Janette - Salsa - "Spice up your Life"
I have to give props to Janette on this one, she did do better with the choreography (and so she bloody well should, she's a Salsa specialist). But, she does like her signature moves doesn't she? (That thing with her head going from side-to-side at the start, and then the extended arm in hold going down and then up, that last one was in their Tango routine) I think Julien knows he probably can't do the choreography well and so just goes for it on the performance side in the hope of making up for it. The problem with that is that he actually is decent in places, but he just can't sustain it throughout the whole routine. So the trouble for him is that he isn't a Dave who's just bad full stop but is entertaining with it, and he isn't a Mark who can do the comedy but can also dance well with it. It's just kind of middle ground and I think it's one of the reasons that he hasn't been doing well in the public vote.
Judges' score: 23/40 (4, 6, 7, 6)
My score: 4.5 (much better than Fiona)
Rachel & Pasha - Quickstep - "Johnny got a Boom Boom"
Is it just me or did it seem to anyone else that they were doing a slow routine to a quick song? No? Just me then. What I can agree with everyone else on is this: what on flipping earth was she wearing? Trousers, as we all know, are a death omen (well, not death, just possible elimination but you get the drift). Onto the routine itself - I'm sorry Pasha but this was a mess, and even you looked ropey in parts. Rachel was struggling to keep up and there was quite a big gap between them on a few occasions. She messed up a leg kick on one of the choruses and I think they both mistimed the little jumps towards the end. Not a good performance from either of them and so I'm kind of not surprised that they were in the bottom 2. We don't know what dance she's doing this week, let's just hope that it isn't a Jive.
Judges' score: 26/40 (5, 7, 7, 7)
My score: 5.5 (I agree that she was on a par with Mark: you have Mark doing non-traditional choreography but executing it well, vs Rachel who has traditional choreography but messing up quite a bit. For me it amounts to the same thing really)
Ben & Kristina - Salsa - "Hard to Handle"
Interesting that Kristina would have danced this dance to this song with Jason had they got through to the final 2 in 2011. So kind of a *recycled song choice* rather than a *RECYCLED SONG CHOICE*. As for the dance itself, well it wasn't really a Salsa was it? Just Kristina doing her usual trick of making it all about her to hide the celebrity (the pro dances do this as well, just making it all about Kristina), and it's a shame that the judges are still falling for it. How the hell was that worth the same as Ashley's routine, or better than Susanna's? It was just lifts and him doing dad dancing for most of it. A bit of faffing at the start (about the same time as Rachel & Pasha spent faffing - 20 seconds) too. He did do well on the armography section though, that was great. And that little backheel to lift Kristina back up was risky but it looked amazing. We learned last week with the Rumba that Ben actually can dance, and yet Julien actually did more Salsa than he did. I'm not looking forward to having to suffer Kristina's choreography for the next 5 or 6 weeks (as I'm expecting Ben to be placed much higher than he should). They have the Quickstep next, so please Kristina, let him actually dance!
Judges' score: 31/40 (8, 8, 8, 7)
My score: 5.5 (the tricks were great but there wasn't much Salsa in there)
So my leaderboard at the moment looks like this:
1. Ashley & Ola - 8
2. Sophie & Brendan - 7.5
=3. Mark & Iveta - 5.5
=3. Rachel & Pasha - 5.5
=3. Ben & Kristina - 5.5
6. Julien & Janette - 4.5
7. Fiona & Anton - 3
The last 6 dances will be covered in part 2, which I'm planning to be up on Thursday :)
We're now a third of the way through the series - it's gone quick hasn't it? Soon we'll be at the final, and that's a scary thought (but not as scary as the thought of Halloween week in 2 weeks - awful song choices just to fit the theme, just another normal day at Strictly as far as I'm concerned :D).
Let's get on with the blog. I'll be running through the first 7 dances in this part (so from Sophie & Brendan up to and including Ben & Kristina).
Sophie & Brendan - Foxtrot - "Cheek to Cheek"
It's probably mean of me to say this, but I really want Sophie to lighten up a bit, as sometimes she looks very detached and disinterested - as if she doesn't really want to be there, and as much as I like Brendan it's not helping me to warm to them as a partnership, as much as I want to like them. Onto the dance itself - I think Sophie was excellent in this, only minor issues really. Her arms and hands needed a bit more work, she had what Craig would call 'pancake hands' and she didn't extend her arm as much as she could have at the end. Also, there was quite a bit of gapping in the first half of the dance and you could see Brendan trying to keep her in place. The final thing, and it might just be me not knowing any better, but her head placement seemed a bit odd - Darcey is always telling people to extend so that you can see the neck, and well, I couldn't see Sophie's at all during that routine. That being said, Ballroom is definitely her forte. Currently we don't know her dance for next week, but I feel she'll be doing a Latin.
Judges' score: 35/40 (8, 9, 9, 9)
My score: 7.5
Fiona & Anton - Rumba - "World of our Own"
First off, whoever picked this song should be hung, drawn and quartered, and then shot just to make sure. WooO (funnily enough the initials are perfect for a Rumba) is way too fast for a Rumba, and I just can't believe that no-one would have been able to foresee just how bad this would be. Fiona managed only one good arm extension throughout the whole routine, she definitely forgot most of it (you could tell she was looking at Anton for the next step) and it just looked awful. That being said, either Anton shouldn't have put in the floor parts, or he should have worked out an elegant way for Fiona to get up from them. Also, just before the spin at the end, she caught her heel in the bottom of the dress, which is what made her stumble (and you think the costume people would have thought about that possibility when they designed it). Her worst dance and deservedly her worst score. Fiona has the Quickstep next week, and I reckon Anton will have to do what he did with Jerry Hall and make it quite slow for her so that she can keep up.
Judges' score: 22/40 (4, 6, 6, 6)
My score: 3
Mark & Iveta - Cha Cha Cha - "You Can't Touch This"
I LOVED THIS! Sorry, just had to say it. Iveta's choreography was brilliant once again, Mark can do comedy and he can dance. The section with the shifting feet and then the body rolls from side to side was awesome. I had to dance to this song once back when I used to do cheerleading, and we had to do similar moves for that section - it's difficult to make it look good but Mark managed it so props to him. Ok, so there might not have been much recogniseable Cha Cha content to us non-dancer viewers (although apparently there was quite a bit in there), and he shouldn't have got 8s, but I think the overall score was about right. Again, we don't know what dance they're doing next, but I think they'll be doing Ballroom, as according to Mark his dance is 'totally different' to the Cha Cha Cha and that we 'might be surprised'.
Judges' score: 26/40 (3, 8, 8, 7)
My score: 5.5 (I loved it enough to give more, but I did take into account that it wasn't really a CCC)
Ashley & Ola - Viennese Waltz - "Angel"
Whoever thought this song would suit a Viennese Waltz should also be punished. It's a Waltz song, although I thought Ola did really well in trying to choreograph a routine to it. The only thing is that I wish she didn't put in that bit when Ashley was doing the 'walking whilst floating and extending alternate arms in front of him' (don't know what it's called hehe), it just looked very awkward and out of place with the rest of the routine. Ashley has definitely been working on improving his hands and arms as they were so much better in this dance. To be honest I think they were underscored - you don't need 'gusto' in a Viennese Waltz, and any shortcomings in the performance were down to the song choice really. I thought Ashley should have at least been tied with Patrick, if not one point higher. They have the Jive this week, and I think this may well be Ashley's breakthrough dance. I'll have to see how it looks in training but I have high hopes.
Judges' score: 31/40 (7, 8, 8, 8)
My score: 8 (purely because I personally found more errors in Sophie's routine, I was thinking about an 8.5 score, but then I don't know if he should be a whole point above Sophie in my marking. 8.25 would be more like it)
Julien & Janette - Salsa - "Spice up your Life"
I have to give props to Janette on this one, she did do better with the choreography (and so she bloody well should, she's a Salsa specialist). But, she does like her signature moves doesn't she? (That thing with her head going from side-to-side at the start, and then the extended arm in hold going down and then up, that last one was in their Tango routine) I think Julien knows he probably can't do the choreography well and so just goes for it on the performance side in the hope of making up for it. The problem with that is that he actually is decent in places, but he just can't sustain it throughout the whole routine. So the trouble for him is that he isn't a Dave who's just bad full stop but is entertaining with it, and he isn't a Mark who can do the comedy but can also dance well with it. It's just kind of middle ground and I think it's one of the reasons that he hasn't been doing well in the public vote.
Judges' score: 23/40 (4, 6, 7, 6)
My score: 4.5 (much better than Fiona)
Rachel & Pasha - Quickstep - "Johnny got a Boom Boom"
Is it just me or did it seem to anyone else that they were doing a slow routine to a quick song? No? Just me then. What I can agree with everyone else on is this: what on flipping earth was she wearing? Trousers, as we all know, are a death omen (well, not death, just possible elimination but you get the drift). Onto the routine itself - I'm sorry Pasha but this was a mess, and even you looked ropey in parts. Rachel was struggling to keep up and there was quite a big gap between them on a few occasions. She messed up a leg kick on one of the choruses and I think they both mistimed the little jumps towards the end. Not a good performance from either of them and so I'm kind of not surprised that they were in the bottom 2. We don't know what dance she's doing this week, let's just hope that it isn't a Jive.
Judges' score: 26/40 (5, 7, 7, 7)
My score: 5.5 (I agree that she was on a par with Mark: you have Mark doing non-traditional choreography but executing it well, vs Rachel who has traditional choreography but messing up quite a bit. For me it amounts to the same thing really)
Ben & Kristina - Salsa - "Hard to Handle"
Interesting that Kristina would have danced this dance to this song with Jason had they got through to the final 2 in 2011. So kind of a *recycled song choice* rather than a *RECYCLED SONG CHOICE*. As for the dance itself, well it wasn't really a Salsa was it? Just Kristina doing her usual trick of making it all about her to hide the celebrity (the pro dances do this as well, just making it all about Kristina), and it's a shame that the judges are still falling for it. How the hell was that worth the same as Ashley's routine, or better than Susanna's? It was just lifts and him doing dad dancing for most of it. A bit of faffing at the start (about the same time as Rachel & Pasha spent faffing - 20 seconds) too. He did do well on the armography section though, that was great. And that little backheel to lift Kristina back up was risky but it looked amazing. We learned last week with the Rumba that Ben actually can dance, and yet Julien actually did more Salsa than he did. I'm not looking forward to having to suffer Kristina's choreography for the next 5 or 6 weeks (as I'm expecting Ben to be placed much higher than he should). They have the Quickstep next, so please Kristina, let him actually dance!
Judges' score: 31/40 (8, 8, 8, 7)
My score: 5.5 (the tricks were great but there wasn't much Salsa in there)
So my leaderboard at the moment looks like this:
1. Ashley & Ola - 8
2. Sophie & Brendan - 7.5
=3. Mark & Iveta - 5.5
=3. Rachel & Pasha - 5.5
=3. Ben & Kristina - 5.5
6. Julien & Janette - 4.5
7. Fiona & Anton - 3
The last 6 dances will be covered in part 2, which I'm planning to be up on Thursday :)
Thursday 17 October 2013
SCD 2013: Week 3, Part 2
Well I posted my thoughts on the first 7 dances a few days ago, and now it's time for me to cover the 7 remaining dances.
Sophie & Brendan - Samba - "All Night Long"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT* (James & Camilla in series 3). I have to say, whilst I loved her Charleston last week, this was a big disappointment for me. Although it looked like she had the bounce action and the footwork right, her arms looked really floppy all the way through and she seriously needs to look at her arm (and in particular her hand) extensions. Also, even though I do appreciate that this was supposedly a 'cool' Samba - the Samba is the party dance and Sophie's looked as though she didn't want to be at that party. She has the Foxtrot this week, and she did well in her Waltz so I'm expecting good things from this.
Judges' score: 31/40 (7, 8, 8, 8)
My score: 6 (floppy arms and not a great performance)
Julien & Janette - Jive - "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT* (Darren & Lilia in series 3). Well I haven't been impressed by Janette's choreography so far, and I'm afraid this did nothing to change my mind. Not much actual Jive content, lots of faffing at the start, the bit at the judges' table wasn't needed, I could go on. She over-danced too, making his footwork look worse than it was. To be fair to Julien, his footwork wasn't too bad for most of it, but he went wrong with the swizzy arms at the beginning and he was a bit out of time ever since. He has the Salsa this week - now this is Janette's specialty, so if she cannot do a decent bit of choreography here then she never will. He has looked ok in training though, but I'm not getting my hopes up.
Judges' score: 22/40 (4, 5, 7, 6)
My score: 4 (out of time etc)
Susanna & Kevin - Viennese Waltz - "Annie's Song"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT* (Andrew & Ola in series 6). I love what Kevin did with the choreography, it flowed really well and although it took them a while to get into proper hold, they didn't faff and actually still danced. Susanna, great arm and hand extensions from you, and the footwork looked spot-on. Now I'm not sure what Len was saying about the incomplete fleckel (or however you spell it, after 10 years I still have no idea), as it seemed perfectly fine. Maybe there was something in the footwork that I couldn't spot? Still, it was gorgeous and I loved it, which I can't say about most VWs. They have the Samba this week, a tough dance but she looks to be doing well with it in training. I'll be interested to see where Kevin goes with the choreography.
Judges' score: 34/40 (8, 9, 9, 8)
My score: 8 (I couldn't spot anything wrong, but I'll go with the judges on the fleckel debate)
Vanessa & James - Tango - "Lay All Your Love on Me"
Firstly, I love this song, so I was hoping for a great performance at least from these two. I was actually pleasantly surprised. Bear in mind that the audio was messed up and so I had to watch most of it without any audio. I didn't like the beginning with the necklace, but I think she completely got the character of it, so very well done there Vanessa (also well done James, as I liked the little Argentine Tango-style section). However, her hold was too loose, she lacked sharpness, and she went wrong with the footwork quite a few times. I'm a bit sad that she's gone out actually, because James was great as part of the comedy pairing and I'd like to see that niceness more often.
Judges' score: 20/40 (3, 5, 6, 6)
My score: 4 (about on a par with Julien for me)
Ashley & Ola - Samba - "Love is in the Air"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT* (Natasha & Brendan in series 1). I thought his American Smooth last week was fantastic so I was intrigued to see how he'd cope with this. I have to say I was impressed. His footwork was great, he had the bounce action, and that section with the drums (bongos I think) was awesome. He just needs to watch his arm and hand extensions. He almost has it perfected, just needs to make sure that he extends the hand all the way through and that he doesn't just throw the arm out, but to place it. He has the Viennese Waltz next time, and I'm really excited to see it as his training looks great.
Judges' score: 31/40 (8, 8, 7, 8)
My score: 7.5 (his arms were much better than Sophie's and he gave a better performance)
Natalie & Artem - Rumba - "Love the Way you Lie"
I so badly want to like this partnership, but I still don't (I think it's Artem as I've never liked any of his partnerships). This might have technically been brilliant, but it was just a bit boring for me. I'm not a fan of Artem's choreography this series so far, everything has bored me when I do actually want to keep watching as I know it's going to be good. They did kind of do an illegal lift at the beginning (both of her feet were briefly off the floor when they did the sweeping spin), and Nat did lose it a bit just after she had to move her hair from her face, but those were the only faults that I could spot. They do have the Quickstep this week, but Natalie is injured with what looks like a compressed disc and sciatica - they'll confirm on ITT tomorrow whether she'll be able to dance on Saturday. I hope she will but it might be better for her to rest this week, take a bye and then see if she's able to do next week.
Judges' score: 36/40 (9, 9, 9, 9)
My score: 8.5 (technically great, but the performance didn't do it for me)
Deborah & Robin - Quickstep - "(Your Love is Lifting Me) Higher & Higher"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT* (Matt & Lilia in series 4). This is probably my favourite pairing. Deborah has such a great attitude to the show and Robin isn't camping it up too much this year choreography-wise. Now this was a lovely surprise. Apart from going slightly wrong at the beginning, Deborah's footwork was excellent, and I loved the Charleston and American Smooth touches within the routine. The main issue was gapping - there was a lot of that within the routine (although I think the music was really quick, she might have been better off with 'It Don't Mean a Thing if it Ain't got that Swing' (the Quickstep version of course) which is a bit slower). They've got the Jive this week, this could be a tricky one and the training doesn't look good. I'll just have to hope and pray for them.
Judges' score: 28/40 (7, 7, 7, 7)
My score: 6 (gapping all the way through)
So my leaderboard for this half is as follows:
1. Natalie & Artem - 8.5
2. Susanna & Kevin - 8
3. Ashley & Ola - 7.5
=4. Sophie & Brendan - 6
=4. Deborah & Robin - 6
=6. Julien & Janette - 4
=6. Vanessa & James - 4
And this is my leaderboard for the week:
1. Natalie & Artem - 8.5
2. Susanna & Kevin - 8
3. Ashley & Ola - 7.5
=4. Fiona & Anton - 6.5
=4. Mark & Iveta - 6.5
=6. Rachel & Pasha - 6
=6. Ben & Kristina - 6
=6. Sophie & Brendan - 6
=6. Deborah & Robin - 6
10. Abbey & Aljaz - 5.5
11. Patrick & Anya - 5
=12. Julien & Janette - 4
=12. Vanessa & James - 4
14. Dave & Karen - 3
So compared to the real leaderboard: Sophie has gone down 3 places, Abbey 5 places, Patrick 2 places, and Ben and Deborah are down 1 place. Fiona and Vanessa have gone up a place, Rachel 3 places and Mark 7 places.
A bit controversial maybe, but that's just my opinion :)
And to finish off, a full list of the dances that will be seen on Saturday:
Cha Cha Cha - Mark & Iveta, Patrick & Anya
Foxtrot - Sophie & Brendan
Jive - Deborah & Robin
Quickstep - Natalie & Artem, Rachel & Pasha
Rumba - Fiona & Anton
Salsa - Ben & Kristina, Julien & Janette
Samba - Susanna & Kevin
Tango - Abbey & Aljaz
Viennese Waltz - Ashley & Ola
Waltz - Dave & Karen
Hope you enjoyed my musings, and I'll be back again next week :D
Sophie & Brendan - Samba - "All Night Long"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT* (James & Camilla in series 3). I have to say, whilst I loved her Charleston last week, this was a big disappointment for me. Although it looked like she had the bounce action and the footwork right, her arms looked really floppy all the way through and she seriously needs to look at her arm (and in particular her hand) extensions. Also, even though I do appreciate that this was supposedly a 'cool' Samba - the Samba is the party dance and Sophie's looked as though she didn't want to be at that party. She has the Foxtrot this week, and she did well in her Waltz so I'm expecting good things from this.
Judges' score: 31/40 (7, 8, 8, 8)
My score: 6 (floppy arms and not a great performance)
Julien & Janette - Jive - "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT* (Darren & Lilia in series 3). Well I haven't been impressed by Janette's choreography so far, and I'm afraid this did nothing to change my mind. Not much actual Jive content, lots of faffing at the start, the bit at the judges' table wasn't needed, I could go on. She over-danced too, making his footwork look worse than it was. To be fair to Julien, his footwork wasn't too bad for most of it, but he went wrong with the swizzy arms at the beginning and he was a bit out of time ever since. He has the Salsa this week - now this is Janette's specialty, so if she cannot do a decent bit of choreography here then she never will. He has looked ok in training though, but I'm not getting my hopes up.
Judges' score: 22/40 (4, 5, 7, 6)
My score: 4 (out of time etc)
Susanna & Kevin - Viennese Waltz - "Annie's Song"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT* (Andrew & Ola in series 6). I love what Kevin did with the choreography, it flowed really well and although it took them a while to get into proper hold, they didn't faff and actually still danced. Susanna, great arm and hand extensions from you, and the footwork looked spot-on. Now I'm not sure what Len was saying about the incomplete fleckel (or however you spell it, after 10 years I still have no idea), as it seemed perfectly fine. Maybe there was something in the footwork that I couldn't spot? Still, it was gorgeous and I loved it, which I can't say about most VWs. They have the Samba this week, a tough dance but she looks to be doing well with it in training. I'll be interested to see where Kevin goes with the choreography.
Judges' score: 34/40 (8, 9, 9, 8)
My score: 8 (I couldn't spot anything wrong, but I'll go with the judges on the fleckel debate)
Vanessa & James - Tango - "Lay All Your Love on Me"
Firstly, I love this song, so I was hoping for a great performance at least from these two. I was actually pleasantly surprised. Bear in mind that the audio was messed up and so I had to watch most of it without any audio. I didn't like the beginning with the necklace, but I think she completely got the character of it, so very well done there Vanessa (also well done James, as I liked the little Argentine Tango-style section). However, her hold was too loose, she lacked sharpness, and she went wrong with the footwork quite a few times. I'm a bit sad that she's gone out actually, because James was great as part of the comedy pairing and I'd like to see that niceness more often.
Judges' score: 20/40 (3, 5, 6, 6)
My score: 4 (about on a par with Julien for me)
Ashley & Ola - Samba - "Love is in the Air"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT* (Natasha & Brendan in series 1). I thought his American Smooth last week was fantastic so I was intrigued to see how he'd cope with this. I have to say I was impressed. His footwork was great, he had the bounce action, and that section with the drums (bongos I think) was awesome. He just needs to watch his arm and hand extensions. He almost has it perfected, just needs to make sure that he extends the hand all the way through and that he doesn't just throw the arm out, but to place it. He has the Viennese Waltz next time, and I'm really excited to see it as his training looks great.
Judges' score: 31/40 (8, 8, 7, 8)
My score: 7.5 (his arms were much better than Sophie's and he gave a better performance)
Natalie & Artem - Rumba - "Love the Way you Lie"
I so badly want to like this partnership, but I still don't (I think it's Artem as I've never liked any of his partnerships). This might have technically been brilliant, but it was just a bit boring for me. I'm not a fan of Artem's choreography this series so far, everything has bored me when I do actually want to keep watching as I know it's going to be good. They did kind of do an illegal lift at the beginning (both of her feet were briefly off the floor when they did the sweeping spin), and Nat did lose it a bit just after she had to move her hair from her face, but those were the only faults that I could spot. They do have the Quickstep this week, but Natalie is injured with what looks like a compressed disc and sciatica - they'll confirm on ITT tomorrow whether she'll be able to dance on Saturday. I hope she will but it might be better for her to rest this week, take a bye and then see if she's able to do next week.
Judges' score: 36/40 (9, 9, 9, 9)
My score: 8.5 (technically great, but the performance didn't do it for me)
Deborah & Robin - Quickstep - "(Your Love is Lifting Me) Higher & Higher"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT* (Matt & Lilia in series 4). This is probably my favourite pairing. Deborah has such a great attitude to the show and Robin isn't camping it up too much this year choreography-wise. Now this was a lovely surprise. Apart from going slightly wrong at the beginning, Deborah's footwork was excellent, and I loved the Charleston and American Smooth touches within the routine. The main issue was gapping - there was a lot of that within the routine (although I think the music was really quick, she might have been better off with 'It Don't Mean a Thing if it Ain't got that Swing' (the Quickstep version of course) which is a bit slower). They've got the Jive this week, this could be a tricky one and the training doesn't look good. I'll just have to hope and pray for them.
Judges' score: 28/40 (7, 7, 7, 7)
My score: 6 (gapping all the way through)
So my leaderboard for this half is as follows:
1. Natalie & Artem - 8.5
2. Susanna & Kevin - 8
3. Ashley & Ola - 7.5
=4. Sophie & Brendan - 6
=4. Deborah & Robin - 6
=6. Julien & Janette - 4
=6. Vanessa & James - 4
And this is my leaderboard for the week:
1. Natalie & Artem - 8.5
2. Susanna & Kevin - 8
3. Ashley & Ola - 7.5
=4. Fiona & Anton - 6.5
=4. Mark & Iveta - 6.5
=6. Rachel & Pasha - 6
=6. Ben & Kristina - 6
=6. Sophie & Brendan - 6
=6. Deborah & Robin - 6
10. Abbey & Aljaz - 5.5
11. Patrick & Anya - 5
=12. Julien & Janette - 4
=12. Vanessa & James - 4
14. Dave & Karen - 3
So compared to the real leaderboard: Sophie has gone down 3 places, Abbey 5 places, Patrick 2 places, and Ben and Deborah are down 1 place. Fiona and Vanessa have gone up a place, Rachel 3 places and Mark 7 places.
A bit controversial maybe, but that's just my opinion :)
And to finish off, a full list of the dances that will be seen on Saturday:
Cha Cha Cha - Mark & Iveta, Patrick & Anya
Foxtrot - Sophie & Brendan
Jive - Deborah & Robin
Quickstep - Natalie & Artem, Rachel & Pasha
Rumba - Fiona & Anton
Salsa - Ben & Kristina, Julien & Janette
Samba - Susanna & Kevin
Tango - Abbey & Aljaz
Viennese Waltz - Ashley & Ola
Waltz - Dave & Karen
Hope you enjoyed my musings, and I'll be back again next week :D
Monday 14 October 2013
SCD 2013: Week 3, part 1
First off, apologies for not posting last week. I've been both ill and very busy so I couldn't put up the blog :)
My favourites were: Mark & Iveta's Salsa, Deborah & Robin's CCC, and Ashley & Ola's American Smooth. (I did love Sophie's Charleston as well but I just can't take to her)
So this week was Luurrrrrve Week (also known as Recycled Songs Week), and our 14 remaining couples did about 12 different dances to try and avoid being eliminated. My thoughts, as always, are below. I'll be covering the first 7 dances in this part, and part 2 will be for the final 7 dances.
Now before I start, there's been a bit of a debate over on Digital Spy as to what a recycled song choice actually is: to me, it has to have been to the same dance style to count as a recycled song choice; whereas for others, it's just whether it's been used before at all. So for me, there's 10 recycled songs, whilst the other interpretation gives 11 recycled ones.
We've got the boring bit over with, so let's go!
Abbey & Aljaz - Jive - "Can't Buy Me Love"
Abbey didn't do so well in her Cha Cha Cha last week, so I was hoping for a bit of improvement from her Jive. Sadly I didn't get it. Her footwork was extremely laboured (although Aljaz did over-dance a bit), and Aljaz' choreography wasn't good - took way too long to start properly Jiving (about a quarter of the way through in fact) and although it improved towards the end, I think he could have done something so that Abbey didn't look so laboured. I haven't been impressed with his Latin choreography so far, so I'll just be hoping for a decent Paso from now on I think. It's not known yet which dance they have this week, but the presumption is that they'll have some sort of Ballroom routine - my guess is either a Tango or an American Smooth.
Judges' score: 28/40 (6, 7, 8, 7)
My score: 5.5 (I would put her just ahead of Patrick, as she at least performed relatively well. NOTE: due to the order of clips on the BBC website, I watched Patrick's dance before Abbey's, hence the comparison here)
Patrick & Anya - Foxtrot - "Let There Be Love"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT* (Pamela & James in series 8). Ok, so I've said before how Patrick's feet are generally good, but that his upper half is really letting him down. More of the same again I'm afraid. He seems very uncomfortable in hold, which is strange as with his injury, you would think that he'd have more problems with the footwork. He was hunching over Anya at times, there was gapping at several points, and he just didn't look elegant at all. Whilst I've liked Anya's choreography so far, this dance wasn't for me - a bit too much faffing at the start to get into hold, and the standing spin didn't do Patrick any favours at all. I did quite like the ending though. They have the Cha Cha Cha next week, so Patrick should be ok as long as he can do the arm movements for things like New Yorkers.
Judges' score: 27/40 (6, 7, 7, 7)
My score: 5 (it was ok but he doesn't seem to be improving at all)
Dave & Karen - Paso Doble - "I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT* (Matt & Lilia in series 4). Oh. Good. Lord. What did my eyes just witness? You know it's bad when you know that it's meant to be funny and yet you don't laugh. In their defence, I don't think the song choice helped them at all. Paso(s) are meant to be dramatic and fiery, this was half of that and half limp and lifeless. Too much time spent faffing at the start (Dave didn't really start doing anything until the cape twirling at about 30 seconds in - just when the music went into the faster tempo. Added to that, he was much better when the music was uptempo.), and there wasn't much Paso content in there. Come on Karen, step it up! Even Russell Grant's Paso had a lot more content in and was actually entertaining. Dave tried to look masculine and ended up looking like he was building up to a massive trump (sorry Dave). Well, he has the Waltz this week, and I get the feeling that he might end up in the bottom 2 on that dance.
Judges' score: 16/40 (2, 5, 5, 4)
My score: 3 (not much content, danced badly)
Fiona & Anton - Waltz - "True Love"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT* (Denise & Ian in series 2). I have to say, Fiona really upped her game this week. That's the best that I've seen her dance. Anton has showcased her beautifully. She's almost got the arm extensions, just needs to extend through the hand to finish off the line. Also, her footwork was great. Her main issue in this dance was the spinning sections. She seems to be a little uncomfortable when spinning: Fiona tends to bring her arms up to her chest, and I think she loses her balance a little as her feet get a bit muddled up after - I hate to say it but she needs to copy DVO's example (have the arms at her sides but shaped, and ensure that she 'spots' so that her feet are in the right position for the next step). The only other thing that I spotted is that she needed to move her head to the left a little more and try to elongate the neck (I'm starting to sound like Darcey). Fiona has the Rumba next, and I actually believe this could be a good dance for her.
Judges' score: 28/40 (7, 7, 7, 7)
My score: 6.5 (minor issues really, and I think she deserved to be higher than Abbey)
Rachel & Pasha - Cha Cha Cha - "When Love Takes Over"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT* (Alex & James in series 9). Firstly, much better from Rachel this week. However, I really didn't like the choreography. It just didn't really flow for me. Rachel still seems a bit unsure on how to move her upper body - she doesn't quite know what to do with her free arm (although at least she did place it, albeit in the same position), and she just seemed a bit awkward as she didn't have much to do at some points. Her footwork was great though, and from that little foot swivel-ly section until the end she danced brilliantly (it did look as though she went a little wrong in the end position though). A bit more work and polish and she could be a 'journey' contestant. Rachel has the Quickstep next, and I'm a little worried for her, I think she might struggle with the speed.
Judges' score: 27/40 (6, 7, 7, 7)
My score: 6 (just a bit under Fiona, due to the slightly awkward parts, and I don't think the choreography helped her)
Mark & Iveta - American Smooth - "It Must Be Love"
I really liked this, Iveta did a great job with the choreography and Mark did well with a less 'comedic' dance. Like Fiona, he nearly had the arm extension but just needs to shape the hand (pancake/spatulistic); there was much less gapping this time and the only dodgy part footwork part was when he did the spins mirroring Iveta (he nearly bumped into her at one point). He's definitely getting there and is a better comedy act than Dave. We're not sure what dance he has next, but it's a 'less serious' one than the American Smooth according to Mark, so we think either a Quickstep or a Latin number - I can't wait!
Judges' score: 26/40 (6, 6, 7, 7)
My score: 6.5 (about the same as Fiona for me, he had the same problems but also performed well)
Ben & Kristina - Rumba - "To Make You Feel My Love"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT* (Pamela & James in series 8). This was definitely his best dance yet. I'm not normally a fan of Kristina's choreography but I have to give credit to her for this routine. Ben had good footwork, some semblance of hip action and I think he managed the impressive feat of still looking masculine whilst doing the Rumba. He also at least tried to do something with his free arm (although he does need to work on his hands). I do think he forgot the routine at one point though, when he was meant to pick up Kristina's leg whilst she arched back, it's as if he forgot he had to do that bit. All in all, a vast improvement. Ben has the Salsa this week and I think he could actually do alright with it (maybe Kristina could put in quite a bit of armography as I reckon he could do that well, and we know the lifts are going to be good).
Judges' score: 28/40 (7, 7, 7, 7)
My score: 6 (about on a par with Rachel, and I think he gave a great performance)
So my leaderboard for this part goes like this:
=1. Fiona & Anton - 6.5
=1. Mark & Iveta - 6.5
=3. Rachel & Pasha - 6
=3. Ben & Kristina - 6
5. Abbey & Aljaz - 5.5
6. Patrick & Anya - 5
7. Dave & Karen - 3
Looks like I really disagree with the judges hehe. Part 2 should be up either Wednesday or Thursday - I run a game on DS and it depends what day I'm able to put the show up this week (at the moment it's looking like Wednesday at the earliest meaning that this would be posted on Thursday).
Hope you've enjoyed the blog so far. If there's something you particularly like about it, something you might want me to include or maybe ways for me to improve it; or even if you just want to agree or disagree with me, then let me know by commenting.
My favourites were: Mark & Iveta's Salsa, Deborah & Robin's CCC, and Ashley & Ola's American Smooth. (I did love Sophie's Charleston as well but I just can't take to her)
So this week was Luurrrrrve Week (also known as Recycled Songs Week), and our 14 remaining couples did about 12 different dances to try and avoid being eliminated. My thoughts, as always, are below. I'll be covering the first 7 dances in this part, and part 2 will be for the final 7 dances.
Now before I start, there's been a bit of a debate over on Digital Spy as to what a recycled song choice actually is: to me, it has to have been to the same dance style to count as a recycled song choice; whereas for others, it's just whether it's been used before at all. So for me, there's 10 recycled songs, whilst the other interpretation gives 11 recycled ones.
We've got the boring bit over with, so let's go!
Abbey & Aljaz - Jive - "Can't Buy Me Love"
Abbey didn't do so well in her Cha Cha Cha last week, so I was hoping for a bit of improvement from her Jive. Sadly I didn't get it. Her footwork was extremely laboured (although Aljaz did over-dance a bit), and Aljaz' choreography wasn't good - took way too long to start properly Jiving (about a quarter of the way through in fact) and although it improved towards the end, I think he could have done something so that Abbey didn't look so laboured. I haven't been impressed with his Latin choreography so far, so I'll just be hoping for a decent Paso from now on I think. It's not known yet which dance they have this week, but the presumption is that they'll have some sort of Ballroom routine - my guess is either a Tango or an American Smooth.
Judges' score: 28/40 (6, 7, 8, 7)
My score: 5.5 (I would put her just ahead of Patrick, as she at least performed relatively well. NOTE: due to the order of clips on the BBC website, I watched Patrick's dance before Abbey's, hence the comparison here)
Patrick & Anya - Foxtrot - "Let There Be Love"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT* (Pamela & James in series 8). Ok, so I've said before how Patrick's feet are generally good, but that his upper half is really letting him down. More of the same again I'm afraid. He seems very uncomfortable in hold, which is strange as with his injury, you would think that he'd have more problems with the footwork. He was hunching over Anya at times, there was gapping at several points, and he just didn't look elegant at all. Whilst I've liked Anya's choreography so far, this dance wasn't for me - a bit too much faffing at the start to get into hold, and the standing spin didn't do Patrick any favours at all. I did quite like the ending though. They have the Cha Cha Cha next week, so Patrick should be ok as long as he can do the arm movements for things like New Yorkers.
Judges' score: 27/40 (6, 7, 7, 7)
My score: 5 (it was ok but he doesn't seem to be improving at all)
Dave & Karen - Paso Doble - "I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT* (Matt & Lilia in series 4). Oh. Good. Lord. What did my eyes just witness? You know it's bad when you know that it's meant to be funny and yet you don't laugh. In their defence, I don't think the song choice helped them at all. Paso(s) are meant to be dramatic and fiery, this was half of that and half limp and lifeless. Too much time spent faffing at the start (Dave didn't really start doing anything until the cape twirling at about 30 seconds in - just when the music went into the faster tempo. Added to that, he was much better when the music was uptempo.), and there wasn't much Paso content in there. Come on Karen, step it up! Even Russell Grant's Paso had a lot more content in and was actually entertaining. Dave tried to look masculine and ended up looking like he was building up to a massive trump (sorry Dave). Well, he has the Waltz this week, and I get the feeling that he might end up in the bottom 2 on that dance.
Judges' score: 16/40 (2, 5, 5, 4)
My score: 3 (not much content, danced badly)
Fiona & Anton - Waltz - "True Love"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT* (Denise & Ian in series 2). I have to say, Fiona really upped her game this week. That's the best that I've seen her dance. Anton has showcased her beautifully. She's almost got the arm extensions, just needs to extend through the hand to finish off the line. Also, her footwork was great. Her main issue in this dance was the spinning sections. She seems to be a little uncomfortable when spinning: Fiona tends to bring her arms up to her chest, and I think she loses her balance a little as her feet get a bit muddled up after - I hate to say it but she needs to copy DVO's example (have the arms at her sides but shaped, and ensure that she 'spots' so that her feet are in the right position for the next step). The only other thing that I spotted is that she needed to move her head to the left a little more and try to elongate the neck (I'm starting to sound like Darcey). Fiona has the Rumba next, and I actually believe this could be a good dance for her.
Judges' score: 28/40 (7, 7, 7, 7)
My score: 6.5 (minor issues really, and I think she deserved to be higher than Abbey)
Rachel & Pasha - Cha Cha Cha - "When Love Takes Over"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT* (Alex & James in series 9). Firstly, much better from Rachel this week. However, I really didn't like the choreography. It just didn't really flow for me. Rachel still seems a bit unsure on how to move her upper body - she doesn't quite know what to do with her free arm (although at least she did place it, albeit in the same position), and she just seemed a bit awkward as she didn't have much to do at some points. Her footwork was great though, and from that little foot swivel-ly section until the end she danced brilliantly (it did look as though she went a little wrong in the end position though). A bit more work and polish and she could be a 'journey' contestant. Rachel has the Quickstep next, and I'm a little worried for her, I think she might struggle with the speed.
Judges' score: 27/40 (6, 7, 7, 7)
My score: 6 (just a bit under Fiona, due to the slightly awkward parts, and I don't think the choreography helped her)
Mark & Iveta - American Smooth - "It Must Be Love"
I really liked this, Iveta did a great job with the choreography and Mark did well with a less 'comedic' dance. Like Fiona, he nearly had the arm extension but just needs to shape the hand (pancake/spatulistic); there was much less gapping this time and the only dodgy part footwork part was when he did the spins mirroring Iveta (he nearly bumped into her at one point). He's definitely getting there and is a better comedy act than Dave. We're not sure what dance he has next, but it's a 'less serious' one than the American Smooth according to Mark, so we think either a Quickstep or a Latin number - I can't wait!
Judges' score: 26/40 (6, 6, 7, 7)
My score: 6.5 (about the same as Fiona for me, he had the same problems but also performed well)
Ben & Kristina - Rumba - "To Make You Feel My Love"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT* (Pamela & James in series 8). This was definitely his best dance yet. I'm not normally a fan of Kristina's choreography but I have to give credit to her for this routine. Ben had good footwork, some semblance of hip action and I think he managed the impressive feat of still looking masculine whilst doing the Rumba. He also at least tried to do something with his free arm (although he does need to work on his hands). I do think he forgot the routine at one point though, when he was meant to pick up Kristina's leg whilst she arched back, it's as if he forgot he had to do that bit. All in all, a vast improvement. Ben has the Salsa this week and I think he could actually do alright with it (maybe Kristina could put in quite a bit of armography as I reckon he could do that well, and we know the lifts are going to be good).
Judges' score: 28/40 (7, 7, 7, 7)
My score: 6 (about on a par with Rachel, and I think he gave a great performance)
So my leaderboard for this part goes like this:
=1. Fiona & Anton - 6.5
=1. Mark & Iveta - 6.5
=3. Rachel & Pasha - 6
=3. Ben & Kristina - 6
5. Abbey & Aljaz - 5.5
6. Patrick & Anya - 5
7. Dave & Karen - 3
Looks like I really disagree with the judges hehe. Part 2 should be up either Wednesday or Thursday - I run a game on DS and it depends what day I'm able to put the show up this week (at the moment it's looking like Wednesday at the earliest meaning that this would be posted on Thursday).
Hope you've enjoyed the blog so far. If there's something you particularly like about it, something you might want me to include or maybe ways for me to improve it; or even if you just want to agree or disagree with me, then let me know by commenting.
Friday 4 October 2013
SCD 2013: Week 1, Saturday
Sorry for this not being up on Thursday like I had said it would - I've been a bit busy since getting back home so I've only just been able to write this up.
For those of you who don't know me, I'm a non-dancer as such: I did freestyle dancing for around 6 years when I was younger, but no Ballroom or Latin training. But from watching Strictly since the start, I do have a decent idea of how things should look. Whilst I have my first impressions of each dance from watching the show, I do look at the dances again via the clips on the BBC website, so that I can put some of the more technical aspects in the reviews.
With that being said, let's get started!
Ben & Kristina - Cha Cha Cha - "Love Me Again"
Not the best song choice for them, it does have it's CCC moments but a lot of it is just too slow for the dance. On to Ben - dodgy footwork from him for most of the routine (although it was decent on occasion), and he obviously can't dance on his own as he's with Kristina all the time. That being said, at least he did something with his free arm, even if it was just the same pose (hand on hip) all of the time. You could tell that he forgot something at one point as his free arm position wasn't there, even though his feet were moving. Also, it looked as though he was just following Kristina's movements sometimes, rather than actually doing them himself if you know what I mean. I guess he struggled to hear the beat of the song (to be fair to him, I would have struggled a bit too). He has the Waltz this week so that should be a better dance for him.
Judges' scores: 19/40 (3, 5, 6, 5)
My score: 4 (lots of mistakes, quite stiff, not much dancing going on)
Fiona & Anton - Tango - "A View to a Kill"
Now TPTB must think that Fiona wouldn't last long, or else they wouldn't have played their 'Bond music' card so early on. I didn't like the beginning and end of the routine, bit too gimmicky for my liking. On to Fiona - framing issues due to her left hand being in the wrong position, and her footwork was quite dreadful for the most part. The Tango should look staccato rather than stutter-y. Her leg kick wasn't good and she seemed to mess up the quick foot change soon after. Also, her arm extension towards the end of the routine, she just flung that arm out and didn't bother to extend it. Overall, I was a little underwhelmed to be honest. She has the Cha Cha Cha coming up so she needs to improve fast.
Judges' scores: 24/40 (5, 6, 7, 6)
My score: 4 (about on a par with Ben for me: if I had to separate them, I'd say Fiona gave a better performance)
Dave & Karen - Cha Cha Cha - "Moves Like Jagger"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT* (Harry & Aliona's CCC in series 9, but the music was slowed down quite a bit for Dave & Karen). First off, I LOVED IT! Falls into the 'so bad that it's good' category for me. On to Dave - his footwork was decent in places, and the man can certainly gyrate, but that's about as good as it gets technically. I think he should have scored lower than Tony really, but you can tell that Dave was actually trying as well as having fun with the routine (although I think he did forget it at one point from having too much fun). Love the nod to John Sergeant too. He has the American Smooth this week; it depends on how Karen chooses to choreograph it as to whether it might actually be quite good.
Judges' scores: 16/40 (2, 5, 5, 4)
My score: 3 (sorry Dave, I love you but it wasn't good)
Rachel & Pasha - Waltz - "When I Need You"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT* (Patsy & Robin from series 8). I wasn't expecting much of Rachel after the launch show (she had a nightmare in the group dance), but this wasn't too bad. She had some issues with her frame (the head was in a strange position and there was some gapping on occasion), and her footwork, well what I could see of it with her dress covering it most of the time, was slightly dodgy in a couple of places, but she did quite well with it. The one thing I would say that she needs to do is to watch her free arm - it seemed as though she didn't really know what to do with it sometimes - and her arm extensions in general. She almost had it, but she didn't fully extend through the hand so it looked a bit messy. She's got Salsa this week; good luck with that one Rach as you might just need it.
Judges' scores: 27/40 (6, 7, 7, 7)
My score: 5.5 (mostly just minor errors that she can fix easily)
Julien & Janette - Cha Cha Cha - "Vogue"
Oh. Good. Lord. Probably one of the worst CCCs I've seen for a while (I'm sad to say Dave's was better) - this was more Vogue-ing and posing than CCC. He tried, I can give him that, and ok, the raised platform didn't help him, but this was awful. The faces alone...... *shudders*. What was Janette thinking when she choreographed this? Not much more I can say about it really. He has the Tango this week, and I hope Janette gives him something to do, although it doesn't look like it from the training footage.
Judges' scores: 20/40 (3, 5, 6, 6)
My score: 2 (how he got half marks is beyond me)
Deborah & Robin - Tango - "Money Money Money"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT* (Ray & Camilla from series 4). I love this partnership, and their training looked good so I was hoping for a decent performance. On to Deborah - her posture was good most of the time (she did lose it at one bit) but she had big problems with gapping. Her body (well torso really) was turned out when it should have been turned in. Also, although she did have some great footwork in there, she did mess up sometimes and it looked a bit skippy (Fiona had this issue as well). She did get the character right though, so props to her for that when she isn't an actress. She has the Cha Cha Cha this week, and the training footage looks great so I'm hoping for another decent showing from her.
Judges' scores: 24/40 (6, 6, 6, 6)
My score: 5
Patrick & Anya - Jive - "Runaway Baby"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT* (Holly & Artem in series 9). I did find this couple a bit forgettable, so I was hoping that this dance might make up for it. And it did, it was a really pleasant surprise for me. Patrick's footwork was great but his upper body really let him down - he doesn't seem to know what to do with it and his arm extensions were quite bad, just threw most of those away. I loved the whole performance of the routine, and Anya did a great job with it. He has the Tango next, so he should be much better in hold and I think this might be another pleasant surprise.
Judges' scores: 28/40 (7, 7, 7, 7)
My score: 5.5 (footwork awesome, but upper body not good)
Vanessa & James - Cha Cha Cha - "That don't Impress me Much"
Here comes the comedy pairing :D I have to say that I love James as the comic relief, makes a nice change :p . As to Vanessa - she has the same problem as Patrick: her footwork is alright, even decent at times (I thought the set of side-by-side CC walks at the beginning was good); but her upper body is giving her issues. She seems to be out of balance quite a lot in that routine and I'm wondering if she has a weak core? Her arms aren't good either, but she did have some nice finishes with them. She can improve, and I think the Waltz this week could be a good one for her.
Judges' scores: 19/40 (3, 5, 6, 5)
My score: 3.5 (somewhere between Dave and Ben/Fiona - she did try and she could do the footwork)
Abbey & Aljaz - Waltz - "Kissing You"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT* (Ricky & Natalie in series 7). I must admit, I'm not a fan of this pair: Abbey seems very detached from the whole thing (very defensive posture when in the Strictly/ITT studio) and Aljaz hasn't shown much personality yet. That said, this was an excellent routine. The only problem was that there was quite a bit of gapping going on, but Aljaz solved the problem of the free arm by giving her things to do with it. Not a traditional Waltz, but it really worked. They have the Cha Cha Cha next and that also looks to be a good routine for them. She may just be a contender to 'ringer' Natalie.
Judges' scores: 32/40 (8, 8, 8, 8)
My score: 7.5 (just the amount of gapping)
My Leaderboard:
1. Abbey & Aljaz - 7.5/10
=2. Rachel & Pasha - 5.5/10
=2. Patrick & Anya - 5.5/10
4. Deborah & Robin - 5/10
=5. Ben & Kristina - 4/10
=5. Fiona & Anton - 4/10
7. Vanessa & James - 3.5/10
8. Dave & Karen - 3/10
9. Julien & Janette - 2/10
For those of you who don't know me, I'm a non-dancer as such: I did freestyle dancing for around 6 years when I was younger, but no Ballroom or Latin training. But from watching Strictly since the start, I do have a decent idea of how things should look. Whilst I have my first impressions of each dance from watching the show, I do look at the dances again via the clips on the BBC website, so that I can put some of the more technical aspects in the reviews.
With that being said, let's get started!
Ben & Kristina - Cha Cha Cha - "Love Me Again"
Not the best song choice for them, it does have it's CCC moments but a lot of it is just too slow for the dance. On to Ben - dodgy footwork from him for most of the routine (although it was decent on occasion), and he obviously can't dance on his own as he's with Kristina all the time. That being said, at least he did something with his free arm, even if it was just the same pose (hand on hip) all of the time. You could tell that he forgot something at one point as his free arm position wasn't there, even though his feet were moving. Also, it looked as though he was just following Kristina's movements sometimes, rather than actually doing them himself if you know what I mean. I guess he struggled to hear the beat of the song (to be fair to him, I would have struggled a bit too). He has the Waltz this week so that should be a better dance for him.
Judges' scores: 19/40 (3, 5, 6, 5)
My score: 4 (lots of mistakes, quite stiff, not much dancing going on)
Fiona & Anton - Tango - "A View to a Kill"
Now TPTB must think that Fiona wouldn't last long, or else they wouldn't have played their 'Bond music' card so early on. I didn't like the beginning and end of the routine, bit too gimmicky for my liking. On to Fiona - framing issues due to her left hand being in the wrong position, and her footwork was quite dreadful for the most part. The Tango should look staccato rather than stutter-y. Her leg kick wasn't good and she seemed to mess up the quick foot change soon after. Also, her arm extension towards the end of the routine, she just flung that arm out and didn't bother to extend it. Overall, I was a little underwhelmed to be honest. She has the Cha Cha Cha coming up so she needs to improve fast.
Judges' scores: 24/40 (5, 6, 7, 6)
My score: 4 (about on a par with Ben for me: if I had to separate them, I'd say Fiona gave a better performance)
Dave & Karen - Cha Cha Cha - "Moves Like Jagger"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT* (Harry & Aliona's CCC in series 9, but the music was slowed down quite a bit for Dave & Karen). First off, I LOVED IT! Falls into the 'so bad that it's good' category for me. On to Dave - his footwork was decent in places, and the man can certainly gyrate, but that's about as good as it gets technically. I think he should have scored lower than Tony really, but you can tell that Dave was actually trying as well as having fun with the routine (although I think he did forget it at one point from having too much fun). Love the nod to John Sergeant too. He has the American Smooth this week; it depends on how Karen chooses to choreograph it as to whether it might actually be quite good.
Judges' scores: 16/40 (2, 5, 5, 4)
My score: 3 (sorry Dave, I love you but it wasn't good)
Rachel & Pasha - Waltz - "When I Need You"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT* (Patsy & Robin from series 8). I wasn't expecting much of Rachel after the launch show (she had a nightmare in the group dance), but this wasn't too bad. She had some issues with her frame (the head was in a strange position and there was some gapping on occasion), and her footwork, well what I could see of it with her dress covering it most of the time, was slightly dodgy in a couple of places, but she did quite well with it. The one thing I would say that she needs to do is to watch her free arm - it seemed as though she didn't really know what to do with it sometimes - and her arm extensions in general. She almost had it, but she didn't fully extend through the hand so it looked a bit messy. She's got Salsa this week; good luck with that one Rach as you might just need it.
Judges' scores: 27/40 (6, 7, 7, 7)
My score: 5.5 (mostly just minor errors that she can fix easily)
Julien & Janette - Cha Cha Cha - "Vogue"
Oh. Good. Lord. Probably one of the worst CCCs I've seen for a while (I'm sad to say Dave's was better) - this was more Vogue-ing and posing than CCC. He tried, I can give him that, and ok, the raised platform didn't help him, but this was awful. The faces alone...... *shudders*. What was Janette thinking when she choreographed this? Not much more I can say about it really. He has the Tango this week, and I hope Janette gives him something to do, although it doesn't look like it from the training footage.
Judges' scores: 20/40 (3, 5, 6, 6)
My score: 2 (how he got half marks is beyond me)
Deborah & Robin - Tango - "Money Money Money"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT* (Ray & Camilla from series 4). I love this partnership, and their training looked good so I was hoping for a decent performance. On to Deborah - her posture was good most of the time (she did lose it at one bit) but she had big problems with gapping. Her body (well torso really) was turned out when it should have been turned in. Also, although she did have some great footwork in there, she did mess up sometimes and it looked a bit skippy (Fiona had this issue as well). She did get the character right though, so props to her for that when she isn't an actress. She has the Cha Cha Cha this week, and the training footage looks great so I'm hoping for another decent showing from her.
Judges' scores: 24/40 (6, 6, 6, 6)
My score: 5
Patrick & Anya - Jive - "Runaway Baby"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT* (Holly & Artem in series 9). I did find this couple a bit forgettable, so I was hoping that this dance might make up for it. And it did, it was a really pleasant surprise for me. Patrick's footwork was great but his upper body really let him down - he doesn't seem to know what to do with it and his arm extensions were quite bad, just threw most of those away. I loved the whole performance of the routine, and Anya did a great job with it. He has the Tango next, so he should be much better in hold and I think this might be another pleasant surprise.
Judges' scores: 28/40 (7, 7, 7, 7)
My score: 5.5 (footwork awesome, but upper body not good)
Vanessa & James - Cha Cha Cha - "That don't Impress me Much"
Here comes the comedy pairing :D I have to say that I love James as the comic relief, makes a nice change :p . As to Vanessa - she has the same problem as Patrick: her footwork is alright, even decent at times (I thought the set of side-by-side CC walks at the beginning was good); but her upper body is giving her issues. She seems to be out of balance quite a lot in that routine and I'm wondering if she has a weak core? Her arms aren't good either, but she did have some nice finishes with them. She can improve, and I think the Waltz this week could be a good one for her.
Judges' scores: 19/40 (3, 5, 6, 5)
My score: 3.5 (somewhere between Dave and Ben/Fiona - she did try and she could do the footwork)
Abbey & Aljaz - Waltz - "Kissing You"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT* (Ricky & Natalie in series 7). I must admit, I'm not a fan of this pair: Abbey seems very detached from the whole thing (very defensive posture when in the Strictly/ITT studio) and Aljaz hasn't shown much personality yet. That said, this was an excellent routine. The only problem was that there was quite a bit of gapping going on, but Aljaz solved the problem of the free arm by giving her things to do with it. Not a traditional Waltz, but it really worked. They have the Cha Cha Cha next and that also looks to be a good routine for them. She may just be a contender to 'ringer' Natalie.
Judges' scores: 32/40 (8, 8, 8, 8)
My score: 7.5 (just the amount of gapping)
My Leaderboard:
1. Abbey & Aljaz - 7.5/10
=2. Rachel & Pasha - 5.5/10
=2. Patrick & Anya - 5.5/10
4. Deborah & Robin - 5/10
=5. Ben & Kristina - 4/10
=5. Fiona & Anton - 4/10
7. Vanessa & James - 3.5/10
8. Dave & Karen - 3/10
9. Julien & Janette - 2/10
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