So it's the week after Blackpool, and good news - Claudia's back! I thought the applause for her at the beginning of the show, and Kristina's welcome back for her were really nice touches. Also, applause to Zoe for doing such a great job standing in for the last 3 weeks. Loved Claudia's sparkly jumpsuit too, she won in the style stakes for me (although my dad reckoned both her and Tess were in need of some fake tan).
Onto the main show - we saw 10s galore, Craig's 4, and oh Jake's Samba I did adore! If only for the music if nothing else. *sings and dances along*
Steve & Ola - Jive - "Little Bitty Pretty One"
Most people will know this as the music from Matilda where she uses her magic around her room. I'm still a bit 'huh?' in regards to the relevance of the American football theme - if the song was 'Broken Heels' by Alexandra Burke then I might understand it as it was the theme of the video, but as it's this one, I don't get it. Answers on a postcard please! Ola's cheerleading outfit was awful by the way, I used to be a cheerleader myself in a former life and the outfits were much better than that (normally it's either bright and vivid, or dark colours, and the top - for me anyway - was like a jersey or vest in a v-neck style, with no belly on show), well, more flattering at least. Onto the dance itself, and c'mon guys, let's go through the patented Latin Ola-ography steps present in this dance: pivots? CHECK. Knee slide? CHECK. The only thing missing was the Starfish (it's alright though, as Jake had that one later on). Steve has a fused ankle which meant that this particular dance was always going to be difficult for him, and sadly it showed. His kicks and flicks weren't great (needed more energy and his foot should have been pointed more), and he seemed to forget the beginning of the routine - after the knee slide when he started dancing with Ola. Apart from the jump into the ending position, there were about 3 or 4 illegal lifts in this routine - funny how the judges never mentioned anything about them. If Steve gets to next week, which is doubtful on this showing, get him back to slow Ballroom, and NO LIFTS.
Judges' scores: 4, 7, 6, 6 for a total of 23/40
My score: 5
Caroline & Pasha - American Smooth - "Mack the Knife"
Lovely dress for Caroline for once, so I should have known that something would go wrong. She tripped over it at the very beginning of the routine, and my mom commented that she looked to have had a 'Chelsee Healey' wardrobe malfunction near the end. Seriously, if these so called 'professionals' can't design dresses that are of the right length for the celebrity and won't cause malfunctions in the chest area then they should be sacked. We hardly ever got these in the earlier series, yet last year we seemed to have one a week and there's been a few during this series as well. It is ridiculous and it is spoiling dances for the celebrities - Caroline was upset at the end of this routine and I don't blame her. As for the dance, I'm astonished that Len can remark on the lack of 'in hold' content in this routine when Jake's last week had hardly any Foxtrot in it either. This style of routine for an American Smooth is what I like, with the jazz elements and the old Hollywood glamour. Credit to Pasha as I loved the choreography and the way that they got into the last lift was really clever. I'm not sure what happened with the floor spin - did Caroline not initially get the right grip or did Pasha miss going for the grab? Part of the problem that Caroline has is that she shows on her face when either something goes wrong or she's uncomfortable with the routine, which means that we all notice it too, so she just needs to 'save face' in future if it happens. Another Ballroom for her next week I would think, Argentine Tango please?
Judges' scores: 7, 8, 9, 9 making a total of 33/40
My score: 8.5
Pixie & Trent - Charleston - "Sparkling Diamonds"
Probably the first duff song choice that Pixie has had this series. It was way too quick for a Charleston and although she and Trent did well with it, it wasn't worth a 10. I think the routine hindered her rather than helped her - there was a lot of 'side by side' or shadow sequences, and she lost sync with Trent a fair few times. They didn't seem to be a partnership in this dance, more 2 people who happen to be doing the same routine. A lot of people also noticed that her legs were oddly bent throughout the dance which made her look ungainly on occasion. This was more of a Showdance than a Charleston, so let's just hope that this is Pixie's bad dance and she can get back on track next week. Cha Cha Cha anyone?
Judges' scores: 9, 9, 9, 10 for a total of 37/40
My score: 8.25
Mark & Karen - Tango - "Love Runs Out"
I had hoped that this would be the dance for Mark but sadly it wasn't to be. I wasn't a fan of Karen's choreography, it almost seemed too slow for the music at times - Mark was lacking in staccato and his footwork looked messy at some points. Was the music too slow for the dance? Maybe. If you compare this to Jake's week 1 Tango, Jake actually looked better, and it may have been down to the slightly faster music that he had. Mark might be back in the bottom 2 with this one I fear. Should he survive, hmmm, I don't think he's done the Viennese Waltz yet so that might be one for him.
Judges' scores: all 8s for a total of 32/40
My score: 7
Frankie & Kevin - Viennese Waltz - "What's New Pussycat?"
If you want to know how to make a Viennese Waltz interesting, watch this dance. Kevin has done it again in terms of choreography, working with the song to create a dance that is full of musicality. The only faults I noticed from Frankie were that she had to quickly correct her hand position and shaping on Kevin's shoulder when they first got into hold, and was that an accidental lift I saw? It looked as though Frankie's foot came slightly off the floor. Apart from that though, it was wonderful. I believe Frankie has more Latin dances left, so a nice little Jive next week would be a good option.
Judges' scores: 9, 9, 10, 10 for a total of 38/40
My score: 9.25
Jake & Janette - Samba - "Macarena"
Ok, hands up if you were doing the dance whilst watching this? Well I would have been, but my dog hates anyone dancing and would have barked his head off, so my inner Macarena queen had to stay quiet. About the dance itself........ *giggles uncontrollably* I think I'm as bad as Darcey was. It wasn't all there in terms of technique, but like his Salsa, he just gave it the kitchen sink and then some. The performance was bloody brilliant. His faces alone made the performance. On the results show it was confirmed that Jake is doing an Argentine Tango to 'Zorba the Greek', well this should be interesting to watch *goes to listen to 'Zorba the Greek'*.
Judges' scores: 9, 10, 10, 9 for a total of 38/40
My score: I'm gonna have to give 2 scores here - 7.5 for technique and 10 for performance, which averages out to 8.5, but it wasn't as good as Pixie's so an 8 it is.
Sunetra & Brendan - Waltz - "Last Request"
After being in the dance-off last week, I was so hoping that Sunetra, being back in her favoured Ballroom, would make a comeback. I don't know what happened but she didn't look comfortable in this. Her hold seemed a little off too, she had some stumbles, and the height difference looked very noticeable here - was she wearing lower heels perhaps? Also, not liking the arrangement of the song - why not use songs that are already in 3/4 time rather than taking 4/4 time songs and having to transpose them into 3/4 time? With her position on the leaderboard, she might end up in the dance-off again, and I'm not sure that she could escape it for a second time. If Sunetra makes next week, she has more Latin dances available to her, so my choice for her would be the Paso Doble.
Judges' scores: 7, 7, 8, 8 for a total of 30/40
My score: 7
Simon & Kristina - Salsa - "Let's Hear it for the Boy"
*RECYCLED SONG CHOICE - Scott & Natalie in series 8*
Say what you like about Kristina (and I know I do), but boy can she help put together a good Salsa. This is the only dance of Simon's in recent times (apart from his week 1 Jive and his Charleston) that I've loved. I was actually surprised to see that this didn't get any 10s - if they can give them to Jake then Simon can have at least 1, right? Yes his steps were too big but he handled the lifts with aplomb, and that armography section was fantastic. If he's in the bottom 2 tonight then there's something wrong. Simon has to do a Ballroom next week as he only has 1 Latin left (he'll have to skip the Cha Cha Cha as he did it in the Christmas special that he did with Katya a few years ago). His options are the American Smooth, the Foxtrot and the Waltz. It looks as though he might be doing the Waltz, as he's going to Austria for his 'Around the World' dance.
Judges' scores: all 9s for a total of 36/40
My score: 9
Strictly Leaderboard:
=1. Frankie & Kevin, Jake & Janette - 38
3. Pixie & Trent - 37
4. Simon & Kristina - 36
5. Caroline & Pasha - 33
6. Mark & Karen - 32
7. Sunetra & Brendan - 30
8. Steve & Ola - 23
My Leaderboard (marks multiplied by 4):
1. Frankie & Kevin - 37
2. Simon & Kristina - 36
3. Caroline & Pasha - 34
4. Pixie & Trent - 33
5. Jake & Janette - 32
=6. Mark & Karen, Sunetra & Brendan - 28
7. Steve & Ola - 20
Dance-off: Steve & Ola vs Sunetra & Brendan. Not that surprising really, they were the bottom 2 on the leaderboard so fair enough. I felt sorry for Steve though that he had to go into the dance-off on his worst dance (this was his worst scoring one I think).
Elimination: Steve & Ola. Could have gone either way with this one. Sunetra has done the better dances overall, but she also made more mistakes (to my eye at least) in the dance-off. I probably would have saved Steve - Sunetra was in the bottom 2 last week so it's likely she would be there again next week, and also because this dance was never going to go well for Steve with his injury and I think he has more potential overall: Sunetra struggles with the Latin, whereas apart from this one, Steve usually does quite well and he was improving in the Ballroom side. It was probably a close call for the judges.
Just the one recycled song choice this week, taking the total up to 32 for the series.
Hmm, I wonder if that little VT before the dance-off gave away the countries/dances. Pixie had a Spanish book, and indicated a Cha Cha Cha, Caroline had Turkish (not sure on that), Sunetra had Portuguese and mentioned a Rumba, Simon had German and mentioned 'the hills are alive' (that might be what they're dancing to), Frankie had American (could be anything, but maybe a Jive), Mark might be staying in England if his phrase book was anything to go by. I doubt it's as clear cut as that, but Jake's and Simon's were both correct with what had already been confirmed.
Next week: will the 'Around the World' theme trip up the celebs even more? Somehow I think the costumes will be .....erm, ....... interesting to say the least.
Sunday 23 November 2014
Sunday 16 November 2014
Strictly Come Dancing 2014: Week 8
BLACKPOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!
Sorry, was pretending to be Tess then. Ladies and gents, welcome to the Blackpool episode of Strictly. For once, it's not all about Grimsby. This week we had better song choices (but most of them recycled, more on that in a mo), but odd themes, odd costumes and the dreaded return of the - unwanted and unloved - backing dancers.
Now last time, we saw Alison & Aljaz exit the competition as it turned out that we didn't want friends like them (see what I did there?) and they lost out to Caroline & Pasha in a shock bottom 2. Will Craig be proven right that Blackpool would be Judy's swansong? Or will we have outrage a la the Simon and Thom dance-off? (I vote for outrage).
In the battle of the Style Stakes, once again Zoe comes out on top (and it's the same in the results show too). It does look odd with her and Tess though, what with Zoe almost dwarfing Tess. Onto the main show, and we start with a pro dance. Not as good as last year's for me, everything seemed, well, 'cluttered'. In our house, we thought the young female singer was awful ('a song to sink' we thought we heard), and the dance that followed wasn't much better - some of the pros lifted Janette high into the air at one point, but it was a 'blink and you'll miss it' moment as it was towards the back of the floor and off to the side (to the right of where the staircase was). As for the results show pro/celeb dance, loved it!
Same as last week, I'll be covering all of the dances, the dance-off and the elimination. Suffice to say, I wasn't really impressed by anyone this week, and I wouldn't have said that anyone deserved a 10 (some of them didn't deserve 9s either, but that's another point) - none of them matched up to Susanna & Kevin's Paso last year, and that was probably the only dance this time last year that I thought deserved a 10.
Frankie & Kevin - Quickstep - "A Town Called Malice"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT - Tom & Camilla in series 6*
Apart from his Showdance, this is the one dance and song that people remember Tom Chambers for, so I was interested to see how Frankie & Kevin could do in comparison. I don't think people will remember this one sadly. They would have probably been better off just doing a straight Quickstep, no breaking hold to do some non-Quicksteppy moves. If they had done it just once, to start/end the routine, then fair enough, but not going into hold, then breaking, then back in, then breaking again. It made the dance feel a bit disjointed if I'm honest. The only times when they seemed to go quickly was when they were running back to the mic stand to break out of hold. I agree with some who say that after last week, Kevin probably simplified things a lot for Frankie, maybe too much. If you compare this to the Quickstep he did with Susanna last year, the routine he devised for Susanna was much more difficult. You could argue that Frankie and Susanna were about equal on that particular dance - Susanna's was more complicated but Frankie performed hers better. Anyway, yes, the 10 was a bit too high but she did pretty well with this. As for next week, she could be doing either dance style. If it's Latin then I hope it's the Jive for her, if it's Ballroom, then I'd like her to be the next to do the Argentine Tango.
Judges' scores: 8, 9, 10, 10 for a total of 37/40
My score: 8
Jake & Janette - American Smooth - "Feeling Good"
Damn, I was hoping for the Muse version, but they had to make it Mickey flipping Bubble. This dance basically showcases why I can't stand the backing dancers - too much of 'Janette and the Dreaded Backing Dancers' and not enough Jake. She needs to sort his posture out, he's always either too hunched or too upright. I was really looking forward to Jake being on this year, but he's with the wrong pro. This series should be proof to the producers to not give Janette contenders ever again, as she just isn't up to it. The fact that it took 30 seconds (about a third of the way through the dance) to even get into hold should tell you a lot about this routine. Without calculating it exactly, probably only about 35-40 seconds of that dance was actual American Smooth. I've said it once and I'll say it again, I'm starting to think that Mark will get to the final over Jake (and if Jake, or rather Janette, can't buck his ideas up and quick, then I'd say Mark deserves it). Jake has Samba this week, I'm hoping for good things but it depends on Janette's choreography, so it's safe to say that my expectations aren't that high.
Judges' scores: all 9s for a total of 36/40
My score: 6.5
Sunetra & Brendan - Samba - "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT - Ray & Camilla in series 4*
Hen party themed Samba? Sounds like the song should have been 'Spice Up Your Life'. Sunetra has always struggled with the Latin dances, and sadly this was more of the same. I don't know whether her problem is with the faster rhythm, or if it's a case of changing rhythms that she has a hard time with. Either way, Latin is not for her. Again, it took around 25-30 seconds for the dance to properly start. Seriously, why all this faffing around? It might tell a story but really, you should be able to tell it without all that. For an actress, Sunetra doesn't seem to get into the performance much in the Latin, and you could tell when she went wrong in this dance, her face always showed it. She didn't show as much precision in her arm placement as she usually does in the Ballroom, and she doesn't seem able to really give it some welly, as Len would say; in the Latin you need to be able to give a good performance, and Sunetra hasn't really been able to do it so far. She seems to need dances where there's a character involved (like the Paso and the Rumba on the Latin side, and the Tango, American Smooth etc on the Ballroom side) - compare that to Jake, who's able to give a performance no matter what the dance. For next week, she's apparently doing a Waltz, which should be great for her; gives her more confidence as she can do the elegant and ethereal, and so she should be right back up there.
Judges' scores: 6, 8, 8, 8 for a total of 30/40
My score: 6
Simon & Kristina - Argentine Tango - "El Tango de Roxanne"
I love this song, shame that the singer ruined Ewan McGregor's part then. Onto the dance itself. I've criticised Simon before for being too fluid when he's meant to be masculine and staccato. There was lots of authentic Argentine Tango content in this routine, and I thought he executed it well (albeit there wasn't much for him to do really). Where he fails for me is the performance - the man in this dance is meant to lead, and look masculine; but it looked as though Kristina was leading and Simon is still too fluid for the performance to look genuine. As I've said in a previous blog, with the Tango/Paso Doble/Argentine Tango, the male celebs should really look at previous dances to see how they should act the performance. I've used him as an example before, but look at Mark Ramprakash's Argentine Tango - he just oozed masculinity and got it spot on as well as the technique. The 10s were for Kristina and Kristina alone (and that was the case with her AT with Jason Donovan too), and they were too high. Next week, Simon needs to have a fast dance where he can combine technique with performance. So a Salsa for him please.
Judges' scores: 8, 10, 10, 10 for a total of 38/40
My score: 7.5
Judy & Anton - Viennese Waltz - "Let's Go Fly a Kite"
Her best dance! I'm so glad that Judy can go out on a high, I'dve been gutted for her if she had to leave on last week's Paso Doble. I was quite critical of Anton last week, but he got it bang on with this Viennese Waltz, perfect mix of storytelling and routine. Judy was so much better, especially in hold. Her posture was much better, her footwork was much better, her arms were much better. And the ending was brilliant. She had a few stumbles, particularly when she first got into hold with Anton, but this was such an improvement. Judy's performance in the dance-off was definitely the best that she's done this series. She's the kind of person that you want on the show - like Alison, she knows she's not the best dancer, but she'll give you 100% each and every time. I'm going to miss her for sure.
Judges' scores: 4, 6, 7, 7 for a total of 24/40
My score: 6
Mark & Karen - Charleston - "We No Speak Americano"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT - Holly & Artem in series 9*
I thought with the success of Mark's Quickstep and Jive, that this would be the perfect dance for him. Unfortunately, it wasn't. He started off well, but seemed to lose energy quite quickly and he was very slow towards the end. However, I do think that it wasn't a dynamic routine, and the music was at fault for that. The tricks were good, and the technique was too (great swivel from him at the beginning), but it was the performance that was lacking for me. It wasn't as if Karen was overdancing it, the music was just a bit slow for a Charleston and so you kind of have to tone it all down a bit. With better music he could have gone for it a lot more, and I think he could have got to top of the leaderboard in that scenario. Mark has Tango next week - I've been wanting him to do this dance for a while, as I think this could be the one that tests him; he hasn't had to properly do a serious dance yet (Superman Paso doesn't count) and it's a different test in terms of technique. This could be the 'make or break' dance for him, but I sincerely reckon he'll do well with it.
Judges' scores: all 9s for a total of 36/40
My score: 7.75
Pixie & Trent - Paso Doble - "The Eve of War"
Gladiator themed Paso? Hmm. I did like the music for this one, very dramatic. The backing dancers did get in the way a bit though, you struggled to focus on Pixie & Trent at times. I thought the choreography was hit and miss, but hit more often. Like with a lot of the others tonight, Pixie was lacking in the performance, she was meant to be serious yet you could see her smiling on occasion. She was also lacking a little in technique, not enough shaping for me. Even the skirt-swishing wasn't as good as Frankie's, and you guys know I hate skirt-swishing. I didn't find the routine dramatic enough, it didn't feel to me like a Paso Doble. 10s were unwarranted I thought. Pixie is one who hasn't done a dance with lifts yet, so I want her to be challenged next week with either an American Smooth or a Charleston.
Judges' scores: 9, 9, 10, 10 for a total of 38/40
My score: 7.5
Steve & Ola - American Smooth - "Rolling in the Deep"
Odd song choice for an American Smooth. The first half of the dance was just weird, you couldn't see either of them properly due to that wafting blue cloth. I don't know what Ola was thinking with the choreography, not much of it was Foxtrot (if that was their base, I couldn't really tell); most of it was just spinning and pivots. The lifts were great, all credit to them for that, but there was just something missing for me - like Jake's, it wasn't what I would call an American Smooth. For next week, I'd like him to go back to a fast dance, so I would choose the Jive for him.
Judges' scores: 7, 8, 8, 8 for a total of 31/40
My score: 6.75
Caroline & Pasha - Jive - "Crocodile Rock"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT - Lisa & Brendan in series 6*
For me, this was my dance of the night. Pasha gave Caroline a difficult routine, and she performed it with aplomb! Just the one real error from her - she missed a small part of the side-by-side kicks and flicks section. Apart from that though, absolutely brilliant. One thing though: did she have smaller heels on than usual? It looked like that, at times she seemed incredibly tiny. I know she's only 5ft 4 or something like that, but she looked really short. Caroline has been confirmed as doing the American Smooth - this will be her first dance with lifts, so I'm expecting the transitions to maybe be a bit sticky. Like Mark, this is probably Caroline's 'make or break' dance - her last (and only) slow Ballroom brought her to the bottom 2, so she needs to really make this one count. If she can't, then I think her chances of winning are gone as apart from the AT, she only has slow Ballrooms left.
Judges' scores: 9, 9, 9, 10 for a total of 37/40
My score: 9
Strictly Leaderboard:
=1. Simon & Kristina, Pixie & Trent - 38
=3. Frankie & Kevin, Caroline & Pasha - 37
=5. Jake & Janette, Mark & Karen - 36
7. Steve & Ola - 31
8. Sunetra & Brendan - 30
9. Judy & Anton - 24
My Leaderboard (marks multiplied by 4)
1. Caroline & Pasha - 36
2. Frankie & Kevin - 32
3. Mark & Karen - 31
=4. Simon & Kristina, Pixie & Trent - 30
6. Steve & Ola - 27
7. Jake & Janette - 26
=8. Sunetra & Brendan, Judy & Anton - 24
Dance-off: Sunetra & Brendan vs Judy & Anton. About time. All of the ties on the leaderboard were the problem - when you have 2 couples tied on a score above you, it's more difficult to save yourself as you now have to definitively beat 2 people on the public vote, rather than just 1. With how the leaderboard was, Steve had to have had more votes than Sunetra (otherwise he would have been in the DO instead); Judy could have beaten Steve by 1 voting position and still been in the DO. It's the right bottom 2, and hopefully this gave Sunetra the kick she needs.
Elimination: Judy & Anton. Based purely on the DO (which is what this bit is supposedly for but we all know different), I actually would have saved Judy - she danced her Viennese Waltz a lot better the second time around, whereas Sunetra seemed to make more mistakes. But as we all know the judges can use whatever criteria they like, it's right that Sunetra was saved, as we know that in Ballroom at least, she has the potential to give us a 'WOW' dance, which can't be said about Judy. I'm actually looking forward to Judy & Anton's exit interview on ITT, and I didn't think I'd be saying that.
Recycled song count now stands at 31.
Well that's another week over and done with. To be honest, I'm starting to get a bit disillusioned with the show this year - I don't really have a favourite to back, just partnerships where I'm struggling to like either the celeb (Pixie, Frankie, Mark and Sunetra to different extents), the pro (Janette/Ola/Pasha) or both (Simon & Kristina). There's too much producer influence now, when they actually sit in on training sessions so that the choreography might be changed, then something is definitely wrong. If you can't trust the pros to do anything, then what's the point of having them 'teaching' their celeb? The producers decide the music, the themes, the costumes, the choreography (occasionally) - it's getting like X Factor now and I'm seriously hoping it picks up soon. I'm still a fan of the show, but it does get annoying when at least once a week you think the following: 'what are the judges smoking?' 'are the music-pickers deaf? 'the singers/costumes are awful' etc etc. The show needs to be stripped back a bit - allow the pros to pick the music, let the couples have more of a say in their costumes/theme; still have a choreography team on hand, but reduce their influence, I could go on.
Reality TV nowadays is getting more scripted and manipulated than ever. Strictly, X Factor, The Apprentice, Big Brother, even I'm A Celeb has its moments. But here's the thing - people are now starting to wise up, yet they still watch these things each year. With X Factor, it's probably the case that you watch it hoping that it wouldn't be as manipulated as it was before, only to find that it's even worse. I'm starting to see Strictly in the same way. TV shows that involve voting - we should be able to vote for who we want, for whatever reason we want; not who the producers want us to vote for. We've survived this long, we're clearly not stupid. Yet people get put into boxes and are edited to fit those boxes - surely we should be able to judge for ourselves?
I endeth this little rant and this blog post with the following: we all have brains. We just need to be trusted to use them.
Sorry, was pretending to be Tess then. Ladies and gents, welcome to the Blackpool episode of Strictly. For once, it's not all about Grimsby. This week we had better song choices (but most of them recycled, more on that in a mo), but odd themes, odd costumes and the dreaded return of the - unwanted and unloved - backing dancers.
Now last time, we saw Alison & Aljaz exit the competition as it turned out that we didn't want friends like them (see what I did there?) and they lost out to Caroline & Pasha in a shock bottom 2. Will Craig be proven right that Blackpool would be Judy's swansong? Or will we have outrage a la the Simon and Thom dance-off? (I vote for outrage).
In the battle of the Style Stakes, once again Zoe comes out on top (and it's the same in the results show too). It does look odd with her and Tess though, what with Zoe almost dwarfing Tess. Onto the main show, and we start with a pro dance. Not as good as last year's for me, everything seemed, well, 'cluttered'. In our house, we thought the young female singer was awful ('a song to sink' we thought we heard), and the dance that followed wasn't much better - some of the pros lifted Janette high into the air at one point, but it was a 'blink and you'll miss it' moment as it was towards the back of the floor and off to the side (to the right of where the staircase was). As for the results show pro/celeb dance, loved it!
Same as last week, I'll be covering all of the dances, the dance-off and the elimination. Suffice to say, I wasn't really impressed by anyone this week, and I wouldn't have said that anyone deserved a 10 (some of them didn't deserve 9s either, but that's another point) - none of them matched up to Susanna & Kevin's Paso last year, and that was probably the only dance this time last year that I thought deserved a 10.
Frankie & Kevin - Quickstep - "A Town Called Malice"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT - Tom & Camilla in series 6*
Apart from his Showdance, this is the one dance and song that people remember Tom Chambers for, so I was interested to see how Frankie & Kevin could do in comparison. I don't think people will remember this one sadly. They would have probably been better off just doing a straight Quickstep, no breaking hold to do some non-Quicksteppy moves. If they had done it just once, to start/end the routine, then fair enough, but not going into hold, then breaking, then back in, then breaking again. It made the dance feel a bit disjointed if I'm honest. The only times when they seemed to go quickly was when they were running back to the mic stand to break out of hold. I agree with some who say that after last week, Kevin probably simplified things a lot for Frankie, maybe too much. If you compare this to the Quickstep he did with Susanna last year, the routine he devised for Susanna was much more difficult. You could argue that Frankie and Susanna were about equal on that particular dance - Susanna's was more complicated but Frankie performed hers better. Anyway, yes, the 10 was a bit too high but she did pretty well with this. As for next week, she could be doing either dance style. If it's Latin then I hope it's the Jive for her, if it's Ballroom, then I'd like her to be the next to do the Argentine Tango.
Judges' scores: 8, 9, 10, 10 for a total of 37/40
My score: 8
Jake & Janette - American Smooth - "Feeling Good"
Damn, I was hoping for the Muse version, but they had to make it Mickey flipping Bubble. This dance basically showcases why I can't stand the backing dancers - too much of 'Janette and the Dreaded Backing Dancers' and not enough Jake. She needs to sort his posture out, he's always either too hunched or too upright. I was really looking forward to Jake being on this year, but he's with the wrong pro. This series should be proof to the producers to not give Janette contenders ever again, as she just isn't up to it. The fact that it took 30 seconds (about a third of the way through the dance) to even get into hold should tell you a lot about this routine. Without calculating it exactly, probably only about 35-40 seconds of that dance was actual American Smooth. I've said it once and I'll say it again, I'm starting to think that Mark will get to the final over Jake (and if Jake, or rather Janette, can't buck his ideas up and quick, then I'd say Mark deserves it). Jake has Samba this week, I'm hoping for good things but it depends on Janette's choreography, so it's safe to say that my expectations aren't that high.
Judges' scores: all 9s for a total of 36/40
My score: 6.5
Sunetra & Brendan - Samba - "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT - Ray & Camilla in series 4*
Hen party themed Samba? Sounds like the song should have been 'Spice Up Your Life'. Sunetra has always struggled with the Latin dances, and sadly this was more of the same. I don't know whether her problem is with the faster rhythm, or if it's a case of changing rhythms that she has a hard time with. Either way, Latin is not for her. Again, it took around 25-30 seconds for the dance to properly start. Seriously, why all this faffing around? It might tell a story but really, you should be able to tell it without all that. For an actress, Sunetra doesn't seem to get into the performance much in the Latin, and you could tell when she went wrong in this dance, her face always showed it. She didn't show as much precision in her arm placement as she usually does in the Ballroom, and she doesn't seem able to really give it some welly, as Len would say; in the Latin you need to be able to give a good performance, and Sunetra hasn't really been able to do it so far. She seems to need dances where there's a character involved (like the Paso and the Rumba on the Latin side, and the Tango, American Smooth etc on the Ballroom side) - compare that to Jake, who's able to give a performance no matter what the dance. For next week, she's apparently doing a Waltz, which should be great for her; gives her more confidence as she can do the elegant and ethereal, and so she should be right back up there.
Judges' scores: 6, 8, 8, 8 for a total of 30/40
My score: 6
Simon & Kristina - Argentine Tango - "El Tango de Roxanne"
I love this song, shame that the singer ruined Ewan McGregor's part then. Onto the dance itself. I've criticised Simon before for being too fluid when he's meant to be masculine and staccato. There was lots of authentic Argentine Tango content in this routine, and I thought he executed it well (albeit there wasn't much for him to do really). Where he fails for me is the performance - the man in this dance is meant to lead, and look masculine; but it looked as though Kristina was leading and Simon is still too fluid for the performance to look genuine. As I've said in a previous blog, with the Tango/Paso Doble/Argentine Tango, the male celebs should really look at previous dances to see how they should act the performance. I've used him as an example before, but look at Mark Ramprakash's Argentine Tango - he just oozed masculinity and got it spot on as well as the technique. The 10s were for Kristina and Kristina alone (and that was the case with her AT with Jason Donovan too), and they were too high. Next week, Simon needs to have a fast dance where he can combine technique with performance. So a Salsa for him please.
Judges' scores: 8, 10, 10, 10 for a total of 38/40
My score: 7.5
Judy & Anton - Viennese Waltz - "Let's Go Fly a Kite"
Her best dance! I'm so glad that Judy can go out on a high, I'dve been gutted for her if she had to leave on last week's Paso Doble. I was quite critical of Anton last week, but he got it bang on with this Viennese Waltz, perfect mix of storytelling and routine. Judy was so much better, especially in hold. Her posture was much better, her footwork was much better, her arms were much better. And the ending was brilliant. She had a few stumbles, particularly when she first got into hold with Anton, but this was such an improvement. Judy's performance in the dance-off was definitely the best that she's done this series. She's the kind of person that you want on the show - like Alison, she knows she's not the best dancer, but she'll give you 100% each and every time. I'm going to miss her for sure.
Judges' scores: 4, 6, 7, 7 for a total of 24/40
My score: 6
Mark & Karen - Charleston - "We No Speak Americano"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT - Holly & Artem in series 9*
I thought with the success of Mark's Quickstep and Jive, that this would be the perfect dance for him. Unfortunately, it wasn't. He started off well, but seemed to lose energy quite quickly and he was very slow towards the end. However, I do think that it wasn't a dynamic routine, and the music was at fault for that. The tricks were good, and the technique was too (great swivel from him at the beginning), but it was the performance that was lacking for me. It wasn't as if Karen was overdancing it, the music was just a bit slow for a Charleston and so you kind of have to tone it all down a bit. With better music he could have gone for it a lot more, and I think he could have got to top of the leaderboard in that scenario. Mark has Tango next week - I've been wanting him to do this dance for a while, as I think this could be the one that tests him; he hasn't had to properly do a serious dance yet (Superman Paso doesn't count) and it's a different test in terms of technique. This could be the 'make or break' dance for him, but I sincerely reckon he'll do well with it.
Judges' scores: all 9s for a total of 36/40
My score: 7.75
Pixie & Trent - Paso Doble - "The Eve of War"
Gladiator themed Paso? Hmm. I did like the music for this one, very dramatic. The backing dancers did get in the way a bit though, you struggled to focus on Pixie & Trent at times. I thought the choreography was hit and miss, but hit more often. Like with a lot of the others tonight, Pixie was lacking in the performance, she was meant to be serious yet you could see her smiling on occasion. She was also lacking a little in technique, not enough shaping for me. Even the skirt-swishing wasn't as good as Frankie's, and you guys know I hate skirt-swishing. I didn't find the routine dramatic enough, it didn't feel to me like a Paso Doble. 10s were unwarranted I thought. Pixie is one who hasn't done a dance with lifts yet, so I want her to be challenged next week with either an American Smooth or a Charleston.
Judges' scores: 9, 9, 10, 10 for a total of 38/40
My score: 7.5
Steve & Ola - American Smooth - "Rolling in the Deep"
Odd song choice for an American Smooth. The first half of the dance was just weird, you couldn't see either of them properly due to that wafting blue cloth. I don't know what Ola was thinking with the choreography, not much of it was Foxtrot (if that was their base, I couldn't really tell); most of it was just spinning and pivots. The lifts were great, all credit to them for that, but there was just something missing for me - like Jake's, it wasn't what I would call an American Smooth. For next week, I'd like him to go back to a fast dance, so I would choose the Jive for him.
Judges' scores: 7, 8, 8, 8 for a total of 31/40
My score: 6.75
Caroline & Pasha - Jive - "Crocodile Rock"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT - Lisa & Brendan in series 6*
For me, this was my dance of the night. Pasha gave Caroline a difficult routine, and she performed it with aplomb! Just the one real error from her - she missed a small part of the side-by-side kicks and flicks section. Apart from that though, absolutely brilliant. One thing though: did she have smaller heels on than usual? It looked like that, at times she seemed incredibly tiny. I know she's only 5ft 4 or something like that, but she looked really short. Caroline has been confirmed as doing the American Smooth - this will be her first dance with lifts, so I'm expecting the transitions to maybe be a bit sticky. Like Mark, this is probably Caroline's 'make or break' dance - her last (and only) slow Ballroom brought her to the bottom 2, so she needs to really make this one count. If she can't, then I think her chances of winning are gone as apart from the AT, she only has slow Ballrooms left.
Judges' scores: 9, 9, 9, 10 for a total of 37/40
My score: 9
Strictly Leaderboard:
=1. Simon & Kristina, Pixie & Trent - 38
=3. Frankie & Kevin, Caroline & Pasha - 37
=5. Jake & Janette, Mark & Karen - 36
7. Steve & Ola - 31
8. Sunetra & Brendan - 30
9. Judy & Anton - 24
My Leaderboard (marks multiplied by 4)
1. Caroline & Pasha - 36
2. Frankie & Kevin - 32
3. Mark & Karen - 31
=4. Simon & Kristina, Pixie & Trent - 30
6. Steve & Ola - 27
7. Jake & Janette - 26
=8. Sunetra & Brendan, Judy & Anton - 24
Dance-off: Sunetra & Brendan vs Judy & Anton. About time. All of the ties on the leaderboard were the problem - when you have 2 couples tied on a score above you, it's more difficult to save yourself as you now have to definitively beat 2 people on the public vote, rather than just 1. With how the leaderboard was, Steve had to have had more votes than Sunetra (otherwise he would have been in the DO instead); Judy could have beaten Steve by 1 voting position and still been in the DO. It's the right bottom 2, and hopefully this gave Sunetra the kick she needs.
Elimination: Judy & Anton. Based purely on the DO (which is what this bit is supposedly for but we all know different), I actually would have saved Judy - she danced her Viennese Waltz a lot better the second time around, whereas Sunetra seemed to make more mistakes. But as we all know the judges can use whatever criteria they like, it's right that Sunetra was saved, as we know that in Ballroom at least, she has the potential to give us a 'WOW' dance, which can't be said about Judy. I'm actually looking forward to Judy & Anton's exit interview on ITT, and I didn't think I'd be saying that.
Recycled song count now stands at 31.
Well that's another week over and done with. To be honest, I'm starting to get a bit disillusioned with the show this year - I don't really have a favourite to back, just partnerships where I'm struggling to like either the celeb (Pixie, Frankie, Mark and Sunetra to different extents), the pro (Janette/Ola/Pasha) or both (Simon & Kristina). There's too much producer influence now, when they actually sit in on training sessions so that the choreography might be changed, then something is definitely wrong. If you can't trust the pros to do anything, then what's the point of having them 'teaching' their celeb? The producers decide the music, the themes, the costumes, the choreography (occasionally) - it's getting like X Factor now and I'm seriously hoping it picks up soon. I'm still a fan of the show, but it does get annoying when at least once a week you think the following: 'what are the judges smoking?' 'are the music-pickers deaf? 'the singers/costumes are awful' etc etc. The show needs to be stripped back a bit - allow the pros to pick the music, let the couples have more of a say in their costumes/theme; still have a choreography team on hand, but reduce their influence, I could go on.
Reality TV nowadays is getting more scripted and manipulated than ever. Strictly, X Factor, The Apprentice, Big Brother, even I'm A Celeb has its moments. But here's the thing - people are now starting to wise up, yet they still watch these things each year. With X Factor, it's probably the case that you watch it hoping that it wouldn't be as manipulated as it was before, only to find that it's even worse. I'm starting to see Strictly in the same way. TV shows that involve voting - we should be able to vote for who we want, for whatever reason we want; not who the producers want us to vote for. We've survived this long, we're clearly not stupid. Yet people get put into boxes and are edited to fit those boxes - surely we should be able to judge for ourselves?
I endeth this little rant and this blog post with the following: we all have brains. We just need to be trusted to use them.
Sunday 9 November 2014
Strictly Come Dancing 2014: Week 7
Let's see how long it takes me to review 10 dances, plus the dance-off and elimination, all in one sitting! (starting at 7.40pm, so by the time I've finished writing this the results show will have gone off - I do already know the result though).
Last time, we saw Scott & Joanne click their fingers and wave goodbye after they lost out in the dance-off to Alison & Aljaz. Can Alison get a bounce (ooher) this week and avoid the bottom 2? Let's find out!
Tess and Zoe looked great again, I probably preferred Zoe's dress overall though. I saw one forumite wonder why there were loads of plasters stuck to Tess' dress! I can sort of see what they mean....... (btw, loved both of their dresses on the results show too, but again, think Zoe's just had the edge)
Simon & Kristina - Quickstep - "I Got Rhythm"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT - Emma & Darren in series 4*
I so called it on his dance! Kristina is pretty good at choreographing a Quickstep, so I was intrigued to see how Simon would do with this one. First thing: bravo Kristina! Apart from the beginning, I thoroughly loved that routine. I can see what she was trying to do, but that sort of thing worked better with Jason Donovan. Simon had a pretty good handle on it overall, but there were a fair few errors: there was quite a bit of gapping between him and Kristina, his right arm was loose and could probably have done with being straighter to help his hold, he went out of time with Kristina in the side-by-side section and he also seemed to miss a hand grab just after that (although they both covered it up well). I wouldn't say this was as good as his Charleston, so I do feel the judges overmarked him slightly - 30-31 was what I reckoned. Simon's been confirmed as doing the first Argentine Tango of the series next week, cue more gusset-flashing from Kristina most likely.
Judges' scores: 7, 9, 9, 8 for a total of 33/40
My score: 7.5
Caroline & Pasha - Waltz - "Three Times a Lady"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT - Jason & Kylie in series 1, Anita & Robin in series 9*
On ITT on Friday, Eamonn Holmes thought this was an unlucky song for Caroline, he called it an 'exit song' in fact. Turns out he was sort of right, but let's head back to Ms Flack. Awful dress again, the waistline made her look a lot bigger than she is. Caroline was worried about the Waltz as elegance doesn't come naturally to her (although I thought her Rumba was brilliant), so this would be an interesting week for her. I wasn't a fan of the start, bit more Contemporary than Ballroom, but it was much better once she got into hold. Keeping the judges' comments about Caroline's footwork in mind, I did look out for her feet, and I couldn't see any heel leads so I agreed with them there. I also noticed that Caroline had to correct her hand positioning on a few occasions - you could see her left hand moving towards being flat on Pasha's back. She did stumble at the end, but I think it was a case of 'heel caught in dress'. She's been confirmed to be doing the Jive, so avoids the dances with lifts yet again! That being said, it should be a good dance for her as she's suited to the faster dances more. Pasha can choreograph a good Jive, as we saw with Chelsee and Kimberley, so this dance should be one to watch.
Judges' scores: 7, 8, 8, 8 for a total of 31/40
My score: 7.25
Jake & Janette - Rumba - "Strangers in the Night"
After his 'disappointing' Paso Doble last week, Jake needed a good dance tonight to get his confidence back up. And yet, he ends up joint 8th with Alison, only being above Judy. It's difficult to say why he's doing so badly in comparison with the other early frontrunners - did he peak with his Salsa? Is Janette's choreography hindering him? Is there something going on behind the scenes that we don't know about? All I know is, he needs a stand-out dance soon, otherwise there's a real possibility that he won't be in the final (I can see Mark getting there over him now). Onto the dance itself - he did have some hip action at the beginning, but there wasn't enough of it and I do feel the choreography was a little to blame here. Jake was mostly just standing still, or moving in the same spot, or walking - it was all about Janette, and whilst the Rumba is a dance where the lady does more and the man presents, she could have given him a LOT more to do. Compare this with Simon's - now whilst Simon's wasn't great, he did have a fair amount of movement, and this was what was lacking with Jake.
There's been some debate about whether Janette is doing the right thing, teaching Jake the steps first and then technique later; I'm a bit on the fence with that one if I'm honest. If Jake was more of an Alison or a Scott, someone who can do the steps but not necessarily the technique, then I would agree with Janette's approach. But, as Jake is a better dancer than that, and he's expressed concerns over the technique before (with Janette replying 'Steps first') it might do Janette good to try it the other way next week and see if he's better for it. Now that Aljaz has gone, I hope Janette asks him for help, whether that's with choreography or to help Jake see what he needs to do and how to do it. He should be back to Ballroom this week, and I feel the Viennese Waltz would be a good fit for him considering the steps vs technique question - not much variety in terms of steps, which means that he can concentrate on the technique.
Judges' scores: 6, 7, 7, 7 for a total of 27/40
My score: 5.75
Judy & Anton - Paso Doble - "I Fought the Law"
Firstly, I LOVED Judge Judy at the start, she has just the right voice for that role. Sadly, it all went downhill from there. No real attempt at teaching Judy any technique from Anton, just lots of walking, and moving her about, and getting her off of the floor when possible. I know Judy isn't the best dancer (she was certainly the worst after Scott left), but Anton could have done so much more with her. If all else fails, go for the performance! Judy can do the performance but there wasn't anything within the routine to give her that. Sorry Anton, but I'm going to toss you into the Enigma Strictly Jail for crimes against choreography (as much as I occasionally dislike Janette's and Kristina's choreography, nothing they've produced has ever been as bad as this). She should have a Latin next week, and for my sake, please let it be the Salsa.
Judges' scores: 3, 5, 5, 5 for a total of 18/40
My score: 2.5
Sunetra & Brendan - Foxtrot - "All of Me"
I am sick of hearing this song (it's nice but so overplayed now), but Tommy did a fantastic job with the vocal, props to him (although was it just me, or did he sing 'curves' a bit weirdly in the chorus? It sounded like 'kierves' to me). Brendan is an exceptional Ballroom choreographer, and he nailed it again here. Apart from that end position which was a little weird. Back to Sunetra, she was doing such a good job - lovely hand position, good footwork and posture, but then she went on the wrong foot which meant she went wrong for a while afterwards. Watching it back, you can see where this happens - she goes wrong at the start of the second part of the chorus, but manages to get back on the right track at the end of that chorus. It's a shame as she could have got 9s easily if it wasn't for that. She should be on Latin next week, and she struggles with fast dances so I'd like to see her do the Paso Doble; she has good arms, she can pull off the performance, and I feel she can get the shaping.
Judges' scores: 7, 8, 8, 8 for a total of 31/40
My score: 7.75
Alison & Aljaz - Charleston - "Friend Like Me"
Oh I do love these two and I was sorry to see them go; these guys have such a lovely partnership, and judging by the 'Goodbye Alison' video, she's going to be really missed by everyone else. At least she went out on one of her better dances (and having got a kiss off of Aljaz at the end of the routine, twice). Onto the dance itself, and it made me smile. The choreography was pretty suited to her, apart from the 'running man' bit at the end where you could see her running with turned-out feet. She gave a good performance as always but I would have liked to see a little more from her in that respect, the Charleston is known for being a bit of a 'goofy' kind of dance and I think she could have given it more welly, as our Len would say. Still, nice to see her go for the swivel at the beginning, she kind of got it. And that lift, I was just laughing! I hope she keeps dancing after this, she loved the whole series and she was great to watch.
Judges' scores: 6, 7, 7, 7 for a total of 27/40
My score: 5.5
Mark & Karen - Waltz - "Weekend in New England"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT - Jill & Darren in series 2, Jade & Ian in series 7, Rory & Erin in series 9*
It's been a while since his last slow Ballroom (week 2 to be precise), so I was intrigued to watch this and see how much Mark had improved. In all honesty, I think the judges undermarked this. Or at least, he should have been scored higher than Caroline. He had the heel leads, his footwork was good, just some polishing needed really. All he needs to do now is straighten up a little as he looks slightly hunched sometimes, and to lower that holding arm a tad. That will make his topline look better and he can start getting the higher marks in Ballroom that he's been getting in his Latin for the last couple of weeks. Lovely choreography from Karen I must say, very moving and beautiful; although the head on chest moment was a bit odd! As for Blackpool, I'd like to see him stay in Ballroom and do a Tango, otherwise if it's a Latin, then maybe a Rumba. Either way, he is improving and he needs to be tested on that improvement.
Judges' scores: 7, 8, 8, 8 for a total of 31/40
My score: 7.5
Frankie & Kevin - Samba - "La Bamba"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT - Dennis & Izabella in series 3 (possibly Louis & Flavia in series 10 too)*
Frankie's been worried about this dance all week - she's had limited rehearsal time due to having to be in Spain with The Saturdays (despite Kevin meeting her there to rehearse), and the party Latin seems to be a weakness of hers. She got a bit upset afterwards, and I felt for her because in a way, Craig was right that it was her worst dance. You could see her messing up on a few occasions (so sorry Len but 9 was too high) and although she recovered well, in a fast dance like this it can sometimes be more noticeable when something goes wrong and that was the case here. It was her worst dance in terms of mistakes, but it was still a good dance. Frankie looked more comfortable here than in her Cha Cha Cha, and she probably wished that she could have done it a little better. She seemed to mess up at the very beginning, not sure what went on there; but something wasn't right about the Samba rolls and then she missed a hand grab shortly after which put her off the next section. The end was quite messy as well, but it was good choreography from Kevin apart from that. There's some who reckon he put too much in, and I say that might be fair, but given how quick that music was (quicker than the other Sambas we've seen so far for definite) he kind of had to do that otherwise the routine would have looked too slow. For next week, get Frankie back to the Ballroom, and I'd suggest a Quickstep for her - it would give her a challenge and use a lot of the floor at Blackpool.
Judges' scores: 7, 8, 9, 8 for a total of 32
My score: 7.5
Pixie & Trent - Foxtrot - "When I'm Sixty Four"
Bit of an odd song choice I thought, but strangely it worked. Trent I think missed it a tad choreographically this week. I wasn't a fan of his routine for the Tango last week, but at least it made sense within the confines of the dance style. This time, I felt the comedic elements were unnecessary. Set up the story at the beginning and end certainly, but the part towards the end just jarred with the rest of the routine; which, aside from the arabesque kick at the beginning which looked slightly messy, was great. Smooth, elegant, Pixie performed this brilliantly and I couldn't spot any technical errors on her part. There was only one small section when Trent was moving backwards towards the top-right corner of the floor near the start where it seemed that something might have gone wrong, but if it did then I couldn't tell what it was. She certainly deserved to be top of the leaderboard, but I wouldn't say that Foxtrot was worth a 10, Darcey. Next week, I want to see her really challenged, and I think the dance to do that is the Charleston. Pixie, like Caroline, hasn't done a dance with lifts yet, and I think this is the perfect time to do one.
Judges' scores: 9, 10, 8, 9 for a total of 36/40
My score: 9
Steve & Ola - Paso Doble - "Use Somebody"
Is someone at the BBC trying to nobble this couple? First the story in the papers about Ola 'bullying' Steve, and now using a song which doesn't sound like a Paso at all, for a Paso Doble. Sack the music pickers and let us guys choose as we could do a LOT better. For a dance like the Paso Doble, everyone should get either traditional music, or modern music that has traditional stylings (so things like 'Paint it Black' by The Rolling Stones, or 'Conquest' by The White Stripes) *rant over* I must admit, I went a bit 'fangirl' when I saw that Steve was showing his chest, and I hardly ever do that (seriously, he's put a spell on me or something. I normally go for the 'attractive but in a non-conventional way' kinda guy like Andrea off of X Factor). Focus, Ames! *slaps herself*
Aaaah, back to the actual dance that I'm meant to be critiquing. I was a bit disappointed, I thought Steve would really put the attack into it, like he did with his Tango back in week 1. His performance in that respect was pretty much his face and nothing else. A few iffy moments of choreography from Ola. Firstly, KNEESLIDES! Check. PIVOTS! Check. These moves are from Ola's Trademark Latin Choreography, which I would say you can buy on DVD, but let's face it, just watch any Latin routine of hers from recent series and you'll see all you need to there. Strange pauses towards the end - Steve had spun Ola with 2 arms, but then they both stood still before they did a small jump and carried on. Was something meant to happen there? This was a touch overmarked for me: not much shaping, little more attack needed from Steve. 7s at the most. For Blackpool, I'd like Steve to do another slow Ballroom - his Waltz in week 5 was his 'breakthrough' dance and he needs another opportunity there. Something along the lines of a Foxtrot, or an American Smooth would be good for him.
Judges' scores: 6, 8, 7, 7 for a total of 28/40
My score: 6.25
Strictly Leaderboard:
1. Pixie & Trent - 36
2. Simon & Kristina - 33
3. Frankie & Kevin - 32
=4. Caroline & Pasha, Sunetra & Brendan, Mark & Karen - 31
7. Steve & Ola - 28
=8. Jake & Janette, Alison & Aljaz - 27
10. Judy & Anton - 18
My Leaderboard:
1. Pixie & Trent - 36
2. Suntra & Brendan - 31
=3. Simon & Kristina, Mark & Karen, Frankie & Kevin - 30
6. Caroline & Pasha - 29
7. Steve & Ola - 25
8. Jake & Janette - 23
9. Alison & Aljaz - 22
10. Judy & Anton - 10
Dance-off: Caroline & Pasha vs Alison & Aljaz. Not such a surprise to see Alison here again, but Caroline was a shocker. Having worked out the numbers, she could only have been 7th at best in the public vote (only Pixie, Simon and Alison could have been lower: everyone else had to poll at least 1 place higher, or 3 higher in Judy's case). Was it the 'middle of the leaderboard' syndrome? Was it the 'death slot' curse? Who knows, but this might be the wake-up call that all of the frontrunners need to raise their game next week at Blackpool.
Elimination: Alison & Aljaz. I didn't see the actual dance-off (we switched to watch the X Factor results. Would have done a +1 on those to watch Strictly but I wanted to see the Formula 1 highlights), but it's the right decision as Caroline has much more potential than Alison and this was just an off-week I guess. I might have to watch this on iPlayer to see Team Ali's last dance, but if anyone could tell me what song it was then please do :)
Recycled song count now stands at 27.
Next time, we venture to the Tower Ballroom at Blackpool. We usually see some fantastic dances there, Susanna & Kevin's Paso Doble from last series being a brilliant example. Can Jake get back to his best? Will Frankie and Caroline bounce back? And will Judy actually end up in the dance-off?
Until then,
* dances along to the Strictly theme tune and invites you to join her*
Last time, we saw Scott & Joanne click their fingers and wave goodbye after they lost out in the dance-off to Alison & Aljaz. Can Alison get a bounce (ooher) this week and avoid the bottom 2? Let's find out!
Tess and Zoe looked great again, I probably preferred Zoe's dress overall though. I saw one forumite wonder why there were loads of plasters stuck to Tess' dress! I can sort of see what they mean....... (btw, loved both of their dresses on the results show too, but again, think Zoe's just had the edge)
Simon & Kristina - Quickstep - "I Got Rhythm"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT - Emma & Darren in series 4*
I so called it on his dance! Kristina is pretty good at choreographing a Quickstep, so I was intrigued to see how Simon would do with this one. First thing: bravo Kristina! Apart from the beginning, I thoroughly loved that routine. I can see what she was trying to do, but that sort of thing worked better with Jason Donovan. Simon had a pretty good handle on it overall, but there were a fair few errors: there was quite a bit of gapping between him and Kristina, his right arm was loose and could probably have done with being straighter to help his hold, he went out of time with Kristina in the side-by-side section and he also seemed to miss a hand grab just after that (although they both covered it up well). I wouldn't say this was as good as his Charleston, so I do feel the judges overmarked him slightly - 30-31 was what I reckoned. Simon's been confirmed as doing the first Argentine Tango of the series next week, cue more gusset-flashing from Kristina most likely.
Judges' scores: 7, 9, 9, 8 for a total of 33/40
My score: 7.5
Caroline & Pasha - Waltz - "Three Times a Lady"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT - Jason & Kylie in series 1, Anita & Robin in series 9*
On ITT on Friday, Eamonn Holmes thought this was an unlucky song for Caroline, he called it an 'exit song' in fact. Turns out he was sort of right, but let's head back to Ms Flack. Awful dress again, the waistline made her look a lot bigger than she is. Caroline was worried about the Waltz as elegance doesn't come naturally to her (although I thought her Rumba was brilliant), so this would be an interesting week for her. I wasn't a fan of the start, bit more Contemporary than Ballroom, but it was much better once she got into hold. Keeping the judges' comments about Caroline's footwork in mind, I did look out for her feet, and I couldn't see any heel leads so I agreed with them there. I also noticed that Caroline had to correct her hand positioning on a few occasions - you could see her left hand moving towards being flat on Pasha's back. She did stumble at the end, but I think it was a case of 'heel caught in dress'. She's been confirmed to be doing the Jive, so avoids the dances with lifts yet again! That being said, it should be a good dance for her as she's suited to the faster dances more. Pasha can choreograph a good Jive, as we saw with Chelsee and Kimberley, so this dance should be one to watch.
Judges' scores: 7, 8, 8, 8 for a total of 31/40
My score: 7.25
Jake & Janette - Rumba - "Strangers in the Night"
After his 'disappointing' Paso Doble last week, Jake needed a good dance tonight to get his confidence back up. And yet, he ends up joint 8th with Alison, only being above Judy. It's difficult to say why he's doing so badly in comparison with the other early frontrunners - did he peak with his Salsa? Is Janette's choreography hindering him? Is there something going on behind the scenes that we don't know about? All I know is, he needs a stand-out dance soon, otherwise there's a real possibility that he won't be in the final (I can see Mark getting there over him now). Onto the dance itself - he did have some hip action at the beginning, but there wasn't enough of it and I do feel the choreography was a little to blame here. Jake was mostly just standing still, or moving in the same spot, or walking - it was all about Janette, and whilst the Rumba is a dance where the lady does more and the man presents, she could have given him a LOT more to do. Compare this with Simon's - now whilst Simon's wasn't great, he did have a fair amount of movement, and this was what was lacking with Jake.
There's been some debate about whether Janette is doing the right thing, teaching Jake the steps first and then technique later; I'm a bit on the fence with that one if I'm honest. If Jake was more of an Alison or a Scott, someone who can do the steps but not necessarily the technique, then I would agree with Janette's approach. But, as Jake is a better dancer than that, and he's expressed concerns over the technique before (with Janette replying 'Steps first') it might do Janette good to try it the other way next week and see if he's better for it. Now that Aljaz has gone, I hope Janette asks him for help, whether that's with choreography or to help Jake see what he needs to do and how to do it. He should be back to Ballroom this week, and I feel the Viennese Waltz would be a good fit for him considering the steps vs technique question - not much variety in terms of steps, which means that he can concentrate on the technique.
Judges' scores: 6, 7, 7, 7 for a total of 27/40
My score: 5.75
Judy & Anton - Paso Doble - "I Fought the Law"
Firstly, I LOVED Judge Judy at the start, she has just the right voice for that role. Sadly, it all went downhill from there. No real attempt at teaching Judy any technique from Anton, just lots of walking, and moving her about, and getting her off of the floor when possible. I know Judy isn't the best dancer (she was certainly the worst after Scott left), but Anton could have done so much more with her. If all else fails, go for the performance! Judy can do the performance but there wasn't anything within the routine to give her that. Sorry Anton, but I'm going to toss you into the Enigma Strictly Jail for crimes against choreography (as much as I occasionally dislike Janette's and Kristina's choreography, nothing they've produced has ever been as bad as this). She should have a Latin next week, and for my sake, please let it be the Salsa.
Judges' scores: 3, 5, 5, 5 for a total of 18/40
My score: 2.5
Sunetra & Brendan - Foxtrot - "All of Me"
I am sick of hearing this song (it's nice but so overplayed now), but Tommy did a fantastic job with the vocal, props to him (although was it just me, or did he sing 'curves' a bit weirdly in the chorus? It sounded like 'kierves' to me). Brendan is an exceptional Ballroom choreographer, and he nailed it again here. Apart from that end position which was a little weird. Back to Sunetra, she was doing such a good job - lovely hand position, good footwork and posture, but then she went on the wrong foot which meant she went wrong for a while afterwards. Watching it back, you can see where this happens - she goes wrong at the start of the second part of the chorus, but manages to get back on the right track at the end of that chorus. It's a shame as she could have got 9s easily if it wasn't for that. She should be on Latin next week, and she struggles with fast dances so I'd like to see her do the Paso Doble; she has good arms, she can pull off the performance, and I feel she can get the shaping.
Judges' scores: 7, 8, 8, 8 for a total of 31/40
My score: 7.75
Alison & Aljaz - Charleston - "Friend Like Me"
Oh I do love these two and I was sorry to see them go; these guys have such a lovely partnership, and judging by the 'Goodbye Alison' video, she's going to be really missed by everyone else. At least she went out on one of her better dances (and having got a kiss off of Aljaz at the end of the routine, twice). Onto the dance itself, and it made me smile. The choreography was pretty suited to her, apart from the 'running man' bit at the end where you could see her running with turned-out feet. She gave a good performance as always but I would have liked to see a little more from her in that respect, the Charleston is known for being a bit of a 'goofy' kind of dance and I think she could have given it more welly, as our Len would say. Still, nice to see her go for the swivel at the beginning, she kind of got it. And that lift, I was just laughing! I hope she keeps dancing after this, she loved the whole series and she was great to watch.
Judges' scores: 6, 7, 7, 7 for a total of 27/40
My score: 5.5
Mark & Karen - Waltz - "Weekend in New England"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT - Jill & Darren in series 2, Jade & Ian in series 7, Rory & Erin in series 9*
It's been a while since his last slow Ballroom (week 2 to be precise), so I was intrigued to watch this and see how much Mark had improved. In all honesty, I think the judges undermarked this. Or at least, he should have been scored higher than Caroline. He had the heel leads, his footwork was good, just some polishing needed really. All he needs to do now is straighten up a little as he looks slightly hunched sometimes, and to lower that holding arm a tad. That will make his topline look better and he can start getting the higher marks in Ballroom that he's been getting in his Latin for the last couple of weeks. Lovely choreography from Karen I must say, very moving and beautiful; although the head on chest moment was a bit odd! As for Blackpool, I'd like to see him stay in Ballroom and do a Tango, otherwise if it's a Latin, then maybe a Rumba. Either way, he is improving and he needs to be tested on that improvement.
Judges' scores: 7, 8, 8, 8 for a total of 31/40
My score: 7.5
Frankie & Kevin - Samba - "La Bamba"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT - Dennis & Izabella in series 3 (possibly Louis & Flavia in series 10 too)*
Frankie's been worried about this dance all week - she's had limited rehearsal time due to having to be in Spain with The Saturdays (despite Kevin meeting her there to rehearse), and the party Latin seems to be a weakness of hers. She got a bit upset afterwards, and I felt for her because in a way, Craig was right that it was her worst dance. You could see her messing up on a few occasions (so sorry Len but 9 was too high) and although she recovered well, in a fast dance like this it can sometimes be more noticeable when something goes wrong and that was the case here. It was her worst dance in terms of mistakes, but it was still a good dance. Frankie looked more comfortable here than in her Cha Cha Cha, and she probably wished that she could have done it a little better. She seemed to mess up at the very beginning, not sure what went on there; but something wasn't right about the Samba rolls and then she missed a hand grab shortly after which put her off the next section. The end was quite messy as well, but it was good choreography from Kevin apart from that. There's some who reckon he put too much in, and I say that might be fair, but given how quick that music was (quicker than the other Sambas we've seen so far for definite) he kind of had to do that otherwise the routine would have looked too slow. For next week, get Frankie back to the Ballroom, and I'd suggest a Quickstep for her - it would give her a challenge and use a lot of the floor at Blackpool.
Judges' scores: 7, 8, 9, 8 for a total of 32
My score: 7.5
Pixie & Trent - Foxtrot - "When I'm Sixty Four"
Bit of an odd song choice I thought, but strangely it worked. Trent I think missed it a tad choreographically this week. I wasn't a fan of his routine for the Tango last week, but at least it made sense within the confines of the dance style. This time, I felt the comedic elements were unnecessary. Set up the story at the beginning and end certainly, but the part towards the end just jarred with the rest of the routine; which, aside from the arabesque kick at the beginning which looked slightly messy, was great. Smooth, elegant, Pixie performed this brilliantly and I couldn't spot any technical errors on her part. There was only one small section when Trent was moving backwards towards the top-right corner of the floor near the start where it seemed that something might have gone wrong, but if it did then I couldn't tell what it was. She certainly deserved to be top of the leaderboard, but I wouldn't say that Foxtrot was worth a 10, Darcey. Next week, I want to see her really challenged, and I think the dance to do that is the Charleston. Pixie, like Caroline, hasn't done a dance with lifts yet, and I think this is the perfect time to do one.
Judges' scores: 9, 10, 8, 9 for a total of 36/40
My score: 9
Steve & Ola - Paso Doble - "Use Somebody"
Is someone at the BBC trying to nobble this couple? First the story in the papers about Ola 'bullying' Steve, and now using a song which doesn't sound like a Paso at all, for a Paso Doble. Sack the music pickers and let us guys choose as we could do a LOT better. For a dance like the Paso Doble, everyone should get either traditional music, or modern music that has traditional stylings (so things like 'Paint it Black' by The Rolling Stones, or 'Conquest' by The White Stripes) *rant over* I must admit, I went a bit 'fangirl' when I saw that Steve was showing his chest, and I hardly ever do that (seriously, he's put a spell on me or something. I normally go for the 'attractive but in a non-conventional way' kinda guy like Andrea off of X Factor). Focus, Ames! *slaps herself*
Aaaah, back to the actual dance that I'm meant to be critiquing. I was a bit disappointed, I thought Steve would really put the attack into it, like he did with his Tango back in week 1. His performance in that respect was pretty much his face and nothing else. A few iffy moments of choreography from Ola. Firstly, KNEESLIDES! Check. PIVOTS! Check. These moves are from Ola's Trademark Latin Choreography, which I would say you can buy on DVD, but let's face it, just watch any Latin routine of hers from recent series and you'll see all you need to there. Strange pauses towards the end - Steve had spun Ola with 2 arms, but then they both stood still before they did a small jump and carried on. Was something meant to happen there? This was a touch overmarked for me: not much shaping, little more attack needed from Steve. 7s at the most. For Blackpool, I'd like Steve to do another slow Ballroom - his Waltz in week 5 was his 'breakthrough' dance and he needs another opportunity there. Something along the lines of a Foxtrot, or an American Smooth would be good for him.
Judges' scores: 6, 8, 7, 7 for a total of 28/40
My score: 6.25
Strictly Leaderboard:
1. Pixie & Trent - 36
2. Simon & Kristina - 33
3. Frankie & Kevin - 32
=4. Caroline & Pasha, Sunetra & Brendan, Mark & Karen - 31
7. Steve & Ola - 28
=8. Jake & Janette, Alison & Aljaz - 27
10. Judy & Anton - 18
My Leaderboard:
1. Pixie & Trent - 36
2. Suntra & Brendan - 31
=3. Simon & Kristina, Mark & Karen, Frankie & Kevin - 30
6. Caroline & Pasha - 29
7. Steve & Ola - 25
8. Jake & Janette - 23
9. Alison & Aljaz - 22
10. Judy & Anton - 10
Dance-off: Caroline & Pasha vs Alison & Aljaz. Not such a surprise to see Alison here again, but Caroline was a shocker. Having worked out the numbers, she could only have been 7th at best in the public vote (only Pixie, Simon and Alison could have been lower: everyone else had to poll at least 1 place higher, or 3 higher in Judy's case). Was it the 'middle of the leaderboard' syndrome? Was it the 'death slot' curse? Who knows, but this might be the wake-up call that all of the frontrunners need to raise their game next week at Blackpool.
Elimination: Alison & Aljaz. I didn't see the actual dance-off (we switched to watch the X Factor results. Would have done a +1 on those to watch Strictly but I wanted to see the Formula 1 highlights), but it's the right decision as Caroline has much more potential than Alison and this was just an off-week I guess. I might have to watch this on iPlayer to see Team Ali's last dance, but if anyone could tell me what song it was then please do :)
Recycled song count now stands at 27.
Next time, we venture to the Tower Ballroom at Blackpool. We usually see some fantastic dances there, Susanna & Kevin's Paso Doble from last series being a brilliant example. Can Jake get back to his best? Will Frankie and Caroline bounce back? And will Judy actually end up in the dance-off?
Until then,
* dances along to the Strictly theme tune and invites you to join her*
Friday 7 November 2014
Strictly Come Dancing 2014: Week 6 (part 2)
Again, sorry for the lateness - internet has been playing up this week and now is the only time that I've been able to sit down and finish the blog.
Last time, I went through the first 6 dances of the evening, from Sunetra's Jive to Judy's American Smooth. In this portion, I'll be looking at the final 5 dances, the dance-off, and the elimination.
We now know that Claudia's daughter had to go into hospital after suffering serious burns in a Halloween accident, and I sincerely hope she gets better soon. Claudia has been given indefinite leave by the BBC and Zoe will be standing in for her in the meantime.
Jake & Janette - Paso Doble - "Black Betty"
Hmm, this was the worst song choice of the night imo (probably just a bit worse than 'Defying Gravity', more on that to come a bit later) - I've heard that this particular song has been used for a Quickstep on another version of Strictly (DWTS I believe). I can see what the judges meant about Jake being too upright and jumping into some of the moves, but I don't believe the choreography helped to be honest. I know that the Paso, for the male at least, has a lot to do with posing and presenting their partner, but I think that Janette could have got him to do a bit more than that. For something like the Paso, which requires a certain type of shaping, I always think that if a celeb is struggling then they should watch previous dances to see how it should be done - sometimes it helps to see what you're meant to be doing because you might then have more of an idea of how to get there, and I reckon this would have helped out Jake. He might not have been the most masculine of matadors, but Jake would have done well to watch Ashley's 'cowboy' Paso with Ola last year as his shaping was great and he showed what he could do on his own. I also thought that Jake would have looked better doing the traditional cape action to release the bats at the beginning of the routine. Janette has produced 2 good pieces of choreography for Jake (the Salsa of course, and I thought his Jive routine was good), and I think she needs to buck her ideas up if she wants to win this year. They've got the Rumba this week, which *should* be a good dance for him, as he has decent hip-action and he might benefit from having more time to control the moves. But the training footage on ITT didn't look great, and I'm a bit worried that he could fall into the bottom 2.
Judges' scores: 6, 7, 8, 8 for a total of 29/40
My score: 6.25 (good masculinity, much less fluid and less errors than Simon)
Caroline & Pasha - Samba - "Le Freak"
Poor Caroline, wardrobe has it in for her big time. This was always going to suffer from comparisons to Pixie's dance, but on the other hand, it's probably good for her to get a difficult dance out of the way in a theme week. It was difficult to tell whether she had the double-bounce action, but her 'bachacadas' were good (I still have no idea how to spell that dance term, but I hope you guys know what I mean). She missed the initial hand grab for the samba roll (iirc it's actually called a shadow samba roll but I might be wrong) and that seemed to put her off a little. Craig said that he thought it was clinical and over-rehearsed, and although that sounds odd I can sort of see what he means. Although Caroline can produce a good performance, and she's good technically, there's almost always something that isn't quite right, or missing. I think that maybe she's so focused on trying to get the technique down, that she can't seem to really 'let go' or 'get into it' as it were. The only dance where I thought that she nailed it both in technique and in performance was her Rumba (and for me, that was even better than Pixie's). Caroline has the Waltz this week, and I think this might be a turning point for her, she doesn't need to get into character as such, just be smooth and elegant.
Judges' scores: 7, 8, 8, 9 for a total of 32/40
My score: 7
Scott & Joanne - Foxtrot - "Addams Family Theme"
I LOVED THIS DANCE! *clicks fingers and sings along* It's almost a shame that Scott went out on this routine, because it was a serious improvement. There's a bit of debate going on about whether Joanne did choreograph this routine - apparently choreography is a weak point of hers and she didn't do much of it when she competed, but that she might be doing it now she's on Strictly. If she did, then props to her as I thought the choreography for this dance was inspired. Scott needed something where he could get into it and have fun with it, so this was perfect for him. I'm not going to go into technique on this one, so let's just end it with awe at Joanne's back bend, and remembering how entertaining this performance was, as this is probably the one that we'll remember him for. *clicks fingers and goes off to make herself up like Morticia*
Judges' scores: 3, 6, 6, 6 for a total of 21/40
My score: 10! Nah, I'm kidding. I have to give this the same as Judy, so 5.25
Mark & Karen - Jive - "Little Shop of Horrors"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT - Audley & Natalie in series 9*
Now I did say in part 1 that I thought this was the best dance of the night, I'm not too sure now after watching it back (ok, I might be lying here). Mark lost energy towards the end, and needed to point his toes more on the kicks. Apart from that, I thought he was great. Not too hampered by the theme, and the song worked well - in all honesty I'd say this was the best song choice of the evening. Mark's one of the only people (aside from Frankie, Pixie and maybe Caroline) who's great in both dance styles. If he keeps this up then there's a chance that he could knock out Jake and end up in the final. Well let's see how this week goes first. Mark has a Waltz, and it's been a while since he had a slower routine (back in week 2 as he reminded us on ITT this week) - but from the training footage, I get the feeling that it's gonna be good.
Judges' scores: 8, 9, 9, 9 for a total of 35/40
My score: 8.5
Frankie & Kevin - Tango - "Defying Gravity"
After watching this back, I still think it wasn't worth a 10; however, I can appreciate just how difficult it is to choreograph a Tango to this song (and Kevin said as much on ITT tonight). Someone suggested that it looks much better with the sound muted, and I have to agree. I can see what Craig meant about Frankie's left arm - she had the same problem that Abbey did in her Quickstep last year, she's put so much into the performance that when she was moving quickly, perhaps a change of 'level' as such, her left arm was moving up and down, it wasn't holding like the frame should. Despite this though, Frankie really got into the performance and her footwork was excellent. With that ending you can see why this was saved for the final dance of the night. Frankie is another who, like Caroline, I think sometimes struggles to 'get into' a routine and sell it - I don't think she quite got it in her Paso, but in this Tango, she sold it baby! She's got the Samba this week, and I'm not sure how she's going to do here. She had to get a 'party Latin' out of the way at some point, and if she found the Cha Cha Cha tough, then this is going to be hard for her.
Judges' scores: 9, 9, 9, 10 for a total of 37/40
My score: 9.5
Strictly Leaderboard:
1. Frankie & Kevin - 37
2. Mark & Karen - 35
3. Pixie & Trent - 33
4. Caroline & Pasha - 32
=5. Simon & Kristina, Jake & Janette - 29
7. Sunetra & Brendan - 27
=8. Alison & Aljaz, Steve & Ola - 26
10. Scott & Joanne - 21
11. Judy & Anton - 20
My Leaderboard (marks multiplied by 4):
1. Frankie & Kevin - 38
2. Mark & Karen - 34
3. Pixie & Trent - 30
4. Caroline & Pasha - 28
5. Jake & Janette - 25
=6. Sunetra & Brendan, Alison & Aljaz - 23
8. Simon & Kristina - 22
=9. Steve & Ola, Judy & Anton, Scott & Joanne - 21
Yeah, Steve might have gone on my scores, so for once I might just prefer the judges' marking.
Dance-off: Alison & Aljaz vs Scott & Joanne. We should have known that when Scott wasn't busy being bottom of the leaderboard, he'd end up in the dance-off. Alison wasn't really a surprise either, given that only Steve and Judy needed to finish above her to avoid the bottom 2.
Elimination: Scott & Joanne. Both couples improved, but this was the right decision *issues a 'bugger off' to Len, just wanting to be controversial*. Loved Alison's dress going over Aljaz's head too.
The recycled song alert count now stands at 23.
Well week 8 will be at Blackpool, so tomorrow, cue VTs with pleading, begging, and possibly bribery. It can't be as bad as Craig Kelly, can it?
Until next time,
KEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP READING!
Last time, I went through the first 6 dances of the evening, from Sunetra's Jive to Judy's American Smooth. In this portion, I'll be looking at the final 5 dances, the dance-off, and the elimination.
We now know that Claudia's daughter had to go into hospital after suffering serious burns in a Halloween accident, and I sincerely hope she gets better soon. Claudia has been given indefinite leave by the BBC and Zoe will be standing in for her in the meantime.
Jake & Janette - Paso Doble - "Black Betty"
Hmm, this was the worst song choice of the night imo (probably just a bit worse than 'Defying Gravity', more on that to come a bit later) - I've heard that this particular song has been used for a Quickstep on another version of Strictly (DWTS I believe). I can see what the judges meant about Jake being too upright and jumping into some of the moves, but I don't believe the choreography helped to be honest. I know that the Paso, for the male at least, has a lot to do with posing and presenting their partner, but I think that Janette could have got him to do a bit more than that. For something like the Paso, which requires a certain type of shaping, I always think that if a celeb is struggling then they should watch previous dances to see how it should be done - sometimes it helps to see what you're meant to be doing because you might then have more of an idea of how to get there, and I reckon this would have helped out Jake. He might not have been the most masculine of matadors, but Jake would have done well to watch Ashley's 'cowboy' Paso with Ola last year as his shaping was great and he showed what he could do on his own. I also thought that Jake would have looked better doing the traditional cape action to release the bats at the beginning of the routine. Janette has produced 2 good pieces of choreography for Jake (the Salsa of course, and I thought his Jive routine was good), and I think she needs to buck her ideas up if she wants to win this year. They've got the Rumba this week, which *should* be a good dance for him, as he has decent hip-action and he might benefit from having more time to control the moves. But the training footage on ITT didn't look great, and I'm a bit worried that he could fall into the bottom 2.
Judges' scores: 6, 7, 8, 8 for a total of 29/40
My score: 6.25 (good masculinity, much less fluid and less errors than Simon)
Caroline & Pasha - Samba - "Le Freak"
Poor Caroline, wardrobe has it in for her big time. This was always going to suffer from comparisons to Pixie's dance, but on the other hand, it's probably good for her to get a difficult dance out of the way in a theme week. It was difficult to tell whether she had the double-bounce action, but her 'bachacadas' were good (I still have no idea how to spell that dance term, but I hope you guys know what I mean). She missed the initial hand grab for the samba roll (iirc it's actually called a shadow samba roll but I might be wrong) and that seemed to put her off a little. Craig said that he thought it was clinical and over-rehearsed, and although that sounds odd I can sort of see what he means. Although Caroline can produce a good performance, and she's good technically, there's almost always something that isn't quite right, or missing. I think that maybe she's so focused on trying to get the technique down, that she can't seem to really 'let go' or 'get into it' as it were. The only dance where I thought that she nailed it both in technique and in performance was her Rumba (and for me, that was even better than Pixie's). Caroline has the Waltz this week, and I think this might be a turning point for her, she doesn't need to get into character as such, just be smooth and elegant.
Judges' scores: 7, 8, 8, 9 for a total of 32/40
My score: 7
Scott & Joanne - Foxtrot - "Addams Family Theme"
I LOVED THIS DANCE! *clicks fingers and sings along* It's almost a shame that Scott went out on this routine, because it was a serious improvement. There's a bit of debate going on about whether Joanne did choreograph this routine - apparently choreography is a weak point of hers and she didn't do much of it when she competed, but that she might be doing it now she's on Strictly. If she did, then props to her as I thought the choreography for this dance was inspired. Scott needed something where he could get into it and have fun with it, so this was perfect for him. I'm not going to go into technique on this one, so let's just end it with awe at Joanne's back bend, and remembering how entertaining this performance was, as this is probably the one that we'll remember him for. *clicks fingers and goes off to make herself up like Morticia*
Judges' scores: 3, 6, 6, 6 for a total of 21/40
My score: 10! Nah, I'm kidding. I have to give this the same as Judy, so 5.25
Mark & Karen - Jive - "Little Shop of Horrors"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT - Audley & Natalie in series 9*
Now I did say in part 1 that I thought this was the best dance of the night, I'm not too sure now after watching it back (ok, I might be lying here). Mark lost energy towards the end, and needed to point his toes more on the kicks. Apart from that, I thought he was great. Not too hampered by the theme, and the song worked well - in all honesty I'd say this was the best song choice of the evening. Mark's one of the only people (aside from Frankie, Pixie and maybe Caroline) who's great in both dance styles. If he keeps this up then there's a chance that he could knock out Jake and end up in the final. Well let's see how this week goes first. Mark has a Waltz, and it's been a while since he had a slower routine (back in week 2 as he reminded us on ITT this week) - but from the training footage, I get the feeling that it's gonna be good.
Judges' scores: 8, 9, 9, 9 for a total of 35/40
My score: 8.5
Frankie & Kevin - Tango - "Defying Gravity"
After watching this back, I still think it wasn't worth a 10; however, I can appreciate just how difficult it is to choreograph a Tango to this song (and Kevin said as much on ITT tonight). Someone suggested that it looks much better with the sound muted, and I have to agree. I can see what Craig meant about Frankie's left arm - she had the same problem that Abbey did in her Quickstep last year, she's put so much into the performance that when she was moving quickly, perhaps a change of 'level' as such, her left arm was moving up and down, it wasn't holding like the frame should. Despite this though, Frankie really got into the performance and her footwork was excellent. With that ending you can see why this was saved for the final dance of the night. Frankie is another who, like Caroline, I think sometimes struggles to 'get into' a routine and sell it - I don't think she quite got it in her Paso, but in this Tango, she sold it baby! She's got the Samba this week, and I'm not sure how she's going to do here. She had to get a 'party Latin' out of the way at some point, and if she found the Cha Cha Cha tough, then this is going to be hard for her.
Judges' scores: 9, 9, 9, 10 for a total of 37/40
My score: 9.5
Strictly Leaderboard:
1. Frankie & Kevin - 37
2. Mark & Karen - 35
3. Pixie & Trent - 33
4. Caroline & Pasha - 32
=5. Simon & Kristina, Jake & Janette - 29
7. Sunetra & Brendan - 27
=8. Alison & Aljaz, Steve & Ola - 26
10. Scott & Joanne - 21
11. Judy & Anton - 20
My Leaderboard (marks multiplied by 4):
1. Frankie & Kevin - 38
2. Mark & Karen - 34
3. Pixie & Trent - 30
4. Caroline & Pasha - 28
5. Jake & Janette - 25
=6. Sunetra & Brendan, Alison & Aljaz - 23
8. Simon & Kristina - 22
=9. Steve & Ola, Judy & Anton, Scott & Joanne - 21
Yeah, Steve might have gone on my scores, so for once I might just prefer the judges' marking.
Dance-off: Alison & Aljaz vs Scott & Joanne. We should have known that when Scott wasn't busy being bottom of the leaderboard, he'd end up in the dance-off. Alison wasn't really a surprise either, given that only Steve and Judy needed to finish above her to avoid the bottom 2.
Elimination: Scott & Joanne. Both couples improved, but this was the right decision *issues a 'bugger off' to Len, just wanting to be controversial*. Loved Alison's dress going over Aljaz's head too.
The recycled song alert count now stands at 23.
Well week 8 will be at Blackpool, so tomorrow, cue VTs with pleading, begging, and possibly bribery. It can't be as bad as Craig Kelly, can it?
Until next time,
KEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP READING!
Sunday 2 November 2014
Strictly Come Dancing 2014: Week 6 (part 1)
So it's week 6, a little under halfway through the series and also Halloween week. God help the poor celebs when it comes to music, costumes and make-up, although we've been complaining about that practically every week so it's nothing new.
Last time, Thom & Iveta learned that it wasn't their party as they went home after losing out to Simon & Kristina in the dance-off, thanks to Len's casting vote. You all know my thoughts on that as well as which side of the judging table I would have gone with, but I'd be interested to see where your vote would have gone - would you have agreed with Craig and Darcey and saved Thom? Or would you have gone with Len and Bruno and kept Simon? I'd like to know which side of the battle you were on.
And as the show starts, we learn that Claudia is off for the night as one of her children is ill, therefore Zoe Ball from ITT will step in. Hope your child gets better soon Claude and that you're back with us next week. Wardrobe did a good job with both Tess and Zoe, although I probably just preferred Zoe's dress because it was so sparkly. (As I won't mention it later on, I thought Zoe did a great job last night, and I'd be happy for her to step in again if needed)
Onto the dances, and in this part of the blog I'll be reviewing the first 6 performances of the evening (so from Sunetra up to and including Judy), and the remaining 5 plus dance-off and elimination will be discussed in part 2. As a warning, I was annoyed by some of the marking last night, and I'll make it plain which bits of marking they were.
Sunetra & Brendan - Jive - "Tainted Love"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT - Zoe & James from series 7*
Apologies to Brendan but I thought the choreography for this was awful. It's got me thinking, is Brendan just bad at Halloween dances (his Jive last year for Sophie wasn't great either) or does he have issues with the Jive? I can't remember the last time he did a decent Jive, might have to go back to Kelly Brook for that one. Too much bed-ography, and I felt as though Sunetra was too exposed in this dance, she needed to be with Brendan more, whether that was side-by-side or 'in hold' as such. Her bottom half was decent, but her top half needed a lot more work for this dance. I'm glad the judges picked up on her arms as I was going to mention them as well, she needed to straighten them more when creating the lines, and making sure they go out fully too. I think she went wrong at one point as well, maybe caught off-balance a little, as she appeared to be slightly hunched over when Brendan was about to go 'in hold' with her. She needs another Ballroom next week, the Latin dances clearly aren't her bag, a Quickstep perhaps? Possibly a Foxtrot would be best for her.
Judges' scores: 6, 7, 7, 7 for a total of 27/40
My score: 5.75
Alison & Aljaz - American Smooth - "Wuthering Heights"
Now I'm going to do something that I haven't done before - I'm going to agree with James Jordan. What Alison doesn't have in terms of technique, she more than makes up for in performance. There's a few celebs who could learn a thing or two from her in that respect. I'm also going to agree with Craig about the wafting: yes there was a bit, but come on, Artem was the king of wafting in his American Smooths with Holly and Natalie, and yet he didn't get pulled up on that (not as much anyway). At least Aljaz actually had a fair amount of the dance in hold. I have to say, either the heels have done wonders for Alison, or she's improved a lot since her Foxtrot back in week 2 (I think it was then anyway) - she looked a lot better in hold tonight. She was originally meant to be doing the Charleston this week, so after 2 Ballrooms on the bounce, I wonder if that's been saved for next week for her.
Judges' scores: 5, 7, 7, 7 for a total of 26/40
My score: 5.75 (I'm going to be shouted down for this I know, but I do think Alison and Sunetra were on a level this week)
Simon & Kristina - Paso Doble - "Poison"
I did say that I thought this would be a tricky dance for Simon, and sadly I was proved to be correct. Simon needed to be given more to do 'in hold' I think, he didn't have much shaping at all and the whole performance from him looked too fluid. He also went quite wrong towards the end, seemed to forget what he was supposed to be doing, and was he meant to do one of those (jetés I think they're called) a la Austin Healey? Because he was doing the arm movements without actually leaping, so I wonder if it was meant to be like that or if it was an error on his part. I thought the judges were too kind to him if I'm honest, and didn't they actually praise his shaping? It was practically non-existent and he didn't fully extend into any of his arm lines, it was just messy. If he's here next week, then give him a faster dance like a Quickstep, or even a Salsa, otherwise I fear he'll be in the bottom 2 again and might knock out someone better than him.
Judges' scores: 6, 8, 7, 8 for a total of 29/40 (8s? really? Wth are the judges on tonight?)
My score: I really don't know what to score this. To me, there was so much wrong with it, that I actually think it's worse than both Sunetra and Alison. IIRC, Jason Donovan actually got a lower score for his Paso, when in all honesty I think he got it much more than Simon. Sorry to everyone but I'm going to have to give Simon only 5.5.
Steve & Ola - Charleston - "Dem Bones, Dem Bones"
This was so disappointing, and I'm really gutted for Steve. He just seemed to be anticipating the next move and so 'forgot' parts of the routine and went off time. I would like to see the rehearsal footage, as he was apparently getting it spot-on but just messed up on the night. Were the lifts too difficult? I can't say they were, perhaps the one where he spun Ola round his head before getting her up so she was facing the opposite way was too tricky, but the others were no more difficult than what he did in their Salsa. Maybe simplifying that one lift would have helped but it's hard to say. Also, at the beginning, was he too quick or did Ola go too slow? It looked as if Steve was on time and Ola wasn't (when he was swinging one leg behind him). I felt so sorry for him, as he did some parts of that dance brilliantly. The make-up didn't help with the whole 'expression' part of the performance either, and I almost hope that he's in the dance-off so he has the chance to do it better. A slower dance next week should bring his confidence back up, forget lifts for the time being, so a Foxtrot or Viennese Waltz could be good for him.
Judges' scores: 5, 7, 7, 7 for a total of 26/40
My score: 5.25
Pixie & Trent - Tango - "Danger! High Voltage"
Can I just say that I LOVE this song? I've actually used it for an online Strictly game in the past, albeit for a Paso Doble. It was sung horribly though - by Andrea, and Lance was it? They should have brought Chris in for that one as he suits that kind of 'rocky' vocal. Andrea was probably the right choice for the female vocal, but still, it was awfully sung. As for Pixie and Trent, I think this was the first dance of theirs where I really didn't like Trent's choreography. I understand where he was going with it, but sometimes less is more - see Nicky & Karen's 'Weird Science' Tango for how to do a themed dance. Pixie also needs to watch her frame when she changes direction, as she tends to bend her right arm sometimes. Btw, LIFT! Surely that should have been mentioned in the critique? I even watched it back just to make sure that it wasn't just me. Her foot was definitely off the floor for about a second or so, and hopefully the judges penalised for it even though they didn't mention it. Next week? Hmm, I think they might go back to another Ballroom for her, and give her maybe an American Smooth.
Judges' scores: 8, 8, 8, 9 for a total of 33/40
My score: 7.5
Judy & Anton - American Smooth - "Cruella de Vil"
Wardrobe did a great job with Judy, she really did look like Cruella. I don't know what was meant to happen with those dogs at the beginning, but at least it bought Judy some time to get out of the flying car. Her frame is still not good though, I'm going to channel Darcey for a moment here and say that she needs to work on her core more, she still gets off-balance a lot which puts her off and means that Anton has to adjust his hold to drag her into place. Her footwork looked good though and she's more comfortable with lifts now, just needs to work on the transitions both into and out of them. Not as good as her Charleston last week for me, but still a good dance for her. For next week, I'd suggest a Paso Doble for her, not as loose as some of the other Latin dances so should suit her more.
Judges' scores: 3, 6, 6, 5 for a total of 20/40
My score: 5.25
Next time, we see the other 5 performances: Jake's Paso Doble (which I feel drew the shortest draw in terms of song choice), Caroline's Samba (overmarked imo), Scott's Foxtrot (genius choreography from Joanne), Mark's Jive (best dance of the night for me), and Frankie's Tango (overmarked and should never have been a 10). I'll also be giving my thoughts on the dance-off and subsequent elimination.
Until then,
KEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP READING!
Last time, Thom & Iveta learned that it wasn't their party as they went home after losing out to Simon & Kristina in the dance-off, thanks to Len's casting vote. You all know my thoughts on that as well as which side of the judging table I would have gone with, but I'd be interested to see where your vote would have gone - would you have agreed with Craig and Darcey and saved Thom? Or would you have gone with Len and Bruno and kept Simon? I'd like to know which side of the battle you were on.
And as the show starts, we learn that Claudia is off for the night as one of her children is ill, therefore Zoe Ball from ITT will step in. Hope your child gets better soon Claude and that you're back with us next week. Wardrobe did a good job with both Tess and Zoe, although I probably just preferred Zoe's dress because it was so sparkly. (As I won't mention it later on, I thought Zoe did a great job last night, and I'd be happy for her to step in again if needed)
Onto the dances, and in this part of the blog I'll be reviewing the first 6 performances of the evening (so from Sunetra up to and including Judy), and the remaining 5 plus dance-off and elimination will be discussed in part 2. As a warning, I was annoyed by some of the marking last night, and I'll make it plain which bits of marking they were.
Sunetra & Brendan - Jive - "Tainted Love"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT - Zoe & James from series 7*
Apologies to Brendan but I thought the choreography for this was awful. It's got me thinking, is Brendan just bad at Halloween dances (his Jive last year for Sophie wasn't great either) or does he have issues with the Jive? I can't remember the last time he did a decent Jive, might have to go back to Kelly Brook for that one. Too much bed-ography, and I felt as though Sunetra was too exposed in this dance, she needed to be with Brendan more, whether that was side-by-side or 'in hold' as such. Her bottom half was decent, but her top half needed a lot more work for this dance. I'm glad the judges picked up on her arms as I was going to mention them as well, she needed to straighten them more when creating the lines, and making sure they go out fully too. I think she went wrong at one point as well, maybe caught off-balance a little, as she appeared to be slightly hunched over when Brendan was about to go 'in hold' with her. She needs another Ballroom next week, the Latin dances clearly aren't her bag, a Quickstep perhaps? Possibly a Foxtrot would be best for her.
Judges' scores: 6, 7, 7, 7 for a total of 27/40
My score: 5.75
Alison & Aljaz - American Smooth - "Wuthering Heights"
Now I'm going to do something that I haven't done before - I'm going to agree with James Jordan. What Alison doesn't have in terms of technique, she more than makes up for in performance. There's a few celebs who could learn a thing or two from her in that respect. I'm also going to agree with Craig about the wafting: yes there was a bit, but come on, Artem was the king of wafting in his American Smooths with Holly and Natalie, and yet he didn't get pulled up on that (not as much anyway). At least Aljaz actually had a fair amount of the dance in hold. I have to say, either the heels have done wonders for Alison, or she's improved a lot since her Foxtrot back in week 2 (I think it was then anyway) - she looked a lot better in hold tonight. She was originally meant to be doing the Charleston this week, so after 2 Ballrooms on the bounce, I wonder if that's been saved for next week for her.
Judges' scores: 5, 7, 7, 7 for a total of 26/40
My score: 5.75 (I'm going to be shouted down for this I know, but I do think Alison and Sunetra were on a level this week)
Simon & Kristina - Paso Doble - "Poison"
I did say that I thought this would be a tricky dance for Simon, and sadly I was proved to be correct. Simon needed to be given more to do 'in hold' I think, he didn't have much shaping at all and the whole performance from him looked too fluid. He also went quite wrong towards the end, seemed to forget what he was supposed to be doing, and was he meant to do one of those (jetés I think they're called) a la Austin Healey? Because he was doing the arm movements without actually leaping, so I wonder if it was meant to be like that or if it was an error on his part. I thought the judges were too kind to him if I'm honest, and didn't they actually praise his shaping? It was practically non-existent and he didn't fully extend into any of his arm lines, it was just messy. If he's here next week, then give him a faster dance like a Quickstep, or even a Salsa, otherwise I fear he'll be in the bottom 2 again and might knock out someone better than him.
Judges' scores: 6, 8, 7, 8 for a total of 29/40 (8s? really? Wth are the judges on tonight?)
My score: I really don't know what to score this. To me, there was so much wrong with it, that I actually think it's worse than both Sunetra and Alison. IIRC, Jason Donovan actually got a lower score for his Paso, when in all honesty I think he got it much more than Simon. Sorry to everyone but I'm going to have to give Simon only 5.5.
Steve & Ola - Charleston - "Dem Bones, Dem Bones"
This was so disappointing, and I'm really gutted for Steve. He just seemed to be anticipating the next move and so 'forgot' parts of the routine and went off time. I would like to see the rehearsal footage, as he was apparently getting it spot-on but just messed up on the night. Were the lifts too difficult? I can't say they were, perhaps the one where he spun Ola round his head before getting her up so she was facing the opposite way was too tricky, but the others were no more difficult than what he did in their Salsa. Maybe simplifying that one lift would have helped but it's hard to say. Also, at the beginning, was he too quick or did Ola go too slow? It looked as if Steve was on time and Ola wasn't (when he was swinging one leg behind him). I felt so sorry for him, as he did some parts of that dance brilliantly. The make-up didn't help with the whole 'expression' part of the performance either, and I almost hope that he's in the dance-off so he has the chance to do it better. A slower dance next week should bring his confidence back up, forget lifts for the time being, so a Foxtrot or Viennese Waltz could be good for him.
Judges' scores: 5, 7, 7, 7 for a total of 26/40
My score: 5.25
Pixie & Trent - Tango - "Danger! High Voltage"
Can I just say that I LOVE this song? I've actually used it for an online Strictly game in the past, albeit for a Paso Doble. It was sung horribly though - by Andrea, and Lance was it? They should have brought Chris in for that one as he suits that kind of 'rocky' vocal. Andrea was probably the right choice for the female vocal, but still, it was awfully sung. As for Pixie and Trent, I think this was the first dance of theirs where I really didn't like Trent's choreography. I understand where he was going with it, but sometimes less is more - see Nicky & Karen's 'Weird Science' Tango for how to do a themed dance. Pixie also needs to watch her frame when she changes direction, as she tends to bend her right arm sometimes. Btw, LIFT! Surely that should have been mentioned in the critique? I even watched it back just to make sure that it wasn't just me. Her foot was definitely off the floor for about a second or so, and hopefully the judges penalised for it even though they didn't mention it. Next week? Hmm, I think they might go back to another Ballroom for her, and give her maybe an American Smooth.
Judges' scores: 8, 8, 8, 9 for a total of 33/40
My score: 7.5
Judy & Anton - American Smooth - "Cruella de Vil"
Wardrobe did a great job with Judy, she really did look like Cruella. I don't know what was meant to happen with those dogs at the beginning, but at least it bought Judy some time to get out of the flying car. Her frame is still not good though, I'm going to channel Darcey for a moment here and say that she needs to work on her core more, she still gets off-balance a lot which puts her off and means that Anton has to adjust his hold to drag her into place. Her footwork looked good though and she's more comfortable with lifts now, just needs to work on the transitions both into and out of them. Not as good as her Charleston last week for me, but still a good dance for her. For next week, I'd suggest a Paso Doble for her, not as loose as some of the other Latin dances so should suit her more.
Judges' scores: 3, 6, 6, 5 for a total of 20/40
My score: 5.25
Next time, we see the other 5 performances: Jake's Paso Doble (which I feel drew the shortest draw in terms of song choice), Caroline's Samba (overmarked imo), Scott's Foxtrot (genius choreography from Joanne), Mark's Jive (best dance of the night for me), and Frankie's Tango (overmarked and should never have been a 10). I'll also be giving my thoughts on the dance-off and subsequent elimination.
Until then,
KEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP READING!
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