SCD Week 4 Review

So week 4 has been and gone. By the time this blog is up the results show won't have finished - I do know who is in the dance-off and who was eliminated. I won't reveal who it is for the sake of those who don't want to know, so all I will say is, the pro who has gone is quite popular :)

Opening pro (and celeb) dance: I think only one word is needed for this and that is PREDICTABLE.

Was Tess dressed best?: I really liked this outfit, that's 2 weeks in a row! Let's hope this is the sign of things to come from Ms Daly. 8/10

So onto the dances themselves. Because I missed one completely and I struggled to concentrate on others, I've been watching them all again on the BBC site.


Dani & Vincent - Cha Cha Cha - "Scooby Doo Theme"

Surprisingly, the song actually worked as a Cha Cha Cha. Dani's footwork was really good and she kept up well with the pace of the dance, but her arms did let her down a little in places. Vincent - was there a reason that you went for repetitive choreography this week? Nice touch with Anton being the villain at the end and him saying the catchphrase into the camera.

Judges' scores: 6, 6, 8, 7
My score: 7

(Sidenote: does Darcey really not like Dani for some reason? Her 3 most recent dances (this, her Foxtrot and her Salsa) all got a 6 from Darcey, and that was the worst mark that she had for those dances)

Richard & Erin - Paso Doble - "O Fortuna"

There's no denying that there was quite a bit of content in there, and that he went for it, but he didn't quite manage to pull it off. His arm placement disappeared at times, and his cape work (although he managed to get the wrist action right) seemed forced (for me it looked like he was trying to generate the movement from his hips rather than his arm so he hunched over when he was trying to get the action going). 

Judges' scores: 5, 5, 7, 5
My score: 5

Lisa & Robin - Charleston - "Witch Doctor"

Now unlike most people, I do think Robin put quite a bit of content in this. Lisa did really well at the beginning but then made a mistake in the middle and although she brought it back pretty well, she did tire towards the end. I'm glad that she'll be heading back to the Ballroom dances as I do think that 3 Latins in 4 weeks is a bit much.

Judges' scores: 6, 6, 7, 7
My score: 6

Sid & Ola - Cha Cha Cha - "Ghostbusters"

Oh dear. 2 bad weeks in a row for Sid & Ola, although I don't think this was as bad as their Tango. Holding a prop for quite a while does not a good dance make. He did at least get his arm placement right most of the time, and some of the footwork was good, but this just wasn't a Cha Cha Cha for me (sorry Iveta).

Judges' scores: 2, 5, 5, 5
My score: 4

Nicky & Karen - Tango - "Weird Science"

Now, I have to applaud Karen here as the choreography was really good and much more like it! Nicky's hold looked strong, although his posture wasn't great (his shoulders seemed a bit too raised, although the outfit might be to blame for that). Footwork looked decent to me too. If he keeps up the improvement then we could be seeing a dancer emerge yet.

Judges' scores: 6, 6, 7, 7
My score: 6

Fern & Artem - American Smooth - "Killer Queen"

I wondered if Artem could actually play it straight with an American Smooth and he's managed it. Fern made a mistake at the beginning with the footwork and that seemed to throw her off a bit. Her footwork for the rest of the dance looked good, but her arm placement was too high at times.

Judges' scores: 4, 5, 6, 6
My score: 5

Denise & James - Cha Cha Cha - "Superfreak"

I don't think Denise seemed too comfortable with this dance. Her free arm was limp at times (although to be fair, so was James'), her spins weren't good and at one point it was as if she'd forgotten the routine and was looking to James for what to do next. This just wasn't her week.

Judges' scores: 7, 7, 7, 7
My score: 6

Michael & Natalie - Quickstep - "That Old Black Magic"

Now this is what I call a transformation! His footwork was spot on (I didn't see any mistakes there and he was able to keep up with Natalie). My only criticisms were that his free arm in those promenades (? I think that's what they're called) at the very end was limp, and that occasionally there was a bit of gapping, but that's all I could fault him on. I gave him a standing ovation when I first saw it.

Judges' scores: 8, 8, 8, 7
My score: 8

Victoria & Brendan - Tango - "White Wedding"

Another transformation here, although not as impressive as Michael's (despite what the judges scored them). There was one point where it looked as though Brendan forced her into place, and she messed up the footwork quite a few times (most noticeably at the very end). You still have to give her credit though.

Judges' scores: 7, 8, 8, 8
My score: 6

Colin & Kristina - Salsa - "Superstition"

Oh Colin. You really did not look into this. Your footwork is usually decent but in this dance it seemed really laboured. He never quite knows what to do with his arms, and the Salsa should contain quite a bit of arm movement. With the lifts, they don't look as effortless as they should (I'm not entirely sure but it looks like he either leans back quite far or leans too far forward, he's never in the right position). This was NOT your dance, Kristina needs to give you more steps.

Judges' scores: 5, 7, 6, 6
My score: 4

Louis & Flavia - Tango - "Disturbia"

Sorry Louis, but there's no way that dance should have scored 35. The footwork was excellent for the most part, but everything in the Tango should be strong, and for me it was all a bit too soft (although he did get the staccato, sort of). And please Flavia, for the love of God (or any other deity), do not do what Artem did with Kara and shoehorn some kind of acrobatics into pretty much every routine, as I will get bored and not want to watch you.

Judges' scores: 8, 9, 9, 9
My score: 6

Kimberley & Pasha - Paso Doble - "Hungry Like The Wolf"

I'm going to have to disagree with the judges again on this one. This just didn't contain enough content for me, it was basically them both just going round in circles with them doing something with their arms, pretty much all the way through. She did do some nice shaping however, but there wasn't much attack in there and this was her worst dance for me.

Judges' scores: 8, 8, 7, 8
My score: 5


So I've disagreed with the judges a lot this week. To be honest, I was a little disappointed with the overall standard. A lot of them need to up their game for next week.