Well we've just seen the first performances from our celebs, taking on either the Cha Cha Cha, Jive, Tango or Waltz. We've had a few surprises, a few 'overmarking' complaints, and a few duffers :) Here's my thoughts on how each couple performed:
Ashley & Ola - Cha Cha Cha - "What Makes You Beautiful"
First off - Ola's been slacking choreography-wise. Is it just me or is this what she would have given Sid Owen last series had they not been forced to do 'Ghostbusters'? This routine was mainly him spinning her, along with the obligatory 'holding a gyrating bum' move. To be honest, I'm surprised that the infamous 'Starfish' move wasn't in there, although I'm expecting to see it at some point. Onto Ashley - his footwork looked alright, but his upper body (and in particular his arms) is really letting him down. His free arm was just hanging there, and when they were doing the New Yorkers, his arm movement was just 'thrown away' as Craig would put it, no extension at all. Added to which, his hand had a tendency to go spatulistic. He also missed a hand grab going into a spin, and he's doing the 'Chris Hollins' faces already. I'm a bit disappointed really.
Judges' score: 25/40 (5, 6, 7, 7)
My score: 4.5 (not much content, bad arm and hand movements)
Tony & Aliona - Waltz - "What'll I Do"
Firstly, *RECYCLED SONG ALERT* (Ricky G & Erin's Waltz in series 7). Anyway, Aliona did a great job with the routine, giving Tony steps that he can do well, whilst still making it a lovely performance. One little criticism though - WHY DO PROS KEEP PUTTING IN RUNNING SPLITS? THEY NEVER LOOK ELEGANT SO WHY BOTHER?? And endeth my short rant. Onto Tony - there were a couple of gapping issues and he did appear to have forgotten the routine at one point, but I must say that his hands and his arm extension were great (apart from one moment towards the end where he didn't extend the hand fully). It was a pleasant surprise just how non-duffer-y he was. Shame he has the Charleston next week though, that's probably one of the worst dances for him and Aliona (and the outside choreographers) is really going to have to pull something out of the bag to make him look good.
Judges' score: 16/40 (2, 5, 5, 4)
My score: 5.5 (problems with frame and seemed to lose it at the beginning, but there was a lot that he did right)
Mark & Iveta - Tango - "Hernando's Hideaway"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT* (Sarah & Brendan's Tango in series 2). I wasn't a big fan of what Iveta had done with the choreography, but having watched it again, she probably did the best thing for Mark in that he could show his performance skills whilst still showing that he could dance. I just hope that she doesn't make him into a comedy act, as on this showing, he can definitely dance. Onto the man himself - he has the same problem as Ashley: decent footwork (he got it spot-on for the most part, he just seemed to mess up one quick series of steps, and then he was out of sync with Iveta when they lifted their knees to push the foot forwards - not sure on the name of the step but the dance bods will know which part I meant), but bad frame. There was quite a lot of gapping throughout the routine, and he didn't fully extend his arms, making his hands appear spatulistic. I do like Mark but I'm a little unsure about the partnership - Iveta hasn't shown much spark so far in terms of personality, so I'll be looking forward to their first ITT appearance to see if she's more relaxed there. They've got Salsa for week 2, which could be good or bad. Mark's definitely got the performance side down, it's just the technique that could be lacking. There probably won't be much armography in that routine.
Judges' score: 24/40 (5, 6, 7, 6)
My score: 5 (I'd put him just ahead of Ashley, the routine and performance as a whole was better imo, even though both men have the same issues)
Susanna & Kevin - Jive - "Shake Your Tail Feather"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT* (Alesha & Matthew's Jive in series 5). I know some have criticised Kevin for including the cartwheel, but it may have just been the case that it was fine in rehearsals but went wrong on the night (if you want random cartwheels put into routines then have a look at Kara & Artem - their Quickstep had one, iirc their Salsa also had one). On the whole, I quite liked the choreography, minus the twerking bit. One thing Kevin does need to learn though is to not out-dance his partner, Susanna probably looked worse than she really did because he just went for it. Onto Susanna - she clearly ran out of steam about two thirds of the way through, and it looked as though she'd forgotten the routine in 2 places. Her arms and hands were good for the most part, and she seemed to cope really well with the difficult armography section. Sometimes her footwork did look a little laboured (the small kicks and flicks section at the beginning being one example), but I'm quite impressed with her.
Judges' score: 28/40 (6, 7, 8, 7)
My score: 6.5 (losing energy, dodgy footwork in places, but had lots of content and she did well with a very difficult dance).
Sophie & Brendan - Waltz - "Moon River"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT* (Louis & Flavia in series 10). I'm sad to say it but this routine was pretty forgettable. Maybe because it's a Waltz, but it's not a good sign. Onto Sophie - her footwork looked really good, and most of her arm movements were great (although sometimes her free arm wasn't utilised very well and some of the transitions into those sweeping arm motions were a little ugly). My only issue with her is that sometimes she appeared to lose her balance a little, which is something she'll need to work on quite a lot. I didn't really feel a connection between Brendan and Sophie, which is something that I hope they'll rectify this week when they have a Latin routine. As it stands, she definitely has potential.
Judges' score: 28/40 (7, 7, 7, 7)
My score: 7 (only minor issues)
Natalie & Artem - Cha Cha Cha - "Rasputin"
This was another routine that I found a little boring. The song (much as I love it) isn't that suited to a Cha Cha Cha, and Artem looked like he was doing a Paso Doble. Onto Natalie - her footwork and arms and hands were all great, although there was one moment where it looked as though she tripped or missed a step - she seemed to almost skip before she went into the next step. I can also see what the judges meant by the lack of hip action, but I'm wondering whether she was just sandbagging like everyone thinks DVO did in her week 1 Waltz last year. Natalie's definitely up there, but I don't think she'll be the out-and-out frontrunner like DVO was, I can see a few of the girls at least who have potential to catch her up. Let's just see how she does in her Ballroom routine this week.
Judges' score: 31/40 (8, 8, 8, 7)
My score: 7 (about on a par with Sophie, if not slightly ahead)
My Leaderboard:
=1. Sophie & Brendan - 7/10
=1. Natalie & Artem - 7/10
3. Susanna & Kevin - 6.5/10
4. Tony & Aliona - 5.5/10
5. Mark & Iveta - 5/10
6. Ashley & Ola - 4.5/10
The Saturday musings will be up on Thursday, as I'm going away for a few days with no access to my laptop.
Hope you enjoy my non-expert thoughts on the routines :)
Monday, 30 September 2013
Thursday, 5 September 2013
Strictly Come Dancing 2013: My thoughts on the celebs, and the pairings
Just a warning: this post will contain spoilers for the celeb-pro pairings for this series. This will be further down so I'll give you a warning when the spoilered part is coming up :) Let's get started then:
Abbey Clancy (Model/TV Presenter/WAG of Peter Crouch)
- Abbey is one of those people that I don't particularly like or dislike. I've only seen her doing the fashion segments for 'This Morning' so I haven't formed much of an opinion of her. She seems likeable enough though. I know some people don't want to see her on Strictly due to being a WAG, but really, it's nothing that we haven't seen before. Models don't tend to be great dancers, but I believe that with the right pro, Abbey does have potential. I can see her being a little stiff in the Latin dances at first, but once she lets go and shows us her personality, then I think she could do well.
Ashley Taylor Dawson (Hollyoaks actor)
- I've always liked Ashley, even from his days as a member of the pop band *allstars. I'm surprised that he signed up to be honest, but it's a pleasant surprise. Hollyoaks actors have a decent record on the show, so that's a good omen for him. I think he'll be one of those that will enjoy the experience, even if he doesn't turn out to be a good dancer. He will probably be somewhat decent at the Latin, but I wonder if he might initially struggle with the Ballroom routines - most male celebs tend to find the hold and technical side a bit difficult to start off with. I think he'll go far, but I'm not sure if he'll be the winner.
Ben Cohen (Activist and former rugby player)
- I don't know that much about Ben; I've heard of him, but haven't really seen him before. He's partially deaf so he may be struggling at the beginning, but from Kirsty on SYTYCD UK (who was also deaf), it should still be possible for him to turn in some great performances. His pro will have to be quite patient with him, and they might need to put in more training hours than others to get to the same standard. He's apparently quite nice to look at, so I can see him being popular for the first few weeks at least. The launch show group dance should give me a decent idea of how he might do. Rugby players haven't really been good dancers, but they have got far (5th for both Kenny Logan and Gavin Henson, 4th for Martin Offiah), so there's definitely a benchmark set for him.
Dave Myers (Hairy Biker)
- From the various 'Hairy Bikers' shows, Dave seems very personable and easy-going and I have a sneaking suspicion that he'll be the Russell Grant of the series. We haven't had a chef since series 6 (I think, may have been 5) when Gary Rhodes spectacularly failed, so not much previous form to go on. His Latin probably won't be great, but depending on the pro, his Ballroom could be good. He could make it to about week 6 I think.
Deborah Meaden (One of the 'Dragons' from TV's 'Dragons' Den'; entrepreneur)
- Deborah might have shown her steely side on 'Dragons' Den', but her Strictly journey (yes I've used the j word already) should be an interesting one. I see her as a mix of Dave and Abbey in terms of prospects; she might struggle with the Latin to start with, but once she starts to come out of her shell then I reckon she may surprise us.
Fiona Fullerton (Former Bond girl)
- I must admit, Fiona was one of only 2 celebs that I hadn't heard of before the rumours started. I don't know anything about her at all really, so the launch will form my first real impression of her. Having said that, what's the betting that she'll get Anton? :D She's supposedly had ballet training, so she may be the new Cherie Lunghi.
Julien Macdonald (Fashion designer)
- You just know that he'll get really into it, won't he? He'll have the best costumes every week, just you wait. Julien has his 'Star' range of fashion and homeware going at Debenhams (his homeware stuff is quite nice actually), and also appears on ITT as a fashion pundit. The question with him is which side of camp is he going to go for - the Jason Donovan camp, the Russell Grant camp, or the Richard Arnold camp? (please let it be Jason if only for my own amusement). I get the feeling that he may be better than we expect him to be, so I'd say at least half-way for him.
Mark Benton (Actor, mostly known for Waterloo Road)
- Mark's intriguing in that I haven't really seen him in anything and yet I still like him. That bodes well I guess :) . His 'Waterloo Road' co-star Chelsee Healey finished in 2nd place in her series, but it will be difficult for him to top that. Apparently he's been in 'Hairspray', so he should have some decent rhythm. So why do I picture dad dancing? His Latin will be atrocious, I can see it already. I hope he proves me wrong, but I think he'll be out by week 5.
Natalie Gumede (Former Coronation St actress)
- Ladies and gentlemen, we have this year's 'ringah', or so I've been told. Natalie has been dancing since a young age, so perhaps has even more experience than DVO (is that even possible?). I do think that she'll feel more at home in the Latin dances than the Ballroom, and that she may be popular enough to override the inevitable 'ringah' criticism. I'd say semi-finals at least.
Patrick Robinson (Actor, mostly known for Casualty)
- Probably one of the more unknown members of the cast. Patrick competed in 'Let's Dance for Comic Relief' a few years ago, reaching the final by performing a version of Riverdance (with Lisa Maxwell iirc, and I think they got 3rd place) - so he's no stranger to dancing. Will he be more Colin Salmon than Colin Jackson? Who knows. I don't believe that SCD has had a Patrick on before, so there's one for you stat fans. Bit of an unknown quantity, so I'll go with the same prediction as Mark and say that he'll have an early exit.
Rachel Riley (Countdown maths guru)
- I take it that the males of the country will be jumping up and down with glee. Similar to Abbey, I don't really have much of an opinion of her yet, but I have seen an article where she says that she wouldn't do Strictly as she 'can't dance'. Well she's on it now, so I wonder if like Pamela and Jason D she's taken some lessons in advance? Having said that, for some reason I can picture her having an arc similar to Victoria Pendleton, but without all the Pendledrama (credit to Monkseal for that phrase). I think she'll get to top 7 or 8.
Sophie Ellis- Bextor (Singer)
- Sophie is another that I'm surprised at signing up. She doesn't do much dancing in her videos (and it may have been a double used for 'Murder on the Dancefloor') so can't take much from there. I get the feeling that she'll fit into the 'nice but a bit bland' role that Kimberley held for me last series. She's tall at 5ft 9, so her Jive will certainly be interesting. I think she'll get to about the same stage as Rachel, so top 7 or 8.
Susanna Reid (Newsreader)
- Susanna won the newsreader Children in Need special, so we know that she can dance. The question for me will be her popularity; she might be good, but if she's struggling for a fanbase then she'll be a shock exit. I can see her being quite a graceful Ballroom dancer, and decent in Latin. Hmm, I'd say a top 5 placing for her.
Tony Jacklin (Former golfer)
- Tony was the other celeb besides Fiona that I hadn't really heard of. Cannon fodder and will almost certainly be first out, fulfilling the 'week 1 male' curse (for the stat fans out there, the first eliminated celebrity has been a male in 7 out of the 10 series so far - exceptions being series 3 (Siobhan Hayes), series 7 (Martina Hingis) and series 9 (Edwina Currie)).
Vanessa Feltz (TV Presenter and radio broadcaster)
- I think Vanessa could be a surprise package this series. She seems quite personable, and will definitely provide a good, fiery relationship with her pro partner. She might have the same issues that Lisa Riley did in the Ballroom department, but I reckon her Latin could be good. She may just be the Pamela Stephenson of the series.
So that's what I think, and I'll attempt to predict the elimination order:
1st - Ashley Taylor Dawson
2nd - Natalie Gumede
3rd - Susanna Reid
4th - Abbey Clancy
5th - Ben Cohen
6th - Julien Macdonald
7th - Rachel Riley
8th - Sophie Ellis Bextor
9th - Vanessa Feltz
10th - Dave Myers
11th - Deborah Meaden
12th - Mark Benton
13th - Patrick Robinson
14th - Fiona Fullerton
15th - Tony Jacklin
Here's your warning. The spoilers for the pairings will be underneath. Don't say I didn't warn you. If you don't want to know, then now's the time to click off the page :)
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That should do it. Ok, so here are the pairings for this series, and my thoughts underneath:
Abbey Clancy - Aljaz Skorjanec
- Not much scope as there's so many tall females in this line-up. We haven't seen Aljaz before, so we don't know how good a pro partner he will be, but I bet there'll be some choreography where Abbey's modelling skills come into play
Deborah Meaden - Robin Windsor
- Think we were all a bit surprised on this one, as we thought Deborah might go to Pasha, who was due a 'duffer' this year. Robin's accused of having limited choreography, so this partnership should test him - we'll know whether he's a one trick pony after the first few dances.
Fiona Fullerton - Anton du Beke
- Bit of an obvious one. I think we have to presume that Fiona won't be good. No comedy gold potential though as far as I can see, which is a good thing considering what we've had to endure the last few years.
Natalie Gumede - Artem Chigvintsev
- Will this be Artem/Holly all over again? They certainly have the height difference for it. But I suppose they needed someone with interesting choreography for Natalie, and again, there weren't many options for her being tall.
Rachel Riley - Pasha Kovalev
- Pasha gets a young female for the third year in a row. We all thought he might have a 'duffer', so this begs the question of whether Rachel will be a duffer, or if Pasha will get to the final again (and get 2nd place again, after a bad Showdance, again)
Sophie Ellis Bextor - Brendan Cole
- I reckon they'll have a good friendship, Sophie seems quite easy-going and I doubt that she'll cause Brendan problems like some of his previous partners have.
Susanna Reid - Kevin Clifton
- Our other new male pro, we haven't seen Kevin in action yet, but word is that he's a fantastic dancer. Just a question of whether he's a good choreographer too. They do seem suited to one another.
Vanessa Feltz - James Jordan
- The partnership that we all wanted, they will provide much entertainment I'm sure. I can see Vanessa being a toned-down version of Denise.
Ashley Taylor Dawson - Ola Jordan
- I don't think many of us predicted this pairing. Ola, like Robin, is also accused of having limited choreography sometimes, so this series will test her. I think they'll work well together. Team Ashla anyone?
Ben Cohen - Kristina Rihanoff
- The 'height mismatch' of the series, with Ben being a whole foot taller than Kristina. There's a theory that Natalie was going to have Ben originally, but they didn't want him with Aliona, so Aliona and Kristina swapped partners. Kristina imo goes for camp and cheese a bit too often, so she'll have to come up with something different for Ben.
Dave Myers - Karen Hauer
- Another one that not many would predict. Karen and Nicky didn't have a good partnership last series, so it'll be interesting to see how she gets on with Dave.
Julien Macdonald - Janette Manrara
- The two shortest paired together, sounds about right to me. Janette is a new pro and so we haven't seen her yet. She's a SYTYCD alumnus so there are some question marks about her Ballroom experience.
Mark Benton - Iveta Lukoshiute
- This one surprised me too. We saw a bit of Iveta last series, but we don't know how she'll be yet. This could be a comedy pairing, so we'll see how she gets on.
Patrick Robinson - Anya Garnis
- Anya's another new pro, but I don't know about this partnership. Has memories of Spoony/Ola and Colin/Kristina for me, and both couples were out early on. I'll have to see them together on the launch to make up my mind.
Tony Jacklin - Aliona Vilani
- Well we did want to see how Aliona did with a duffer, now's our chance. I think that even if Aliona threw the kitchen sink at the routines, then they'll go out first.
^^ So that's just what I think, but what do you make of the celebs and the pairings? Who are your early favourites and who do you think will win? Comments are always appreciated :)
Abbey Clancy (Model/TV Presenter/WAG of Peter Crouch)
- Abbey is one of those people that I don't particularly like or dislike. I've only seen her doing the fashion segments for 'This Morning' so I haven't formed much of an opinion of her. She seems likeable enough though. I know some people don't want to see her on Strictly due to being a WAG, but really, it's nothing that we haven't seen before. Models don't tend to be great dancers, but I believe that with the right pro, Abbey does have potential. I can see her being a little stiff in the Latin dances at first, but once she lets go and shows us her personality, then I think she could do well.
Ashley Taylor Dawson (Hollyoaks actor)
- I've always liked Ashley, even from his days as a member of the pop band *allstars. I'm surprised that he signed up to be honest, but it's a pleasant surprise. Hollyoaks actors have a decent record on the show, so that's a good omen for him. I think he'll be one of those that will enjoy the experience, even if he doesn't turn out to be a good dancer. He will probably be somewhat decent at the Latin, but I wonder if he might initially struggle with the Ballroom routines - most male celebs tend to find the hold and technical side a bit difficult to start off with. I think he'll go far, but I'm not sure if he'll be the winner.
Ben Cohen (Activist and former rugby player)
- I don't know that much about Ben; I've heard of him, but haven't really seen him before. He's partially deaf so he may be struggling at the beginning, but from Kirsty on SYTYCD UK (who was also deaf), it should still be possible for him to turn in some great performances. His pro will have to be quite patient with him, and they might need to put in more training hours than others to get to the same standard. He's apparently quite nice to look at, so I can see him being popular for the first few weeks at least. The launch show group dance should give me a decent idea of how he might do. Rugby players haven't really been good dancers, but they have got far (5th for both Kenny Logan and Gavin Henson, 4th for Martin Offiah), so there's definitely a benchmark set for him.
Dave Myers (Hairy Biker)
- From the various 'Hairy Bikers' shows, Dave seems very personable and easy-going and I have a sneaking suspicion that he'll be the Russell Grant of the series. We haven't had a chef since series 6 (I think, may have been 5) when Gary Rhodes spectacularly failed, so not much previous form to go on. His Latin probably won't be great, but depending on the pro, his Ballroom could be good. He could make it to about week 6 I think.
Deborah Meaden (One of the 'Dragons' from TV's 'Dragons' Den'; entrepreneur)
- Deborah might have shown her steely side on 'Dragons' Den', but her Strictly journey (yes I've used the j word already) should be an interesting one. I see her as a mix of Dave and Abbey in terms of prospects; she might struggle with the Latin to start with, but once she starts to come out of her shell then I reckon she may surprise us.
Fiona Fullerton (Former Bond girl)
- I must admit, Fiona was one of only 2 celebs that I hadn't heard of before the rumours started. I don't know anything about her at all really, so the launch will form my first real impression of her. Having said that, what's the betting that she'll get Anton? :D She's supposedly had ballet training, so she may be the new Cherie Lunghi.
Julien Macdonald (Fashion designer)
- You just know that he'll get really into it, won't he? He'll have the best costumes every week, just you wait. Julien has his 'Star' range of fashion and homeware going at Debenhams (his homeware stuff is quite nice actually), and also appears on ITT as a fashion pundit. The question with him is which side of camp is he going to go for - the Jason Donovan camp, the Russell Grant camp, or the Richard Arnold camp? (please let it be Jason if only for my own amusement). I get the feeling that he may be better than we expect him to be, so I'd say at least half-way for him.
Mark Benton (Actor, mostly known for Waterloo Road)
- Mark's intriguing in that I haven't really seen him in anything and yet I still like him. That bodes well I guess :) . His 'Waterloo Road' co-star Chelsee Healey finished in 2nd place in her series, but it will be difficult for him to top that. Apparently he's been in 'Hairspray', so he should have some decent rhythm. So why do I picture dad dancing? His Latin will be atrocious, I can see it already. I hope he proves me wrong, but I think he'll be out by week 5.
Natalie Gumede (Former Coronation St actress)
- Ladies and gentlemen, we have this year's 'ringah', or so I've been told. Natalie has been dancing since a young age, so perhaps has even more experience than DVO (is that even possible?). I do think that she'll feel more at home in the Latin dances than the Ballroom, and that she may be popular enough to override the inevitable 'ringah' criticism. I'd say semi-finals at least.
Patrick Robinson (Actor, mostly known for Casualty)
- Probably one of the more unknown members of the cast. Patrick competed in 'Let's Dance for Comic Relief' a few years ago, reaching the final by performing a version of Riverdance (with Lisa Maxwell iirc, and I think they got 3rd place) - so he's no stranger to dancing. Will he be more Colin Salmon than Colin Jackson? Who knows. I don't believe that SCD has had a Patrick on before, so there's one for you stat fans. Bit of an unknown quantity, so I'll go with the same prediction as Mark and say that he'll have an early exit.
Rachel Riley (Countdown maths guru)
- I take it that the males of the country will be jumping up and down with glee. Similar to Abbey, I don't really have much of an opinion of her yet, but I have seen an article where she says that she wouldn't do Strictly as she 'can't dance'. Well she's on it now, so I wonder if like Pamela and Jason D she's taken some lessons in advance? Having said that, for some reason I can picture her having an arc similar to Victoria Pendleton, but without all the Pendledrama (credit to Monkseal for that phrase). I think she'll get to top 7 or 8.
Sophie Ellis- Bextor (Singer)
- Sophie is another that I'm surprised at signing up. She doesn't do much dancing in her videos (and it may have been a double used for 'Murder on the Dancefloor') so can't take much from there. I get the feeling that she'll fit into the 'nice but a bit bland' role that Kimberley held for me last series. She's tall at 5ft 9, so her Jive will certainly be interesting. I think she'll get to about the same stage as Rachel, so top 7 or 8.
Susanna Reid (Newsreader)
- Susanna won the newsreader Children in Need special, so we know that she can dance. The question for me will be her popularity; she might be good, but if she's struggling for a fanbase then she'll be a shock exit. I can see her being quite a graceful Ballroom dancer, and decent in Latin. Hmm, I'd say a top 5 placing for her.
Tony Jacklin (Former golfer)
- Tony was the other celeb besides Fiona that I hadn't really heard of. Cannon fodder and will almost certainly be first out, fulfilling the 'week 1 male' curse (for the stat fans out there, the first eliminated celebrity has been a male in 7 out of the 10 series so far - exceptions being series 3 (Siobhan Hayes), series 7 (Martina Hingis) and series 9 (Edwina Currie)).
Vanessa Feltz (TV Presenter and radio broadcaster)
- I think Vanessa could be a surprise package this series. She seems quite personable, and will definitely provide a good, fiery relationship with her pro partner. She might have the same issues that Lisa Riley did in the Ballroom department, but I reckon her Latin could be good. She may just be the Pamela Stephenson of the series.
So that's what I think, and I'll attempt to predict the elimination order:
1st - Ashley Taylor Dawson
2nd - Natalie Gumede
3rd - Susanna Reid
4th - Abbey Clancy
5th - Ben Cohen
6th - Julien Macdonald
7th - Rachel Riley
8th - Sophie Ellis Bextor
9th - Vanessa Feltz
10th - Dave Myers
11th - Deborah Meaden
12th - Mark Benton
13th - Patrick Robinson
14th - Fiona Fullerton
15th - Tony Jacklin
Here's your warning. The spoilers for the pairings will be underneath. Don't say I didn't warn you. If you don't want to know, then now's the time to click off the page :)
SPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILER
That should do it. Ok, so here are the pairings for this series, and my thoughts underneath:
Abbey Clancy - Aljaz Skorjanec
- Not much scope as there's so many tall females in this line-up. We haven't seen Aljaz before, so we don't know how good a pro partner he will be, but I bet there'll be some choreography where Abbey's modelling skills come into play
Deborah Meaden - Robin Windsor
- Think we were all a bit surprised on this one, as we thought Deborah might go to Pasha, who was due a 'duffer' this year. Robin's accused of having limited choreography, so this partnership should test him - we'll know whether he's a one trick pony after the first few dances.
Fiona Fullerton - Anton du Beke
- Bit of an obvious one. I think we have to presume that Fiona won't be good. No comedy gold potential though as far as I can see, which is a good thing considering what we've had to endure the last few years.
Natalie Gumede - Artem Chigvintsev
- Will this be Artem/Holly all over again? They certainly have the height difference for it. But I suppose they needed someone with interesting choreography for Natalie, and again, there weren't many options for her being tall.
Rachel Riley - Pasha Kovalev
- Pasha gets a young female for the third year in a row. We all thought he might have a 'duffer', so this begs the question of whether Rachel will be a duffer, or if Pasha will get to the final again (and get 2nd place again, after a bad Showdance, again)
Sophie Ellis Bextor - Brendan Cole
- I reckon they'll have a good friendship, Sophie seems quite easy-going and I doubt that she'll cause Brendan problems like some of his previous partners have.
Susanna Reid - Kevin Clifton
- Our other new male pro, we haven't seen Kevin in action yet, but word is that he's a fantastic dancer. Just a question of whether he's a good choreographer too. They do seem suited to one another.
Vanessa Feltz - James Jordan
- The partnership that we all wanted, they will provide much entertainment I'm sure. I can see Vanessa being a toned-down version of Denise.
Ashley Taylor Dawson - Ola Jordan
- I don't think many of us predicted this pairing. Ola, like Robin, is also accused of having limited choreography sometimes, so this series will test her. I think they'll work well together. Team Ashla anyone?
Ben Cohen - Kristina Rihanoff
- The 'height mismatch' of the series, with Ben being a whole foot taller than Kristina. There's a theory that Natalie was going to have Ben originally, but they didn't want him with Aliona, so Aliona and Kristina swapped partners. Kristina imo goes for camp and cheese a bit too often, so she'll have to come up with something different for Ben.
Dave Myers - Karen Hauer
- Another one that not many would predict. Karen and Nicky didn't have a good partnership last series, so it'll be interesting to see how she gets on with Dave.
Julien Macdonald - Janette Manrara
- The two shortest paired together, sounds about right to me. Janette is a new pro and so we haven't seen her yet. She's a SYTYCD alumnus so there are some question marks about her Ballroom experience.
Mark Benton - Iveta Lukoshiute
- This one surprised me too. We saw a bit of Iveta last series, but we don't know how she'll be yet. This could be a comedy pairing, so we'll see how she gets on.
Patrick Robinson - Anya Garnis
- Anya's another new pro, but I don't know about this partnership. Has memories of Spoony/Ola and Colin/Kristina for me, and both couples were out early on. I'll have to see them together on the launch to make up my mind.
Tony Jacklin - Aliona Vilani
- Well we did want to see how Aliona did with a duffer, now's our chance. I think that even if Aliona threw the kitchen sink at the routines, then they'll go out first.
^^ So that's just what I think, but what do you make of the celebs and the pairings? Who are your early favourites and who do you think will win? Comments are always appreciated :)
Saturday, 8 December 2012
SCD Week 10 Review
So this week we had the dance fusion - what was the point? Some contestants used 2 dances that they had already done (Lisa and Kimberley), most used 1 they'd done and one they hadn't (Dani, Louis and Denise) and if I've got this right, one had to learn 2 dances effectively (Nicky).
Was Tess dressed best?: I actually quite liked this week's effort. Colour let it down though and I've preferred some of her other outfits. 7.5/10
Denise & James - Quickstep/Jive - "Reet Petite"
She started off well, but I noticed the mistake straight away. Do Wardrobe really have no idea how long dresses should be? There's been too many malfunctions this series and sadly for Denise she was the victim of one. I thought I spotted a couple of other mistakes too near the end. I did like the choreography though so well done James, I actually enjoyed one of your dances. Bad time to have an off week.
Judges' scores: 8, 9, 9, 9
My score: 8
Lisa & Robin - Tango/Cha Cha Cha - "Voulez-Vous"
I have been a champion of Lisa before but after tonight, no way. I actually agreed with Darcey, the Tango section was much better than the CCC section. Robin has had to dance down to Lisa's level but the CCC portion of the routine just looked really laboured and limp. So many mistakes, she has to go soon.
Judges' scores: 7, 8, 7, 8
My score: 6
Nicky & Karen - American Smooth/Samba - "Troublemaker"
I may be slightly controversial here, but I was surprised and impressed by this. Lazy choreography from Karen, it must be said, but I thought that Nicky danced it really well and those comments from Craig were ridiculous and uncalled for. He doesn't seem to like the male celebrities does he?
Judges' scores: 5, 7, 8, 7
My score: 6.5 (close to a 7, but Denise was much better so had to round down to a 6.5)
Dani & Vincent - Quickstep/Charleston - "Happy Feet"
WOW! I know I like Dani but this was brilliant. Vincent's choreography was fantastic (especially the Charleston elements)and Dani's technique has improved enormously since week 1. I can't give it a 10 as I think I spotted a mistake, but she was top of my leaderboard this week, and I can't help but think that a certain Girls Aloud member isn't getting as many votes as hoped....
Judges' scores: 9, 10, 9, 10
My score: 9
Louis & Flavia - Tango/Rumba - "With Or Without You"
Now I know I've been hard on Louis before (get your minds out of the gutter please folks!) but I think I've worked out why I'm just not enjoying this partnership - Flavia's choreography. The softness he has in his arm and hip movements should be perfect for the Rumba and yet it just didn't work (I felt as though Louis was just posing really). The Rumba section was better than the Tango section though, the Tango part was just too frantic and didn't flow with the song.
Judges' scores: 9, 9, 9, 10
My score: 8
Kimberley & Pasha - Tango/CCC - "It's Raining Men"
WHAT ON EARTH WERE THE JUDGES WATCHING? Kimberley's free arm was just hanging there all the way through, she messed up the footwork a few times and yet apparently it was the best dance of the series?!? Denise's week 2 Jive was a lot better than that (and it pains me to say it as I really don't like D&J). Maybe the 4 couple final is to make sure that Kimberley gets there....
Judges' scores: 10, 10, 10, 10
My score: 7
My Leaderboard:
1. Dani & Vincent - 36
=2. Denise & James - 32
=2. Louis & Flavia - 32
4. Kimberley & Pasha - 28
5. Nicky & Karen - 26
6. Lisa & Robin - 24
Was Tess dressed best?: I actually quite liked this week's effort. Colour let it down though and I've preferred some of her other outfits. 7.5/10
Denise & James - Quickstep/Jive - "Reet Petite"
She started off well, but I noticed the mistake straight away. Do Wardrobe really have no idea how long dresses should be? There's been too many malfunctions this series and sadly for Denise she was the victim of one. I thought I spotted a couple of other mistakes too near the end. I did like the choreography though so well done James, I actually enjoyed one of your dances. Bad time to have an off week.
Judges' scores: 8, 9, 9, 9
My score: 8
Lisa & Robin - Tango/Cha Cha Cha - "Voulez-Vous"
I have been a champion of Lisa before but after tonight, no way. I actually agreed with Darcey, the Tango section was much better than the CCC section. Robin has had to dance down to Lisa's level but the CCC portion of the routine just looked really laboured and limp. So many mistakes, she has to go soon.
Judges' scores: 7, 8, 7, 8
My score: 6
Nicky & Karen - American Smooth/Samba - "Troublemaker"
I may be slightly controversial here, but I was surprised and impressed by this. Lazy choreography from Karen, it must be said, but I thought that Nicky danced it really well and those comments from Craig were ridiculous and uncalled for. He doesn't seem to like the male celebrities does he?
Judges' scores: 5, 7, 8, 7
My score: 6.5 (close to a 7, but Denise was much better so had to round down to a 6.5)
Dani & Vincent - Quickstep/Charleston - "Happy Feet"
WOW! I know I like Dani but this was brilliant. Vincent's choreography was fantastic (especially the Charleston elements)and Dani's technique has improved enormously since week 1. I can't give it a 10 as I think I spotted a mistake, but she was top of my leaderboard this week, and I can't help but think that a certain Girls Aloud member isn't getting as many votes as hoped....
Judges' scores: 9, 10, 9, 10
My score: 9
Louis & Flavia - Tango/Rumba - "With Or Without You"
Now I know I've been hard on Louis before (get your minds out of the gutter please folks!) but I think I've worked out why I'm just not enjoying this partnership - Flavia's choreography. The softness he has in his arm and hip movements should be perfect for the Rumba and yet it just didn't work (I felt as though Louis was just posing really). The Rumba section was better than the Tango section though, the Tango part was just too frantic and didn't flow with the song.
Judges' scores: 9, 9, 9, 10
My score: 8
Kimberley & Pasha - Tango/CCC - "It's Raining Men"
WHAT ON EARTH WERE THE JUDGES WATCHING? Kimberley's free arm was just hanging there all the way through, she messed up the footwork a few times and yet apparently it was the best dance of the series?!? Denise's week 2 Jive was a lot better than that (and it pains me to say it as I really don't like D&J). Maybe the 4 couple final is to make sure that Kimberley gets there....
Judges' scores: 10, 10, 10, 10
My score: 7
My Leaderboard:
1. Dani & Vincent - 36
=2. Denise & James - 32
=2. Louis & Flavia - 32
4. Kimberley & Pasha - 28
5. Nicky & Karen - 26
6. Lisa & Robin - 24
Sunday, 2 December 2012
SCD Week 9 Review
Just to make sure that it's posted :)
So we waved a sad farewell to Michael and Natalie. I'm sure Michael will be fondly remembered for the worst (and yet most hilarious) Jive in Strictly history. I have to applaud him though, he tried his hardest each and every week and I now fully appreciate Natalie because of their partnership. Kudos to Ms Lowe.
Was Tess best dressed?: Hmm, not as good as last week. The split in her dress was too high and the bling was not necessary. 7/10
Kimberley & Pasha - Jive - "Land of 1000 Dances"
Definitely overmarked this week. She was doing alright but she did tire quite badly towards the end and really can't do spins. Suffice to say I think the song was a bit too quick and Pasha might have put too much content in for Kimberley to handle. She needs to come back, refine the technique and dial back the performance a bit.
Judges' scores: 9, 8, 8, 9
My score: 7.5
Dani & Vincent - Viennese Waltz - "That's Amore"
What is it with the judges and undermarking Dani? This was so much better than Kimberley's effort, I'm starting to wonder if she's doing better in the vote than we all thought. She still struggles to fully extend in the arms and feet but I feel she did all the extensions quite well. Vincent has excelled himself again with the choreography.
Judges' scores: 8, 8, 9, 9
My score: 8.5
Michael & Natalie - Samba - "Tequila"
Oh Michael, thank you for carrying on from Victoria in terms of car-crash Latin. It wasn't actually too bad though. Natalie had taken tips from Ola in trying to do 90% of the work, and Michael didn't look awful apart from the hip thrusting (it never looks right when male celebs do that though). It's a shame that he's gone as he got into the spirit of Strictly and then some.
Judges' scores: 5, 7, 6, 6
My score: 5.5
Nicky & Karen - Argentine Tango - "Skyfall"
I actually thought this was quite good for the most part. At least he was actually doing some dancing and not just posing/lifts (see Colin and Kristina). In my opinion, he wasn't being that aggressive at all, so not sure what the judges were seeing there. He needs to refine the technical side, especially for the Ballroom dances, but he should be ok for any Latins that he has left.
Judges' scores: 7, 8, 7, 8
My score: 7.5
Lisa & Robin - Quickstep - "Bring Me Sunshine"
This was what I'd say "wasn't Lisa's dance". She doesn't seem to be able to master travelling in hold, and seeing as that's what the Quickstep mostly is, this wasn't technically very good. Her footwork was terrible - hardly mirroring Robin at all and she struggled to pick up her feet. She did however give a good performance again, and the roll-over onto the sofa made me smile. Robin needs to try and choreograph so that she's able to keep up with him and then it will look a lot better.
Judges' scores: 7, 8, 8, 8
My score: 6
Denise & James - Salsa - "Rhythm of the Night"
I might not like this pairing, but for about the first third of the dance I thought Denise was doing really well. Like Kimberley, there seemed to be too much content for her to cope with. The meltdown from James (supposedly him) just topped it off. This was better than her Cha Cha Cha and I reckon James might just decide to skip the Rumba, seeing as Denise can't seem to master hip action. Denise needs to watch Kimberley for if she has the Samba.
Judges' scores: 8, 8, 8, 8
My score: 7.5
Louis & Flavia - Charleston - "Dr Wanna Do"
Call me cynical but as soon as I realised that Louis was towards the end of the show I knew he'd get his "breakthrough". I actually quite liked this dance and he did finally give a performance (so kudos to him for that), but for me, some of the technique seemed a little messy and I can't understand the 10s. To improve, he needs to keep it up with the performance at all times, but not at the expense of the technique. He'd do well to have a look at some of Harry's dances.
Judges' scores: 8, 10, 9, 10
My score: 8.5
My Leaderboard:
=1. Dani & Vincent - 34
=1. Louis & Flavia - 34
=3. Kimberley & Pasha - 30
=3. Nicky & Karen - 30
=3. Denise & James - 30
6. Lisa & Robin - 24
7. Michael & Natalie - 22
So we waved a sad farewell to Michael and Natalie. I'm sure Michael will be fondly remembered for the worst (and yet most hilarious) Jive in Strictly history. I have to applaud him though, he tried his hardest each and every week and I now fully appreciate Natalie because of their partnership. Kudos to Ms Lowe.
Was Tess best dressed?: Hmm, not as good as last week. The split in her dress was too high and the bling was not necessary. 7/10
Kimberley & Pasha - Jive - "Land of 1000 Dances"
Definitely overmarked this week. She was doing alright but she did tire quite badly towards the end and really can't do spins. Suffice to say I think the song was a bit too quick and Pasha might have put too much content in for Kimberley to handle. She needs to come back, refine the technique and dial back the performance a bit.
Judges' scores: 9, 8, 8, 9
My score: 7.5
Dani & Vincent - Viennese Waltz - "That's Amore"
What is it with the judges and undermarking Dani? This was so much better than Kimberley's effort, I'm starting to wonder if she's doing better in the vote than we all thought. She still struggles to fully extend in the arms and feet but I feel she did all the extensions quite well. Vincent has excelled himself again with the choreography.
Judges' scores: 8, 8, 9, 9
My score: 8.5
Michael & Natalie - Samba - "Tequila"
Oh Michael, thank you for carrying on from Victoria in terms of car-crash Latin. It wasn't actually too bad though. Natalie had taken tips from Ola in trying to do 90% of the work, and Michael didn't look awful apart from the hip thrusting (it never looks right when male celebs do that though). It's a shame that he's gone as he got into the spirit of Strictly and then some.
Judges' scores: 5, 7, 6, 6
My score: 5.5
Nicky & Karen - Argentine Tango - "Skyfall"
I actually thought this was quite good for the most part. At least he was actually doing some dancing and not just posing/lifts (see Colin and Kristina). In my opinion, he wasn't being that aggressive at all, so not sure what the judges were seeing there. He needs to refine the technical side, especially for the Ballroom dances, but he should be ok for any Latins that he has left.
Judges' scores: 7, 8, 7, 8
My score: 7.5
Lisa & Robin - Quickstep - "Bring Me Sunshine"
This was what I'd say "wasn't Lisa's dance". She doesn't seem to be able to master travelling in hold, and seeing as that's what the Quickstep mostly is, this wasn't technically very good. Her footwork was terrible - hardly mirroring Robin at all and she struggled to pick up her feet. She did however give a good performance again, and the roll-over onto the sofa made me smile. Robin needs to try and choreograph so that she's able to keep up with him and then it will look a lot better.
Judges' scores: 7, 8, 8, 8
My score: 6
Denise & James - Salsa - "Rhythm of the Night"
I might not like this pairing, but for about the first third of the dance I thought Denise was doing really well. Like Kimberley, there seemed to be too much content for her to cope with. The meltdown from James (supposedly him) just topped it off. This was better than her Cha Cha Cha and I reckon James might just decide to skip the Rumba, seeing as Denise can't seem to master hip action. Denise needs to watch Kimberley for if she has the Samba.
Judges' scores: 8, 8, 8, 8
My score: 7.5
Louis & Flavia - Charleston - "Dr Wanna Do"
Call me cynical but as soon as I realised that Louis was towards the end of the show I knew he'd get his "breakthrough". I actually quite liked this dance and he did finally give a performance (so kudos to him for that), but for me, some of the technique seemed a little messy and I can't understand the 10s. To improve, he needs to keep it up with the performance at all times, but not at the expense of the technique. He'd do well to have a look at some of Harry's dances.
Judges' scores: 8, 10, 9, 10
My score: 8.5
My Leaderboard:
=1. Dani & Vincent - 34
=1. Louis & Flavia - 34
=3. Kimberley & Pasha - 30
=3. Nicky & Karen - 30
=3. Denise & James - 30
6. Lisa & Robin - 24
7. Michael & Natalie - 22
Wednesday, 28 November 2012
SCD Week 8 Review
Apologies for not doing reviews for the past few weeks, have been ill and have had internet issues.
So this week saw the demise of Pendledrama, and the obvious relief of Brendan Cole (whether it's relief to be definitely unavailable for when his wife gives birth, or relief to just finally get away from the Pendledrama, I'll leave up to you to decide).
Was Tess best dressed? Well she did pretty well in my opinion. Probably her best dress this series in all honesty. 9/10
Dani & Vincent - Samba - "Single Ladies"
What is it with this show and Beyonce songs, that's 2 already this series. I was really wanting her to do well with this, but, I don't know, something was missing for me. Proper samba choreography, that's what. This was basically a rehash of the dance from the video - which to be fair to Dani, she executed quite well. Just lacked a bit of bounce action, and was she meant to do a floor spin at the end?
Judges' scores: 9, 9, 9, 9
My score: 7.5
Kimberley & Pasha - Tango - "When Doves Cry"
I've said before that I'm not crazy about Kimberley's Ballroom, and I was underwhelmed here as well. Her hold is still way too loose and she went overboard on the facial expression, although her footwork is really good. Sorry Pasha but I did get bored during the routine, that might have been the song choice though. Hope she comes back strongly next week as to be honest, I'm disappointed.
Judges' scores: 8, 9, 8, 9
My score: 7.5
Victoria & Brendan - Salsa - "Candy"
Where do I begin? She messed up at the beginning and just went downhill from there. The armography section was good, but other than that it was a dis-ahhh-stahh. Brendan just couldn't be bothered this week could he? Hehe. Loved when Bruno called him "Brenda" - heard that and thought of Monkseal. It was her time to go, so at least it was on one of her better Latins.
Judges' scores: 4, 6, 6, 5
My score: 4
Louis & Flavia - Paso Doble - "Dirty Diana"
I love this song but even I know that it doesn't work for a Paso. Louis did alright with the capework at the beginning but the dance just completely lacked any attack. I hate to say it but I do blame Flavia's choreography a bit on that one, it didn't really enable Louis to try and deliver on the performance side. I'm glad he has the Charleston this week - if he can't perform in that then he won't be able to at all and will probably leave before the final. His technique is undoubtedly good, but I'm always looking to be excited after the performance, and Team Flouia hasn't given me that so far.
Judges' scores: 6, 7, 7, 7
My score: 6
Lisa & Robin - Rumba - "As If We Never Said Goodbye"
I actually thought she did well with this. I wasn't keen on the song (it was a bit too frantic for me), but she gave the dance a good go and she proved that she could do serious. She at least tried to do the hip action and some of her shaping was good. Unfortunately her frame worked against her on this dance, "it just wasn't her dahhhnce". This week's Quickstep should set her back on the right path.
Judges' scores: 7, 6, 7, 7
My score: 5.5
Michael & Natalie - Argentine Tango - "Bust Your Windows"
I do love this song and I was really looking forward to the dance, to see how Michael has improved as well. He went back to "hanging basket" with his backside and it was all a bit too "English gent" for me. His Samba this week should be entertaining, if mainly for all the wrong reasons!
Judges' scores: 6, 7, 7, 6
My score: 5
Nicky & Karen - Charleston - "Doop"
I thought this might be Nicky's dance and I was glad to see he did well. I think this was more a case of performance over technique though, more Chris & Ola than Kara & Artem. Surely it should be his time to go soon? Karen can't seem to choreograph much and I reckon she'll be Holt!-ed at the end of the series.
Judges' scores: 9, 9, 9, 9
My score: 7
Denise & James - American Smooth - "Imagine"
Was it just me, or was this as boring as watching a Parliamentary debate? Team Vanjam just rehashed their previous Ballroom routines and added some lifts to it. I HATE those spins! They don't look elegant and she just looks down at the floor whenever she does them. It was a good dance technically but they are yet to wow me performance-wise.
Judges' scores: 9, 9, 9, 10
My score: 8.5
Bruno just gave that a 10 to put Denise at the top of the leaderboard didn't he? Hope the marking is more realistic this coming weekend - will we have a new leaderboard-topper for the first time since.... erm.... week 3 or 4 maybe? I can't remember when Denise wasn't top of the leaderboard.
So this week saw the demise of Pendledrama, and the obvious relief of Brendan Cole (whether it's relief to be definitely unavailable for when his wife gives birth, or relief to just finally get away from the Pendledrama, I'll leave up to you to decide).
Was Tess best dressed? Well she did pretty well in my opinion. Probably her best dress this series in all honesty. 9/10
Dani & Vincent - Samba - "Single Ladies"
What is it with this show and Beyonce songs, that's 2 already this series. I was really wanting her to do well with this, but, I don't know, something was missing for me. Proper samba choreography, that's what. This was basically a rehash of the dance from the video - which to be fair to Dani, she executed quite well. Just lacked a bit of bounce action, and was she meant to do a floor spin at the end?
Judges' scores: 9, 9, 9, 9
My score: 7.5
Kimberley & Pasha - Tango - "When Doves Cry"
I've said before that I'm not crazy about Kimberley's Ballroom, and I was underwhelmed here as well. Her hold is still way too loose and she went overboard on the facial expression, although her footwork is really good. Sorry Pasha but I did get bored during the routine, that might have been the song choice though. Hope she comes back strongly next week as to be honest, I'm disappointed.
Judges' scores: 8, 9, 8, 9
My score: 7.5
Victoria & Brendan - Salsa - "Candy"
Where do I begin? She messed up at the beginning and just went downhill from there. The armography section was good, but other than that it was a dis-ahhh-stahh. Brendan just couldn't be bothered this week could he? Hehe. Loved when Bruno called him "Brenda" - heard that and thought of Monkseal. It was her time to go, so at least it was on one of her better Latins.
Judges' scores: 4, 6, 6, 5
My score: 4
Louis & Flavia - Paso Doble - "Dirty Diana"
I love this song but even I know that it doesn't work for a Paso. Louis did alright with the capework at the beginning but the dance just completely lacked any attack. I hate to say it but I do blame Flavia's choreography a bit on that one, it didn't really enable Louis to try and deliver on the performance side. I'm glad he has the Charleston this week - if he can't perform in that then he won't be able to at all and will probably leave before the final. His technique is undoubtedly good, but I'm always looking to be excited after the performance, and Team Flouia hasn't given me that so far.
Judges' scores: 6, 7, 7, 7
My score: 6
Lisa & Robin - Rumba - "As If We Never Said Goodbye"
I actually thought she did well with this. I wasn't keen on the song (it was a bit too frantic for me), but she gave the dance a good go and she proved that she could do serious. She at least tried to do the hip action and some of her shaping was good. Unfortunately her frame worked against her on this dance, "it just wasn't her dahhhnce". This week's Quickstep should set her back on the right path.
Judges' scores: 7, 6, 7, 7
My score: 5.5
Michael & Natalie - Argentine Tango - "Bust Your Windows"
I do love this song and I was really looking forward to the dance, to see how Michael has improved as well. He went back to "hanging basket" with his backside and it was all a bit too "English gent" for me. His Samba this week should be entertaining, if mainly for all the wrong reasons!
Judges' scores: 6, 7, 7, 6
My score: 5
Nicky & Karen - Charleston - "Doop"
I thought this might be Nicky's dance and I was glad to see he did well. I think this was more a case of performance over technique though, more Chris & Ola than Kara & Artem. Surely it should be his time to go soon? Karen can't seem to choreograph much and I reckon she'll be Holt!-ed at the end of the series.
Judges' scores: 9, 9, 9, 9
My score: 7
Denise & James - American Smooth - "Imagine"
Was it just me, or was this as boring as watching a Parliamentary debate? Team Vanjam just rehashed their previous Ballroom routines and added some lifts to it. I HATE those spins! They don't look elegant and she just looks down at the floor whenever she does them. It was a good dance technically but they are yet to wow me performance-wise.
Judges' scores: 9, 9, 9, 10
My score: 8.5
Bruno just gave that a 10 to put Denise at the top of the leaderboard didn't he? Hope the marking is more realistic this coming weekend - will we have a new leaderboard-topper for the first time since.... erm.... week 3 or 4 maybe? I can't remember when Denise wasn't top of the leaderboard.
Monday, 5 November 2012
SCD Week 5 Review
So Bond and his Pussy Galore have crashed out of the competition. Oh well. At least Kristina and her ever-decreasing outfits have gone. Colin sadly just wasn't camp enough for her choreography. As of this week, I will be introducing ".5"'s to my scores to differentiate better between the dancers.
Was Tess best dressed?: In a word, no. 4/10
Kimberley & Pasha - Salsa - "Naughty Girl"
To start, the song wasn't suitable for a Salsa. The "flying" - just no point. As for the actual dance, Kimberley's footwork was pretty good, but her arms were awful. She also stumbled out of the first lift, and the armography section at the beginning went really wrong. Not sure what the judges saw in this.
Judges' scores: 8, 8, 8, 9
My score: 6.5
Lisa & Robin - Tango - "Let's Stick Together"
Unlike most people, I felt that the song did kind of go with the dance. Lisa's footwork looked excellent for the most part, and the hold seemed alright to me. She just didn't do the sharp head turns for some reason, and her leg extensions and wrap-around were terrible.
Judges' scores: 7, 7, 6, 7
My score: 6.5
Richard & Erin - Foxtrot - "Big Spender"
And it was all going so well....or not. He went wrong at the very beginning, but he got back into it and was looking good (frame seemed good, as did the footwork). Then, with about 30 seconds to go, he seemed to go wrong on a turn and that just put him off (I'm pretty sure they improvised some of it too).
Judges' scores: 3, 5, 5, 4
My score: 4
Denise & James - Viennese Waltz - "At Last"
I hate to say it (as I really don't like this pairing), but the girl did good. I only saw one "mistake" and it was to do with her arm placement when they were out of hold. Very good work guys, but can Denise and Ian (who's stepping in for an injured James, why not Anton?) please get a bad Latin dance next week?
Judges' scores: 9, 8, 9, 9
My score: 9
Victoria & Brendan - Samba - "It's Not Unusual"
At least it had some technique in there. Victoria still seems quite unstable in her core and never knows what to do with her free arm. Some of the footwork was messy too. Oh well, Brendan has smashed his Samba curse again, so yay! Btw - LIFT!
Judges' scores: 6, 6, 6, 5
My score: 5
Louis & Flavia - Samba - "La Bomba"
Am I the only person who just didn't "get" this routine? This was a really bad week for Louis. The samba rolls didn't look as though they were done properly, his free arm went a bit limp at times, and every movement of his arms just looked really "soft" again, which is the issue that I had with his Tango.
Judges' scores: 6, 7, 8, 8
My score: 6
Colin & Kristina - Foxtrot - "Ac-cent-tchu-ate The Positive"
I'm sorry Team Colina but I just didn't like this. Once again, his footwork was good for the most part, but his arms (and hold in general) were poor. With that height difference, the hold was never going to look right. He also messed up his footwork at the very end (loved his kicks though). I'm glad for him that they went out now.
Judges' scores: 6, 7, 7, 7
My score: 5.5
Nicky & Karen - Rumba - "I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing"
God Karen, your choreography is awful. And you were doing so well in the last 2 weeks too. What pluses can I take out of that routine? Well, his arms looked quite good in places. That's it. Btw LIFT?
Judges' scores: 4, 7, 7, 7
My score: 4
Fern & Artem - Paso Doble - "Espana Cani"
More skirt-wafting I see *yawns* . How much longer is Artem going to play that one for? Fern's footwork looked good until after she came out of the drag where she went a bit wrong, but she picked it back up. Her arms however, are hideous.
Judges' scores: 6, 6, 6, 6
My score: 5.5
Michael & Natalie - Foxtrot - "Sweetest Feeling"
Not as good as last week. In this dance his hold seemed a bit off, as if he was hunched over a little. There was a fair amount of gapping too. He's definitely a Ballroom boy, but I'm waiting for the car-crash that will be the Salsa next week!
Judges' scores: 7, 8, 8, 8
My score: 7.5
Dani & Vincent - Jive - "Dance With Me Tonight"
Now as you all probably know by now, I love these guys, and I wasn't expecting to. I can see what the judges said about her arm extensions, but in this dance I felt she got away with it, and her kicks and flicks were fantastic!
Judges' scores: 8, 8, 9, 8
My score: 8.5
So my personal leaderboard goes like this:
Denise & James - 36/40
Dani & Vincent - 34/40
Michael & Natalie - 30/40
Kimberley & Pasha - 26/40
Lisa & Robin - 26/40
Louis & Flavia - 24/40
Colin & Kristina - 22/40
Fern & Artem - 22/40
Victoria & Brendan - 20/40
Richard & Erin - 16/40
Nicky & Karen - 16/40
Was Tess best dressed?: In a word, no. 4/10
Kimberley & Pasha - Salsa - "Naughty Girl"
To start, the song wasn't suitable for a Salsa. The "flying" - just no point. As for the actual dance, Kimberley's footwork was pretty good, but her arms were awful. She also stumbled out of the first lift, and the armography section at the beginning went really wrong. Not sure what the judges saw in this.
Judges' scores: 8, 8, 8, 9
My score: 6.5
Lisa & Robin - Tango - "Let's Stick Together"
Unlike most people, I felt that the song did kind of go with the dance. Lisa's footwork looked excellent for the most part, and the hold seemed alright to me. She just didn't do the sharp head turns for some reason, and her leg extensions and wrap-around were terrible.
Judges' scores: 7, 7, 6, 7
My score: 6.5
Richard & Erin - Foxtrot - "Big Spender"
And it was all going so well....or not. He went wrong at the very beginning, but he got back into it and was looking good (frame seemed good, as did the footwork). Then, with about 30 seconds to go, he seemed to go wrong on a turn and that just put him off (I'm pretty sure they improvised some of it too).
Judges' scores: 3, 5, 5, 4
My score: 4
Denise & James - Viennese Waltz - "At Last"
I hate to say it (as I really don't like this pairing), but the girl did good. I only saw one "mistake" and it was to do with her arm placement when they were out of hold. Very good work guys, but can Denise and Ian (who's stepping in for an injured James, why not Anton?) please get a bad Latin dance next week?
Judges' scores: 9, 8, 9, 9
My score: 9
Victoria & Brendan - Samba - "It's Not Unusual"
At least it had some technique in there. Victoria still seems quite unstable in her core and never knows what to do with her free arm. Some of the footwork was messy too. Oh well, Brendan has smashed his Samba curse again, so yay! Btw - LIFT!
Judges' scores: 6, 6, 6, 5
My score: 5
Louis & Flavia - Samba - "La Bomba"
Am I the only person who just didn't "get" this routine? This was a really bad week for Louis. The samba rolls didn't look as though they were done properly, his free arm went a bit limp at times, and every movement of his arms just looked really "soft" again, which is the issue that I had with his Tango.
Judges' scores: 6, 7, 8, 8
My score: 6
Colin & Kristina - Foxtrot - "Ac-cent-tchu-ate The Positive"
I'm sorry Team Colina but I just didn't like this. Once again, his footwork was good for the most part, but his arms (and hold in general) were poor. With that height difference, the hold was never going to look right. He also messed up his footwork at the very end (loved his kicks though). I'm glad for him that they went out now.
Judges' scores: 6, 7, 7, 7
My score: 5.5
Nicky & Karen - Rumba - "I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing"
God Karen, your choreography is awful. And you were doing so well in the last 2 weeks too. What pluses can I take out of that routine? Well, his arms looked quite good in places. That's it. Btw LIFT?
Judges' scores: 4, 7, 7, 7
My score: 4
Fern & Artem - Paso Doble - "Espana Cani"
More skirt-wafting I see *yawns* . How much longer is Artem going to play that one for? Fern's footwork looked good until after she came out of the drag where she went a bit wrong, but she picked it back up. Her arms however, are hideous.
Judges' scores: 6, 6, 6, 6
My score: 5.5
Michael & Natalie - Foxtrot - "Sweetest Feeling"
Not as good as last week. In this dance his hold seemed a bit off, as if he was hunched over a little. There was a fair amount of gapping too. He's definitely a Ballroom boy, but I'm waiting for the car-crash that will be the Salsa next week!
Judges' scores: 7, 8, 8, 8
My score: 7.5
Dani & Vincent - Jive - "Dance With Me Tonight"
Now as you all probably know by now, I love these guys, and I wasn't expecting to. I can see what the judges said about her arm extensions, but in this dance I felt she got away with it, and her kicks and flicks were fantastic!
Judges' scores: 8, 8, 9, 8
My score: 8.5
So my personal leaderboard goes like this:
Denise & James - 36/40
Dani & Vincent - 34/40
Michael & Natalie - 30/40
Kimberley & Pasha - 26/40
Lisa & Robin - 26/40
Louis & Flavia - 24/40
Colin & Kristina - 22/40
Fern & Artem - 22/40
Victoria & Brendan - 20/40
Richard & Erin - 16/40
Nicky & Karen - 16/40
Sunday, 28 October 2012
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.
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.
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