Week 8 #scd

Strictly Come Dancing

WEEK 8

As our eight remaining couples become seven and after last weeks high of Wembley, it is now time to pull out all of the stops and aim for the final straight.

Dani & Vincent      Samba

C 9   D 9   L 9  B 9  T 36

Quite a static Samba routine from these two this week, but what a fantastic leg and hip action Dani has developed and what great control she shows on the solo section of the routine, I am so glad the judges have finally given the marks they deserve.

 

Kimberley & Pasha     Tango

C 8   D 9   L 8  B 9  T 36

What amazing control Kimberley was demonstrating, she must have spent hours on her topline to create the near perfect framing, the power and presentation was phenomenal along with the choreography, yes there was a little slip but I think it was because the energy they were created was so intense and the couple of heel leads Kimberley missed was not even worth mentioning, for me this routine was deserving of a couple of tens.

 

Victoria & Brendan     Salsa

C 4   D 6   L 6  B 5  T 21

This, I have to say was a good clean Salsa routine with correct and neat Mambo breaks and Salsa basics and with well thought out choreography, Victoria has a nice little Salsa action with good fluid hips and excellent execution of the lift work, yes it is the man who helps you to get up there but it is the girl who holds herself steady, the whole routine was not at all embarrassing and to score it a four I thought was quite disrespectful, You should be very proud Victoria and easily deserving of a severerern.

 

Louis and Flavia      Paso Doblé

Louis had really nice shaping and well controlled cape work, however I thought the true feel of the Paso was missing and the routine had a very safe feeling to it and was a little lacking in personality, it was almost as if Louis had gone backwards by several weeks, the music did not help the interpretation either, come on Louis get your mojo back.

 

Lisa & Robin      Rumba

C 7   D 6   L 7  B 7  T 27

I love what Lisa & Robin bring to the floor every week but for me this week was their worse routine, I did not feel any true emotion from the performance or the choreography, again as with Louis it felt more like a week two routine than a week eight! Rumba is the dance of love and therefore should be soft, fluid yet with great strength and intensity and I did not feel this from either of them at all there was also lots of incorrect footwork and miss placing of steps, I also think the judges scores were a little high (which I thought I would never say!)

 

Michael & Natalie     Argentine Tango

C 6   D 7   L 7  B 6  T 26

I think I need to get my television seen to because I think I am watching a different couple than the one the majority of the judges were watching, a very intensive, believable routine with very well controlled lifts and drag (which is harder to control than a lift) it did definitely look like an Argentine despite some of the comments, I thought it was well led and performed, the Argentine is as difficult as a Rumba for a male celebrity to master, and Michael it was really nearly there, well done.

 

Nicky & Karen     Charleston

C 9   D 9   L 9  B 9  T36

Again I do not get what the judges were scoring I found this routine quite heavy for the majority of the time, Nicky’s shoulders were far too high and fixed, there was some nice figures but I did not find it light and entertaining and much preferred the Argentine Tango.

 

Denise & James     American Smooth (Foxtrot)

C 9   D 9   L 9  B 10  T 37

This was Denise’s moment, and if she did not shine in this routine then there was something wrong, it was a pure stage performance, lacking slightly in Foxtrot technique yet performed with grace and beauty.

 

SUNDAY RESULTS SHOW

An unbelievable opening from our female professionals along with Flawless, and it was so nice to see Aliona dancing again.  Michael & Natalie and Victoria & Brendan in the dreaded dance off and neither of them deserving to be there, in my opinion, but Victoria did make several obvious mistakes so we see Michael & Natalie dance again next week.

DAPA  DAPA  DAPA  DAPA  DAPA  DAPA

DAPA dance act sing perform

WEMBLEY WEEK ON STRICTLY, Week 7,#scd

Strictly Come Dancing

WEEK 7

Wembley Week! And what a tribute to the 40’s, 60’s and 80’s opening from all our performers including a full military band. (Only on Strictly) but which of our celebrities would be hat trick scoring centre forward winner, and which will be a penalty shoot out looser? And all live in front of six thousand enthusiasts at Wembley and eleven million over the airwaves!

 

Lisa & Robin      Samba

C 8   D 8   L 8  B 8  T 32

How nerve raking, must it be to open this show? And what a lively opening from these two it was, however I did feel that Lisa lost a little energy half way through the routine and there were times when she was showing signs struggling, a fabulous performance just needed a bit more stamina.

 

Nicky & Karen     Jive

C 6   D 8   L 8  B 8  T 30

A great opening to their routine this week with some good Jive content and a difficult pull through Penguin Roll, if anything it was a little heavy at times but a great effort and showmanship demonstrated by Nicky.

 

Denise & James     Charleston

C 9   D 10   L 10  B 10  T 39

What a great Charleston action Denise has and yet another excellent performance which was an easy ten, but Denise does seriously need to work on her leg strength as all her kicks did look laboured and slow, for me it was a great upper body, shame about the lower half, although the judges are wowed by her performance they do need to look at her footwork a little closer.  Do you agree?

 

Louis & Flavia      American Smooth (Quickstep)

C 7   D 8   L 8  B 7  T 30

For me this was not one of Louis’s strongest performances however his floor craft and timing are truly inspirational, his feet though are still a little pigeon toed in places and a few of the chasse’s were a little skippy, but great content and choreography, and just to clarify the little confusion there seemed to be, American Smooth can be danced in any of the five standard rhythms.

 

Richard & Erin     Salsa

C 5   D 6   L 7  B 6  T 24

Not a bad effort from Richard this week, but I did not understand the three male dancers or the turtles and dolphins swimming around until my wife pointed out it was to give it a tropical feel, but for me it was just a distraction from a quite heavy footed slow Salsa.

 

Victoria & Brendan      Paso Doblé

C 5   D 6   L 7  B 6  T 24

Victoria is still definitely improving; I loved her performance value and dramatic interpretation including well executed Paso steps, but the music and the fluidity of the routine was not strong enough to carry the true Paso feeling for me.

 

Dani & Vincent      Quickstep

C 9   D 9   L 9  B 9  T 36

A qwerky, quality Quickstep, full of intricate timing and great choreography, a true Quickstep demonstrated wonderfully and should easily, in my opinion, have scored one if not two marks higher than the Charleston.

 

Kimberley & Pasha     Samba

C 8   D 8   L 9  B 9  T 34

Quite a lively performance with some good Samba content however, I did feel that it was a little heavy in places and maybe just a little lacking in the carnival spirit, which I think was because of the speed of the music. I love these two performing but now I have come to expect a little more.

 

Michael & Natalie     American Smooth (Foxtrot)

C 9   D 9   L 9  B 8  T 35

A great show stopping routine with good content, control and charisma encompassing great shaping, style and sway, Michael you are now dancing and deserve to be in the semi final with this performance.

 

Overall this evening I thought all the dancers looked tired, including the professionals, was it because they were overwhelmed by the whole experience, or have they been over rehearsed? It was a great show but have the Beeb over worked them?

 

Sunday Results Show

 What a fabulous Jiving opening to some of the most iconic Rock N Roll hits ever, on Sundays result show, but with Richard & Erin and Nicky and Karen in the dreaded dance off, both couples performing well the second time and either couple knowing that if they were to leave the competition they could do so with their heads held high, but we see Nicky & Karen back in the Ballroom next week.

DAPA DAPA MAC

Week 6 SCD Blog DAPA

Strictly Come Dancing Blog

WEEK 6

As we reach the half way point to this years competition and none of our couples wanting to leave before next weeks Wembley Arena show, it is now time to sort the wheat from the chaff, there were some truly brilliant performances but it looks like the judges are saving their tens for next week!

 

Denise & James      Paso Doblé

C 9   D 9   L 9  B 9  T 36

A very dramatic Paso from these two this week, and again very well controlled topline and upper body control from Denise, however she was a little pigeon toed in places and looked a little unstable on her chainé turns, but as in previous weeks great performance, but is that not but her job?

 

Richard & Erin     Charleston

C 7   D 8   L 7  B 7  T 29

A good lively approach to this comical routine, Richard has obviously improved his dancing ability over the last few weeks and all their hard work is paying off, it was a clean and precise routine with very few fluffs, I would have preferred to see him a little higher on his toes but well danced.

 

Louis & Flavia      Waltz

C 6   D 9   L 9  B 9  T 33

A very elegant Waltz demonstration with good strong leads and finished lines, there were a few footwork issues that if corrected would have made it perfect for a week six performance from a male celebrity, and Craig to score a six was actually an insult, I would like to see you do better!

 

Fern & Artem      Salsa

C 6   D 7   L 7  B 7  T 27

Fern you little sex kitten! A great rhythmical action with amazing control and effortless styling, I could not take my eyes of you, your standard matched Artem perfectly which is a very high achievement, you looked, danced and performed amazingly and would have easily scored a nine from me!

 

Victoria & Brendan     Quickstep

C 7   D 7   L 8  B 8  T 30

A very light Quickstep performed very well with great technical content and flow, Victoria looked like she had been rehearsing this routine for months and easily her best performance to date, I did not understand the storyline they were trying to create if I am absolutely honest and I think If Victoria was not in hold she would have performed quite as well, but I still loved it.

 

Dani & Vincent     Tango

C 8   D 8   L 9  B 9  T 34

A true professional Tango demonstration, great power staccato and feeling all topped with beautiful styling and drama, great content and choreography performed effortlessly, I loved every second and could have watched these two perform Tango all night, why this did not at least score one ten is beyond me and on technical ability alone I much preferred it to Denise & James’s Paso.

 

Nicky & Karen     Foxtrot

C 7   D 7   L 8  B 8  T 30

A very lively American Smooth style Foxtrot, Nicky looked very light on his feet and showed clean lines, there were however several basic footwork issues and I would have preferred more Foxtrot content, it was a good effort and Nicky is improving.

 

Kimberley & Pasha     Viennese Waltz

C 8   D 8   L 9  B 9  T 34

This has to be one of the most beautiful Viennese Waltz routines ever performed on Strictly, Pasha I take my hat off to you sir. A very innocent moving performance with amazing style shaping and content a true professional performance and again I preferred it to Denise & James’s routine but obviously the judges did not.

 

Michael & Natalie      Salsa

C 5   D 7   L 7  B 7  T 26

Michael has a great Salsa action with quick and sharp footwork; he obviously lost the routine at one point but recovered by demonstrating amazing control on the lifts which were executed extremely well.

I loved the show style opening to their routine this week that was very well rehearsed, as with Nicky & Karen’s routine I would have preferred a little more Foxtrot content and Foxtrot timing but a very good effort.

 

Sunday Results Show

In one of the most shocking result shows in the history of Strictly, opened by Vincent & Flavia and the cast in one of their inspirational routines from the stage show Midnight Tango, but then Fern & Artem and Kimberley & Pasha in the dreaded dance off, neither couple deserved to be there, and Bruno and the audience’s reaction said it all, everyone was shocked at this result, even though I thought both routines were not as polished as we saw on Saturdays show but Kimberley & Pasha get to dance in Wembley, Fern please, please, please do not stop dancing you have definitely left us all wanting more and in my opinion could have gone a lot further.

DAPA

Week 5 SCD

Strictly Come Dancing Blog

WEEK 5

As we prepare for toffee apples, bonfires and fireworks, which of our couples would go off with a bang and which would fizzle out like a damp sparkler, last week at the Halloween Special all our performers opened the show with an amazing group number which I think really lifted the Saturday night show, do you agree?

 

Kimberley & Pasha     Salsa

C 8   D 8   L 8  B 9  T 33

This was Kimberley’s time to shine, when they were dancing the open breaks it was very clean and precise, there was for me however quite a lot of paffing with Pasha, Kimberley is more than capable of a lot more dance, but it was a great demonstration.

 

Lisa & Robin     Tango

C 7   D 7   L 6  B 7  T 27

Both Lisa and Robin looked very dapper this week, and had lots of true Tango content to their routine, I did not quite understand the chair as a prop, and I would have preferred a stronger staccato feel, and for once I have to agree with Craig, it was nice to see them doing something more serious.

 

Richard & Erin      Foxtrot

C 3   D 5   L 5  B 4  T 17

I loved the drama of the routine that Richard and Erin created and there was certainly lots of well executed Foxtrot in the first half of the routine, but then unfortunately Richard lost his footing and timing on the slow locks and he never recovered unfortunately, but would it cost him the competition?

 

Denise & James     Viennese Waltz

C 9   D 8   L 9  B 9  T 35

A lot better performance than last week from these two, Denise’s shaping and topline are truly beautiful but on closer inspection her footwork needed a lot more work, the music was also quite slow which would have made it easier to control the upper body but for me it then lost the character of the Viennese Waltz, several people have said to me this week,  that they feel it is unfair that Denise is competing on Strictly as she is a professional stage performer, to which I have defended by saying as long as the judges, judge fairly and look at the technical ability of the dance rather than just the overall performance value, but this evening I feel Denise was judged purely on the show and not the technique.  Do you agree?

 

Victoria & Brendan      Samba

C 6   D 6   L 6  B 5  T 23

Victoria looked a lot more relaxed this week and does have a nice Samba action developing, it needed a little more of the Carnival spirit as it felt very tamed and safe, it was also a little slow, but Victoria is showing great signs of improvement week after week and isn’t Brendan staying very calm?

 

Louis & Flavia      Samba

C 6   D 7   L 8  B 8  T 29

Samba is one of the hardest dances for the male celebrity to master and Louis did a really good job, his hip action still needs a little more work and so does the placing of his feet especially on his runs, this was also the second time that half way through the routine Louis ran up the stairs and started paffing around on the stage, which I think is really unnecessary.  Louis you are doing a fabulous job and are definitely in the running to go a long way in the competition but now it is time to stop playing safe and take bigger risks.

 

Colin & Kristina     Foxtrot

C 6   D 7   L 7  B 7  T 27

I love Colin’s swagger, style and amazing kicks, his posture and shaping are good although his footwork does need more work, which gave the routine a sludging feel, rather than a floating and gliding one, but well danced.

 

Nicky & Karen      Rumba

C 4   D 7   L 7  B 7  T 27

Nicky definitely captured the feeling and emotion of the Rumba which is the dance of love, or as my teacher once said, “it is the vertical passion of a horizontal desire” (whatever that means!) however Nicky is quite pigeon toed and I would prefer to see a little more dance content rather than the start stop approach to Rumba, but a very good passionate performance.

 

Fern & Artem      Paso Doblé

C 6   D 6   L 6  B 6  T 24

This was one of the best, truly authentic Paso Doblé ever performed by a celebrity on Strictly, maybe a little too adventuress for a week five routine, but I still loved every second, COME ON FERN!

 

Michael & Natalie      Foxtrot

C 7   D 8   L 8  B 8  T 31

Not a bad attempt from Michael, a graceful and flowing Foxtrot, with great performance and great content, a little more work needed on the footwork and when not in Ballroom hold but well done Michael.

 

Dani & Vincent     Jive

C 8   D 8   L 9  B 8  T 33

Or should they be renamed Dani & Wigcent? What are the producers trying to tell us for the last two weeks Artem is losing his clothes and Vincent is gaining different hair pieces! A brilliant true Jive with great Chicken Walks, flicks and kicks if anything I felt that Dani was slightly behind the beat, but another of your routines that I loved everything about it.

Sunday’s result show.

A bit of a strange opening to the show this evening with the male professionals strutting their stuff to Elvis’s ‘a little less conversation’ but then Colin & Kristina and Richard & Erin in the dreaded dance off, Richard & Erin did dance much better, not only remembering their routine but in their overall performance, so in a strange turn of events we see Richard & Erin dance again next week, but we will miss the gently giant Colin along with his princess Kristina but it has been a pleasure in sharing  your Strictly journey.