Strictly Come Dancing Week 5 Blog

Strictly Come Dancing 2013 Blog WEEK 5

As British Summer Time officially ends and we turn the clocks back to give us all an extra hour in bed, which of our celebrities wish they could turn back the clock to perform again? Whose time is up? As the Barre gets higher and higher, who now cannot meet standard? As our twelve remaining couples become eleven and the leader board starts to show signs of a real divide.

Natalie & Artem Samba C8  D9  L9  B9  T35

These two seem so perfectly matched on the dance floor and with yet another great routine and true Samba performance with no tricks or stunts just great dancing and fabulous choreography, if I had to make any criticism at all it would be for Natalie to be a little softer in the leg action which would help her create a stronger Samba hip action.

Abbey & Aljaz Foxtrot C8  D9  L9  B9  T35

Nobody can deny these two make a stunning couple and they performed an elegant heart felt Foxtrot, there was however quite a bit of gapping from Abbey in her top half and she does still look a little nervous at times, her foot placing could have also been a little neater when striding forward but their chemistry is shown throughout the whole routine.

Dave & Karen Salsa C3  D5  L5  B4  T17

Dave back in his comfort zone of comedy performance, it was quite a fast pacing routine with some very well controlled lifts despite there being hardly any real Salsa but as always he is fun to watch.

Deborah & Robin Viennese Waltz C6  D7  L7  B7  T27

A much better performance from Deborah this week she really looked as if she was enjoying herself again, a great technical routine even though Deborah was a little high in the shoulders at times, but she is definitely improving week after week.

Patrick & Anya Salsa C6  D8  L7  B7  T28

A soulful Salsa from Patrick and with a wrist injury that obviously caused them choreography problems, he did not let it spoil their performance one little bit, and most people would have not danced at all, let’s all hope he repairs quickly for next week.

Fiona & Anton Quickstep C7  D7  L8  B8  T30

What a pretty Quickstep routine, it was very clean and precise with a great little story line, Fiona even looked as if she was enjoying herself and seemed more relaxed and at ease as if she had just won the jackpot at the ‘Casino Royale’

Rachel & Pasha Paso Doblé C4  D6  L6  B6  T22

Rachel has worked extremely hard on her performance level this week, but I did feel as though some of her effort was a little forced in places, a little simpler choreography would have helped her as she was just out of her comfort zone which showed in her technique.

Mark & Iveta Waltz C7  D7  L7  B7  T28

Mark was very brave to start the routine solo and did extremely well showing good rise and fall and correct footwork, he then continued to show us good poise and a well-controlled routine which he should be very proud of.

Ashley & Ola Jive C7  D8  L8  B8  T31

Ashley has a good kick and flick action however a little more control on the finishing would have made it that more pleasing on the eye, he had great control on the lifts and stunts but he is still occasionally flat footed If he just finished his lines and works on his lowering action he will go far.

Susanna & Kevin  American Smooth (Foxtrot) C8  D8  L8  B8 T32

Susanna’s dancing makes me smile from ear to ear, her control and musical interpretation takes years to learn yet another lovely performance finished beautifully and delightful to watch.

Ben & Kristina Quickstep C6  D7  L7  B7  T27

A very light footed furious Quickstep, Ben’s timing was a bit off in places and I do agree totally with Len’s comment about some of the content of the routines being too much show and not enough dance, especially when the celebrity is obviously capable of more demanding figures.

Sophie & Brendan Cha Cha C7  D8  L7 B8  T30

Beautiful straight legs from Sophie, however I do feel that she is in a too higher heel which stops her from lowering the foot correctly and is pitching her too far forward so she occasionally becomes stompy and dances the traveling steps on bent knees.

Sunday’s result Show

The choreography of our professional show routines this series is Strictly out of this world, but I did not quite get the Geisha appeal to their routine? Shockingly Deborah & Robin and Patrick & Anya were both in the dreaded dance off, I feel that these two couples are very evenly matched, however Patrick did perform slightly better than Deborah but she did not deserve to leave this week, so we see Patrick and Anya strut their stuff again next week, Deborah, we will miss you as I know you will miss your Strictly experience, but please KEEEEP DANCING.

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Strictly Come Dancing Week 4 blog

Pictures courtesy of the BBC

 

Strictly Come Dancing Blog 2013 WEEK 4

As our thirteen couples become twelve which couples will find themselves in the dreaded dance off, it is normally around week four that the pack really starts to divide but the way our celebrities are working hard I think it is still anybody’s game and with the added drama of Natalie suffering from a back injury could this be someone else’s time to shine?

Sophie & Brendan Foxtrot C8  D9  L9  B9  T35

A very graceful, elegant foxtrot with good rhythm and timing, good controlled footwork and good strong lines.

Fiona & Anton Rumba C4  D6  L6  B6  T22

I loved the opening to their routine this week, and I really thought we were in for a treat, but as they moved from the stairs down on to the main dance floor Fiona lost her flow, it would have helped if she worked on her leg and knee action a little more but as I thought some of the choreography was maybe a little too advanced for her at this stage she had obviously spent all her rehearsal time on learning the steps, come on Fiona dance as if ‘The world is not enough’

Mark & Iveta Cha Cha C3  D8  L8  B7  T26

‘Come on lad’ a great lively crowd pleasing routine with amazing rhythm and timing, a really enjoyable routine to watch, I personally would have preferred to see a little more Cha Cha content but as a performance I thought it was ace ‘Boys!’

Ashley & Ola Viennese Waltz C7  D8  L8  B8  T31

A well-choreographed Viennese Waltz, I did feel though that Ashley’s arm lines were a little too straight in places and then over softened in the second part of the routine, he was also quite flat footed, he obviously works endlessly hard week on week but again a little more attention to detail and the technique would of enhanced his overall performance.

Julien & Janette Salsa C4  D6  L7  B6  T23

Julien’s hard work is just beginning to pay off, he is slowly improving and with this well-polished Salsa you can now see the determination through his dance, however it is a little too wild and erratic in places, but is it enough as he has already been in the dreaded dance off for the last two weeks?

Rachel & Pasha Quickstep C5  D7 C7  B7  T26

Amazing true Pasha choreography coupled together lots of content, recognisable fast flowing figures a true red hot roaring Quickstep, Rachel lost her timing slightly which then made her upper body drop but this is one of the best week four Quicksteps we have ever been graced with.

Ben & Kristina Salsa C8  D8  L8  B7  T31

Full of tricks, stunts and extremely well controlled lifts, I would have preferred to see a slicker leg action to have really put the icing on the cake but go Ben go.

Deborah & Robin Jive C5  D6  L6  B6  T23

I loved Deborah’s lively approach and I wish Robin would have danced down a little as it made Deborah look like she was not trying hard enough, she was occasionally flat footed and her kicks towards the end of the routine were fading slightly, I think a little less wild choreography would have been better, but Deborah is obviously enjoying her time on the dance floor.

Natalie & Artem Quickstep C9  D9  L8  B9  T35

These two really are in a league of their own another amazing choreographed routine with amazing outfits performed amazingly, a true professional demonstration and easily deserving of a ten, but can they keep pulling the rabbit out of the hat? Darcey made a constructive comment of ‘sometimes less is more’ How true.

Patrick & Anya Cha Cha C8  D8  L9  B8  T33

A very well performed routine showing great musicality, fluidity, style and syncopation, a great moving male celebrity I cannot wait to see what else they bring to the floor.

Abbey & Alijaz Tango C9  D9  C9 B9 T35                                                                          

Their performance was mesmerizing and great little story line, straight in to the performance with a true staccato feeling, lovely body shaping and poise, Ballroom is definitely Abbey’s forte and puts her right up with the best, now if she works harder on her Latin to get it to the same standard she will easily make the final.

Dave & Karen Waltz C5  D6  L6  B6  T23

A good simple routine and with Dave being ‘Strictlyfied’ this week (which just means he had combed his hair and had a good wash) I really thought we were in for a treat, there were some recognisable steps with correct footwork and neat foot placements, however I think Dave needs to keep the comedy aspect to his routines to stay in the competition, but it was good to see the other side of him performing.

Suzanna & Kevin Samba C6  D7  L8  D8  T29

Suzanna you have done it for me again, a great lively Samba full of energy and passion, maybe a bit too wild in places but even Kevin had to really over dance to keep up with you. You go girl!

Sunday results show

A fabulous little segway to open the results show from our professional dancers, but did the swallow dive from our male professionals remind anybody of anything? Rachel and Pasha in the dreaded dance off (please!) along with Julien & Janette, but though Rachel did mess up a little we see her and Pasha dance again next week (thank goodness)

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Strictly Come Dancing Week 3 blog (the professionals choice)

Picture courtesy of the BBC

 

Strictly Come Dancing Blog 2013 WEEK 3

Louuuve week and could any of our celebrities be feeling the passion of the dance floor with their dancing counterparts? We all love a happy ending but two more couples will face the dreaded dance off and for one unlucky couple it is the end of the road.

 

Abbey & Aljaz    Jive C6  D7  L8  B7  T28

A great opening to Saturdays show from these two with them performing a red hot roaring Jive with lots and lots of recognisable content (did you spot some of your Jive routine?) I personally would have preferred to see a slightly stronger knee action from Abbey which would help to create the Jive energy it so demands, there were also a couple of times she slightly lost her rhythm but as a performance, I loved it.

 

Patrick & Anya   Foxtrot C6  D7  L7  B7  T27

I loved their entrance to one of the most memorable Nat King Cole songs “ Let there be love” There was some nice figures demonstrated but a closer body contact would have stopped Patrick stooping as much, help him to straighten the leg line and correct his footwork, but a smooth stylish performance.

 

Dave & Karen    Paso Doblé (ish) C2  D5  L5  B4  T16

Erm…well….it was very entertaining but it did remind me of a bad magician performing an equally bad magic trick somehow!   The cape work reminded me of a ‘how not to put out a chip pan fire’ video I once watched but as the dance…walk… stomp….progressed Dave showed true signs of improvement, he has a very strong arm line and great facial expressions, however I did feel that the routine was lacking in Paso content and that it was the choreography that let him down this week.

 

Fiona & Anton   Waltz C7  D7 L7  B7  T28

Fiona has a gorgeous developé action with combined strong arm lines all mixed together with a presence on the dance floor that just oozes potential, and this was truly an elegant Waltz with control which is one of the hardest things to master in a Waltz, there was however a little stumble which made her a little hesitant and lose a couple of marks but definitely ‘From Russia with Love’ go team Anton.

 

Rachel & Pasha Cha Cha C6  D7  L7  B7  T27 

A Quirky little Cha Cha from these two this week, Rachel, however would have created a better hip action by straightening the knee more rather than having both knees bent (Rule 1 if there is weight the leg must be straight) there were some lovely little step patterns and a fresh feel to their performance.

 

Mark & Iveta American Smooth (Foxtrot) C6  D6  L7  B7  T 26

A lovely smooth routine with a nice story line, Mark has good technique developing with good footwork and a strong presence on the dance floor.

 

Ben & Kristina Rumba C7  D7  L7 B7  T28

Rumba is the dance of love and several times during their routine even I had to turn my head away as I was blushing, I am so glad I was not watching their routine with my mum in the room! Ben does have a good style developing but I did not understand the whole unclipping Kristina’s hair thing, maybe as we saw in the VT before they danced he is a great dad and was just going to wash it for her.  Overall a very moving Rumba that was performed well just maybe a little too intense, do you agree?

 

Sophie & Brendan Samba C7  D8  L8  B8  T31

After last week’s amazing Charleston, I have to say I was a little disappointed with these two this week, the routine felt almost detached from the music almost as if it had been thrown together at the last minute, I did not feel any real performance and as for the two lamp posts that were stuck in the middle of the dance floor, it looked like a scene from Dickens rather than a party Samba, however there were some nicely danced Samba figures and Sophie does move really well, but as a performance and after what we know they can offer, this did not float my boat.

 

Julien & Janette Jive C4  D5  L7  B6  T22

A wild energetic approach to Julien’s jive this week, his rhythm did falter several times and a stronger leg action would help more but a good attempt.

 

Susanna & Kevin Viennese Waltz  C8  D9  L9  B8  T34

Susanna you have done it again! Simple, effective, beautifully told, elegant, crisp and precise just exactly how a Viennese Waltz should be demonstrated, I could watch it over and over again. Well done you two.

 

Vanessa & James Tango C3  D5  L6  B6  T20

I loved the beginning to their routine involving the other female professionals, it allowed Vanessa to really show us her feisty attitude, Vanessa works so hard and it shows every time we see her perform, I actually thought though, that her hair style did not help to create good lines and shaping for her Tango as it was too wafty and over emphasised her Top Line, the routine just lacked a little power and passion for me.

 

Ashley & Ola Samba C8  D8  L7  B8  31

Ashley has a good upper body movement showing fluidity which is what makes Samba a very difficult technical dance for a male to master he has great musicality but the placing of his feet did need more work (Rule 2, A good bottom half technique and the body will follow) a slip up towards the end made him lose his confidence slightly but a very good attempt.

 

Natalie & Artem Rumba C9  D9  L9 B9 T36

This is how exactly a Rumba should be danced, beautiful, heartfelt, Inspirational and true, with some amazing choreography performed effortlessly, Artem really is using Natalie’s talents to the best, and easily deserving a ten in my opinion.

 

Deborah & Robin Quickstep C7  D7  L77 B7  T28

After Natalie and Artem’s amazing Rumba I thought I could not be more surprised but Deborah you should be so proud of yourself, you looked a million dollars and right at home on the dance floor, very light and full of energy what more could we ask for from a Quickstep, great to watch, Keep up the great work.

 

Sunday Result Show.

A beautiful, Viennese Waltz opening to the results show from our professional dancers, effortless and graceful.  Julien & Janette and Vanessa & James in the dreaded dance off with both couples showing signs of improvement but unfortunately Vanessa & James (who I think has been truly inspirational) end their Strictly journey and we see Julien dance again next week.

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