Strictly Come Dancing, week 3 [video]

First up were Austin and Erin, with a jive to You Can’t Stop The Beat from Hairspray. And what an opening to the show it was, with Austin’s light-footed steps working wonders when combined with Erin’s joyful choreography. The judges liked a lot, with good reason — however, Austin’s top half never looked as animated as his bottom half, and he was often looking at the floor. Out of hold, he managed to keep in step with Erin throughout, but once or twice as they came together he missed a hold. Nothing major, and to his credit he didn’t allow a little fluff to break his rhythm. The judges’ scores were appreciative: 8 + 8 + 9 + 9 = 34, making it the highest-scoring dance of the series so far.

The first tango of the evening was delivered by Mark and Hayley, dancing to Tanguera by Sexteto Mayor. When they were in hold, it was a fine performance, helped in no small part by Mark’s nerves being displayed as the moody expression befitting a tango. While leading Hayley, Mark was able to traverse the floor smoothly and with real style. Away from her, however, he stomped around the floor like a petulant teenager. Or, if you believe the ever-so-butch Mr Revel Horwood, ‘minced’. Better than week 1, with the judges’ scores of 5 + 5 + 7 + 7 = 24 being higher than the 22 they received for their week 1 waltz.

Like Mark, before him, Gary and Karen showed a marked improvement on their week 1 performance. Unfortunately it was not enough to lift it any higher than ‘dismal’. Gary was wooden throughout, leaving Karen to carry the performance as well as she could. It wasn’t a complete embarrassment — there were no major missteps as there were in their salsa in Week 1 — but it was still way below the standard of any other of the competitors. The marks reflected that: 3 + 4 + 6 + 5 = 18, just one point higher than their salsa score.

I’m in two minds about the tango delivered by John and Kristina, which was performed to Boulevard of Broken Dreams. It started very well, with all due solemnity from John and plenty of flourishes from Kristina. However, quite quickly John’s face broke out into one of unbridled joy. I’m not quite sure when the change happened, but it seemed to coincide with a quick glance down at Kristina’s cleavage. From that point on, he looked more like the cat who got the cream. And, frankly, who can blame him? As the dance progressed, his leg extensions didn’t seem all that tight, but John has a sweetness about him that seems to carry him through. He may not be all that good, but something tells me he’ll stay in this competition a good few weeks yet, and may well see off some more competent dancers — like Kate Garraway, but with more charm and fewer bandages. The judges’ scores of 3 + 6 + 6 + 7 = 22 gave the couple the same total as week 1.

Fourth in the series of dodgy dances was another tango, this time from Andrew and Ola. The decision to go more upbeat, with a dance to T Rex’s Twentieth Century Boy, certainly allowed Ola to show off her assets — and a few high kicks as well. It was only when Andrew joined in that things started to go wrong. His tango posture was all wrong, with hunched shoulders and a jutting-out bum that made him move around the dance floor with all the grace of a constipated ostrich. The decision to choreograph a series of head-banging moves was not a wise one at the best of times, but it was clearly a move too far for someone who looks like he’s never been anywhere near a mosh pit in his life. The scores of 4 + 6 + 7 + 5 = 22 made Andrew and Ola the only couple to score lower on their second dance than on their first.

Back to good dancing for Tom and Camilla’s jive to Sam Sparro’s Black and Gold. Now, I don’t normally pass comment on the ladies’ fashions in Strictly, but whoever thought that gold tinsel over a black leotard and big black boots were a good look for Camilla needs taking out and shooting. Or at least given an eye test. A decent gold dress to accompany Tom’s black outfit would have still been in the spirit of the song title, and wouldn’t have looked so hideous. Thankfully, the couple’s dance moves were more than enough to distract the eye. It’s hard to believe that this is only their second competitive dance, as Tom and Camilla really work well together as partners. There was a lot of tight choreography, executed so well as to look effortless. To my mind, it was better than Austin and Erin’s dance, although the judges disagreed, scoring it at 7 + 8 + 9 + 9 = 33, one less than Austin and Erin, but a whole five points up on their first week salsa.

Bringing the competitive section to a close, Don and Lilia performed a tango to Gotan Project’s version of Whatever Lola Wants. After being in the dance-off in week 1, I wasn’t holding out too much hope for Don this week, but he surprised everybody. Drawing on his acting ability, he nailed the persona required of the male tango dancer to perfection, and then matched it with an assured performance. He occasionally looked a little heavy on his feet, and his face remained stuck in an expression that looked like a cross between someone eating a whole lemon and Arlene after one of Bruce’s particularly bad jokes — but despite that, it was by far the best tango of the evening.

The ladies’ group dance was a swing number, full of energy and vigour. I wouldn’t go as far as Len in saying it wa sthe best group dance ever, because it clearly wasn’t — there were too many instances of ladies jogging slightly on the spot, waiting to get in position for the next big move. And in dances like this, poor Jodie’s height really works against her, as she struggles to stay in sync with her more petite fellow dancers. But the whole dance was lively and good fun, which is exactly what was required of it.

The highlight of the results show, without a doubt, was the show dance by Vincent and Flavia. Honestly, I can watch them dance for ever — they are always beautiful together. There was a little move at the very end that didn’t quite work for me, but that was over in a flash — as, indeed, was the whole piece. The group rumba, and Erin and Anton’s dance, paled by comparison.

This year we seem to be seeing more of the judges discussing the show amongst themselves in the green room between shows. I think that works here, and allows us to see remarks like Len’s concern that Don’s tango could be a one-off delivered in a style that isn’t spun into something necessarily negative.

The important matter of the night was of course the dance-off — with Mark and Hayley and Gary and Karen receiving the lowest combined scores. Mark’s tango was pretty consistent with his live show performance, but Gary’s jive was markedly worse. I’d go so far as to say that it was the first time since the dance-off was introduced last year that I’ve seen a dancer seem to make no effort at this most critical of stages. I do feel sorry for Karen, who’s been dealt a pup for two years running after winning in 2006. Hopefully next year, she’ll get a partner worthy of her talents as a professional.