Well, we may have been unexpectedly down to six couples rather than seven this week, but that didn’t mean the entertainment levels dropped at all. In fact, if anything, it showed that Strictly Come Dancing is more entertaining when you have a set of competitors who all have a chance, rather than some who can dance and some who are popular for being rubbish.
In the last week where all couples had one competitive dance, Lisa and Brendan kicked off with a lively Quickstep to Merry Clayton’s Yes. Smooth and lively throughout, nevertheless the choreography didn’t really thrill me at all. Even Brendan’s flamboyant leap which topped and tailed the dance added little to the overall thrill. Technically, though, it was good, although in common with nearly all the celebrities Lisa still has trouble with her gapping. I didn’t see her trip over Brendan’s foot as Craig claimed she did, but she knew what he was talking about and took his points on board.
The judges’ scores of 8 + 9 + 9 + 9 = 35 points were good, and appropriate to the standard Lisa has achieved. But would they be good enough?
Next up, Christine and Matthew danced a Cha-cha-cha to Pete Rodriguez’ I Like It Like That (instantly recognisable if, like me, your local cinema is an Odeon as they use it on a trailer before every film). Unfortunately, the song takes a while to warm up, and so did the dancers. Throughout it was a very stop-and-start dance, and while in places that was because the choreography was attempting to match the music, in others it felt more due to a hesitancy on Christine’s part. Her hips weren’t moving as well as they could — and as Arlene pointed out this time and has so often before, that’s often a result of not pushing through with the feet.
At this point, Len started berating Craig because he’d been a bit too critical. Normally I like Len, but in this case I thought Craig’s criticisms were perfectly appropriate. They weren’t presented nastily, and he did complement her finishes. Unfortunately, Len’s outburst made Craig seem the reasonable one on the panel. How often does that happen?
The judges’ scores of 6 + 6 + 8 + 7 = 27 were disappointing, but again appropriate for the quality of the dance. Christine does seem to be among the most variable of the competitors, and unlike some her consistency doesn’t seem to have any relation to the ballroom/Latin divide.
Talking of inconsistency, Jodie and Ian have struggled with most Latin dances, while coping well with the ballroom repertoire. Here, their Jive to Great Balls of Fire bucked the trend a little. It was certainly better than most of the couple’s Latin attempts to date, and all the more impressive given that Jodie was clearly suffering with illness. It did feel more like a week 4 or 5 dance rather than a week 10 one, though.
The judges’ scores of 7 + 7 + 8 + 8 = 30 were a little over-generous, I thought: personally I would have placed Christine just above Jodie.
So after two middling dances, it was time for the three main competitors to show their stuff. Of course, now that John and Kristina have bowed out, there will only be places for two couples in the final…
Tom and Camilla were next up, with a Tango to Please Mr Brown. Thankfully we were spared the re-emergence of the “smell-the-fart” facial expression Tom used for his Paso Doble, leaving us instead with an impressive routine choreographed, as ever, with real panache by Camilla.
Throughout a frenetic dance, the character and style of the Tango was preserved, save for those occasional moments of stillness, where the dramatic tension is ramped up just prior to another impressive set of steps. They are difficult moments to get right, but their presence does add to the routine — and, with their absence here (as Craig noted), does explain perhaps why the judges weren’t quite prepared to award the routine full marks. As it was, 9 + 9 + 9 + 9 = 36 points is a very good score, but it’s becoming clear that very good may not be quite enough…
Rachel and Vincent were next with a Foxtrot to Close to You. everything came together for this dance: Vincent’s choreography, which looks deceptively simple but often contains small flourishes that other dancers would miss; Rachel’s posture, which make it looks like she’s been dancing with Vincent for ever; and her footwork, which looked absolutely faultless. While most people have been concentrating on the rivalry between Tom and Austin, Rachel has steadily been improving and this week showed that she’s a real danger for both the remaining men.
The judges marks, an incredible 10 + 10 + 10 + 10 = 40 points and the first maximum score of this series, were deserved I think. I know that some of the commenters on our “You be the judge” post would disagree, but for me this was the dance of the night.
Bringing the competitive stages to a close, Austin and Erin delivered the second Cha-cha-cha of the evening, performing to It’s Raining Men. This had just about everything: all the requisite Cha cha moves, warm (indeed, downright flirtatious) interplay between the dancers. Austin still doesn’t project his arms confidently enough, though, and does seem to hunch his shoulders up more than he should. All minor points, but at the stage of the competition it’s the small things that will make all the difference.
The judges’ marks of 8 + 9 + 9 + 9 = 35 points were a little on the low side, I thought, especially as I thought that Austin and Erin’s dance was better than Lisa and Brendan’s, which gained exactly the same score from each judge.
In the interests of completeness, we’re including the video for John and Kristina’s Waltz, a reprise of their Week 1 routine. While I won’t miss their dances in terms of competitive ability, the couple has always been entertaining. I do hope that Kristina returns next year, coupled with a partner who can do her routines justice. We haven’t really had the opportunity to see what she can do outside the group dances — maybe 2009 will be her year.
As the Saturday show drew to a close, then, it looked like Christine and Jodie were the celebrities most at risk. In the results show, though, we had a number of routines to enjoy first.
As I so often say, Vincent and Flavia are quite my favourite professional pairing in Strictly, and every show dance they perform is a guaranteed joy to watch. Their Milonga, however, was in another league. I’m not too familiar with the origins of the dance, but its combination of moves we’re familiar with from the Argentine Tango, coupled with elements that show up in the other Latin repertoire dances, make for a winning combination. And the sequence in which Flavia actually danced across Vincent’s feet was just incredible. Unfortunately, the BBC don’t release videos of the show dances onto YouTube or onto their own site. You may be able to find an unofficial online copy somewhere, of course…
The group disco number was also notable. Personally, I didn’t rate Tom and Austin as highly as the judges: if you look at the routine around the 1 minute 18 mark, they’re completely out of sync with one another:
But back to the competition, and Christine was saved from the dance-off. Was she helped by the judges’ bickering? Possibly, but she’s also clearly popular with the public. How much longer she can survive, though, is uncertain.
So when it came to the dance-off Lisa and Brendan and Jodie and Ian took to the dance floor again. The judges complimented them on producing possibly the best dance-off yet. I’m not sure I’d have gone that far myself, as I didn’t really see that much difference. However, I can’t disagree with the ultimate decision to send Jodie and Ian home.
Scott dear - agree that Vincent & Flavia's Milonga was breathtaking - possibly the best dance I've seen the professional do on SCD. Thought that the group dance showed up how much more fluid Tom's movements are than Austin, to be honest.......Ultimately (although surprised Christine wasn't in the two two) I agree that Jodie was the right choice from the dance off.
Scott dear,- I see we disagree on a few efforts this week. I still can't see why Rachel and Vincent got an incredible four 10s. On the other thread I gave them a 9. I still think Tom has been cheated out of a 10 from one or two of the judges.
As for the dance off, I had hoped that Christine was there this week, but as it was, I agree that Jodie was weaker than Lisa in the dance off. I was sorry to see her go, because I think she has improved so much from her rather clumsy first efforts.
I think you have said it all Scott. Apart from Rachels dance, which while I agree was very good, failed to wow me which I feel a four 10 dance should. The Milonga was mind blowing. Agree with Carol possibly the best professional dance I've seen on the show.
I'm another fan of Tom and do think it is about time he was awarded a ten!