here we go again...
Dec. 2nd, 2018 09:14 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shallownessStrictly Musicals show/Quarter Finals
The Mamma Mia! number was A+ for entertainment value and kicking things off. (The only sadness was that they didn’t bring in ‘Fernando’ and Cher somehow.) I liked that they got the judges involved, although it must have been nerve-wracking to dance with Shirley in particular. Or wonderful.) Anton (in shorts! For the rest of the show!) was having a blast, and may have done some of his finest work this year miming to Pierce Brosnan.
I want to give it to Bruno’s jacket, because although I liked Tess’s clash of colours, that top just made you feel the weight of gravity. Claudia’s outfit was dull, Darcey’s came into its own on the dancefloor and Shirley’s offered contrast to Darcey’s. There was nothing wrong with Craig’s jacket, actually.
I saw a bit of Lauren on The Last Leg on Friday and she seemed so much more relaxed. The VT with her nan was stiff, AJ being about as good with humans as Tess is (although he seems more self-aware about it on ITT). ANYWAY, I thought the opening scene-setting was faffing about, probably because I haven’t seen the film, but after that it was quite a pure VW-American Smooth. Good topline (I thought), lovely rotation, AJ was restrained on the lift-front. Much better than the last few weeks, and we’re all agreed ballroom is her forte. She fully deserved to have her best score yet.
I’ve tended to ignore the Ts and Cs, but did watch this one, and appreciated Claudia’s appreciation. But wait, are they doing Aladdin again tomorrow?
Faye and Giovanni had the giggliest VT, but what else can you do when you’re doing a Charleston to Lonely Goatherd and Giovanni is ‘yodelling’? The whole thing made a lot more sense when I heard the speed of the song, and the dancing-as-puppets conceit was perfect for the Charleston. I was laughing with joy throughout. It was as quirky as you like, with bits Katya would be proud of. Props to the singers. I thought Faye was slow to do a wave (the only flaw I saw), but I wasn’t expecting Craig to give it a 10, though, fair enough.
Next, a volte face in tone, and no pressure from Bruno – although I stopped listening to him after he claimed West Side Story is an opera when choreography is such a big part of it.
I didn’t quite feel their rumba, myself. I thought it was not bad, but it was very much a presenting-your-lady dance (I don’t think they have stellar chemistry), and the story/song overwhelmed the rumba, in that it didn’t feel like an organic rumba. And, to prove that it’s not just about the concept and emotional response, for me, she outdanced him. But as has happened before with Charles, the judges disagreed with me – although I’d be curious if Craig has scored male!rumbas higher than 8 before.
Ashley said what has to be said after being in the dance off, and then wow, what a quickstep. So fast, so packed. I thought she kept up with it marvellously, and LOVED the holding back before the backfall. Seriously, my favourite moment of the night. Was that the first time Shirley has given Pasha choreographic notes? Bruno (and Craig) gave a ‘gotta follow the music’ choreographer’s riposted. Darcey exasperated me by giving a 10 out when she’d had a criticism.
Stacey opened her American Smooth confidently, both as a performer/actor and a dancer. I thought she continued well on both fronts, and the routine really told the story of the song, but that story got overwrought, and I was analysing that rather than being on the same emotional wavelength, even though I thought Kevin did very smart and suitable things at the big moments. Bring on his future choreographing a West End musical. In the shorter term, the response has got to make him feel hopeful about the final.
And then the salsa, and yet another competitor for campest Strictly samba ever, though it’s a competitive section. I agree with Craig that it lacked fluidity, but Joe was commanding, and having him be the lifted worked for the concept, was an interesting challenge and he did it well. Of course, he then tripped on The Coat on his last step to the Clauditorium. Bless.
Bruno saved Joe from making it a three-way tie at the bottom, but there were two ties on the leaderboard. I voted for Ashley, partly because she must have had a rotten week, partly because that backfall moment was the one I had the most emotional response to. Well, other than Faye’s, but she was on top (and I may have slightly enjoyed Ashley’s Charleston more.)
But I have to commend everyone, this was one of the better musicals shows. Everyone upped their game to some extent, the celebs coping with the extra dancers/story-telling/lift demands well, and the pros rose to the challenge of melding genre of dance to show/song.
I expect the Beeb to be scolded (on Twitter? By mid-market tabloids?) about encouraging truanting from school as a way to get parental attention in its Christmas trail.
The Mamma Mia! number was A+ for entertainment value and kicking things off. (The only sadness was that they didn’t bring in ‘Fernando’ and Cher somehow.) I liked that they got the judges involved, although it must have been nerve-wracking to dance with Shirley in particular. Or wonderful.) Anton (in shorts! For the rest of the show!) was having a blast, and may have done some of his finest work this year miming to Pierce Brosnan.
I want to give it to Bruno’s jacket, because although I liked Tess’s clash of colours, that top just made you feel the weight of gravity. Claudia’s outfit was dull, Darcey’s came into its own on the dancefloor and Shirley’s offered contrast to Darcey’s. There was nothing wrong with Craig’s jacket, actually.
I saw a bit of Lauren on The Last Leg on Friday and she seemed so much more relaxed. The VT with her nan was stiff, AJ being about as good with humans as Tess is (although he seems more self-aware about it on ITT). ANYWAY, I thought the opening scene-setting was faffing about, probably because I haven’t seen the film, but after that it was quite a pure VW-American Smooth. Good topline (I thought), lovely rotation, AJ was restrained on the lift-front. Much better than the last few weeks, and we’re all agreed ballroom is her forte. She fully deserved to have her best score yet.
I’ve tended to ignore the Ts and Cs, but did watch this one, and appreciated Claudia’s appreciation. But wait, are they doing Aladdin again tomorrow?
Faye and Giovanni had the giggliest VT, but what else can you do when you’re doing a Charleston to Lonely Goatherd and Giovanni is ‘yodelling’? The whole thing made a lot more sense when I heard the speed of the song, and the dancing-as-puppets conceit was perfect for the Charleston. I was laughing with joy throughout. It was as quirky as you like, with bits Katya would be proud of. Props to the singers. I thought Faye was slow to do a wave (the only flaw I saw), but I wasn’t expecting Craig to give it a 10, though, fair enough.
Next, a volte face in tone, and no pressure from Bruno – although I stopped listening to him after he claimed West Side Story is an opera when choreography is such a big part of it.
I didn’t quite feel their rumba, myself. I thought it was not bad, but it was very much a presenting-your-lady dance (I don’t think they have stellar chemistry), and the story/song overwhelmed the rumba, in that it didn’t feel like an organic rumba. And, to prove that it’s not just about the concept and emotional response, for me, she outdanced him. But as has happened before with Charles, the judges disagreed with me – although I’d be curious if Craig has scored male!rumbas higher than 8 before.
Ashley said what has to be said after being in the dance off, and then wow, what a quickstep. So fast, so packed. I thought she kept up with it marvellously, and LOVED the holding back before the backfall. Seriously, my favourite moment of the night. Was that the first time Shirley has given Pasha choreographic notes? Bruno (and Craig) gave a ‘gotta follow the music’ choreographer’s riposted. Darcey exasperated me by giving a 10 out when she’d had a criticism.
Stacey opened her American Smooth confidently, both as a performer/actor and a dancer. I thought she continued well on both fronts, and the routine really told the story of the song, but that story got overwrought, and I was analysing that rather than being on the same emotional wavelength, even though I thought Kevin did very smart and suitable things at the big moments. Bring on his future choreographing a West End musical. In the shorter term, the response has got to make him feel hopeful about the final.
And then the salsa, and yet another competitor for campest Strictly samba ever, though it’s a competitive section. I agree with Craig that it lacked fluidity, but Joe was commanding, and having him be the lifted worked for the concept, was an interesting challenge and he did it well. Of course, he then tripped on The Coat on his last step to the Clauditorium. Bless.
Bruno saved Joe from making it a three-way tie at the bottom, but there were two ties on the leaderboard. I voted for Ashley, partly because she must have had a rotten week, partly because that backfall moment was the one I had the most emotional response to. Well, other than Faye’s, but she was on top (and I may have slightly enjoyed Ashley’s Charleston more.)
But I have to commend everyone, this was one of the better musicals shows. Everyone upped their game to some extent, the celebs coping with the extra dancers/story-telling/lift demands well, and the pros rose to the challenge of melding genre of dance to show/song.
I expect the Beeb to be scolded (on Twitter? By mid-market tabloids?) about encouraging truanting from school as a way to get parental attention in its Christmas trail.
