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shallownessStrictly week whatever. They were banging on about it being the halfway mark.
I’d watched at least a part of all the It Takes Twos in the run up, so I was aware of who would and wouldn’t be dancing.
Enter Tess in a blue and sparkly jumpsuit that might have looked better as a grown, the more that I think about it. Claudia wore a more suit-y suit. Motsi’d got the same memo as Tess, but Shirley was doing a more feminine version of Claudia’s. Let us not discuss Bruno’s jacket and move on to Craig’s nice blue.
Worth noting that I liked most of the dancers’ outfits.
Opening the show, with a point to prove, was Karim, doing the quickstep (to which everyone thought, ‘Yeah, but Mike got a nine for his.’) Its theme seemed to be ‘the missing scene from the VT’. Very good, with nice accents, but they remained just accents and didn’t detract from anything. Predictably, on the basis of the judges’ comments, he got a 39, and the rest of the night would be a battle for who came second.
Gyles Brandreth did the best Ts and Cs yet.
So, the second slot isn’t the death slot anymore, right, otherwise, why give it to Michelle? I too would have liked more shaping, and I guess the storyline was coming out or something, because I thought the two matadors section was more effective. Possibly also the strong beat went against the shaping.
Emma (W) still looks graceful, even though a samba doesn’t call for it. She seemed to be enjoying it, was very flexible and I thought the technique had improved a little, although I take Shirley’s observation about Aljaz keeping her in close hold (Emma didn’t understand that that’s a diss on her solo work).
Will – out of the show for good with injury – claimed that he was glad to be there that night, and who am I to doubt him? Fair play, he’s such an exuberant guy that Tess didn’t have to do much human – for the best.
Kelvin’s VT was all about the EMOTION of his VW. Shame he’d had that whole conversation about being sick with Claudia. Clever Oti giving him a story to hold on to, but his technique has improved (even if I clocked the rise and fall). She was dancing from the heart and he was doing a great job actingwise.
A hi-NRG salsa from Saffron. It started off polished and got a little more ragged. I liked the salsa bits I saw, but wanted more, and appreciated the judges discussing where it was lacking. It felt a bit like a dance teen movie where the WASPy cheerleader does a ‘salsa’ and the Latina outcast needs to turn up on the basketball court and go ‘Let me show you how it’s done.’ With that score, we’ll see how popular these two kids are.
The VT was all about Alex and her two pros, and at least the timeline was clear. She’d had enough time to practice Neil’s choreography with Kevin (and had the benefit of the attention of two pros). This was absolutely a step up in grace in terms of her ballroom. I found it choreographically weird, but the bits out of hold did seem to suit Alex’s personality, and I’ll take joyful, improving Alex. (Craig tried to set the cat among the pigeons, but Alex and Kevin were firmly sticking to ‘this is for Neil in his first real season.’) No special pleading needed for the score.
Chris’s commercial routine was as fun as I’d expected, and he gave it his full welly, although he clearly couldn’t keep up with Karen, even though he wasn’t always asked to. I loved the business with the perspectives on the ghettoblasters and the camera looking up through Perspex at them dancing. It was probably his best dance BUT not deserving of the same score as Michelle’s and Kelvin’s. Nope.
I liked Emma B’s movement in the rumba more than the ‘storytelling’, although there were a few !? moments. And then, after Motsi vagued it up, the judges piled in on all the technical problems, with Anton ceding the argument like he had his normally duff dancer. Ouch. I don’t think they really have chemistry, so with them right at the bottom of the leaderboard, we’ll see if the audience will save them.
This meant Mike (who had already compared himself to a dog and got on my nerves) and his Charleston were last. In hindsight, maybe Chris should have got this slot. Or Karim (again). It was entertaining enough, even if he visibly lagged (or made the mistakes spoken of). I don’t know if the producers are trolling the anti-Mike, pro-Catherine contingent.
Post-op Shirley was a happy Shirley and Craig wasn’t as snarly as last week.
Results
Elton John medley with Aljiaz so eye-carching in white that he outshone Oti. We learned where Anton got the business with the glasses for the rumba from (amirite?) and the bit at the back of the studio got used for the first time this series IIRC by Nadiya and Grazziano.
I really liked Tess’s hair, Claudia wore a (metallic) colour in her skirt and Motsi looked like part of her dress had been through a shredder.
Recap, where I still mumbled that it might have been Chris’s dance, but he didn’t deserve to be joint second.
Emma and Anton got called safe, proving their popularity – I also don’t think the rumba looked so bad to the layperson. I was expecting them to talk about it more in the judges bit e.g. Motsi could have been more technical. Anyway, Mike was back in the dance-off, proving his unpopularity.
In the Clauditorium, we learned Chris was from the north-east of England. WHO KNEW? Also Anton was clearly relieved they didn’t have to dance for the judges again, but next week they have theatre jazz, which ought to suit Emma, especially if she’s got time on it.
I am not convinced they did a proper soundcheck for Emile Sande.
Judges’ debrief was uninformative, although I’m torn on Claudia picking up on Motsi’s toothache analogy. Yes, it was weird, and Claudia would pick up on it automatically, but I don’t think she meant it in a mean way, except one wants to ask and how is your German or Swahili, Winkelman?
Right that Saffron got to sweat but her fanbase did her proud and it was Emma and Aljiaz back in the dance-off. (I had voted for them! In vain!)
Dance off: I was impressed that Emma picked up her gutted self again and tried to work on the posture, but Mike had, indeed, got rid of many of the mistakes, though the lift with Katya on his back was still inelegant. As they’d drawn out attention to it, Dave Arch’s contribution seemed louder – maybe the sound people turned up the mike. Unanimous save (and thumbs up for Katya’s regimen) but he’s bound to be back in the dance off next week, and he knows it.
I’d watched at least a part of all the It Takes Twos in the run up, so I was aware of who would and wouldn’t be dancing.
Enter Tess in a blue and sparkly jumpsuit that might have looked better as a grown, the more that I think about it. Claudia wore a more suit-y suit. Motsi’d got the same memo as Tess, but Shirley was doing a more feminine version of Claudia’s. Let us not discuss Bruno’s jacket and move on to Craig’s nice blue.
Worth noting that I liked most of the dancers’ outfits.
Opening the show, with a point to prove, was Karim, doing the quickstep (to which everyone thought, ‘Yeah, but Mike got a nine for his.’) Its theme seemed to be ‘the missing scene from the VT’. Very good, with nice accents, but they remained just accents and didn’t detract from anything. Predictably, on the basis of the judges’ comments, he got a 39, and the rest of the night would be a battle for who came second.
Gyles Brandreth did the best Ts and Cs yet.
So, the second slot isn’t the death slot anymore, right, otherwise, why give it to Michelle? I too would have liked more shaping, and I guess the storyline was coming out or something, because I thought the two matadors section was more effective. Possibly also the strong beat went against the shaping.
Emma (W) still looks graceful, even though a samba doesn’t call for it. She seemed to be enjoying it, was very flexible and I thought the technique had improved a little, although I take Shirley’s observation about Aljaz keeping her in close hold (Emma didn’t understand that that’s a diss on her solo work).
Will – out of the show for good with injury – claimed that he was glad to be there that night, and who am I to doubt him? Fair play, he’s such an exuberant guy that Tess didn’t have to do much human – for the best.
Kelvin’s VT was all about the EMOTION of his VW. Shame he’d had that whole conversation about being sick with Claudia. Clever Oti giving him a story to hold on to, but his technique has improved (even if I clocked the rise and fall). She was dancing from the heart and he was doing a great job actingwise.
A hi-NRG salsa from Saffron. It started off polished and got a little more ragged. I liked the salsa bits I saw, but wanted more, and appreciated the judges discussing where it was lacking. It felt a bit like a dance teen movie where the WASPy cheerleader does a ‘salsa’ and the Latina outcast needs to turn up on the basketball court and go ‘Let me show you how it’s done.’ With that score, we’ll see how popular these two kids are.
The VT was all about Alex and her two pros, and at least the timeline was clear. She’d had enough time to practice Neil’s choreography with Kevin (and had the benefit of the attention of two pros). This was absolutely a step up in grace in terms of her ballroom. I found it choreographically weird, but the bits out of hold did seem to suit Alex’s personality, and I’ll take joyful, improving Alex. (Craig tried to set the cat among the pigeons, but Alex and Kevin were firmly sticking to ‘this is for Neil in his first real season.’) No special pleading needed for the score.
Chris’s commercial routine was as fun as I’d expected, and he gave it his full welly, although he clearly couldn’t keep up with Karen, even though he wasn’t always asked to. I loved the business with the perspectives on the ghettoblasters and the camera looking up through Perspex at them dancing. It was probably his best dance BUT not deserving of the same score as Michelle’s and Kelvin’s. Nope.
I liked Emma B’s movement in the rumba more than the ‘storytelling’, although there were a few !? moments. And then, after Motsi vagued it up, the judges piled in on all the technical problems, with Anton ceding the argument like he had his normally duff dancer. Ouch. I don’t think they really have chemistry, so with them right at the bottom of the leaderboard, we’ll see if the audience will save them.
This meant Mike (who had already compared himself to a dog and got on my nerves) and his Charleston were last. In hindsight, maybe Chris should have got this slot. Or Karim (again). It was entertaining enough, even if he visibly lagged (or made the mistakes spoken of). I don’t know if the producers are trolling the anti-Mike, pro-Catherine contingent.
Post-op Shirley was a happy Shirley and Craig wasn’t as snarly as last week.
Results
Elton John medley with Aljiaz so eye-carching in white that he outshone Oti. We learned where Anton got the business with the glasses for the rumba from (amirite?) and the bit at the back of the studio got used for the first time this series IIRC by Nadiya and Grazziano.
I really liked Tess’s hair, Claudia wore a (metallic) colour in her skirt and Motsi looked like part of her dress had been through a shredder.
Recap, where I still mumbled that it might have been Chris’s dance, but he didn’t deserve to be joint second.
Emma and Anton got called safe, proving their popularity – I also don’t think the rumba looked so bad to the layperson. I was expecting them to talk about it more in the judges bit e.g. Motsi could have been more technical. Anyway, Mike was back in the dance-off, proving his unpopularity.
In the Clauditorium, we learned Chris was from the north-east of England. WHO KNEW? Also Anton was clearly relieved they didn’t have to dance for the judges again, but next week they have theatre jazz, which ought to suit Emma, especially if she’s got time on it.
I am not convinced they did a proper soundcheck for Emile Sande.
Judges’ debrief was uninformative, although I’m torn on Claudia picking up on Motsi’s toothache analogy. Yes, it was weird, and Claudia would pick up on it automatically, but I don’t think she meant it in a mean way, except one wants to ask and how is your German or Swahili, Winkelman?
Right that Saffron got to sweat but her fanbase did her proud and it was Emma and Aljiaz back in the dance-off. (I had voted for them! In vain!)
Dance off: I was impressed that Emma picked up her gutted self again and tried to work on the posture, but Mike had, indeed, got rid of many of the mistakes, though the lift with Katya on his back was still inelegant. As they’d drawn out attention to it, Dave Arch’s contribution seemed louder – maybe the sound people turned up the mike. Unanimous save (and thumbs up for Katya’s regimen) but he’s bound to be back in the dance off next week, and he knows it.
