A proper Strictly Saturday
Oct. 2nd, 2022 01:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shallownessIt Takes Two
If we have to have a regular for Choreography Corner, I’m more pleased than not that it’s Jo, as her similies are entertainingly bonkers. But they might as well have come up for a new name for the feature, because it’s barely about choreography.
On Wednesday, we learned that Vito talks too much. The titbit of Ellie S’s waltz training was interesting, and if I were Nikita, I’d be pointing out really loudly that he won’t be able to nudge her into positions because of the lack of body contact and adjusting for stride patterns too.
Strictly Week 2, and Tess was wearing some tennis dress-inspired thing, so Claudia looked immeasurably better in a black top and salmon-pink trousers, and Motsi and Shirley had decided on a trousersuit too. I will say that Tess handled Shirley not being ready for her (AKA ‘the glitch’) reasonably well.
Will and Nancy started proceedings with a salsa, which pulled me in way more than his jive. I agreed with Anton about his groove, (my notes say ‘an ease to his hips’) but apparently Will made mistakes and then was in danger of beating himself up about it like Tony.
James and Amy were doing the actor’s favourite: tango. I was impressed by his height, although the judges found it more of a problem, and as he was in a dark suit against a dark backdrop, they were probably right.
As I stated WRT ITT above, I am all for Nikita explaining that because of the height differences/proportions, it’s tougher for Ellie S, as she has more to do than other celeb ladies/followers. I don’t think it’s special pleading, it’s just explaining the situation, which Strictly has been great with when it comes to contestants’ disabilities. But never mind that, their waltz was lovely, getting me in its own way as Hamza’s foxtrot had last week. (It would be the most touching routine of the night for me.) She’s so graceful, and I think they need a couple more weeks for Nikita to work out how to adapt the choreography and how she learns a little more and they’ll be better yet. Deserved 30.
Helen and Gorka were doing the cha cha and it was quite good? I thought she needed a stronger core and more rhythm in her extremities, but she progressed a little in terms of her confidence. Maybe they’d have got more out of her if they’d emphasised the sass rather than sexiness because it was a party cha cha (but on the other hand, hello Gorka’s chest.)
Tony and Katya had the Charleston, which ought to build up his confidence and would need total concentration. I watched the whole routine with a grin on my face and chuckled at the end. Yes, there were rough bits, but he was present throughout, and Katya was able to be extremely acrobatic
Ellie T and Johannes did a very trad paso. I thought it was quite good, and it took Shirley to explain lucidly why the judges didn’t love it. Aww, I like these two and I hated to see them (certainly her) deflated, but it’s too early to start phoning.
Richie and Giovanni’s quickstep was much better than I had expected it to be. Really canny choreography from Gio, because he stopped the side by side sections just before I was starting to make unfavourable comparisons, but Richie handled the bits in hold with aplomb and the dance really suited him. Legit top of the LB.
Fleur can obviously dance, but I needed the judges’ comments to explain why it was okay that it didn’t feel like a Viennese Waltz for me. Apparently it was a ‘contemporary Viennese Waltz’ or something, and Craig thought there needed to be more VW content, and Shirley wanted better footwork. For me, yes, Fleur showed she can do restrained, but I just didn’t feel the dance at all.
Kaye made fewer mistakes in her Charleston than her tango, and I think she’s a better dancer than Tony, but I liked the routine less than ‘My Old Man’s a Dustman’.
Hamza and Jovita did a weird TRON-inspired jive, or was the inspiration the song video? It was a hard routine to get into, but the synchro and legwork in the bit that the judges praised was good. He started fatshaming himself, which I don’t think is the problem, but I suspect he’s probably going to be stronger in the ballroom, or maybe it’s going to be a speed-of-the-dance thing.
Claudia was funny with her quip about currencies, but Tess was involved in the whole wish/Dave Arch gag so it didn’t work and just ended with the poor man staring too long into the camera.
The real tension over Kym’s Viennese Waltz came from whether she’d be sick or not – the woman has a legitimate health issue with spins, but it was a recognisable Viennese Waltz, and okay, it was a touch too controlled, but the building blocks for a very elegant dancer are there. Will be interesting to see if it was just the nerves of openging up the series or being less good at Latin with her, although there are a few dances where the spnning will also be an issue.
Too true about the Italian boys, Motsi!
I started going ‘oh dear’ at Matt and Nadiya’s samba from when he came down the stairs. His being in a white suit did him no favours. I stopped looking at him and just watched Nadiya from halfway on or earlier.
Taylor and Dianne did another jive that opened with transportation method business, but I flat-out loved this. I loved the heightened, almost cartoonish, stylisation of the choreography, but it seemed chockful of content, and Taylor was really, really good. I thought it was equally as good as Richie’s dance, CRAIG.
I kept coming in and out of Jayde and Karen’s very dramatic tango. And I don’t understand how she did a drag act of Adele, isn’t the word ‘impersonation?’
It seemed that Molly had got the suit memo, which also meant that we could totally see her legs in her quickstep. But no wonder they ended with it, great look, great concept (all week I’ve been wondering whether Chinese national Carlos /the producers know about the symbolism of umbrellas in Hong Kong) and a jazzy version of Beyonce. But it was how well she danced it that impressed most of all. Deserved top of this week’s LB (and the combined LB). A night of quicksteps and Beyoncé, then.
I spotted Neil in the Clauditotium when the lines were opened!
My faves were Molly, Taylor and Ellie S, although my heart went out to deflated Ellie T and Hamza. Will, Helen and Fleur are obviously good, some people are stronger in ballroom/Latin, although for some it’s about dealing with nerves or disappointment. I would note that Tony and Matt have both practically done a movie night routine anyway. I could stand to see Will do a ballroom next week and presumably Kaye and Tony will/would get proper Latins, but the producers are likely to throw in the randomness of the ‘couple’s choice’. Actually, I could stand to have this ‘contemporary Viennese Waltz’ business explained to me either in the judges debrief or on ITT.
[Edited for typos 7/2/25.]
If we have to have a regular for Choreography Corner, I’m more pleased than not that it’s Jo, as her similies are entertainingly bonkers. But they might as well have come up for a new name for the feature, because it’s barely about choreography.
On Wednesday, we learned that Vito talks too much. The titbit of Ellie S’s waltz training was interesting, and if I were Nikita, I’d be pointing out really loudly that he won’t be able to nudge her into positions because of the lack of body contact and adjusting for stride patterns too.
Strictly Week 2, and Tess was wearing some tennis dress-inspired thing, so Claudia looked immeasurably better in a black top and salmon-pink trousers, and Motsi and Shirley had decided on a trousersuit too. I will say that Tess handled Shirley not being ready for her (AKA ‘the glitch’) reasonably well.
Will and Nancy started proceedings with a salsa, which pulled me in way more than his jive. I agreed with Anton about his groove, (my notes say ‘an ease to his hips’) but apparently Will made mistakes and then was in danger of beating himself up about it like Tony.
James and Amy were doing the actor’s favourite: tango. I was impressed by his height, although the judges found it more of a problem, and as he was in a dark suit against a dark backdrop, they were probably right.
As I stated WRT ITT above, I am all for Nikita explaining that because of the height differences/proportions, it’s tougher for Ellie S, as she has more to do than other celeb ladies/followers. I don’t think it’s special pleading, it’s just explaining the situation, which Strictly has been great with when it comes to contestants’ disabilities. But never mind that, their waltz was lovely, getting me in its own way as Hamza’s foxtrot had last week. (It would be the most touching routine of the night for me.) She’s so graceful, and I think they need a couple more weeks for Nikita to work out how to adapt the choreography and how she learns a little more and they’ll be better yet. Deserved 30.
Helen and Gorka were doing the cha cha and it was quite good? I thought she needed a stronger core and more rhythm in her extremities, but she progressed a little in terms of her confidence. Maybe they’d have got more out of her if they’d emphasised the sass rather than sexiness because it was a party cha cha (but on the other hand, hello Gorka’s chest.)
Tony and Katya had the Charleston, which ought to build up his confidence and would need total concentration. I watched the whole routine with a grin on my face and chuckled at the end. Yes, there were rough bits, but he was present throughout, and Katya was able to be extremely acrobatic
Ellie T and Johannes did a very trad paso. I thought it was quite good, and it took Shirley to explain lucidly why the judges didn’t love it. Aww, I like these two and I hated to see them (certainly her) deflated, but it’s too early to start phoning.
Richie and Giovanni’s quickstep was much better than I had expected it to be. Really canny choreography from Gio, because he stopped the side by side sections just before I was starting to make unfavourable comparisons, but Richie handled the bits in hold with aplomb and the dance really suited him. Legit top of the LB.
Fleur can obviously dance, but I needed the judges’ comments to explain why it was okay that it didn’t feel like a Viennese Waltz for me. Apparently it was a ‘contemporary Viennese Waltz’ or something, and Craig thought there needed to be more VW content, and Shirley wanted better footwork. For me, yes, Fleur showed she can do restrained, but I just didn’t feel the dance at all.
Kaye made fewer mistakes in her Charleston than her tango, and I think she’s a better dancer than Tony, but I liked the routine less than ‘My Old Man’s a Dustman’.
Hamza and Jovita did a weird TRON-inspired jive, or was the inspiration the song video? It was a hard routine to get into, but the synchro and legwork in the bit that the judges praised was good. He started fatshaming himself, which I don’t think is the problem, but I suspect he’s probably going to be stronger in the ballroom, or maybe it’s going to be a speed-of-the-dance thing.
Claudia was funny with her quip about currencies, but Tess was involved in the whole wish/Dave Arch gag so it didn’t work and just ended with the poor man staring too long into the camera.
The real tension over Kym’s Viennese Waltz came from whether she’d be sick or not – the woman has a legitimate health issue with spins, but it was a recognisable Viennese Waltz, and okay, it was a touch too controlled, but the building blocks for a very elegant dancer are there. Will be interesting to see if it was just the nerves of openging up the series or being less good at Latin with her, although there are a few dances where the spnning will also be an issue.
Too true about the Italian boys, Motsi!
I started going ‘oh dear’ at Matt and Nadiya’s samba from when he came down the stairs. His being in a white suit did him no favours. I stopped looking at him and just watched Nadiya from halfway on or earlier.
Taylor and Dianne did another jive that opened with transportation method business, but I flat-out loved this. I loved the heightened, almost cartoonish, stylisation of the choreography, but it seemed chockful of content, and Taylor was really, really good. I thought it was equally as good as Richie’s dance, CRAIG.
I kept coming in and out of Jayde and Karen’s very dramatic tango. And I don’t understand how she did a drag act of Adele, isn’t the word ‘impersonation?’
It seemed that Molly had got the suit memo, which also meant that we could totally see her legs in her quickstep. But no wonder they ended with it, great look, great concept (all week I’ve been wondering whether Chinese national Carlos /the producers know about the symbolism of umbrellas in Hong Kong) and a jazzy version of Beyonce. But it was how well she danced it that impressed most of all. Deserved top of this week’s LB (and the combined LB). A night of quicksteps and Beyoncé, then.
I spotted Neil in the Clauditotium when the lines were opened!
My faves were Molly, Taylor and Ellie S, although my heart went out to deflated Ellie T and Hamza. Will, Helen and Fleur are obviously good, some people are stronger in ballroom/Latin, although for some it’s about dealing with nerves or disappointment. I would note that Tony and Matt have both practically done a movie night routine anyway. I could stand to see Will do a ballroom next week and presumably Kaye and Tony will/would get proper Latins, but the producers are likely to throw in the randomness of the ‘couple’s choice’. Actually, I could stand to have this ‘contemporary Viennese Waltz’ business explained to me either in the judges debrief or on ITT.
[Edited for typos 7/2/25.]
