With all the drama of Halloween done and dusted
it was back to Strictly normality this week, well almost. There was no Brucie
as he took a break for the weekend and the Winkleman took the reigns, as much
as we love Sir Bruce we can’t get enough of Claudia. Also this week, there was
no Natalie & Artem, a VT showed how Natalie had fainted during the regular
show rehearsals and was taken to A&E to be on the safe side, rightly so the
table toping duo were given a free pass into next weeks Blackpool extravaganza.
Then it was time to take to the floor.
Ben &
Kristina
Jive to ‘Jump
Jive an’ Wail’ by the Burn The Floor Orchestra
A little step back compared to recent
weeks, however there’s always bound to be one dance that just isn’t naturally
suited to them. Occasionally out of time and lacking the super sharp kicks and
flicks you expect from a jive, side by side with Kristina his abilities were
exposed slightly. That being said, THAT backflip, wow! The routine looked like
a whole lot of fun as it was fast and furious and full of content. Len loved
Ben’s commitment to the dance although described it as a “Bit like a trifle,
fruity on top but a bit spongey down the bottom”, advising Ben to work on his
feet and stay on his toes. Another great effort all things considered.
Scored | 26 |
Our Score | 7 |
Fiona
& Anton
Paso
Doble to ‘Song 2’ by Blur
We certainly did enjoy Fiona unleashing her inner
dark side, suited the Paso perfectly. The routine had a great start with some
good shaping throughout. Fiona made good use of her skirt and danced with
strong conviction and fierceness. Fiona demonstrated excellent characterisation
all the way through her performance, and some might even go as far to say that,
she danced it better than Anton, as he went wrong! Poor guy just isn’t used to
dancing this far into November. . Len liked the “Flamenco piece” as he felt
Fiona danced it with competence, although he would have liked to have seen the
whole routine just “stepped up a notch”.
Scored
| 26 |
Our
Score | 7 |
Abbey
& Aljaz
Charleston
to ‘Cabaret’ by Liza Minnelli
This dance
seemed to have suited Abbey to a tee allowing her to show her fun quirky side
we perhaps haven’t seen yet during the series. A practically perfect Charleston. This was all a
stroke of genius from Aljaž. The Bob Fosse influence, the hatography, a routine
of pure brilliance. The timing and the hand placements were just exquisite. Abbey’s
attention to detail should be commended as should the sense of fun and true
style she brought to the dance. A fabulously fast and furious routine which
Craig described as, a “loud and proud Charleston”. Darcey congratulated Abbey
on her “great monkey step” and her ability to work with ease with a prop -
which is extremely difficult to do even for a professional dancer. Their best
dance of the series so far
Scored
| 36 |
Our
Score | 9 |
Mark & Iveta
Rumba to ‘Goldfinger’ by Shirley Bassey
This dance didn’t convince us enough that is was in
fact a rumba! Mark sitting in a chair stroking a dummy cat whilst watching
Iveta dance her way over to him didn’t exactly scream the romantic feel the
rumba desires. There was
sight of some hip action from Mark and an attempt at some arm shaping but it
seemed more like Mark just standing still with Iveta prancing around him.
Darcey ‘cheekily’ advised that it would have been better if Mark had have “stroked
the floor as well as he had stroked the white pussy cat!” Nevertheless, she did
state that there were some nice lines and as always, Mark had told a “great
story”.
Scored | 23 |
Our Score | 5 |
Susanna & Kevin
Waltz to ‘You Light Up My Life’ by Whitney Houston
A stunning, dreamy Waltz. Not just the Strictly
ballroom, but everybody must have lit up watching this, beautiful. The opening
sequence was beautiful, and the entire dance was just gorgeous. Susanna
finished to a well-deserved standing ovation as her whole performance
throughout the dance really was ‘very’ good. Len acclaimed that Susanna had “lit
up the ballroom”, and told her that her dance was “fabulous”. Bruno quite
rightly said the routine had “timeless elegance”, was “deeply romantic” and her
spins were “heavenly”. Another popular duo we think will be fighting for a
place in the final come the end of the series.
Score | 36 |
Our Score | 9 |
Dave & Karen
Tango to ‘I’m Gonna Be’ by The Proclaimers
The Proclaimers doesn’t scream Tango,
and Dave doesn’t scream dancer. Entertainer and all round nice guy, yes.
Strictly champ, no. He did walk, or rather ‘stomp’, most of his way through the
routine. Despite this, Hairy Biker Dave did ‘dance’ with conviction, passion
and aggression and in my opinion, he did lead Karen superbly around the dance
floor and looked like he was really enjoyed himself. Craig even succumbed and
said that despite the routine being a little “rough around the edges” there
were clearly some Tango steps in there.
Scored | 20 |
Our Score | 4 |
Ashley & Ola
Quickstep to ‘Are You Gonna Be My Girl’ by Jet
After last weeks comments about his
posture the showbiz terminator has been putting in the hard work and it certainly
showed. So much so in fact, he was commended by the judges for his much
improved head and neck position … See, practise really does make perfect! As
for Ashley’s Quickstep routine as a whole, one word … fabulous! It was ‘really’
quick and he really attacked the dance, showcasing some fantastic fancy
footwork. Despite a slight gapping issue Ashley and Ola received their highest
score of the series so far, another week on week improvement. All the
ingredients for a winner perhaps?
Scored | 35 |
Our Score | 9 |
Sophie & Brendan
Argentine Tango to ‘Sweet Dreams’ by Tangetto
The first AT of the series and it was
worth the wait. Sensational choreography once again from Brendan with a clever
use of a chair throughout. It looked very stylishly done and the music even
added to set the mood. Sophie created great shapes throughout, it was intense
and wonderfully executed. A little more passion was needed, as Len picked up
on, to improve the scoring even more. The choreography was the winner here and
made certain it was another great routine from the duo.
Scored | 32 |
Our Score | 8 |
Patrick & Anya
American Smooth to ‘It Had To Be You’ by Harry
Connick Jnr
They certainly saved the best until last. It was a performance that wouldn’t look
out of place in old Hollywood. The
performance showcased Patrick as a true showman and a charismatic gent. With a
mended arm, the lifts were back and bar the wobbly mishap, wardrobe malfunction
lift at the very end, all were amazing to watch, as was the entire routine.
What a great way for Patrick to top off his 50th Birthday week, top
of the leader board.
Scored | 37 |
Our Score | 9 |
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