Friday night was a bloody brilliant warm-up for
Saturday nights Strictly extravaganza! We really enjoyed part one of our week
one dancing action and part two definitely didn’t disappoint. Having seen the
first batch of celebs in action these really seemed to up their game; the
competition is well and truly on!
The opening routine from the wonderful pros was a
visual treat, the perfect start to the show. Tess has slipped nicely into her
promotion taking over from Brucie and we’re fairly certain we love Claudia
Winkleman inappropriate amounts. The judges dancing entrance aside it was time
to take to the floor…
Mark & Karen
Cha Cha to ‘I’m Your Man’ by George
Michael
An encouraging first dance for Mark, as Essex
meets New York in a full on, full gas Cha Cha Cha. We
had the best fun watching Mark’s routine and he was technically pretty strong
as well as hugely entertaining. He had great hips, good coordination and lines
and maintained the high energy levels throughout. He was actually, dare we say
it, better than we ever thought he could be! He does need to slow it
down a couple of gears and channel all that energy as that will allow him to
control his footwork, but that could be down to first night nerves.
Scored | 24 |
Our Score | 7 |
Alison & Alijaz
Cha Cha ‘I’m Every Woman’ by
Chaka Khan
Confident, joyful and incredibly infectious. What vigour, energy and character! She brimmed confidence
and has a natural ability and sense of rhythm. Craig was massively
complimentary other than her flat feet and Len agreed she was ‘bold and
bouncy.’ As a performance it was fabulous, heart and soul. We absolutely
love these two as a dancing duo.
Scored | 26 |
Our Score | 7 |
Steve & Ola
Tango to ‘Born To Be Wild’ by Steppenwolf
For the first few steps (half of the
dance) we may have been a little distracted by the guns Steve was smuggling
onto the dance floor! Steve may not have looked as natural as some of the
others but he clearly gave it a good shot. Strong, sturdy, in complete control and cleanly
executed. He had some serious passion and character
with aggression etched across this face throughout his tricky Tango. He also
led Ola around the dance floor really well and was great in hold. Ola’s
belief that she can turn anybody into a dancer has never been truer.
Scored | 26 |
Our Score | 6 |
Jennifer & Tristan
Jive to ‘Happy’ by Pharrell
Williams
A bit of a closed book going into
this competition, we really had no idea how Jennifer would get on. She and
Tristan sure make a cute Irish duo but that’s not enough to win over the judges.
Jennifer did well to keep
up with Tristan in what was a tricky routine. Kicks and flicks were not as
sharp as they needed to be and the detailing could have been more refined.
Looking at the routine as a whole, she went out and did the required steps
without fault and for that Jennifer should be applauded. Len criticised her footwork but praised her spirit and we
couldn’t really argue with that.
Scored | 18 |
Our Score | 5 |
Thom & Iveta
Waltz to ‘You Raise Me Up’ by
Secret Garden
This partnership has been getting hot
both on and off the dance floor if reports are to be believed (and who could
blame them) so we were excited to see the chemistry between Thom and Iveta.
Thom looked like a Disney Prince sculptured from the ‘stone of phwoar’ in his
costume, which may have distracted us ever so slightly. He was elegant and
light on his feet and demonstrated some nice lines. He did come across as a
little nervous and uncomfortable and we’re not sure it flowed as well as they
perhaps intended. A good test is goosebumps and this gave us goosebumps, it was
delicate and transported us to a whole other place. Great potential.
Scored | 23 |
Our Score | 6 |
Sunetra & Brendan
Tango to ‘Bad Case of Loving
You’ by Robert Palmer
Any partnership including the amazing
Brendan Cole gets our vote but we were still interested to see how Sunetra
faired when dancing with this Strictly stalwart. This Tango had all the sharpness and attack that
it needed, but Sunetra’s frame was weak and wobbly in hold and needed the
guiding hand of Brendan to try and put her back into place. Just like Jake her
acting ability really shone through and will be a huge asset to have going
forward.
Scored | 24 |
Our Score | 6 |
Gregg & Aliona
Cha Cha to ‘Hot ’n’ Cold’ by Katy
Perry
He looked as though he was giving his
Cha Cha his best shot but did let a couple of mistakes and moments of
hesitation spoil his enjoyment of the routine a little. It was flat throughout and timing was
way off but you have to admire Gregg’s hard work and effort. Bless him, he
really did try! Len worried he might have let
over-practice ruin his flair and urged him to give it more next week.
Scored | 18 |
Our Score | 5 |
Frankie & Kevin
Waltz to ‘Someone Like You’ by Adele
Romantic, elegant, graceful – a beautiful, dreamy
Waltz. She flowed exquisitely around the floor with
neat footwork and stunning upper bodylines. It was light and immaculately
placed throughout - we were certainly not disappointed with her one bit! They
compliment each other perfectly and are without a doubt the ones to watch!
Scored | 30 | (Highest score overall)
Our Score | 8 |
Simon & Kristina
Cha Cha to Good Golly Miss
Molly by Little Richard
Simon danced this Jive with ease and confidence
and it all looked impressively natural. It was lively
and full of rock ‘n’ rolling attack and character. Simon looked as though he
was having fun so in turn the audience did too. Craig did point out a couple of
areas for improvement but even he was impressed by Simon’s brilliant week one
efforts.
Scored | 27 |
Our Score | 7 |
Quite possibly the strongest opening week of
Strictly, ever! There’s nobody that doesn’t have the potential to improve and
there’s a large handful that could easily be lifting that glitterball. Bring on
next week!
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