Week 2 of Strictly and our first mammoth show,
although it didn’t feel all that mammoth. Normally during the early stages the
shows don’t half drag but this year it flew by! That is most definitely down to
the amazing level of talent on show and the fabulous Tess/Claudia combo. With
the judges danced into place it was time to take to the floor…
Thom & Iveta
Hot damn! We have to admit we thought Thom might
initially have been a ballroom boy, but wow, how wrong were we! He’s a Latin
God. His movement around the floor was supple and those hips, oh those hips!
However the Salsa should have a continuous flow to it and this just wasn’t as
seamless as it should be, but that was probably down to how much effort Thom
put into it; enthusiasm can easily be tamed. We cannot wait to see more of this
fun Thom. Oh and his special thank you to Pasha, what a gent!
Scored | 25 |
Our Score | 7 |
Jennifer & Tristan
Jennifer really connected with this dance and her
posture was initially really promising until the mistake. Unfortunately there
was some noticeable gapping between the two and no move felt quite ‘finished’.
We love this two as a pairing though and its clear Tristan has the skills and
patience to help her improve week after week.
Scored | 19 |
Our Score | 5 |
Simon & Kristina
Was it a Tango or was it an Argentine Tango?
Despite its identity crisis it sure had plenty of sharpness and staccato with
some great choreography from Kristina that made it cool, showing off some solid
footwork from Simon. It did all feel a little contrived though and lacked any
real character despite there being lots of dramatic movement but that could
have been down to the song, which definitely isn’t their fault.
Scored | 26 |
Our Score | 7 |
Gregg & Aliona
Gregg can theoretically do the steps of the
dance, even pulling off a nice double hop. But on the other hand, he has no
swivel, his legs are stiff and there is no control over the direction in which
he kicks; things pretty pivotal in a Charleston. You can’t fault his effort
though and he certainly does look like he’s having the time of his life on the
dance floor.
Scored | 18 |
Our Score | 5 |
Alison & Aljaz
Alison had all the attitude and storytelling of
the boss she was portraying in this Foxtrot. We absolutely loved it! They had
us smiling from start to finish. Yes they didn’t exactly cover much of the
floor and when in hold things seemed to slow down a little, but the overall
character of the performance more than made up for those lulls. Alison is
definitely a Latin Queen; she’s just wasted in Aljaz’s arms. We want more!
Scored | 22 |
Our Score | 6 |
Jake & Janette
Wow! Just, Wow! What a Salsa. Jake
was presented with difficult steps to master and he handled it allperfectly,
with amazing hips, holds, lifts and rhythm. The lifts were certainly impressive
but what got us on our feet with gasps of ‘oh my god’ (literally) were the
technical steps into the final lift, he must be excellent at ‘keepy uppies.’
Darcey’s jaw hit the floor and no more judging content was necessary than this
from Len: ‘Well spank me gently with a wet chamois!’ Quite, Len, quite!
Scored | 35 |
Our Score | 9 |
Judy & Anton
We were rooting for Judy to overcome
those nerves from last week and really let herself go tonight. We can’t say
that’s what happened, the poor lady just had uncertainty etched across her
face; she looked so uncomfortable it made us a bit uncomfortable watching. It
was however miles better than last week; with flashes of improved confidence,
so fingers crossed she’ll be even better next week.
Scored | 17 |
Our Score | 5 |
Caroline & Pasha
We were more than pleasantly
surprised by how well Caroline did in her debut dance last weekend and so the
TV presenter had set her own standards quite high for week 2. Caroline tackled
the aggressive Tango with vigor and passion. Sharp, staccato, dramatic, driven and full of
attack; it had everything a great Tango needs. The routine was fantastic to
watch, excellently choreographed by Pasha and Caroline showed off her fantastic
musicality. Another good’en Flackster!
Scored | 27 |
Our Score | 8 |
Tim & Natalie
We love everything Tim stands for – a
more mature gentleman giving it his all and hoping to impress his lovely wife
with his new found skills. He was a little tight in his upper body and his
shoulders were raised throughout but his footwork was near enough spot on and
we could tell he was giving it some serious effort. His charm really shone
through and complimented Natalie’s dreamy choreography; just lovely.
Scored | 23 |
Our Score | 6 |
Sunetra & Brendan
We are unashamedly biased towards the Strictly
legend that is Mr Twinkle Toes himself, Brendan Cole; and proud. Sunetra and
Brendan’s Cha Cha Cha has the finest choreography and expression to go with it.
There was fluidity in Sunetra’s movements, she had
great arms and hips and certainly didn’t hold anything back. Her legs
and feet need work to be sharper than they were, but her top half was spot on.
The energy was flowing throughout and it was clear to see that she totally
loved the moment.
Scored | 26 |
Our Score | 7 |
Mark & Karen
There was lots of romance and it was
really sweet but we reckon Mark’s much better suited to Latin numbers where he
can show off a little. He just didn’t seem as comfortable this week, which
could be down to him finding it tough getting ‘intimate’ with someone who isn’t
Michelle, it must be awkward for those that aren’t actors. However his arms and
upper body were both pretty strong and he executed the choreography well.
Scored | 27 |
Our Score | 7 |
Scott & Joanne
Not your usual Tango, in fact it seemed to be the
exact opposite of what you would normally expect.
Scott’s main problem is his upper body and his shoulders come across as stiff
and slightly rigid. His footwork was better though, and we spotted some cheeky
hip twists when in hold too. The steps were there, but like the routine,
it just didn’t really come together.
Scored | 20 |
Our Score | 5 |
Pixie & Trent
The dancer in Pixie truly came out
and she looked graceful and elegant. Her footwork was near perfect with plenty
of rise and fall and her upper lines were strong and well placed. Beauty, class, elegance, grace,
sophistication, it certainly was strictly stunning.
Scored | 35 |
Our Score | 9 |
Steve & Ola
He didn’t look as at ease as perhaps
last week but his Cha Cha Cha still had great flow, enthusiasm and character
with some of last weeks rhythm and hip action too. Steve seemed a little too caught up in the moment
to think about the little details, which took away slightly from the over all
feel of the routine.
Scored | 21 |
Our Score | 6 |
Frankie & Kevin
We absolutely love the Charleston
anyway and this one brought brilliant character and energy at full-pelt. It was
50’s-tastic and the technique of the dance style was mastered fantastically. It
was light, fast-paced and fun all at the same time and we couldn’t have asked
for anymore from Frankie; except maybe a tad more swivel. We loved it!
Scored | 30 |
Our Score | 8 |
The results show brought a stunning
winter themed pro dancer routine to Let It Go and a great guest spot courtesy of
Jamie Cullum and Gregory Porter.
It wasn’t all fun and games though;
somebody had to go home and in the dreaded dance-off was Jennifer Gibney and
Gregg Wallace. Gregg’s dance was better and still tonnes of fun and Jennifer
improved a great deal on her first dance. All four judges voted in favour of
Jennifer so Gregg became the first victim of Strictly Come Dancing 2014.
With 9’s being dished out already and so many
couples showing they have what it takes to go all the way it certainly looks
like we’re in for a vintage series! Bring on next week and the 'Movie Night' theme!
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