Sorry for this not being up on Thursday like I had said it would - I've been a bit busy since getting back home so I've only just been able to write this up.
For those of you who don't know me, I'm a non-dancer as such: I did freestyle dancing for around 6 years when I was younger, but no Ballroom or Latin training. But from watching Strictly since the start, I do have a decent idea of how things should look. Whilst I have my first impressions of each dance from watching the show, I do look at the dances again via the clips on the BBC website, so that I can put some of the more technical aspects in the reviews.
With that being said, let's get started!
Ben & Kristina - Cha Cha Cha - "Love Me Again"
Not the best song choice for them, it does have it's CCC moments but a lot of it is just too slow for the dance. On to Ben - dodgy footwork from him for most of the routine (although it was decent on occasion), and he obviously can't dance on his own as he's with Kristina all the time. That being said, at least he did something with his free arm, even if it was just the same pose (hand on hip) all of the time. You could tell that he forgot something at one point as his free arm position wasn't there, even though his feet were moving. Also, it looked as though he was just following Kristina's movements sometimes, rather than actually doing them himself if you know what I mean. I guess he struggled to hear the beat of the song (to be fair to him, I would have struggled a bit too). He has the Waltz this week so that should be a better dance for him.
Judges' scores: 19/40 (3, 5, 6, 5)
My score: 4 (lots of mistakes, quite stiff, not much dancing going on)
Fiona & Anton - Tango - "A View to a Kill"
Now TPTB must think that Fiona wouldn't last long, or else they wouldn't have played their 'Bond music' card so early on. I didn't like the beginning and end of the routine, bit too gimmicky for my liking. On to Fiona - framing issues due to her left hand being in the wrong position, and her footwork was quite dreadful for the most part. The Tango should look staccato rather than stutter-y. Her leg kick wasn't good and she seemed to mess up the quick foot change soon after. Also, her arm extension towards the end of the routine, she just flung that arm out and didn't bother to extend it. Overall, I was a little underwhelmed to be honest. She has the Cha Cha Cha coming up so she needs to improve fast.
Judges' scores: 24/40 (5, 6, 7, 6)
My score: 4 (about on a par with Ben for me: if I had to separate them, I'd say Fiona gave a better performance)
Dave & Karen - Cha Cha Cha - "Moves Like Jagger"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT* (Harry & Aliona's CCC in series 9, but the music was slowed down quite a bit for Dave & Karen). First off, I LOVED IT! Falls into the 'so bad that it's good' category for me. On to Dave - his footwork was decent in places, and the man can certainly gyrate, but that's about as good as it gets technically. I think he should have scored lower than Tony really, but you can tell that Dave was actually trying as well as having fun with the routine (although I think he did forget it at one point from having too much fun). Love the nod to John Sergeant too. He has the American Smooth this week; it depends on how Karen chooses to choreograph it as to whether it might actually be quite good.
Judges' scores: 16/40 (2, 5, 5, 4)
My score: 3 (sorry Dave, I love you but it wasn't good)
Rachel & Pasha - Waltz - "When I Need You"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT* (Patsy & Robin from series 8). I wasn't expecting much of Rachel after the launch show (she had a nightmare in the group dance), but this wasn't too bad. She had some issues with her frame (the head was in a strange position and there was some gapping on occasion), and her footwork, well what I could see of it with her dress covering it most of the time, was slightly dodgy in a couple of places, but she did quite well with it. The one thing I would say that she needs to do is to watch her free arm - it seemed as though she didn't really know what to do with it sometimes - and her arm extensions in general. She almost had it, but she didn't fully extend through the hand so it looked a bit messy. She's got Salsa this week; good luck with that one Rach as you might just need it.
Judges' scores: 27/40 (6, 7, 7, 7)
My score: 5.5 (mostly just minor errors that she can fix easily)
Julien & Janette - Cha Cha Cha - "Vogue"
Oh. Good. Lord. Probably one of the worst CCCs I've seen for a while (I'm sad to say Dave's was better) - this was more Vogue-ing and posing than CCC. He tried, I can give him that, and ok, the raised platform didn't help him, but this was awful. The faces alone...... *shudders*. What was Janette thinking when she choreographed this? Not much more I can say about it really. He has the Tango this week, and I hope Janette gives him something to do, although it doesn't look like it from the training footage.
Judges' scores: 20/40 (3, 5, 6, 6)
My score: 2 (how he got half marks is beyond me)
Deborah & Robin - Tango - "Money Money Money"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT* (Ray & Camilla from series 4). I love this partnership, and their training looked good so I was hoping for a decent performance. On to Deborah - her posture was good most of the time (she did lose it at one bit) but she had big problems with gapping. Her body (well torso really) was turned out when it should have been turned in. Also, although she did have some great footwork in there, she did mess up sometimes and it looked a bit skippy (Fiona had this issue as well). She did get the character right though, so props to her for that when she isn't an actress. She has the Cha Cha Cha this week, and the training footage looks great so I'm hoping for another decent showing from her.
Judges' scores: 24/40 (6, 6, 6, 6)
My score: 5
Patrick & Anya - Jive - "Runaway Baby"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT* (Holly & Artem in series 9). I did find this couple a bit forgettable, so I was hoping that this dance might make up for it. And it did, it was a really pleasant surprise for me. Patrick's footwork was great but his upper body really let him down - he doesn't seem to know what to do with it and his arm extensions were quite bad, just threw most of those away. I loved the whole performance of the routine, and Anya did a great job with it. He has the Tango next, so he should be much better in hold and I think this might be another pleasant surprise.
Judges' scores: 28/40 (7, 7, 7, 7)
My score: 5.5 (footwork awesome, but upper body not good)
Vanessa & James - Cha Cha Cha - "That don't Impress me Much"
Here comes the comedy pairing :D I have to say that I love James as the comic relief, makes a nice change :p . As to Vanessa - she has the same problem as Patrick: her footwork is alright, even decent at times (I thought the set of side-by-side CC walks at the beginning was good); but her upper body is giving her issues. She seems to be out of balance quite a lot in that routine and I'm wondering if she has a weak core? Her arms aren't good either, but she did have some nice finishes with them. She can improve, and I think the Waltz this week could be a good one for her.
Judges' scores: 19/40 (3, 5, 6, 5)
My score: 3.5 (somewhere between Dave and Ben/Fiona - she did try and she could do the footwork)
Abbey & Aljaz - Waltz - "Kissing You"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT* (Ricky & Natalie in series 7). I must admit, I'm not a fan of this pair: Abbey seems very detached from the whole thing (very defensive posture when in the Strictly/ITT studio) and Aljaz hasn't shown much personality yet. That said, this was an excellent routine. The only problem was that there was quite a bit of gapping going on, but Aljaz solved the problem of the free arm by giving her things to do with it. Not a traditional Waltz, but it really worked. They have the Cha Cha Cha next and that also looks to be a good routine for them. She may just be a contender to 'ringer' Natalie.
Judges' scores: 32/40 (8, 8, 8, 8)
My score: 7.5 (just the amount of gapping)
My Leaderboard:
1. Abbey & Aljaz - 7.5/10
=2. Rachel & Pasha - 5.5/10
=2. Patrick & Anya - 5.5/10
4. Deborah & Robin - 5/10
=5. Ben & Kristina - 4/10
=5. Fiona & Anton - 4/10
7. Vanessa & James - 3.5/10
8. Dave & Karen - 3/10
9. Julien & Janette - 2/10
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