It's Monday night and I'm back with my thoughts on the series. Last time, Julien & Janette failed to spice up our lives as they went out of the competition on their third and final dance-off against Rachel & Pasha.
Today, I'll be covering the first 6 dances from Saturday night (so from Natalie up to and including Fiona).
Natalie & Artem - Samba - "Bambeleo"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT!* (Gavin & Katya in series 8). Bit of a dodgy song choice in my opinion. I can see it going with a Paso or a Salsa, but not a Samba. Also, who did Natalie annoy in wardrobe to get that monstrosity? The dress would have been fine if it didn't have that big poofy part at the back. Onto the actual dancing - no mistakes as far as I can see, just that the pull-through at the end looked a bit messy, as if she wasn't in the right position for that. One thing though - try and stop the faces Natalie, as they are very distracting. I really want to like this pairing as the dancing is so good, but I just can't. None of their performances have made me go 'Wow! That was brilliant!' thus far, maybe something like a Paso or Tango might do it. As of yet, we don't know what Natalie will be dancing this week, but we expect it to be a Ballroom routine.
Judges' score: 35/40 (8, 9, 9, 9)
My score: 7.5 (just the one slight error, but personally just didn't enjoy the performance)
Abbey & Aljaz - Foxtrot - "Dear Darlin'"
Another dodgy song choice here. This suited the Foxtrot about as much as 'Someone Like You' did (ie not at all) and yet unlike the performers of that previous routine, Abbey and Aljaz did really well with it. Only a few niggles with this - there was quite a bit of gapping, and Abbey looked a bit uncomfortable doing the underarm turn. I liked the storytelling (although not the ending, guess I just didn't 'get it'), that was great. Loved her dress, not exactly Foxtrot-y, but it was beautiful all the same. We don't know what Abbey will be dancing this week, but my hunch is that she'll get a Latin, possibly the Rumba.
Judges' score: 35/40 (8, 9, 9, 9)
My score: 8 (more errors, but a much better performance)
Dave & Karen - Salsa - "Cuban Pete"
Only one word I can use to describe this: AWFUL! The man can't even Conga in time to the music! (and I'm actually in disbelief at that one as surely everyone can do the Conga?) The only decent parts were the armography sections and the aeroplane spin at the end. Apparently this was the result of 30 hours of rehearsal, I'm starting to think that either Dave simply isn't trying, or he's deliberately being bad. Either way, he should be on his way soon. Expecting Dave to have a Ballroom routine this week.
Judges' score: 17/40 (3, 5, 5, 4)
My score: 3.5 (some nice touches, but overall, 'dahnce disahstah' territory)
Deborah & Robin - Viennese Waltz - "It's A Man's, Man's, Man's World"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT!* (Jade & Ian from series 7 - it's credited under a different name but it is the same song). Ok, so I do kind of get what Robin was going for with the table and all that jazz. But the fact is, messing with the table took up over a third of their routine, and that is way too much. They needed to get into hold earlier, because when they did, it was much better and actually really nice. Deborah seemed to have got the hang of the footwork, the problem was with her frame. She doesn't extend enough through the neck and she seems to have a bit of a loose hold. Nevertheless, I was quite upset that she was eliminated. I loved the partnership - and it is so nice and refreshing to see someone that you know is just loving and enjoying the whole experience of learning to dance. Deborah's attitude was perfect and I wish more of the celebs were like this. Take it seriously by all means, but for god sake, just go out there and enjoy yourself - even if you're not the best dancer, you'll still come across very well to the public.
Judges' score: 27/40 (6, 7, 7, 7)
My score: 6 (kept in time all the way through, good footwork, just a bit too much faffing and a loose hold)
Patrick & Anya - Salsa - "Wings"
First off, I felt so sorry for Patrick. Due to his hand injury, they had to alter or take out some of the lifts, and Anya had to completely change the choreography so that Patrick could dance it with his one good hand. I have to say, they both did a fantastic job considering all that. I thought the routine as a whole was great, and very entertaining. Patrick still needs to do some work on his upper body - it seems to be very loose, and it's causing him problems both in the Latin and the Ballroom (his hold isn't good). His footwork was quite good though (only a few small mistakes). Hopefully he can improve his Ballroom, as he has the Quickstep this week. The worrying thing though, is that he doesn't seem to have much of a fanbase if he was in the bottom 2 this week with the injury.
Judges' score: 28/40 (6, 8, 7, 7)
My score: 6.5 (probably closer to a 7, but it wasn't only 0.5 behind Natalie. I'm also taking into account that he had to dance it all with his less dominant hand, which would have been difficult for him)
Fiona & Anton - Quickstep - "If My Friends Could See Me Now"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT!* (Verona & Paul from series 1). To start with, Tom Chambers' Showdance music anyone? (Albeit a different version I think) Bit of faffing at the start, but only half as much as Deborah's routine. Well done to Anton for putting the little 'cloth' breaks in to help Fiona (it detracted from the dance a bit for me, but I can't deny that it was clever). As for the dancing itself - Fiona messed up the little jump just after they'd got into hold, and she seemed to pre-anticipate some of the steps, so she did them before they were meant to be done. It was a little skippy in places, but it was certainly Fiona's best routine by far. We don't currently know which dance she's doing yet, our guess is a Latin routine.
Judges' score: 30/40 (7, 7, 8, 8)
My core: 6.5 (sorry judges but this was overmarked)
So my leaderboard at the moment goes like this:
1. Abbey & Aljaz - 8
2. Natalie & Artem - 7.5
=3. Patrick & Anya - 6.5
=3. Fiona & Anton - 6.5
5. Deborah & Robin - 6
6. Dave & Karen - 3.5
Part 2 shall be up on Thursday night :)
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