It's Thursday night and so I'm here reviewing the second half of Saturday's dances (from Rachel to Susanna)
Rachel & Pasha - American Smooth - "I Put A Spell On You"
(Not a recycled song choice as such, but it was used for Scott & Natalie's Viennese Waltz in series 8) Another pro breaking the rules I see. An American Smooth is allowed a maximum of 3 lifts, and in this routine there were at least 4 if not 5 lifts (at least one of the little jumps had both feet off of the floor). Nothing mentioned about it by the judges though - being their usual inconsistent selves. Rachel looked quite awkward throughout and I don't think the choreography showed her in the best light. Her arm extensions were not great at all (no shaping of the hands and no attempt at extending the arm), and her frame was a little odd - her head was nearly upright at times when there should be more of a tilt due to having to extend the neckline to maintain the frame. Her footwork looked decent though (what I could see of it with how long her dress was). A bit of a forgettable routine, so I wasn't that surprised to see them in the bottom 2. I thought she was very gracious about being eliminated but it was lovely to see just how much she had enjoyed the experience and how much it meant to her.
Judges' score: 30/40 (7, 7, 8, 8)
My score: 6 (not her best performance, but certainly not her worst)
Ashley & Ola - Tango - "Beautiful Monster"
(Again, not a recycled song choice per se, but was used for Tina & Jared's Argentine Tango in series 8) First off, there was an illegal lift at the end; and it took nearly 30 seconds to get into hold. Also, whilst Ashley had great footwork and the sharpness was there, his frame was awful. I think the problem is that he pitches his arm too far forward - the top part is always straight out in front of him, when it should be horizontal and in line with his shoulders; and this might be why like Rachel, his head was upright when it should be slightly tilted. Ola still likes her pivots, there were parts of that dance where I could actually see Chris Hollins doing the exact same steps. I'm beginning to sound like a broken record but Ola needs to give Ashley more challenging choreography, as he is capable of doing it. Not just giving him a rehash of a routine that she'd done with another celebrity. If she does that and manages to sort out his frame, then they'll be in business (actually, she probably needed to do with him what Aliona did with Harry: get the technique down early, and then get into the choreography as Ashley would be in a better position further on in the competition). Ashley's got the Quickstep this week, and if Ola can get him working on his hold, I'm sure that they can get into the mid-30s.
Judges' score: 33/40 (8, 9, 8, 8)
My score: 7 (bit of faffing, and awful frame)
Abbey & Aljaz - Rumba - "Stay"
Firstly, loved the song choice, I've been wanting to see this song for a Rumba for a while and it really worked. I was shocked that they were in the dance-off - it's been calculated that for that to happen, she must have finished last in the public vote, and that doesn't bode well for her going further on. Sadly, there was an illegal lift in the routine (the wraparound towards the end). I'm not too sure about Aljaz' choreography on this one. With the massive scarves at the start (just wasting time when he had to undo them), and then most of the shaping that he was getting Abbey to do was strange - it didn't really go with the dance as such (although the one where she leaned into Aljaz whilst she curved her arm over him was nice, as well as when she leaned away from him and extended her arm upwards, that was gorgeous), and she also lacked hip action. A bit of an underwhelming routine and I think Aljaz could have done more with it. Abbey's got the Charleston this week, and I'm a bit worried for her. Her technique needs to be spot-on and after being in the bottom 2 last time, she can't really afford to have a bad dance.
Judges' score: 34/40 (8, 8, 9, 9)
My score: 7 (it was alright, and performed quite well, but a little unsure on the choreography)
Dave & Karen - Jive - "Monster Mash"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT* (Patsy & Robin in series 8) Hardly any Jive content, which is sad considering that this was probably Dave's best dance. He did well with what he was given, I guess. His footwork (when not doing kicks) was alright, and he performed it adequately. To be honest, I'm getting a bit tired of this comedy act. His Waltz was actually decent, so why Karen vows to go the comedy route with the Latin, I don't know. It's not really working as you have Mark who can do the comedy too, but he can also dance so it makes Dave look even worse than he is. I'm disappointed with those who say he should step down - he might not be entertaining us but he must be doing something right if the public keep voting for him (and he must have been at least 5th in the vote on Saturday to keep him out of the dance-off). Dave's got the Tango this week, to a Proclaimers song. I am fully preparing to just giggle my way through his dance.
Judges' score: 19/40 (4, 5, 6, 4)
My score: 4 (better, but not much content)
Susanna & Kevin - Charleston - "Bad Moon Rising"
I haven't heard this song choice before but I really liked it and I thought that Kevin (and any help he had) choreographed this routine well. He also didn't overdance it as much as he has done previously. Susanna seemed to lack energy in some sections, her swivels weren't that good, and she seemed to completely miss her cue after one spin, requiring a quick and messy turn from her to get into position (I'm guessing she accidentally did a half-turn spin instead of a full-turn). That being said, she performed it well, and her technique looked quite good for the most part. Susanna's definitely improving week on week (like Ashley), and if she can get the rest of her Latin together, then she could be a good challenger soon to the likes of Abbey and Natalie. She's got the Waltz this week, and considering how good her Ballroom is, I reckon this will be a great dance for her and could be her breakthrough.
Judges' score: 34/40 (8, 8, 9, 9)
My score: 7.5 (full of content, performed well if a few errors)
So this is my leaderboard for week 6:
1. Natalie & Artem - 9
2. Patrick & Anya - 8
3. Susanna & Kevin - 7.5
=4. Ashley & Ola - 7
=4. Abbey & Aljaz - 7
=6. Fiona & Anton - 6.5
=6. Mark & Iveta - 6.5
=8. Ben & Kristina - 6
=8. Sophie & Brendan - 6
=8. Rachel & Pasha - 6
11. Dave & Karen - 4
And here's the full list of which dances are being done this weekend:
American Smooth [Foxtrot base] - Patrick & Anya
Argentine Tango - Sophie & Brendan
Charleston - Abbey & Aljaz
Jive - Ben & Kristina, Natalie & Artem
Paso Doble - Fiona & Anton
Quickstep - Ashley & Ola
Rumba - Mark & Iveta
Tango - Dave & Karen
Waltz - Susanna & Kevin
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