A slightly later outing for the blog this week, and that's because I'm doing it all in one go rather than 2 parts.
So to recap slightly, last week Rachel & Pasha failed to put a spell on us as they lost out in the dance-off to shock opponents Abbey & Aljaz.
This week, the couples were aiming to impress as they want to get to Blackpool. Unfortunately, Natalie was unable to dance this week due to collapsing twice during the dress rehearsal, so there will be 9 dances to review.
Ben & Kristina - Jive - "Jump, Jive & Wail"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT!* (Natasha & Brendan in series 1) Typical Kristina choreography rears its head again. When is she going to let him dance rather than pose and walk his way through a routine? Not much Jive content as such, and what they did do was either lacklustre or had mistakes. Ben went wrong on both kicks and flicks section (and it was the same error too - I couldn't quite tell whether it was him being on the wrong foot or just not being able to keep up, but he did the same thing in both sections). The Jive should be bouncy and light, and whilst Kristina was bouncing around enough for the both of them, Ben was very half-hearted in his movements throughout the routine. Bit of faffing at the start, as it took them about 20 seconds just to get moving (was that backflip REALLY necessary? I think not). On Saturday they will be dancing the American Smooth, which will have a Viennese Waltz base. Methinks it will be more lifts than dancing.
Judges' score: 26/40 (4, 7, 8, 7)
My score: 4.5
Fiona & Anton - Paso Doble - "Song 2"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT!* (Jodie & Ian in series 6) Oh good lord. Not the worst song choice in the world, but the Paso is meant to be fiery and dramatic, and this was a bit of a damp squib. Fiona wins this year's 'Best Skirt Wafting' award (won by Fern Britton in 2012), and what disappointed me is that I thought she'd get into the character of it (like she did in her week 1 Tango) but she didn't. Her arms (and frame in general) were quite soft and floppy, and although her footwork was great for the most part (aside from a little mess up on one of the flamenco sections), that doesn't really make up for it. I actually thought that she'd injured her arm after she did that floor spin at the end as she landed really awkwardly. Fiona has the American Smooth this week, and I think this could be her best dance yet.
Judges' score: 26/40 (5, 7, 7, 7)
My score: 5 (I'll probably be agreeing with Craig quite a lot to be honest)
Abbey & Aljaz - Charleston - "Cabaret"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT!* (Peter & Erin in series 8) Now this was a dance that I was looking forward to. Abbey's Latin dances so far haven't been great, but I was hoping that the Charleston might change that. I have to say, I really enjoyed this routine and Abbey really got into the feel of it all. She actually danced it better than Aljaz in a couple of places. She did well on the technical side of things, just a little out of synch with Alijaz at times. Maybe overmarked a little, but I expect the judges wanted to keep her high on the leaderboard to try and prevent her going into the dance-off again. Abbey has the Quickstep this week, and if her Charleston and other Ballrooms are anything to go by, then this should be brilliant. She has a good song choice for it, so let's hope that Aljaz can do the choreography to go with it.
Judges' score: 36/40 (9, 9, 9, 9)
My score: 8.5
Mark & Iveta - Rumba - "Goldfinger"
Mark had made it plain on ITT this week that neither he nor Iveta chose the song or the theme behind the dance. I wonder why TPTB are trying to make Mark into a comedy dancer when he can move well enough. Took them nearly 25 seconds before Mark started dancing, and it kind of went downhill from there. Not much hip movement, a lot of repetition, and his arms were awful. He did mess up on the footwork at one part too. That being said, he definitely improved it in the dance-off - his arms were much better with his hands actually being shaped, and he had some decent hip action going on there. I was quite angry with Len when he was asked for his vote - by all means, state who you want to save but do it by praising them and not berating the other couple. Mark was still much better than Dave in the DO so I'm not sure what Len was looking at. Mark has the Jive this week, and from the song choice, this could be brilliant or a disaster.
Judges' score: 23/40 (5, 6, 7, 5)
My score: 3
Susanna & Kevin - Waltz - "You Light Up My Life"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT!* (Gavin & Katya in series 8, and also Julian & Erin in series 2) I thought this was absolutely beautiful and Kevin did a superb job with the choreography. That set of pivot turns was brilliant, and Susanna did a great job. The only thing I noticed is that sometimes her right arm straightened out towards being horizontal instead of maintaining the hold all the way through. So I can kind of see why they didn't give 10s, but on the other hand, this was definitely better than Abbey's Charleston, so if she got all 9s then Susanna should have had at least one 10. She's got the Paso Doble this week, and if she keeps improving at the rate that she is at the moment, then this could be awesome. Depends where Kevin goes with it.
Judges' score: 36/40 (9, 9, 9, 9)
My score: 9
Dave & Karen - Tango - "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)"
Is it bad that I was trying not to laugh all the way through this? Bloody hell, less Tango and more 'Stomp' really. Not much staccato or passion there, just pure, I don't know, comedy? I can see Karen's nicked a few moves from previous dances - John Barnes & Nicole Cutler's Tango (the piggyback drag) followed by Darren Gough & Lilia Kopylova's Paso Doble (the forehead glue). Not a lot of actual dancing from Dave, so I'm surprised that this was called his best dance, I thought his Waltz was much better. Just his stompy racing on the first chorus makes me giggle inside.
Judges' score: 20/40 (4, 6, 6, 4)
My score: 2.5
Ashley & Ola - Quickstep - "Are You Gonna Be My Girl?"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT!* (Kara & Artem in series 8) Live on the Apollo song! Sorry, apart from the previous dance to this song (seen to your left), then that's what I think of as soon as I hear the beginning. Loved the choreography, well done to Ola there, that little foot dance was brilliant. Ashley's topline has been letting him down in previous weeks but it was great in this. I could see what Craig meant by the gapping, it was pretty much there throughout. Also, you could clearly see Ashley look petrified sometimes, and then go into 'dance face' at others. Definitely his best dance and if he can do that on just 12 hours of training, then just how good could he be if he had more practice? He has the Paso Doble this week, to a song that I absolutely love, so I'm really hoping that he does a good job with that.
Judges' score: 35/40 (8, 9, 9, 9)
My score: 8 (the amount of gapping puts him just below Abbey)
Sophie & Brendan - Argentine Tango - "Sweet Dreams"
Ok, so I've said before how Sophie needs to actually put some effort in and dance, right? I'll save you a rant and just say 'same again'. She looked as though she was just walking through it rather than dancing it. As for Brendan, bit of lazy choreography (even though he probably didn't do most of it). Too much time spent on the chair, and at some points you could see Sophie stand still as she was waiting for Brendan to finish doing his thing and go into the next step - you shouldn't be able to see that in any dance. She did well technically and the lifts were great, but there was no drama, no passion in the routine, and part of that is down to Sophie. She really needs to get into the performance side, create a character for herself if necessary. She's got the Quickstep this week, and if she can't do well in this dance, then there's not much hope for her if I'm honest.
Judges' score: 32/40 (8, 8, 8, 8)
My score: 7
Patrick & Anya - American Smooth - "It Had to be You"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT!* (Patsy & Anton in series 3) Such a shame about the last lift. It seems that Anya had gotten caught in her dress so Patrick couldn't lift her up properly. Apart from that, this was for me the best dance of the series. Elegant, great footwork, fantastic lifts (well 2 of them) and a much better frame from Patrick. Anya, brilliant choreography, I take my imaginary hat off to you there. Just one thing though: Patrick, stop making the sex faces! It's driving me nuts! He has the Samba this week, and with his Salsa being so great, I have very high hopes for this routine.
Judges' score: 37/40 (9, 10, 9, 9)
My score: 9
Note: Natalie has been declared fit to dance, and she'll be doing the Charleston this week.
So here's how my leaderboard would go:
=1. Susanna & Kevin - 9
=1. Patrick & Anya - 9
3. Abbey & Aljaz - 8.5
4. Ashley & Ola - 8
5. Sophie & Brendan - 7
6. Fiona & Anton - 5
7. Ben & Kristina - 4
8. Mark & Iveta - 3
9. Dave & Karen - 2.5
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