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Strictly Come Dancing 2012 – The Final!

learndance — Sat, 22 Dec 2012 19:59:54 +0000

So it’s that time of year again, the Strictly Come Dancing final, will we see more 40s tonight and if so will it come from someone other than Kimberley?

Denise Van Outen & James Jordan – Jive/Showdance

Jive
They start well, and they’ve made some changes to the original routine. Unfortunately Denise starts to look puffed out by the final third and it gets a bit stompy.

I’m going to give them a 9 though.

Craig: 9 “Sharp, clean, full of fantastic energy…timing as always impeccable”
Darcy: 10 “I loved it the first time, and your style is perfect for the Jive”
Len: 10 “I thought you combined athleticism with artistry there…fantastic Jive”
Bruno: 10 “That was a premium grade Jive”

Total = 39

Showdance

I’m never a big fan of the showdances, though they have included a lot more dance content than some of the routines. We’re watching the final round our friends house, and his fiance has just spent 1 1/2 minutes screaming at the lifts!

A flawless performance there, such impressive and dangerous lifts, I’m going to give them a 10!

Craig: 10 “It was a little bit lift-central…I cannot believe what your body did”
Darcy: 10 “That was flashy…you could travel the world doing that…made it all look far too easy”
Len: 10 “All or nothing…it had danger…I’m so glad that that came off like it did…you deserve to be in this final”
Bruno: 10 “What a feeling, what a dance!…you pulled it off in a way I’ve never seen before – except in professional dancers…that was epic”

Total = 40, well deserved I think

Dani Harmer & Vincent Simone – Tango/Showdance

Tango
Dani’s just a little ahead and off-balance at times, and I don’t think it was as good a performance as their first time – though the finish was better timed.

An 8 from me I think.

Craig: 9 “Apart from the minor stumbling your work has always been clean…delighted to see that the dance actually finished on time”
Darcey: 9 “You look beautiful together”
Len: 9 “You are the spirit of this show…consistent”
Bruno: 9 “You’ve always been a very good technical dancer…couple of wobbles…tried to get the character right”

Total = 36

Showdance

My all-time favourite song…lets hope they don’t ruin it for me!

They really shouldn’t have started with Denise & James, unfortunately this just can’t quite live up to the previous routine. It felt messy in places, and just didn’t have quite the same ‘wow’ factor.

Just an 8 from me.

Craig: 8 “Transitions in and out of the lifts were slightly lumpy…dance content was absolutely extraordinary”
Darcey: 9 “It’s not easy, but incredibly well done”
Len: 9 “You may be small but for me your talent is huge…intoxicating, well done”
Bruno: 9 “Very ambitious…felt you were a little bit nervous…not quite as slick as we usually see…very ambitious and brave of you to attempt”

Total = 35

Kimberley Walsh & Pasha Kovalev – Viennese Waltz/Showdance

Viennese Waltz
It looks like Kimberley just loses her footwork slightly before the attitude spins, but they’re much better than the first time they tried them.

I’ll give her a 9 though.

Craig: 9 “You have grown so much this series…topline is very strong, core is very strong…no hops [in the spins] than last time”
Darcey: 10 “You’re graceful, you glide”
Len: 10 “Last time I liked it, this time I loved it”
Bruno: 10 “Grace, skill, timeless elegance…perfection”

Total = 39

Showdance

A wobble during their first lift could have ended in disaster, but they recover well. A missed arm as they go into Salsa. There was danger in this routine, but more from the expectations that they were going to fall.

A messy performance that promised a lot, but felt shaky. An 8 for me.

Craig: 9 “Indecent, improper, absolute filth…I loved it”
Darcey: 10 “You certainly burned up that dance floor, that was wild”
Len: 10 “Impact, speed, flair…full on, flat out, fabulous”
Bruno: 10 “I love wildness, I love passion…it’s a hit”

Total = 39, yet again they have failed to mention her shakes and stumbles!

Louis Smith & Flavia Cacace – Salsa/Showdance

Jive
Is it just me or are they a little ahead of the music at times? I didn’t really feel this was as good as last time, I gave them a 10 then but just a 9 now.

Craig: 9 “I really didn’t like the shoulder roll with the big old pout before the lift”
Darcey: 10 “100% better…it wasn’t safe, it wasn’t controlled, you spiced up that Salsa…it wasn’t just the hips, there was upper body work…brilliant”
Len: 10 “I’m going to call you Flavulous…you put in far more Salsa content but you kept the essence of Dirty Dancing”
Bruno: 10 “It was worth waiting [for]…more content, more power…you’ve got the eyes on the ball”

Total = 39

Showdance

This could be amazing…or it could be a disaster…but I think it might just turn out to be a hit.

Shirtless, that probably guarantees his place in the final for the voting public. I still don’t like the way he uses his arms in Rumba though, and his posture still needs work.

Doesn’t quite match up to Denise & James for me but worthy of a 9!

Craig: 10 “Fab-u-lous…A-maz-ing”
Darcey: 10 “You blew me away…it was sensual…I love the feel of the contemporary art to it…I really, really liked it”
Len: 10 “When you started I thought it was all going to be gymnastics…you showed me some Argentine Tango, some Rumba”
Bruno: 10 “Nobody’s disappointed…the strength of a superhero…diabolical flexibility…memorable”

Total = 40

So the leader board (my combined score in brackets) stands at:

1. 79 – Denise & James [19]
1. 79 – Louis & Flavia [18]
3. 78 – Kimberley & Pasha [17]
4. 71 – Dani & Vincent [16]

So we’ll lose one of these couples in the next hour, and unfortunately I think it will be Dani & Vincent, but it’s such a high quality final that any of them would be unfortunate to go.

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Pamela Stephenson & James Jordan – Show Dance

learndance — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 20:41:00 +0000

I must admit this dance has me worried but I’m hoping Pamela pulls it out of the bag like she’s done so many times this competition.

We have the theme from Dirty Dancing, and most of the moves…shame that James just catches himself on Pamela’s foot. A slight slip getting up from the floor spin and James appears to knee Pamela in the back when they get up off the floor.

A bit of a mixed bag but just an 8 from me I’m afraid.

Craig: 9 “Big old stumble…extremely natural dancer and so watchable…fantastic”
Len: 9 “Little element of Waltz, bit of Salsa, little touch of Foxtrot…very very good, charming”
Alisha: 9 “You’ve sparkled every week…perfectly played for you…most dance content of all the Show Dances”
Bruno: 10 “A truly terrific uplifting tribute to a movie classic…showcased her ability…after this hard to beat”

Total Score: 37

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Kara Tointon & Artem Chigvintsev – Show Dance

learndance — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 20:33:00 +0000

I actually think these guys could produce the best Show Dance tonight, but let’s see what happens.

I LOVE QUEEN!

A bit of a strange section after Kara’s backflip with Artem randomly sliding across the floor, but they soon get back on track. A missed hand during one of the final lifts and another couple who’s end timing was all wrong.

Better than Matt’s Show Dance but only a 9 for me.

Craig: 9 “Sadly you missed a lift…timing at the end looked like it was off…courage to do a routine like that”
Len: 9 “Routine did have the potential to get top marks…just one or two little incidents”
Alisha: 9 “Fantastic combination of dance…think you’re a true athlete”
Bruno: 9 “Going beautifully…some incidents, you lost timing…work you did was splendid”

Total Score: 36

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Matt Baker & Aliona Vilani – Show Dance

learndance — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 20:24:00 +0000

Traditionally the one dance that can truly make or break you (think Lisa Snowdon or Colin Jackson) the Show Dance is always a toughy.

Not sure on the outfit choices but Matt’s revers handstand is amazing. Not sure on all the pauses though and the Cha Cha portions aren’t great to be honest. Looks knackered near the end and I don’t think they finished quite on time.

It’s always a difficult dance to judge as it really comes down to personal preference. The acrobatics were amazing but the dance portions a little lacklustre. I feel I can only give it an 8 I’m afraid.

Craig: 7 “Too static in places…amalgamations did not flow together very well…whole idea and concept didn’t completely come together”
Len: 9 “You want a routine that makes you feel good, music that inspires you…overall that’s exactly what you did…few too many stunts and tricks”
Alisha: 9 “I like the tricks…loved break dancing section”
Bruno: 9 “Gymnastic extravaganza…sometimes the links between the sequences…not quite as slick as they could have been”

Total Score: 34

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Strictly Come Dancing launch show

learndance — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 11:19:00 +0000

Strictly’s back, we’re back, everyone’s back…well except for a few of our favourite professionals.

What do I think of this year’s lineup? Quite a good lineup even if the average age is apparently now 45. There’s a few people (as usual) that I have no idea who they are but there does appear to be more potential here.

So first partnerships are Scott Maslen and Natalie Lowe and Scott doesn’t appear to know where to put his lips. Matt Baker is up next and is paired with Aliona Vilani (something she doesn’t look entirely ecstatic about surprisingly). Finally Peter Shilton (I’m predicting Kristina Rihanoff), but no he get’s Erin Boag.

The transfer to ‘the tower’ seems a little bit awkward and far too staged but hey, this is Strictly after all.

Now to meet the new professionals Robin Windsor, Artem Chigvintsev and Jared Murillo. First impressions are Artem and Robin have good promise, though Robin looked a little shaky, however Jared looks completely out of his depth in the first dance and will certainly have to step it up if he wants to prove the producers were right to drop the established professionals.

Now our first female celeb partnerships are Michelle Williams and Brendan Cole – a very promising partnership on paper, Pamela Stephenson gets James Jordan, watching Jared in the lineup further supports my theory that he’s not at home up there but I wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t pair him with Tina O’Brien…not a bad guess it turns out!

So some VT showing the celebs trying their first group dance and a few potentials but not really enough shown of each celeb for me to comment on.

Our next round of partnerships; Paul Daniels and Ola Jordan; Patsy Kensit gets Robin Windsor; and Goldie is paired with Kristina Rihanoff.

Let’s see how Jared performs in the next group dance…complete with a flying Vincent and Flavia and a leaping Brendan Cole. Someone’s definitely been working with these guys to make it more of a show than a ballroom demo and I must admit it’s not a bad choice in this instance. Didn’t get to see much of Jared but he is starting to look more at home.

So we’re over halfway through our celeb partnerships, who’s next?

Kara Tointon proves she’s starting as a beginner when she thinks her Salsa with Mark Ramprakash is actually a Samba, so Artem has his work cut out for him! Jimi Mistry has Flavia Cacace and Gavin Henson is left with Katya Virshilas – not a bad girl to be left with.

For once I agree with Alesha…you can’t predict how all the partnerships are going to work until we see them actually dancing.

Our first look at the ‘Strictly Show Dancers’ and I’m hoping to see a reason why they’re on the show. A good performance but I’m struggling to see what the point is when the preceding pro dance was more of a show dance. Don’t get me wrong, I like Ian and Darren but they’ll need to step it up!

Our final two pairings are Felicity Kendal (a personal boyhood fave!) with Vincent Simone and Anne Widdecombe is ready to get her claws into Anton Du Beke (a no brainer based on his past partners).

I really can’t call this one just yet; it’d be nice to see how their training is coming along. After seeing the group dance, Gavin and Peter have a mountain to climb, but Anne should have public support. Felicity is looking promising as is Pamela. Jimi will be interesting but Matt and Scott show a bit of promise. Out of all that I’ve seen so far I’m tipping Matt, Pamela and Felicity to do well.

What did you guys think of the opening show?

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Ricky Whittle & Natalie Lowe – Showdance

learndance — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 21:18:00 +0000

I wonder if the press lift will make a reappearance.

There’s still moments when I wish Ricky would think about his free hand, however I must say a no-hands lift definitely makes up for that.

Shame they were a little bit off balance at the end. Lots of lifts but I actually found Chris’ to be more daring.

I think having a Cha Cha based showdance was a little bit of a cop-out but I can’t fault the dancing, just wish the dance had wowed me a bit better.

Only a 9 I’m afraid Ricky.

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Chris Hollins & Ola Jordan – Showdance

learndance — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 21:11:00 +0000

Now I predicted that Ricky may outperform Chris in this dance, but not having seen either this will be an interesting contest.

That answers my question about whether Chris will be able to lift Ola above his head as well as Ricky!

Needs to keep his head up, and looks a little off in the Cha Cha sections but the Jive looks good, and what a one-handed lift there from Chris.

The judges looked a little scared there at the end as Chris jumps on their desk.

As ever Chris is the consumate entertainer, a little bit sloppy in places but some amazing lifts (based on my expectations!).

I’d like to give it a 9.5.

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