Kimberley Walsh & Pasha Kovalev

Kimberley has apparently had a virus this week, but has soldiered on and is feeling better.

Zoe: “You were a little bit sad [with a score of 26]”
Kimberley: “I wasn’t sad about the score, I thought it was a really good mark…it’s just that I messed up a few things…didn’t feel like I did my best”

Zoe: “Did [Len’s comments] hurt?
Kimberley: “I can’t really remember really taking the comments on at the time…all I was thinking is I can’t believe I missed the steps”

Zoe: “How did your girl do, on the night”
Pasha: “She did great, but she’s so self-critical…she keeps drilling herself”
Zoe: “It’s a girl thing…how do you pull her out of that?”
Kimberley: “He’s good at doing that, he just makes me laugh all the time…chocolate helps”

Zoe: “Craig did mention your jaw”
Pasha: “I was inspecting that issue from all the different sides and I couldn’t see anything wrong”
Kimberley: “I really don’t need to start having chin obsessions about my jaw…I was really nervous and I think I was just clenched”

A VT of Kimberley’s various facial expressions during training: Smiley, confused, pouty and intense.

Their song is Judy Garland’s “Get Happy” and they’ll be dancing the Quickstep at Hollywood week tonight.

Zoe: “It’s a Quickstep, how quick is it?”
Kimberley: “Pretty quick”
Pasha: “It’s not THAT quick…the dance is Quickstep but the song is slow”

Kimberley: “I just want to enjoy the dance this week”

Lisa Riley & Robin Windsor

Zoe: “Did you enjoy playing a princess last week?”
Lisa: “I loved it, who wouldn’t…I had to be very ladylike, which I tried my hardest”

When asked about her ‘leading’ on Saturday night Lisa replied that when she get’s nervous she tenses up, her arms go solid and she completely locks up.

Zoe: “Your Cha Cha choreography…how are you going to top that?”
Robin: “My brain’s been working on overtime at the moment…I think tomorrow might actually go one further”

A clip of Lisa as ‘Batman’ with Robin, various sound effects and classic 60s Batman on-screen graphics ensue.

It appears they’re dancing to “Hanky Panky” from Dick Tracy, not Hairspray as I suspected, but that certainly gives them some cheeky choreography opportunities. The training clip in the background looks even faster than the one I saw earlier in the week and could be very promising.

Robin: “If one of us misses ONE step it’s all over”

Zoe: “We saw from Denise that [the Jive] is quite dangerous, have you had any injuries?”
Lisa: “It’s a sore subject, but I’ve got three corns…Robin gets annoyed when I start wingeing”

Jimmy the Meerkat

He failed the test last week, when Sid & Ola failed to finish top of the table, but what will his prediction be for this week?

Kimberley & Pasha are his pick for week 3.

Friday Panel

Dionne Warwick, Rufus Hound and Nancy Dell’Olio are this week’s Friday panel.

Dionne has a commerative album out, might have to check it out; Rufus is taking over from James Cordan in ‘One Man, Two Guvnors’; is Nancy promoting a panto Zoe asks?!

Let’s get their views on the training so far.

Louis & Flavia’s Salsa
Nancy: “I met Louis on TV [Unzipped, we saw a repeat last night] a few days ago…I think they definitely will [do well]”

Rufus: “The question is, are they going to do the [Dirty Dancing ending] lift?”
Zoe: “Yes they are!”

Zoe: “Do you think anyone can recreate the magic of Swayze & Jennifer Grey”
Dionne: “No”

Richard & Erin’s Quickstep
Dolly Parton’s ‘9 to 5’ is going to be their song for the Quickstep, a bit slow I think but maybe the band will do a quicker version.

Zoe: “Do you think he’ll be able to stay out of the bottom two this week?”
Rufus: “I think this dance certainly suits him a lot more than the Jive [I think you meant Cha Cha, Rufus]…so long as they don’t dress him in his Nan’s curtains this week”

Fern & Artem’s Charleston
Artem left the competition last year on a Charleston so let’s hope he can do better this year.

Nancy: “I think she’s definitely looking good…I’m sure they will do very good…Artem is a great teacher”

Their song is ‘Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious’ from Mary Poppins which I think will suit the Charleston.

Victoria & Brendan’s Rumba
Nancy left on a Rumba, how does she rate Victoria’s chances? No answer!

Rufus feels that her performance last week was more like a wounded bird, but thinks if she can actual perform this week it’ll be quite good.

Jerry & Anton’s Quickstep
Their music is ‘Mrs Robinson’, quite apt really though would work better if Anton were younger!

Zoe: “Do you think she’ll be able to bring out the best in this dance?”
Dionne: “Well she certainly has the legs for it”
Rufus: “I think Anton’s the only dancer who is older than Mrs Robinson”

Sid & Ola’s Tango
They’re dancing to Whitesnake’s ‘Here I Go Again’, great song but not sure it’s a tango…

Zoe: “Sid got into trouble with his timing last week, do you think this looks any better?”
Rufus: “If you’ve got that music, and you’ve got Ola, it could be electric…it’s on him…he’s actually really impressive…he’s 40 years old”

Colin & Kristina’s Argentine Tango
Dionne: “He’s hot”
Zoe: “I’ll tell him you said that”
Dionne: “I’m tell him too!”

Nicky & Karen’s Quickstep
Zoe: “He’s had two dodgy weeks, can he bring it back Rufus?”
Rufus: “If he comes out, does the steps, Len’ll praise him”

Rufus has apparently watched the show from the beginning. They have a very quick Quickstep, which concerns me as I think Nicky’s technique is going to really suffer.

Colin Salmon & Kristina Rihanoff

Zoe: “How much did you enjoy your Viennese Waltz?”
Colin: “I really had a great time…one of the reasons I wanted to do the show was to learn how to do Ballroom”

Zoe: “Kristina the judges awarded 6’s, you were a little disappointed”
Kristina: “Yes I thought he deserved higher scores…hopefully they’re going to warm up to us a little bit more”

Zoe: “Have you developed a preference for either [Ballroom or Latin]?”
Colin: “I like Latin…I like the darkness of it…but the Ballroom is romantic”

Kristina: “I’m sorry I can’t grow another 4 inches”

Zoe: “You’re performing consistently well…would you like to see yourself pushed up the leader board?”
Colin: “Yeah I’m competitive so I want to go up…working hard”

Zoe: “Hollywood week…surely as an actor it’s your time to shine?”
Colin: “As an actor I’m sure it is…but Argentine Tango is definitely new territory”

Zoe: “Is it going to be 00-heaven”
Colin: “I hope so”

Colin was recording 8am-11pm Monday to Wednesday, Robin came in later in the week to help them with the lifts.

A quick teaser of their dance: Some nice intensity, though I’m not sure about Colin’s trailing foot during the turns, he also looks like he almost drops her during one of the lines so hopefully they can iron that one out!

You can look for the blog to be updated on Monday morning with my thoughts on the weekend’s action, and for those interested in giving dancing a go we’ve got a Beginner Cha Cha Cha workshop on Sunday afternoon in Eton Wick!

The post It Takes Two – Friday 19th October appeared first on Learn To Dance.

[An]Tony’s Training Titbits

Antony Holeksa [i.e. ME!] on Thursday training footage:

Nicky & Karen’s Quickstep

We see Nicky bounding around the floor, he really needs to keep the steps a bit smaller and less stompy, could benefit from bringing his legs together more. Looks like he’s galloping around the floor. His frame doesn’t seem to have improved much from week 1, I’d like to see Karen working more on his technique than introducing too much choreography.

Sid & Ola’s Tango

Another male who’s in-hold frame isn’t great. Sid tends to roll his right shoulder forward which will end up putting Ola in the wrong position. Although there’s no rise and fall in Tango, that doesn’t mean you should be flat-footed either!

Louis & Flavia’s Salsa

So Louis & Flavia are down to do the Dirty Dancing routine this weekend (technically a mambo for anyone that’s watched the film). Louis is a strong boy but you musn’t underestimate how difficult that lift is to get right. Flavia will need to have complete and utter faith in his ability to support her. Someone once told me recently that the actor playing Patrick’s part in Dirty Dancing – The Musical threw ‘Baby’ over his head and broke her collar bone just before the opening night in Bristol!

Richard & Erin’s Quickstep

Richard is looking quite good in the training so far, he has a nice frame but just needs to watch his head creeping over to the right on the odd occasion. I think he should do better this weekend, so long as he can avoid the ventriloquist dummy look this time!

Michael & Natalie’s Cha Cha

Is it just me or does all of this training footage look like a Salsa? Michael must be really bad at his chassés, they were completely missing in his Jive and now the Cha Cha is looking the same way. This isn’t going to go down well with the judges if this ends up being the performance. Saying that the very last clip actually looks quite promising…

Colin & Kristina’s Argentine Tango

No training footage of these two unfortunately as Colin has been filming Arrow in Canada, I know they did some training on Sunday, but that does mean they only have Thursday & Friday to train which could prove to be tricky.

Kimberley & Pasha’s Quickstep

Kimberley has some nice frame and head movements developing, though she’s still not training in dance shoes which is very disappointing.

Lisa & Robin’s Jive

A few things I’ve heard from Twitter, and watching the training, makes me think they might be doing Hairspray for their Jive. There’s some nice quick movements but not a lot of Jive basic to be seen so far.

Victoria & Brendan’s Rumba

A week where Victoria really needs to get through a performance without a mistake, how is the training looking? Some nice arm movements developing but she does need to work on straightening those knees. Rumba is a very difficult dance to keep a straight face through if you’re not used to the intimacy you have to portray with that partner. It is looking promising so far though.

Jerry & Anton’s Quickstep

Jerry’s frame is looking better but she does still have a tendency to creep in towards Anton’s shoulder, you really need to stretch out and away from him Jerry to really show a good top-line.

Denise & James’ Foxtrot

A very nice frame and head position. Need to make sure she keeps her toe pointed when she kicks out though.

Fern & Artem’s Charleston

It’s a very quick and difficult dance the Charleston, especially remaining in sync with your partner. They’re looking good at the moment, it’ll be interesting to see what surprises they have in store.

Dani & Vincent’s Foxtrot

Some nice leg extensions and arms from Dani, not much dancing on display in the training footage as they’re talking more about how she’s coping with the dance shoes (not very well it seems).

Michael Vaughan & Natalie Lowe

Zoe: “You were in the bottom two [last week] did you fear it was exit time?”
Michael: “Obviously when you’re in the bottom two you’re in ‘Danger Zone’…I had a lot of fun dancing the Jive…my little boy said to me ‘at least you smiled this week Dad'”

Michael is now the record holder for the lowest scoring Jive in Strictly history…unsurprising really.

Michael: “When I decided to do the show there was two things I would love. A 10 of Len, but that’s miles off at the minute, and I wanted Brucie to say that we were his favourite”

Zoe: “Where did he go right for you?”
Natalie: “Energy…I was laughing the whole way through that…the Waltz was very serious the week before”

Zoe: “Another week, another Latin dance. How’s your Cha Cha Cha?”
Michael: “I can’t believe they didn’t let me do the Jive again!…it’s another fun dance, it’s been great learning it”

Their song is ‘Hot Stuff’ from The Full Monty…I hope he doesn’t plan to strip…

The scarf is there to help Michael keep his chest up, if he drops the frame then the scarf will drop…will it work?

Denise Van Outen & James Jordan

James admits to being slightly worried about Denise and her whiplash on Saturday night. Denise said that she woke up unable to move on Sunday, but that Physio has really helped.

Seven years James has waited for a FAB-U-LOUS from Craig, the wait is over.

There’s more pressure on them this week for their Foxtrot, after finishing top of the table at the weekend.

They’re working mainly on the technique and footwork to try and please Len this week.

A quick VT of Denise fitting 19 grapes in her mouth, Lee Mead must be a happy man, James on the other hand does manage to fit in 32…before looking like he can’t decide whether to choke or throw up. Apparently the Guinness World Record is 57 though!

Denise: “I find the Ballroom really different because of the footwork and the posture”

A pic comparing Anton and Woody from Toy Story…a very scary likeness!

Dani Harmer & Vincent Simone

Zoe: “Did you enjoy it?”
Dani: “I absolutely loved it, finally got to shake my booty and show a bit more of my personality”

Zoe: “Third on the leader board, were you please about that?”
Dani: “Yeah I was really shocked…I didn’t think we’d do that well”

Zoe: “Craig [on It Takes Two on Monday] had a little grumble about the lift and the dismount”
Vincent: “That’s because he couldn’t do it himself, his double chin would be in the way…it’s a street dance…it’s not the tidiest dance…the lift is supposed to be seen from the front”
Dani: “I could have been a little bit more graceful with it but that’s probably the best I’ve ever landed it”

A quick VT of Natalie giving Vincent a cheeky pinch on the bottom when his and Dani were being interviewed by Tess, then realising she could be seen on the camera!

Zoe: “How is the Foxtrot going?”
Dani: “It’s just really technical and difficult to pick up…completely different to Salsa”

Zoe: “What’s the most difficult thing?”
Dani: “I think it’s the speed…it’s harder to dance slowly rather than really fast”

Their song is ‘Somewhere over the Rainbow’, and they’re going to have a real Toto for the show apparently.

Friday’s update will possibly be later tonight, but we’re in Bristol tonight so it depends how our schedule works out. Guests will be Kimberley & Pasha, Lisa & Robin and Colin & Kristina. Friday panel will also return with Rufus Hound, Nancy Dell’Olio and Dionne Warwick.

The post It Takes Two – Thursday 18th October appeared first on Learn To Dance.

Sid Owen & Ola Jordan

Sid was quite happy with the results, he was more worried that he wasn’t going to complete the lifts.

His hands were ringing with sweat the longer it took for their names to be read out.

A clip of Bruno’s facial expressions during their dance.

Zoe: “The judges thought you run out of energy…Ola how did you think it went?”
Ola: “I think it went well…ok the timing went off a bit…he didn’t drop me”
Sid: “It’s so different in the studio…in training you’re rehearsing to the original [song]”

Some training footage mostly consisting of Sid screaming, shouting and generally bashing into things. Then some footage of their Tango training which isn’t looking too bad, though his right shoulder is creeping forward and he needs to relax his shoulders more.

Sid plans to do a back somersault into the splits this week…thankfully he’s just joking!

Wednesday Warm Up

Ian Waite on early training footage:

Dani & Vincent’s Foxtrot

Quite a nice heel turn together with the feet, toes were in the air, I’d like to see that a little flatter…lovely lines

Jerry & Anton’s Quickstep

Anton’s given her some very complicated footwork…Jerry needs to get her hips under, and her body away

Kimberley & Pasha’s Quickstep

She’s a great dancer, just don’t feel we’ve seen the best of her yet…close her hips to her partner

Denise & James’s Foxtrot

Very very good heel turn…she’s got impeccable footwork…needs to get her hips underneath and extend from the waist

Lisa & Robin’s Jive

Lots of gesticulations, like their Cha Cha…I’d have liked to have seen more Cha Cha steps…they’re doing more Jive steps in this routine…wearing her boots, needs to wear her dance shoes…everything’s flat footed

Fern & Artem’s Charleston

This is a dance made for her…lovely synchronised legs, synchronised hands…they look very matched

Sid & Ola’s Tango

He’s doing very well…struggling a little bit with the Viennese crosses…he assures me he’s got them sorted now

Colin & Kristina’s Argentine Tango

Just one day of rehearsals [Colin is filming in Canada]…I’d like him to stretch his leg out and point his toe

Richard & Erin’s Quickstep

Some lovely Charleston steps…shoulder line isn’t so great…shoulders up, I’d like him to bring his shoulders down and lift his right elbow

Louis & Flavia’s Salsa

He’s loosening up…the main area is his waist…I think he needs to relax his hips…bring his personality out

Michael & Natalie’s Cha Cha Cha

I know how hard they work, cos Natalie’s my professional partner…it’s a shame he doesn’t have the natural talent of some of the others…needs to keep his hands facing the floor

Nicky & Karen’s Quickstep

He keeps losing his frame, needs to pick up his elbows…he needs to maintain a frame and look elegant, he’s stomping through the steps

Jerry Hall & Anton Du Beke

Zoe: “Are you happy with the scores?”
Jerry: “NO, I think it was unfair…I didn’t make any foot mistakes”

Zoe: “Do you think they’re expecting too much in week two?”
Anton: “I don’t really know what they’re after…what do they want more of?…everything you could want from start to finish”

Jerry: “This week we’re working on the posture”
Anton: “We’re not doing any steps…we’re just going to walk perfectly in posture”

Anton: “I don’t know what they’re talking about, I’d rather they didn’t speak”

Jerry: “All these ladies in the audience waving at Anton, I felt like an accessory”

Some quotes from “The Jerry Hall Dictionary”, from Strictly clips

…I’m more of a Marvin Gaye kind of girl…Translation: not that fast
…like butter dripping off a hot corn…Translation: a nice man
…ride me with a tight rein…Translation: let’s not dilly dally
…My memory, I’m bad at short term but good at long term…Translation: What’s your name again?
…If you’re looking for a stallion you don’t look in the donkey corral…Translation: I wish I got Brendan

Zoe: “How is the Quickstep going?”
Jerry: “It’s lovely…it’s a joyful fun dance”

Zoe: “Do you mind her taking charge?”
Anton: “No I prefer it, I don’t really know what I’m doing”

Jerry: “We’ve got a little bedroom scene!”

Victoria Pendleton & Brendan Cole

Zoe: “Ten points up on your first week you must have been thrilled?”
Victoria: “I was, so happy, just to get through the routine and not make it a complete disaster (except for the turn at the beginning!)”

Zoe: “Were you any less nervous this week?”
Victoria: “Definitely when you’re in hold it gives you a lot more confidence”
Brendan: “That security brings them alive”

Zoe: “Great comments from the judges…have you started to believe in yourself?”
Victoria: “No not yet, please just get through another week and maybe I’ll start to”

Brendan: “Victoria’s Foxtrot blew me away…I finished the dance thinking ‘what a blooming star'”

A quick VT of Victoria fireman-lifting Brendan then performing squats, much to Jerry’s distress

Zoe: “You’re doing the Rumba this week, it’s quite a sexy dance…how are you finding it?”
Victoria: “It’s just a little bit embarassing at times…I’m really looking forward to it”

They’ve brought in an exercise bike for Brendan to jump on and Victoria to have a go at training him for a change…Brendan almost looks a bit like Bradley Wiggins…

Wow I’m almost up-to-date there! Anyway, time to go teach, more updates tomorrow.

The post It Takes Two – Wednesday 17th October 2012 appeared first on Learn To Dance.

On Tuesday’s show they featured Richard & Erin, Fern & Artem and Louis & Flavia along with Karen Hardy’s Choreography Corner.

Richard Arnold & Erin Boag

Richard: “My hands are clammy just watching [the result]…you’ve been there yourself!”
Zoe: “Never in the dance-off though love!”
Richard: “Oh I see, and so it starts!”

Zoe: “How did the routinely actually go?”
Erin: “It went really well…sometimes it’s spot on time, sometimes it’s not”

Zoe: “Are you getting mixed messages from the judges?”
Richard: “You’ve got to give it everything you’ve got…trying to keep a straight face when you’re standing there [with that hair]”

VT of Richard singing…not dancing…this isn’t X-Factor!

Richard: “You can’t take it away from us, we have fun”

Quickstep for Hollywood week.

Choreography Corner

Let’s hear Karen’s thoughts on the weekend choreography:

Lisa & Robin’s Viennese Waltz

No-one wants a wet lettuce on the end of their arms…she will do well…she just can’t lead [though]

Fern & Artem’s Viennese Waltz

We always talk about the arms…but if that’s what they’re picking on in week 2, she’s going to be here for a very long time

Louis & Flavia’s Viennese Waltz

Limited steps in the Viennese Waltz…many greats haven’t even attempted [the Fleckerl] before…even the attempt of some nice footwork

Jerry & Anton’s Foxtrot

Back in the 1920s [her frame] would have been perfect…have to stretch out away from the guy

Colin & Kristina’s Viennese Waltz

He’s still maintaining good elbow height…all he’s adjusted is the lowering of the hand

Victoria & Brendan’s Foxtrot

She has to commit to her turns…she’s jumping out of the roller coaster when she’s halfway through the loop-de-loop

Denise & James’ Jive

She had retraction [in her Jive kicks]…layering…essence of quality going in, already on week 2…never seen a Jive to that level [on Strictly]…not even Jill Halfpenny

Michael & Natalie’s Jive

Get one of those quicks wrong, and this [quick video] is what can happen…one quick wrong and you’re thrown, we were more than one quick wrong…professional ladies can’t save you [in this dance]

Sid & Ola’s Salsa

Timing off…Sid was living the Shakira DVD dream…completely forget he was in Shepherd’s Bush, London…focus Sid

Dani & Vincent’s Salsa

Great isolation…brings a texture to it…in general you want the dance to flow

Nicky & Karen’s Cha Cha Cha

In the early week’s they’ve got the get the basics in…they wanted to come back really strong…he got so much into that theme of the clubbing [that going back into normal Cha Cha he got it all wrong]

Fern Britton & Artem Chigvintsev

Blissful not to have to open the show, Fern feels more comfortable in the Ballroom rather than the Latin American.

Artem shouts at her quite a bit, but if he’s happy then Fern’s happy. However he’s so proud of her, she tries her hardest to do the step every single time.

A VT of shots Artem and Fern edited to make the ‘Heads, shoulders, knees and toes’ song.

They have Charleston at the weekend, but we’re not allowed to know the film just yet. Fern can’t necessarily do the steps just yet, but she knows what they’re supposed to be.

Artem thinks it’s going to be a very good dance, with a trick in the middle to surprise us.

Louis Smith & Flavia Cacace

Zoe: “How much did you enjoy it?”
Louis: “It was really good…we were trying to portray tingles in the spine”

Zoe: “Bruno loved the romance between you, yet Darcey felt that the emotional connection was missing, why do you think the judges were split on that?”
Flavia: “The Viennese Waltz is a tricky one, it depends on the music…we were in hold for quite some time [so weren’t looking at each other]”

Flavia: “I’ve always wanted to attack [the fleckerl] on Strictly”

A video of Louis’ mum delivering beans on toast to him in training…quite fancy beans on toast for dinner now…

Zoe: “It’s Hollywood week, are you looking forward to releasing your inner showman?”
Louis: “I think so…we’re dancing to Dirty Dancing…we’ve had a dabble with a few of the moves”

Flavia: “We’re going to try and recreate as much of the movie as we can”

Tomorrow Sid & Ola, Dani & Vincent and Jerry & Anton plus Ian Waite’s Wednesday Warm-up

The post It Takes Two – Tuesday 16th October 2012 appeared first on Learn To Dance.

On Monday’s show they featured Johnny & Iveta, Craig Revel-Horwood and Nicky & Karen.

Strictly Headlines

• Kisses not kicks for Craig for awarding his first FAB-U-LOUS, to Denise & James
• Brucie’s favourite…Michael & Natalie
• Richard Arnold failed to impress, first dance-off survivor
• James Jordan/Nicky Byrne Pecs-off…James I think wins!

Johnny Ball & Iveta Lukosiute

Zoe: “How disappointed were you?”
Johnny: “4th from the bottom seemed to me safe…then that run was the worst I ever did it…top half wasn’t bad but something totally different was happening down [below the waist]”

Zoe: “How did the dance go on the night?”
Iveta: “I was very happy with our performance…he was smiling, he was handsome”

Zoe: “How did you feel going into the dance-off?”
Johnny: “Out of everyone we were the two gagsters…I told him I didn’t want him to go…that’s why I ducked and dived…”

Zoe: “Are you going to miss dancing with Iveta?”
Johnny: “I’m going to miss her terribly…if we’d gone on a bit further I’m sure I would have improved”

They show a VT of his highlights…and low-lights in the case of Aliona’s ankle.

Louis & Dani, when they’re 3 times older then they are now, will still be 5 years younger then Johnny Ball is now!

Craig Revel-Horwood

“Poor ‘Daddy’ didn’t do well did he darling?…in the dance-off he made too many errors”

“Richard just had more content”

Craig on:

• Louis & Flavia – “I really liked it…it wasn’t worth an 8 because he was a little bit skippy”
• Denise & James – “She was fantastic…her timing was exceptional…all the swing dance was just brilliant and suited her personality and her body”
• Michael & Natalie – “It’s frantic darling…what’s missing? It’s too stompy, it’s too all over the shop, plus the timing”
• Victoria & Brendan – “I was delighted she remembered it…she cannot turn however…must learn to turn”
• Kimberley & Pasha – “They’re beautiful to watch together…she was doing a bit of a Keira Knightley”
• Colin & Kristina – “Hideous [hand] flick that was most annoying…he danced to his height…didn’t stoop or bend his knees more”
• Lisa & Robin – “It should be a little gentler than that…she is great, absolutely great”
• Jerry & Anton – “Probably a good thing [that you don’t look at her feet]…it should look wonderful, Ballroom is gorgeous on tall people”
• Dani & Vincent – “[The dismount] looks clumsy…I hate that dismount…I didn’t like that, he could have done some wonderful lifts”
• Nicky & Karen – “It was very flat footed…there wasn’t enough content…I like him…but he’s not much cop as a dancer, just yet”

Nicky & Karen

Nicky couldn’t hear the cue over the audience cheers, and it was downhill from there, he had to miss out actual choreography and make it up until Karen got him into hold.

Karen thought there was plenty of Cha Cha, and apparently there would have been if Nicky hadn’t been improvising and missed out a whole section.

He’s petrified on the floor but feels like they were marked fairly based on what happened on the night.

“I feel like people haven’t seen me dance yet”

A VT of Nicky having regular breaks, and grazing throughout training.

Quickstep for the Hollywood week, please no lifts Karen!

Johnny’s gone, that’s 13 celebs left, Hollywood week next week so look for training videos later this week.

The post It Takes Two – Monday 15th October 2012 appeared first on Learn To Dance.

Victoria Pendleton & Brendan Cole

Zoe: “Is it difficult to watch [last weekend’s dance] back? Have you watched it?”
Victoria: “No I haven’t”
Zoe: “At what point did you think ‘something’s gone wrong’?”
Victoria: “I just put a foot wrong and thought ‘why did I do that?’ oh no, what’s coming next…it moves so quickly…my head dropped”

Zoe: “There was a lot of content was there a tad too much?”
Brendan: “In hindsight, I’m thinking perhaps I should have made it easier…we ran through it 3 or 4 times before the performance and she did it brilliantly…I was very happy with the routine”

Zoe: “Bruno & Darcey said you’ve got a lot of potential…Brendan, is Victoria a good student, does she pick things up quickly?”
Brendan: “She is an amazing student…I’m having one of the best Strictly’s I’ve had…she puts in 100%”

A VT of Victoria sitting down at various points during training, she’s obviously not quite gotten out of the ‘saddle’ mentality just yet!

Zoe: “Of all people…surely your stamina should be right up there?”
Victoria: “It’s not so much the stamina, it’s the shoes…my feet are so soft…carefully contained in perfectly fitting cycling shoes…prancing around in high heels is really challenging”

A quick picture comparing Brendan & Victoria’s abs…Victoria winning and Brendan inexplicably in his pants…?

Zoe: “How’s the Foxtrot going? Do you like it?”
Victoria: “Really well…there’s a little bit more time for thinking and remembering steps”
Brendan: “I’m so proud of her this week, to come into training after a pretty rough weekend [with such a great attitude]”

Some information on how you can feature on Strictly It Takes Two by sending in your recreations of current or past Strictly routines, followed by a backstage look at the filming of the Strictly titles.

Michael Vaughan & Natalie Lowe

Michael felt he did OK, and was glad not to fall over or end up in the trumpets of the band!

Even Michael’s kids are taking the mickey out of his ‘hanging basket’ bottom issue.

Michael feels more like a Phil Tufnell rather than a Mark Ramprakash.

They’ve been working hard on Michael’s catching skills ready for the Jive ‘drop’ they have planned for tonight.

The best thing about their dance so far is the song apparently…doesn’t bode well…!

His kids have been given the ultimatum of voting for Michael, or feeling the impact on their pocket money, depends who pays the bill as to whether that’s really a shrewd financial decision one feels.

The It Takes Two team have asked ‘Jimmy the Meerkat’ who’s going to top the leader board at the weekend, his pick for the top…Sid & Ola.

I’m hoping for fair play reasons they all had something enticing buried beneath them

Dastardly Dance Off returns

How do the celebs feel about the return of the dance off?

Kimberley: I’m feeling nervous…it’s always going to be hard to pull it out of the bag a second time under pressure
Dani: I don’t want it to be my last chance to dance…I’m really enjoying it
Richard: It’s the first weekend when someone’s going to go…which is heartbreaking
Johnny: It’d be terrible being in the bottom two, but whoever it is [with me] I’ll quickly kick their shins!
Louis: When something’s been taken out of your hands…you feel so helpless
Victoria: It’s going to be so hard going up against another celebrity…they’re all so much better than me
Michael: Potentially your last ever dance…but your body and mind react differently…you could quite easily freeze
Jerry: It’s a bit unfair…you’re feeling so relieved, having got through the routine, that doing it again is a bit frightening
Sid: It does scare me a little bit…people aren’t voting for you…you’re not doing a good job
Fern: If you get through a dance off you’re elated…but you’ve lost some friends
Nicky: My scores are terrible [from last week]
Lisa: You’ve got that one more chance…and that’s it
Colin: It would be almost crushing to be the first person to leave…you’ll miss [everything]
Denise: I find the judges scary enough anyway…to have to wait to hear if they’re going to save you

Breaking News

Denise’s whiplash: Been to the physio, in a lot of pain but determined to dance tonight

Nicky Byrne & Karen Hauer

A VT first of all, showing Karen doing some background spying on what has and hasn’t worked for previous Strictly couples.

Step 1: Study last year’s winner
Aliona practising hip action…before the injury I assume!
Step 2: In your face choreography
Jason & Kristina’s ‘Priscilla’ routine…just not too in your face – Robbie thrusting in Craig’s face
Step 3: Avoid dangerous props
NO FEATHER BOAS!!!
Step 4: Wear Sparkly Outfit
That she can do!

Nicky found the judges comments horrendous, but he was so delighted that he managed to complete the routine without anything terrible happening.

Harry Judd had predicted a 24/25 for Nicky’s first dance…but then there was Craig’s ‘2’.

Karen knows who Take That are, but not Westlife…Nicky tries to show Karen some of his Westlife choreography…I don’t think she was impressed.

We get a sneak peek at their routine:
Some hints of hips at the start, though Nicky needs to work on straightening his legs more to further improve the hip action. I’m liking the song though and it should be a good routine.

We’ll be watching the show on iPlayer tonight, with our students on our dance break, in the hotel bar. You can look for the blog to be updated on Monday morning with my thoughts on the weekend’s action.

The post It Takes Two – Friday 12th October appeared first on Learn To Dance.

Breaking News

Aliona update: Latest is 4 weeks rest, then she can be back. Will be taking part in the Christmas Special
Denise: Whiplash from her Jive!

[An]Tony’s Training Titbits

Antony Holeksa [i.e. ME!] on Thursday training footage:

Johnny & Iveta’s Foxtrot

Johnny needs to relax during his solo spins, and watch his right shoulder, needs to keep it back. His right arm musn’t drop down as it collapses his whole frame…I think Foxtrot will definitely suit him better than the Cha Cha, but he also needs to keep his bum in!

Nicky & Karen’s Cha Cha Cha

Nicky’s shoulders need to be kept down and needs to elongate his neck more. Does appear to have rhythm but his presentation will be the deciding factor on this one I feel

Colin & Kristina’s Viennese Waltz

Bum in Colin! Not helped by the large height difference between them. I think Ballroom could be a struggle for them and that’s mainly down to the pairing.

Lisa & Robin’s Viennese Waltz

Some nice arms but she looks very uncomfortable once they actually start dancing.

Denise & James’ Jive

It’s a very fast routine but she looks to be coping with it quite well. Would like to see a bit more dancing in there but I’m sure we’ll see that on Saturday night.

Kimberley & Pasha’s Foxtrot

I agree with Ian’s comments yesterday that she really shouldn’t be training in boots, especially not in week 2, and especially not for Foxtrot.

Jerry & Anton’s Foxtrot

Jerry needs to relax her left shoulder, she looks like she’s hanging on Anton…stretch out those elbows Jerry…would like to see a bit more rise and fall too.

Fern & Artem’s Viennese Waltz

Fern is looking elegant and has some nice arm extensions, but not much footage of them actually dancing.

Victoria & Brendan’s Foxtrot

Needs to watch her footwork, coming down too early on to heels. I’m hoping those are training dance shoes she’s wearing and not boots!

Dani & Vincent’s Salsa

Definitely going to be more Dani’s type of dance and looks to suit her better, but I am concerned that it might just be too fast when it comes down to it.

Michael & Natalie’s Jive

Some nice hip action developing but he must try not to stick his bum out whilst doing it!

Louis & Flavia’s Viennese Waltz

Quite a nice frame, though he does drop his right arm at times. Looking quite promising though.

Sid & Ola’s Salsa

Sid must watch his free arm when he’s not in hold, and not have it just hanging by his side. It’s looking quite good at points, but also pretty awful at others so let’s hope some more training can polish it up.

Richard & Erin’s Cha Cha Cha

Ian said on Wednesday that this was going to be the campest Cha Cha we’ve ever seen…and she could be right! Remember Richard it’s chest first, not pelvis.

Colin Salmon & Kristina Rihanoff

It was better than Colin expected it to be. He was thrilled with the comments he received from Len.

A VT of Colin’s early training, likened to a baby’s first steps, mildly ammusing.

Colin’s 50 he reveals…definitely looks good for it!

Training footage of their Viennese Waltz looks nice and elegant, much better than the footage we saw earlier in the show

Kimberley Walsh & Pasha Kovalev

Nickname: Pasha-ley

Really enjoyed their routine, but didn’t expect the scores they received. Were scared going out first after the way the judges had scored and commented on the first night.

A VT follows, showing Kimberley uses ‘Yeah’ more than Darcey does!

Kimberley is loving Foxtrot but is strugglng with learning it in 4 days. More training footage still shows here training in boots, which I think is really affecting her ability to balance during some of the more difficult steps.

Richard Arnold & Erin Boag

Zoe: “Len said, some of the best Waltz footwork he’d ever seen”
Richard: “That’s a compliment for [Erin]. You’ve been putting me through the ring”

Zoe: “Craig did use his favourite term, spatulistic…a dubious honour?”
Richard: “On the night, when you hear comments like that…it was only when I watched it back”

Erin would have never given Richard a camp Waltz, however Cha Cha is going to be more flamboyant.

VT of Richard stuck like superglue to Erin, kissing, hugging, cuddling; Erin: “I have Richard by day, and my husband by night…probably the right way round!”

Richard: “There’s not a row of tents long enough [to cope with the campness of our Cha Cha]”

Friday’s update will possibly be late tonight, but we’re in Bournemouth for a dance break so it depends how our schedule works out.

The post It Takes Two – Thursday 11th October appeared first on Learn To Dance.

Denise Van Outen & James Jordan

Even James was nervous on the opening night, due to all the expectation of Denise’s abilities.

Zoe shows us some footage of Denise constantly telling James how she would have preferred to have got Brendan, after which Zoe gives her a Brendan cushion.

We then see some of their Jive training which is looking very fast and energetic, let’s hope she doesn’t tire during her performance on Saturday night.

Wednesday Warm Up

Ian Waite on early training footage:

Lisa & Robin’s Viennese Waltz

I think [it’s going to compare to Saturday’s Cha Cha] pretty well…they’re doing a lot in the beginning solo…very square at the moment…she needs to get on his right hand side

Jerry & Anton’s Foxtrot

I think she surprised a lot of people, certainly myself, her Cha Cha was so much better than I expected it to be…in a promenade position her head should stretch out

Victoria & Brendan’s Foxtrot

I think she’ll get over her nerves, she’s in his arms…she’s slightly poking her chin forward…[needs to] tuck her tail under

Kimberley & Pasha’s Foxtrot

Straight away she’s in the right position on Pasha…I’d like to see her in normal shoes [dance shoes that is and not comfortable boots]

Colin & Kristina’s Viennese Walt

Wonderful line through his back and neck…shoulders down, chin up

Fern & Artem’s Viennese Waltz

She had an attack of the nerves last week and that restricted her…much better in this dance…lovely lines…hopefully her love for Strictly will shine through at the weekend

Nicky & Karen’s Cha Cha

He’s looking much more relaxed in this style…arms down, I’d like him to get his arms out [Antony: I’d also like to see him keeping his shoulders down!]

Michael & Natalie’s Jive

He needs to dance on the balls of his feet…pick up his backside…pick up the knees

Sid & Ola’s Salsa

He’s got a great personality for this dance…cheeky chappy…one minute he looks really good, the next not as good

Richard & Erin’s Cha Cha Cha

If you think Russell Grant is camp, wait till you see this Cha Cha Cha…needs to stretch his arms out

Darcey Bussell

Zoe: “How has your experience of Strictly been so far?”
Darcey: “Very exciting, bit buzzy, bit nerve wracking”

Zoe: “Who stood out for you, performance-wise”
Darcey: “Quite a lot actually, there’s a lot of talent there…Denise & James…Louis, quite liked Louis & Flavia!”

Zoe: “How different is Ballroom to Ballet”
Darcey: “You use a lot of different muscles…I wouldn’t wear heels in Ballet”

Zoe: “What should our contestants be doing to impress you, our new judge?”
Darcey: “I want them to fall in love with it…an all round package”

Darcey: “First time round, when they come out for their first dance, it’s stupid to criticise them straight off…I want to give them tips”

Zoe: “Which dances are you looking forward to most?”
Darcey: “I do love an Argentine Tango, and a Salsa, I do love the party dances”

Dani & Vincent

Vincent has nicknamed them Team Smurf as they’re both so short, he goes on to say that there are positives and negatives to being small. They have to work harder as everything is further away from them, but they can work on speed to beat taller ‘normal’ people.

Dani was terrified during her dance and is hoping she’ll be able to smile more this week.

Vincent, after watching their dance back a few times, does feel that they were under-marked…but he’d prefer that to being over-marked.

If you want to see a VT of Vincent in his pants…this is the episode to watch!

Some footage of their Salsa shows another very fast routine, I just hope they have enough time for her to finish off her moves.

Zoe: “What’s the hardest thing to master?”
Dani: “Everything! My feet kind of do as they’re told, but it’s getting the technique better…performance…enjoying it more…and it’s so fast”

Johnny Ball & Iveta Lukosiute

Iveta: “I’m loving it here, everyone’s so nice, BBC’s the most organised company I’ve ever worked for…just got emails about everything”

Zoe: “Dad, how was Saturday night for you?”
Johnny: “After the dress rehearsal on Friday they asked us if we could change the first quarter of our routine…with a new dancer!”

Iveta: “I feel like Johnny trusts me…he’s working hard…he’s amazing”

Johnny: “I didn’t have nerves because I was so scared of getting it wrong”

Johnny would have liked slightly more generous scores, after the praise they received from the judges.

We then get a chance to see some of their Foxtrot training, Johnny needs to keep his shoulders down and watch his frame, and personally I’d get rid of the floor spin.

Are they nervous with the impending elimination week…Iveta is hoping his fans will keep them out of the bottom two.

Thursday update to follow shortly.

The post It Takes Two – Wednesday 10th October appeared first on Learn To Dance.

On Tuesday’s show they featured Sid & Ola, Fern & Artem and Lisa & Robin along with the return of Karen Hardy’s Choreography Corner.

Fern Britton & Artem Chigvintsev

Fern reveals that her skirt ‘wafting’ was due to her inability to know what to do with her hands.

It seems Artem has calmed down from his ‘Dancing Terminator’ training footage from previous seasons, though how long nicey nicey Artem will stick around as the series develops.

Fern has Viennese Waltz this weekend and is already preferring it to the Cha Cha Cha, I’ll look to training footage later this week.

Choreography Corner

Let’s hear Karen’s thoughts on the weekend choreography:

Denise & James’ Waltz

The great thing about this…the smoke on the floor…no one could see her feet…Len thinks she can go all the way so goes straight for the feet

Colin & Kristina’s Cha Cha

He made the dance his…facial expressions, energy…if you’ve got it, move it, and that’s what he was doing…I thought he was brilliant

Michael & Natalie’s Waltz

Started with his hands behind his back…great choreography by Natalie…[however his frame] does start to drop again

Nicky & Karen’s Waltz

You only lower and prepare for a lift!…a little slap, we don’t want to see that again…another good contender for a long stay in the show

Victoria & Brendan’s Cha Cha

Some great content, absolutely brilliant…when she melted it all went to pieces…has to think that Brendan is her bicycle…don’t be distracted

Fern & Artem’s Cha Cha

The cuban breaks…slow and quick timings…got it all wrong…I think she could be a dark horse

Louis & Flavia’s Cha Cha

It’s bit flat footed, makes it look heavy…we’re looking for the use of feet, ball of foot to flat foot…I just think he’s got big feet…one of the best hip actions out there

Kimberley & Pasha’s Cha Cha

The legs are bent throughout…impossible to create hip action with bent legs…I thought she delivered a spotless performance…a nice performance, need it to be a little bit more dangerous

Dani & Vincent’s Waltz

As she turns away her eyes are looking down, and then she goes all wobbly…got to look out

Johnny & Iveta’s Cha Cha

What’s so great is they’ve used the ‘Red Herring’ affect…showing her off…distracted [from Johnny]…[I loved] his energy…very proud of him

Jerry & Anton’s Cha Cha

Great thing is when she’s in the arms of Anton…when we hit the ballroom dances she could potentially look very good…divine, glorious, glamorous woman

Richard & Erin’s Waltz

High toes, heel leads…footwork in the early days is very difficult…footwork is the foundation of movement

Lisa & Robin

Zoe: “Are you still on a high”
Lisa: “Absolutely…I never thought it would get the reaction that it did”

The music was the key, fun and camp suiting them down to the ground.

Lisa has just finished filming Waterloo Road, but had previously been training in the morning, shooting 5 hours, then additional training in the evening – quite the punishing schedule!

They show a VT of Lisa ‘having’ to practice the Robin body stroke section again…and again…and again…as Lisa says ‘I love my life”.

Lisa has Viennese Waltz this weekend, which I think could prove to be more difficult dance for her.  Robin knows there’ll be more pressure on them now after finishing top at the weekend, but hopes they will do well.

Sid Owen & Ola Jordan

Sid: “First show, very nerve wracking, but I did get a bit emotional”.

Sid & Ola were overwhelmed and surprised by the good comments they received, especially after the harsh comments the judges were handing out on the Friday show.

It’s always difficult for the guys to keep their heads to the left, and most find their heads drifting towards their partner, but I’m sure Ola’s constant nagging will start to pay off – I know it does with my students (many of them hear me shouting ‘left’ at them inside their heads when I’m not around they tell me).

Salsa at the weekend could be a more difficult dance for Sid, depending on how loose his hips are.

A quick update on James’ broken nose, his doctor has given him the all clear thankfully.

So that’s episode 2 of 55 out of the way, Albert Hall for the International Ballroom Dance Championships tonight so don’t expect Wednesday/Thursday until early tomorrow I imagine.

The post It Takes Two – Tuesday 9th October appeared first on Learn To Dance.

On Monday’s show they featured Anton & Jerry, Craig Revel-Horwood and Louis & Flavia.

What do the judges make of this year’s celebs?

Fern Britton

Bruno: “The nation’s sweetheart”
Craig: “She loves dancing, if you’ve got an attitude like that – you can win”
Len: “I think Fern’s going to do alright”

Kimberley Walsh

Darcey: “Kimberley’s going to be great, she’s got a great little bod, the professional dancers are going to love throwing her around and getting her into the right positions”
Bruno: “Is she going to be the season love machine?”

Dani Harmer

Len: “Kids love Strictly, and kids love Dani Harmer”
Craig: “She’ll be an absolute firecracker”
Bruno: “She has to kind of ignite a sense of fun, first & energy. But remember technique, technique, technique”

Denise Van Outen

Darcey: “She’s got the looks, she’s got the physique”
Craig: “Let’s not forget the glitz and glamour of the vajazzle”
Bruno: “Denise could do incredibly well”

Lisa Riley

Darcey: “Lisa, I think she’ll be a beautiful performer, I’m looking forward to her”
Bruno: “Lisa, 100% woman”
Craig: “You’ve got to use what you’ve got, and if you’ve got it, flaunt it, use it and win it”

Victoria Pendleton

Craig: “Obviously is used to two fabulous wheels going hideously fast around the velodrome, will she do the same on the Strictly Come Dancing floor”
Bruno: “Did you see Victoria’s abs, I’m ashamed, she is fit”

Jerry Hall

Craig: “It isn’t always true that supermodels can dance, they may be able to walk…”
Darcey: “It will be interesting to see if she has the flexibility in that long limbed body”
Bruno: “Jerry, give me that super-glamour”

Len: “You never know who’s going to rise to the top and who’s going to sink without trace.”

Sid Owen

Bruno: “We all like a bit of rough”
Craig: “I’m hoping he will come literally from the dance gutters, up, and surprise us all”

Michael Vaughan

Bruno: “Actually cricketers historically have done really, really well”
Darcey: “I think he’s obviously up for the challenge, even though he’s used to the audience and attention, when you get on that dance floor it’s a very different scene, not like a cricket pitch at all”

Richard Arnold

Craig: “Let’s hope and pray he uses his time backstage wisely and doesn’t get involved in too much gossip”
Len: “I like him, he’s got a great personality, he can be a tad camp you know”

Johnny Ball

Craig: “Older contestant ever!”
Len: “He’s clever you know, mathmatic, I hope he can just remember 2, 3, Cha Cha Cha…come on Johnny, do it for the oldies”
Darcey: “He looks very fit for his age”

Colin Salmon

Len: “00 SE-VEN”
Craig: “Will Colin be shaken, not stirred?”
Bruno: “A little bit of Salmon everyday is good for you…sounded filthy”

Nicky Byrne

Craig: “Westlife, what are they famous for? On every key-change they stand up, they very rarely dance!”
Len: “I just hope he comes out and gives it a bit of welly”
Bruno: “He’s not going to have an easy ride, I want to put him through hell, because I like him”

Louis Smith

Darcey: “Louis Smith is going to be a great surprise for us all”
Len: “Hunky dunky doughnut”
Bruno: “If he can only replicate his success in the Olympics, it will be a sensation”

Jerry Hall & Anton Du Beke

Jerry felt her Cha Cha was ok, but was more thrilled with how her ‘working’ it went.

She plans to excite Len with the pushing of her pelvis forward in the Foxtrot. Anton felt they came out of the judges comments quite well, compared with what he was expecting.

They then show a VT of Jerry posing throughout their training before talking about the Foxtrot training – it’s all about the walking Jerry tells us.

Craig Revel-Horwood

“I know from my face and my comments you probably think I didn’t [enjoy it] but I absolutely loved it”

Craig on:
Lisa & Robin – “I love the fact that she has natural rhythm…I don’t know how she’s going to go into the ballroom…watch out for [her posture]”
Nicky & Karen – “Both feet were off the floor…it’s written very clearly in the rulebooks”
Kimberley & Pasha – “I really love her…yes she’s had a bit of dance experience before”
Victoria & Brendan – “Unfortunately when you [mess up] it’s difficult to recover…my advice is to make it up…smile covers everything”
Denise & James – “I think Len was being really picky, but he has every right”
Johnny & Iveta – “[The miming] distracts from the rest of the dance…he got all the steps right, in the right order…the execution I was slightly bewildered by”
Richard & Erin – “His hands end up like spatulas…I don’t agree [that he should have been more camp]”
Colin & Kristina – “Nasty freestyling stuff”
Dani & Vincent – “She needs to straighten her leg [when kicking]…her back is quite loose, lovely curve to the spine”

Why is the dance off a good thing? “Power to the judges!”

Louis & Flavia

Zoe: “How does the pressure compare to the Olympics?”
Louis: “It’s like a fun scarieness”

They show a VT of Darcey practically drooling over Louis throughout his routine, which I think even surprises Louis “I didn’t realise she was licking her teeth”

It’s going to be Viennese Waltz for them next week.

So that’s episode 1 of 55 out of the way, I’m working till 10.30pm tonight (on my week off!) so don’t expect that post until a lot later tonight.

The post It Takes Two – Monday 8th October appeared first on Learn To Dance.