The One Where Bruno Sings

Time to pack away the bucket and spade, the Blackpool hangover is here and we're now into the proper slog to the final. There's only six couples left...and that might be why we've got the extra treat of Bruno going full Las Vegas showgirl at us. It was a camp, cherry Lambrini-soaked delight and the pros seemed to love it too. A bit of a random interlude, but welcomed nonetheless!

Saffron and AJ
So happy to see a return to an old-school samba dress for Saffron, all samba dresses should be three parts feathers one part 70s Barbie. Really enjoyed the carnival rendition of Walking on Sunshine too. I thought she had a pretty good stab at this, with bounce and proper choreography, but you could tell she wasn't loving it the way she has with other dances. She seemed to struggle with the transitions a bit and her old was a bit dodgy. She could be in trouble again this week, especially with AJ resurrecting his own samba curse.

I love a samba. Especially one with suitably feathery costumes. The song choice was sunshiney enough but I'd have preferred more latin flavour. Unfortunately I found this to be surprisingly laboured - more like walking on treacle than sunshine - and not a great body action. A few weeks ago I thought she'd be heading for the final but I'm not convinced now... time for Saffy bye bye?

Karim and Amy
Why do all contempo dresses look like washed-out bed sheets? I know this is Couple's Choice and so does not count, but I enjoyed this. It felt like the dance Karim's been wanting to do all series, instead of putting random twiddly bits into other dances. Also, fair play to giving us a joyful contempo routine rather than the paaaaain and emoooootion of other such numbers. Seems like this one has been quite divisive, especially with Craig going off on one...
FFS I'm not in a good mood. I can't bring myself to comment on a contempo-waft. He's excellent but wasn't he trained in this style at least to some degree? I can accept 'ringers' learning ballroom and latin for the first time but this is far too close to their own territory, right?

Alex and Neil
It feels like expectations for this were too high, what with it being the first Argentine Tango of the series. I think the judges were a pretty harsh on this, considering how far Alex has come in recent weeks and she's now performing properly in every number. Plus they had the Ramps Legacy Microphone Malfunction. A round of a applause for her mastery of the old jigsaw-legs and the way she attacked the dance in a way we wouldn't have expected at the start of this series.

Yay Argentine Tango! Yay Alex having a great time! Yay a contestant who is having a real journey! It was far, far, far from perfect. I would have liked an authentic piece of music. But I really like these two still, they're just so likeable...can she sneak into the final?

Kelvin and Oti
I'm here for a bit of Northern Soul on a Saturday night, especially when it's to a real cracker of a song like this. It almost cancelled out the horrific outfits, almost. Sadly, I found this a bit underwhelming; it took forever to get going what with the captivating 'making-a-cup-of-tea' segment. There were some flashes of greatness, like the side-by-side jumps, and the way that they always dance so well together as a pair, but there wasn't really much there for me.

Kelvin I've-Probably-Already-Won-In-Week-One-Anyway and Oti dressed children's TV presenters from 1978... I find Northern Soul dancing fascinating to watch and wish I liked that element more than I did. And meh - couple's choice still doesn't count.

Emma and Anton
Emma looks like she's the only one who's turned up for the party in fancy dress, but fabulously though. This while thing was bonkers, they clearly lost their place a couple of times and just had to keep going with super-manic grins plastered on their faces. As ever, I felt sorry for Emma, she just never seems to hit it on the nail.

Unfortunately my internet connection went poof and I missed most of it. The bit I saw was quick. They stepped. It was what it says on the tin. No complaints, no hurrahs.

Chris and Karen
I properly enjoyed this, it was lovely to see Chris talking about how he was growing into the paso on It Takes Two this week and then he really delivered on the night! Well done to Karen for choreographing such a great routine that brought out his strengths and really let him get into it, she's been on an absolute roll all series. It was one of those moments where it all came together as a performance to be proud of, well done Chris!
Well blow me down with a cape. I did not expect this to be my favourite dance of the night. I liked the music. I thought Karen's choreography was great. Hurrah for Chris. Genuinely, genuinely good.

I Went to a Marvellous Party...

Bring us the lights, bring us the wet and windy weather, bring us approximately three million sequins, bring us that slightly rowdy Northern audience, bring us Tess and Claud in matching bacofoil, bring us the deckchair and donkey puns - IT'S TIME FOR BLACKPOOL! Buckle up, we're in for a wild ride...

Chris and Karen
Nothing like starting your routine by literally sitting down, it was about 20 seconds in before there were any actual steps, but that's Blackpool for you - is it weird that I didn't hate the extra dancers? It was all good fun to start the show, but Mike leaving means Chris is standing out a lot more. I did see some basic salsa steps in there and they clearly nicked more from his hip-hop routine a couple of weeks ago. I love these two and don't want to see them go at all though, this could be a difficult week!

Emma and Anton
Emma looks completely stunning, in fact the Blackpool costumes are mostly awesome this year. This had all the elements that you'd want for a Blackpool AS, but it didn't really take off, maybe Emma felt weird dancing with other people? It was a perfectly nicely-executed bit of ballroom, but it wasn't worth Anton's first ever 10s. Katie Derham has thrown a Proms programme at the TV.

Alex and Neil
This was one of the routines I was definitely looking forward too, but this blew me away! Alex has had mini breakthroughs and momentum, but this knocked it out of the park! I loved the arrangement of the song and the choreography, the extra dancers actually worked, which was basically a miracle. Plus it actually looked like a paso! There is clearly some magic in Blackpool pasos, remember Susanah Reid? Anita Rani? Would it have killed someone (Bruno?) to give her a ten?!

Kelvin and Oti
Right from the off you knew this was going to be a cracker and what a routine it was! Thankfully Jailhouse Rock lends you to a straight jive and Kelvin is good enough to handle a proper routine without gimmicks. It was sharp and energetic throughout and I feel like I saw more musicality from Kelvin than I've seen since his rumba. Blackpool is now officially on a roll...

Saffron and AJ
Quickstep is just perfect for the Tower Ballroom and Saff looks amazing in that outfit. This was full of quickstep and even the bits out of hold weren't easy. Plus she eyes-and-teethed the solo sections to the max, which was hilarious. She also did the sliding-ski step, which I love. It's been really interesting to see her become so much better at ballroom than anything else, that takes a lot of work.

Michelle and Giovanni
Yes it's a Couple's Choice so it's hard to measure against trad ballroom, but Michelle lived this dance and was captivating throughout. Whether it resonates with the audience after last week's bottom 2 debacle is another matter, but I really hope it does because she has so much more to give. Plus, can we talk about Gio going full pout? He was fabulous and I love his relationship with Michelle.

Karim and Amy
The training footage for this looked amazing, this was clearly Karim's dance, even with the super-weird descend from the ceiling. Maybe it's because he shot off like a wind-up toy?! It was like a happy helium ballroom bobbing along the ballroom, clean and sharp and fun - and without a gurn in sight! Boo to Craig for only giving it a nine, it almost took the momentum out of a really brilliant show!

Battling for Blackpool

It appears Claudia and Tess are on to us with the Blackpool drinking game and sought to make the nation paralytic with all their references this year, But who cares, it's just so nice seeing celebs slog it out to come to good old Blackpool each year. Bring on the blood, sweat and tears!

Alex and Neil
Hurrah for the return of Ginger Neil! Alex has been going from strength to strength following her Charleston breakthrough a few weeks ago and this jive suited her right down to the ground. Her timing has improved and she's just better at selling a dance, it was super cute and sunny and yellow. Also, the return of the much-forgotten chicken walk jive step, I love it!

This was peppy and cute and it was lovely to see them back dancing together again. Alex is improving more than anyone but I fear she may suffer an Anita-Rani-esque departure soon - the others started off so well, she's unlikely to be able to catch up to the same standard in the eyes of the judges. Unless she can stay out of the dance off...

Mike and Katya
Mike in the death slot, although who knows what that means anymore? I was glad to see they played this one straight and it was all the better for it, plus Katya's absolutely gorgeous frock. There was clear improvement here, although mainly in the footwork. I might be turning into Craig, but my gosh his hands were indeed like spatulas. Fun ending move too, I think I've seen yoga people doing it at the gym. I know it's (still) time for Mike to go, but I thought the judges were a bit hard on this one.

I think I must have been a bit distracted as I didn't think his timing was too bad, tweeted to say as much and got corrected by several people. Yeah, guys, I've watched again. It was not good.

Karim and Amy
More ballroom from Karm, oh how they are spoiling us, plus I love how Amy says fleckrrrrrrl. There was a LOT of faffing in this, I found the way they kept breaking hold very distracting. Part 2 of me turning into Craig, I think it was a bit frentic and didn't look like a VW. That's not necessarily Karim's fault although there were a couple of mistakes, so I can see why they felt frustrated, well done to Claudia for holding their hands up until that Blackpool rock faux pas!

It was recognisably a Viennese Waltz but one that was just a bit... hammed up. Karim is oh so talented, there's no need for faffy choreography. Next week I want to see clean, pure dance. Amy - take note.

Chris and Karen
Another one I'm glad to see back in ballroom, I can see why they've thrown all the party dances at Chris, but I think he can give more. The song did a lot of work here, but Chris gave good tango face, I think I even saw a smoulder at the beginning. I could see every element of concentration in the routine, but there was clearly improvement in technique, particularly the frame. Karen did a great job with this, plus did not manage to set herself alight among all those flames - flames always feel very dangerous on Strictly!

I quite liked this dramatic arrangement, even if the number of breaks made it feel more Paso than tango to me. I'm glad he's through as he is very likeable, genuinely is learning and tries hard. But yeah, I think he's gonna be out in Blackpool. 

Michelle and Giovanni
I thought it was physically impossible to make Michelle Visage look frumpy, but here we are...Beyond the odd styling this was another cheeky delight from these two, they just work so well together! There was a lot going on in this routine with a few different styles, but they didn't let it swamp the performance. I cannot wait to see how Michelle takes to Blackpool!

Mostly I just imagined Frankie going. SLEEVES. They put her in SLEEVES. 

Emma and Anton
Ah Couple's Choice, what joy, contestant who has previously done professional musical theatre tours doing theatre jazz. I thought this was an odd routine, I love anything Fosse, but the routine didn't seem to go anywhere, I was waiting for some big-bucks fabulous ending that never came. Emma has great musicality though and that shone through once again. As we know, CC's doesn't count, but it can definitely bring a contestant out of themselves in a way that really helps, which Emma deserves after last week's rumba debacle.

Ugh, Couple's Choice does not count. Even if it is quite good. Like this. I swear I thought I saw Anton go wrong. 

Saffron and AJ
More classic ballroom? I cannot believe my eyes, we've been sorely lacking in waltzes this year. Sightly odd nude dress though that looked a bit Barbara Streisand. This was perfectly nice, but I was surprised the judges raved about it. I think I just didn't like the routine, I could appreciate the technical elements and Saffron's ever-increasing skill, but I definitely got more out of their showstopper foxtrot a few weeks ago. 

Thing is though, waltz is the 'beginner' dance. It's the first thing you learn. And if a dancer with a speck of talent doesn't do it early on, it's usually a sure fire hit for a cracker later on in the series. And here we go. 

Kelvin and Oti
Putting Oti behind the wheel of a supercar sounds like the next step on her quest for world domination, watch out Lewis Hamilton! However, this is not really the ideal theme for a salsa, it's downright odd. Saying that, these two made the whole thing look so relaxed their fun was infectious. Of course there were the hips that send the nation a-quiver, but the lifts were also very confidently handled. No my favourite salsa, but a good shot of fun in an otherwise oddly-balanced show.

Kelvin will be remembered for the gorgeous samba (to salsa music) that was oozing in latin flavour. Now, if I were a producer on the show, I might think, hmmm, that worked well, let's replicate it. But NO. They wasted the most naturally talented latin dancer's salsa - which is the purest latin dance on the show having not be codified or whatnot - by DRESSING HIM UP AS A RACING DRIVER and making him dance it to pop. It was not salsa. FFS.

Bring on Blackpool!

The Rumba Rumble

We called last week's post Curses and it feels like it has come to pass, saying a premature goodbye to Will and Janette and Neil having to sit out this week too. Add poor Jamie Biscuits to the mix (nevah forget!) and this series has really been plagued by injuries. But we're now halfway through - where has the year gone?!

Karim and Amy
Thank goodness Karim is back to traditional ballroom, if only he wasn't dressed as a Butlins entertainer...This was a delightful nippy number to start the show with, if there's one thing that's so hard about the quickstep it's that you're supposed to make it look easy when it's basically insane. It was confident and fleet of foot, with clear work on the ballroom hold. A wee bit of gapping like Craig said, but definitely a strong start to the show.
Very cute. Quickstep is my favourite ballroom dance and it didn't disappoint. Shame it was first to be honest. It set the bar high for the show and no one else quite cleared it...

Michelle and Giovanni
It Takes Two suggested Michelle was doing this in her knickers, I was oddly disappointed that she wasn't, even though the final outfit was pretty darn cool. This looked too much like a tango for me in the opening stages, I think it was the song, but it felt more staccato than it should have been. However, you just can't stop the musicality of these two together and she had very strong lines and focus throughout the whole thing. Not my favourite, but definitely worth applauding.  
Spanish theming great - completely ruined by song. If I covered my ears and watched it was more than passable (paso-able?) She wasn't fully committing to the drama of it all, however. Which was a surprise from Michelle. 

Emma and Aljaz
Emma moved her hips more than I was expecting, but as a lot of people said, it was all a bit meh. There's a fine line between making it look fun and effortless and looking like you're wandering around like you've not learned the routine. It wasn't offensive, but I doubt I'll remember it in the morning...
It was twee and fancy and I just can't warm to her. She isn't really improving. I know Samba is tricky (it is, it is) but this was about as flat as a vacuum-packed pancake. Elegance works for some dances but samba? Giggly and a tiny bit wiggly doesn't wash. 

Kelvin and Oti
Another bloke who has finally been brought back to do some proper ballroom, which also gave us Oti in a beautiful ballroom dress for the ages. I could have done without the contempo-waft moments, but there was more than enough VW content in there anyway. Not his best dance, but clear improvements in things like hold and the smoothness of his moves. 
So we've gone from contempowaft to contempowaltz. His fleckerl was a wee bit stiff. Oo-er. I still think he's won it purely for his week one dance. If they perform a salsa with the same kind of aplomb I should imagine game's over.

Saffron and AJ
Saffron is dressed like a 60s sci-fi Barbie. This was the fast and the furious of salsas, which was probably too much for Saff and left her chasing AJ and flinging herself around. The lifts were pretty good considering how crazy the routine was, but the attempts at arm work were clunky. The thing that I take away from Saffron most weeks is that she attacks the dances like she has nothing to lose, which is better than watching people who are too tentative.

I didn't mind song on the whole but she looked like she was dancing the twist as the music was too fast for her. And ballroom dancers, your basic salsa steps are huge. It didn't make my eyes bleed but meh.

Alex and Kevin
Another nice bit of ballroom and a stunning frock, thank goodness. It was like a rom-com meet-cute in dance form, but didn't become cloying. However, the perky mood just died when it got into hold, but I can imagine changing partners has made improving on that quite difficult. She also seemed to take the lifts in her stride, which I wouldn't have expected a few weeks ago. Lovely to see someone blossoming and having a great time.
Alex is the biggest improver of the series so far. J word and all that. Bit worried she's gelled more with Kevin than Neil. Awks.

Chris and Karen
Tess and Claud doing pysche, sparkly bucket hats, perspective jokes - it was surreal but my word it was entertaining! This was not Chris's best dance by quite a way, but gosh he gave out and gave it all he had. It was like Ed Balls on a bad day (Ed Balls was a good dancer, don't @ me). Karen was as awesome as ever. Totally overmarked, but I'll forgive that.
Firstly WTAF. Street commercial should not even be attempted, but I appreciate the energy and fun. And F and I both went to uni in the North East and understand the sentimentality of PJ and Duncan. But argh, cringe.

Emma and Anton
This was weird, I'm not surprised half of Twitter was having Vorderman flashbacks. Emma had clearly worked on her technical elements, but none of it really gelled. I blame Anton for this, he barely even moved his hips throughout the whole dance. Emma, you deserve better, and please cut your hair in a blunt fringe because it really suits you.
I wasn't paying much attention - I missed the timing issues and actually thought it was quite nice. Or better than I thought it would be at least. But this is why you don't put anyone decent with Anton... his teaching and choreo aren't up to scratch...

Mike and Katya
This was clearly going to suit Mike, but OBVIOUSLY Kimberly and Pasha did it better. That feels like a million years ago...There was swivel and he handled the routine fine, but it was sloppier than you'd want from week 7. He looks like Chris Hollins, but I can't imagine he'll invited back every Christmas to Charleston. Katya looks like a steampunk delight though, which is nice.
Meep. After last week's controversy I was a bit pffft going in to this. It was fun. It was Mike. Katya gets the best out of her partners, yada yada bored now.