No Hallo-theme Week

So, often I don't blog this week; Frankie usually excuses me due to my extreme dislike of theme weeks (particularly Halloween) but hey, NO HALLOWEEN WEEK. It also hit me mid-show yesterday evening that there's no way 'human props' aka backing dancers can be used this year.  Silver linings, eh? I am here for this pared back old-school-Strictly vibe; add that to the generally high standard of dancing so far this year, and I think we are in for a great series.

Max and Diane

He's no Jay. But that's OK. I haven't got much more to say.*

*I just wanted to make that rhyme. In all fairness, this was a decent jive. The judges praised the energy of it but to be honest, I would have liked to see more bounciness and spring action from Max; he was a tad stompy, and when he travelled across the floor, it looked like he was on a purposeful walk - you know, the sort of walk you do back to the shop when you realise you've forgotten to buy milk? Yeah, that. However, the timing was spot on and the dance was full of content. All in all, a job well done.

Clara and Aljaz

Ah, they were not going to let us get away with no Halloween theme-age at all, were they? I can handle this level and I quite liked the dark, smoulderiness of this dance. They got into hold nice and quickly, and there wasn't too much messing about. Clara's feet were skippy however, and it looked as though she messed up some steps (although that could have been when she got her foot caught). I am not convinced that was a real fleckerl* but at this stage in the competition, we should be able to forgive that. Props for the alt prom dress frock - Clara looked amazing. She definitely has potential so I swung her a vote.

*correct me if I am wrong.

Bill and Oti

I was NOT expecting this. Bill, your footwork and timing were exemplary. Oti, you are basically amazing. This was so full of fun, and joy; it was genuinely technically sound, and it was my favourite dance of the night. The only negative I can think of is the CGI menagerie but we can't really blame Bill for that. I suspect Bill will definitely continue to be strong on the ballroom; if Oti can help him master the latin too, there'll be no stopping him. Their reactions to the well-deserved scores were all kinds of adorable.

JJ and Amy

JJ was visibly nervous - and who wouldn't be - but I would like to commend his shaping. He was precise throughout and you could see how much work and thought had gone into it. It needed more oomph, but to be honest, I don't think the song/musical arrangement helped in that respect; it was a little delicate for a Paso, in my opinion, and the choreography seemed a little sparse - perhaps in reaction to that. I have no doubt that JJ has potential.

Jamie and Karen

Jamie is very likable and this makes him fun to watch. I had suspected he might have had a bit of informal ballroom dance experience; he definitely seems like the sort of person who may have found himself at a formal ball before now. However, now I have seen him dance, I suspect that even if he had, he probably bopped along on the edge of the dancefloor, rather than swept a lady up into a waltz. This was much better than last week, and I think if Karen employed the same level of extreme training methods as Oti, Jamie's sticking-out-bottom would be sorted out in no time. We can tell Jamie has potential because of the high standard to which he executed the out of hold segments. I was mildly distracted by the song, which just makes me think of Joey dancing with Trigger.

Maisie and Gorka 

Let's talk about Maisie. She is young, talented and confident and I am so disappointed by some people's assessment that, for some reason, this makes her annoying. The audience rarely punishes young men for confidence, so let's not punish Maisie - isn't this exactly what we would want our daughters (if we had them) to be?* I really loved this dance. It had attack and drama. It needs some refinement, technically, but for her to be dancing like this so early on, is a credit to her.

*Completely freaked out by the realisation that I am old enough for Maisie actually to be my daughter.

Jacqui and Anton 

I was most surprised - and quite put out - by the lack of flouncy sleeves on Anton's shirt. I was expecting those, and if I am honest, I was also expecting maracas. This dance particularly took me back to Strictly's early days, with no theme, and when the dancing standard was generally much, much lower. It had classic, basic samba steps but do I think it's enough to keep Jacqui in beyond this week? Probably not. But I'm often wrong. 

HRVY and Janette

He is good. He is very  good. He also has the endearing cheeky-chappiness of Joe Sugg, and clearly a very good working relationship with his dance partner. In other years, he might have been a dead cert winner from the beginning but this year, he does have some very strong competition. 

Ranvir and Giovanni 

In an evening of surprises, this was unfortunately one of the more forgettable dances. Ranvir is beautiful, and has potential, but there were some technical issues that can't be ignored. Footwork could have been cleaner and there were some timing issues. I don't get all the hating on her dress though - I really liked it - it's very picnic-in-a-field, which is exactly the vibe I expect they were going for. I hope very much that Ranvir doesn't get lost in this. If she can come out with a breakout dance in the next few weeks, that will certainly help.

Nicola and Katya

Ugh, Couple's Choice. Perhaps I should be happy one of my favourite partnerships has got it out the way early. I could tell Nicola really loved this, and that was a joy to see, but I am just not here for it. However, I think it did show how much potential she could have in Charleston, Salsa, Jive... and I just can't wait to see those. 

Caroline and Johannes

Oh, just cancel it all and let's see a Caroline and Bill final. How awesome - and different - would that be? A traditional Paso Doble is what we all needed yesterday. This was beautifully placed, but I agree with the judges that Caroline seemed a little hesitant this week. And I too, urge her not to be. She is clearly naturally an exquisite dancer and I can't wait to see more. Now let's talk about her partner: Johannes for Prime Minister. Johannes for anything, really. Give him his own show. He is one of the brightest things about 2020. 

Jason and Luba

A surprise choice for the pimp slot. I had my tweet typed out ready - you know it - THAT IS NOT SALSA. I found myself in the weird position of having to delete it, and confess that it actually did have some salsa in it. Not only that, the musical arrangement had a latin segment. I'm not saying the dance was perfectly executed (it wasn't bad thought) but the simplicity of it was really nice. I know some people on Twitter disagreed with me regarding the fact there was salsa in it, but hey, I danced it for 10+ years and it's actually not about the tricks and jumps and lifts; it doesn't really have many complicated steps and this one was packed full of fun basics.