Harry Judd & Aliona Vilani - Foxtrot

Hands are a little splayed (as Craig would put it) which is a shame.  Needs to keep his head up and really stretch out in his frame but there's a great connection between them both...Emma wonders if they're both single...

A good performance let down by his frame - really work on stretching away from her Harry and you could be an excellent dancer.

A 7 from me.

Craig: 6 "You can dance, but Aliona you've got to sort his posture out"
Len: 6 "There was nothing great about it, but there was nothing terrible...chin is always down, lift up, stretch up"
Alesha: 8 "I think you move brilliantly...one of the best dancers in this competition...use the criticism"
Bruno: 7 "Something very, very special about Harry...strong, focused...gonna be fantastic"

Total Score: 27

Jason Donovan & Kristina Rihanoff - Foxtrot

Jason was top of the leader board last week, and the training midweek suggested he'll still be there this week, let's hope he lives up to it.

Not sure on the solo spin and a few picked up feet in his first feather step.  Needs to watch his shoulder line and the pivots are a little heavy.

I felt it looked better in training if I'm honest but a very good performance nonetheless. I felt he danced better last week but I'm still giving him a 7 this week.

Craig: 8 "Your head position needs attention, especially in the standing spin...classy, stylish, magnificent routine"
Len: 8 "Head could be a little bit to the left more...full of flair and personality...footwork mostly good"
Alesha: 9 "You are a real showman...in character even before the music started...seductive"
Bruno: 8 "So LA confidential...it's great to see"

Total Score: 33

Robbie Savage & Ola Jordan - Foxtrot

Almost a stumble at the beginning but other than that quite a good start.  Shame that it actually loses it a bit once they go into hold.

His eyeline's just a little too high, which a lot of the guys suffer from in the Ballroom, but he's definitely putting a lot into the performance.

It was still a little bit flat footed and he needs to make sure he brushes one leg past the other but otherwise a very impressive performance...think I might give this a 7!

Craig: 7 "Head placement needs sorting out...got to say that was showbiz...I loved it"
Len: 8 "You little beauty...the more you give, the more marks you get...you're going to get plenty"
Alesha: 7 "It's really good to see you smiling and enjoying yourself...keep going"
Bruno: 7 "Slick, confident, debonair, what a transformation"

Total Score: 29

Lulu & Brendan Cole - Foxtrot

Head up Lulu! Lifting her feet rather than tracking along the floor and missing quite a few of her heel turns, which is a shame as she was doing them in training.  You can tell she's forgotten a few of the steps but a huge improvement on last week.

Not bad, Lulu just needs to dance with more confidence, a 6 from me but with potential.

Craig: 5 "I felt like you were trying to keep up with Brendan...looking into his chest...lovely pivots"
Len: 6 "You got through the routine...now you have to work on the polish"
Alesha: 7 "Looked much more focused and in control"
Bruno: 7 "On it all the way through...needs polishing but you can dance if you want to"

Total Score: 25

Edwina Currie & Vincent Simone - Foxtrot

A much better dress this week, but a lot of 'faffing' about as Len would put it 50 seconds before they actually take hold!

It's very elegant and romantic but they only spend about 20 seconds actually in hold.

Edwina looks quite clumsy at times but overall not a bad performance, but not a Foxtrot I'm afraid so just a 5 from me, and Len is NOT going to be happy!

Craig: 4 "When you FINALLY got into the Foxtrot proper, very hunch of shoulder...point the foot at least"
Len: 5 "That could be the last supper...too much messing about...I wanted more content of the Foxtrot"
Alesha: 5 "Getting into character is brilliant...but it was too long getting into the dance"
Bruno: 5 "Naughty Edwina...you forgot about the Foxtrot...like watching a bendy bus navigating a tight roundabout"

Total Score: 19

Strictly Come Dancing Week 2 Rehearsals

So week 2 of Strictly is upon us, and there's a new round of training videos to pour over.  I've watched training videos on It Takes Two from Wednesday, Thursday and Friday as well as the above video for my comments.

This year they have removed the dance off (stupid idea if you ask me) so it's all down to audience votes to get someone off the bottom of the table, everyone's going to have to work hard to entertain this year.


Lulu & Brendan Cole - Foxtrot

Lulu and Brendan are doing Foxtrot this week, the first video (from Wednesday) looked a little loose but, as Ian Waite points out, she's managing her heel turns quite well.

I'm concerned that Brendan appears to be choreographing more parts of the routine out of hold - given Lulu's struggle last week with remembering the routine I would really recommend giving her the safety of hold.

The video above though shows a nice section in hold and hopefully Lulu will do much better this week.



Robbie Savage & Ola Jordan - Foxtrot

Robbie needs to be much smoother with his rise and fall, and needs to track his leg action better - also less stomping would be ideal.

Thursday's training starts to look a little softer but still a lot of work to do.  The kick action (with Ola kicking towards Robbie) looks pretty bad at the moment if I'm honest.

Should be an ok Foxtrot though, Robbie will be safe for a week at least.



Edwina Currie & Vincent Simone - Foxtrot

Nice arm extensions developing but does need to be aware of her free hand at all times.

There's a large gap between them during training and they really need to try and keep the body contact during hold.  

Final video above looks a lot better but it will come down to popularity and I'm not sure how hers is.



Alex Jones & James Jordan - Foxtrot

Alex looks a little uncomfortable in hold at the moment, she does need to give herself a bit more space in the frame.

A common problem for the ladies is the arms getting tired and then 'hanging' on the guy, let's hope James' workout routine for her starts to pay off.

Needs to make sure she doesn't lift the foot off the ground like she does at around 10 seconds on the video.  I still think Alex has a long way to go but should survive tonight.



Jason Donovan & Kristina Rihanoff - Foxtrot

Well after his great start to the weekend it's good to see a wonderful Foxtrot developing - just keep the bum in Jason when you step back!

Thursday's training video shows Jason is still struggling with keeping his bum in.

Looking very good in the above video though, could keep his position at the top if he keeps this up.



Dan Lobb & Katya Virshilas - Salsa

I think the trainers in their first training video are seriously hampering his movement - try to train in more appropriate gear Dan, it'll help tremendously.

I'm not sold on lifts in the Salsa, especially this early in the series, and I'm worried that the routine may be a little too complex for Dan at the moment - he'd look better spending more time in hold.

All a bit too big and Dan looks a little messy if I'm honest.



Chelsee Healey & Pasha Kovalev - Salsa

Chelsee straight away on Wednesday showing how great her hip action is, this could be special.

The Thursday training doesn't really show us too much, though you can start to see some nice sharp turns developing.

Friday's preview is looking really good, still a few bits that need tidying up, and I'm assuming she's supposed to do something different with her legs during the spin lift.  Should be another good week for Chelsee though, but I can't understand why they picked such a slow clip for the video above?!



Audley Harrison & Natalie Lowe - Salsa

Bit concerned from the Wednesday training video that it seems a little bit pop dance rather than salsa dance.

A very nice hip action but Audley needs to ensure he keeps them moving all the time, not just when he's standing still.

Routine seems to have a good turn of speed, but how much of that is just Natalie we will have to wait and see.



Anita Dobson & Robin Windsor - Salsa

Not seeing much in the hip department, another routine that initially seems a bit too pop dancey!

I feel that Anita is going to need to loosen up her body a bit otherwise she may just be a ballroom bunny. For me the routine just feels a little slow and not quite dynamic enough, but they could just be marking it out in rehearsals.



Rory Bremner & Erin Boag - Salsa

Rory is going to need to watch his free arm and his shoulders, as Ian says it just seems a bit too jerky.

Looking better on Thursdays training video but still needs to work more on keeping his shoulders down. 

Sections where they're in hold do look good though so let's hope the majority of the routine is in hold.



Russell Grant & Flavia Cacace - Salsa

After their training video last week, which left me very worried, then their excellently entertaining Cha Cha I think Russell is one you just have to wait for the performance from.

I'm seeing a feather boa, could be risky given Nancy's problems last week, but Russell brings more camp than I thought possible in a Salsa.



Harry Judd & Aliona Vilani - Foxtrot

Harry needs to make sure he doesn't allow his elbows to go behind his shoulders when in hold and also needs to stretch away from her to give them both space.

Other than that he's looking quite good but I prefer my Foxtrots to more swing music than pop music.



Holly Valence & Artem Chigvintsev - Salsa

Holly really needs to work on keeping her eyes up. They haven't really shown a lot of her training but she needs to ensure that her arms are accentuating the movements of her body, not replacing them.



Nancy Dell'Olio & Anton Du Beke - Salsa

Only one thing's worse than the stomping around the floor, and that's the waddle in her Cucaracha, seriously Nancy would be better off not moving her hips than doing that!

Her movement is far too deliberate, I would have expected her to be able to move a lot more naturally than that.

Nancy is in very great danger of being the first home, especially after last week's fiasco.  Video footage above shows improvement in her Cucaracha hips, but still far too deliberate in her Mambo section.



For me I'd say that Nancy and Edwina could both be in trouble this week, I think Russell is too much entertainment to go out in the first few weeks.  There is still a lot of work required from quite a few of the celebrities though.

Nancy Dell'Olio & Anton Du Beke - Waltz

Two big egos, one dance, plenty of humour, though I don't think the feather boa was part of the routine and unfortunately it's pretty much ruined the whole performance.

A complete mess I don't feel it's fair to even give it a score, I think Craig especially will be harsh.

Craig: 1 "A word of advice darling, forget props all together"
Len: 4 "Too long messing about on the settee...the actual bit of dancing is good...do a straight dance with her"
Alesha: 3 "You are the glamour puss on Strictly this year...we've all been there, you go wrong, you carry on"
Bruno: 4 "I was looking forward to the story telling...turned into a disaster"

Total Score: 12

Chelsee Healey & Pasha Kovalev - Waltz

After seeing her initial training video Chelsee was my early front runner, please don't let me down tonight!

So far so good, there's just something about the way Chelsee holds herself when she dances, and she has a wonderful top line.  A few stumbles here and there but this is one of the best first dances I can remember, so far she's living up to my early expectations.  Very well done Chelsee, almost perfect but the few stumbles force me to give you an 8.

Craig: 7 "The whirling dervish...slightly frenzied...phrasing absolutely excellent...few balance issues throughout"
Len: 6 "Started off with great elegance...don't expect from a young girl...near the end turned a bit manic"
Alesha: 7 "Beautifully feminine...still kept the romantic side of it...probably more of a booty shaker"
Bruno: 7 "I know there were a few stumbles...you have the ability naturally to extend your line...takes people years...you do that beautifully"

Total Score: 27

Very surprised by that, I thought she was by far the best dance so far this weekend, and the 6 Len...hmmm!

Rory Bremner & Erin Boag - Waltz

Rory looked really good in the launch show and in training, he has a bit of a Tony Blair smile on him tonight, and he could lower his shoulders to make his frame look a lot more relaxed.

I love this track for a Waltz, I'll have to find a suitable version to add to our playlist.

Overall an accomplished Waltz but he was a bit ahead of Erin at times, and some heel leads look a bit too obvious, just a 6 from me.

Craig: 6 "Make sure your head follows your body...heel leads slightly exaggerated...danced with elegance"
Len: 7 "First class impression of a Waltz...bum sticks out a bit...heel leads a bit too deliberate"
Alesha: 7 "Little bit rough around the edges...just got to watch your posture"
Bruno: 7 "Wasn't bad at all...relax because you're good"

Total Score: 27

Anita Dobson & Robin Windsor - Waltz

I was quite impressed with Anita's elegance in training, let's hope she's brought it forward to the live show.

Could just lift her chest a little bit more to improve her frame, and the heel turn in her double reverse spin was a bit too prominent.

I've not felt that there's been much dancing in a lot of these Strictly routines and Robin's been a little lax on the amount of routine that should be completely in hold, but the best Waltz of the night so far.  Room for improvement so I'm only going to give a 7 at this stage.

Craig: 7 "Watch your head placement...thought the whole routine was gorgeous"
Len: 7
Alesha: 7 "Beautiful to watch as a dancer...most sincere dance of the night"
Bruno: 7 "Elegant, poised, beautifully acted...watch the top line"

Total Score: 28

See Alesha, I told you it was too early for an 8 earlier - this was by far the best dance so far and you could only give it a 7!

Audley Harrison & Natalie Lowe - Waltz

Audley has only apparently had 3 days, rather than 3 weeks of rehearsals, so I think this could be a poor performance if he hasn't worked hard enough.  Training videos looked ok, but a problem with his top line not staying still could haunt him throughout the routine if Natalie hasn't got it under control.

I'd prefer him to do something more with his arms in the opening spot turns but in the lines he's got some nice arm shaping and the frame does look vastly improved.  Needs to ensure he doesn't go 'pigeon-toed' though.

Another elegant Waltz, which is very difficult for someone of Audley's height.  Natalie still needs to work on his frame but a good start.  I'm going to give him a 6.

Scores:

Craig: 3 "Hands, hands, hands, spatulistic...not for me I'm afraid"
Len: 5 "I think there's a charm about it...do me a favour, as you walk by punch Craig!"
Alesha: 6
Bruno: 6 "surprisingly so light and graceful for someone the size of Everest"

Total: 20

Dan Lobb & Katya Virshilas - Waltz

Dan's posture looks a little bit rough in training, let's hope it's improved for the show.

I really don't know why they feel the need to include props in the show - they're nothing but a distraction.  Finally they start dancing and unfortunately Dan's posture is still needing work, he looks like someone's putting a broom somewhere they shouldn't!

Some nice lines though he does need to avoid sticking his bum out when he lowers.  A few extra heels in his lock steps too.

Nice timing though and he does manage to dance quite elegantly too but still needs to improve more, I don't think that Latin will be his strong point though.  Another 6 from me I'd say.

The Scores:

Craig: 4 "Tentative lead...top line hideously rigid...rise and fall all in the knees...SMILE!"
Len: 7 "A bit wooden and lacked rise and fall...hold was good...footwork was good...did very well"
Alesha: 7 "Very elegant...very competent, very relaxed...should be very proud of yourself"
Bruno: 6 "Technically quite accomplished...gloomy look...conduct believable performance all the way through"

Total Score 24

4's a bit harsh though Craig!

Audley Harrison & Natalie Lowe - Strictly Training Video

Second up is Audley Harrison and Natalie Lowe with the Waltz.

Audley is looking nice and light on his feet initially, though he really needs to take slightly smaller steps - it's about driving forward to move further, not taking bigger steps.

He has a nice frame, but doesn't look quite so confident out of hold at the moment.  Audley could have potential but I do think it's going to be hard for him in the first couple of weeks.

Strictly Training Video - Chelsee Healey & Pasha Kovalev

Final video update tonight is new boy Pasha Kovalev and his partner Chelsee Healey with their Waltz.

Our first chance to see what Pasha brings to the show, as well as one of my initial tips for the title Chelsee.

Balance issues aside you can see straight away that Chelsee actually has quite a lot of grace and poise already, a real bonus for the Waltz and in addition to the moves she busted out during the launch show, a definite confirmation that she'll be a strong contender this year.

Some really nice lines, still a few stray arms here and there but without doubt the front runner from the training videos so far - keep it up Chelsee!

Strictly Training Video - Nancy Dell'Olio & Anton Du Beke

Second up tonight is Nancy Dell'Olio and Anton Du Beke also with the Waltz.

For the majority of the training Nancy is looking quite rigid and heavy footed, but I'm really liking the sequence around about 58/9 seconds in.

If she can continue to be lighter on her feet she'll be in good hands with Anton for the Waltz.

Strictly Training Video - Dan Lobb & Katya Virshilas

Ok it's been a busy few days so I haven't had time to keep you up-to-date with all the training videos so you'll now get 3 in fairly quick succession.

First up, Dan Lobb & Katya Virshilas with their Waltz training.

Dan needs to be careful not to let his shoulders tense up during the rise action, he's developing a good technique but the shoulders will ruin the look if he's not careful.

I'm liking Katya's way of getting Dan to keep his hold wide (thumbs under the armpits), I'll test it out in the technique class on Wednesday night!

Strictly Training Video - Anita Dobson & Robin Windsor

 

Maybe it's Anita, and not Alex, who needs L and R written on her!  The number of times we have to say "other left foot"...yet the students just giggle.

Anita is looking nice and elegant at the moment, so that's a great start, though I do wonder how she'll cope when the Latin dances come around.

Looks like a very promising Waltz so I look forward to seeing a few more training videos soon.

Strictly Training Video - Rory Bremner & Erin Boag

Day two of training so we should see a bit more development as the weeks progress.  Next up is Rory Bremner & Erin Boag and Waltz.

I imagine this will be a good one for Rory to start off with (though his wiggle didn't look too bad at all in the opening show).

Rory will need to work on keeping his shoulders relaxed, as well as lifting his chest a bit more (we find using the Topline dance frame a great help for our students).

A very promising start though.

Chris Hollins & Ola Jordan - Foxtrot

Chris really stepped it up in the final last week and delivered an almost perfect Foxtrot, can he improve on that tonight?

Looks to me like there has been some work on the hands, but really should be smiling throughout. Shame about the mistake in the middle.

Ola knows how much the audience like the pivots, so much so that she includes them twice - would have preferred a bit more variety!

Not a bad performance but I wouldn't say it's improved over his final performance and I'm only going to give it an 8 I'm afraid.

Gethin Jones & Flavia Cacahe - American Smooth

So a new partnership for the Christmas Special, how will they perform together?

Doesn't really seem to be much chemistry between them, and I'm finding the performance a little stale, however the final lift drew some excited gasps from Emma's mother and sister.

Not a bad performance, but not as good as the others so far tonight so will have to say 8 I'm afraid.