Dan Lobb & Katya Virshilas - Salsa

No, why on earth do the flip at the start, feels a bit 'dad at a wedding' and the outfit doesn't help.

Another routine that really doesn't feel like a Salsa, and the lifts are just a complete distraction.

I'm afraid it didn't really feel like a dance, more like a show dance, and I really didn't see much hip action from Dan.  Again the whole movement needed to be a lot more compact.  Just a 5 from me.

Craig: 4 "Thank you for the smile...rest of it unfortunately was lumpestuos (whatever that means)"
Len: 6 "Was a little bit penguinish...I reckon this is the one dance that is going to least suit you"
Alesha: 6 "I don't think my mum would think that was unattractive...flip at the beginning was really brave"
Bruno: 5 "Like Bob the Builder...lumbering and heavy...good effort but not good results"

Total Score: 21

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!

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 Teaser - Dan Lobb

Dan Lobb's Teaser Video

(If the 'running man' is anything to go by then Katya still has a bit of work to do!)

Gavin Henson & Katya Virshilas - Samba

The weakest of the contenders still left in the competition Gavin is most likely going home this weekend, especially if he has Samba...but we'll see.

Gavin certainly trying with his hips but the whole routine looks a little manic, and if Craig penalised Kara & Artem for their slight over-extension to lift status Gavin is going to get pounded.

Still the weakest for me, always improving but still a 7.

Craig: 6 "You did lack rhythm, flow, arms were very very sloppy...good thing is the rotation in the hips was well worth the 297.5 hours you've been rehearsing this series"
Len: 7 "We've just seen Kara do a dance that really really suits her, and you've had to come out and do a Samba"
Alisha: 7 "I think you're strongest in ballroom...you are the most improved"
Bruno: 7 "You certainly looked the part...performance wise you actually have improved...but rhythm & timing"

Total Score: 27

Gavin Henson & Katya Virshilas - Foxtrot

I'm not expecting a great dance here, I'll be honest.

Gavin needs to be softer in his rise and fall, it looks clunky rather than gliding across the floor.  Also the personality we saw last week has completely disappeared, aside from the odd rye smile.

Nowhere near as bad as the Jive last week but not higher than a 7 for me.

Craig: 7
Len: 9 "I don't want you to kiss me, but that was your best dance well done"
Alisha: 9 "Back what you do best...looking more and more like a dancer"
Bruno: 8 "Put a lot of work in to it and it shows"

Total Score: 33

I'm sorry but that routine was nowhere near a 9 for me.

Gavin Henson & Katya Virshilas - Cha Cha Cha

First time I've ever seen a Cha Cha Cha with a rugby ball prop.  Needs to keep his legs a little closer together in his forward and back rocks as it's just hampering his hip action a bit.  It's a strange combination of Rumba and Cha Cha but it's good to see Gavin smiling.

Showing improvement in areas but still a lot of work required. 7.

Craig: 5 "A little bit flat-footed but I can see you're trying to get onto the balls of your feet...knee spin was very very good"
Len: 8 "Tonight you were slick...dancer is emerging"
Alisha: 8 "Never seen you so happy, bring the rugby ball every week...outdanced Scott tonight."
Bruno: 8 "Alisha was panting...getting better every week"

Total Score: 29 (highest score to date)

Gavin Henson & Katya Virshilas - Paso Doble

I'm liking some of the shapes in training...

As I expected Gavin has gone topless this week, needs to guarantee himself some votes.  He can't stop himself smiling, but at least that's better than his unemotional face

Actually his best dance I think and I'm going to give him a 7.

Craig: 5 "Turns need finessing...still have musicality problems...whole thing a lot of posturing...finally a hint of personality"
Len: 7 "Working your assets...knee walks very tricky to do...lovely point to your foot...lacked a bit of passion"
Alisha: 7 "I disagree with Len, very passionate...sexy...nice attempt"
Bruno: 7 "I love when you're coming out of your shell...really beautiful lines...believe more in yourself"

Total Score: 26

It Takes Two - Tuesday 26th October

On today's show: Michelle, Ian & Brendan; Karen Hardy Choreography Corner; Pamela & James; Gavin & Katya.

So first up are Michelle & Ian, fresh from their bottom two finish on Saturday night, joined by Brendan Cole back from his father's funeral.  Brendan reveals that he felt a little jealous watching Michelle dancing with Ian on Saturday night.

Ian felt nervous about the responsibility of making sure that Michelle made it through to the next week so that she could go back to dancing with Brendan.

Michelle has the Jive this weekend, I'm guessing it's going to be a disaster and this could be the week Michelle goes, but I will have to wait to see the training videos to be sure.

I'm afraid I always skip past the "Out of the Glitterball" section so I can't tell you much about that.

Now onto Karen Hardy's Choreography Corner,

Karen reveals she likes the added extras and props, so long as it's not overboard and doesn't last too long. 

First for analysis is Felicity & Vincent: Looking at their floor spin with Felicity balanced on one leg.  Karen applauds the trust between them and also Felicity's flexibility.

Jimi & Flavia: Claudia felt they were undermarked.  Karen doesn't agree with Bruno that Jimi was out of time with his cane work and actually felt he was "masterful".

Matt & Aliona: a "brilliant" double cartwheel though Tina & Jared performed the same move slightly lighter.

Scott & Natalie: great "light and shade" in their dance, really using the music to express the dance.

Gavin & Katya: Gavin's strength in his legs allowed them to do a throwaway oversway all the way down to the ground, when they could've done a much easier movement.

Ann & Anton: Whilst everyone wants to talk about the "flying hippo" Karen concentrates on the outside swivels and her basics and body contact, something Ann is improving at.

Patsy & Robin: "Great Charleston, classic".  She doesn't need any gimmicks or gizmos.

Pamela & James

Pamela reveals she wasn't worried about the score itself, but rather James' reaction to it.  James wasn't disappointed by the scores as apparently in training they'd only managed to get through it once out of three attempts.

Also it appears that this was the first Tango that James has performed on Strictly.  This weekend they will be dancing the Jive and I look forward to seeing their training.

Gavin & Katya,

Gavin is a bit of a mixed bag for me, some weeks he seems to be really developing and then one thing, like the slip at the start on Saturday, throws him back into himself.

It looks like Gavin will be the first person this series to visit an acting coach and let's hope this increases his confidence.

Personally I don't tend to touch my hair after I first do it in the morning so I can't quite understand the fascination, though I must admit his hair is looking quite good today!

They have Paso Doble this weekend, which requires even more acting than the Tango so if Gavin doesn't start coming out of his shell this could be another poor performing week.

I'll update tomorrow with some of the training videos, and I might actually be able to do that one live this week!

Strictly Come Dancing - Saturday 23rd October Leaderboard

12 dances down let's have a look at the leaderboard:

1. 35 points - Scott & Natalie
1. 35 points - Matt & Aliona
3. 34 points - Pamela & James
4. 32 points - Kara & Artem
5. 29 points - Tina & Jared
5. 29 points - Felicity & Vincent
7. 28 points - Patsy & Robin
8. 27 points - Jimi & Flavia
8. 27 points - Michelle & Ian
10. 23 points - Gavin & Katya
11. 21 points - Ann & Anton
12. 17 points - Peter & Erin

For me I think Gavin & Katya and Peter & Erin are going to be in trouble this week...I still think Gavin has more to give so Peter should probably go home.

Gavin Henson & Katya Virshilas - Tango

Time to see some emotion this week I hope Gavin.  Shame to start with the slip on the stairs - I swear his cheeks look red after that.

Lifting his feet up too much and a complete lack of emotion on his face and the same lifting action when they repeat the same section.

Gavin has ambitions of being top of the leaderboard and unfortunately he's nowhere near yet.  Only a 6 from me.

Craig: 5 "Facial expressions...when are we ever going to lose the botox advertisements...some sign of aggression...fell down the steps at the start"
Len: 6 "Great body contact...I don't know whether it's nerves...you've got to portray that character...wasn't your best"
Alisha: 6 "Not bad Gavin...looked vulnerable...got to believe in yourself"
Bruno: 6 "We actually like you...there are some moments when everything comes together...then it all crumbles"

Total Score: 23

It Takes Two - Wednesday 20th October

On today's show: Gavin & Katya; Matt & Aliona; Patsy & Robin; Midweek report.

First though a look at Gavin & Katya's Rumba.  Gavin was shocked with being left till last to be called as safe in the show.

Gavin reveals he's a fan of Peter Andre...I wonder whether it's for the body or the music?

Katya thought the judges were overly harsh, especially Craig, something I actually agree on as I thought he performed a great Rumba compared to what I expected from him.  Gavin thinks their Tango could be special, I hope he means in a good way.

The training footage we were showed is apparently from the first 20 minutes, but I hope he's keeping his bum in more now they've done a bit more training.

To look at the Midweek Report is Michael Stylianos & Lorna Lee...legends!

Felicity & Vincent: Legs stiff, upon her toes, weight too far back, left side too high.
Scott & Natalie: Needs to get Natalie more on his right-hand side and needs to bend his knees more.
Michelle & Ian: Drops weight back - needs to elongate her spine.
Pamela & James: Good look on the top, needs to be sharp when she kicks her leg, not sharp enough for a Tango.
Ann & Anton: She has to learn to get down more into her knees, not look at Anton all the time.

All competitors should be aiming for more staccato and apparently bending is bending and flexing is flexing...no offence Michael but not the best explanation for those who maybe aren't professional dancers like us.

On to Matt & Aliona.

For Aliona it's most important for them to enjoy the dancing rather than worrying too much about what the judges have to say.  They've spent most of this week at Matt's parents farm and had a great time.

They have the Charleston this week, and with Matt's gymnastic abilities I think it's going to be quite a show.

Now a bit of info about the Charleston, from the "roaring 20s", originated from Charleston, North Carolina.

Needs to have lots of hip swivelling, underarm turns and facial expressions.  It's only it's second year in the competition, and was only danced by three competitors last year,so will be interesting to see how it goes this year.

Now for Charleston analysis:

Tina & Jared: Flat footed and a little too floppy
Jimi & Flavia: Energy is great, little flat-footed though but so fast and a few moves that the pro's don't recognise.
Kara & Artem: Kara has wonderful swivels, needs to give a little more.  I think Artem is definitely the best of the new pros.
Peter & Erin: Looks like he's catching a ball rather than throwing it away.  They think it's going to be his best dance.
Patsy & Robin: At the moment she's doing really well, great character.  Needs to work on her arm action.

Following the pro comments it's now Patsy & Robin's turn for a chat.

Patsy thought it was hilarious that she completely missed the start of the music on Saturday night.  Robin felt that Patsy needed the challenge of a faster routine, but will probably not let his celeb start on her own in future!

Apparently Patsy's mind goes blank just before the start of each performance. 

She's loving the Charleston rehearsals, as is Robin. 

Ok and I'm up to date!

Gavin Henson & Katya Virshilas - Waltz

Gavin should perform better at Ballroom than Latin and the beginning (albeit looking like he's trying to break Katya's neck) looks calm and controlled. However Katya is right, there isn't much emotion showing, though it's good to see him smiling throughout.

A sweet performance that I'm struggling to mark, not quite a 7 but a high 6 I'd say.

Craig: 6
Len: 8
Alisha: 7
Bruno: 7

Total Score: 28

Maybe I was a little harsh but it does bode well for the future Gavin.

Strictly Come Dancing Training Clips - Wk 2

It's the end of week 2 of training and all Strictly Come Dancing training clips have been released by the BBC.  The first clip of the week goes to Gavin Henson & Katya Virshilas, Gavin didn't impress me much in the launch show, I'm hoping Katya will have worked some magic though.



Lucky he's been given the Waltz rather than the Cha Cha Cha for the first show, it might actually give him the opportunity to stay longer as I think Cha Cha would have been a disaster.

Has the potential to do an acceptable Waltz though based on current footage.

Day 2 and the next training video is of Patsy Kensit & Robin Windsor
 
Robin is one of the new boys on the block and so one wonders if he can hit the ground running with the training.



It might be a Strictly cliche but it is easier for the girl to dance with a pro male than the other way around, and Patsy is looking really good in this initial footage.  Needs to relax more in her pivot turns and watch her shoulders.

A very promising start though and I'm looking forward to seeing their performance on the night.

No training video update on Wednesday so it comes to Thursday and Pamela Stephenson & James Jordan.  I thought Pamela performed very confidently in the launch show group dance and showed a lot of promise, but how is her training coming along?



Pamela is definitely not disappointing me, in the training video she looks graceful and elegant and I'm looking forward to seeing the finished article.

Our final couple this week are Ann Widdecombe & Anton Du Beke. A pairing I'm sure many of Anton's fans would have been dreading (no offence intended Ann!), but one that seemed concrete as soon as the line-up was announced.

Anton definitely has one of the most challenging partnerships of the new series of Strictly Come Dancing in 2010, especially with the height difference, but I'm sure his popularity will see them whisk [see what I did there :-)] through the first few weeks.



Unfortunately for Ann she does look a little bit jerky at the moment, but there is some hope there, especially with her rise and fall.  I'm thinking Anton's glad they didn't get given the Cha Cha Cha for their first week.  Ann won't be the worst celebrity in the first show but I think she'll probably be mid-table to bottom.

So we've seen most of our couples so far.  Still left are:

• Felicity Kendal & Vincent Simone
• Kara Tointon & Artem Chigvintsev (purportedly prevented from training in the first week to make up for the fact she had dance training for Strictly Sports Relief)
• Jimi Mistry & Flavia Cacace
• Peter Shilton & Erin Boag
• Tina O'Brien & Jared Murillo

Check back next week when I should have the next load of training videos for you to sift through.  Oh and don't forget to set you VCR/PVR's for the start of Strictly Come Dancing 2010, BBC 1, on Friday 1st October and Saturday 2nd October!

Tango tips from Katya Virshilas

Katya Virshilas (who danced a sexy and sultry Tango with Antonio Banderas in Take the Lead - which i've also included a clip of), gives us her top three tips when dancing the Tango.

Clip from Take the Lead:

Katya's top three tips:

The moment of truth, dance off, and result

I'm expecting Laila to be saved by public vote, and a Natalie Cassidy/Phil Tufnell dance-off - but how have the public voted?

Well that's one of my dance-off possibles saved by the public, could Laila be in trouble this week? Either way I think they'll save her till the bottom three.

As expected!

Out of these two I think Phil will be the one going home, assuming Ricky can make the Viennese a little smoother this time.

A nice performance from Phil & Katya, let's see Ricky's response.

Seems smoother this time, but still too skippy. Not quite as dynamic this time and I think Ricky could be in trouble.

It'll be a close call and I imagine it will be a Len decider tonight.

2-1 to Phil, then Len votes for Ricky so Phil gets sent home, the right decision I feel.

Do you agree with the decision?

Phil Tufnell & Katya Virshilas - American Smooth

Phil should be more at home in the ballroom dances, if he can just control his shoulders. The lifts should be interesting to see though.

It's a little frantic for a foxtrot for my liking but his top line is quite good. The lifts were executed well and overall not too bad a performance.

For me it's a 7

Phil Tufnell & Katya Virshilas - Rumba

This, I'm afraid Phil, could potentially be a disaster!

Needs to relax the shoulders right from the start. Looks to have lost his timing just before going into the sliding doors.

Hip action is ok but could do a lot more. Not a bad performance but I think only 7's though - apparently he's Bruce's favourite.

Judges scores: CRH 6, LG 8, AD 7, BT 7.

Phil Tufnell & Katya Virshilas - Tango

A dance that requires passion and control, and absolutely no hip rolling!!! Can Phil cope...

Phil needs to keep the bum in, it does appear to be protruding throughout, and this is also resulting in a slight hunched over frame.

An ok performance that should easily get 7's.

Phil Tufnell & Katya Virshilas - Samba

So Phil's turn to try the Brazilian carnival dance, lot's of bounce and hip action required Phil!

Quite a fast track they've picked for this Samba and I don't think it's doing them any favours.

Absolutely no bounce and it looks very wooden except for the staged hip movement sections.

For me I'd have to say a 6 i'm afraid.