So this week I had the luck to be there in person after winning tickets in the ballot for the first time ever. It ended up being a long day. Queued from 5am to get tickets validated & then went back for 3.15pm. Went into the studio at 5 and left again at just after 11.
I'm happy to answer any questions you may have about my day. Suffice to say that I'm really glad that I've been and experienced it & we actually had quite good seats but I doubt I would apply to go again.
The performances:
Jonnie & Oti
Good timing & leading. A bit stompy in places but lots of content which he managed to keep up with. Needs to watch free arm at times.
My score - 6
Ruth & Anton
A few errors which were a shame but at least she kept going. She needs to sort her frame out, too hunched & to close to Anton. She needs to pull her shoulder blades together & get her head back.
My score - 5
Simon & Karen
Too much table work at the beginning. His fleckerl was ok but went out of time. No stride, very stiff & stilted, no grace. Might have got a bit better with more training but still not sure it would have been tons better.
My score - 4
Gemma & Aljaz
Good energy with nice sharp flicks. Good leg actions, just a shame she forgot the routine in a couple of tiny places. Still my one to watch.
My score - 8
Joe & Katya
Good glide & stride, good timing. Just needs to get up on his toes more. Good frame in pivot & spins.
My score - 8
Mollie & AJ
Good timing & synchronicity with AJ. Good attempt at latin cross actions but needs to watch her knee actions, some were straight when they should be bent & vice versa. Good checked forward walk actions in places but didn't like the syncopated zig zag section.
My score - 8
Alexandra & Gorka
I'm afraid I didn't see what the judges saw. For me it wasn't her best. She did almost no heel leads ~(a must for Tango) & she lost control on her contr check. She also made a couple of errors. Committed & powerful though but I think it was one of her worst dances.
My score - 7
Davood & Nadiya
Very atmospheric. Good timing & performance. Fluid with some hip movements. Expressive & he supported her well. Not his fault that there was little basic rumba.
My score - 7
Susan & Kevin
Good footwork. I know the judges mention lots of errors but I only saw one tiny one in all of that content. Still fun to watch & I really liked the storyline.
My score - 7
Debbie & Giovanni
Great energy, great swivels. Shame about the Round The World lift going a bit sticky & the last lift looked a bit dodgy too. Good arms though & great charleston characterisation.
My score - 9
Aston & Janette
Great power & he lead it well. Better feet (not so pigeon toed). Great shapings & liked the solo bit & leap. Just didn't like his chasse action on his chasse capes.
My score - 9
My bottom 2 - Simon & Ruth
until next week
keeeep dancing!
Lloyd x
Sunday 29 October 2017
Saturday 21 October 2017
Week 5
A week without Bruno. Was he missed? I, for one, didn't miss him & felt it was much more sedate & controlled (apart from when Craig did his impersonation, which was hysterical!)
The performances:
Davood & Nadiya - Jive
A bit heavy in his body, his shoulders were helping him bounce instead of his ankles & knees. Flicks & kicks not bad but he needs to control his free arm, it can get a bit erratic.
My score - 7
Molly & AJ - Viennese Waltz
Good upper body but too much faffing at the start. Her reverse fleckerl had too many backward crosses in it, There are 6 counts in a fleckerl (which is usually danced twice, so a total of 12) she crossed on every other count instead of just count 2 and 8. Her natural fleckerl was correct though. Footwork was quite nice through most of it.
My score - 8
Simon & Karen - Charleston
Couple of timing errors at the start but the rest got better. Good fun to watch but no swivels. Lots of content & he seemed to cope with most of it.
My score - 6
Debbie & Giovanni
I know a lot of people aren't warming to her but you can't deny that was a nicely danced Rumba. Elegant, great leg & hip actions & good flexibility. This is a hard dance to master & she did a pretty good job of it. Shame about the balance issue on her last set of walks away from him (caused by her foot not being under the hip but crossing over slightly).
My score - 9
Brian & Amy - Jive
Heavy footed, & sloppy kicks. He got tired half way through. He was stepping instead of dancing chasses at some points. Good content though & no errors.
My score - 5
Susan & Kevin - Cha Cha Cha
She may not be the best dancer but I love watching her. She's always great fun. Her feet were a bit too off the floor for this dance & she lacked hip actions but a great performance as ever.
My score - 6
Aston & Janette - Waltz
Very romantic. Poise a bit off & too far forward at times. Needed to be a bit more fluid in places. Good stride & frame though.
My score - 8
Ruth & Anton - Samba
Very clever Anton, parody something & you can get away with your own lack of ability! It was all voltas & botafogos (& not much else!). She did have a good bounce action & it was good fun. She was on the wrong foot for one section of botafogos.
My score - 6
Gemma & Aljaz - Foxtrot
Very pretty. Held her frame well during all of the spins. Good flow but I disagree with Darcy about her head line, I thought it was fine. She aso did the correct footwork on her reverse wave which is tricky for all ladies to master. Just lacked rise & fall 7 she needed to hold some of her quicks a bit longer.
My score - 8
Joe & Katya - Paso Doble
So where did that come from?! He was on a par with Alexandra's Paso tonight. Very commanding, great shaping & good leads. Great knee work too as that is tricky if your weight isn't controlled properly. Very impressive Paso.
My score - 9
Alexandra & Gorka - Samba
Quite good but needed to finish some o her lines more cleanly. Great isolation & quite raunchy in places! I hate to be proved right but I said on my weekly BBC Radio Kent slot this morning that her weakness was her pigeon toes & finally all the judges mentioned it!
My score - 8
Jonnie & Oti - Quickstep
Light & fast. Confident performance with good travel across the floor. Just needs to keep his pelvis forwards more at times.
My score 8
My bottom 2 - Brian & Ruth (for her mistakes)
Next week my blog will be late again I'm afraid but I have a good excuse - I'll be in the Strictly audience!
until then,
keeeeep dancing!
Lloyd x
The performances:
Davood & Nadiya - Jive
A bit heavy in his body, his shoulders were helping him bounce instead of his ankles & knees. Flicks & kicks not bad but he needs to control his free arm, it can get a bit erratic.
My score - 7
Molly & AJ - Viennese Waltz
Good upper body but too much faffing at the start. Her reverse fleckerl had too many backward crosses in it, There are 6 counts in a fleckerl (which is usually danced twice, so a total of 12) she crossed on every other count instead of just count 2 and 8. Her natural fleckerl was correct though. Footwork was quite nice through most of it.
My score - 8
Simon & Karen - Charleston
Couple of timing errors at the start but the rest got better. Good fun to watch but no swivels. Lots of content & he seemed to cope with most of it.
My score - 6
Debbie & Giovanni
I know a lot of people aren't warming to her but you can't deny that was a nicely danced Rumba. Elegant, great leg & hip actions & good flexibility. This is a hard dance to master & she did a pretty good job of it. Shame about the balance issue on her last set of walks away from him (caused by her foot not being under the hip but crossing over slightly).
My score - 9
Brian & Amy - Jive
Heavy footed, & sloppy kicks. He got tired half way through. He was stepping instead of dancing chasses at some points. Good content though & no errors.
My score - 5
Susan & Kevin - Cha Cha Cha
She may not be the best dancer but I love watching her. She's always great fun. Her feet were a bit too off the floor for this dance & she lacked hip actions but a great performance as ever.
My score - 6
Aston & Janette - Waltz
Very romantic. Poise a bit off & too far forward at times. Needed to be a bit more fluid in places. Good stride & frame though.
My score - 8
Ruth & Anton - Samba
Very clever Anton, parody something & you can get away with your own lack of ability! It was all voltas & botafogos (& not much else!). She did have a good bounce action & it was good fun. She was on the wrong foot for one section of botafogos.
My score - 6
Gemma & Aljaz - Foxtrot
Very pretty. Held her frame well during all of the spins. Good flow but I disagree with Darcy about her head line, I thought it was fine. She aso did the correct footwork on her reverse wave which is tricky for all ladies to master. Just lacked rise & fall 7 she needed to hold some of her quicks a bit longer.
My score - 8
Joe & Katya - Paso Doble
So where did that come from?! He was on a par with Alexandra's Paso tonight. Very commanding, great shaping & good leads. Great knee work too as that is tricky if your weight isn't controlled properly. Very impressive Paso.
My score - 9
Alexandra & Gorka - Samba
Quite good but needed to finish some o her lines more cleanly. Great isolation & quite raunchy in places! I hate to be proved right but I said on my weekly BBC Radio Kent slot this morning that her weakness was her pigeon toes & finally all the judges mentioned it!
My score - 8
Jonnie & Oti - Quickstep
Light & fast. Confident performance with good travel across the floor. Just needs to keep his pelvis forwards more at times.
My score 8
My bottom 2 - Brian & Ruth (for her mistakes)
Next week my blog will be late again I'm afraid but I have a good excuse - I'll be in the Strictly audience!
until then,
keeeeep dancing!
Lloyd x
Sunday 15 October 2017
Week 4
So, here we are again. Apologies for the late posting, I was out running my own social dance last night.
Straight onto the performances this week:
Debbie & Giovanni - Cha Cha Cha
Legs too straight so lacked hip action & I didn't like her fan action - the steps were wrong & she closed on the wrong beat. I also found her performance a bit sterile tonight. She did do a good attempt at Latin crosses in her lock steps though.
My score - 6
Brian & Amy - Paso
Too much faffing about at the start. When he did actually start, he started his promenade on the wrong foot. His face wasn't aggressive/arrogant enough for me & his balance was off during his elevations.
My score - 5
Molly & AJ - Salsa
Her basic steps were too big so no hip rotation. A bit too much visible preparation to get into the lifts but the roll down was quite good.
My score - 6
Davood & Nadiya - Viennese Waltz
Nowhere near enough Viennese in it & no fleckerl. More like an American Smooth version. Awful music - not even the correct beat for this dance. He did calm down the leading & had a good frame.
My score - 6 (would have been more without the illegal lift)
Charlotte & Brendan - Jive
Still had errors, shame. Good flick ball changes but maybe a bit too many of them. Not many basic figures but her dancing is improving.
My score - 5
Jo & Katya - Cha Cha Cha
Not his best. He was concentrating so much on his isolation it ended up looking forced & stilted. You could see he has worked hard but didn't really pay off.
My score - 5
Ruth & Anton - Tango
Her best yet. Good concentration. Great content - was all quicks but no errors. Needed more flex in her knees & keep her poise back and chin up.
My score - 6
Aston & Janette - Quickstep
Way over marked! Too laboured in hold, leap was too heavy. Not enough flow & he was pigeon toed. Good body contact though
My score - 6 (clearly I was watching a different dance)
Simon & Karen - Samba
Too heavy footed, no hips. No foot turn out on voltas. Good amount of basic figures but a few errors. He did go for it though
My score - 4
Gemma & Aljaz - Paso
Great attack & engagement to the dance. Good timing & shapings. Just needs to watch her chin at times.
My score - 8
Alexandra & Gorka - Jive
Another one with pigeon toes! Good energy & good flicks & kicks. Great timing, just a shame about the toes!
My score - 9
Jonnie & Oti - Smooth
Amazing passion & styling. She is a fabulous choreographer. Good lifts & great timing. Just needs to watch his posture in hold.
My score - 8
Susan & Kevin - Quickstep
Loved it! Great energy, great performance. Light & bouncy & no errors. Just needs to pull up her frame more.
My score - 8
Bottom 2 this week - Brian & Simon for me.
Until next week
keeeeep dancing!
Lloyd x
Straight onto the performances this week:
Debbie & Giovanni - Cha Cha Cha
Legs too straight so lacked hip action & I didn't like her fan action - the steps were wrong & she closed on the wrong beat. I also found her performance a bit sterile tonight. She did do a good attempt at Latin crosses in her lock steps though.
My score - 6
Brian & Amy - Paso
Too much faffing about at the start. When he did actually start, he started his promenade on the wrong foot. His face wasn't aggressive/arrogant enough for me & his balance was off during his elevations.
My score - 5
Molly & AJ - Salsa
Her basic steps were too big so no hip rotation. A bit too much visible preparation to get into the lifts but the roll down was quite good.
My score - 6
Davood & Nadiya - Viennese Waltz
Nowhere near enough Viennese in it & no fleckerl. More like an American Smooth version. Awful music - not even the correct beat for this dance. He did calm down the leading & had a good frame.
My score - 6 (would have been more without the illegal lift)
Charlotte & Brendan - Jive
Still had errors, shame. Good flick ball changes but maybe a bit too many of them. Not many basic figures but her dancing is improving.
My score - 5
Jo & Katya - Cha Cha Cha
Not his best. He was concentrating so much on his isolation it ended up looking forced & stilted. You could see he has worked hard but didn't really pay off.
My score - 5
Ruth & Anton - Tango
Her best yet. Good concentration. Great content - was all quicks but no errors. Needed more flex in her knees & keep her poise back and chin up.
My score - 6
Aston & Janette - Quickstep
Way over marked! Too laboured in hold, leap was too heavy. Not enough flow & he was pigeon toed. Good body contact though
My score - 6 (clearly I was watching a different dance)
Simon & Karen - Samba
Too heavy footed, no hips. No foot turn out on voltas. Good amount of basic figures but a few errors. He did go for it though
My score - 4
Gemma & Aljaz - Paso
Great attack & engagement to the dance. Good timing & shapings. Just needs to watch her chin at times.
My score - 8
Alexandra & Gorka - Jive
Another one with pigeon toes! Good energy & good flicks & kicks. Great timing, just a shame about the toes!
My score - 9
Jonnie & Oti - Smooth
Amazing passion & styling. She is a fabulous choreographer. Good lifts & great timing. Just needs to watch his posture in hold.
My score - 8
Susan & Kevin - Quickstep
Loved it! Great energy, great performance. Light & bouncy & no errors. Just needs to pull up her frame more.
My score - 8
Bottom 2 this week - Brian & Simon for me.
Until next week
keeeeep dancing!
Lloyd x
Sunday 8 October 2017
Week 3
Sorry it's so late this week - busy weekend! Best get straight to it!!
Simon & Karen - Quickstep
Very little basic quickstep. Runs too heavy & on wrong foot a couple of times. Hated the music. Not sure what Darcey was on about as he didn't do scatter chasses - the runs are usually called a rocket (ironically!). Bit stompy for me.
My score - 4
Ruth & Anton - Rumba
She needs to get her knees straight to have any chance of getting a hip action. Good thing a she didn't do any heel leads (unlike Anton during the pivots!). A few timing issues but I disagree with the judges I quite liked the sophisticated rumba. It was sort of sexy in an understated way. I prefer that to a very sexualised rumba.
My score - 4
Molly & AJ - Smooth
Nowhere near enough foxtrot content. Legally, only 40% is allowed out of hold & he had about 70 seconds in a 90 second routine out of hold. Her dismounts were sloppy & was I the only one who spotted her come up on her toes during her feather step when she should remain down? There is no foot rise in that figure for lady!
My score - 6
Richard & Dianne
Appels were jumps rather than sharp foot lowerings. He was stampy & not sharp. No shapings or correct posture.
My score - 3
Debbie & Giovanni - Quickstep
Light, good foot speed & good body contact. Needs to watch her poise during the fast sections as she stands too upright. Another one with too much out of hold.
My score - 8
Brian & Amy - Smooth
Better than last week. Good footwork but needed more swing & stride. Needed more rise & fall too. Great performance. Better out of hold than in as he's lighter on his feet.
My score - 5
Gemma & Aljaz - Charleston
Great energy & styling. Good connection with each other. Shame there wasn't more swivel action. Good lifts.
My score - 8
Charlotte & Brendan - Tango
Fewer errors than last week but still some. When she goes wrong she needs to move on & not let it affect the rest of her performance. No heel leads & too upright. Brendan was wrong - I saw rise & fall too due to her not being in her knees & not doing heel leads.
My score - 4
Jonnie & Oti - Paso
Pretty good. Fast footwork, great leading & correct footwork mostly. Just needs to sort his backside out & get it underneath him to help his poise.
My score - 7
Susan & Kevin - Samba
Always fun to watch. Needed a better latin cross action on her whisks & more bounce in places. Good amount of samba figures, good timing & lots of energy. Seen worse sambas in other series!
My score - 6
Joe & Katya - Viennese Waltz
Needs to get his shoulders pulled back & his pelvis forward. Fleckerl needed to be a fraction lighter - a bit flat footed for me. Otherwise quite nice with good rotation & travelled it well. Good footwork & control
My score - 8
Aston & Janette - Cha Cha Cha
Good energy & timing. Hip actions a bit forced at times & he was trying to get knee actions right but not all the time which resulted in some steps being a bit 'flicky'. Good latin crosses attempted & a good lead in the pot stirrer. I did spot a couple of heel leads though.
My score - 8
Alexandra & Gorka - Smooth
Very sweet, if a bit 'safe' for me. Needed to be bigger for smooth. Nice timing & acted it well. Good lifts but needed more proper foxtrot - another one with too much out of hold.
My score - 8
Davood & Nadiya - Samba
Good isolation in his hip rotations. Bit stilted in his basic actions - needs to smooth them out. Bit frantic due to over leading it.
My score - 7
Just to clarify - I have not yet watched the result show or looked at Facebook so don't know who has gone out!
My bottom 2 - Richard & Ruth
I'm afraid my blog next week will be late again as I'm running a social dance Saturday night & taking my kids to play in a rugby tournament on Sunday - sorry!
until then,
keeeeeep dancing!
Lloyd x
Simon & Karen - Quickstep
Very little basic quickstep. Runs too heavy & on wrong foot a couple of times. Hated the music. Not sure what Darcey was on about as he didn't do scatter chasses - the runs are usually called a rocket (ironically!). Bit stompy for me.
My score - 4
Ruth & Anton - Rumba
She needs to get her knees straight to have any chance of getting a hip action. Good thing a she didn't do any heel leads (unlike Anton during the pivots!). A few timing issues but I disagree with the judges I quite liked the sophisticated rumba. It was sort of sexy in an understated way. I prefer that to a very sexualised rumba.
My score - 4
Molly & AJ - Smooth
Nowhere near enough foxtrot content. Legally, only 40% is allowed out of hold & he had about 70 seconds in a 90 second routine out of hold. Her dismounts were sloppy & was I the only one who spotted her come up on her toes during her feather step when she should remain down? There is no foot rise in that figure for lady!
My score - 6
Richard & Dianne
Appels were jumps rather than sharp foot lowerings. He was stampy & not sharp. No shapings or correct posture.
My score - 3
Debbie & Giovanni - Quickstep
Light, good foot speed & good body contact. Needs to watch her poise during the fast sections as she stands too upright. Another one with too much out of hold.
My score - 8
Brian & Amy - Smooth
Better than last week. Good footwork but needed more swing & stride. Needed more rise & fall too. Great performance. Better out of hold than in as he's lighter on his feet.
My score - 5
Gemma & Aljaz - Charleston
Great energy & styling. Good connection with each other. Shame there wasn't more swivel action. Good lifts.
My score - 8
Charlotte & Brendan - Tango
Fewer errors than last week but still some. When she goes wrong she needs to move on & not let it affect the rest of her performance. No heel leads & too upright. Brendan was wrong - I saw rise & fall too due to her not being in her knees & not doing heel leads.
My score - 4
Jonnie & Oti - Paso
Pretty good. Fast footwork, great leading & correct footwork mostly. Just needs to sort his backside out & get it underneath him to help his poise.
My score - 7
Susan & Kevin - Samba
Always fun to watch. Needed a better latin cross action on her whisks & more bounce in places. Good amount of samba figures, good timing & lots of energy. Seen worse sambas in other series!
My score - 6
Joe & Katya - Viennese Waltz
Needs to get his shoulders pulled back & his pelvis forward. Fleckerl needed to be a fraction lighter - a bit flat footed for me. Otherwise quite nice with good rotation & travelled it well. Good footwork & control
My score - 8
Aston & Janette - Cha Cha Cha
Good energy & timing. Hip actions a bit forced at times & he was trying to get knee actions right but not all the time which resulted in some steps being a bit 'flicky'. Good latin crosses attempted & a good lead in the pot stirrer. I did spot a couple of heel leads though.
My score - 8
Alexandra & Gorka - Smooth
Very sweet, if a bit 'safe' for me. Needed to be bigger for smooth. Nice timing & acted it well. Good lifts but needed more proper foxtrot - another one with too much out of hold.
My score - 8
Davood & Nadiya - Samba
Good isolation in his hip rotations. Bit stilted in his basic actions - needs to smooth them out. Bit frantic due to over leading it.
My score - 7
Just to clarify - I have not yet watched the result show or looked at Facebook so don't know who has gone out!
My bottom 2 - Richard & Ruth
I'm afraid my blog next week will be late again as I'm running a social dance Saturday night & taking my kids to play in a rugby tournament on Sunday - sorry!
until then,
keeeeeep dancing!
Lloyd x
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