2016 Strictly Come Dancing Week 1, 2 Nights – Rank The Dances, Review The Shows
Are you ready for Strictly Come Dancing? We had a nice little preview a couple of weeks ago. Now it’s time for the real competition to begin.
Times:
Friday, September 23rd at 9pm UK time. 6 couples compete.
Saturday, September 24th, at 6.30pm UK time, remaining couples compete.
If you tune in, let us know your thoughts and rank the couples in comments if interested. If you can’t watch it LIVE, let’s hope they will post videos at their Official You Tube page. More later and have fun!! We look forward to reading your comments as always.
Streams:
Watch SCD 1 (works for UK and other International viewers)
Watch SCD 2 (works for US viewers and possibly Internationally)
Watch SCD 3 (works for US Viewers and possibly Internationally)
Watch SCD 4 (works for US Viewers and possibly Internationally)
Watch SCD 5 (works for US Viewers and possibly Internationally)
Watch SCD 6 (works for US Viewers and possibly Internationally)
Also, if you don’t know about Gleb Savchenko and Kristina Rihanoff’s Dance show in the UK, you can read on it here. Be sure to get your tickets before they run out.
Great show all around! Well, half of it, since I tuned in just after Rinder finished. Yay me.
Anyway, great show indeed from what I’ve seen. I’ll comment on Laura, Naga and Judge/Rob/Robert/Rinder/whichever he’s dressed as on this show later.
– I was surprised to see Lesley getting marked relatively high, and even more than she didn’t suck tremendously. She won’t last long, not with that level of dancing by the way, but nice to see her carving out a nice Ballroom on her Strictly journey. And if Naga’s Waltz turned out to be as disappointing as it seems, this’d probably be my favourite Ballroom of the night.
– Ore’s Tango reminds me EXACTLY why I can’t stand Joanne Clifton as a choreographer. I’ve warmed up to her a lot more since last year, since she did great on her ITT stint and didn’t seem to hog the camera as much as she did in her first year, but why oh why would you choreograph such a lovey-dovey, full of faffing crap TANGO in week one, when you’re a flipping world champion and have an able partner? If Ore’s dancing at Scott’s level, sure why not, but he’s a good one, could be great with proper polishing, but that choreography is just grating me to a no end. I’d still say Ore deserved to top the leaderboard, I just can’t stand her choreography.
– Lord knows I’m a huge Natalie fan and wants nothing better than seeing her and Greg lifting that trophy on Christmas, but this is a bit half-assed, no? It’s not exactly Jay’s Rumba, but I’m not seeing the praise. He was stompy as hell, there were barely any kicks and flicks and overall it’s just frantic. The energy’s great, he got loads of potential and at least they got the Jive out of the way already, so I’m not losing hope. And judging on how everyone seems to woke up when he danced hopefully means he’ll get all the support he needs to be there, but it’s not great at all to me.
Will be back later after watching the other three, and can’t wait for the rest of them tomorrow!
Love, love, love Strictly!!!! So nice to see full-length dances instead of “dance bites”.
The first six all had something to recommend them. I thought the scores were a bit inflated, but perhaps the fact that nobody was awful kind of took the judges by surprise as well. Can’t wait to see the remaining nine tomorrow.
Laura and Giovanni – I liked Laura’s performance quality. She didn’t get the straight legs and tight steps needed for cha-cha but none of the celebs do. She’s a bit leggy and will have to get better control of her limbs. I enjoyed the dance.
Naga and Pasha – I have hopes for this couple, but it all hinges on Naga letting down her guard and allowing some couple chemistry to develop. Pasha is a gentleman and a good choreographer and teacher. If you can’t trust Pasha, then you won’t trust anyone. Naga has an excellent body for dance and (as Darcey said) a lovely neck that will look amazing in the ballroom dances. I feel she has musicality, but was tight tonight. Hopefully, just early-season nerves.
Robert and Oksana – I’m *not* calling him “Judge Rinder”. He’s Robert (or Rob). Had to get that off my chest. I like his enthusiasm and abandon, and I like his relationship with Oksana (our little hair ninja). It was a bit wild, but there was rhythm and musicality. I hope they don’t go too camp because I don’t think they need to do that. He has excellent posture, so I look forward to his ballroom.
Lesley and Anton – This was very sweet. Lesley’s acting was beautiful. I understand why they paired her with Anton, he is a fabulous ballroom dancer and the oldest pro, but the height difference made it very hard for her to keep her shoulders down. That said, I thought her footwork was very good, and there was a grace and elegance about the whole performance. I fear fast Latin is going to be a challenge.
Ore and Joanne – Ore has musicality, rhythm, and acting ability. That said, I agree with Len; there was too much time-wasting at the beginning. When you have a celeb who can dance, you don’t need that much “set-up” at the beginning of the routine. Once they got into the tango, Ore did very well. All the other judges were very complimentary, which is good because Ore just did what Joanne gave him; but I really hope Joanne pays attention to Len and dials-back the set-up time from now on. Ore could be a contender.
Greg and Natalie – I’m thrilled Greg got the Jive out of the way right off the bat, and he coped really well. He’s a big man with no dance experience, but as a decorated Olympian he has a ton of national goodwill so very low risk for 1st out. Greg got the character of the dance and performed a lot better than I hoped. He has some musicality because he was in time to the music. He’s horribly pigeon-toed, and Jive really highlighted that. I hope Natalie addresses that and Greg tries to make it a bit better.
I watched the them and honestly I can say I liked one while the rest were very meh to me and there was one that just was a mess and it naturally came from Anton who just literally is doing her no favors but I digress. Laura and Giovanni look like the couple that will hook up….they have the same chemistry as him and Georgia. Saying that, she can definately dance so there’s a plus but she kinda annoys me at the same time. Ok so Naga seems like a nice person and can dance but her nerves definately showed I think. Choreography was cute though. Judge rinder and oksana were a shock. Loved their energy but not the choreography which reminded me of Val for some reason but with more Umph. Lesley is from what I can see the nice popular older contestant of the season and I think she can actually move so I’m confused why Anton have her that boring routine. Nothing else to say but he let her down. Don’t like Ore or Joanne to be honest. She just makes me want to leave and walk my dog for three minutes until she is gone. He seems nice and energetic but I kinda feel like he is very peter Andre-esque in terms of dancing. Greg and Natalie I had high expectations for and they delivered. I think he seemed a bit nervous but honestly they were only there in the opening and a little at the end. The choreo was solid and costumes were terrible in my opinion but other than that I love this dance and pairing. I was hoping that they would show Anastasia and Brendan to be honest….I think that’s the comedy pairing of the season (and by comedy pairing I mean can dance but personality will overshadow it)
Loved Oksana and Robert!
THANK you! I thought Ore’s dancing was pretty stellar for week 1, (little straight-legged but how much can you honestly expect) but what the hell was Joanne thinking? I WANT to like her so badly but that was a bad start. If he dances as well as I think he can they will have plenty of time to explore various characters. For now, just do Tango! I liked their song but I get how it’s a bit softer than your typical Tango, bit the basic Tango work they did worked well for it, so just do that! Interesting to me though that Kellie and Kevin (wtf is Kevin planning with those costumes) did an equally time-wasting Tango in week 1 last year and got off Scot-free. Fyi I only gave 6s and 7s last night. 6 to Laura, Naga, Lesley and 7 to Ore, Rob and Greg. As it happens the male celebs beat the females for me last night, and I thought the standard was remarkably consistent. Hoping to see more of a range of abilities tonight.
I think they picked the right couples to start this series off because none of them, not even Lesley, were too terrible and seem to have SOME promise.
I really like Laura as she seems to be a bit of a natural mover and has good rhythm. Her and Giovanni make a striking pair and overall I enjoyed her first dance a lot. She could be a contender.
Naga’s dance was actually one of my top favorites from the night simply because I was not expecting her to be tht elegant. Sure her footwork was, well, not great.. but she has such an elegant and beautiful presence that drew me in. If she can let her guard down and really let loose, she’d go a bit far.
Judge Rinder was a hoot. I had a feeling he wasn’t gonna be terrible and he definitely wasn’t. Just needs a lot of polishing and refinement but the man has personality for days.. which might get him far into the competition (if he doesn’t start to suck)
Lesley was a pleasent surprise.. I was preparing for the worst but it was actually quite cute and endearing. I would blame her weird frame on the height difference but I’m thinking that’s probably not the case.. Idk how far she’d make it but it seems like she won’t be all that bad to watch dance 🙂 Here’s hoping..
Ok.. I like Ore and all but his dance was not all that great for me. I guess I could blame the choreography but to be honest he didn’t really look that good to me either. I suppose there is some potential in him but I’ll have to see him do another dance. I would also blame the song for the over-the-top bubbly performance but I’m pretty sure Noah Galloway and Sharna danced a Tango to that same song and they made it work extremely well and managed to keep it serious as opposed to the colorful mess Joanne made.
Greg is awesome and the dude seems to be havig a blast. I also didn’t really get the high praise for his Jive because it really was very stompy and flat footed, but he did have loads of infectuous energy. He’ll take Natalie far.
Can’t wait for tonight’s show.. specially my favorites, Danny and Oti. Also looking forward to Claudia and A.J. who are probably going to kill it. Louise and Kevin in the sailor outfits already annoyed me (whyyyy coatumes on the first week??? no thank you).
Thanks, All. What “stellar dances” indeed M8. And the costumes…wow! I should have known SCD would pull me again. Ok, so, I just watched the dances at You Tube.
Laura & Giovanni – Wow! This girl really has it. She was so cute and entertaining. She had so much fun out there. Her footwork could have been a little faster in places, but, super first dance. I was impressed!
Naga and Pasha – Beautiful glides…but, I didn’t feel she was into it all as much as she could be. She needs to work on her expressions. I hope she can relax and get more into it next week.
Judge and Oksana – First of all, it’s so good to see Oksana again. I’ve always loved her hair when she dances. As for the dance….I just loved it. He was having so much fun and he made me smile and giggle through out the dance. I really look forward to seeing how far they go.
Lesley and Anton – There was some stiffness which might hinder her dances every week, but, I loved her glides. A beautiful and elegant first dance.
Ore and Joanne – Man, it took them so long getting into the tango, but, once they did, it was fun. They have a lot to work on though. It was almost like they were trying too hard. It also needed more polished.
Greg and Natalee – I agree with Cids…I hope he can work on his toes. But, they came our furious and they had a blast. Like Vin, I liked the choreo too. I loved some of the tricks too.
So, from this bunch, Laura & Giovanni is my fave so far!! I loved Judge and Oksana too.
I’ve a feeling I won’t be liking Ore all that much. Some people (on Digital Spy, that is) saw Rinder coming across as fake, but to me Ore came across way more insincere. And what is it with already summoning his wife, who looks exactly like Joanne? To give the impression that they had a threesome afterwards? Gee.
Also, I noticed his wedding ring no less than five times last night. Why would anyone go the Tom Chambers route, I’ll never know.
Anyway, the other three dances:
– I’m surprised, Laura’s dance was fun! It’s a much better first showing than Georgia to me, now I’m looking forward to see her going from there. Giovanni kind of overdanced though, and while her dress looks surprisingly pretty despite the hideous amount of long fringe, doesn’t look very practical as it seems to get caught on multiple places. But on the dancing alone, I’m sold.
– Naga’s Waltz was okay, but I was rather impressed with Lesley’s, so the latter’s Ballroom was indeed my favourite of the night. Her footwork was messy, she doesn’t exactly exudes energy (even in a Waltz) and for some reason I don’t see Pasha being too invested in their partnership thus far. It’s a bit boring overall, although thanks for Joanne creating such crap of a choreography it’s not my least favourite dance of the night.
– Rinder was one of my three pre-show favourites (with Greg and Will) and it’s always an amazing feeling when your pre-show favs didn’t disappoint when they perform. Less camp and more polishing and he could go far. On a personal level they kinda suffered in dancing to “Mercy”, because Jennifer Grey did the finest Cha-cha I’ve ever seen on DWTS to that song, but like Laura, his dancing’s hard to fault. Great entertainment.
The other nine couples in a hour and a half! Claudia mentioned something about a female celeb doing backflips in heels last night, which I doubt that’d be anyone but, well, Claudia the celeb.
Also, I know Len is leaving strictly and he is head judge but I’m hoping that Craig becomes the new head judge. He already is making the most sense to me this season with Darcy in second (which shocked me) then Bruno (who just would worry me as head judge of anything lol).
@daniel: I could totally see Anastasia doing that too since she can do a freaking split like nothing lol.
Three words…JUDGE FREAKING RINDER!
From what I’ve gotten text message wise from my friends and these are completely unedited and my favorite 10: 1)”Gorka is reason enough to vote for tameka. He is a star in the making.” 2)”Danny is a finalist pencil him in, bet money.” 3)”Daisy got a 9 in week one….no just no.” 4)”Kevin has the same outfit as the chocolate sailor from the grim adventures of bully and Mandy. Best partner he has had thus far.” 5)”Len has lost his mind. Danny gets the same score as Tameka. No just no”. 6)”Melvin reminds me of mark wright.” 7)”Anastasia is killing me. She is fun in Pamela Anderson and niecey Nash sorta way.” 8)”Brendan and her have killer chemistry….first time I’m ever voting for him and his weird laugh.” 9)I’m sorry but Ed looks like a kid on Christmas” (this was before he danced) 10)”Kevin looks very tall tonight. Those must be some shoes.”
Can’t wait to watch the dances on YouTube lol
My thoughts;
Danny was amazing, best dance of the night for me. The second best dance, to me, will be Louise’s Jive.
I liked Daisy’s dance but she didn’t deserved a 9 and Anastacia didn’t deserved the 8. I suppose they want her to last.
Ed + Katya’s Waltz was charming but Oksana + Robert’s Cha Cha is my favorite! Elim’s start next week and I doubt Ed’s reputation will allow him to survive.
Great first week on strictly. After watching dwts the dances on screen seems so long. Anyway my early favorites are Danny- great dancer, Daisy – love ajiaz and the judge -fun.
I had a feeling Danny was gonna be good but man.. he blew me away. I’m so happy for Oti because she has a REAL contender this season and I think she and Danny can go far. By far my favorite (and probably the best) dance of both nights. I think his ballroom is gonna be even better and I can’t wait for his Viennese Waltz next week.
Also pleasantly surprised by Daisy who moved so very gracefully. Wouldn’t have given it a 9 though (wtf Len?) but she did an incredible job. Second favorite of the night.
And color me surprised.. Ed Balls wasn’t anywhere near “terrible”! His posture/frame looked really nice and the whole thing was kinda cute.
I wasn’t surprised with Louise because I think everyone knew she was gonna be amazing.. But she’s gonna have a some stiff competition.
I had high hopes for both Melvin and Claudia but I was underwhelmed. Melvin had zero hip action and the whole thing was kinda awkward. Probably my least favorite dance of both nights. Claudia wasn’t bad but it was too gimmicky and full of gymnastics things and then when she actually did some ChaCha it felt timid.. She definitely has to loosen up. Giving me “Alexandra Raisman” vibes…
Is it just me or was Anastacia not as good as the judges made her out to be? Same goes for Will Young… Anastacia’s personality is great though so extra points for her on that.
Tameka was fantastic, imo. She has some promise.. Can’t wait for her Charleston!
Overall this was an amazing first week of dances. No one really was that bad at all and everyone produced good dances. Next weekend is gonna be so much fun! My favorites as of now are Danny & Oti, Greg & Natalie, Laura & Giovanni, Daisy & Aljaz and Tameka & Gorka.
Well, Strictly Come Overmarking it is tonight then!
I mean, a 9 on the first week? Craig giving 8s to four people out of nine, in week one? I’d say the kindest the judges have been since series 6, and that series didn’t even have Alesha as a judge!
I don’t really mind though, at least the highest scores were given to the deserving celebs to top the board, although some are indeed head-scratching a bit. My thoughts:
– Louise is just lovely, no? Love seeing her more down to earth (unlike Kellie), seems warm and relatable (unlike Frankie) and could dance really well (unlike Susanna… for the most part). Lovely woman doing a lovely dance all around, is this a sign I’m actually warming up to Kevin? Ew, I hope not, but I do enjoy his work much, much more than the other Cliftons this week. Next week: me suddenly fancying Kevin.
– Melvin O’Doomed, indeed. The standard is high this year, even Ed did much better than I thought he’d be, so Melvin unfortunately did the worst overall for me. Barely any hips and Janette’s choreo still mostly focused on herself. Unless he delivered something akin to Jay’s Jive next week, he’s in a serious danger methinks.
– The 9 from Len is… interesting. It’s the first 9 in week one since Ricky Whittle’s Waltz all the way back there seven years ago (also given by Len). I’d still say Zoe’s Waltz was still the bestest first dance ever (that or Lisa Riley’s ultracamp Cha-cha), but that shouldn’t take away from Daisy’s Waltz, which is beautiful. Lovely all around, I just wish she wouldn’t have played the sob story in week one. Also, couldn’t they let Aljaz do something else in week one? Three Waltzes as the opening dance in four year is a bit repetitive, no?
– Danny is another one who’s pleasantly surprising me. He stroke every step like he should, the MJ moves were a nice touch and I can see him ending less than the finale now. And I sorta kinda hoping wants him to be there as well. As long as it brings a finale experience for Oti, I’m all for it. He got the Viennese Waltz for next week, btw.
– Eh, I’m not seeing Tameka as this hilarious, bright lady everyone else seems to see. I did enjoy their Paso though, even if I’m sick of hearing “El Gato Montes” already by now. Also LOL – Gorka’s English. It’s definitely worse than Giovanni last series. As I predicted they indeed go for the “I’m the Spanish hunk – let’s Paso first!” angle, and next week they have the Charleston.
– Anastacia is love, Anastacia is life. All the shady glances, her snarky comments, really hoping now that she’ll last all the way. Also, this quote: “If this all went wrong, it’s his fault” >>> anything anyone else said tonight. Her Cha-cha was overmarked though, an 8 for it Craig? She could move (thank goodness on that) and it’s very sultry, but she so clearly fucked up at one point and it’s a bit of a mess afterwards, yet you gave it two full points higher than Rinder. Hmm. Still love her though.
– I’m still amazed I liked what Ed Balls delivered as much as I did. He composed himself very well, he kept up and the extended posture was very nice. I’m not sold on Katya though – she overdanced like hell and her smile was frankly a bit terrifying. But he didn’t do the worst by any means.
– Holy mother of God who the heck chose that trousers for A.J.? I totally thought it’d burst open at any time back then. Claudia, on the other hand, was a bit underwhelming overall. The backflip and cartwheel were nothing more than a gimmick (Kara Tointon did a cartwheel too, in heels AND in a Ballroom frock, mind you), and A.J.’s choreo wasn’t very engaging, with lots of running around and pausing for gimmicks. She could be a middle out, actually.
– Oh @ the Cliftons opening and closing the show. Will is one of my pre-show favourite, but unlike Rinder, he didn’t do as good as I’d hoped he’d be. A majority of that lie on Karen – okay, I know I’ve said many times that I don’t like her, but really, her choreo mostly includes Will standing still while she’s doing everything, the theme was distracting, it broke the hold in the middle and it didn’t even have a proper finish pose. Don’t get why this is closing the show either.
So overall the standard is very nice this year, and even some of the more disappointing ones is likely bound to improve later on. Will be interesting to see how things fold up.
@CC – how would you rank all fifteen dances? Mine would be:
1. Louise’s Jive
2. Danny’s Cha-cha
3. Judge Rinder’s Cha-cha
4. Daisy’s Waltz
5. Laura’s Cha-cha
6. Greg’s Jive
7. Will’s Tango
8. Ed’s Waltz
9. Claudia’s Cha-cha
10. Tameka’s Paso
11. Anastacia’s Cha-cha
12. Lesley’s Waltz
13. Naga’s Waltz
14. Ore’s Tango
15. Melvin’s Cha-cha
I can’t believe I’m putting Ed higher than Claudia, but that’s how much I enjoyed the dances.
@Daniel
Oh boy that’s a tough one..
1) Danny & Oti
2) Daisy & Aljaz
3) Greg & Natalie (Might be bias because I love her but he has potential)
4) Louise & Kevin (Not a huge fan of them but the best Jive overall)
5) Judge Rinder & Oksana
6) Laura & Giovanni
7) Tameka & Gorka
8) Ed & Katya (Purely for exceeding my expectations)
9) Claudia & A.J
10) Anastacia & Brendan
11) Will & Karen
12) Naga & Pasha (Loved them last night but a bit forgettable now..)
13) Ore & Joanne
14) Lesley & Anton
15) Melvin & Janette
Ok so after watching the dances, these are my rankings: 1)will and Karen 2)Danny and oti 4)Greg and Natalie 5)Kevin and Louise 6)judge rinder and oksana 7)daisy and Aliaz and Claudia and a j (both were good not great) 8)tameka and gorka 9)Laura and Giovanni 10)Anastasia and Brendan 11)Naga and pasha 12)Lesley and Anton 13)ore and Joanne 14)Melvin and Jeanette 15)Ed and Katya
hit autocorrect before I could correct my numbers lol. I swear I can count lol.
Wow, wow, and wow! Night 2 was so good and the dances were as good or better than Night 1. Even Ed Balls didn’t suck.
The only thing that disturbed me a touch about this first weekend was the over-marking. A 9 for Daisy’s waltz? No. I’m not too worried about Craig’s 8s because he’ll turn on a dime and pull out a 3 next week for the same couple if he doesn’t like what they produce.
Best dance of the weekend: Danny and Oti (fab-u-lous)
Runners-up: Louise and Kevin.
The best thing for me is there’s not a single couple in this cast that I dislike. Time might change that, but at least they’re all starting out pleasant. Can’t wait for “It Takes Two” to kick off on Monday.
Now for the dances:
Louise/Kevin: Loved it. Neat, clean, precise, but with good performance quality. Loved her pointed feet. Only criticism: A little low energy. Louise is such a lovely, gentle lady. I think her ballroom will be sublime.
Melvin/Janette: Yeah, it wasn’t the best cha-cha in terms of hip action, but I loved their chemistry and the fun they brought to the dance. Melvin’s a good performer and has musicality. Hope these two bounce back with the judges next week.
Daisy/Aljaz: The dance seemed kind of short to me, but it was sweet and Daisy had a lot more grace and was less stiff than I thought she’d be. Overmarked (but I think they want Aljaz to stay in for a while).
Danny/Oti: Oh gods, I loved pretty much everything about this dance. They brought it all – choreogrpahy, technique, musicality, performance, chemistry. Fingers crossed they do as well in ballroom and the general audience gets behind them.
Tameka/Gorka: There wasn’t enough content in the choreography for me. A bit too camp. Tameka did a lot of skirt wafting. She definitely got the “character” of the dance and she moves well. Gorka’s a good looking dude and seems to be fun-loving. Want to see more substance from these two next week.
Anastacia/Brendan: I haven’t seen Brendan this happy since Sophie. At least right now he seems to be enjoying Anastacia’s personality. Hope that continues. Anastacia definitely can both dance and perform. In another year she could have been a contender. This year, not so sure.
Ed/Katya: He was more graceful than I expected, had a decent frame, kept in time with the music, and I even saw heel leads. I do wonder if this is as good as he’ll ever be becaus next week he’ll have Latin *and* less than a week to learn the routine.
Claudia/AJ: They’re very cute but very young, and it shows. She’s cute as a button, and I have no doubt Claudia can learn whatever choreo AJ gives her and perform it cleanly, but right now it’s all a bit mechanical. There needs to be a lot more performance quality and they need some chemistry between them as a couple. The height difference will be a challenge in ballroom.
Will/Karen: Will an excellent actor and will have no trouble getting the character of the dance. He’s unquestionably musical and had decent body control, clean footwork, and had the choreography. Definitel has potential, but if it was just about the dancing, I would not pencil him in for the finals just yet.
This could be a great series! Can’t wait to see how everyone handles the all-important second dance!
Really wish DWTS had choreo that was at Strictly’s level.
Oti and Dani’s performance was the best for me. Choreo was quite full on I couldn’t stop watching. I did see a similar step to Peta and Nyle’s cha cha.
Will and Karen’s Tango was just perfect for me. Like molten lava oozing into the ocean. Ok sorry for that analogy lol…but I didn’t expect to feel the heat from that dance.
Looks like we got a competitive series this time around.
Apples and oranges, EmnEm – and I’m really tired of the SCD fans making those sorts of comments on a DWTS BLOG. As I’ve said numerous times, the comparison doesn’t work and all it does is piss off some of us who don’t give a rat’s ass about SCD. Others have the luxury of not having to read all the SCD comments, but I do – so spare me.
ouch, lol.
tbh I’m not a SCD fan (but I’m getting there thanks to this blog)..have always been a DWTS fan.
I only found out SCD existed from reading comments on this site many DWTS seasons ago. I watch the youtube clips because I love ballroom dancing. But, now that I think of it I have said that at least once every season in the comments. Didn’t realize there were multiple comments like that.
You’ve been spared…for the future at least :p
Omg Danny and Oti delivered one of the best first dances ever. Great technique,footwork… Just need to watch his left arm, but, man, the guy can dance.
Also loved Judge and Oksana. So fun and energetic.
These two girls gave no easy choreography… Loved it.
Soooooo good watch longer dances (compared to nowadays’ dwts)…
Thanks so much, Everyone. Too fun. I’m having DWTSRussia flashbacks with this first week. They are able to take you to another period in time so well. The production and costumes were breathtaking.
Danny and Oti – Wow, what a super first dance. Excellent choreo. Loved every bit of it!
Daisy and Aljaz – From the production to the dance, just beautiful, elegant, and full of romance. She was like Cinderella and he was Prince Charming. They whisked me away to another time.
Melvin and Janette – There were a lot issues and he could have been faster in places, but, he was having a blast out there. I loved his smile and spirit.
Louise and Kevin – Omg, just excellent. I loved everything about it. Her footwork was spot on and she was loving every minute out there.
Tameka and Gorka – Her timing was off and it felt stiff a few times, but, she gave it her all and I loved how she embraced her character. Lady in red!
Anastacia & Brendan She was nervous, there were mistakes, and she needs a lot of work, but, my goodness, I about died when she did the splits.
Ed and Katya – Awww I loved them. He was so charming out there. They too took me back to another period of time.
Claudia and AJ – She got lost several times, but wow, to all of their energy and tricks. They are very showy. Loved them.
Will and Karen – You could tell he was fighting his nerves, but, great first dance. I loved how he got into character. When and if he can really let loose, he might be a strong contender.
Just watched both shows last night. Some stand outs to me were Danny, Ore, and Laura, although many others did well too. I don’t think anyone was too bad – even Ed and Lesley were pretty enjoyable. I thought Greg was overscored, Laura could have gotten a tad higher if she hadn’t gone first, and Joanne threw in a heck load of time wasting hocus pocus that made me recall several boring Val routines. Claudia unfortunately didn’t meet my expectations but damn AJ is so freaking cute (and within my age range LOL). I’m trying to decide if I like Danny or Nyle’s CBTO Cha Cha more…
I think Joanne is the perfect example of the “you can be a great dancer, but that doesn’t necessarily makes you a great choreographer” prophecy. Every now and then each time I see someone defending her they go “JO CLIFTON IS PROBABLY THE TOP BALLROOM DANCER STRICTLY EVER HAD!!!” – yeah lol she might be a fabulous dancer but a great choreographer she is not.
Week 2 dances and songs!
Anastacia and Brendan will be dancing the Salsa to ‘Sax’ by Fleur East
Claudia and AJ will be dancing the Waltz to ‘You Light Up My Life’ by Whitney Houston
Daisy and Aljaz will be dancing the Cha Cha to ‘Forget You’ by Cee-Lo Green
Danny and Oti will be dancing the Viennese Waltz to ‘Never Tear Us Apart’ by INXS
Ed and Katya will be dancing the Charleston to ‘The Banjo’s Back in Town’ by Alma Cogan
Greg and Natalie will be dancing the Tango to ‘Jump’ by Van Halen
Judge Rinder and Oksana will be dancing the American Smooth to ‘Marvin Gaye’ by Charlie Puth ft. Meghan Trainor
Laura and Giovanni will be dancing the Waltz to ‘If I Ain’t Got You’ by Alicia Keys
Lesley and Anton will be dancing the Cha Cha to the Pussycat Dolls’ version of ‘Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps’
Louise and Kevin will be dancing the Viennese Waltz to the kd lang version of ‘Hallelujah’
Melvin and Janette will be dancing the Tango to ‘Moving On Up’ by M People
Naga and Pasha will be dancing the Cha Cha to ‘Fool In Love’ by Tina Turner
Ore and Joanne will be dancing the Cha Cha to ‘Hot Stuff’ by Donna Summer
Tameka and Gorka will be dancing the Charleston to ‘Yes Sir, That’s My Baby’ to Firehouse Five Plus Two
Will and Karen will be dancing the Jive to ‘Rock Around The Clock’ by Bill Haley & His Comets
That’s still a bit too much Cha-cha for me to handle, couldn’t one or two of those be given Salsa anyway? Nice selection of songs by the way, especially Will. Again, unless Melvin deliver something on the level of Sophie’s Charleston or Jake’s Salsa, he’s my bet for the toast, with Naga in the dance-off.
Also, isn’t the purpose of doing two dances before eliminating the first couple is to showcase them in both Latin and Ballroom? Then why does Anastacia got to do another Latin, it’s Holly Valance all around again. Tameka didn’t do a Ballroom last week either, but at least she didn’t get another straight-up Party Latin this week.
Awesome. Thanks Daniel!