‘Strictly Come Dancing’ The Best And The Worst, Dances For Week One – By Nathan
Nathan has written a new “Strictly Come Dancing” blog for us! He picks his “best of” and “worst of” dances on the show. For those who follow the show, let us know if you agree or disagree. Nathan also tells us the dances and songs for Week One!! Exciting. Be sure to tune in on Friday and Saturday if interested. Times below. THANKS NATHAN!!
Blog 3: The Best and Worse
by Nathan
Hi again folks. Sorry for my blank last week. Let’s just say personal problems have got in the way as of late and I have had some unsettling news, but onwards and upwards.
To get you all to look forward to Week 1 on Friday and Saturday, I thought I would do the best and worse routines ever in every dance style. So, lots and lots of YouTube videos to watch over the next few days.
I won’t offer in depth analysis I will just let the dances do all the talking.
-
Ballroom Dances
Waltz
BEST
Abbey and Aljaz
Simon and Kristina
WORSE
Nancy and Anton – HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Viennese Waltz
BEST
Alesha and Matthew
Sophie and Brendan
WORSE
Judy and Anton
Foxtrot
BEST
Lisa and Brendan
Ricky and Natalie
WORSE
Richard and Erin
Quickstep
BEST
Ricky and Natalie
Chelsee and Pasha
WORSE
Kate and Anton
Tango
BEST
Kimberley and Pasha
Rachel and Vincent
Jason and Kristina
WORSE
Joe and Kristina
- Latin
Cha Cha Cha
BEST
Caroline and Pasha
Alesha and Matthew
Ricky and Natalie
WORSE
Quentin and Hazel -This is a classic it got 8 points out of 40 and got two 1s
Samba
BEST
Zoe and Ian
Matt and Aliona
Jake and Janette -YES THE MACARENA
WORST
Ann and Anton
Rumba
BEST
Kara and Artem
Rachel and Vincent
WORST
Ann and Anton
Jive
Jill and Darren
Scott and Natalie
WORST
Michael and Natalie
Paso Doble
BEST
Chelsee and Pasha
Cassidy and Natalie – He was an amputee on the Peoples Strictly
Susanna and Kevin
Frankie and Kevin
Austin and Erin
WORST
Ann and Anton
-
Other Dances
American Smooth
BEST
Kara and Artem
Holly and Artem
Kelly and Brendan
WORST
Ann and Anton
Salsa
BEST
Jake and Janette
Mark and Karen
WORST
Nancy and Anton
Charleston
BEST
Denise and James
Sophie and Brendan
Chris and Ola
Kimberley and Pasha
WORST
Tony and Aliona
Argentine Tango
BEST
Ricky and Natalie
Rachel and Vincent
Harry and Aliona
Mark and Karen
WORST
Tina and Jared
Colin and Kristina
So, I hope you enjoyed looking through the videos. These are purely my opinion. Those who have watched Strictly Come Dancing before, we’d love to hear your opinion also. Let us know in comments.
I also will tag in what the Dances are for Week 1 and they are:
Ainsley and Natalie will be Tangoing to Voulez Vous by ABBA
Anita and Gleb will be performing the Cha Cha to ‘Rather Be’ by Clean Bandit
Anthony and Oti will be Jiving to ‘Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go’ by Wham!
Carol and Pasha will be performing the Cha Cha to ‘Thunder in My Heart’ by Leo Sayer
Daniel and Kristina will be Waltzing to ‘When Irish Eyes Are Smiling’ by Bing Crosby
Georgia and Giovanni will be Jiving to ‘Dear Future Husband’ by Meghan Trainor
Helen and Aljaž will be Waltzing to ‘With You I’m Born Again’ by Billy Preston and Syreeta Wright
Iwan and Ola will be Tangoing to ‘Keep on Running’ by Spencer Davis Group
Jamelia and Tristan will be Waltzing to ‘Do Right Woman, Do Right Man’ by Aretha Franklin
Jay and Aliona will be performing the Cha Cha to ‘Reach Out, I’ll Be There’ by Human Nature
Jeremy and Karen will be performing the Cha Cha to ‘September’ by Earth, Wind and Fire
Katie and Anton will be Jiving to ‘Roll Over Beethoven’ by Chuck Berry
Kellie and Kevin will be Tangoing to ‘You Really Got Me’ by The Kinks
Kirsty and Brendan will be Waltzing to ‘Vincent’ by Don McLean
Peter and Janette will be performing the Cha Cha to ‘Aint No Other Man’ by Christina Aguilera
Obligatory reminder of times:
Week 1 Show 1
Friday 25th September
9 BST, 4 ET, 3 CT, 2 MT, 1 PT
Week 1 Show 2
Saturday 26th September
6:15 BST, 1:15 ET, 12:15 CT, 11:15 MT, 10:15 PT
Keeeeeep Dancing and see you lot Friday
Well you know how much I hated Jake, but I’m not even going to try to question your inclusion of his dances in best Samba and Salsa. I will ask if you really think his Argentine was better than Tina’s or Colin’s? For me even without the massive mistake it was way below par: soft, boring and under-characterised. I think Holly and especially Pixie deserved to be in best Paso, and Dani Harmer should probably have been in best Argentine Tango. I’m a little incredulous that Pixie freakin’ Lott doesn’t feature anywhere on your best dances, while Frankie Valium and the Four Snoozes does, but again those are just my opinions.
Thanks for the songs and dances, I was on the Strictly website earlier and missed that, but I’d guessed the dances from rehearsal footage and was spot on. The only great songs are Ainsley’s and Kirsty’s, but I think Georgia could be our best dancer (major Natalie Gumede flashbacks) and that Jeremy, Carole and Daniel are easily the weakest.
I’m sorry, but Jake should be nowhere near this list. His technique was really not good. Yes, he did some crazy moves and lifts, but that’s not really what dancing is about to me.
I’d agree with Mr A and say Pixie should definitely be up there among the best, particularly for her Paso and Samba.
I’d also put Kelly Brook up into the best for the jive, hers was a beautiful, traditional dance.
Also, Mr. A, I’d say Helen George is giving me more ringer vibes than Georgia. Especially after she was revealed as being skilled in a few forms of dance on her CV. Not that I’d hold it against her though, I like celebrities who can dance well.
Yeah, Helen hasn’t even tried to hide her dance credentials, which is interesting. She’s certainly looking good, but I think from the rehearsal footage Georgia could easily give her a run for her money, as could Kirsty and Peter.
Hi Nathan,
Welcome back and I am so sorry for your unsettling news. Hope things are better and thank you once again for your generous act of blogging for us.
Since this is my first year with Strictly I will rely on your educated opinions.
TY
Nathan, sorry things are rocky for you personally just now. Best of luck to you.
You’re brave to undertake a best/worst list because at the end of the day, those are such relative terms. You’ll never get us to agree with all of them However, we can be civil and agree to disagree over some.
I wouldn’t have put Jake on either the best or worst lists. I enjoyed one or two of his performances, but he wasn’t “best list” material for me. On the other hand, I would have put Harry and Aliona’s Quickstep on the Best list. I also thought Natalie and Artem’s Viennese Waltz on Halloween Week was gorgeous.
Very much looking forward to this season.
Thank you for compiling the list; and you are very brave as not everyone will agree with you. Looking forward to this week-end. I do notice that Anton appeared many times on the worse dance list. Is it him or the partners he gets. I understand he is like the “Tony” of Strictly in that his partners are skewed to the much older crowd…..
@Katy Both. Very much both. Anton does almost always get the worst partners, but it’s not like that’s wasting his extreme talent. He only does ballroom, and his Latin badly shows this. The last “good” partner they gave him was Laila Rouass about 6 years ago, and he got involved in a racism scandal and didn’t really let her live up to her full potential. That said, this year his partner looks good, and their first dance is a decent-looking Jive, so who knows.
Thanks for all of these videos Nathan. I’m relatively new to Strictly. I watched the past two seasons this summer. Love that you included Jake and Jannette’s Samba…I love that dance so much because they just went for it and they had tons of energy.
Also thank you for now introducing me to Ann Widdecombe. I really got a good laugh out of watching her performances!
What a shocking list of songs for the weekend. The only good song is Jay and Aliona’s.
Sorry Nathan but I would agree with most of the comments that Jake should not be in the list. His technique is not good. His movements are not polished. The only thing that made them look good is Janette’s choreography especially the tricks. When he is doing his lifts, he is so shaky.
I would include Pixie and Trent’s warrior Paso and Carmen Miranda inspired samba on the list. That was totally awesome. I also liked Caroline and Pasha’s Istambul Charleston and the contemporary freestyle. I love Kimberly and Pasha’s Chacha Tango Fusion. The transitions between the two styles are effortless and the choreography switches from one to the other (Like Derek Hough’s fusion dances).
Anyhow, thank you for the updates especially the dances. Im looking forward to Anita and Gleb, Jay and Alliona, Jamilla and Tristan and Peter and Janette the most.
Good post Nathan!
I have only been religiously watching Strictly since Series 9, so I can’t comment much on any dances prior to 2011.
I would say that Harry and Aliona’s Quickstep is one of the best I have seen. Honestly it looks like two profressionals dancing (even more so in his Finale Quickstep). Still the best QS I have seen on any dance show.
I wasn’t a fan of Natalie and Artem but I will admit that their ChaChaCha was VERY good (the finale one, that is).
In the PasoDoble I would also include Pixie and Trent.. it was AMAZING.
For the American Smooth and Charleston? Also Harry and Aliona for me – they killed those two dances. His American Smooth makes me teary eyed to this day. And thank you for including Sophie and Brendan on the Charleston.. such an awesome and fun dance. It was Week 2 and she danced it like it was the final.
The strictly dances have so much content! I love it
Why is Trent not a pro this season? I enjoyed his dances with Pixie. Also do you think Artem regrets leaving strictly? After watching some of the dances you posted here with Artem I watched some more on youtube and he had some great partners and beautiful dances.
Yay, finally a post for each dances! Thanks for making this Nathan!
That said, I largely disagree with your choices lol, but hey, to each his own. I don’t dislike Jake as many here do, but I no longer feel he should be top 3 of last season. I started watching Strictly since series 5, but I’ve only tuned in regularly since series 8/9, though I’ve tried to keep up with the older series as well.
I don’t really remember who did the worst dances (except when it’s becoming a trademark, a la Quentin Wilson or Ann Widdecombe), so my picks are only for the best ones.
1. Cha-cha-cha
Best of the Best: Alesha Dixon
Runners-up: Ricky Whittle, Austin Healey, Lisa Snowdon (both times)
2. Jive
Best of the Best: Kelly Brook (yup, it’s not St. Jill of Halfpenny’s)
Runners-up: Scott Maslen, Chelsee Healey, Jill Halfpenny
3. Samba (one of only two dances without a perfect score so far)
Best of the Best: Zoe Ball
Runners-up: Jade Johnson, Pixie Lott, Matt Baker
4. Rumba (another one that hasn’t had a perfect score) (AKA THE RACHEL AND VINCENT FOREVER 39-SCORING DANCE)
Best of the Best: Cherie Lunghi
Runners-up: Just pick one of the many times Rachel Stevens did this and STILL get 39 on each occasion.
5. Paso Doble
Best of the Best: Kevin Clifton (it’s HIS dance, right? Susanna who?)
Runners-up: Denise Van Outen, Pixie Lott
So the women stomps on all Latin dances for me. Let’s see how it turns out for the Ballroom:
1. Waltz
Best of the Best: Gethin Jones
Runners-up: Lisa Snowdon, Alesha Dixon, Matt Dawson
2. Foxtrot
Best of the Best: Lisa Snowdon
Runners-up: Tom Chambers, Simon Webbe, Gethin Jones
3. Viennese Waltz
Best of the Best: Kara Tointon
Runners-up: Pixie Lott, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Lisa Snowdon
4. Tango
Best of the Best: Denise Van Outen
Runners-up: Kimberley Walsh, Jason Donovan, Kelly Brook
5. Quickstep
Best of the Best: Harry Judd
Runners-up: Ricky Whittle, Lisa Snowdon (semi final), Colin Jackson
Well the men tried, but the women still had it for me in the end. I’ve always preferred the female celebs on Strictly anyway. I’ll add the other dances later on.
Loving your comments and choices, Everyone! You’ve got me more curious than ever on this show and the Pros. And it’s ok to disagree too as we all have different likes and dislikes.
Also, here is a new post to review today and tomorrow’s shows and dances in which includes the times and some Live Streams if you need them:
https://www.puredwts.com/2015/09/25/watch-strictly-come-dancing-week-1-with-gleb-savchenko-tristan-macmanus-and-more-friday-and-saturday/
So excited. Thanks to all of you. This is going to be a fun season.
Ok, I’m having the time to add the other dances now:
1. American Smooth
Best of the Best: Colin Jackson
Runners-up: Natalie Gumede, Holly Valance, Kelly Brook, Abbey Clancy, Gethin Jones (yup five runners-up instead of three here)
2. Salsa
Best of the Best: Matt Ramprakash
Runners-up: Ali Bastian, Matt DiAngelo, Kara Tointon
3. Argentine Tango
Best of the Best: Rachel Stevens
Runners-up: Ricky Whittle, Natalie Gumede, Harry Judd
4. Charleston
Best of the Best: Sophie Ellis-Bextor
Runners-up: Denise Van Outen, Ali Bastian, Chris Hollins
Sorry for the typo there. It’s Mark, not Matt Ramprakash lmao.