Ever get the feeling that sometimes you can have more style than substance?
I quite enjoyed the atmosphere of Strictly’s foray into Wembley, but not one of the dances actually made me go ‘wow!’ When you go for glitter and thrills on a large scale there’s always the danger that it may feel overstretched. I think the problem on Saturday was that hardly any of the dances felt suitable to the large arena the celebs and dancers were presented with.
Take Harry’s Salsa, for example. Nice lifts, I have to admit it. Not that I am a fan of lifts in the salsa, because it makes it feel like a glorified show dance. Personally, I thought the routine had hardly any salsa in it at all, but when you are hamstringed by using a music track that is as Latin American as a croissant, you’re on a sticky wicket from the start. Despite the fact that I didn’t really enjoy it that much I could see why Aliona went for those wonderful lifts: when you have an arena to play to you have to catch the audience’s attention. Salsa’s a party dance, but it’s usually also pretty contained and not really suited to the bigger stage. I can’t really criticise her decisions. I thought that what Harry did dance he did very well indeed, albeit it possibly without the required amount of snake-hipped fluidity need for the Salsa.
Robbie, I felt, was one of the poorer dancers on the night even although the energy he always puts into his dances is amazing. He opened the show; he played to the crowd and received a standing ovation into the bargain. Just a pity he didn’t actually dance that well. Like Harry, Robbie’s Salsa suffered from the same problems. Not enough Salsa content. Unlike Harry his lifts didn’t go quite as well, and the leapfrog move over Ola looked more than a bit dodgy. When Ola decides to wheel out her tried and tested weapon – the cat suit – you know it’s time to worry. A tactical plea for votes? The cynic in me did wonder!
Anita always looks like she’s enjoying herself and I think that is the secret to her success: she will most likely sweep up the casual voters with her sense of fun and bubbly performances, who may well be prepared to overlook her lack of technical prowess or her posture issues. Her samba was almost a direct representation of her faults and her assets, in that it exposed all the weaknesses that she possesses in a way that some of the other dances did not, but also highlighted her sheer joie de vivre. In a way I think the smaller studio would have suited this dance better, as the samba needs to travel around the floor to look at its best, and you’re always going to be swallowed up in a cavernous arena like Wembley. I can only imagine Anita has another week or two at best in terms of remaining on the show, so it was at least great to see her still enjoying every moment of the experience, even if ‘Come On Eileen’ ranks as one of the most head-scratching choices for a Samba in the show’s 9 series history...
Alex, ironically, seemed to thrive in the arena. The Tango always seems quite dramatic and contained, and so they stuck to a smaller area without looking like a couple of goldfish in a bowl. Certainly it worked for them, and as a result she and James picked up their first 9s of the series for what was a dramatic and passionate dance. At times I wish Alex had expressed this a little more in her face, but the footwork was good, her acting was subtly haughty, and they well deserved to be in that joint top position on the board. I bet they never thought for a moment that they would ever achieve that when they started this series!
Chelsee managed to strut her stuff and shake her necessary bits in her samba without ever looking lost and overwhelmed by the vast space around her. It wasn’t her best dance by any means but she managed to look confident, and the solo spot at the start showed she could work the audience on her own, which is no easy feat. I’m not sure how much self-belief Chelsee actually has but she usually manages to turn it on for show night, which is a huge asset. If you can survive a space like Wembley and the many more thousands watching you perform live, the intimacy of the BBC studios should be a doddle.
Jason’s Jive felt slightly overwhelmed, like Harry’s Salsa and Anita’s Samba. Everyone was bigging up the dance before hand on ITT, saying it would rival Jill’s iconic Jive (the music for which was pinched and used for Harry’s Salsa – a most unsuitable track if you’ll permit me to say), and that it would surely pick up 10s. The anticipation for the performance was immense.
And who’s to say it wouldn’t have got 10s? Once again Kristina showed why she’s an exceptional choreographer when given a partner she doesn’t have to disguise by highlighting herself to cover celeb shortcomings. All was going quite smoothly until the last third of the dance, where Jason ended up on the wrong foot and basically hopped up and down on one leg like a man with a mousetrap stuck to his big toe until he caught Kristina up again! Unintentionally hilarious: I laughed like a drain whilst feeling a tad sorry for Jason’s obvious disappointment at stuffing up an otherwise good performance. But, that’s live TV for you – you can never tell what’s going to go wrong.
I can’t say I enjoyed Holly’s dance. I’m not sure why: for me the choreography seemed overcomplicated and finicky. At times Holly struggled to keep up with Artem in their Quick Step. Possibly it was a little too swift! Slightly ragged and scrappy, Holly looked as if she was struggling pretty much throughout. It’s such a shame, really, as Holly does have the ability to do well but she is so inconsistent that you never quite know what you are going to get with her.
Then of course, there’s Russell. His ambition was to get to Wembley: and he managed his dream! Fired out of a canon at the start of the routine, jiving to ‘Reach For The Stars’ when finally finding his feet again...could you think of a better way for Russell to bow out of the show?
Unfortunately for Russell that’s exactly what he did, but he didn’t look too sad about it, and in fact appeared to accept that it was his time to leave. Holly, in the bottom two with Russell, didn’t look very surprised to find herself where she did. She was in that dreaded danger zone on the board, and the predicted backlash to Anita being in that position the week before meant that many people must have picked up the phone to keep her in, this sealing Holly’s fate into the bargain. Maybe it will give her some determination to go out there and dance her socks off (and give her a well-meaning boot up the arse at the same time).
He’s been a good sport, has Russell, and as enthusiastic as anyone I’ve seen over the last 8 years or so. It was lovely to see such a fabulous partnership with Flavia. It’ll be strange not to see Russell there next week, looking all shiny and smiley, like the Mister Men’s Mr Happy in a giant, gold tuxedo. But in some ways Russell’s departure feels like a watershed. Now the contest hots up. The serious contenders are all there at the sharp end.
Who will go next week? Will the public continue to keep Anita in? Will Robbie have the fan base to see him safe? Will Alex find herself slipping into the danger area of the board? Or will it be a shock result?
With so many celebs at the same level, pretty much anything goes from this point on!
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