So happy for Susanna & Kevin would have liked to see that but glad they were runners up in the afternoon.
I was surprised by Nicky too (wasn't a fan of his last year) his AT was really rather good.
I agree Deborah & Ben were both pretty bad.
Hayley & Tommy the singers are both amazing & great to see them all featured more.
The group dance to Annie's Song was absolutely lovely & it was fantastic to see Natalie Lowe back.
I was front row (went alone) & my trip was made by sitting next to a six year old girl & her Dad who have started watching Strictky together for the very first time this year (Dad was obviously thrilled to be bonding with his little girl) she was in a lovely sparkly dress & was enthrallled by it all especially as we were sitting by a gap where the dancers kept going on & off the floor & they kept giving her a wave. My biggest regret this year was no pro group number in beautiful long ballroom dresses (that's Craig & Jason for you) imagine the little girls face if she had seen Natalie Lowe in her dress that lit up with lights underneath a few years ago.
Although I really enjoyed it I felt it was a bit more low key than in some years there was no warm up man which I think was a mistake as it took a while for everyone to get going.
Marks had his hair cut & is looking very suave
Susanna is tiny in the flesh & looked a completely normal colour
Iveta sang !!!!!!!!!!!!! & said she was going to crush Craig.
About Abbeys QS I don't think they scould have done it as there was a massive raised stage in the middle of the dance floor & I felt their QS suffered because of it I think their waltz would have been better.
So happy for Susanna & Kevin would have liked to see that but glad they were runners up in the afternoon.
I was surprised by Nicky too (wasn't a fan of his last year) his AT was really rather good.
I agree Deborah & Ben were both pretty bad.
Hayley & Tommy the singers are both amazing & great to see them all featured more.
The group dance to Annie's Song was absolutely lovely & it was fantastic to see Natalie Lowe back.
I was front row (went alone) & my trip was made by sitting next to a six year old girl & her Dad who have started watching Strictky together for the very first time this year (Dad was obviously thrilled to be bonding with his little girl) she was in a lovely sparkly dress & was enthrallled by it all especially as we were sitting by a gap where the dancers kept going on & off the floor & they kept giving her a wave. My biggest regret this year was no pro group number in beautiful long ballroom dresses (that's Craig & Jason for you) imagine the little girls face if she had seen Natalie Lowe in her dress that lit up with lights underneath a few years ago.
Although I really enjoyed it I felt it was a bit more low key than in some years there was no warm up man which I think was a mistake as it took a while for everyone to get going.
Marks had his hair cut & is looking very suave
Susanna is tiny in the flesh & looked a completely normal colour
Iveta sang !!!!!!!!!!!!! & said she was going to crush Craig.
About Abbeys QS I don't think they scould have done it as there was a massive raised stage in the middle of the dance floor & I felt their QS suffered because of it I think their waltz would have been better.
Artem is an audience tart lol. He knows exactly how to play the crowd running down the side of the audience touching hands. He & Natalir did their WV second half. Len moaned a bit about wafting but gave it a 10.
Nicky & Karen did Charleston second half & I was amazed how many crystals showered off her dress as she danced.
Now seen the perfect Salsa live & still don't get it, fun dance worth a good score but nothing special.
Thanks for the report Jan - it sounds like a great show.:D
Wow, Natalie and Artem are doing well, aren't they? It's nice to see a Suzanna and Kevin win in there too, so just hope some of the others can also get a win. How lovely would it be to see Mark and Iveta lift the glitterball?:)
Just got back from the Birmingham show. It was FAB-U-LOUS.
Talk about feelgood factor, I never stopped smiling all afternoon. I felt I had finally been invited to that wonderful party that is Strictly.
The main thing I noticed that is missing from the TV Show was being able to watch everyone's footwork without the camera suddenly moving to another shot.
Everyone gave a great performance and I think Mark was the audience favourite today. He was brilliant. Great to see Susanna and Kevin's Paso again.
I went to the NIA on Friday night and wow, what a show! from start to finish, it was spectacular - the ONLY thing I would change is Lisa Riley - sorry, I really cant stand her >:(
The pro dances are, as always, spectacular, the groups dances are amazing too - although its a shame that poor Natalie Lowe seems to be an afterthought in some of the dances
Hayley (for me) is the standout singer, man she can belt out a tune! Tommy singing for the VW was beautiful too - no idea who the 5th blonde singer is but I didnt feel she was needed and she didnt add anything to the tour
Nicky Byrne surprised me - I didnt think he was that good when he participated in the show but he was really good! Deborah was really poor, Bens lifts in his salsa were impressive and his AS was quite good but there is just something lacking in him for me - dunno what! Natalie did her jive and whilst it was good she certainly aint no Jill Halfpenny! Mark and Iveta were brilliant, Mark is a comedy genious and you cannot help but smile when he is on the dancefloor, Susanna - I was completely underwheled with both her dances tbh and it was a complete joy to see Abbey's quickstep! brilliant dance, loved her salsa too
Iveta singing is also a highlight
Brilliant show from start to finish and if anyone hasnt got tickets but are thinking about getting some - DO IT!!
Deborah - Quickstep: 19, Cha Cha Cha: 19 = 38/60
Ben - American Smooth: 24, Salsa: 23 = 47/60
Susanna - Paso: 29, Foxtrot: 28 = 57/60
Mark - Salsa: 16, Cha Cha Cha: 17 = 33/60
Natalie - Jive: 30, Viennese Waltz: 30 = 60/60
Nicky - AT: 27, Charleston: 28 = 55/60
Abbey - Quickstep: 30, Salsa: 30 = 60/60
When the couples were dancing, Lisa just sat on a chair at the side reading her script.
Lots of funny moments tonight, but Kevin literally on his knees begging for votes so that his mom in Grimsby would be happy was just brilliant.
Nicky was surprisingly good, neither Deborah or Ben looked good, and Artem was completely outdancing Natalie in their Jive. Susanna's Paso was even better in the flesh.
The music was extremely loud and you could hardly hear the singers at times, and the lights during Abbey's Salsa kept getting in some people's eyes. The group dances were good, although I did feel sorry for poor Nat Lowe, sometimes just moving around the singers before getting to the raised platform with the rest of them.
Susanna & Kevin won, with Natalie & Artem the runners-up. Nicky went over to hug a fan towards the end (thought that was really nice of him).
So glad I went tonight, it was absolutely brilliant
- The 5th singer (the blonde one who does the main part of the opening number) is called Rietta. She doesn't sing much during the first half of the show.
- Tommy singing 'Annie's Song' was brilliant. He actually got some praise for that (think it was from Lisa but might have been one of the judges)
- Whoever was singing Ben's Salsa number (think the song is called 'Too Hot to Handle') had a nightmare. I don't know whether the music was too loud, whether his mike wasn't working, or a combo of the two, but you could hardly hear any of the words.
- Hayley was generally great, she did have a few 'screeches' though.
- The rendition of 'Toxic' that the singers do at the end is actually the Glee version. If you listen to the music that's on just before the show starts, there's another Glee song in there (Disco Inferno, sung by Amber Riley, who won DWTS)
- Some of the routines/outfits were a little different to how they were on the show. Abbey's Quickstep started in a different place, and it had a lift in towards the end of the routine. Natalie's VW dress was different (apparently it was her Waltz dress). Ben's AS had to be changed for obvious reasons, and Natalie's VW had more actual VW in.
Comments
I was surprised by Nicky too (wasn't a fan of his last year) his AT was really rather good.
I agree Deborah & Ben were both pretty bad.
Hayley & Tommy the singers are both amazing & great to see them all featured more.
The group dance to Annie's Song was absolutely lovely & it was fantastic to see Natalie Lowe back.
I was front row (went alone) & my trip was made by sitting next to a six year old girl & her Dad who have started watching Strictky together for the very first time this year (Dad was obviously thrilled to be bonding with his little girl) she was in a lovely sparkly dress & was enthrallled by it all especially as we were sitting by a gap where the dancers kept going on & off the floor & they kept giving her a wave. My biggest regret this year was no pro group number in beautiful long ballroom dresses (that's Craig & Jason for you) imagine the little girls face if she had seen Natalie Lowe in her dress that lit up with lights underneath a few years ago.
Although I really enjoyed it I felt it was a bit more low key than in some years there was no warm up man which I think was a mistake as it took a while for everyone to get going.
Marks had his hair cut & is looking very suave
Susanna is tiny in the flesh & looked a completely normal colour
Iveta sang !!!!!!!!!!!!! & said she was going to crush Craig.
About Abbeys QS I don't think they scould have done it as there was a massive raised stage in the middle of the dance floor & I felt their QS suffered because of it I think their waltz would have been better.
I'm sure I will remember more
Anything about Artem????
Nicky & Karen did Charleston second half & I was amazed how many crystals showered off her dress as she danced.
Now seen the perfect Salsa live & still don't get it, fun dance worth a good score but nothing special.
Fri 17/1/14 winners natalie and artem r/u abbey and aljaz
Sat 18/1/14 matinee winners natalie and artem r/u suzanna and kevin
Sat 18/1/14 winners suzanna and kevin r/u natalie and artem
Sun 19/1/14 matinee winners natalie and artem not sure on runner up
Wow, Natalie and Artem are doing well, aren't they? It's nice to see a Suzanna and Kevin win in there too, so just hope some of the others can also get a win. How lovely would it be to see Mark and Iveta lift the glitterball?:)
Abbey and Aljaz were runners up this afternoon
Great idea, I am going to wem
I am going to Wembley on Tuesday.
Talk about feelgood factor, I never stopped smiling all afternoon. I felt I had finally been invited to that wonderful party that is Strictly.
The main thing I noticed that is missing from the TV Show was being able to watch everyone's footwork without the camera suddenly moving to another shot.
Everyone gave a great performance and I think Mark was the audience favourite today. He was brilliant. Great to see Susanna and Kevin's Paso again.
It's a ten from me.
The pro dances are, as always, spectacular, the groups dances are amazing too - although its a shame that poor Natalie Lowe seems to be an afterthought in some of the dances
Hayley (for me) is the standout singer, man she can belt out a tune! Tommy singing for the VW was beautiful too - no idea who the 5th blonde singer is but I didnt feel she was needed and she didnt add anything to the tour
Nicky Byrne surprised me - I didnt think he was that good when he participated in the show but he was really good! Deborah was really poor, Bens lifts in his salsa were impressive and his AS was quite good but there is just something lacking in him for me - dunno what! Natalie did her jive and whilst it was good she certainly aint no Jill Halfpenny!
Iveta singing is also a highlight
Brilliant show from start to finish and if anyone hasnt got tickets but are thinking about getting some - DO IT!!
Have a nice time! I am going to see it in leeds as well.
that makes 3 of us ....can't wait
so exited going tomorrow. Who is the presenter?
Lisa Riley
- The 5th singer (the blonde one who does the main part of the opening number) is called Rietta. She doesn't sing much during the first half of the show.
- Tommy singing 'Annie's Song' was brilliant. He actually got some praise for that (think it was from Lisa but might have been one of the judges)
- Whoever was singing Ben's Salsa number (think the song is called 'Too Hot to Handle') had a nightmare. I don't know whether the music was too loud, whether his mike wasn't working, or a combo of the two, but you could hardly hear any of the words.
- Hayley was generally great, she did have a few 'screeches' though.
- The rendition of 'Toxic' that the singers do at the end is actually the Glee version. If you listen to the music that's on just before the show starts, there's another Glee song in there (Disco Inferno, sung by Amber Riley, who won DWTS)
- Some of the routines/outfits were a little different to how they were on the show. Abbey's Quickstep started in a different place, and it had a lift in towards the end of the routine. Natalie's VW dress was different (apparently it was her Waltz dress). Ben's AS had to be changed for obvious reasons, and Natalie's VW had more actual VW in.
And the winners for the first night in Wembley are... Natalie and Artem!
So glad they are winning as I was gutted when I went that they didnt win but Susanne & Kevin were worthy winners on Saturday night
Hope the wins get spread around - Mark and Iveta ftw in Newcastle, I hope!
Nat's jive hair in the Daily Mail looks freakin' awesome!
One of the bits I found amusing was Natalie's and Artem's video where he hides behind her and her massive hair and then suddenly appears.
Does anyone know the song titles of all of the group dances?
And Mark and yvetta beat Abbey ands Aliaz!
the VW is Annies Song
the pro celeb dance right at the end is Toxic
the group dance finale is Last Dance