Though they are obviously very good I can't say I enjoyed their dance last night and didn't warm to them. Are they the same couple where the woman danced in a bathing costume one year? I disliked the way she kept thrusting her head backwards too.

I haven't seen another thread about them and wondered what others thought.

They were good and very fast but I couldn't actually work out what the dance was meant to be, I thought it was a fast rumba but then they said it was a cha cha. It certainly didn't have a 'cheeky' feel. Also the costumes were awful, showed how fun and eye catching the strictly costumes actually are.

I didn't enjoy it much either. I could admire their skill but I didn't like the dance. workshylady, I too spent half of it trying to figure out which dance they were doing.

I didn't like them much either, nor did i when they danced a rumba a few years back with absolutely no chemistry or romance.

I can never really enjoy these other acts that they bring on. I know they are very good at what they do, but I MUCH prefer watching our own pro dancers.

Probably the only one that I have liked before and taken any interest in, was the Chicago cast from last year and that was only because our own pro's were part of it too.

I loved it but I really disliked her (name escapes me ) outfit. It was ugly and distracted me away from the dance.

(I wrote the below somewhere else yesterday, but it's more appropriate here..)

She's one of the most skilled dancers you will ever see and Michael is the perfect partner for her. If you see them live they would blow you away.

BUT...

They're not without criticism. Many say they are too biased towards showing off technique and that they're too fast. Their routines can be an exhibition of skill and doing moves quickly rather than a great expression of the different dances and music, so many criticise them for not being an authentic latin couple. My opinion's split on them, but it wasn't my favourite routine (although there was a lot of cha cha in there so that wasn't my problem with it). I'm in awe of their skill though and in places I thought they were amazing last night.

I don't think they're the best couple to use on Strictly, although it makes sense that they would be chosen due to their status as world champions. The other top couples are also amazing, but their showdances tell a story and are tailored more to the audience and I think as a result, they are much more entertaining to a general audience.

I'd love to see Michael and Joanna do a Paso or Jive on the show next year if they come back.

I liked the routine they did that had costume changes much better... although I didn't like the actual costume changes, which I thought was a bit gimmicky!

I found this routine less engaging, but Joanna Leunis is such a mesmerising dancer that I really enjoy watching her even when the routine doesn't appeal to me.

Ah, it was a cha cha. Thanks for the information.

They have never thrilled me when they have been on SCD.

I also hate the costumes Joanna wears. I think the mistake they make is dancing a routine that would thrill the dancing world and not the SCD viewers, who simply don't have the technical knowledge to appreciate the degree of difficulty in their dances. They need to rethink what 'crowd pleasing show dance' means in terms of an SCD audience.

I don't really care for the "fun" latin dances, except the Jive maybe.

I would have ideally liked to see Rumba/Paso Doble/Jive..

If that's possible....

The woman seemed to do at least twice as much as the man. He really only seemed to be there to show her off. I really got the impression that she is the world champion dancer and he is her partner.

I get very terratorial and dont like other pros invading our pros show !
I only enjoy it if our own are in it and tend to phase out for invaders

I really enjoyed the dance, so fast and seemed so original (well for me as I don't know anything about dancing) and that lady really makes the most stunning shapes with her body it looks so difficult! Loved the music too, still go it in my head this morning!

Anyway it was nice to have something so very different to watch, think it's a great thing for the show to get world champions on.

Didn't like the seethru jumpsuit thingy tho I have to say!

Thats exactly how I see it too.
I dont like new people when they come on and take up valuable time that our own pros could be doing something with.

I thought it was amazing and was 'wow' the whole way through, but I do appreciate what other FMs have said about it perhaps being a little clinical and unengaging.

They clearly are experts but it didnt move me as such, i turned over to be quite honest

For me personally . . . I don't like what they do and don't believe it's the right direction for Latin to go in . . . power, speed and lines . . . for me Latin is about fundamentals, characterisation and emotions, but perhaps I'm old fashioned!

However, after watching Michael and Joanna dance live twice last week, amongst all the other top Latin professionals in the world, I can now really understand why they are the world champions - they have the best technique out there and nobody else can compare; right now I can't see that anyone else has the ability to beat them, or even come close. Even their closest competition for me is miles behind.

However, as I said before, for me technique is just not enough to make beautiful dancing, I need more than that. Michael and Joanna are definitely not one of my favourite couples, but I can admire and appreciate their skill.

And the BBC's music for them last night was horrendous, their own track is so much better and more fitting than that! I despise how every time a guest dancer perfoms they are forced to dance to something dreadful just so that the BBC can have their own band play it.

like last night performance with the Latin world champions but I wasn't thrilled by it rather see our professional dancers doing it especially Vincent and flavia,

I haven't liked them when they've appeared in the past but I really enjoyed them last night.

there was no 'light and shade' in the performance (at the risk of spouting off on a subject I know little about)

it was all bang bang bang, fast and hard - amazing to watch but not that appealing if that makes sense

Pretty much sums up my opinion. Amazing dancers who make me want to applaud the jaw-dropping skill, but rarely move me. (Especially in Rumba)

*waves to Becca*

I love M&J. They are my favourite latin couple by far. I totally agree on the music point, I like the song but it just didn't work. This is their usual routine with music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PYaofuhzmU

However, I am going to get shot down for this, but what REALLY hacks me off is how people turn round and say "Oh..our pros are so much better". Yes, they WERE. Karen, Nicole and Matthew, Darren and Lilia all were. But now, times have moved on, and the likes of M&J are the world champions and the best in the world. If our pros were the best, they'd have chosen to carry on competing rather than doing Strictly, who can blame them though, there's more money and fame in SCD.

I love most of our pros, don't get me wrong, and I know that most SCD fans just base their opinion on dancing from SCD, and therefore are just blind to the actual world of dancesport.

I know I was, but I made an effort to appreciate other professional couples, and so I always feel disappointed when the likes of M&J perform on Strictly, just because the audience hardly appreciates it, and they're just used to seeing our pros dance the routines, and they don't get the full credit and recognition they deserve.

*hides*

M+J aren't my favourite couple on the circuit as I've explained above, but they are still phenomenal dancers. I agree with the above, I think it's great that we have someone representing the current dancesport world on the show. People will have different opinions on the dancing, but it's a shame that some people seem to make their decisions before they watch them.

Thank you Erinfan. I am biased towards them, but it's like people just won't give them a chance to witness what they can do.

Perhaps I've just weaned myself off Strictly and enjoy dancesport more now. *shrugs*