She's praising Vincent's choreography isn't she rather than the dancing?

I sort of see the OP's point although I think it goes a little too far.

I do think that the judges have been pussyfooting around Natalie's shortcomings as a dancer and that she has received constant encouragement and praise while others at the same level have been criticised and marked down. Natalie's marks do seem to have been a touch on the generous side too and I think she may have been lulled into thinking she is a bit better than she is.

However, her performance last night was easily her worst of the series. The difference is, that the judges (or at least three of them) did appear to ditch their "encouraging, marking up" stance and go for the blunt "tell it like it is" approach. I think it was unfortunate that their decision to do this coincided with her worst dance by some way. If there had been some reasonable criticism of her other dances to go with all the praise and encouragement for enthusiasm, entertainment and sheer enjoyment of the dance, last night's comments wouldn't have seemed so much harsher.

It's nonsense though to say that so many other better dancers have been voted off ahead of her. Zoe aside, Natalie is as good, if not better, than anyone else that has gone so far, or at least her performances have been. I think that Phil was possibly a better natural dancer than Natalie but his performances didn't really show this.

I always think shes praising Vincents choreography too. I saw the review of the FT as Karen finding a positive about the dance and because she's there to comment just on the dancing and not on personality she focused on the one positive which was Vincent.

Saying that shes deserved her place up until now with weaker dancers (barr Zoe) going before her but she should have gone last night imo

Yes, she is praising Vincent's choreography, but she is saying that his choreography is very clever and not as simple as it might seem - and how well Natalie copes with it. She is definitely praising Natalie too for handling Vincent's choreography.

On last week's CC Karen chose to review the four dances that people on here were saying were over marked and she explained why the marks were reasonable given the choreography involved and how it was performed.

I am not saying Natalie doesn't have posture problems - she does - but she is nothing like as bad a dancer as people are making out on here.

Yes , I agree with you. They have boosted her for her enthusiasm all the way through. Now its getting tougher as the end is in sight. They are being truthful at last. It did need to happen, she was rather confident and I have not liked seeing her pleading to come back the next week. We have not seen Allie or Ricky W do that.

Yes her feet are ok and keep up well with the choreography- its everything else that lets her down and makes her unattractive to watch imo. It should have been pointed out and worked on weeks ago.

To be fair it has been pointed out to her every week, but it looks like she just can't achieve the correct posture and I doubt if she will now. Unattractive to watch doesn't necessarily mean someone is a bad dancer - that's all I'm saying.

A good dancer is never bad to watch. Natalie never has been and never will be a good dancer. Size is not the issue. She simply does not have what it takes. She is awkward in the extreme and has terrible posture. She also has very little co-ordination and an inability to control her face and expressions. I have to hand it to Vincent. He has done his level best, but she's a liability. Believe me, I have taught a lot of people to dance - all with different pros and cons - but I'd give up on Natalie too. There is only so far you can take someone when they have limited ability. Craig Kelly was just as bad.

I agree with the OP. I feel last night was the only night they were honest to her, and she looked gutted because her hopes had been raised.

Totally off topic but I thought she looked gorgeous last night.

No. I hate Eastenders these days. None of our family watch it. I used to watch it in its early days, which was years and years ago when Pauline was young(ish). I really don't watch it. I am not a "Sonia" fan, either. I have enjoyed NC's appearance on Strictly; I like the partnership with Vincent; I like the way she looks; I like her personality; I love Vincent; they entertain me and I have enjoyed their performances. And I'm not fat either.

PS I know you're not suggesting I am.

I agree. Sometimes she can look pretty good. It fascinates me.

For me, she's just too full-on; too desperate to win, too thrilled to be with Vincent, too amazed to be on her favourite show - just too much really. Tone her down by 50% or more and she wouldn't annoy me so much. Not sure about going back to being a Sonia though. I've never watched Eastenders but on the trailers I've seen, she doesn't strike me as that good an actress either.


I do find it uncomfortable to watch her sometimes. She's so very enthusiastic and so very very leaden-footed. She stamps her feet down flat when they should be pointed and light, and thunders about as if she was on a hockey field. I don't doubt her enthusiasm and willingness to throw herself into the show, but she doesn't have the grace or even seem to feel the music, she seems to be moving to a different tune to everyone else. I know the music is bad sometimes but not that bad.

She's the "wrong shape" for the Samba.
Flexability is required to bend in any direction from the hips.
She can't do it and her samba rolls were, well...weren't.

She reminded me of a Beryl Cook dancer.

I think the judges have indulged her as if she were a child. She may well have the enthusiasm of a child (nothing wrong with that) but she is an adult!

Me too, sort of, but in a good way.

It's her feet that annoy me the most. Yes, her posture is bad and the chin to the ceiling, pursed mouth face is incredibly jarring in ballroom but she has absolutely no concept of footwork. Her foxtrot last week was jerky because she ignored toes and heels and just dumped her entire foot on the floor every time. Last night she has no bounce action because she ignored all the footwork in the samba - her botafogos and voltas were hideous. Same with the jive, she wasn't up on the balls of her feet and she didn't point her feet so it didn't look light and sharp. It's nothing to do with her size, it's her inability to dance. I'm not much thinner than she is, yet I manage to do correct footwork.

She always looks to me as if she is dancing in old lead diver's boots.

Firstly I never mentioned size and secondly I'm saying she is not as bad as people on here make out - not that she is a 'good' dancer. As I've said she does have bad posture and she is quite flat footed. I'm really sorry to say this, but if you think Natalie has no co-ordination and she as bad as Craig Kelly, then I feel a bit sorry for the people you have given up on. If I could dance as well as Natalie, I'd be chuffed to bits.