Thought maybe we could discuss this as it's the (sort-of) positive thing to come out of the changes.

At first I did think this was something to fob off the axed dancers, but I've changed my view on this. The BBC has had no problem axing professionals outright in the past- Nicole, Hayley. Hanna, Andrew etc. I don't think they would shell out more money in salaries to keep on the five if they didn't actually have a genuine plan for this dance troupe. The quote on the website...
From the daily record:
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/showbiz...6908-22320768/

... If this is true, this suggests more pro routines than we have at the moment... I'm good with that!

Matt, Lilia and Darren are my three favourite pros- as performers and choreographers as much as teachers. Together with Ian I think these four are actually the best choreographers, particularly of the pro routines, in the group. If this change genuinely means we will see them performing every week of the series, and choreographing all the pro routines, I'm all for it.

I'm going to take a positive view and say this could actually be really, really good. Depending on whether the remaining four pros agree to it of course. Also if they do commit to it, it could be a good thing for their careers outside Strictly. They will be known as the performing pros, and although they might get fewer fans through the celebrities, this sort of showcase of their true dance ability might attract new and better audiences to their cabaret shows.

I wonder if there is any possibility at all that they might let Nicole be in the dance troupe????

[Of course the main shows are going to be really naff without those five pros ]

I agree in part with what you are saying, its great to increase the Pro dances, however a big part of the joy of strictly (for me) is also about the characters, personalities and relationships.

These are 5 big personalities as well as amazing dancers and I will really miss their banter, training footage and inspirational choreography - which is always lessened when appearing solely as pro dancers. (not the pro Choreography of course, i think you know what I mean!)

Its such a shame. I appreciate the programme has to be kept fresh, but I think other characters would be much less missed.

How much personality did we really see from Matt, Lilia and Darren last year before they got eliminated? In fact the best 'Lilia moment' last year was on ITT!

... "Zero? What do you mean zero? I don't agree! HOW CAN IT BE ZERO!'

I'm happy with the new idea and glad my favourite pros are still going to be part of the show. Two of the best choreographers are Ian and Matt. Sad about Brian, but can understand his decision.

I always thought they were fun. likable fun characters thats all. Didnt darren and Lilia both go out quite early last year ?

Sorry dont understand the Zero bit, been re-reading my post and unless I am going really mad cant see a reference to Zero!

But will we get that any more? Surely they'll not be involved in ITT that much, except maybe one slot of rehearsal footage a week? I almost think they'd be better off taking a backstage role and doing ITT and choreography, then at least we'd get a chance to see their personalities come through....


I can see the merits in a dance troupe - higher standard, more wow factor, but the pros managed that themselves anyway last year - they did some fabulous group routines. My feeling is we're not going to see that any more as it'll be very segregated based on specialism - James and Ola will never dance a ballroom pro dance again (even though they're great in the tango) and Natalie will never dance a Latin pro dance again, judging by inference from the press release. Ok, the standard may be higher, but they're professionals anyway, so it won't be by much, and it might even work to the detriment of true all-rounders who always used to dance ballroom and Latin pro numbers - there's a limit to how many couples you can have on the floor!

There's never going to be a dance where all the pros come together to show off their collective talents and contrast the unique elements each couple brings to the show, and that's the sad thing about this for me. We don't need more new genres (keep Charleston and Lindy by all means) at the expense of letting ALL the pros showcase their ability across the dance spectrum as it is.

It's a quote from Lilia's reaction to getting 0 on the Dance Machine Challenge on ITT last year - legendary end to an episode and I think voted funniest moment from Strictly last year

I don't know, ideally I'd like to see their personalities as I think they are likeable, entertaining people. But first and foremost they are dancers, and if it's an either/or situation, I'd vote to see them dancing every time. It's slightly mad to have such talented dancers doing presenting roles.

I half agree with your second point regarding segregation... but the pro dances with all the pros in have always been a bit messy to me. I'd rather see a core four-five couples, with a rotating few of the competing pros also taking part each week. Then occasionally bigger numbers- for example the Sweet Charity number last year, and the Chicago Jive/Tango routine from SCD5 or 6 (Camilla choreographed it I think). That sort of theatrical number where different dance styles are mixed is right up Ian's street choreography-wise, and it would be nice to have the odd number like that, with ballroom and latin pros coming together.

Reading into the press release, it may be that the BBC want to stop the pro dances being something that all the competing pros take part in almost every week. But that wouldn't mean there wouldn't be some big group numbers.

The Rebel Yell Jive, which you mentioned in another post (I think it was you), would still have happened, just without Anton and Erin. Which can only be described as a massive improvement.
Sorry if my post wasn't clear. In response to you saying you'll miss the personalities of those who will now be in the dance troupe, I was just pointing out that Darren, Matt and Lilia were all out in the first few weeks of the competition. So we didn't get chance to see their personalities much.

Zero, as Mystical123 says, is a reference to the dance machine challenge last year. Darren got something like 21,000, and Lilia got zero. Her reaction was absolutely priceless, and yes it was voted the funniest moment on ITT last year.

According to CRH on that funny Channel Five show, the move is so that more can be put into the pro dances than before. I am liking this

As I've said elsewhere, if the dance troupe has a large and prominent role in the show, then I don't think there's any reason the pros who decide to be in it competitively next year, whether they've pooled them or not. There is a precendent for dancers to return (Nicole Cutler, DWTS's Ashly Costa), and if they decide to still be connected with the show I'd wager the chanceis significantly higher.

Sorry, my point about the Rebel Yell jive was more that I'm worried we'll lose that type of quality group dance if the pro troupe will be more about more flashy, 'exciting' group numbers - you're very right about the lack of Anton and Erin improving that dance - I never watch that last lift if I can help it!

I think my fear is really over the Sweet Charity-type dances, that with the addition of a pro dance troupe not all the pros will fit on the floor at the same time, hence why we may never have a dance with all the pros - which is why I would prefer it if things had been left almost as they were! I love those dances, even if i don't love all the pro couple solos in them, and that's what i fear we'd lose because invariably some of the pros would have to sit it out due to space constraints - if it was in the final and in Blackpool it could be spectacular, but I'm struggling to see how all the pros could be fitted into a dance in the studio and have it on the same scale of excitement - then again we don't know how many pro couples will be in this dance troupe I suppose.

I've probably just been spoilt by Lilia and Darren being so funny on ITT, and wanting to see more of that, and almost the best way for that is training footage, or if that's not possible, on the sofa!

I would think the four remaining pros would say no to 'flashy exciting' pro dances, if that means gimmicky. Although Ian apparently dresses up as a frog in one of his routines with Camilla, so maybe he'd go for it!

I think you're right there would never be a dance with all the pros (except possibly at Blackpool), but there could still be big numbers with a lot of the pros.

Its a bit unbalanced when we only have Lilia with 3 men, so I guess they will have to find more women from somewhere. I dont mind if Lilia is in every dance though.

ITT could get something out of the troupe too. They could drop Len's bits - except for teaching Claudia, or if she's not available, a chimpanze in high heels. Hopefully stats man will go too.

I found pro dances with more that 5 couples maximum as too crowded.

This one was good. (Flavia looks gorgeous in it) You can see that with more rehearsal time, they could have sync'd their dancing better in the bits where that would have improved it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5n_GY...eature=related

I'm hoping that they dont go far from ballroom and Latin, because it keeps the show true to its roots.

Quote from the BBC in an article about Brian quitting:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/10271044.stm

It sounds as though the details haven't really been ironed out or passed on to the pros. Brian probably was able to make a quick decision because he already has plans with Burn the Floor. There were stories that he suspected his contract would not be renewed, so he probably already had a back-up plan.

I do so hope the other four accept, and that the BBC give them a good salary and air time.

I agree about ITT- the pro group could have a big role in explaining dances, choreo corner etc.

I love that dance- I think V&F choreographed it? Darren and Lilia give each other the funniest look at the end- I remember at the time there was a whole thread debating whether Lilia was annoyed because Darren had made a mistake, or whether Darren was just really aroused

Matt and Nicole in that dance= WOW.

<offtopic>
*Suppresses memory with a shudder*

Ian used to do a jive dressed as a frog, but he stopped doing it because trying to spin with a massive furry frog head on was hurting his neck.

Their fallback position for jive has Camilla dressed as a nun, though, so it's really a matter of picking your childhood trauma...

</offtopic>

Yikes.

I had hoped that the BBC would hire the pro's well before the show so that they could develop and rehearse the pro dances before the show started, and still dance with the celebs, but this way could also work.

I worry that in the past, the BBC have not shown that they put enough value on the pros. If they negotiate with them and the pros say what they would need to make it a success, the producers should give that a lot of weight.
I'd also add, that if they dont get them on board for the show, it will be a disaster.

I'm not an expert on it, but I'm fairly sure that they would need to get them on board soon, if they expect to be able to produce a full series of top quality show dance productions.

I think this is a great idea but I think they've kept the wrong pros with the celebs. I think the likes of Aliona and Kristina would be better just dancing rather than teaching too, James and Brendan too.

Matthew, Ian, Darren and Lillia are really strong teachers. Matthew may well be sidelined if their keeping Alesha as a judge and that avoids any conflict. I like their freshening up the male pros - they've been the same since series four, although I would bin James, Brendan and Anton before Matthew, Darren and Ian.

How does Nicole do those spins? I remember the Darren and Lillia debate too, so funny. I think that was the dance that made a lot of people on here notice Matthew.

My hope is if Matthew's only performing in pro dances it will be with Nicole, perhaps Camilla will do the same.

I think I first noticed him in the Paso, series three (love that dance). Which is funny considering he'd already been in a group Jive by then! But he was dancing with Izabela then, which didn't quite work.

If Nicole was in it, I would be soooo happy.

That's exactly the kind of quality we want to see every week! Thanks for the walk down memory lane!

Didn't see it but Craig obviously has to be positive about the changes publicly or no judges job for him.

We will see about the dance troupe but if Darren, Lilia, Matthew & Ian go the same way as Brian it will be difficult to see it working. And will we still see Natalie & Aliona dancing with Ian & Matthew? I especially hope that Ian & Natalie continue to dance togehter as I really loved them together last series & on the tour.

Apart from Brian, not seeing Ian dancing with Natalie is my biggest disappointment because I too loved them on the pro tour - unexpectedly too.

why on earth are they foming a dance troup?