Is anyone finding the ballroom dances this year to be quite unconventional so far and thus finding them less enjoyable? It's as if they want to make them more modernised because else they think the audience won't find them entertaining enough, so better spice it up to appeal to the masses - which in itself is an issue of what they perceive the audience mind set to be.

I have the same attitude that Len has in that I want to have traditional ballroom music for the couples to dance to which allows the elegance of ballroom dancing to be shown off. I can understand the use of some modern music to appeal to a certain spectrum of the SCD audience. Ultimately, in a ballroom dance, I want to see the celebs to be able to perform it without cart wheeling over the place and doing other gimmicky tricks.

Agreed 100%

Agree here as well. It's getting really Americanised!!! (Is that a word?!?!)

Completely agree, I hate all the tricks and gimmicks

Totally agree with you.

A combination of SCD and X-factor has left me convinced that 100% is somehow not very much. Don't you agree 110% or a million percent?

Anyone care to disagree?

Same here, if you tuned into most of the ballroom dances any week so far and didn't know what the they were supposed to be dancing you'd think it was American Smooth week for a lot of them.

I think you have a point. I don't mind the modern music at all, I quite like innovative use of music in traditional dancing – as long as the musicality and phrasing is there. But there has been a shift towards 'Americanisation' of Strictly, which isn't to my taste. I like flashy dancing, as long as the content is there as well, but often, the gimmicks are used as a way to buy time and cover up not-so-good dancing.

I don't mind unconventional twists on traditional dancing, to a point. Gimmicks work brilliantly when there is the quality dancing to back it up. But anything else just looks like a desperate measure to cover flaws.

Ok, I'll disagree

As long as the musicality is there and what they do fits the song, I like the gimmicks. It gives the less technical dancers a chance to show off some other aspect of themselves and make their dance more entertaining - as a non-dancer myself, I'm looking at the whole package, not footwork technique (can't tell toe leads from toe-loops!)

I agree as well, i keep expecting Len to say 'that looked nothing like a' whatever dance it was supposed top be......

Last week i thought we were in for a 'ho' down when Natalie and the bloke she's dancing with came on!.....

I can't help but wonder if the Pro's haven't been given a "brief" to modernise things this year, trendy music, gimmicks in the dances, new twists on foxtrots and the like. I wonder if its to try to appeal more to the "x-factor" style of viewer.

Maybe but I would have been hard pushed to identify Kara's dance as a quickstep- there was a lot of 'stuff' and very little actual dance. Artem's choreography was just as manic as Robin's but Kara kept up.

Whatever people think of Peter at least his dance looked like a QS- |Erin being basic but traditional did him a favour (possibly!).

i.e. 'dumbing down' (imho)

You've put that really well, Linda - show off a bit, sure, if it adds to the dance, but don't use tricks to hide behind all the time.

I am not a dance expert, but my problem with the gimmicks and show dancing etc is that by week 5 it will all look very samey. As the ballroom dances are not distinct and it is not sufficiently clear as to what they are supposed to be, all we are going to see is a succession of "performances", a bad move IMO.

The show has indeed become very "Americanised" this series - with many of the worst factors from Dancing With The Stars being introduced!

In particular the truly dreadful results show!

I agree op. Completely idiotic of Artem to include a cartwheel in the quickstep although Kara did it perfectly in that dress.
And could we at least once a week in the ballroom dances have some real ballroom music, so everyone can see how lovely each ballroom dance can be, instead of most of this totally inappropriate pop rubbish.

Gimicks are OK, but not when it's about 5 to every dance.

I think the better dancers get away with any gimmicks bacause they can back it up with some quality dancing but weaker ones like Paul Daniels it seems to me is an attempt to hide the flaws.

Well, it should at least be 150%!
The only place that doesn't work is in Lord Sugar's board room!!

What happened to all the rules? - anything goes in the ballroom this year.

I think they have to try to keep up with other shows - and it does add a level of showmanship that you'd get in a live show anywhere else.

I'm definitely finding the ballroom less enjoyable than in previous years due to the gimmicks.

I don't have any problem with doing ballroom dances to modern music if the tempo of the music is suitable though.

Only if you use a 'z'

Totally agree btw