Having come back from holiday I have now caught up with the action from last weekend. It saddens me to see all the ballroom dances that I so love spoilt by massive amounts of theatrical staging, faffing about on the stage for half the dance, doing a couple of steps before breaking hold to do more faffing about. We hardly got to see any quickstep this weekend Its becoming just like DWTS in the US

Yes I agree and I hate it. If I wanted to watch Dancing with the Stars, I would. I used to love Strictly but the changes have NOT improved the show and the Results Show is a farce!!!! Just awful, drawing out the results as long as possible, humiliating the couples who may be voted out and asking them to practically beg to stay on the show!!!! Absolutely awful. I so miss the old team of Ian, Darren, Lillia and Co. Now if I happen to be home I watch Strictly, if I go out I am no longer interested enough to bother to tape it!! Shame. I used to love Saturday night's with Strictly, would not miss it for the world.

overuse of props has not improved the dances. The only prop that I think has ever worked was the hat in Bill and Karen's cha cha series 3. Dont like the Americanisation of the ballroom dances.

Best things this series

new set

and no dance off

ITT improving showing us more training clips *someone there must read the forums*

dont like anything else

I agree wholeheartedly.

I am sick of all the faffing around too.

I like DWTS and i expect what i see in it aswell, i however don't want to see the same on Strictly. The breaking of hold to faff about REALLY annoys me. I don't like props but i can just about put up with them if they are kept to the bare minimum.

Me too, they got rid of five pro dancers, introduced a dance troupe that hardly ever perfoms & now we have flying, props and no dancing! I miss Brian like mad & Matt, Ian is making a welcome appearance this week due under sad circumstances, Lilia the pocket rocket has left & Darren plods on with the dance troupe.

I loved Strictly as it was - ballroom and latin dancing according to the rules, now it's just flashy, trashy and americanised just like DWTS.

i like what they have done.

But they've ruined it

I've stuck to my guns and not watched it. Thought it would be closer to DWTS. I watch DWTS it's frothy nonsense and has never set out to show "proper" ballroom and latin but strictly was different, well once it was anyway!

absolutely agree what a shame, I used to watch every episode and ITT religiously, really can take it or leave it now.

I dont get all the moaning and groaning myself.........I thought the last series of Strictly was the worst ever (even though it gave me Chris and Ola) and series 6 was also dissapointing in a lot of ways......The vast majority of the viewing public (myself included) are not ballroom dancing experts and just want to see some great entertaining dancing on Saturday night. Dont get me wrong its not universally good......hated the ending of Alionas Foxtrot and I am a bit at the thought of Ann flying on Saturday which has surely got to be cheating if your feet dont actually touch the floor
The demonisation of Dancing With the Stars on this forum is in my view unwarranted, they have some fantastic pro dancers and produce some fantastic dances along with dross just as on Strictly both shows have they good and bad points.

There are things that are wrong about the new Strictly....the results show is a real shambles and the dance troupe a real dissapointment, but for me it definately needed a jolt and so far I am loving it.

I have never seen a viennese waltz on DWTS...well, not one that has any viennese waltzing in it anyway!

The only good thing about all the faffing about is that it immediately signposts those who can't dance - anyone who needs to spend 95% of their routine faffing about is doing so because they can't do the dance. It's just a shame that the public are so taken in with all the flashy trashy stuff (which is usually so easy that anyone could do it) that they don't realise this.

I hate the faffing, the props, the ham acting, and the Charleston, which all seem to be imports from DWTS.

I've not watched DWTS, but I don't like the new-style strictly. the props and theatrics ruin it for me. don't like the results show anymore, I used to like it when they announced the results all at once.

and therefore must be the spawn of the devil

Its DWTS tonight TV theme night....woo hoo.

If people still wanted come dancing it would still be on the TV.

I don't know why we need the Charleston. It is actually one of the dances from which the quickstep developed (which is why there are Charleston moves in the quickstep) so why not just stick to the quickstep. But then I can't be bothered with the Salsa/Argentine Tango/Rock n Roll either. I don't mind the American Smooth though but wish they had a bit more imagination than just using a foxtrot for it as any of the ballroom rhythms can be used and some variety would be nice. Ian Waite did it once using a waltz or a viennese waltz (I can't remember which) and it was brilliant.

I knew before I clicked on this that it would contain the smilie.

It's weird that any change that isn't popular is an "Americanization". It seems to be the go to insult. Perhaps the producers share some ideas from Dwts, but I think most aren't related at all. This forum is one of the most active I've found to read about a show I'm enjoying, but that attitude can be a bit annoying at times to read as an American.

Sari,

I am not sure that anyone is 'getting' at Americans per se, I think what it is is that our dances used to have to stick pretty much to the rules, ie, limited time out of hold, no props etc etc. I have to say I didn't think there was anything wrong with it.

What we have imported from DWTS is the new results show (rubbish) and quite a lot of deviation from 'the rules' whilst dancing. Len in particular used to be very harsh on couples and would dock a point from them if they did a lift etc.

I prefer the Strictly way rather than the DWTS way ...

I live in both US & UK and am currently in US for a while, whilst I religously watch Strictly, I am not fussed whether I see DWTS or not. Perhaps that is because I tend to know the UK celebs whereas I usually only know one or two of the US celebs.

You Strictly guys want to be grateful you don't watch DWTS live here, the amounts of ad breaks would make you want to shoot yourself

What does Come Dancing have to do with preferring SCD to DWTS?

And how far does the licence granted by not being Come Dancing extend? Should couples be able to go out and do a stand up comedy routine instead of dancing, because if people still wanted Come Dancing it would still be on the air?

Besides, the very same issue arises for other shows which have no Come Dancing equivalent in their past.

I think it was inevitable that this was the way the show was going to go. The fact that Chris won last year was a pretty clear signpost to the PTB that the majority of the audience values entertainment over dancing skill.

My thoughts exactly ianswaiting. This "American Smooth" style of Ballroom is adding NOTHING to SCD, and is just allowing for a lack of content. I think it was in 2008 when Arlene Phillips tore a strip out of Rachel Stevens and Vincent Simone for an American Smooth-ish Foxtrot which contained very little content. And I know for a fact Len Goodman isn't a fan of couples breaking hold, or taking to long to take hold, so I smell the hands of TV producers rearranging the show. You could've driven a bus through some of gaps in the Quicksteps the couples were dancing last week

Of course not however I think that you are forgetting that this is NOT two pro dancers dancing together this is a celebrity and is not a professional dance competition.....its ALWAYS been a popularity contest aswell.....some viewers might be able to completely forget who the person is and completely focus on their dancing but most of us are not that disciplined and we bring our personal likes and dislikes to our veiwing, thats the way it is.....I would be the first person to stick my hand up and say that Ricky should have won last series but I didnt like him and I obviously wasnt alone, does that make me less worthy of watching strictly and making my choices I dont think so. I dont spend my Saturday watching their footwork with a microscope I watch to see if the dance moves me or makes me laugh or in some cases stand and cheer and clap in my living room......if this was a proper competition they would all be doing the same dance every week and personally I would find that dull viewing if I had to watch 14 waltzes one after another. Like it or not Strictly IS a Saturday night entertainment show. I dont like ALL the changes (I am just putting a different point of view) but I am damn sure that the show needed something to change after the last two series and so far the ratings would seem to agree.

I don't have any problem with the idea of 'Americanising' the show because DWTS does a lot of things better than SCD. What's wrong with some of the adaptations made by later versions being incorporated into the original programme?

Quite frankly imho this series is a million times better than the last two were, and once again I get excited before each show.

It's not a case of preferring entertainment over technical skills. I want to see both - and I am.

That said, I am not happy about Ann and Anton using a flying harness in tomorrow night's show, as it is setting a precedent that I don't like.

Its not surprising the ratings have gone up. They haven't had the stupidity to clash with X Factor this year!