is everyone loving all the props getting used this serie of strictly? or is the props starting to cause lack of "proper" dances this serie???

i just want to know what everyone thinks thanks

Call me old fashioned (my hubby calls me Len when I rant) but I am a fan of the pure dance. Fewer props and less faffing about PLEASE.

I like the props where it's appropriate, like for example, the Charleston last night. It's a fun dance mainly about entertainment and performance so I think any use of props really adds to this fun factor. However, I'm not such a fan of them in the traditional dances, like I saw no need for Ann to fly other than to get them voted through again. I think Aliona needs to hold back on the props too, I liked his unicycle last night, but she's used them too often (props and unnecessary 'wow' moves) for Matt, as he's so good she should just let his dancing speak for itself

I don't mind minimal props, but we seemed to have jumped from "no faffing abaht" to "faff about for as long as you want and use the kitchen sink while you're at it"

Any Faffing should be integral to the dance.


Flying harness - daft and time consuming.
Plus the additional time while Anton did his solo while they unhooked Ann.
But it was better than the dancing that followed.

I loved Jimi and Flavia's Charleston, but they could have mimed the window scene just as easily.
I found the windows in the background distracting while they were dancing.

No, I hate the props and faffing. I don't watch a dancing show to see a man on a unicycle. Just dance and if you're good enough, I'll be blown away.

I dont mind the props as such.......have no objection to hats or starting on a park bench or roses in the mouth but I think cardboard windows/canes and a unicycle was really a bit too much.

I don't mind the props as long as they are not used to avoid dancing. If we have to spend ages next week watching celebs playing with bats, pumpkins and other distractions , with the result that we see only one or two turns in the viennese waltz, then that will drive me crazy. ( It's easy peasy to do a couple of turns, but it's sustainng the dance that is the problem).

So generally, I prefer the 'not too much faffing about' approach.

I thought that this week they got into the routines more quickly and so I had less of a problem with the props. Jimi and Flavia's windows were a bit twee, but that was my only criticism.

Oh and Ann's 'flying' of course! Rubbish start and not that interesting actually.

I can just about cope with hats, canes and boas as they kind of fall under the costume category anyway but please no more windows, benches and unicycles etc

I can cope with hats, canes & boas but I really dislike binoculars, unicycles & harnesses.

I dislike the props. I don't mind a hat, occasionally, but those windows last night were awful....and the unicycle. Nooooo. Please just noooooooo

...especially when all three are used together!

Loving them!

Like many others on this thread, it's elaborate props I find annoying. Who actually finds these intros an improvement?

Don't give Aliona any ideas

Oh I see you like them Scattyjan. Fair enough, each of their own etc

It's the usual case of more is more that seems to have infected tv in general. Hopefully it will calm down. A certain amount is fine but when all the dances start to merge into one showbiz jumble and are barely distinguishable from each other then things have gone too far imo. However, as others have pointed out - things are probably ott at the moment because of the novelty and the excess will drain off in time. At least I hope so.

Are there any couples that havent used any props at all yet ? I dont think Scott and Natalie have.......they started on the balcony but dont think they have actually used a prop as such.

The props are particularly irritating when the celebrities don't actually need them. Matt can dance, so why cut into the dancing time with the use of unicycles, etc? Also annoying, and counterproductive, is when the couples start the ballroom dances out of hold. This, as with Patsy last week and Gavin this, just gives the celebrity the opportunity to go wrong before the dance has got going.

Love or hate the unicycle, what followed in Matt and Aliona's Charleston was by far the best on the night. So what is the problem?

For me it wasn't the best Charleston on the night for two reasons - one, the fact that he was on a unicycle and two, he messed up twice.

No - in a word! I am not enjoying the props AT ALL

Less props - more dancing please!

NO MORE PROPS !!!!!

I think they are fine in a dance like the Charleston, but not for the more traditional dances. The same way as lifts are only allowed in certain dances...I think the same rule should apply for props. Less is more!!!

Depends entirely on how much time is spent on them.

As much as I enjoyed Pamelas Salsa for example, about 30 seconds was wasted while James was lying on the judges table while Pamela let down her hair and took her Drs coat off

I thought the Scarf used in Karas Foxtrot on the other hand was used for a minimal time before being quickly discarded.

I like the props when they work, and dislike them when they don't. As this is a personal preference, of course, it almost goes without saying that the props I like will be loathed elsewhere, while others will love the ones I hate. Sigh.

On balance, it was a shrewd move to introduce props when there is such a large field of competitors. At least it's a help for the viewers without technical know-how (erm, that would include me) who are trying to distinguish one dance from another - 'oh yes, I liked the one with the unicycle - which celebrity was that again?'

Were this a proper dance competition, it would indeed be 'faffing abaht' but, on balance, I think they have added to the entertainment value.