I emailed the BBC the other week saying the viewers hadn't been told what the new rules were this year, in particular with regards to lifts and dancing out of hold. Just got a reply today -

Dear Buddy (my real name was shown here )

Reference CAS-366576

Thanks for your e-mail about ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ on BBC One.

I understand you’re concerned about the lack of information given to the audience about rule changes surrounding what and what isn’t permissible during the dances this series.

Our rules in previous years were that in the Ballroom and Latin dances (the ten dances) one foot had to always be on the floor. This rule still applies this year.

In previous years dancers could only break ballroom hold at the top or the end of the routine. This year we have said that, if the music allows, couples can break hold for no more than ten seconds during the routine.

Karen Hardy spoke about these changes on ‘It Takes’ two recently. However as the rules didn't change - apart from allowing the extra ten seconds of open hold - we didn't feel it necessary to post anything. We're sorry if you disagree and have passed their comments onto the ‘Strictly’ production team.

Please be assured that your complaint will be added to our audience log, a daily report of audience feedback that's circulated to many BBC staff, including members of the BBC Executive Board, channel controllers and other senior managers.

The audience logs are seen as important documents that can help shape decisions about future programming and content.

Thanks again for taking the time to contact us.

Finally, I have attached an invitation from BBC Audience Services' Head of Communications & Complaints, asking you to participate in our customer survey. We would welcome your views on our service.

Kind Regards

Andrew Hannah
BBC Complaints
www.bbc.co.uk/complaints

So know we now.

Interesting - the rule about lifts hadn't changed so why were the judges ignoring ?

Well there is a turn up.......so those lifts should have always been penalised......Len even said 'good lift' to Jimi and Flavia in the Paso !!!

It was a bit of a surprise and I wish I had the time to watch all the previous shows to see how many lifts were ignored and how long couples danced out of hold in the middle of a routine.

Every Saturday I'm going to turn in to Carrie Ann Inaba and be watching like a hawk now!

PS Mind you that might scare Artem!

I think if we watched back that we would probably find there are not as many lifts as people think to be honest......I might have a look back and see.......just because I am a bit of a nerd where these things are concerned......Vincent and Felicity definately did a lift in their Paso this week

Didn't Kara do a cartwheel in the quickstep? Good as that was, she certainly didn't have a foot on the floor.

Edit: yes, Felicity did have a lift in her paso, Jan. I remember her saying on the results show that she wanted to do one, if it was likely to be her last dance.

I don't think that answer tells the whole story. I don't believe Len would stop minding lifts without someone telling him that was what he had to do. I suspect they re-introduced the lift rule because viewers didn't like such a big change in rules.

Quite how they think it's acceptable for Ann to fly in a Tango, when the other couples must keep one foot on the floor ... The producers must have agreed to it, even though it breaks their rules!

So the rules haven't changed and the producers have chosen to ignore any infringements up to now

Len receives his orders from the producers so will not rock the boat unless it's agreed before hand.

I think a cartwheel is not a lift though is it.....they are allowed to jump I seem to remember an argument once in the past about something being an 'assisted jump' rather than a lift so inappropriate though it might be for the dance I dont know if a cartwheel would be penalised.

Not sure either Jan, but they do seem to have made a hash of it - whether this is intentional or not, who can say?

I was just looking at the paragraph in the reply that Buddy posted and going from that.

Given how long I waited for a reply and Len only speaking up about it on Saturday, I did think that there must have been some kind of review and this is what they have decided to go with.

I think a cartwheel would be okay - although it might be called faffing about.

Mind you Carrie Ann Inaba on DWTS is always looking out for at least one foot remaining on the floor.

Maybe quite a few others had emailed too or the BBC picked up the vibes from Twitter or Facebook.


Now that you mention it Jan, I remember that. Wasn't it Karen who said on ITT that a lift is something you couldn't do by yourself?

I think that now that its been mentioned specifically by Len on the show that the pros will be very careful from now on unless they just dont give a stuff like Anton....I mean they cant go any lower than they are already can they so he has nothing to loose.

One foot should always be left on the ground, unless it's at the very start or at the very end.

I think that's right too - it can't be mid-performance.

ah ha so that rules out the cartwheels too then yes unless its in the Salsa where hers would have been ok as Karen said lifts were allowed in Salsa.

That is correct.

*Whispers. You see I might defend the Ann voters but I do actually know about dance.

Does swinging in the air at 30 feet count as a lift ?

With regrd to cartwheels as far as I am aware they are not regrded as lifts as Karen explained that a lift constituted anything the woman couldn't do unaided and as such counted as jumps

I could be wrong though

I

Technically it was at the start of the dance so is within the 'rules'.

Really ? so no rule about how long a lift can be ?

It is what I think also. This producer is making a mockery of the show. Getting the floor managers to tell the audience to boo anything negative the judges say and telling the judges to ignore any lifts.

A person who went to the show last sat said the floor manager started booing Len when he said they were going to get tough on any lifts and stopped when no one would join in.

Off the top of my head, apart from Felicity's lift in the Paso, Kara/Artem and Matt/Aliona have been the most guilty of lifts with Len only commenting on Matt's for them being out of context in the AT - one was ok.
I don't know if Pamela's 'birl' in the Jive counts as one since Karen said she had to throw herself over and wasn't helped over by James.

This isn't a real dance competition, or hadn't you noticed.

The lifts in Matt's AT were ok though because they are allowed in the AT, Charleston and Salsa (according to Karen) Jimi and Flavia definately had a lift in their Paso too he was lifting her in the cape.

What a can of worms.

I think for lifts the first thing to consider is what the 10 dances are because there should be no lifts in those dances and one foot should be on the floor all the time -

Ballroom: Waltz, Foxtrot, Quickstep, Tango and Viennese Waltz
Latin: Rumba, Samba, Paso Doble, Cha Cha Cha and Jive

So lifts in the Salsa (Kara's cartwheel), the AT and the Charleston would be okay because they are not 10 dances (I think there are probably recognised AT lifts anyway).

This week the dances are -

Ann & Anton - Foxtrot
Felicity & Vincent - Salsa
Gavin & Katya - Quickstep
Kara & Artem - Argentine Tango
Matt & Aliona - Rumba
Michelle & Brendan - Paso Doble
Pamela & James - Cha Cha Cha
Patsy & Robin - Viennese Waltz
Scott & Natalie - Charleston

So in theory we might see lifts in 3 out of 9 performances, although I think Brendan is doing a lift in the Paso. Let's just hope it is at the start or near the end. I think he knows they are on the way home and it will be worth the risk. I think no matter what, the judges will now mark him down for a lift.

Ann's arrival would probably be classed as okay because it happened as part of the introduction and they had not yet got into hold. But I can't believe her getting help off camera to remove the harness is not breaking any rule!