Just watching back her performance today in week 9 of DOI 2010 and I have to say I really don't get all the hype and full marks that the performance attracted. It was a very good one don't get me wrong but definitely not one of the best ever IMO as Jason said on the night. There has been far better performances. It didn't excite me like performances from this year's series has. Hard to believe we've reached the final and not one cotestant has scooped the full 30 yet!

Why?

Someone has only got a full 30.0 twice before the final IIRC - Ray in Series 4 and Hayley in Series 6

Even before that it took until the Series 3 final for someone to get 30.0 and that was Suzanne Twice.

Its not as though this year the routines have been that different or warranting of a 10 - IMO T/D's routines have stagnated slightly and they feel as though they run into each other

Sorry but I dont agree! I thought that Hayleys and Dans performance was great and although I cannot stand Jason and I think that he can be really personal and nasty most of the time this is one time that I have to agree with him. Hayley and Dan done a amazing performance that night! Everybody to their own I guess!

At the risk of sounding like Emma Bunton (ie scattering skating terms in my comments to sound as if I know what I'm talking about ) I remember that routine as being extremely well put together and very well danced - ie things like getting into and out of the lifts was smooth and seamless, the postures were good, 'armology' 'syncronicity' 'musicology' and all the other fake-sounding terms Emma flashes around were all good.

Much as I have enjoyed some of the routines this year, there are bits even in the routines of the 'top three' where you can see the pro signalling to tell them what to do, some moves where they are obviously just getting into position for the next lift etc.

Hayley was absolutely on top of every move and it flowed really well, I think that's why as a routine it scored high. I really haven't seen anything as good as that yet this series.

Not surprising at all. Sam just isn't as good as Ray or Chris.They are stronger dancers, better co-ordinated, more musical and less gangly. Watch Ray's solo spot in his year compared to Sam's longer spot in his year or look at what Ray could do that Sam can't. Laura might be near to Clare or Hayley or Suzanne, but Clare did everything she has done earlier, and Suzanne and Hayley were better dancers as well.Compare Hayley's spins and steps or Suzanne's headbanger, cartwheels and steps. Chloe has had perhaps the best routine/music combination this year, but she's limited a bit by lack of dance training and her height restricts her range of moves. On top of that, no one this year has had a 30 routine written for them - Sam probably couldn't act one and the height differential with his partner doesn't help the look, Chloe hasn't yet had the right combination of grace, wow factor and precision for a 30, though she's got close, and, as Chris said, they tend to just "pile" tricks onto Laura without writing her a great routine.

I agree, Hayley's routine wasn't the most technically difficulty but it was streets ahead on performance. It was up there with the best from Ray imo.

There's always going to be the case that there could have been more complex skating in a routine, so by that argument no one should ever be awarded full marks.

I thought there was sufficient skating content in Jai Ho, but what really set it apart from other routines was the way it was presented. Hayley was so precise in her movemnts and she and Daniel couldn't have captivated the Bollywood flavour any better. It was very exciting to watch.

I'm always torn on Jai Ho. I did love it as a routine but it had so little actual skating content in it that it hardly mattered whether it was on ice or not. Hayley was carried round like Paris Hilton's chihuahua for about 95% of it, and the other 5% was pick dancing.

I reckon Chloe and Laura could outskate Hayley if it were a contest between the three. Outperform her - no, probably not, but definitely outskate her.

Anyway, after Sam's efforts this week I'm hoping he'll be the first to a perfect 30 in 2011

I agree. Super routine, really well presented and thoroughly deserving of the score. When I think back to last year this is the routine that stands out in my memory.

Agreed. That routine really did blow me away. Their dancing was flawless and so precise.

I think Jai Ho's 1 of DOI's all time classic routines. Hayley and Dan are well up on my list of favourite couples (although they do have a lifetime's advantage on all the others!)

Indian dancing is incredibly tight and precise. Being able to do that on ice was just remarkable.

Even if it lacked a bit of skating, Jai Ho was excellent dancing on ice. It did exactly what it says on the tin. It's a very convenient show title sometimes.

Hayley and Dan doing Jai Ho is just something really special. Always amazes me whenever I see it!

I agree. I think it's the best yet of all series.

It was good as dance; it wasn't good as skating or as dancing on ice, because much of it was dancing in place or nearly and could just as well have been done on a floor.


But that isn't the argument anyone is making. The skating in Jai Ho was lacking even by DOI standards.

What about Chris?

(What Ray could do was partly illusion, btw, as Jason pointed out one week. But he was still exceptional by DOI standards.)


Hayley's spins weren't better, as was explained in one of the threads yesterday or last night, because her impressive spin was from a standing start. And Hayley's steps while skating were not especially impressive.

I've yet to see any evidence that Clare was all that good while she was in DOI.


I largely agree with that, except ... were there really great ice dancing routines in earlier years? Hayley's Jai Ho relied a lot on moves she did without moving across the ice.

I can't remember Jason ever saying what Ray did was illusion, when was that? And what is that supposed to mean? No way was it illusion he was and stil is the best ice dancer ever to appear by miles. For a great ice dancing routine, how about Ray and Maria's Rock Around the Clock from week 7 of series 4 or week 5 to Canned Heat, or the semi-final latin routine. All really dancing on ice and better music and choreography than we get now. I do remember Tony Gubba saying "Who needs tricks when you can dance on ice like this!"

I would say in the past up to last year we had far more dancing, The show and T and D seemed to be more and more obsessed with "Tricks" now than dancing, which to me is a real pity.

Totally agree with all of this. What I do remember Jason saying to Ray was "It's called dancing on ice, and dancing is what you do on ice." I think it was after the Canned Heat routine.

Hayleys routine was very effective and fitted the music perfectly. It was choreographed by an outside choreographer and specialist in indian dance too, which helped. There were a lot of lifts and toe-picking rather than flow over the ice, which was commented on during the tour where there was a bigger rink and it showed. However it was well done in the studio and outshone other routines in that series.

I have to disagree with the OP. I don't think we've seen a performance this series to match the Jai Ho routine- it was fantastic and well worthy of it's score.

Jason didn't use the word "illusion," but you won't like his wording any better. He said, "All his tricks he faked and fluffed." (It was about the props week routine.) See this thread and the video it links: Roxanne defended Ray when Jason said all his tricks were faked and fluffed.

What I took that to mean was that, in addition to any mistakes (Jason made a big deal out of Ray having the hat on backwards), he did things in ways that were easier but still looked impressive, which I then expressed as "partly illusion".


I don't think that's quite right. I think there's always been a lot of emphasis on lifts and tricks, though it's been less in recent years, including this one.

What's different this year is that there isn't a standout dancer like Ray or Hayley; and so there isn't anyone getting routines that are so skewed towards dance, even at the expense of skating, as Jai Ho was. But Chloe, for example, gets pretty good ice dancing routines, ones that aren't too full of tricks.

I agree .. the VT's especially are totally focussed on a particular trick or lift each of the contestants are going to do

Jai Ho is my favourite ever all time DOI routine. When I first saw it I was blown away. They performed it even better in the final. Classic DOI moment for me.

I've been lucky enough to be part of a skating lesson with Dan and Hayley where they were teaching us to do the Jai Ho, what a laugh LOL

Jai Ho was ok on the studio ice but didnt look that great on the bigger ice on the tour as there wasnt enough actual skating in it to cover the ice, this was mentioned time and time again by the judges on the tour last year.

Maybe so but it wasn't choreographed for the bigger ice rink? Perhaps they should have adapted it to suit.

Just as good to me!

Jai Ho, if you ask Dancing on Ice fans for the most memorable routines that would be right up there with the best.