I don't think Hayley could skate fast enough for it to cover more ice.

And mine too. I thought it was brilliant. Well performed and a joy to watch.

The thing about Jai Ho was that everything in the routine gelled completely; it looked slick, seamless and was exceptionally entertaining. Yes, if you look back, the on-ice skating was lacking in comparison with other top-ranking routines but neither we nor the judges are there to pick a programme apart with retrospective analysis. (We do do that of course but it's not the point on the night .) On the night in question, Hayley and Dan performed that routine with immense flair and had the audience in the palms of their hands. You can't ask for much more than that on an amateur show. I also doubt that any of the other top females, this year's included, could have performed that routine any better than (or possibly even as well as) Hayley did. It's one of my favourite performances from any series and I'm not really a Hayley fan.

a highly overrated ice dance, brilliant performance but only ok on the skating

it could have been even better with more skating by Haley

I always thought she was overrated, lots of arm movements and facial's dont make up for the amount Dan carried her around the ice

Dans very good at carring his partners around making them look good

Echo that, the routine was made for Hayley and it's not one of the most memorable DOI performances for nothing.

Dan is the Man for winners and losers. He makes everyone look great.

I didn't have to look back. I thought it was painfully obvious at the time that Hayley was doing a lot of dancing in place, or nearly in place. Quite a bit of it was just arms and posing, and no "retrospective analysys" was needed to see it.

And I don't think it matters whether anyone else could do it as well.

You didn't have to look back but I suspect others did.

Maybe no "retrospective analysis" was needed for you but others may well have needed to go back and examine the routine to see its skating shortcomings as the programme was very adept in showcasing style over content.

I think it matters very much whether anyone else could do it as well. Skating routines at this level are very much about an illusion of difficulty because true high level skills are going to be hard to come by at this level of proficiency. Hayley gave a brilliant illusion of competence coupled with a smooth, professional performance. It worked wonderfully well. I loved the overall effect; it was captivating.

I said I wasn't a Hayley fan but she was comfortably the best in her series and Jai Ho showcased her talents to the utmost. It's a great routine and will be one of those quoted by name after the show has disappeared from the screen.

What a great post and says everything I would have liked to say and I am a Hayley fan.

He didn't make 'Carry' Katona look that good - if it is all down to Dan then she should have been able to perform to the standard of Jai Ho as well!

I love the way people are saying 'Oh she was just dancing on the ice, not skating' - firstly because the show is called 'Dancing on Ice', secondly, as Carry illustrated, you need to have worked quite hard to be able to do anything much on the ice, and thirdly because because a lot of the 'skating' that is done is moving from the end position of one move to the start position of another and is quite boring.

I agree with everything you said, then you spoilt it with the last sentence

Do you think a celeb should be able to go out not even wearing skates and do some dancing, because it's called "dancing on ice"? That it's called "dancing on ice" can take us only so far.

Many in this forum, and rightly imo, criticise contestants who don't do much skating but instead rely on lifts, being "carried", and so on. Dancing in place isn't quite that bad, but it's the next worst thing.

And if skating is just moving from one standing still on the ice move to another, then I agree it's boring. And it's another sign that the contestant is a weak skater. But it's different if they do things while moving. Sure, some people might think that's boring too, but then I'd wonder why they are watching a show that's set on ice.

It's doing things while moving across the ice that makes it matter that it's on ice rather than on a wooden floor.

There has been far too much dancing in place this year, and I think the 'success' of Jai Ho is largely to blame.

I guess I have to defend Hayley (again) against the charge that she was carried too much. She didn't spend an excessive time in lifts in Jai Ho, or in her routines generally. The way she looked impressive without much skating was by dancing in place (or nearly), rather than by lifts.

But apart from that, I agree. Overrated, only ok on skating (except for the spin), and lots of arm movements and facials mostly while being carried, standing, or dancing in place.

but it was wonderful entertainment Veri and that is what the gbp vote on imo.

Oh yes, of course I do.

I've got what you're saying, I simply don't agree with it.

My point - which you have either missed or ignored - is that if it is that easy to 'dance on ice' Kerry would be in the final. She can certainly dance off the ice.

Therefore I deduce some skating skills - ie skills with skates on ice - are required in order to do the routine Hayley did. Presumably the 'skating judges' thought so too.

I don't have a problem with the gbp voting for it, and I agree it was entertaining.

What I don't like is DOI giving Hayley that routine, and none of the judges commenting on the lack of skating.

One of the judges should have said "great routine, but not much skating" and taken off some points.


(Kerry isn't nearly as good a dancer as Hayley, so while Hayley could ride non-skating dance to the final, I don't think Kerry could. But that's a side point.)


I addressed the other points in your message, but that one seemed relatively minor, so I skipped it.

A skill does not automatically become a skating skill just because skates are worn. There has to be some skating involved, and I don't think pick dancing and other forms of dancing in place count. They are ice skills wearing skates, if you want, but they're not really skating.

Maybe that seems to 'picky' a point, expressed like that, but there's another way to say it. Even if dancing in place counts as 'skating', in some sense, it doesn't take any significant advantage of being on ice. Instead, it's a way to get off-ice moves onto the ice more easily.

And so I don't think it should count as much as moves done while moving across the ice. I think one of the judges should start complaining about dancing in place like Len complains about "faffing" in SCD.

It's not enough that it requires skill, or that "you need to have worked quite hard" to be able to do it. Yes, Jai Ho required more 'ice skills' than Kerry had, but that kinda gets a "so what?" from me. It's not enough for it to deserve such high marks.

I dont think I put myself over very well

i dont think Hayley was carried around to the extent of Kerry, Gaynor & Co

But Dan did make her look a lot better by his holds in and out of transisions(spl) and his support of her while skating

I just realy think her skating(and Jai Ho) was overrated

IMO its the music, arm and facials that stirred the imagination more than the iceskating

I have to say i cant stand Hayley but her performance was very very good, Ray has been my all time favourite, with amazing performances that were very exciting and made me watch them over and over again, this series has been very very poor with not one outstanding performance IMO.

When I first saw Jai Ho I enjoy it a lot but the first time I watch something I'm not necessarily concentrating on the skating but more of a whole performance. Hayley is a fantastic performer and she's certainly not a poor skater, she's quite good but she's not at the standard of Ray/Chris/Suzanne/Clare etc.

I agree . it's such a catchy tune and that coupled with the costumes made it a really good entertainment piece .. it's just when you go back and study it you see that there wasn't as much skating as there could have been .... not a Hayley fan but I really enjoyed it and it's my favourite routine of hers