...for her choreography ? Len did not like the staircase whisper and kiss...Alesha saying Harry did not do the choreography, etc...

I dont get it, they was on the step for no more than ten seconds

Holly spent all her time dancing around the pole
Russel spent half the time in bed
Lula spent more time on the stairs than Harry and Aliona

I dont see them lot getting bitched about

Aliona made the mistake of saying on ITT that she takes no notice of judges comments, big mistake on her part it appears

I knew Len wouldn't like it. I think it was because he was enjoying the dance so much that interrupted his enjoyment of it. As it wasn't very long I think if she'd have got away with it if she'd put it at the beginning of the dance.
Anne

I don't think it's the amount of time spent on the stairs that was the problem. For me (and I think this is what Len was getting at as well), it broke the spell of the dance, and I found it cheesy.

Still love Harry & Aliona though

She's silly if she doesn't take note of them 'cos some of the public phoning in to vote will be influenced by the judges comments.
Anne

I didn't think it suited the dance, personally, but I don't think it warranted the punishment is received from Len. Especially when you consider that Harry didn't choreograph it!

Len is clearly holding on to that petulant grudge from a couple of weeks back.

He ranted more loudly and angrily than I've ever seen a judge rant on this show, about the choreography, yet never addressed Aliona personally.

I felt bad for her. If they didn't like it, they could have just said. Instead (because of Len) they ended up shouting their disapproval and passively attacking Aliona.

Len made the same criticism to Brendan. It was unnecessary to break the routine to go to the stairs. In Harry's case, he would have done well without it.

Yes it's about the celeb - but it's also a partnership. You can't just ignore the choreography.

Len is the only one holding a petulant grudge. (Over a comment he took way too seriously.)

He didn't start shouting and raving during his critique of Brendan and Lulu, though.

I think Aliona's choreography has improved from last year.

I liked the bit on the stairs, though I can understand why some may have felt it broke the flow. I probably would of played it safe and stuck it in at the beginning or end.

But yeah, we got the long blond haired guy with no flipping bounce – or any kind of jive movement - getting praise and high scores. Holly and Artem was faffing a bit too much walking around polls that I actually said out loud 'please just dance'. But Len decides to get his knickers in a twist about a beautiful and excellently danced waltz that did a little story telling on the stairs, bit silly.

Good for Alesha saying what she said.

I thought he gave Brendan a good telling off about it (as he does every year). And maybe Len 'shouted and raved' because, Aliona, by her own admission, doesn't listen (or for the pedants, 'doesn't take it on board').

Hey you! I think you are right about Len although I didn;t find it particularly cheesy but it did interrupt the flow and annoyed me! Loving H and A too - also Chelsee and Robbie.

Sorry to be a frightful old "pedant", but she said she does listen, but doesn't take the comments on board. Indeed that's confusing and contradictory and might suggest she's using English idiom incorrectly. Thus her intended meaning is a bit of a mystery.

That people think this offhand, unclear little remark is a legitimate reason to hold a grudge against Aliona and treat her differently is ridiculous.

But that was before he was heckled by James, he was pissed after that and Aliona is his easy target.

I admit I don't like Aliona's choreography - ever since practically the first dance of her first series but I was genuinely about to eat my hat tonight because I thought that waltz was lovely and Harry was looking great. And then she put in that naff kiss and ugh. The spell was well and truly broken. What a shame.

(and yes, I agree - Artem had far too much 'pole' in his viennese waltz, not only did Lulu spend more time on the stairs but there was also a LOT of repetition but neither of those dances got a 10 either!)

Hey lizzy!

I think the only reason Len got so angry was because the dance had the makings of a 10, and was spoilt. I don't think it's a personal grudge against Aliona.

Like your choices this year, although Anita is my Robbie if you know what I mean!

Mwah x

She's been here long enough to decide whether to take the comments on board and do something about it, or just do it her own way.
Len didn't like it. Similar reaction to when he told Brendan off last year about the jive (and every other year when he's dragging his partners off the floor). His outrage isn't just limited to Aliona. We know he doesn't like faffing about. It's not a top-secret peeve of Len's!

I loved it - from start to finish - every single step

As far as I'm concerned she never got out of the doghouse in the first place. She's made these choices since she appeared on SCD. I think she's a really beautiful dancer but her choreography, for a professional, is bordering on atrocious.

I think Len is playing a clever game here with Harry in this case. As Harry is very competitive, with Len's comments about "that would've been a 10 if it wasn't for"...etc will play on Harry's mind and make him possibly ask Aliona to give more 'straight' to the rules choreo instead of faffing or at least make him have doubts about her choreo (if he isn't already doing so).

Harry will want those 10's and he knows with Aliona's choreo he's very unlikely to get one from Len You can see that Harry does listen to the judges and imo has some concern that Aliona may damage his chances (I'm not saying they don't get on etc, but as demonstrated imo by the fact he shushed her, when she was going to defend herself after Len criticised her choreo and him immdeiately trying to cover her flippant remarks on ITT etc) you can clearly see he's aware it could be detrimental to him.

Having said all that, I kind of felt a little sorry for Aliona tonight I think the biggest insult in terms of choreo tonight actually came from Alesha! The fact she said I'm not going to penalise you for the choreography is pretty much what the others were thinking, but it seemed a little awkward to watch imo especially as poor Aliona just had to stand there and take it

Len clearly isn't an Aliona fan and I'm not either but I did think he was looking to nitpick. He would have found something to get on her case about.

The song at that point talks of a kiss on a mountaintop. Aliona was telling the story of the song in her choreography.
It did give Len a chance to have a go at Aliona, and I suspect he had his outburst planned before the dance. At least Craig said he liked the choreography.

The big thing for me is that Aliona taught Harry to dance a Waltz very very well.