This weekend will see the couples perform their 10th dance out of the 14 styles now performed on Strictly (ignoring the freestyle in the final). As with last year, this is the week we should be going up to two dances, but we're not, so are we going to miss out on a dance again?

Last year Kara and Pamela never performed a samba, and Matt never did a waltz. Call me silly, but it seems a bit daft to get to the final (and win!) without having performed all the dances?!

I assume we'll have two dances per couple in next week's semi-final (5 couples) but unless the finalists each do two new dances, we'll be missing out again. Last year people mumbled that they avoided going to 2 dances because Ann Widdecombe was still around at this point, but they can hardly use that excuse this year...

So, why didn't they just go to 2 dances this week, so that we would see all the dances performed?

If they are going to miss a dance it should certainly be the same dance! Missing the samba as Pamela did is a real advantage because of its difficulty.

I agree with both points, if you're going to do a show like SCD, I would think you'd want to do all the dances that you could, not just most of them.

And it also makes sense, if they miss out a dance, for it to be the same dance, otherwise, you can't really compare competitors on dancing, when some have done one but not another, especially if it could affect their scores or technique for another dance, i.e. Pamela as mentioned, or Chelsee not having done jive before doing the swingathon

I think it's also to do with them mixing up the dances so much each week; if they grouped the dances into categories, i.e. easy, medium, difficult. Then made sure each couple did each stage in a certain time frame, i.e. easy dances: weeks 1 -3, medium 4 - 6, etc. It would be better for the celebrities, but that's just my thoughts on it.

I think it makes a bit more sense this year, given that Harry's already done the paso (albeit not with much training), so I'm assuming he'll miss that one out...

I don't like it, but it's a more minor dislike than a lot of other things about the show as it currently is...

How could they possibly do that? Each and every dance is the MOST DIFFICULT DANCE AND SO HARD FOR TALL/SHORT/SPORTMEN/PEOPLE WHO'VE NEVER DANCED BEFORE/etc. It's barely all they can do to COME OUT AND GIVE IT THEIR ALL!

Don't worry, here comes Robbie to collapse all the latin dances into one with obligatory knee-slide, watching Ola gyrate and taking an item of clothing off (Robbie, unfortunately)

I'd suggest that it wasn't considered that this year, some of the contestants weren't yet up to coping with two dances yet.

Perhaps something like this:

"Easy" dances (ones that everyone can do and get a decent score, only the very inept will do badly) :
Waltz, Cha Cha Cha, Tango, Charleston, American Smooth

"Medium" dances (designed for around the top 9/10 ):
Paso Doble, Viennese Waltz, Salsa, Jive, Quickstep

"Hard" dances (designed for the top 5):
Foxtrot, Samba, Rumba, Argentine Tango

You're psychic, aren't you.

Despite what the judges say, I don't see the foxtrot as a particularly hard dance as even average dancers score reasonably well mid series.

So I'd suggest:

"Easy" dances (ones that everyone can do and get a decent score, only the very inept will do badly) :
Waltz, Quickstep, Foxtrot, Charleston, American Smooth

"Medium" dances (designed for around the top 9/10 ):
Cha Cha, Viennese Waltz, Salsa, Jive, Tango

"Hard" dances (designed for the top 5):
Paso Doble, Samba, Rumba, Argentine Tango, Freestyle

Ah see in mine, I was trying to go for a mix of Ballroom and Latin for each section - I've also heard the pros say that the FT was the hardest of the Ballroom dances so that's what made me put it in the Hard section.

Foxtrot not hard?? It's hard on my the poor viewer. Do foxes even understand it? I think I should be told.

Well, I don't know anything about dancing, so it all sounds good to me

hehe - that made me giggle!!!

you have Robbies latin dances down to a tee - that is exactly what he does every single time

Presuambly because all the celebs had to learn and perform a new group routine for Monday night for the Christmas Special. 3 new dances in a week is bit too much.
It was the same last year.

Prior to Series 6, by week 10 the celebs would be learning two individual dances and it sorted the wheat from the chaff.

I'm sure I can think of several reasons why we don't see two dances until the semi-final, but it does feel like it's basically because since Series 6, the celebs left in the show couldn't cope.

I think this makes it harder for the celebs who get to the final. All of a sudden they have to do 4 dances in one week when they have only had to learn one for nearly the whole of the series. Last year the dances in the final just weren't polished enough as it was too much for them to learn in a week. I know some are repeated but still seemed a bit of a shock to them.

I completely agree.

In series 5 they filmed the Christmas Special in QF week, when the couples were already learning 2 new dances and half of them were ill, and the standard was much higher and the judges much more technique-focused than this year, so if '3 dances a week is too much' is the excuse, it's a very poor one.

I personally like the note of strategy implied in each pro choosing a routine to "protect" their celebrity from, but then I am a bit of a nerd like that. Am beginning to wonder if Pasha is going to save Chelsee from the rumba or the paso for instance. Or what Kristina thinks Jason can't do.

That Christmas special was made up of routines that contestants had already done, the only difference was that they danced it to a Christmas song.
They didn't learn an entirely new routine, unlike the contestants this week.


And you don't see why that may have changed things given the same problems poped up in the following series.

It seems nonsensical to me that after all these weeks they should only perform 13 out of a possible 14 dances. So near yet so far. It was bizarre last year that we never saw Matt do the Waltz. I must admit, when I saw it was Swingathon week, I though, great - this is them building up to two a week, so it was a bit of a disappointment to find they have stepped back to one.
To my mind, if it is the Christmas Special that is causing the problem, then it is the Christmas Special that should be changed to fit around the main series.
But if the Special is sacrosanct, I'd drop the Show dance and do the 14th dance then, but that's another story and has been discussed to death on other threads.
Or simplest of all, just start the main series a week earlier. It ain't rocket science.

Why not drop some of the dances?

They never used to have the AS or the Charleston. Lose the salsa. The AT never used to be on the list.

I'd rather see fewer dances done well with the ability to transfer skills/techniques from one to another.

If a dance is dropped then it should be the same dance for all the contestants.

Does anybody actually watch the Christmas Special?

There are so many "specials" programmed for Christmas Day - do TV broadcasters really believe we spend this family day glued to the TV screen?
In my family the TV stays firmly switched off so the lunch can be served and eaten smokin' hot. Even the Queen's speech (recorded in July) gets forgotten in some years.