Can I ask all of you: are there any conventions to a showdance? I know there are no 'rules' but are there patterns you'd expect a choreographer to stick to, or anything that you think really doesn't work? When it's sometimes said on here that a dance was more of a showdance than whatever it's supposed to be, I'm not really sure what that means. How important are lifts, which always seem to be the main content of an expert showdance like last night's?

I wondered which showdances from previous series posters would pick out as their favourites. I'm ashamed to say I can only remember the ones I didn't like. Who would you say did a wonderful showdance?

Alesha's & Tom's for the right reasons. With Lisa's & Colin's for the wrong reasons.

No rules they usually base it on the dances they've already done a mix them up. Unlike Aliona last year who did Hip-Hop and it didn't really work. Why dances are said to be more showdance e.g. Harry's Tango, Waltz & Jive is usually as they have minimal content from that dance and goes against the rules of having too little in hold or breaking hold and doing something else.

Some I like

Tom & Camilla- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUcgLC7GuQQ
Alesha & Matt - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKTblkh08ws
Matt & Flavia- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbIXck78IuM
Mark & Karen - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMq11vjKYmo

AVOID
Colin & Erin http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-_ceoJYufg
Lisa & Brendan http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAZ0nOmfWwY (funny version) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DAOL...eature=related (straight)
Matt & Aliona - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-a6Y6rMIZY it isn't SYTYCD
Kara & Artem http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XtBNAAZ9Jg

Thank you, both of you. Thank you very much penguinperson for going to the trouble to get me the links. Really appreciate it. Really interesting.

I really love Alesha and Matt showdances the most.Unfortunately since series 5 ,I havent witness any outstanding showdances.Hopefully ,this wont be the case this saturday.

You know you've been on DS too long when you read the title as 'Showmances'

i liked matt and aliona's and artem and kara's. they felt like something a bit different, and thats what you want by the finale.

only, not as 'different' as brendan and lisa's.... thats taking things a bit far

The idea of the showdance originally was meant to highlight all they had learnt during the weeks on the show but with no restrictions or rules, but that seems to have gone out the window somewhat.

The showdances are generally rubbish. I liked Zoe's, Alesha's, Matt Di A's and Chris's, but that's it.

I think it's best to go for maybe three big lifts, make sure the song you pick is awesome, and then pick only a few dances to base it on. And keep the gymnastics to a minimum, people get hurt.

just watch Tom and camilla's showdance - thanks for the link but found this too
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXFiF...ture=fvwp&NR=1

He did that on a showreel to get work. It didn't exactly go down well with some

I liked Zoe's as well but couldn't find it.

Most memorable moment was Ian falling over, but he still didn't go out of time.

I really liked Matt and Aliona's showdance! It was so different, and yet full of content and interesting interpretation of music. Would've liked Kara's too if she had been well enough to pull it off.


I really want to see it now! Does anyone know of a place we can find it?

The idea of the showdance from the first couple of series' was to give the pros a chance to show their celebrities off and to indulge in being able to include lifts in their dances. Up until whichever series introduced the American Smooth, the fifth I think, lifts were simply not allowed and would be penalised by the judges.
It usually took a combination of steps from the various ballroom and latin styles the celebrity was best at and then added in some impressive lifts to give the "wow" factor.

Natasha and Brendan's show dance, for example, was an almost exact copy of the Dirty Dancing final dance including the impressive running lift, Zoe and Ian Waite's was a variant on the America! number from West Side Story.


Sadly Zoe and Ian's showdance seems to have vanished off the face of the interwebs. It's a real shame because it was brilliant.

ETA: To fix the cleb Brendan danced with

Natalie and Brendan??? *parallel universe phemonenon, cue in twilight zone music*

Natasha and Brendan even

I liked Zoe's showdance too, although Ian said on ITT the other week that he slipped on the fan which Zoe hadn't thrown away properly

Alesha & Matthew's showdance was amazing, will have to watch it again on youtube later. Matt Di Angelo's was brilliant too but shame about the outfits!

I know. Just a bit of fun.

I loved Tom and Camilla's, but I've probably watched the 'altered' version of bacofoil (Lisa and Brendan) more.

Tom & Camilla - Wowza! I'd forgotten how brilliant that was, it had absolutely everything. He did look like a pro.

Edit: Actually can't watch Kara's or Matt's showdances from last year, just no! And I'm not even a dance purist

Alesha's showdance is still the best.

Kara's, Matt DA's and Matt Baker's showdances were more like a series of acrobatic stunts rather than dance

Tom and Camilla is the best for me still, Alesha's was good but very rough and slightly under rehearsed imo

Much as I supported Alesha, I HATED her showdance. It's so disco-y, and the last lift and drop was a near disaster.

Kara's and Matt Baker's showdances were one of the worst ones in SCD as well.

And I liked Matt Di Angelo's showdance despite wanting Alesha to win.

I loved Alesha but thought her showdance was poor which was a shame as she looked fabulous and the music was great! I don't remember much about Matt's other than I'm recalling he seemed to throw Flavia around a lot in the acrobatic style?

I thought Julian Clary's An Officer and a Gentleman routine with Erin was lovely too in the second series and I also enjoyed Denis Lewis' with Ian Waite.