How is it unfair? If she bores me, she bores me, it's nothing to do with being quiet - I like some of the quieter dancers I can't say I'm the slightest bit surprised by some of the comments on their chemistry or lack of.

I watched Strictly last night for the first time in ages and I had read a few things on here about their lack of chemistry and coldness so I was expecting to see that. I missed the VT but I actually thought there was a fair amount of connection during the dance, i didn't see great chemistry like Kristina and Colin (which I youtubed earlier) but I didn't feel they were much colder than a few others really.

Also I'm pretty sure they had a hug at the end of the dance.

That said I do think Flavia is better being paired with a more outgoing personality like Matt DA, Russell or Jimi. But I think these two will do fine this year and grow more comfortable.

Ah, I didn't realise he had ADHD.

Yes, that'd explain a lot. Everything, in fact.

Do you mean that in a good or a bad way? Not trying to start anything- just curious!

Louis is shy. You could see it in the chat shows when he was in a group. Training for five or six hours a day in a gym is a fairly restricted life and it will be interesting to see how he develops outside of it in this strictly cooker.

I thought he was the victim of high expectations. He was hot favourite before last night, but I was a bit disappointed. Take away the gymnastic tricks and it was a fairly mediocre performance..or first week performance to put it more fairly.
No, there wasn't much connection between them..but it's still early days.

It is early days. I am still hopeful and am keeping my fingers crossed, for Flavia's sake if nothing else, that it improves when they dance.

He's spent most of his life training in one of the most disciplined sports there is. Where your performance is technical and your conduct upright at all time.

People automatically think a gymnast should be a great dancer but dance is about hiding great technical ability behind a performance and gymnastics is totally about emphasizing technical ability. Dance isn't intended to look workman like, gymnastics is.

In the space of a few weeks you have train over a decades worth of conflicting training out of him. I agree that the reserved Flavia might not be the right person for the job.

There are some nice smiles from Louis near the end. He's so fit he's breathing through his nose for the first half of the dance! Once he opens his mouth he seems more expressive.

Their CC in HD.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vuiULUGkHo

Thanks for sharing that with us. Those of us who have never done gymnastics at that level need to be able to understand how that world works and how it differs from dance.

Good to have your perspective. And yes, Flavia is the wrong partner for him. Natalie would have been better.

except she may have been a tad too tall

I think he would have worked well with Ola

Agreed. He has a beautiful natural grace and I bet if he had smiled more often the whole 'chemistry' thing would have appeared entirely different. I have high hopes for him. He's certainly someone I'd want to teach (no - not for those reasons - he's too young for me!) and I think Flavia is damn lucky!

Yeah, you're right about the fab Nat. I was thinking personality fit, wasn't I?

Nooooo, not Ola. Ola is all about Ola and her choreography is dire.

Karen Hauer would have been good. Two amazing looking people together. Yes!

Personality wise - then Erin would have been good- though she seems to have got a useful partner in Richard who pleasantly surprised me

No, no, no, no, no and just in case no! I don't want Louis head banging and knee sliding.

I think he could have been good with Erin, she's very no-nonsense and a bit intimidating, but she is fantastic at getting performances from emotionally stunted sportsmen.

Thanks for posting that - it was useful to see it again. To be honest, I don't think he needed to breathe that much in the first half of the dance because Flavia was doing most of the work.

Actually, their connection during the dance was okay - not brilliant, but okay. It was their connection (or lack of it) when not dancing that stood out. It reminded me of the yawning gap between Holly and Artem last year. So I don't think the inevitable acting coach :yawn: to help him express himself in the dance will have any impact on their body language.

I don't know about ADHD - well, not enough to know whether this explains things - but I hope they can do something to promote Louis's character, or the public will not warm to him, no matter how good his dancing might eventually become.

I thought he had nice graceful hands but I also thought they were almost too gentle for the dance. They'll look lovely in ballroom I think, though I know zilch about dancing.

That's never stopped any of the rest of us before.

I appreciate the fact that you're trying to explain the reserve and diffidence of Louis but:
Gymnastics is not an isolated sport. Louis has trained as part of a team and gymnasts compete for team medals as well as those for the individual.

His silver for the pommel horse was awarded after he and the Hungarian tied for gold. Without going into detail Krisztian Berki was awarded gold and Louis exemplified true sportsmanship in accepting that decision.

ADHD - Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder?
I really am confused. No one - much less an Olympic athlete - suffering from attention deficiency could possibly progress to the highest pinnacle of their ambitions. 19 years of training requires 100% attention and concentration and all personal distractions must be ignored (I read somewhere that Mo Farrah, training in the US, asked that should not be contacted if his wife went into labour during the Olympics. Clearly he wanted no diversion from the task in hand. i.e. Olympic Gold.)


Flavia did have fun with Russell (and I had fun with Russell and Flav,) but that was entirely different. They didn't have a chance of the glitterball so they went for entertainment big time.

Can you imagine the reaction if Flavia had choreographed a routine where Louis stepped out of a giant shell to the strains of Venus?


Louis is anything but a diva. I've heard that from a very reliable source.


If I've interpreted your post correctly the only thing missing here is this

<This>


I'll be giving them a few more weeks before I write them off completely

As much as he is a performer in doing gymnastics, he isn't the type of performer that someone like Lisa is.
Gymnast rarely smile while doing a routine. They concentrate so hard, they are looking for perfection in their skills not worrying about connecting with the audience.

I saw loads and loads of potential in his dancing and partnership with Flavia.
Will it all come together? I hope so because I think he could honestly be amazing if he gets it right and could possible end up as one of the best Strictly (male) dancers ever.

So Flavia and Jimi still together? Living together? (yes I'm nosey!! )

It may be a team sport but they compete individually in the Olympics he competed for the team in his speciality the pommel, nothing else. So it was still an individual effort. Although he was very supportive of his younger team mates.

As far as the ADHD. My son has ADHD, along with other leesrning difficulties, and has lots of special needs schoolmates. I never medicated my son for ADHD but Louis reminds me of those that have been - emotionally distant, vacant and physically distant. He seems like his emotional responses have been learned and and don't come naturally, so he always laughs a beat later, because he's mirroring everyone else's emotions.

He's definitely not like my son who's unfocused, unable to sit still, has the attention span of a gnat, is constantly fidgeting, never makes eye contact and is very clumsy. although my son is just as obsessive about his appearance, it makes him feel like he fits in and is the same as everyone else because he can't tell whether he is or not. So clothes, hair, shoes, bag etc have to be just right.

But hey, what do i know? He might just be shy and awkward.

Her loss

So disappointed with the lack of chemistry as I was absolutely ecstatic when I heard that Louis would be doing the show. I honestly cannot understand the lack of connection between them, something must've happened somewhere for them to be so stand-offish with eachother?

It is all very odd.

[quote=Alli-F;61541701]It may be a team sport but they compete individually in the Olympics he competed for the team in his speciality the pommel, nothing else. So it was still an individual effort. Although he was very supportive of his younger team mates.

Many athletes compete as individuals and as part of a team. Track athletes are a prime example - all want individual glory but there is no doubting the camaraderie team mates develop when competing in relays.


I can understand those whose personal familiarity seems to reflect a mirror image of their own experience - but I hope I don't sound harsh or patronising if I quote Alexander Pope;


Can I also indulge myself further with the full quote .


Just for Sid.