The latest photos are in http://balletnews.co.uk/strictly-com...s-in-pictures/

Nice! Artem looks a touch uncomfortable, like the photographers had just crakced some off coloured jokes or something.

Iveta is looking more and more like Camilla.

Kevin's post is good (paso-ish) except his trousers looked wrong for that post.

James looked almost demure.

The other two new girls, Anya and Janette look fab!

Thanks for that, now I can put a face to a name.

thanks Cheryl

My pleasure. I think Kevin comes off best in this batch, but I agree about the trousers. I'd love to see the dancers properly styled for these particular shots where they aren't dancing.

Striped trousers are popular with some male pro dancers - I think they feel they make their legs look longer. Don't dislike them myself, but agree Kevin's look wrong in the photo - too baggy perhaps? They actually make his legs seem shorted!!

Yup, that pose will only look good if he's wearing the typical latin trousers (spank-me pants).

eda: I just noticed I wrote post in that first response to Cheryl.

Twice

I think it's because his mum has ironed a crease in his trousers.

I blame my new smart phone. Still trying to get used to reading and typing with it. I also have clicked into threads that I didn't intend to look or reply without knowing, and, often after replying to the last post from it, then I realised my mistake. Makes me look like a stalker/creepy lurker.

No! Who said that? I'll hit em on the nose!

SCD observer it's really, really easy to do. We all do it!! On a phone it's just tricky with auto correct and when you're in a hurry on a small screen, you can't help it. I got the gist of your comments no problem!!

Pasha's face is rather amusing, I wish I could pout like that.

Thanks for the link.

Brendan is very long limbed isn't he. Or, he just has a shorter body.

My iPad always wants Artem to be a Greek goddess.

My favourite sighted auto correct / typo on this forum was someone saying 'yourselves' and it came out 'your elves'. Cuteness!

All these photos looked retouched . I hate retouched photos .

me too

Yes, I know professional photographs generally are, but these a bit too much for me.

The background drapes are fake and all the pros (and celebs previously) were cut and paste jobs. But if you mean retouched as in nip and tuck, then no. If you mean retouched to prettify their facial features, I doubted. Otherwise they won't give Artem that half grimace look. But they are all under heavy make up and these are by and large the usual signs of classic photography lighting tricks and strategic camera/lens angles and placements... Some possible spot removal perhaps but I think those are fairly minor.

I really don't think that anything is fake.

they seem to get worse each year too

All the Strictly photo's I have seen so far look fabulous.

they would look even more fabulous if they werent retouched so much

Hmmm...

First of all, Pet Monkey I loved your story !

On the subject of retouched photos - all the Strictly photos since the year dot have looked pretty manufactured, in my opinion. The backdrop is added later, which is why it's exactly the same in every single photo - even the folds are the same - as are those effects you sometimes get with the bubbles being added for Christmas etc,. But as far as the subjects themselves - usual digital retouching will sort out any facial blemishes (though the heavy make-up does a good job of that anyway and they don't use the make-up that doesn't work with photography - but beyond that, what you see is how they are..... They are real dancers doing real jobs and they know how to pose, how to look good, how to work with the camera. Working with dancers is a dream job because they do make it easy. The only difference between dancers and models is that the models love the camera (mostly) and the dancers don't like looking at themselves (though of course they do it day in day out for their job). Hope that helps...

Love Kevin and Karen's poses. Can't wait to see more of both of them, they seem like an ace couple.