Calling out the producers on foisting a cowboy theme paso on her and then Craig criticising her. Must have been very galling to then see the trad paso getting such kudos.

She did it so tactfully too, unlike Kristina yesterday with her frankly delusional indignation at the judges 'undermarking' of Ben.

Indeed. Is that the first time one of the pros has articulated the point that they don't get to choose what they do. She has gone up in my estimation for having made the best of a daft idea.

I thought that was brilliant too, good on her, go Ola!

Brenda made it very clear last year that he thought Victoria's flying bike was stupid and it was nothing to do with him.

I missed ITT but good for her. Ashley tweeted something earlier in the week too. It really was a ridiculous idea especially when he was using a cape. I can't remember the last western I saw with a cowboy with a cape.

Both Mark & Iveta told how they were stuck with the Goldfinger number for a rumba. So perhaps more professionals are speaking out.

Well said OP. Other people on this forum have been giving Kevin all the credit for going down the traditional route, when it seems just as likely that lots of the pro's would like to do the same but have a limited say in the process. It must be very frustrating to have your work judged by millions and yet be bound by niceties of being positive about the show and not being able to put your own side of the argument. I know all the dancers benefit greatly from being on the show, but it must still be hard on a personal level.

Didn't Iveta also say that the song and theme for her and Marks spaceman Paso were given to her? Mark's comments on the rumba theme make me think that they were given that too (something about Iveta trying to make the best of it).

Yes, it does seem somehow like a stitch up for some contestants by TPTB.

Ooh, you'd posted the same as me above, sorry. It takes me so long to type on my phone (and then correct the 'autocorrect') that I miss loads of posts in between.

The producers interference is really annoying this year. They need to step back a bit and stop trying to micromanage everything.

^^^^^^ I agree.

Well done indeed to Ola, she's gone up in my estimation . What do those producers know about dancing . They should all be made to have lessons in all the various types of dances, maybe then they wouldn't be making such idiotic choices with the dances and the music.

good for her, I've not been so keen in general on the music choices over the past couple of series, did actually think it was just me getting old though!

Great insight into what goes on behind the scenes from Ola. I've occasionally seen the pros criticised on here for certain themes/costumes/music and it's interesting to know they sometimes get things pushed upon them & they have to make the best of it.

Well done to Ola for speaking out. It must be frustrating for some pros and rightly so.

It seems like they are deliberately sabotaging some of them .

Like those themes imposed to Mark and Iveta (the rumba and the paso )
And I would also like to think that Aljaz would prefer a traditional music for his paso tomorrow. What a weird song choice even though it has been used before.
Or the tango a few weeks ago to Florence & the machine again.

They're not the only ones. Some bizarre and questionable song choices this serie with some pros now I know the reason .

I absolutely get that the production team have to plan a programme with sufficient variety to engage viewers - that probably means if two couples are dancing a Paso they can't both do a trad Spanish one in the same week. But you would kind of hope that they would not go so far as to actually foist a theme that was totally unwanted on the pro rather than letting them come up with their own alternative. And certainly, it was very disingenuous of Craig (not for the first time I may add) to criticise the theme knowing full well it was not the pros choice but many casual viewers would think it was. Poorly done.

And people applauding Kevin for finally choosing an appropriate paso song when a lot of pros would have loved to have that same courtesy accorded to them !!!

Well having said that, Ola chops (and other pros) would have had many chances over the years to pick that music and theme - I can't believe it has been totally veto'ed in the past by producers and saved for Kevin! Plus full marks to him for giving it the full works when he got it. I don't think many others would have done - can you see Artem, for eg, willingly doing something so 'conventional' and exposing?

conspiracy theories out again - all of them have had dodgy themes foisted on them Kevin would not have wanted that Raiders of the lost ark theme either or bad moon rising for a Charleston - and I bet Brendan did not pick his Halloween theme either

To be fair Halloween is more restricting for obvious reasons.

The one really stitched up there was Mark as his song did not match halloween either.

But it wasn't really such a traditional paso either was it ? and Bizet is not normally paso music though it is spanish - that paso was a strictly ballroom paso to me - though did love it

I actually think Fiona and Anton drew the all time shortest straw with the Westlife party rumba - I would lay money on that song not being Anton's choice.

I would also like to thank Ola for speaking out.

It has generally been obvious when the couples have had themes and music foisted on them. The results are usually awful. It is very unfair on them

I think that many of them would have risen to the occasion. Especially Artem.