Maybe she should quit the botox

More like derangement. Every series the judges refer to hip action in the Rumba, and Sophie's was poor. But still some people don't get it?

I think a lot do get it.

Yes there was very little hip action but the dance, for me, was very romantic and moving. She looked so ethereal and graceful and I thought she was enjoying it.

The biggest surprise was that she wasn't wobbling all over the place, which I had expected and was so pleased to see her looking stronger in her core.

I won't try to hide that I'm a big fan of Sophie but she hasn't been my top performer for quite a while, last night her Rhumba was my dance of the night.

But how can it be a rumba without hip action, doesn't that make it a different dance?

"...hip-sway over the standing leg..."

That's absolutely basic to ballroom rumba. And she didn't show that. But is that just one fault, although a very basic fault, or should it be judged harshly as it's such a core element?

I liked their rumba although it's true it wouldn't get you anywhere in a competition....

No. It means she was lacking hip action. In the way some lack straight legs in the CCC.

Absolutely and that is the beauty of this entertainment competition, it is about the whole rather than the technique.

To me it still looked like a Rhumba and it most certainly felt like a classy one.

Looked like a slowed down lift free version of their AT to me.

I do worry about what Brendan is saying to Sophie about her dancing. The bewilderment about the judges comments is quite palpable. Doesn't help when they don't specifically mention technique and talk about presentation instead.

I think the criticism of the emotion from Sophie's Rumba are unfair. Sometimes less is more. If an elegant woman can show her emotions just with a fragile smile she becomes infinitely more beautiful than a twerking sexpot.

It's funny as other contestants haven't been fantasic on performance and character detail either, yet Sophie seems to be picked up on it the most by the judges. The lesser dancers that have not given very good performances or not played the character of the dance well have not been critsed always as harshly as Sophie and I just wonder if it's because they judges are being more picky with her as they feel she could be one of the betters(wih potential) so feel the firm stance on her is needed. Lesser dancers are partonised and told they're 'really coming along and improving leaps and bounds' or showing great effort (regardless of whether they actually adn realisticall are or not), yet Sophie (who has still been better than some of the lesser contestants this year technique and perfomance wise) is never given the same sympathetic comments or encouragement (not that I'd want that false sense of security out on her like some of them have had too much of). It's strange the way the judges pick and choose they way they critique one celeb from the other.

So she should be marked down, no hip action, no rumba. the rumba is about hip action.

Agree, what dispirits me is that Sophie never seems to understand where she goes wrong. She doesn't have basic rhumba technique - perhaps it's too 'sexy' for her


But she doesn't. Her 'fragile smile' looks like embarrassment, or possibly wind.

She doesn't dance well, she cant' connect and she can't express the appropriate emotions.

Not great, and she's got to realise WHY.

Brendan's doing the best choreo he can, but is he teaching her properly? Or is she just unable to understand and refusing to try?

Perhaps this is something seen to be missing from the judges viewpoint. What we see at home is after all what the director chooses on camera angles.

She was marked down. It was still a beautiful Rhumba, lacking in hip action. Voted favourite dance of the night so far on this board. So it must have touched viewers. This is the point of an entertainment show.

Well, if hip-sway over the standing leg doesn't come naturally then you have to practice it a lot. I know we never see proper training in VT but it is possible to make a better attempt at it in a week than Sophie exhibited last night, So I don't think Brendan called her on it.

It's hardly grinding your backside into your partner's groin, is it? That I wouldn't like. But hip-sway in a pair of heels isn't terribly difficult unless you've got a dodgy pelvis.

She was supposed to dance a rumba and she didn't. What is the point in giving them dances to do if they do something different. Just dance what you like every week?

[quote=yellowlabbie;69946314]She was supposed to dance a rumba and she didn't. What is the point in giving them dances to do if they do something different. Just dance what you like every week?[/QUOTE]

Well that's what Natalie did with her "Viennese Waltz". It was an American Smooth.

Perhaps, yes. Though in some ways we see her peformance face more close up than they do, especially when she's doing turns or passing movements in some corner (or around the floor) and they'd never see that in as much detail from where they're sitting (eps if not facing them) whereas with our close up shot does. We tend to miss footwork with our angles as well as maybe a long shot view of the dance, but we get the changing perspectives of the dance (from different areas on the floor like top, middle, bottom, corners and face/body and close up shots) as well as the face shot/body shots (which they comment on as part of the performance aspect wgich ties in also with what her body does). I don't know, as individuals I suppose we all see things differently but other lesser dances have been as notable as having little or not performance level (or not the correct blanace for the dance) and yet they just get told well for the effort.

I don't mind Sophie getting critiqued about things that will make her better, but it's just the imbance of who is given harsher critque that seems odd to me, eps when there is one person getting the same comments that could easily be dished out even more relentlessly to other numbers of persons that needs to improve on it even more.

Are you being serious? She danced a Rhumba. It lacked technical perfection but she still danced a Rhumba. We can't say if it lacked the emotion or not as that is subjective. I imagine you think that was lacking too but a great many people were touched by and enjoyed their Rhumba more than other dances.

Way way back, I remember seeing an interview with Sophie-I think it was just after they had all been partnered up. (TBH, I'd never heard of her her as I'm not big on celebrity ) Anyway, I thought she was quite delightful and quirky. She and Brendan were practicing a dance and he was holding her very closely. She did say something to Brendan along the lines of, 'I've only ever been that intimate with my husband.'

TBH, I thought whoops!! This could cause a problem later on. Since then I have noticed that she seems to look uncomfortable. This is really sad as she is a good/improving dancer but it must be agony for her if she is uncomfortable and frustrating for Brendan, who, I think, believed the glitter ball was within reach again, particularly after the Charleston.

(Can I just say that a couple of the comments on this thread are just plain nasty and completely uncalled for!!!)

I do think that her personal modesty and thoughtfulness for her husband's feelings are hampering her dance wise. As much as I don't want anything to hamper her in the show, I do have huge respect for her sticking to her beliefs.

Regardless, I think she brings a deal to the show still and I enjoy her dances hugely, she's such a one off.

Exactly !

In fact some of the dances I honestly couldn't tell what they were without being announced -

[quote=Judge Dread;69946365]
What has this got to do with Sophie's 'rumba'?

[quote=yellowlabbie;69947032]
It's saying what's good for the goose is good for the other goose too!

[quote=Sofajudge;69947283]
Or maybe deflecting away from the subject of this thread