No, that's the stuff I'd absolutely expect to see and what I get pissy about when it's not there and instead there's a load of fancy lifts and some side by side wafting

You overstepped my boundary!







not really, this IS the internet, and I should know better!




Washboard, I don't suppose you could find a YouTube clip of the 'crotch-to-face-jump' out there? You're the only person that's seen it before it seems, and I'd love to know if it ever looks anything other than what we saw last night!

It is an odd jump but it can be used effectively. It was used last year on DWTS and it was a wow moment. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3FZvUp5U-A It's at about 3:50 on the video.

Hey! Thanks!

It definitely looks better there (but the chap is the pro so lakes better shapes in the air) and the way he pushes her back up is neat and possibly not seen with A&O due to camera angle. It 's still pretty yucky though!

And I desperately want to know what its called!

Well seems it is supposed to look like that and not be the cock up I assumed. And I still think it is hideous. That was a fab dance with Derek and partner and she is fantastic. Her feet in those turns were so clean. She is a non dancer - - WOW

I didn't think the crotch in face lift was the wow moment of the dance. I thought the wow moment was the false end. That was stylish and perfectly executed.

She's a gymnast

I hated that bit. I actually thought it had gone horribly wrong

That figures. Not just the tricks but I imagine the floor and beam work would explain the beautifully neat feet. I would give a lot to achieve such finesse.

I don't think it ever looks elegant...

Although I've seen it before, it's not in any of my favourite clips. But, I did find these 'kind of' examples

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRDD9YTV8ts

0:37 – first time I ever saw this particular lift. I’d been looking for videos of the three couples in this clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvbN4oSOOc0

Also

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghn4EJaeWWY

1:06 – a variant of the ‘lift’

and

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwwbsxQ_stQ

0:44 – different crotch/face combo

All round world champion gymnast in 2007 (aged 15). Olympic gold medallist, Olympic multiple silver medallist in 2008 (aged 16). She won the DWTS season 8 in 2008 (aged 16) and came second in the DWTS all stars category in 2012 (aged 20).

I have to say the last two were stunning - absolutely stunning, & the first one was pretty good as well. This is gymnastic - salsa - fast and slick with incredible timing, precision, flexibility, strength.

With Ashley & Ola it was just a bit clunky - and looked a bit weird - but no doubting the skill & flexibility required of Ola & the care required from Ashley.

It's kind of interesting, sociologically & culturally speaking, as what we find taboo. In the past it was a no - no for women to ride horses astride - it was considered to be disgustingly sexual - so they had to ride side-saddle.

I would think that the normal Salsa would be considered boring without lifts by the viewing public.

So Ola has puts in a lift for Ashley that Derek Hough and the World Salsa Champions get a big cheer from the audiences for performing. I would have thought that Ola and Ashley should get credit for doing the same lift.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRDD9YTV8ts

Thank you!

I liked the one with the handstand start (although I suspect it's a typical swing trick that looks different because the man is the 'flyer'.

And they all look significantly better than A&O

And while I kinda agree that there should be respect for putting something so daring in, my overwhelming thought is that it is irresponsible to be doing Tartuffe like this with a beginner lead who has minimal time to learn.

Ultimately, Ashley's version reminded me of a dog rubbing it's bottom on the carpet, and I doubt that was the intent.

He's a brave lad to go for it though, for sure.




Edit: that should read 'stuff' not 'Tartuffe' but it's such a strange Apple autocorrect I'm leaving it in. I don't even know what it is!

They have received credit for doing the same lift, doesn't mean people have to automatically like it though. It's a seriously unattractive move whoever's doing it.

An apple tartuffee with cream or custard sounds yummy

Fatskia does have a point though.

Salsa doesn't really lend itself to the big space and TV set of SCD. It is a spot dance and to watch two dancers not moving more than a meter from where they started is not good TV. SO inevitably they have to corrupt the form and do a show dance.

But actually the fact that it is choreographed is also a corruption. Salsa is a spontaneous dance improvised by the couple ( mainly the lead) as it is performed. So the minute you plan it and rehearse it you change it from what it is to something it isn't. In effect you create a kind of sub genre.

Perhaps on SCD, salsa should be done swingathon style. If they did a spontaneous salsathon to a track that hadn't been disclosed before the show that would separate the sheep from the goats.

Oh I agree, I just think they have received the necessary plaudits for putting in those lifts and got the recognition for them. Plus I'm one of those irritating people who preferred the early days of SCD when the couples actually danced the dance they were supposed to be doing and had to make it actually look like whatever it was without throwing in loads of lifts (which have massively increased the last two years).

I absolutely loved Mark Ramprakash and Karen Hardy's Salsa and that had nary a lift in it.

I agree with that.

Me too.

But of course Ben / Kristina took lifts to another level and were relatively lauded even more.

The idea used to be to show people learning to dance and perhaps function on a dance floor. Perhaps Ashley can, but I can't see Ben doing that.

let's face it some dances do not bear any resemblance to how they should be and as viewers are used to seeing them that way they think they are correct - Mark and Karen's salsa is a good example a good dance - yes but more samba than salsa

Would like to see Karen Hauer do salsa with a good celeb partner - with her ex husband she was Salsa and Mambo champ in the uSA

I agree - it was a very ugly move. Rather than 'wow' all I could think was how unpleasant it must be to have someone jump crotch-first at your head at high speed.

SCD Samba is perhaps the dance furthest away from the everyday street version which seems to be a solo, group or parade dance mainly for women rather than a partner dance.

http://youtu.be/rqv-V7oCpZ4?t=55s

I've told my husband not to attempt it....

... and he replied: "but you go ahead anytime you haven't got a headache ..."