I've just remembered! Karen did comment on Mark's charleston bit in his quickstep (which I suppose does count as choreography) saying "look how long it went on for". I saw this as poor choreography, but apparently it was a GOOD THING as far as Karen was concerned.

I really didn't like that QS a there seemed to be an awful lot of trotting around in a circle like an horse. I seem to remember in previous years a lot of celebs being told off for being skippy, I thought it was really skippy.

Also standing on one leg for a young man with your eyes open and a partner to balance should be a piece of cake, if that was all Craig could find to praise in his QS I don't think it can have been very good.

Really Karen is now a parody of herself, she makes the MOST exagerated faces and laughs uncontrollably at the slightest thng. I don't think it is the bump, most women with buns in the oven burst into tears at the slightest thing, there was much to cry about in last weeks show but it apparently prompted manic laughing in Karen. Why can't we have, Katya, Anya, Matt, Lilia, oh almost anyone other than Karen, James even though I think he has closed that door firmly behind him

Karen's always been a parody of summat as far as I'm concerned. She's always been a gurner, both on and off the dance floor. The danger of that is that obviously the wind changed at a point where she'd got her eyes open very, very wide indeed and now they're like that for life.

ITT either need to change the name of her segment or Karen needs to confine her comments to the choreography. Last night she virtually took over Scott's training, and I wonder how that went down with her MiniMeFromGrimsby. She also seems to have set herself up as Celebrity Champion/Judge Criticiser constantly saying how harsh the judges were to point out errors and poor technique.

I couldn't decide if Tristan, Natalie and Aliona are going to take one week each or all be there together for the three weeks? Anyone?

I don't think there was much mention of choreography specifics...

I keep thinking that the laughing Karen cushions (that presumably have Pissed off Craig on the back) were some production person's way of telling Karen to get a grip and stop the manic laughter.

For the first time in a few weeks I did watch ITT fairly live (only about 2 mins on delay) and so watched it through without pressing the FF button every 30 seconds.

Im sure Mini Me from Grimsby will not have been impressed with being told by the saintly Karen how she should be teaching Scott (even if KH was right).

Surprised that none of the "IT'S NOT FAIR/SO BIASED" brigades have lept on Craig's admission that certain contestants took him out on the piss. Not that I'm suggesting we might anticipate a rise in the scores of any contestants with form for selling their bodies for homosexual purposes *of course*.

The first film I ever saw at the cinema was Seven Brides for Seven Brothers which | suppose set a pretty high bar for choreography and performance. Sunday afternoons were spent in front of the TV watching Astaire and Rogers, and Gene Kelly, as my mother relived the pleasure she'd had watching their films when they were originally released. I remember seeing Sweet Charity and Cabaret with her at the cinema, and the first time I saw West Side Story was with her when it had a cinema re-release (we cried buckets at the end).

I saw Nureyev dance Romeo to his own choreography for Romeo and Juliet back in the seventies, and in 1990 my then six year old son, who had no context in which to place it, asked me mid way through the Spartacus and Phrygia pas de deux as performed by the Bolshoi whether Spartacus was a strong man.

Last night Karen Hardy put all this in perspective when she said "I thought we had lots of fans on choreography corner but I clearly feel we don't and they're not listening to me so I'm feeling a bit sad. I feel as though I'm trying to educate them and teach them about what is great dancing and what I want to do, I want to show them one more time. Look how great this is, what Mark did".

So, step aside Michael Kidd, Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Bob Fosse, Jerome Robbins, Rudolph Nureyev and Yury Grigorovich as both dancers and choreographers. Karen Hardy has informed us all that Karen Hauer and Mark Wright are the truly greats.

Did Karen actually say THAT? (missed that bit) Because all I saw on Saturday was two people trotting around the floor, quite slowly

Yes. Yes she did.
That the Head Judge Elect, right there.
If the audience jeered, I have a feeling she could turn out more Shakesperian than Len


I just wanted to know who they were

So, both Judy and Scott have the Charleston this weekend then.
The Charleston really is the lollipop and sticker dance as far as Strictly is concerned isn't it?
As in, you are pants at ballroom and even worse at Latin, but we'll give you this Funnity fun, all you have to do is swivel a bit and flap about with a gurn or two dance and we can pat you on the head and give you a lollipop and say thanks for coming.
Also doubles as a personality winkle picker and general bottom 2 bandaid.
They are never going to ditch it, are they?

She did which, again I found odd given that ther was a lot of trotting, one episode of one legged standing and a bit of Jigging abhat! Without swivel.

Something tells me even though, I too, have watched many of the same films as Muggsy, watched and talked to Nureyev and I am not sure that many of my dance heros would agree, with her .

Talking to Nureyev did entail me stepping backwards into his arm in the park, " I said I am sorry " his gaurd, glared at me. I feel that encounter may probably have given me more ability to pontificate accurately on dance than Karen, who despite all her years learning and teaching dance STILL felt that dance was something out of the ordinary.

If he were not already dead, next time I bumped into Nureyev, I would be sure to mention that.

My mum and dad are musical freaks and living in London in the 50's saw most of them on stage. They saw West Side Story in the first run, for which I am beyond jell . Saturday afternoons were sat infront of the tele watching whichever one was on and then playing the LP on the Dansette and wafting (I dont think the settee ever recovered from the barn raising dance in 7 Brides )

We never had the 7 Brides LP (of course we had a Dansette) but I spent a lot of time pretending Yul Brynner was polka-ing me round the front room.

Years later my son would play our West Side Story video and try to replicate George Chakiris's moves. A stubby-legged 4 or 5 year old trying to do this. Bless.

Incidentally in looking for a photo to show which George Chakiris move I meant I came across this lovely photo of him with Rita Moreno and Russ Tamblyn taken in 2011.

http://cdn.theatermania.com/article/45350/1.jpg

Now the first one is what I call standing on one leg😀

If Mark had done that I would have been impressed.

Well wouldn't we all!

it also seem war Drobe need to have words with those that made the Skinny jeans, in the days before Lycra and they still stayed in one piece.

Not having watched ITT this year I had no idea that La Hardy was PREGNANT ? Did I read that correctly upthread .... she's PREGNANT ?

Poor sod will be in sequins in the moses basket, and you just know she will disown it if it hasn't won championships by the age of 3.

I thought she was approaching menopause anyway

Ooh do be careful Button, I got a roasting for suggesting earlier that I thought she was too old! yes she's about 23 weeks along I believe. It's all about the sparkly face-framing distracting details now.

You guys are hilarious

The fabulous Brian O'Driscoll on BBC breakfast. Oh, Strictly bookers - do whatever it takes.

I've just watched my first episode of ITT this year (yesterdays) included Joanne and Scott training for Charleston.
Looked like a Monday morning at Tumbletots

My mum saw him in the West End, hung around backstage after as well to meet him (the little minx that she is ), still has a huge old crush on him

Thanks for the confirming Karen did actually say that - who knew when I trot around slowly and aimlessly I was actually executing a rather fine quickstep

[quote=mimi dlc;75314630]I've just watched my first episode of ITT this year (yesterdays) included Joanne and Scott training for Charleston.
Looked like a Monday morning at Tumbletots[/QUOTE]

Yes, with Violet Elizabeth pushing around the nice new boy.



Oh yes, Yul ......I spent a very indulgent Saturday morning recently watching The Magnificent Seven for the first time in decades. (A pot of coffee and half a packet of chocolate Hobnobs were involved too. ) There's a scene where he just slowly walks across the street and he is so effortlessly cool . Eat your heart out endlessly sprinting Tom Cruise!

I absolutely love West Side Story. My cousin and I used to muck about in her front room replicating the dances, Gee Officer Krupke was a speciality of ours

The recent picture of them is a great find, but for some reason I have a sneaking suspicion that George Chakiris may not be ageing as naturally as the other two


And the shuffling run I do in my heeled boots when i'm running a little late for the school run must clearly be a quickstep too... Go us!

Have just done my yoga , I can be part of the DOT quickstep, standing on one leg, WITHOUT a supporting partner, how many points would I get from Karen for that.

This relay quickstep is coming along really nicely😛

Ok, you can stand on one leg in the middle of the floor while AK and myself do a shuffling trot around you... It'll make more sense than most of the pro dances this year at least!

Yay - group dance