My God, how many dancers had the song of what they did or what their name was or their tv persona or in Judy's case, her nationality!

It just seems too much and the prop overkill, it's lost it's spark from years ago when it was just about the dancing.

I agree with the props - I'd have thought it would be enough to manage the dance on week one than to have all the acting and the props to contend with.

From what I hear, these days the pros have very little to do with the song or props, etc.
Each week the pros are told by the producers what is expected of them.

...yet ratings get better and better.

I don't mind the props and messing about at the start so much but constructing the whole dance/music around their TV persona's is a bit much. Hopefully this was for the first week only.

I would hope so, although the last few years it seems to be getting worse.

Look at Abbey with that big old bucket, I mean what use was it to the dance.

It's sad because some of the best dances that SCD has produced has been ones like Jill's jive, Mark's Argentine tango, Racheal's rumba and they didn't need a big operating room to produce magic!

As long as they get them all out of the way first week.

hate the props!

what is wrong with just dancing

I don't mind the gimmicks for the Halloween week or if they have a theme for the night, but I agree that all the work spent setting the scenes for the dances is a bit much. Wish they would just get on with the dancing and get rid of the props.

I hated the props and the role play at the beginning of dances, and I still wish we had traditional music!

Well, it's probably good they got it all over in the first week.

(Confession time: I'm one those viewers who has trouble remembering the names of contestants and always just thinks of them as "the Scottish one," "the one from EastEnders," etc. anyway!)

That is why first week they have done this. It is about planting in audience mind who each dancer is. Most folks will not know all the celebs. I thought it was fine. The props are just about moving up the production level as it is fundamentally an entertainment show. To go back to the basics of early series would visually be poor for many of audience.

"Moving up the production level" What in heaven's name does this mean ?

Are you saying good dancing isn't entertaining ?

I very much doubt we've seen the last of the props .

I don't like them either and I wish as soon as the music started, the couples would just dance, but they form part of the intro. I've taken part in these type of events before and have been told to choreo a 30 second intro followed by a minute or so routine, then an ending. Most of the dances in SCD seem to follow this format although I've never timed their intro;s...I suppose the Production team feel this is entertaining and sets up the "story". As we have been told so many times, this isn't a dance comp/show, its for entertainment purposes.

Of course we haven't seen the last of the props. They are part of the show. Production have decided that having couple after couple just dancing would be dull after 10 series. SCD isn't a dance competition. It is an entertainment show with celebs dancing and the public voting for their favourite.

I remember there was a segment on It Takes Two during series seven showing how the pros chose the music for each style of dance, with the production team then deciding on a final list with them, I think they said that every pro wanted Lady Gaga's "Just Dance" that year, so they didn't let any of them use it. Presumably that was the final series where the pro dancers chose the music?

The sad thing is, it was more entertaining when it was just the dances.

I don't know if anyone saw DWTS when they stripped everything away and danced on a nicely lit stage and they were better then everything!

A show can be an entertainment show with just dance and it was before, so putting a motorcycle or an operation bed is just stupid and I think they are underestimating their audience if they think they have to waste so much of the dancers time using the props and the money on these things which make the show poorer in quality.

I just wish the show would strip down to it's bear essentials and go back to what the show was about originally, celebs learning to dance from pros.

A agree with you 100%.

Producers should get their hands off the dance decisions. Occasionally, a prop or theme can enhance the dance, and surely we don't want to see identical choreography each time? But it really needs to be left to the choreographers, not the middle-management types who think a 'fun' idea is the same as a good one.

I might get stick for this but I quite liked Kevin and Frankie's umbrella as, to me, it added something to the mood. And I think it was probably KFG's decision but, of course, I may be wrong.

But all the other nonsense just distracted from the dancing. Bagpipes? Words fail me...

Thank you very much!

I agree.

I don't see anything wrong with something like and umbrella, they are often used in the dance world and if you can dance with one, they can add something pretty to a dance.

Yeah I liked that too. Reminded me of a fifties musical and thought it looked really romantic and elegant when they were both holding it together, then Kevin dipped Frankie as she put it down.

Didn't like the song though. Bit awkward in 3/4... at least they changed the time signature though!

Good golly, Miss Molly, I hadn't realised that Judy Murray was Scottish!

I'm not a fan of them changing the timing, I think the song gets lost and sounds strange!

There's enough 3/4 timed songs to be able to come up with some. They could always use a song for a foxtrot if they love it so much.

I'm betting Pixie will do her viennese waltz to cry me out, the song begs for it and now they have her on there!

It's cheese overload

Matt and Aliona's first week dance had binoculars, a rucksack, a mock field, glittery wellies and sparkly tartan farmers outfit to 'Ain't no mountain high enough'

That was 5? years ago. I really don't think things have changed that much.