I can't say too much but I think they knew exactly what they were doing. Think it was more about making sure we didn't make the final than making sure that they did, but I suppose you never know what is going on in someone elses mind. I don't really feel any rivalries or like to get invested in the politics that can surround dance competitions. I just focus on myself and how I dance.

Even if I'm in the last heat of a round I won't watch the other heats as by that point I don't think it's going to have a positive influence on my mindset. If everyone looks stronger than me, I'll feel defeated before I even dance and if I feel I'm a stronger dancer than everyone else I'll feel complacent. I'd rather just focus on trying to dance as well as I know I can dance and achieve a personal best. If I have not made a final I will watch and just see how those who got back dance and try and use it as inspiration for next time.

Agreed with points - I always tried to view it as a competition with myself, to do the best that we as a couple could achieve. In the first comp I ever did, in our 3rd Latin round, a couple blocked us into a corner, and out we went. The lesson? Don't take it personally, and find some travelling steps to get you out of danger!

The only thing that you have control over, is your own dancing and your performance. Good that you focus on that alone. I was always a confident competitor, even at the lower grades, I always felt I was the one to beat. I know this sounds perhaps arrogant and bigheaded - I'm really not - but if you don't believe in yourself, how can you make others believe in you, especially the judges. Actually had Jack Reveally in dance News say on a couple of occasions, how he liked this couples (us) " cool confident personna".

Surely the two dances named were slightly different situations, though? Danny went wrong in a FT where they were in full hold. Oti was able to physically indicate to him what he needed to do (although he was too inexperienced to recover properly). With the Jive, Claudia and AJ were not in contact. He could not help her balance or direct her or anything (if I recollect, her problem was not memory, she was just dancing poorly)?

Yes of course, the pro is able to assist more in a ballroom dance, because of the hold. As for latin dancers out of hold and no contact, I would think you're out there on your own !...it would be difficult for celebs to get back into the routine, but thanks to Claudias quick thinking ( probably advised by AJ) she redeemed her self whilst bouncing and got back into the routine quite well. I didn't like the Jive however, by that I mean the way she danced it. I was very surprised to hear the judges comments and marks.

Were they side by side? Recovering from side by side is very difficult unless you are dancing the same steps and can copy. In comps I think I've only done a few jive flicks and drunken sailors side by side but no extended sequences. Generally there is some hand to hand contact on most jive steps, during or at the end/beginning of them. So there is some limited mechanism for steadying someone, directing, turning the person round, slowing them down (if they are dancing too fast which is quite common) or giving them a bit extra momentum. The other mechanism is shaping the body to lead a step.

On pre recorded music tracks (not applicable here) you can go through the music and pick out certain phrases/highlights that are significant so that you have some points where you can resume if you go wrong. More of a problem with live music (although it should be roughly the same) or in comps where you don't know the music in advance.

If someone is not confident, choreograph it with a lot of hand to hand or in hold contact. There is no absolute need for lots of dancing apart given that Latin dances are partner dances.

Edit: just looked. They are facing each other with no hand contact when she appears to go wrong. It is only for a moment and she recovers reasonably well. She is off balance a lot.

For a beginner it is harder to dance on the 2 beat; if you listen to music (which is essential for dancing) the 1st beat is the strongest, and when heard, and it's natural to want to take the first step on that beat. But for rumba & cha cha, the steps are started on the 2nd beat, so the counting becomes 2 - 3 - 4 and 1. Simplifying it, the feet move on beats 2-3-4, but are still on the count of and-1, but the body continues to move and settle into the hips (you will have heard that said on Strictly).

As you say, the rumba is slow, but when danced with the correct technique and control (never yet seen by a Strictly celeb!) it is actually more exhausting than a fast jive!

Sometimes you will see parts of the slower dances (rumba, waltz and foxtrot) seeming to go very fast. That is when more than one step is taken per beat of music, and is called syncopation - which Jennifer described earlier.

The Rumbas of Cherie and Pammy looked pretty good action-wise to a know-nothing like me. What was wrong with them?

(I'm pretty sure the judges comments are pre-written based on rehearsals, so when a celeb doesn't perform a routine up to scratch, particularly one of the good ones, they are left trying to squeeze their old comments into a new situation!)

Just seen that this thread only needs about 800 or so more views and we will have broken through the 100,000 barrier !! Wow, who would have thought this thread would have proved this popular for FM's to even want to read what goes on in here. Just to say a very big thank you for anyone browsing and /or posting questions or opinions, and even bigger thank you to everyone who replies...you know who you are Thank you.

For me (personally), both rumba's mentioned above lacked the necessary hip action, and not enough power through the feet (and are both, realistically, a little low on actual rumba content). Both ever so slightly too balletic in the lower body.

For me, the best 'sleb rumba was probably Jill's, in terms of quality of movement.

Yeah I was really looking forward to seeing Claudia's jive but to me (as a complete novice mind!) it looked quite flat-footed and sort of stompy. It also looked like she was out of time a bit maybe? Was quite surprised as I thought it would suit her but I suppose they don't have long to learn the technique and routine. Do you think it was her technique that was poor or was the routine too difficult?

Do you think the rumba and QS will be good routines for her? The standard is so high this year, really hard to call it!

Thanks so much everyone for replying! This is really interesting to read!

Definitely the jive did not suit her because her poor technique. She could have danced a really simple routine and it still would have looked not so good.

With regards to QS, I'm hoping it will suit as its ballroom, and I feel her ballroom is not too bad, and its quick, so I don't think she will have a problem there. From what I saw earlier in the week, she needs to soften into her legs and use the floor more, rather than jumping over and along it, more shaping that AJ will instigate I'm sure. Yes, hopeful it will be good.

Re the rumba, Kaycee is far more qualified to answer than me, but from what I saw earlier this week, being a gymnast may work out well for her, She does need to settle into her hips and perhaps track her feet - the legs were too far apart in some steps - but she can keep her legs straight, which is good. So hopeful this will be good too !

Thanks so much for answering Jennifer, now I know what to look out for!

Who do you see going this weekend?

That's a tricky one and it will depend on two very important factors, 1) the level of public support for each dancer that vote and 2) the dances they are doing this week and how well they dance them.

Out of the 4 contestants left, based on dance ability only, I would have to discount Claudia. I feel that the other 3 just have a little more to offer. That said, I am sure that Claudia has an army of fans who will support and vote for her. no matter what !
It will be a really exciting semi final this week, its good to see 4 good dancers at this point in the competition.

Shame it's difficult to find these routines on YT except really bad quality as YT & HD wasn't really a thing back then.

What about Kara's rumba? (although my favourite is, and shall ever be, the mumba! )

I know, right? I'd love if the Beeb would put up some dances from those early series. Kara's rumba was good, but for me, falls under the bracket of Pamela and Cheri's above. As a dance, gorgeous - as a technical rumba? It didn't really flow enough through the hips for me. Still one of the better attempts, mind!

I can't honestly remember Pam's rumba, but Cherie's was stiff and wooden. She did the steps ok, but there's more to rumba than just putting one foot in front of the other.

As said before, the judges comments are NOT pre-written based on rehearsals or anything else. In fact, the average viewer probably sees more of the rehearsals in the form of tiny training clips on ITT - the judges all having their 'Day' jobs to keep them busy.

WOW that's good going. I think it is great that people, some of whom have never danced, should take such an interest. But most of all, I think it is lovely that you - Jennifer - started this thread. Many thanks.

You telling me Len makes up his terrible puns on the spot?

Believe me, Len has been making up 'terrible puns' for a great many years! You should have heard him when he was running competitions - he'd have made a great comedian.

You are so very welcome and I hope there is a little something of interest to anyone that pops into the thread -but I think we all get something out of it.
Just sharing a love of dance.

Yes, I don't regularly thank you (so please take my gratitude as just applying constantly!) It's been an absolutely fascinating and educational thread and it's so nice that people have taken the time to give answers.

Yes, it really is, isn't it, especially the professionals that take time out to read and reply.

You can be sure that what you read here is factual, correct and not biased in any way.

We all have opinions of course, but they are informed opinions backed up by years of learning and competing. The Professionals teach Ballroom and Latin for a living and will have taken exams after long periods of studying technique, so are fully qualified. My own opinions are just based on my own experience but you can be sure that we all do know what we are talking about, and are happy to pass on our thoughts and knowledge to anyone that may be interested.

Yes just wanted to echo my Thanks and appreciation for such an interesting thread- and I'm quite new to it haha!

Another question I wanted to ask regards changing partnerships. Is it quite acrimonious between couples if they split and then start competing against each other or is it all quite professional and treated as just a job? And what makes a couple split up? Is it lack of connection, different abilities etc?

I ask because I think I heard on ITT that Chloe and AJ have been dancing together for 10 years so was wondering if a couple have danced together that long (and presumably know each other really well etc) what would make them split and how do they progress separately etc?

Thanks!!!

I would just like to echo everyone else in thanking Jennifer for starting and maintaining this thread. I think those people who dance seriously all have different perspectives and I fully respect this. For example kaycee and Jennifer have a serious in depth competitive background which nearly all of us lack and which is very relevant to Strictly. Bendymixer has a wide experience of different dance genres and of teaching those. There are also people who compete frequently on the uni or medallist circuits who also bring a different perspective. It is really nice to see all of this in one thread.