They both gave Daniel and Anita a '6'. Is this a fair score or do you think there were vast differences between them and the scores are just madness??

Personally, I think that the key to Lens lowish mark for Anita was that her Charleston didn't have enough Charleston steps in it (he said it in his critique)

I thought Anita's dance was fantastic - but for me it was more of a Lindy Hop or Jitterbug than a Charleston, and it seems Len thought so too! I didn't see much of the "swivel" steps you usually see in a Charleston.

Daniels dance on the other hand was full of Charleston content which is probably why he got the same marks for a much more laboured version.

Both marks seemed fair to me.

I don't think that Daniel's dance was that bad. He had a lot of content and kept in time.

If you look at 'similar' dancers from previous series of Strictly like Scott Mills - his Charleston had hardly any steps or dancing in it. So Daniel is much better.

I really liked Daniel's Charleston. It was neatly and sweetly done, suited him to the ground, cleverly done by Kristina, who managed to get this reserved chap to do something not embarrassing and perfectly competent and now out of the way.

He's not and could never be some wild Charleston god, after all.

I didn't understand Anita's Charleston, it wasn't what I could properly associate with one, I'm not any sort of expert on it, but it seemed a mix of styles, messy in a way I'm seriously not sure was deliberate, and a bit odd.

Now some may say it was brilliant, I'm not equipped really to know, but it wasn't a style of Charleston I'm at all familiar with, and therefore I suspect it was a bit of a mish mash.

Now that might be acceptable, but I didn't like it, and I didn't and don't really rate it, and I've read enough to understand that I'm not alone.

I'm happy with the scores.

Sounds about right.

Daniel's looked like a Charleston, be it a strange hypnotic one.
Anita's was faster but hardly looked like one. Fair scores.

Perhaps, either deliberately or subconsciously, they factor in prior experience and try to level the playing field a little- I may be wrong here, but I think Anita's had dance lessons as a child and Daniel didn't. I'm not saying it's right to do so, and I really don't want to "dance training" debate yet again, but I only mention it in response to the equal scoring of the two, which I agree- without context looks daft.

Daniel's Charleston lacked swivel and the character of the dance. He was wooden in most of the steps and went off time numerous times.. Craig was spot on about him! i agree there was content but he failed to execute any of it properly. It barely even looked like a Charleston. I'm a dancer, and i have done Charleston numerous times... so i can say for a FACT Daniel's Charleston was bad and DID NOT deserved the same score as Anita's in ANY FREAKIN' WAY!

Aren't the charlestons choreographed by external choreographers rather than the pros? In previous years they were, so I'm assuming it's the same this year too.
If so, it's very harsh to penalise on the basis of something (e.g. 'traditional' charleston content) that neither the pro or the celeb had any say in.

I think poor Daniel goes into a sort of 'trance' himself, and it's catching.

One was clearly superior to the other.

I really enjoyed both in their ways.

And I fully understand WHY Anita was marked as she was. It was a showstopper, nay showdance, but not a Charleston. I have watched it back more than anything else which I suppose says something. They both absolutely sold Bonnie and Cyde and I do think Gleb has a great choreographic and acting ability, if he is responsible for it.

Hopefully, he will stick to the basis more in their other dances, but I really enjoyed it as I did Daniel's; he moved like my teddy bear would. Very endearing and really rather good rhythm. I suppose if you were going on performance one would be way above the other, but taken objectively as packages, Len and Bruno were a bit stuck between rocks and hard places.

So Anita's WAS a classic Charleston then

No, can't say it was. It was great, whatever it was.

Overall the scoring seemed fair to me - both dances were a bit rough around the edges but in different ways. Daniel produced some decent Charleston content in a Danielesque way. Anita looked the part but didn't always dance it.

As it wasn't, and Daniel's, however pedestrian, was, then I understand the marks.

Succintly put

As I said above, Len and Bruno were between rocks and hard places on that one. Had Anita done a 100% charleston of quality, then it'd be different. As Darcey and Craig marked her on performance, she got a fair enough score.

I think Anita suffered from poor choreography. It was less Bonnie and Clyde and more Keystone cops. I like Anita and glad the Charleston has gone now as that could have put her out in later weeks.

The question is not whether the dance was classic or whatever. But were both the dances of the same quality to deserve the same score they got from Len/Bruno? And the answer is HELL NO!

I'm happy with that.

I do want the content to have some weight, I want the performance to have some.

I don't want people to dance any ole stuff, but it's 'effective' and not get some penalty though. And the tendency towards that is far more worrying for me, than its opposite.

I thought it was great but then it was performed well. It is her ability in that way which surprises me, she has a much more natural stage presence than Kellie, who is all stage sch darling.

That is why CRAIG (along with Claudia) is the BEST thing about SCD! I want Craig to once guest judge our US version DWTS ...lol

It is the messing about and out of hold when the celeb has some ability which is aggravating, yes Aliona.....

Anita and Gleb have a small yellow card which is a warner.