thanks but thats very subjective - it tells me about what you think, despite hardly watching , but not about hard facts. i personally didn't at all get why people seemed to take against Denise, she seemed fine to me (although agree with an earlier point that she wasn't brilliant or anywhere near as technically proficient as jay). Natalie had as many detractors as Denise, and in her case i found her inability to manage her own health to the extent she missed a show to be rather off putting. I'm not saying i'm right and you are wrong, but 'attitude' is clearly in the eye of the beholder.

great phrase i'm not sure who my perfect storm of obnoxiousness would comprise of - i've usually never heard of most of the celebs so rarely have a strong opinion on them and tend to forget them almost as soon as the curtain closes on the last show... on the pro front it would probably include anton. or dearly departed wolfy (artem).. i will give this some thought...

Yes, but it was ever thus was my point. It still is only one or two each year with any real level of dance experience because of the nature of the pool they pull the celebrities in for.
If every year had half a dozen people with extensive dance training it would be different, but they don't. There's always been the odd two or three who were stage school alumni and it's no different now.


Again, well said and I'm in complete agreement.


There's a vast difference between attempting to "play down" your West End experience as "sitting on a chair" (utter bollocks as anyone who has seen Chicago can testify) and not hiding the fact you've had previous dance training.

Denise and James Jordan attempted to play down her previous experience and that, imho, is why she received the backlash she did.

There are obviously three quite obvious camps of thought here. The ones who love Jay, the ones who can deal with his dance experience and don't really care either way and those who whole heartedly hate the poor kid. I notice one or two people post two or three times one after the other bashing him in a row. However much you might not like a person that's uncalled for, in my opinion only of course.

And talking of which I usually don't like those with obvious dance experience on SCD because, as a rule, I feel it is unfair to the others, but my view is changing. I have to admit Jay's jive and the waltz last week were incredible and I enjoyed watching every second of them. I think the difference for me is that he appears so humble and shy and that's makes a big difference to how he comes over to the great British public. Now certain people have stated they think its all an act he is putting on and if it proves to be so I will obviously change my opinion of him accordingly. But for right now, dance experience or no, I loved his dances and can't wait to see more because they entertain me and lets be fair people, that's why we watch the show.

As to those harping on about Anthony and how its grossly unfair to him and to others, well I have taken on board those who mention that the contestants all know what they are getting into. From before the launch show I can bet that most have a fair idea of the skill of their opponents and if they can't take losing they really shouldn't have said yes to the invite. Unless the pay cheque was all they had theirs eyes on in which case, again, why are they complaining? They got paid didn't they? In Anthony's case he should never have been there with his injury and as a professional sportsman he should have known better.

I am thoroughly enjoying the amount of decent dancers this season and feel sure I will not be disappointed with whoever wins.

I agree that the perception is subjective, what it is not subjective (or shouldn't be) is the observation of such perception.

The fact is you say that: "didn't at all get why people seemed to take against Denise" so you admit that people turn against her of some sort. That is the fact that I was mentioning. People on here, on other forums and on other platforms where mentioning "just sat on a chair" constantly. That is not subjective, that is a fact. It is what happened.

Hardly watching for me means watching all the dances and ITT 80%.

Your comment makes it sound like it's some esteemed dance competition and Jay is breaking the rules. It's a Saturday night entertainment show, in which celebrities, many of which have some prior dance training or experience, do their best to put in their best performance and entertain us. That's all.

Far too sensible post for this forum.

Very sensible post (the psychometric tests need to be revised if you got past the bouncers ) but you've omitted a fourth camp which includes those who at the very thought of a ringah unless it's their favourite

Anything (including trained dancers like Jay) are better than that awful Darren Gough (Series 3?) going on and on about how he's not a dancer and is a "man's man", completely insulting every professional male dancer and showing a narrow minded stereotype of what a real man is.

Absolutely excellent post. My feelings exactly.

I would also add that Jay really does have an extraordinary talent imo. I also agree with you about Anthony. He never should have been in Strictly with such an injury. It wasn't fair to him or to his partner, who is a new dancer.

Jay has been asked to do Strictly every year since 2012 but always refused. However, he decided to do it this year while The Wanted are on hiatus. I for one am delighted.

I do wonder if Anthony was supposed to be partnered with Joanne but when there were last minute changes he was then partnered with Oti

according to a poster on here (sorry, I cant remember their user name) there was a couple who were due to take part but dropped out at the very last minute

A professional dancer was left without a partner and it was decided that it would be Joanne who would be "dropped" from the line-up rather than a brand new pro dancer (Oti) who had just joined the show

Oh, I didn't realise that, and I'd never heard of him before Strictly.

Still, I'm very pleased he's taking part as I have enjoyed all of his dances so far, and look forward to more to come.

Do we actually know the extent of Jay's dancing lessons. I read he went to a dancing school from the age of 13. My two daughters went once a week to a dancing school from the ages of 3 to 14 but it certainly didnt equip them to be as good as Jay is, its just a hobby for most children who go and I guess it was for Jay, he just happens to have a natural talent. At least he didn't teach like Kellie Bright!

Delighted is an understatement - I think he is magnificent and I would be more than happy for him to win. It doesn't bother me one bit that he is a trained dancer - he has an amazing gift and Strictly will showcase his talent to perfection.

no idea but a quick google provided this link

http://www.biography.com/people/jay-mcguiness-21212223

says he graduated from dance school age 13..........

auditioned for The Wanted at 16 at a quick glance

Jay pursued his love of performing by attending the Charlotte Hamilton School of Dance in Newark. Unfortunately for the young Jay he was bullied by his classmates for expressing an interest in ballet!

As his love for the performing arts grew he attended the prestigious Midlands Academy of Dance and Drama in Nottingham. At the age of 19, Jay randomly searched for auditions in Google; he got two results back, one for a circus and one for a new band. After impressing pop impresario Jayne Collins, the force behind The Saturdays, he was chosen to join up with Nathan Sykes, Tom Parker, Siva Kaneswaran and Max George and The Wanted were formed, and the rest as they say is history.

Taken from the Strictly blurb regarding Jay - I would say it was slightly more than a hobby

It may not have been a full time course - it mentions two mainstream schools attended at the same time in that bio.

Most people DID say though that the reason they didn't like Denise was exactly that .. they didn't like her. She had previous alright .. previous experience of pi**ing us off!! It really does come down to that with the competent dancers.

He went to Charlotte Hamilton as a 13 year old for after school classes apparently. It's on his The Wanted biography (locked behind having to join their website however unfortunately) and then went to MADD until age 16 when he auditioned for The Wanted, later joining the band aged 19 presumably after he'd finished his stage school course.

To me, that reads like an extract taken straight from a CV - and the 'facts' in any CV are buffed and polished, presented from their best angle, with a light bit of smoke, mirrors and flattering lighting thrown in!

The starting point for the CV might have been:

"Jay attend the Charlotte Hamilton School of Dance in Newark for after-school classes once a week. It didn't work out.

He then attended the Midlands Academy of Dance and Drama in Nottingham, which is well-known in the local area. When he was 19, Jay auditioned for a new band. Along with four other lads who looked the part, he was picked to be a member of the Wanted".

There's nothing in the BBC blurb which gives any detail on the extent of Jay's previous 'dance experience'. Most commentators seem to be filling those details in from their own imaginations, or from the speculation of others

The blurb is also a hostage to fortune. If Jay's dancing hadn't been all that great, his detractors would probably have used that CV extract to mock him - "so much for his dance experience!"

I fully understand that different people have different expectations of what they want from the show.

What I don't understand is those who - whether on the net or in real-life - will deliberately try to undermine the enjoyment of others by 'outing' Jay's alleged dance experience.

I'd also say that, for me, part of the appeal of Strictly is watching how celebrities improve, measured against their own previous performances. And Jay also meets that particular criterion in my view.

yes, i certainly saw people turn against denise, but in my opinion, the whole mentioning of the 'sat on a chair' thing was code for 'I don't like her, but i'm going to make it seem objective by linking it to what can be interpreted as an attempt to minimise her experience' - it was almost a group think, the number of times i saw that subjective interpretsation trotted out alongside some fairly visceral personal attacks on her that were very little to do with the premise on which they were hung......


ok, thats hardly 'hardly watching' -by any standards!

fair enough

19 pages? Nineteen? NINETEEN? Seriously?

Jaysus

Well you've posted in here far more than anyone else has...