Originally Posted by Nina_Blake:
“I think the argument of "It wasn't ballroom or Latin though" is pretty tenuous though. I think anyone who has been to an institution solely dedicated to dance (like Jay) is going to be leagues ahead of the beginners (and even stage school pupils). Although I like him, I do think it's against the spirit of Strictly having someone with his experience on board.”
I agree with that, to be honest. Frankly, from what I saw of his dance this evening, he may have peaked too soon because if he continues to perform at that level and come top of the leaderboard every week, it may very well end up counting against him in the end if the voting public decide it's not really very fair.
I think it's far more entertaining to see those who were very ropey in Week One making steady progress and then begin to pull fairly challenging routines off in later weeks as their confidence and ability really grows.
I don't dispute that his dancing is good to watch and is to be admired but in some ways it's a bit unfair on the celebs who really
are "raw" beginners and who are starting with a far greater disadvantage in the first place. All too often their progress is lost in the shadows and they are often very harshly judged for their mistakes, whilst the person/people who already have background experience in dance get all the praise and their differential experience is not taken into account when being assessed.
I suppose what I am trying to say is that the extent of the skills which the celebrities are expected to acquire are far greater for those with no previous experience and it often seems as if they do not get the same credit for improving which is often very generously given to those who already have some dance experience.