1) Jay & Aliona
Thought Jay made a valiant effort with the Quickstep. The precarious balance in the turn right before the first Jete move looked like the start for the couple (and in full view of judges too). Though Jay did make an attempt to carry out the Jete jump-split action right after the turn, it seemed half-hearted at best. Despite these and other hiccups, Jay completed the routine to the end and he should be given credit for doing so. Thought the scores were fair. Though their confidence may have been knocked a bit, they should adjust their bearings, exercise patience and acknowledge the inevitable peaks and valleys that may come. It will be interesting to see how the couple responds in the coming weeks.
Despite the setback, I think this couple should dwell and focus on the positives. First, Aliona is a proven winner and has the experience to navigate through the competition. Though she hasn't experienced a precipitous 12 point drop in scores, she was able to manage a similar situation with Matt Baker during the important semi-finals round. I think Jay and company can lean favorably and rely upon Aliona's background and experience. I also think the fact that the couple demonstrated an uptrend in scores for the past 3 weeks should be something they can positively reflect upon as well.
In an odd way, receiving such low scores early on may also be a blessing in disguise. This couple now knows what it's like to face a very poor week, and can manage and process the emotions while its still early in the competition. Moreover, they'll know how to deal with it should a similar situation crop up later on. Its possible they may come out battle-tested and even more resolved to approach each dance as it comes their way. This may be a luxury that other couples may not get to experience, as it may already be too late and deep in the competition where leeway for mental lapses may be slim. It's a step back for this couple this week, but if there's one thing this couple can remind themselves from this point forth, its that there's only one place to go from here, and that's up.
2) Helen & Aljaz
One look at Helen's confident face and eyes at the top and it was clear as day that she was ready to deliver the performance. The hip action in the opening was a welcome sight, as a juxtaposition with the same Cha Cha move showed a visible improvement in her hip movement. Nice sensual arm/hand movement as she draped it across Aljaz's shoulder after the opening of his shirt. Thought her upper body was still and elegant in the Salsa, while her body half was working the hips throughout the routine. It was nice to see the rhytmic number being accompanied by her playful tease with the camera, as she continued to embrace a fictional character through her performance along with the facial expressions from week 3. Seeing the improvement in her latin is nice as she's starting to become ambidextrous with both dance styles.
I also thought the Salsa routine showcased her flexibility and more importantly her long legs. Her legs should give Aljaz plenty of material to work with when it comes to choreographing Helen's remaining dances (Tango, Argentine Tango, Jive). Her legs will probably need to be more sharper and crisper for the Tango/Argentine Tango dances, and she'll probably have to attack the kicks/flicks in her Jive (as she's tall with long limbs), but she'll have the luxury of having several dances under her belt when performing the stamina intensive Jive or Quickstep in the coming weeks.
Still think Helen is a work in progress. Thought this was the first dance where her duck ballet feet started to show through in her performances. Her Open/Closed Back Basic steps didn't seem natural for some reason, as it seemed both her legs were too bent (perhaps because of the angled feet) during the actions. Her foot position when in promenade hold position looked very strange as well. While she can probably get away with it in the Salsa, I'm hoping in the more technical dances her feet won't become an issue. Think she should also use the ground more to push off with her legs so as to produce better movement. Nevertheless, its fun watching this couple and will be interested in their upcoming dances.
3) Georgia & Giovanni
Nice textbook Quickstep basic moves in the beginning, as Georgia maintained correct position to her left during those natural turns, to carry out the clean forward/back locks without crashing into Gio's center. The frame at the beginning was a breath of fresh air to see, as it was a marked improvement from her Waltz. Their body contact was like velcro, enabling Georgia to feed off of Giovanni's frame to produce the clean frame and top line for the duration of the dance. Enjoyed the Charleston element when they broke in hold as it only reinforced the light and bright feel to the routine even more. Though maybe one more '8' would have been nice, I thought the couple danced across the room and turned those studio corners as if it really had hot coals burning on the floor during the routine.
I think the couple should be given credit for the last couple of weeks as they had two quick dances (Jive and Quickstep) from which to start off the compeition. While Georgia may have been winded and lacked the stamina (poor frame towards end in Quickstep) to finish the routines, I thought she coped well with it thus far, relative to the other couples who started off with the slower dances first (the preferred route). I do think that the upcoming Salsa should suit her, as she had shown hints of the fun, cheeky, playful side in her Jive, and the sexy, sensual shade of the Rumba.
However, I do think that she still dances within a small, confined space at the moment. The celebrities first group dance highlighted the careful, compact dance steps and lines when she was in with the rest of her peers, and Darcy and Bruno carried on with that observation during her Rumba routine as well. The upcoming dance (Salsa) may continue to show this oversight if Georgia doesn't work on expanding the space by stretching her lines even more. For instance in the Paso Doble, should the pro arc his back to produce the traditional lines, Georgia must learn to push herself back even more to produce double the arc (exaggerate) to give the impression that she is filling an even bigger space (along with an even stretched neck and larger circular free arm). Nevertheless, I still think she has other facets to her personality to show to the audience/viewers, so while she may come off as sweet and innocent (which she is), I do think she has a dark, attacking, simmering side that will reveal itself in her Tango/Argentine Tango dances as well. Can't wait to see what the couple will produce in the coming weeks.
Best of luck to all the celebs and looking forward to their dances.
