1). Jay & Aliona
I thought Aliona put in a lot of work honing and shaping Jay's body, as he had nice resistance and tension in his arms during the encircling moments with her. The arms weren't isolated from his bottom half but developed well from the waist, coupled alongside with the signature haughty postures. Though it was pleasant watching Jay produce the difficult shaping and lines, I thought he should've pulled his pelvis forward and lifted it, such that a smoother curved arc could be accentuated even more in his body. Perhaps it was the music, but I also thought that the performance lacked an element of surprise or danger as well. Nonetheless, enjoyed seeing the twist turns and the brief marching steps towards the end, when he moved from the studio corner to the middle floor; he controlled the music (for those brief seconds) and emanated a quiet, steel-like energy from his chest. Thought he really took command and owned the stage at that particular moment. Nice to see the couple bounce back this week.
2). Georgia & Giovanni
Thought for the most part the couple maintained a nice, rhytmic feel throughout the routine. Nice to see Gio quickly throw in a few basic salsa steps (including side-to-side motion) at the very top, and how Georgia kept her feet close and compact to produce the salsa hips. The routine never came off stiff, but rather had a sensual feel that was punctuated by risky lifts. I did find myself holding my breath when they carried out the first semi-crucifix lift, as she looked tense during the lift and mount. By contrast, the couple looked much at ease and comfortable during the Dirty Dancing lift. Though it's hard to evade every one of Craig's comments, I think Georgia can build upon this experience as she now knows what its like to face risky moves that can potentially derail a number (which the lifts didn't). Think Giovanni is learning/fixing his routines based on judges remarks, and is taking calculated risks that will benefit the couple as they move deep in the competition.
3). Helen & Aljaz
Thought their quickstep was really bright, bubbly and refreshing. Enjoyed the entrance and skirt fluff section on the train bench, as it set a fun-filled tone and added a timeless, elegant sheen to the whole performance. Nice to see the cheeky interplay between the toes and shoulders at the beginning, timely checking actions, click/flicker afterwards and the pendulum swings midway. The left hand and arm looked much relaxed out of all her ballroom, with her elbow remaining upright despite the quantity of steps. Thought maybe her foxtrot frame was better and that she should've lengthened her neck and spine when in quickstep hold. At times, I felt she was letting her frame/head do the leading when she should let the legs do the dancing when in hold. Nonetheless, it was a pleasant surprise to see how the audience spontaneously got involved in the performance at the top, prior to the couple even assuming hold or setting foot on the dance floor. Interested to see how this couple will progress through the weeks.
Best of luck to all the celebs and looking forward to their dances.
I must say I was rather admiring Aliona's choreography and how she made it fit with the music. Compared to Brendan's Paso it was like a night and day, or the other way around.
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