Glad I'm not the only one to think this way

Would Anton choreograph the salsa by himself anyway?

I enjoyed it. It deserved to be dinged for lame and disastrous lifts but otherwise I thought it wasn't at all bad, and they were ridiculously hard on Katie. There were more and worse mistakes in Jamelia's routine that both scored higher and got less criticism.

Wonder if they have Katie pencilled in for American Smooth at Blackpool... (if she survives Paso!)

I don't agree with him. I have only done salsa at a very basic level but there were plenty of the basic salsa steps there that were recognisable to me. All in all, I don't think that the routine was as bad as the judges made out. It seems to me that, when it comes to Katie, their comments are dictated more by expectation than reality.

Probably not, but if he did it was a disgrace and he's letting his partner down.

(P.S. and if he didn't it's also a disgrace and he's letting his partner down.)

and if they are concentrating on the dances that suit them and producing fantastic ballroom routines while doing decent enough Latin dances....

Yes you've guessed it!!!!

It's a Disgrace, and he's letting his partner down.

I thought there were a lot of nice parts in the routine. Katie did a good job of it, but every time I looked at Anton I winced with embarrassment.

If he is as bad as some of you feel he is why is it he is asked back each year? Maybe it is because he is a very good ballroom dancer who quite a few ladies would love to have a lesson with. Also because he is one of the constant pro dancer who make sure that most of the viewers enjoy watching each week. Even if it is to keep moaning about his ability to dance latin. Obviously he is doing something right. Let's face it without the likes of Anton and Brendan SCD could be a very boring programme as some of the newbies just haven't got the buzz about them yet.

Just to say Fred, not having a go at you at all, perfectly reasonable question, my comment was anticipating the answers that would be provided!

There was once an inflatable dancer dancing with an inflatable pro in front of an inflatable
judge in front of an inflatable audience....insert punchline.

I would, but I'd probably burst their collective bubbles!

I think that is fair comment Rhumba. There was plenty of salsa content. Far more than the Mexican disco thing GG did. I preferred Katie and Antons in conception but it was very very messy. The judges weren't wrong about that, a tad harsh in the context of SCD salsa but not wrong.

Sounds a bit like a Strictly themed Beyonce Castle. I expect after the judge with the inflated ego gave their comments that the dancers and the audience felt rather deflated.

I suspect that Katie is just rather rubbish at the Latin, so you can do one of two things, carefully do little and cover - that didn't work - or just 'hell to it' and go for it for the fun factor, and that's what I think they did.

Hence, it was very messy, but I found it quite fun to watch.

Ooh now if we are having an inflatable theme, and given the swimming pool group dance nothing would surprise me anymore, can we have Tim Minchin?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6raVzrbqrM

In my inexpert opinion there are two skills she needs to nail to improve her Latin.

If she could get the push into the floor thing it would help enormously. I don't see that this should be too hard. For salsa ( and I think for cha cha and rumba too) she neeeds to push the ball of her foot as if it could go through the floor and bring her heel down to just touch the ground before pushing back off the ball again.

I found that hard but I was 'made' to spend 2 hours on the top floor of a hotel in Havana practicing just that basic technique in front of a mirror. Cuban dance teachers are quite fierce so I did feel they made me do this until they felt I had it right. Two hours well spent though.

The other thing is body isolation but I think that is harder to learn and especially in adulthood.

A lot of celeb females just haven't got it though, even when they were partnered with Latin specialists - SEB for one off the top of my head.

Not sure who SEB is but you may be right in general. There is certainly a feeling that has to come from ..well ..within I suppose. For me it comes from loving Latin music and that feeling from the music infuses the movement. But the SCD celebs don't often benefit from any Latin music

Sophie Ellis-Bextor

Sophie Ellis Bextor
Did a "samba" to all night long and a cha cha to PYT and both were fairly weak dances

Also wasn't Felicity Kendall poor at Latin? And Cherie did a good Rhumba but the rest of her Latin was pants. My memory could be hazy mind.

Well said. Exactly what I was thinking. He always puts the comic element into anything he doesn't feel comfortable with...or when he has a partner who doesn't stand a chance.

Oh of course. Obvious now you say. I must be sleepy. Thanks and to Beyonce Castle too.

Ha ha as I typed that I said your screen name in my head and have just realised it is funny.

They keep him in because he has a good TV persona. He's an OK ballroom dancer...he was never in the big league of competitive dancers (it's made me laugh when they've described him as a world champion over the years. What in? Tiddlywinks?) He's clearly not comfortable doing Latin and as he's getting older this is becoming more aparent.

Her Samba was actually very decent, it was mainly her cha cha and jive which were very weak.

Katie might escape again with this, as there are even weaker celebs left in the competition (who have also been in the dance-off already), but the level of her latin is really not worthy of a finalist (she is easily the worst latin dancer out of all the contenders for the final).

Oh I don't think Katie's got a snowball's chance in hell of actually winning or anything.

I hope she gets to Blackpool though.

I just get a bit tired of the whole 'it's all Anton's fault' shtick, which I think is lazy thinking and unfair.