... in the AT? as per Bruno.
I thought they were supposed to caress the floor and my quibble with Jay would be the rather 'marching' steps rather than his lack of facial expression. Lovely lifts though.

No

In fact I think you can safely discard every single thing the judges said tonight about what AT should or shoudln't be,

I don't even dance AT but found myself shaking my head as the judges spoke.

Ditto with craig and rumba too. He might as well have stood on his chair and shouted "I hate rumba!"

I think Bruno"watch me go hyperbolic" Tony Oli meant 'his footwork was placed accurately'.

One of the main features of AT is that you take your feet off the floor as little as humanly possible - a millimetre or two.. Most steps you kind of scuff your foot from one to the next so that even the unweighted foot is in contact with the floor. Only for embeliishments, enganches, ganchos and such do the feet come away from the floor and then for as little time as you can possibly manage - short and sharp is waht you want.

But using a wholly wrong technique!

Did you mean Tony Iommi?

So in your view was it a good AT, An Thropologist? (I thought it was quite nice by Strictly standards, but nothing special. )

Well can I say it was a good impression of an AT. I didn't dislike it. In fact the contrary. He did a clean performance of a very atmospheric dance, which I enjoyed . But It wasn't much of an AT in my view.

Oh Aliona did a lot of Argentine Tango, yes

Ok thanks. You must be more tolerant than me. I nearly went through the roof at Helen's rumba

I was dissappointed by it I admit. I don't understand why they find the hip action so difficult to master. There is a knack to it I know but I would have though half a day would be enough to get the hang of it.

It isn't difficult. Even I can manage it and I would not describe myself as a natural latin dancer (more ballroom). Took me a lot more than half a day though (it's something you progressively improve, a bit like AT walks), but I'd expect Helen to learn it more quickly than me.

Jay's peaked. I can see him going out the week has has to Rhumba

No, I think he'll be fine with the rumba. I suspect he prefers the formally choreographed ballroom and latin dances. I know a show AT is properly choreographed, but I think the feeling you need to project is more informal.

Me neither. I had been learning salsa for a year or more when I went to Cuba where I was lucky enough to have teachers from Havana National Ballet. Well they were seriously unimpressed by my hip action, so after a bit of a conflab between themselves, myself and two others were taken from the class. We went to the naughty corner where there was a mirror and we were made to do the basic step; un, dos tres, pause, un dos tres, pause for about 4 hours until they were satisfied that we were using the floor properly and makign the hips rock to their satisfactioon.

The other instruction from these Cuban ladies I have never forgotten. It was Baile con culo abierto. - Dance with your arse/anus open! They meant engage the core but relax the tush ( for want of a better word!)

Dance teachers can be so basic with the language at times! . I know one rumba step that my teacher described as the "pissing dog" action.

It looked to me like Aliona was doing all the dancing and Jay did not a lot.

rhumba shouldn't be too hard for them

Same here. They altered my Colombian-style salsa to Cuban and, like you, my teachers were from a professional Cuban dance company. Only way to learn I reckon

True. They haven't got a bloody clue, and Len is the worst offender! Bruno just talks utter garbage the whole time.

I agree. What I find perplexing is that they had Giraldo in to advise them. He's one of the finest AT teachers in London

Dog or bitch?

Ah yes the Kristina Rianoff School of Dance technique.. As Frank Skinner said she looks like she is dancing for two!

Lol! Dog I think!