Jelly

This is just lovely and not OT at all.....very relevant, I think.

Good for you, your mum and your dad.....and great to hear that your mum is still so interested, even though she no longer dances.

One of my favourite posts ever, if I may say so xx

Lindy and Jelly - Me too, it reminds me of my parents, who were also great dancers. I used to love watching them. They ran a small dance club and my job was to sprinkle the wax on the dancefloor before the evening started - I can still remember the smell of it now. On posh nights Mum would be in net and sequins, Dad in DJ and patent shoes, I thought they looked wonderful. Their height difference was about the same as J&A's too.

I wonder how many of us ballroom fans started by standing on Dad's feet, being waltzed very carefully around? That's how I learned to dance and although my balance isn't what it was, I still have to stop myself going solo at the local garden centre where they often play swing music.....if there's music playing, I'm swaying!

OT, but...

I've just had the most lovely equine card from my vet - and some even more lovely words.

My vet (who is the deputy Team GB Showjumping vet, and was an official equine vet at London 2012) has taken the time to say how sorry he was, how much he admired Becks, what a pleasure he was to deal with in every way, and how he was honoured to have been chosen to care for him.

I'm sure there are not many vets who would do that, nor all the other small acts of kindness he showed Becks and I over the past weeks, like ringing me on the day of Becks operation to explain everything and see he was OK after it, like coming to see Becks when he was off duty, at 7.30pm at night after working all day and not being on call, ringing me last Sunday evening after he'd been on duty at a Three Day Event all weekend.

If, IF I have another horse no one else will vet him or her.

What a thoughtful and kind thing to do - Becks obviously had the very best care possible, and I really hope it isn't too long before he's looking after another horse for you.

[quote=BionicBard;82685806]
Couldn't agree more. And, although I'm not very musical, my perusal of all the goodies posted by those in the know over the last few months has led me to believe, as I often say, Jay has the best voice of the lot.


A thought I have had occasionally - that he did have a relationship which fell apart, hence contributing to his being 'lost' before Strictly came along


I KNEW I'd seen him next to Zoltar before!


No, I am Spartacus


Very OT, I would say! Oh to have that reassurance during the show.

And as far as dances go, I'd just like to be there even if was only the hokey cokey and the hand jive

ETA - jnb, that's really, really lovely

Just had a look at DVO on Lorraine. From about 3.40

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSMI-AQPrCk

She was enthusing about the show using the Royal 'We' so much I thought she wasn't going to mention the fact that J is actually playing the lead, and it took prompting from LK to bring him in. Maybe she's playing it down for fear of comparison with another tousle-haired singer....

I saw this earlier, and I thought how even though they are no longer together, she and her ex have a great attitude to their joint parenting, which must make things so much happier for their daughter.

BIB 1 - Well you never really know who anyone is on here - cue music from the Twilight Zone

BIB 2 - Oh it's so good to see old photos of relatives, that's Tiddles, my second cousin three times removed

Thank you Lindy, BB and Isih.

It amazed me how much I didn't know! I think, for many of us, our parents are just our parents and it's hard to imagine them as a young couple socialising and dancing. (If my Mum knew I'd written about her on here I would be in line for another "mother look!")

I also learned to waltz with my feet on my Dad's and it seems a much more elegant time, ladies in gorgeous dresses and gentlemen in suits appear to have been the norm.

The reassurance in the final was very comforting and, somehow, lessened my need to turn the air blue with expletives (note I say lessened not eradicated!).

jnb how lovely is your vet, a keeper methinks.

I had two worries before this one. Firstly that J & A must have been under enormous pressure following the jive & all the expectations that came with it. Secondly I think this was the first time the knee strapping was in evidence in training footage – had he injured himself with the jive?. Bonnie Langford picked up on it straightaway on the Friday panel but it was very quickly glossed over by Zoe.

I loved J's shirt but thought Alionas' dress rather meh. Really didn't like the faffy opening &thought that the track was very quick. I thought I spotted a couple of little errors but considering how difficult the routine looked they made a good attempt. I was a bit taken aback by the judges reactions. They were obviously expecting something else. From their comments you would have thought J had blanked completely & just stood there, rather than made, to my eyes, a couple of slips, but carrying on & picking up the routine. Craig's mark was really harsh. Any other couple would have been praised for getting through such a difficult routine with only a few 'oopsies' - the beginning of double standards?

Next week was going to be nerve wracking...

BIB Absolutely - compared with the rest, the intricacy of that routine was incredible, and J did a very passable job of it. His posture was excellent, he led throughout, picked up after the oopsies and was still smiling at the end. It isn't to the fudges' credit that he was greeted, as you say, as if he'd completely c*cked the whole thing up. Far from it. I think he did a pretty good job, three weeks after nearly shaking the ballroom to death with his nerves.

Perfectly summed up, Whiffle!

Just watched ITT's Friday panel after the QS and it was interesting how they felt J had been harshly judged too. Jodie Kidd I think uses the word persecuted!

That's exactly what it was, though - persecution - particularly from Borewood. I think he had it in for J - and A - right from the moment they took to the floor for the jive.

SPOILER ALERT - Just been looking at the show synopsis for BIG

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big:_the_musical


ChaChaCha - awkward Aslan, fabulous feet

Waltz - tender magic, coup de foudre

QS - Twinkletrips, recovers like a pro

PasoDoble - The Bull's Back!

I'm sorry, but I can't agree. I thought the judges were actually very kind. If you only spotted a couple of errors and were able to enjoy the dance, that's fine. But there were actually lots. The routine was one big oopsie after another. And they weren't tiny mistakes, they were big ones. Good on him for soldiering on, but that doesn't mean it wasn't a mess. Fair's fair - I think that someone else might have been judged even more harshly. J&A were very open about it afterwards, and made no effort to deny that it had gone tits up. They picked themselves up the following week very admirably.

Yes, Lindy and BB. After more superficial relationships (even if we've wished they'd grow deeper) it's always with a figurative sigh that we eventually find a soulmate if we're lucky. Then we hope they're free to stay...

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com...0430339cd6.jpg

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com...b1f47c32b4.jpg

Getting thoroughly whimsical here - Doctor J's Strictly J********. It's a work in progress and sorry, non-Who fans might not / won't get some of the references, but I think some are clear anyway. If there are any other Who fans on here who have some ideas, I'm happy to take them on board!

Pre-pairing: Wibbly wobbly
Pairing: The first face this face saw
Cha cha: I have questions, but number one is this - what in the name of sanity have you got on your head?
Waltz: You and me, time and space, you watch us run
Jive: Geronimooooooo!!
Quickstep: Raggedy man
Paso: Pasos are cool.
American Smooth: Hello, sweetie
Foxtrot: You are always here to me, and I always listen. And I can *always* see you.
Salsa: You were fantastic. Absolutely fantastic. And you know what? So was I.
Tango: I think you call me... Sexy?
Rumba: We’re all stories in the end. Just make it a good one, eh?
Charleston: Do what I do. Hold tight and pretend it’s a plan.

Jaliona: “This is who I am, right here, right now, all right? All that counts is here and now, and this is me!”

For a dance at the diner
They all score a Niner
Except for our Bruno
Who adds one more Uno
For jiving perfection
With ultimate flexion
Deserving of forty
The judges are naughty
“Week 3” is not valid
An excuse that is pallid
When wildly excited
The crowd are delighted
And cheering their hero
Want four and a zero
With kicks, flicks and tricks
That completely transfix
The viewing ensemble
Who forgive any stumble
When lyrical dancing
Brings tones of romancing
The jive was the instant
When Jaybird was brilliant
And stealing my heart
He played out his part
With his newly found friend
To the bittersweet end

Just in from work and I'm catching up. Last night's exchange of posts was very interesting, bringing one or two old posters back onto the thread as well as some speculative discussion - a welcome change from all the poetry of late. Here's my take on it. The Radio Times interview was very telling. I think Aliona as well as the interviewer were both slightly surprised to see his embarrassment over the ' sexy bits ' comment. Everyone probably assumed he'd sown his wild oats and been around the block a few times with more girls than he could count. Par for the course with boy bands surely ? I think the opposite was true for Jay. He was a very young, well brought up Catholic boy, who grew up with strong women and respected them. The brash, overtly sexual cougars and love struck young girls that likely offered themselves up on a plate during TW years, probably didn't do much for him emotionally or physically. He enjoyed all the rest of it of course - the heavy drinking and japes with the lads because he's so comfortable in male company as we've seen. Maybe there were a handful of girls that were more than platonic, but I would guess not very many, and probably they were just date nights rather than relationships - leading him to discover more about himself and who he really was.

I suspect Jay's obvious happiness and love for Aliona was because at 25, he'd unexpectedly met his real soulmate, and she quickly gained his admiration. Here he was ( this dance - loving man ) 6 days a week with a beautiful dancer, who he could let his guard down and be friends with, and trust completely. She's immensely hard working and talented, tactile and loving, warm and funny, with a cheeky SOH, family orientated and respectful of herself and reputation. So like him in many ways - no wonder they got on so well, and continue to get on, doing things outside of Strictly, like KD tour, Sports Relief and singing together on the music video ( that was lovely ! ) - fingers crossed for many more joint efforts / outings for as long as possible

BIB I'm fairly certain that he is in a relationship and has been for a few years, which is known about in his closest circle of friends and family but not common knowledge. You don't have to be Einstein to work out who it is, but it's easy to fit the pieces together if people have the mind to.

Dancing words! Take a bow Deise, absolutely brilliant

Sorry for quoting myself - just updating with a couple more ideas.

Pre-pairing: Wibbly wobbly
Pairing: The first face this face saw
Cha cha: I have questions, but number one is this - what in the name of sanity have you got on your head?
Waltz: You and me, time and space, you watch us run
Jive: Geronimooooooo!!
Quickstep: Raggedy man
Paso: Pasos are cool.
American Smooth: Hello, sweetie
Foxtrot: You are always here to me, and I always listen. And I can *always* see you. [Alternatively/in addition: I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry.]
Salsa: You were fantastic. Absolutely fantastic. And you know what? So was I.
Tango: I think you call me... Sexy?
Rumba: We’re all stories in the end. Just make it a good one, eh?
Charleston: Do what I do. Hold tight and pretend it’s a plan.
Showdance: I will not forget one line of this, not one day, I swear
Final Paso. There's a first time for everything. And a last time.

Jaliona: “This is who I am, right here, right now, all right? All that counts is here and now, and this is me!”

Beautifully put SeasideLady.
Re BIB Would like to think he does have a someone in his life & kudos for him in managing to keep it private if he has.

Lost count of how many quicksteps I've watched over the years - pro and amateur - and this was full of spirit and fun, fiendishly fast and it was only week four. The oopsies were there, but recovered from, and there was no doubt who was leading the dance - we know how difficult this can be for male contestants, and J did it right from the start.

No, of course it was nowhere near perfect in competition terms, but the content and spirit of the dance was incredible compared with others at a similar stage. What wasn't necessary was the spread of gloom that greeted J&A when they came to the judging - nobody died, they got to the finish, didn't fall over and didn't freeze up. In between there were glimpses of the brilliance to come.

The obsession with 'performance' hadn't really started then, but what J gave was a brilliant performance flying over the floor with some fiendish footwork and having the chutzpah to keep dancing like a pro when things went awry. The music was appallingly unsuited to the dance, and look what an incredible performance they gave a few weeks later with more suitable music and a floor full of other dancers!

You can take the safe route and dance every step to perfection with a rictus grin, or you can set the floor alight with verve and style, and a few flaws. I know which I prefer.

I'm with you on this one TT. I didn't like the music and the opening sequence seemed like unnecessary faff...but I always approached each week with optimism and had high hopes. It wasn't long before I was watching through the fingers of both hands and groaning...and despite Jays best attempts to catch up with the routine, it just didn't really happen did it.

Yes, the routine was incredibly complex and lightning fast and all credit to both of them for raising the bar every week but unfortunately it didn't pay off this time. Expectations were high all round and the judges seemed a bit wrong-footed themselves but I think gave pretty fair feedback considering...including crh who could have ripped into Jay but didn't...although the mark was ridiculous bearing in mind the level of technique and complexity of choreo that did come through.

I always thought the Jive was a mixed blessing in that it put J&A under pressure to maintain an unrealistic standard but in retrospect I think the QS was just as much a mixed blessing but for a different reason. At least now the public could see the vulnerability, if they hadn't already, not just of Jay but of the position they were now in, and a storyline had emerged...just look at the comments in ITT and the main show for the following week.

Suddenly, the issue "will Jay be able to come back and show us more 'Jive' moments?" transcended the SCD audience, now featured on Googlebox and fired the imagination of others.

Never a dull moment with J&A.

Some here seek perfection
But I have an objection
J isn't professional
No, I'm not obsessional
But it's effort that counts
And feeling is paramount
He gives of his best
With talent he's blessed
So I'll never complain
And always maintain
That J's a sensation
And deserves an ovation

👏👏👏 💕



ETA Bravo DD for your Jayode!

And I agree, BB - ridiculously difficult choreography.

Love this turn of phrase!! Completely agree. When you watch the dance at half speed there is an amazing number of steps in the routine - no wonder a few slipped through the net.