I thought since a few of these examples were coming up on the Ore and Laura threads that it might be an idea to concentrate the positivity in one place.

This can include the 'so bad they're good' examples if need be.

Heather and Brian's salsa was good back in the day. Although it looks a bit tame by today's standards maybe...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NviU5VRIkk

still feel John and Nicole's salsa is the only one anywhere near a 'proper' one and with authentic music

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoHaSQWAs38

Denise and Ian's samba

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6peTah69j54

and I've always had a soft spot for Gethin looking fit doing the salsa in his see through shirt

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0qkoqHAZ7w

ETA - just watched it again. The dancing is a bit shit but hey, the shirt is nice.

Forgot about this one, and like John and Nicole's much more authentic than any we see now

Yep pretty well. Brian and Heather's wasn't bad either but John and Nicole's was the best authentic salsa by a very long way.

ETA - actually Heather and Brian's was much better than I remembered. She looked rather more tentative compared to John but it was good.

Whilst I freely admit that I know next to nothing about how Salsa and Samba re supposed to look or be performed, the main issue is that I don't really enjoy watching either of them much.

Maybe one or other is worthy of inclusion... but not both. I think they ought to drop one or the other from the series of dances performed.

Gethin looks fine and the music was good but there was next to no salsa content. A couple of mambo basics may have slipped in by accident but otherwise zilch. I would have called that more of a samba but then I only know salsa not samba.

Then they would have to shorten the series by a week and drop a contestant.

Dont they all drop one dance anyway? so to drop salsa out and do all the other dances would work wouldnt it

Hmmm, I'm pretty sure not everyone who gets to the final does every dance in the potential repertoire... although maybe someone else could confirm that.

My favourite strictly salsa. I can never understand why they use disco music and not authentic salsa music, it's fabulous to dance to.

Oh yes they do I think. I had forgotten. In that case yes drop salsa. I love doing it but hate what SCD do to it and to be fair its never going to work. Its a compact spot dance danced in a huge empty space which makes no sense really.

same goes for samba - I did this vid years ago I changed the music and matt and alesha's samba - makes a bit difference

original samba
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrWIJgyMp8c

Samba with remixed music
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlkA785X_L4

did the salsa too

original salsa

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aE4PUj56OfY
remixed salsa
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FZtlABMQqc

Originally they only did the 10 Dances so five Latin, five Ballroom and a Showdance so every couple danced every dance.

Then a few years later they brought in the Argentine Tango and Salsa (from memory) for the semi-finals, then after that they added in Charleston and American Smooth (or maybe the other way round and C and AS came before AT and S).

So now there are a total of 14 available dances but they don't have 14 weeks of show and they obviously repeat dances in the final so that's why some dances are now dropped. Sems a bit daft really as they should all do the 10 Dances as that's what Latin/Ballroom is all about

Loved Heather and Brian's Salsa. Arlene tore it to shreds though which was unforgivable.

Also had a soft spot for Christine Bleakley's samba.

Never tire of watching Mark and Iveta's salsa

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziGMhcAw7LU

That's so much better, makes all the difference having the right music. What I find really irritating & unfair is when two couples have the same dance and one dances to the right music and the other to some gawd-awful tune that you couldn't even do 'hands, knees & boomps a daisy' to.

Viennese Waltz and American Smooth were series 3. Argentine Tango and Salsa were series 4. Charleston was series 7.

Brian was an experienced salsa dancer (Cuban style I think). I've always thought he was an excellent choreographer and should never have been driven away so soon.

Jay and Aliona's salsa in Blackpool is my favourite. He looked so relaxed, really enjoying the dance. All his moves were smooth, his hips fluid and the two lifts were fantastic. The 2nd lift, he did ( verified and admired by Monkseal ) 11 rotations. It was under marked. The whole dance was a joy to watch.

Abbey and Aljaz salsa and samba.
Kara tointon salsa
Chelsee salsa
Mark ramprakash samba
Matt di angelo salsa
Matt and aliona blackpool salsa
Pixie samba


Imo those are the very best and memorable sambas and salsas on the show.

And to listen to

When did lifts come into the Salsa because they certainly weren't there for the first four series on the show when all the good ones were.

Me neither, not authentic but a brilliant classic in its own right.