Many thanks LadyLavender. You have made my day.

I do dancesport (or strictly style Latin & ballroom) and salsa (proper salsa not the mess they end up with on strictly!) and bachata! I'm just a newbie at dancesport though but got through to the semi final of beginners jive in a comp yesterday!
Day off today to recover and be lazy so I'll be catching up on strictly!
I'd love a Gio calendar even if it was tasteless but I don't think 12 pics are enough I demand one of those 365 a page a day calendars!

Thanks for posting

Wow, very well done Chachaclo! 👏 Hope you are enjoying a well earned rest.

Looking forward to another pro dance tonight. The West Side Story routine will be hard to top. Watched it back several times and Gio is a real stand out, together with Karen and Katya. They were all great in it though.

Gio backstage with Gorka, Kevin, Karen, Aljaz and Janette

Hope you get some lovely Meet and Greet tickets before they sell out And I am just glad Gio realised that he has lots of fans in Scotland!


Aha! We have an expert on the thread. Looking forward to your critiques!


Why stop at 365

And MissD thanks for treating us to another backstage pic! Looking forward to the results show even more now.

There is a thread on the MF for DS Favourite Pro Dancer of 2016...

I might, just possibly, have given my maximum 15 points to Gio.

And I thought Katya deserved a few votes as well - she has brightened up the show enormously.

If you have a minute, why not vote?

Absolutely terrific Chicago routine - love a bit of Fosse and Katya was on fire! Just a leetle bit of a shame that the camera work cropped off Gio and Oti on the right. But I loved it .. hope that routine turns up again on the Strictly tour.

Very sorry to see Rob Rinder go - I think he and Oksana knew that this week was probably their last one and their Samba summed up all the things that I have loved about their partnership - great fun, a bit cheeky and lots of good solid basics. The semi-finals will miss his big personality.

Poor Jo and Ore - they must feel very nervous about Ore's public vote going into semi-finals week.

it would be a great idea to have some "old pros" on the Friday panel as they'd definitely know what they were talking about

I wonder if Anton and Brendan have ever done a calendar I remember buying a calendar featuring Matthew some years ago but perhaps the rules have changed since then

Louise and Kevin are my joint favourites and I loved that routine but I would have liked to have seen Ed's version


well done on getting through to the semi final of beginners jive I've never learned the bachata but I enjoy watching it


the Chicago routine was great but I preferred the West Side Story dance

I'd never heard of Robert before Strictly but he was one of my favourites and he did so well for a beginner ... what a lovely speech too

Yes .. but the last sighting of an Anton calendar was 2015 (can't believe I researched this ). I can only think that TPTB are trying to eradicate them. Whether tasteful or ... more at the Ola end of Calendar Taste Scale. Signed photos of Anton in a top hat are apparently still OK. Phew what a relief etc.


I forgot to ask Chachacio - what did you think of Claudia and AJs salsa?

Morning all

Gio has posted an Insta story with some of the pros last night - Janette, Aljaz, Pasha, Neil, Katya and Luba - salsa music is playing and they are all downing a shot of what looks like tequila. I hope there aren't any sore heads (accompanied by the words 'never again') if they have pro rehearsals this morning

Thanks for the reminder about the pro dancer poll Lady L - I will get on to it...my first three are easy, after that I need a bit of a think because they are all good in different ways and some I need to see more of.

Ooh thanks for posting that MissD. Gio embracing Instagram stories again - hope he keeps it up so we get a bit of news now and then!

The Christmas season has started for the Pro dancers. Looks like a great night out.

I think that is Bar Salsa on the Charing Cross Road? They have been there a few times in the past. Lovely to see Rachel Riley there on the right as well - she is still clearly Keeping Dancing

But who was taking the video clip we wonder?

Gio has posted a fun group pic on Twitter of Sunday's salsa night out

https://twitter.com/pernicegiovann1/...70201841205249

I think that is Gorka at the back... from his lovely smile.

I'm pretty sure that is the VIP area at Bar Salsa in the background.... must have been an excellent night...

Yes it is Gorka. There is another photo posted with Gorka visible.

And Giovanni's earrings are back!

For some reason, that has put a smile on my face.

Sharp eyes MissD!

I just caught up with yesterday's ITT and the backstage clips from Musicals Week.

I think Gio had his tongue firmly in his cheek when he claimed to be a better singer than Anton

I am VERY RELIEVED that he has booked two singers for his tour though.

Just going a bit off topic... but the Semi Finals on Saturday are made for me by the thought of an American Smooth to Misty Blue - such an incredibly emotional song - and a Samba to 'Brazil'. Sometimes its all about the music.. and I can't see either Danny or Louise in the Bottom 2 with those songs.

Yes I think it's between Ore and Claudia for the last final place, unless anything unexpected happens. One thing is for sure, my phone bill isn't going to take anything like the hammering it did last year Three online votes and that's it!

Gio is adding four more dates to the Tour today, two in Scotland

Four more dates! Yay - wonder where.

I think I agree with you on the final place - but I wonder if one of Ore or Claudia will end up top of the leaderboard on Saturday. The judges would surely save Danny or Louise if they ended up in the dance off... Am with you on the online voting only this year.

Ore v Claudia have ended up with a 'Battle of the Quicksteps'.. which will be very interesting.

OT For Joanne Clifton fans... courtesy of Neil Jones..

Jo singing 'Santa Baby' at the Royal Albert Hall last night. Terrific, breathy Marilyn Monroe version.

https://twitter.com/Mr_NJones/status/806257353586835458

So ... new dates are:

May 10 Howden Park central, Livingstone
May 11 Townhouse Theatre, Hamilton (we knew about that one )

July 8 Hafren Theatre, Newtown, Wales
July 9 Courtyard Theatre, Hereford

Glad that Wales and Scotland get to see a bit more Gio

Issfan..... I think you have the unique honour of a Gio retweet!

And you didn't even have to say he was an amazing dancer OR utterly gorgeous OR divinely handsome OR best pro on Strictly

Congratulations.

Really? Thanks for posting. Beyond pleased with that!!!! He is all of those things you said though😀

Yay! Glad you got tickets Issfan, and a retweet

Gio is busy doing some BBC local radio interviews this morning,,.

https://twitter.com/pernicegiovann1/...02294033395712
https://twitter.com/bbcstrictlypr/st...04548308217857

That is great.... would be even better if he tweeted in advance of the interviews

So he is appearing on local radio all day... I will post a write-up if I catch up with one of the sessions..

Radio interviews in your second language are really, really hard - hope he has been prepping for them.