Does it count as a group dance if it's only four pros? I loved Katya Virshilas, Pasha, Natalie and Brendan's dance to Rolling in the Deep.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wP8F2WKnsTE

Isn't that the GI Jive you listed?

Not sure I've got a favourite ever dance because there are so many I've liked.

I always remember this Halloween Paso with affection, and seeing as there are so many Matthew fan here- I thought of it as you should enjoy it

My favourites have already been mentioned - the Rebel Yell Jive and the Sweet Dreams Halloween dance from a couple of years ago.

In terms of the more themed dances from recent years, I also liked the Ballroom Blitz one a Blackpool a few years ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2CMMjxgGk4

Back in the days before over-produced themed pro numbers there were two great jives in series 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpVzkzMtHMg and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZnKjyMQdf4

And this Chicago medley from way back in series 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BliTB0tLpzE

Yeah, for some reason the link corrupted. That's the one.

Nope, it had the celebrities in it as well, it was Gethin's year and I can't find it atm.

Ahha, found it, it's actally a group Jitterbug rather than just a professionals dance: https://youtu.be/Nl77RR1khqg

Love Matthew, both with Nicole and Aliona; love Anton with Erin (SCD best ballroom couple ever!), love almost all the dancers and dances mentioned here.
Strange, nobody ever complained about the lack of props in those routines!
I want to add another one that I keep replaying. Kristina and Karen are standouts in this routine, and Craig is part of the props: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzDr9Dc6U0U

Another vote for Anton, Erin, Flavia and Vincent's routine to There May be Trouble Ahead in 2009. The showdance that I watch most often but also love Anton and Erin's Moon River. As someone else has said, the best Ballroom couple ever on Strictly.

I really liked the Remeberance jitterbug from last year, where Anton was a Seargeant Major in an office whilst all the other pros were dancing. Then Joanne managed to pursuade him to join in with them.

Occasionally we still do get really good pro dances.

Don't know what's changed, but this year's pro dances have been a much higher standard than in recent years.

I love that and I love anything with Vincent and Flavia in it!

This 2006 Tango Showdance where Flavia dances with Vincent, 2 other dancers and a couple of chairs, pure filth!

This one where the group play the traditional instruments right behind them, feels like Buenos Aires, love the drama at the end.

I love this Milonga where Vincent does his his thing on his own at the beginning and Flavia come-a-calling stroking her legs: "Yohoo, Vincent! I'm right here".

I miss Vincent and Flavia, two of the best teachers and choreographers that this show had

Thirded although the series six paso and series four samba and cha cha cha were good too. There's also a brilliant Chicago themed dance earlier in series five chereographed by Ian Waite which is fab too.

I actually mentioned it in the a thons thread and started a thread about pro-celeb group dances where's it's linked. The Dirty Dancing pro-celeb and the girls swing dances from the same year are great as well. The boy's merenge not so much but worth for Bruno's 'Did you rehearse by text?' comment at the end of it.

Why did they ditch her again?

oh how I long for the days when we saw an actual pro dance without props and gimmicks

a few of my favourites from yesteryear

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPBVedqenY4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5n_GY3GO_T4 < hottest cha cha ever!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0GZiutibzc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPDfAA-LwrM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnIu3DQahWI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1MNeQVo51U

Where they kept swopping partners and at one point Vincent and Anton danced together?

ETA I see you found it. It was the one I was thinking of.

My favourite too ! All of them fantastic dancers and Matthew Cutler - just superb. I really loved everything this group of dancers did. Magic.

Fewer props and less clowning than before. In the past, too, Matthew&Nicole, Erin&Anton, Vincent &Flavia seldom needed anything but the dance floor, and each dance was a masterclass.

Quite like this one too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMpCxE2f6I4 - especially the West Side Story esque fight between Brendan and Brian

and this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEAswMPnSi0

I second (third/fourth/fifth for some!) many of the ones already mentioned, especially the Rebel Yell jive, the Ballroom Blitz Blackpool dance, Love Sex Magic dance and last year's rememberance day dance. Wasn't Jo singing live on the latter? It was a nice touch.

In defence of the themed dances, I think this year has been MUCH better than the last few years for pro dances. The three standouts for me have been:

Movie week with Jo, Aljaz & Giovanni. Definitely become one of my favourite pro dances ever!

Halloween week with Brendan, Karen & Kevin.

Week 2 with Gorka & Oksana. A kind of Romeo & Juliet theme. Oksana looked incredible.

I hated the one set in a clothes shop or department store or whatever, though. Those type of dances (had a lot of them last year) give the strong themeing a bad name. I think when there is a proper storyline and a focus on two or three dancers, like the three examples above, it works a million times better.

In an ideal world, I'd like to see a mix of classic pro dances where everyone just dances great content to a great song, smaller pro dances with just two or three pros being showcased, and themed dances like the ones mentioned above.

2006, when five of them, plus Girls Aloud, did a routine to the Girls' single I Think We're Alone Now.

Does that count? Probably not,

The Girls looked gorgeous. I can hardly believe it was ten years ago they were on the show, although they were on it again in 2012 (the year Kimberley Walsh should have won).

Great thread - lots of excellent links!

So much wonderful talent no longer on the show, and hardly a table, garden swing or chair in sight (OK, there were a few chairs!)

Girls Aloud - I Think We're Alone Now

I love that routine, it was accidentally hilarious. Bruno in the background was almost hysterical!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZUs21JZpQQ

I always preferred this version ...

Thank you for posting the link to the Girls. I would have put it in myself but I don't know how to do it.

I notice you are even able to post a title as the link, as well, instead of just the usual random YouTube string of numbers and letters. I'm a bit of a techno dinosaur really. (Well my username is a dinosaur, anyway - sarahsaurus is the name of a real dinosaur.)