Ok here's my take on it.

Brendan is a good Latin Dancer and he couldn't make Fiona look good.
So if Jan isn't a natural latin dancer how can anyone expect Anton to make her look good!
Ian is a good latin dancer and he couldn't make Mica look good.

In summary saying that Anton did Jan no favours is unfair, she would have been awful at the jive no matter which professional she had.
She gave it a good go and good on her, saying that it is all Anton's fault is ridiculous.

Having different opinions is great, but being unfair is another thing altogether.

I don't usually post like this, I try not not to be too controversial (can't spell) but please don't say Jan's dancing is all Anton's fault, noone blamed Brendan for Fionas bad dancing, it just isn't in the sprirt of Strictly.

I think that is fair comment. If the pro draws a short straw, then they draw a short straw. Some pros seem better equipped to be a teacher than others, but sometimes you jut have admit they are facing an uphill struggle with the celeb they've been partnered with.

Jan's poor latin dancing may not be Anton's fault, but whose fault is Anton's poor latin dancing?

Sorry!

According to the voting public, Jan is a better dancer than Spoony - or Anton is a better teacher than Ola. Who'd have thought it?
Last edited by The Swampster : 23-10-2006 at 15:41

For what it's worth, here's my view. Jan looked so nervous on Saturday I thought she was going to cry. I felt this was Anton's way of making her get over herself, loosen up, whatever. I watched it again on Sunday, and really, it made me smile so much. It may not be up to much technically, but had a real joie de vivre, if that doesn't sound too poncey. I love that unexpected element of SCD.

Anton did her no favours though - she was at a disadvantage her pro partner danced appallingly - and I bet many of the men celeb would have done a better jive than he did

Can I just add my voice to the Anton Du Beke support group??

I love him - he reminds Jan (and teh rest of us) that dancing is first and foremost about enjoying yourself. If I was on SCD I'd want him as my mentor every time.

Thank you and goodnight

Whether Anton dances the jive well or not is irrelevant - isn't it the Celeb we're supposed to be focusing on?
And if Jan had a different partner who danced an outstanding Jive...wouldn't that just make her look worse really because the difference in the 2 of them would have been much greater.


Totally agree with Lorna, dancing is indeed about fun and enjoying yourself and that certainly came across on Saturday night!

Well, I wouldn't fight you for him, if I have lessons with someone, I expect them to know what they are doing. If dancing is about enjoyment, I certainly didn't enjoy that awful spectacle last Saturday.

Are you Craig Revel-Horwood in disguise?

Couldn't agree more!
I am the first to admit that Anton's latin is poor compared to the other professionals, but this would not have an adverse affect on Jans performance! Anton tried to make it as fun for her as possible. Good on him! He didn't try and push her to more than she could handle.

How did you know Lorna???

Don't think it was a question of pushing Jan to do more than SHE could handle, more a case of more than HE could handle!

Isn't it lovely that we all have different tastes and views, wouldn't the world be a boring place if we all thought the same.

But I would like to say that I do believe some of the negative comments on this thread are a little harsh. I wouldn't want to say anything bad about anyone.

I think all the pros are great and I love watching them all.
All the best

Really and truely do you believe than Jan would have danced better with a different pro partner?

*getting very frustrated with people not liking Anton and giving up on being reasonable and adult-like*

I love him! I know he has faults and is not perfect but even his imperfections are perfect for me! And I don't care what everyone else says!

Ditto Fro! I am glad that we don't feel the need to bash pro dancers to no great purpose. Feel the love.

Dancingles - sorry - Craig - I love watching technically brilliant dancers as much as the next person but this is a light entertainment show for charity.

When you see the pros going all out next to a dancer who is not very good it makes the celebrity look far worse IMO. Perhaps Anton decided that he'd forgo technical excellence in favour of getting Jan to loosen up and enjoy herself. I love the way he doesn't take himself too seriously - IMO those that make dance overly serious ruin it for those who are too shy to join in but really want to

Well let's face it, we all have faults and we all have things we're not very good at. It must be horrendously difficult to learn a new dance, and a new routine for that dance in the space of a week completely from scratch.

There's no point in me casting aspersions on Anton's prowess as a Latin teacher - I have no idea what he's like, but with all that's been said on this thread I think Len was spot on in his comments after J & A's jive on Saturday - essentially you win some, you lose some, but the most important thing is that you try your best.

I think that Anton most likely did try his best - but sometimes things just don't work out right, be that through your faults or someone else's, or just plain bad luck. Nobody is perfect, and it's not necessary to be quite so cruel about it.

It was all done very tongue in cheek, definitely. It was all in the name of entertainment. he knows he's not a latin god, so he has fun with it. it worked for me. I loved all of it, the show I mean.

Was rather dangerous starting a thread with this topic wasn't it though? Just asking for people to comment on him really. And as far as I can see, nobody has "bashed" Anton, merely commenting on the very obvious fact that he is a useless latin dancer.

I think that a lot of the people on this thread just resent the fact that Anton has an enormous and loyal fanbase that will give him and his partner the opportunity to shine for a good long time during the competition, even if they have a few blips along the way.

Anton is charming, charismatic, and a wonderful person to watch.

Sure, Jan wasn't perfect, and Anton's latin has never been as brilliant as some of the other pros, but he doesn't say that it is. He accepts that Latin is his weakness, he doesn't enjoy it, and so tries to make it as fun as possible for both his partner and himself.

A teacher can only do so much, and for a '48 year old mother of three', he did a fantastic job.

Next week, you'll see them foxtrot, and you'll see how talented Anton truly is.

She might have danced better if she had a teacher that could jive just a thought, credit due Anton is no spring chicken is he? he must be the oldest of the pros.
Last edited by Seymour : 23-10-2006 at 17:12

Can't speak for dancingles (or Craig as it seems!) but I certainly think she could have danced better with another partner, the fact that he it completely useless and inexperienced when it comes to the jive would mean he is not as able to choreograph a routine with a suitable range of steps, as he probably doesn't know them himself.
A simple illustration of this point is Darren and Gloria's jive last year, altho Gloria was less able than jan, they produced a lively routine and at least you could tell what all the steps were. Jan and Anton's routine just looked a horrendous mess!

But Anton doesn't specialise in Latin does he ?
Whereas the majority of the other professionals do.
Anton has only one major obstacle to overcome and that is Jan's nerves. The footage from practise through the week showed she can jive, I think her nerves were the let down.

It was messy because she forgot the steps, not becasue they weren't there.