Hi,

This has come as a real shock to me, but it is the professional dancers who choose the music!!!

Yes, the bbc can veto thier choices, but I had a long chat with Anton, and they - the pro's - generally choose the music, and get most of what they ask for - Erin chose her mission impossible, etc etc.

Also, this was discussed on ITT in some detail today with a number of the pro's going thru what made them choose particular tracks.

I do wonder if they (the pro's) are trying to appeal to a wider audience by picking more "modern" tracks where us dancers would like to stick with tradition, who knows.

I in fact felt quite bad for suggesting to Anton that some of the music choices were bad - I didn't want to offend the pro dancers.

I was quite shocked when I heard that. Some of the choices were downright awful!

Totally agree - I was under the impression that the BBC selected a certain number of tracks for them to work with.

I do like tho the idea they try to fit the music to the personality of the celebs - hey a whole new thread idea forming

It seems they get their choices used more than I was lead to believe previously! Still, a few of the really random bits of music are generally the ones the BBC does though...for example, I'm pretty sure It's My Life by Bon Jovi wasn't chosen by Camilla.

I was shocked, horrified and appalled when I heard that!

Good lord, some of them have moments of genius, and some terrible lapses of taste, don't they?

Yep! Still can't get over that horrible song 'Elenor Rigby' by the Beatles. Well the song itself isn't horrible, it's just horrible to do the tango on, IMHO.

Come on get real people!

No " bad choices" were shown were they? Not even the Sarah Manners one could be faulted. So no lies were told, were there?

It will be perfectly true that the music they showed will have been chosen by the professionals or their partners.
It's the ones they didn't show that are a different matter.


The BBC will have chosen some to help the programme appeal to a younger audience.
At least one professional has complained on a previous series about their music being chosen by the producer.

The naivety of some people!

I must admit when that section came on I was amazed ... I wonder if they put it on because of the stuff that's been said on here?

Perhaps the next one will be an article about how the pro dancers choose the camera work too!

You must remember this programme is all about BBC "spin" They want to appeal to a younger audience. It's "ratings driven." That's why in the "break" on the Saturday night's programme you have a "pop" singer.
They've got a perfectly good band there with singers and they could play a "proper" dance tune in the break for the professionals. Dance fans would probably prefer that.


SCDT2 is no longer just a "ballroom dance programme" and just as much as I like Claudia, she doesn't decide the format. It's slowly going to the dogs with all the "unnecessary" additions. They should stick to interviews with dancers, the competitors, the judges, reviews of Saturday's performances and plenty of "training footage"
It's only an half hour programme for crissakes.

It seems that the professionals choose the music with their partner in mind. Erinfan has already told us before that this has to be done by the end of August so they must know who their partner is and have spoken to them by then although they don't meet up until mid August.

I agree - I was very surprised.Do you think they did the item in response to the criticisms on this Forum?Some of the choices have been so poor...amazing!

fair enough, but my thread was started based on a conversation with Anton when he told me Erin chose the mission impossible (that I and others didn't like) - i accept that the bbc will have probably contributed to some poor choices, but possibly fewer than we believe. (It was seeing ITT that made me remeber the conversation!)

(i thought this was a fluffy forum, please don't call me naive)

Don't take any notice, some people like DR are just here to try and get a rise out of ya. Just ignore it.

^ seconds Aeryn

So far I haven't "called" anyone who contributes to this public message board.
You might not like my views, but I can live with those of other posters. It's a pity some can't manage to do the same.
Perhaps they would be more at home contributing to a "fan site."
Unfortunately , Digital Spy doesn't happen to be one they are all open forums, though it appears for it to be a "fan site," would be the wish of one or two.

Some on here think they "own the the threads" and want to dictate to others what they should or should not say.

A little unreasonable dontcha think?

forgive me, but I believe that you called me naive for simply passing on a conversation I had with one of the pro's about some of the music choices. Some that we all thought had been imposed on them by the bbc were in fact chosen by the pros. Thats all. I'm lucky enough to see one of the pros regularly. Others don't. Thats all. I did also mention that yes there is some vetoing. (At least I think I did, I certainly meant to!)

Can we please stay on track about the music.
Thanks

yes i wondered that too!!

there is not just this forum that discusses SCD - and if you think the BBC only read here then you are being naive. I know of at least three forums where it was discussed by professionals in depth AND the beeb do visit two of those forums.

As for the music choices if they are by the professionals then I suggest they consult thier BCBD manuals again for the tempos of the dances and try sticking to them. From what I heard of the salsa music tonight it's not going to improve on Saturday
Last edited by bendymixer : 31-10-2006 at 23:47

Now come on, I didn't in my previous message on this thread quote you, or actually say you were naive at all did I?


I pointed out that the only music played on SCDT2 tonight were the known choices of either the professionals or their partners.
Not once were any of the poor choices played were there?
And surely we all agree there have been some, don't we?
Does the significance of that escape you?
So why didn't our "investigative reporter" Claudia ask the question about "dodgy" choices?
Because I bet she was told not to and Darren would never admit to choosing something he or the other pros hadn't wanted, so the question was avoided.

When are people going to realise that pretty much everything said on that show will be pre-planned by the producers, or did you think they called up those clips shown on the spur of the moment?
Elsewhere someone has posted that Ian Waite complained last year of the BBC's interference with the choice of music.

To accept everything on "face value" would be naive.

Could you please post the links of the other forums, as I'd love to read them. Thanks.

I thought it was common knowledge that the pros choose the music...

I do hope you're right (although I am unaware of evidence to prove otherwise). I would hate to think that the ITT researchers think the drivel posted on this site represents the nation's opinions on Strictly.

Some of us do have thoughts beyond Ian Waite's chest...

Can I mention something, Erin did say, I seem to remember, that Peter had said that he 'loved' the Mission Impossible music and that was one of the resons she chose it. I agree it was a) the wrong version (stiil the prefer the original) and b) should only be danced to on a combination of mind altering drugs and huge quantities of alcohol, cos even when I used to spend half my life p****d I would never have thought of dancing to THAT.

So maybe Erin can be given a little leeway in using it, cos she thought she might get a better performance from Peter for something she must have known he was going to struggle and it possibly the only chance to use it in SCD.

Bendymixer - fascinated to hear there is a reference manual for music...being a bit naive I was never entirely sure where you'd start! (although, as you pointed out, I'm not entirely sure that is where the pro's are starting from).

Doghouse - I've seen you on other forums and you do have a knack for winding people up....not a criticism or slight on your personality, and you are free to air your views, just an observation!

I thought so too ~ I remember a post from last year about Hannah waiting to hear back if the beeb could get the rights to a certain track, so I suppose music rights must come into it too.

I think you can spot a trend with some of the profs: Lilia goes for a lot of 60's music (don't let me be misunderstood, satisfaction) & Ian goes for a lot of soul & Stevie Wonder, Darren B chooses a lot of tracks from musicals, etc