Cherie and James keep bringing attention to the fact they only train four days a week. Is this the rule or just because they cannot fit it into their schedules? Surely if everyone can only train four days a week then their case is closed.

They're not the only ones. Other people have commented too. I haven't noticed them saying it any more than anyone else.

I know they're not the only ones, I'm just using them as an example.

Likely because they don't count Sunday and Friday.

Not all the couples train Sunday and Friday they are in rehearsals so they can't really learn anything much then.

Last night was the first time I'd heard Cherie mention it and she did qualify the statement by saying it is the same for them all.

Actually the BBC seemed to have changed some stuff this year. Does anyone know when they hear which dance they will be doing the next week?

I think they find out on Monday, but I'm not sure.

I think they find out on Saturday because Andrew (I think) said Ola comes up with the choreography on Sunday so I doubt the BBC would call all the pros on Sunday morning to tell them.
Also when it was week 4 - they said the guys wouldn't know their dance until Saturday.

Thanks to both you and BuddyBontheNet (don't know how to do a double quote). I was actually surprised that a few of the dancers kept saying that it was only 4 days a week. In previous years, people like Mark and Karen seemed to have started dancing on the Sunday (at least later in the competetion).

To be quite truthful I don't know how they all do it anyway. I certainly wouldn't be able to learn a whole routine in such a short time.

I believe that they are a little economical with the truth. In order to keep up the myth that the results show isn't recorded on Saturday, the Beeb doesn't like the couples to admit they train on Sundays. In Karen and Mark's day, of course, we didn't have the split shows. Several of the couples still start practice on Sunday and they all know the order of their dances way before they are announced to the public - not least because of the order their costumes are prepared!

[quote=lach doch mal;28507899]Thanks to both you and BuddyBontheNet (don't know how to do a double quote). I was actually surprised that a few of the dancers kept saying that it was only 4 days a week. In previous years, people like Mark and Karen seemed to have started dancing on the Sunday (at least later in the competetion).

I have been thinking this also. I am sure they used to begin rehearsing a dance ages before it happened - and then they would start in earnest on the Sunday. Why the change, I wonder? Could it be because of heavy work schedules and the need to have a day off?

How on earth will they manage to do two when the time comes. Four days seems unreasonably short to me.

I agree with you there is some thing different this year, as in previous seasons couples would normally be in training on a Monday and sometimes on a Sunday - especially when they move to two dances a week. Maybe it is to do with the series being so long this time. It would be good if someone who could clarify how it is all working this year.

I'm not sure about that because I recently read an article by the wardrobe woman and she said all the dresses are designed and fitted before the series starts. Then they are adjusted in the week before they are worn as most celebs lose weight during the competition.

I would guess it is more likely to be something like the training facilities are not made available until Tuesdays.

I agree this is the first year I've ever heard of the 4 day week.
I'm just amazed that any celeb can master a new dance in just 4 days.

Earlier in the series they were talking about only having 3 days to learn a dance! Maybe they had to learn the group dance on the 4th day at that time

The fittings for all but one of the female celebrities started in July, but there is a lot of alteration and re-thinking that goes on. Just think about, for eg, Cherie's paso dress that was very specific to a traditional Spanish design. It would have looked pretty out of place if James had decided to 'do' a more modern paso. Either the routines are sketched out much more in advance than some like to believe or the costumes are designed much nearer the time (which is not the case).

I think the BBC aren't too bothered to keep it up pretending the Sunday show is recorded on a Sunday. There have been plenty of mentions of them recording all Saturday and training on a Sunday.

There you go - Tess and Austin saying he will dance the rhumba in a fortnight if he gets through next week. The truth is they know the running order of all their dances before the series starts!

But did she say that after James said it to the judges?


I thought he said he's doing the Rumba next week.

Camilla said that she taught Tom the basics of the Viennese Waltz way back when they started training cos she knew that was the dance they would be doing the day before his wedding and that his mind would be elsewhere that week. So she must have known their schedule back in August?

I'd guess the pros taught all their celebs some basic steps in those weeks before the series started - certainly Erin said she did that with Austin.

The pros know which dances are going to be danced each week as it is basically the same from series to series, but I'm not convinced they know the actual dance they will be doing week by week before the series starts.

Tess said "If you get through next week you'll be doing the rhumba" which I took to mean in a fortnight. I'm sure she meant if you get through to next week so you are right. But they do know the running order from when they start rehearsing in July/August.

Austin and Erin are doing the rumba next Saturday and Tom clearly mentioned the quickstep when they went through so I guess that's what they'll be doing next week.