Apologies if this question has been asked before: it almost certainly has, but I couldn't immediatly see it.

It's sometimes said that Strictly is a Ballroom Dancing competition.

Should we therefore expect that the judges should have some knowledge and experience in this field?

Perhaps either as former Ballroom competitiors (and dare I say Champions). Or, to offer an even more ridiculous suggestion, as actual former ballroom judges of some standing?

Has anyone got the rundown on the present shower?

Merely from watching ITT, I get the impression that:

Len was once a highly rated Latin dancer (we've seen brief moving clips on ITT and stills from his book), and I got an impression that he ran a dance school sometime, and that he has sometime been a judge at some level (I think I remember a comment made on DWTS that he had judged one of their pros at some international level?).

Arlene, we all know, founded Hot Gossip (hardly balroom), and has done some modern choreography. I trust that rumours that she was formerly a stripper are unfounded. Is that it?

We've seen Bruno dancing in a clip from Top of the Pops. Is that it?

And what about Craig's ballroom experience, besides quoting extensively from "How to Bluff Your Way in Ballroom Dance"?

Anybody know?

As far as I am aware only Len has competing and judging credentials in ballroom. The others are dancers and choreographers of varying degrees of success.

Len still has a school doesn't he ?

I think the best way to look at it is this. Strictly is not a dancing competition, but it incorporates one. We see it every Saturday. It doesn't have to be fair...or judged well by highly qualified judges...or efficiently run...or well produced...or anything other than a test of ability or skill...which it clearly is.

It's up to each individual viewer what weighting to give to the dancing competition compared to the 'personality contest' (for want of a better term)...which runs alongside the dancing competition and is judged by viewers. The credentials of the judges may affect that...but it's important to remember that the judges have been cast with the fact that it's an entertainment show firmly in mind.

Quote from Len in my SCD book :


Sums it up for me - I'm happy with that.

As Strictly is a popular culture show I believe the judges should reflect that. The ballroom is obviously crucial but if there were four ballroom judges it wouldn't have the popular appeal it does.

Imagine four judges talking about rondés, chassées and heel leads; the audience would wander off.

I think the above poster has got it spot on. I'm sure I can speak for millions in saying that many of us don't know the first thing about the technicalities of dance but are still entertained by the format and the dancing. When I watch I certainly want elements of the comments to be about things that I and other non dancers can relate to and identify such as the story telling and the performance. I wouldn't know if a dancer did a heal lead rather than a toe but I can spot a good performance.