Does anybody else think that she has not been dance trained, to my eye as a novice dancer she looks like she has had training and is now the only left with training, and I believe she is being overmarked to keep her out of the bottom two.

Someone on the Blueroom was in the business and involved with SClub 7 in the early days and remembers her from Fulham Dance Attic and he maintains she has had extensive dance training - suprised me a bit because whilst I think she is good don't overly rate her

I'd be amzed if she didn't have some kind of training. S Club regularly did dance routines.

I'd be amazed if she didn't have some kind of training. S Club regularly did dance routines.

Well I think Rachel went to Stage school so I would have thought she would have had some training and would certainly understand the discipline involved in dance. I don't know why Arlene would have said that. Maybe she meant had no dance training in Ballroom? I imagine at Stage school they would have taught contemporary dance the type of thing that would have helped her for those intricate SClub 7 dance routines.

Well being in S Club for years she will at least have worked on many choreographed routines which is dance experience. I don't think she went to stage school though.

However, Tom has also had dance training I think and just because we don't know about others doesn't mean they haven't.

I don't perticularly think it matters, we always get people in the show with experience.

Double post

Of course, especially if they are in the performance industry, a lot of them have been to stage school at some point.

Sorry - not trying to steal the thread, just trying to get used to the Forum set up! How do you delete a post?

I don't think you can.

Allesha and Emma didn't have dance training either Honestly - despite the fact we have all seen S Club, Misteeq and Spice Girls' videos

sometimes they really do think we are fools

However it has not put me off Rachel I just love her partnership with Vincient so much but I am under no illusions about her previous training

^^ you can't kips.........you can edit it or just take it out completely and write "deleted" or "double post" instead of the actual post......

Thanks Xassy and Fairygirl. I'll do that then.

Tom has only had the usual actors training level. The tap was self taught Fred routine.

I remember reading somewhere, that the producers accept,celebs who may have had some training in dance, as long as it's not extensive and not ballroom. Oherwise it would exclude a lot of celebs.

I've watched SCD as well as its predecessor 'CD' for very many years. As a retired teacher of ballroom dance must say I can see why the judges mark as they do, and totally support their remarks about being there to judge THE DANCING (sorry, not really shouting!). I especially admire Craig R-H because, like him or not, he really does speak the truth. Re whether or not any celebs had previous dance experience doesn't bother me - it's the results being shown that matter. And please, let's not forget the absolutely terrific work being done by the professionals - they are enabling all of us to watch their own superb dancing as well as the 'fruits of their labours' as demonstrated by the celebs. Some are bound to be better than others, but that's what the show is all about. I 'Simply' love it ..... oh yes, and the beautiful costumes. And I think JS bowed out with dignity, at just the right moment. xx

Oh lord, this comes up about one or other of the contestants every year!

'Dance training' does not mean ballroom and it's an entirely different specialty to any other kind of dancing (including what you might call 'dancing' on stage with a pop group).

I'm not sure you can call that 'dancing' anyway - it's choreography! Doesn't mean a singer/actor can move any better in a dance off-stage than any of us normal punters can!

Choreography is something that takes place over a period of time concentrating on one or two particular set dances. If any of us were choreographed for that long, we could probably perform passable 'routines' on stage whilst attempting to sing (the latter especially in my case!).

Doesn't mean we'd be able to enter 'Strictly' and be able to do a foxtrot/samba/cha cha/waltz etc etc etc!

Or that we'd been 'trained as dancers'. That's not what it means.

A lot of the celebs (actors etc) have been to stage school, but unless they specialised in dance - and I don't believe any of them have - then presumably, it was just a lesson in the curriculum which they had to attend whilst they got more rigorous training in singing/acting etc.

It's not something they would have been spending an enormous amount of concentration on if they already knew their path (acting/singing etc).

If they had specialised in dance then they wouldn't be known as actors or singers or whatever. They would be actual - you know - dancers (either famous or chorus line)!

And that would have precluded them from taking part in 'SCD'.

Also, a lot of people have 'natural rhythm' - even with no 'training'/previous choreography whatsoever. Doesn't mean they've had previous experience. Just means they are naturally talented - and I always think it's a teeny bit unfair to try to detract from someone's natural ability by claiming they were taught it at an early age. Why can't we just accept that some people are just naturally gifted in certain areas? (Not that I'm saying you were doing that personally, dancingfan!)

They can't be good at everything - there's probably somewhere else where they're deficient (like maths, for example - my personal bugbear! Or remembering birthdays or ... you know!)

Slightly off topic but I LOVE chorus line!

Cally's mum: Good post

Thanks, Mossy!

By the way, are you stalking me???

(Not that I mind!!!)

By the way, I just want to qualify my (lengthy) statement by saying that I have performed on stage AND been choreographed.

Specific dances for specific things.

And could I remember any of them a few weeks later?

No.

(Then again, I was told once I did have natural rhythm - and loved bopping away on the 'dancefloor'!

Doesn't mean I was trained or that I would be able to just go out and do toe/heel leads etc etc etc (even the technical terms baffle me!)

The thread title says that Arlene said Rachel had no dance training.

This is what Arlene actually did say:-

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=75Lin8FYpr4&fmt=18

From most of Rachel's biographies, they say that she went to Drama School when she was 5 years old, and liked singing and acting and was trained in dance too. She became more interested in Fashion and got a Qualification in that, then won a modelling contest at 17 and did some modelling, before joining S Club 7.
She obviously has had dance training. Arlene said that it wasn't as extensive as some people think.

People who sing/play a musical instrument usually have a more grounded sense of rhythm and musicality. Although Heather had both, she couldn't inject enough energy and punch into her dancing.

Here we go again. As said earlier this is comes up every year, I'm actually surprised it's taken this long this time. She does some choreographed routines to songs for a living. Or did. Where's the problem?

I expect Arlene is experienced at choreographing and teaching singing groups, so she knows what level their dancing gets to.