Funny thing is I am still open minded enough to see the good where it is due. Think Tom's 10 from Len will not be of real value to Tom due to all the comments surrounding it. I also thought Lisa's Foxtrot was better than Rachel's and Rachel's waltz was spine tingly wonderful. Austin's footwork and frame are brilliant and their performance in the flamenco would have made an outstanding show dance.

Another non-dancer so I can't comment technically, however...(feel like Craig saying that )

Even before Austin and Erin's Paso, I had noticed that generally the routines seemed simpler and lighter of content this week. I totally understand that as it is the first week of learning 2 dances proper and the Pro's rightly don't want to overload the celebs with difficult routines. But I thought it a little disingenuous of Len to ONLY pick up on A & E's routine which, content or no, was the performance of the night.

Am I the only one thinking it absolutely hysterical that one of the judges got out of his pram because Austin and Erin used their own steps?????

Did NOBODY watch the film that kicked all this off??? *grins*

Rather ironically, didn't that film end with them dancing a traditional Paso?

You'll have to explain that to me. Went *whoosh* right over my head. (Obviously havent seen that film).

Hi thanks for the link, I am not a pro or semi pro dancer but looking at the list of gold moves am I right in saying that Austin completed:

Flamenco taps
Syncopated separation ( I assume this means doing the same moves not in hold)
Fallaway reverse (again a guess but something to do with the running backwards)


Anybody else can say whjat he did from the lists?

Yes - I loved that dance at the end...

Also just to say I thought it was fantastic. I was worried when the audience giggled but Sara Cox summed it up perfectly it was girly embarassment, like when the boy you fancy walks past!

I think it's my fave Paso yet! So much done on his own. That is why I admire Erin, she did the same with Colin too, she really allows them to just dance!

You really need to see the film "Strictly Ballroom". The lead in it was villified by the dancing hierarchy because he was tired of using the same old boring steps and.... made up his own!! In the process, he naturally ended up with the girl, who had undergone an ugly duckling to swan transition.

It's a great film - I would recommend it. Even boys quite like it (secretively).

What they dance in Spain is Flamenco; the ballroom paso doble is 'based' on flamenco, it isn't the same dance, in much the same way as a 'ballroom tango' is not the same as an 'Argentine tango'.

I agree entirely. Rachel was overmarked ( again ) for doing a simple routine extremely well. I am not anti-Rachel, her Rumba a couple of weeks ago was magnificent, probably the first dance of the series worthy of a couple of 10's.
It strikes me that judges should take into account the "degree of difficulty" of any routine..that will encourage more ambitious choreography. Just performing the " basics" faultlessly is great, but the purpose of SCD is to entertain.
The public love the couple who can "sell" a dance. It doesnt necessarily have to be highly dramatic but it must make some kind of emotional connection, rather than look like someone just "going through the motions".

I disagree that Rachel got it easy. Her Waltz may be understated because it's slow, so it looks deceptively simple. That's the beauty, to make difficult choreography look easy. You obviously did not pay attention to Strictly when they perform a technically good Waltz and an okay (i.e. simpler) one with lots of 'mood'.

Her Paso, ironically, was panned by Len for the very same reasons that Austin was panned. Lack of content. But I recalled Len giving Gethin 10 for his Paso even though the other three judges gave him an eight. So Gethin tried Spanish lines, Apels, twist turns and the lot, and many more. But he didn't do any of those that well so the other three 'non-technical' judges slated him. Speak about irony - to get a ten from Len (and eights from the other three), or to get tens from the other three, and eight from Len?