And there seemed to a quirk in the staging because the before and after Elizas were both appearing at the same time. But then I realised that this was the week that Darcey joined the panel, and we were treated to good diction, excellent grammar and classy delivery. Good job that Len was placed strategically to protect the fragrant Darcey from the upstaged Alesha.
And so we kicked off with a lively cha cha, with Ian dancing with Erin (now there is a thought for next year, should Natalie choose to stay down under where she is appreciated and Anton chooses to "retire"). Highlights for me were Kristina showing us that her gynaecologist has a dream patient, and Matthew almost dropping Aliona on her head. Shame Rav wasn't in the studio audience to witness it.
Ken and Barbie kicked off the competitive element of the night, with an act of sabotage by one of the producers in terms of the music choice. So which sadist chose "Born to be wild" for a tango then? It would have been bad enough for any tango, but for a tango danced by Ali, it was just ludicrous, highlighting as it did her delicate china doll bearing, and Brian's manic attempt to gurn fiercely enough for two people. It was a nice dance, with her left elblow finally sorted, but I would term it Ballet Tango. No staccato, no snaps in the head turns, lack of body contact, no fire with the perfectly placed chaine turns. Len summed up the whole situation with his dismissal of Ali as a "one trick pony".
Charm and smarm were next with what can only be described as a lack lustre American Smooth. I have thought for weeks now that Laila has been getting by on style over substance. People think that she looks the part, and that she must be dancing beautifully in ballroom. But I have never even felt particularly wowed by her ballroom, and this AS showed up all her weaknesses. Lack of musicality, bad topline, floppy arms out of hold, and shaky on her spins, and indeed any move out of hold. And why have this couple not danced first at all this series?
And what is this? Criticism from Len - well I am off to pickle me walnuts. Conspiracy theorists may note that the judges were acting slightly differently this episode, almost as if the producers had drawn attention to the fact that a semi final or final without the juggernaut that is Team Cola would be a huge public turn off, and that the judges would just have to suck it up. Len was subtly laying the foundations (as he did at this stage in the competition in Series 3 with Darren Gough) for the judges to accept Chris and his journey as a potential winner, and it was obvious for the show to retain any credibility that Chris and Ola needed to avoid bottom place in the judges' rankings. For that there needed to be a sacrificial lamb, and Laila and Anton made it pretty damn easy for them with two poor performances.
Team Cola!! And they have indeed improved, although Chris needs to work on his topline, because within 30 seconds his elbows were sagging. But he commits emotionally to a dance in a way that no other celeb does, and their waltz struck a real chord with me. And for that reason, this was the stand out dance of the ballroom section.
Adonis and Blonde Ambition were justly rewarded for the best technical dance of the night, and his musicality stood out. I just wish I could like their partnership more, because he has talent. The BBC have done them no favours this week though. A phone interview on Tuesday was short change for a "saved" couple, and the overrunning World Cup draw thingy meant that their Friday interview was dropped. I would actually be pretty peeved if I were Ricky or Natalie.
And so to the latin, with a Ballet Samba from Ken and Barbie which rivalled Zoe and James for slowest samba of the season. I liked her dress, I could tell that her technique was good, but I hope I never get invited to a party thrown by Ali.
And so to the highlight of the evening. Salsa by Anton. Just how bad was it going to be? Was it going to be Kate Garraway bad? Or could it be worse even than Kate Garraway bad? Well the first ten seconds were disappointing, because Laila danced on time, wiggled her hips in a vaguely latin type way, and even remembered to smile at the audience. But then it all went horribly wrong, she forgot the routine, she went out of time, she was pulled around by Anton, and the only emotion on her face was a loud, clear signal to the producers "I'll collect my pay cheque on the way out".
And I had to endure seeing Phil Tuffnel, Ricky Groves and Natalie Cassidy going out in order to see that dance in the quarter finals.
Anton slapped Tess down in the Tess pit with the witty one-liner "It may be a joke to you, love, but it's a career to me". But, Anton, love, some of us work a bit harder at our careers, and don't rely on coasting through on the same old same old for years.
Thank goodness for Team Cola! Well, I know what song I am going to be singing for the next week. So the music, steps, camp performance and some rhythm all came together in a cacophony of samba-lite. What more could you want from a semi-finalist? Well a little technique would be nice, but you can't have everything. Darcey spoke for a huge chunk of the viewing public when she said "I want to see you in the final".
She then had to give back all the public good will that was washing her way by giving out a 10 for Adonis and Blonde Ambition's cha cha. Nice, but it didn't light my fire, and what was the ending all about? Their arms were out of sync throughout and his free arm needs a lot of work.
And so I was left wondering how on earth they were going to fill up 30 minutes of results show. Surely just a clip of Anton and Laila getting their coats would suffice?
But it turned out to be worth it, because Vincent and Flavia were doing the Argentine Tango demo. Every year, just as I am wondering how they are going to top their performance from last year, they take the AT to new heights. Just stunning.
I had some weird kind of nightmare that Bruce Forsythe attempted a strip tease when introducing Bette Midler. I really must watch the red wine consumption. One of my favourite moments this series was to see the Divine Bette Midler standing applauding James and Ola for their dance to her song. Now she is one class act.
And so to the moment of truth. We found out that Ricky and Natalie are not going to win this series of SCD. They must be gutted, and the judges now have a real dilemma. If Ricky winds up in the dance off with Ali next week - will they save him as the best dancer, or realise that there is absolutely no point in putting him through to the final? Of course, it might not be too late to have a three person final after all, Beeb? Just rearrange the schedule, suspend voting, and let all three couples through to a ratings winner of a final...
Oh and Anton and Laila, finally, left the building. Yippee!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment