RISE Strictly Round Up - Week 2!

It’s time for our second Strictly RISE review.

The pressure was really on this week as the risk of being eliminated from the competition threatened the couples for the first time.

The standard overall this year is really high with so many couples clearly in the running with a chance to win the coveted glitter-ball trophy.

This week at RISE Ian and Rosie give their comments on the two couples at the top, and bottom of the leaderboard!

⭐️ TOP

Tilly & Nikita - Charleston: Charleston is sometimes branded as one of the easier or more “gimmicky” dances on the show. However the dance does require a great deal of energy, stamina, characterisation and technique to give a credible performance, which Tilly absolutely managed. Her footwork, balance, spins and tricks were all executed cleanly whilst she maintained the energy level and performance all the way through. She definitely deserved to be at the top of the leaderboard with great scores! - Rosie

Sara & Alijaz - Foxtrot: A very well chosen piece of music and a dance routine which really suited the couple. I agree with Craig when he said that ballroom is clearly her strength. The use of action and technique was good with an ease of movement and clear drive action, no question that they were the best dance of the evening! - Ian

🚫 BOTTOM

Adam & Katya - Quickstep: Agreed with the judges comments about the weak use of frame and the choreography mistakes. A good energy and attempt though as the ballroom dances are tough for the male non-professional dancers to do well. There’s definitely a lot more potential to come through as long as the choreography choices match his strengths. - Ian

Nina & Neil - Tango Unfortunately it’s easy to see how this dance slipped down to the bottom of the leaderboard and eventually led to Nina leaving the show. The strength and skill required to maintain a good shape and posture whilst executing the attack and staccato rhythms of Tango just wasn’t there from Nina. She did however give a huge amount of effort and energy to the performance which she can be proud of. - Rosie

If there is any thing Strictly related you would love us to review let us know and we’ll leave our answer in the comments below!

RISE Dance Strictly Review - Week 1!

Welcome to the first of many Monday “Strictly Come Dancing” RISE reviews!

Every week our team and teachers will be sharing our thoughts and comments on the Strictly action from the weekend!! From performance to technique we’ll give you our comments!

Let us know your scores and opinions!! Join in with our experts and see if you agree!

Let’s get underway…..

This week we gave all members of our team the difficult task of picking the top 3 couples they thought would make the final. A difficult task after only one week of dancing and also with many routines to digest! Who will have the best prediction for the final??

We also asked each member to pick their performance from the night. Let’s check out below what they all said!

⭐️Rosie Katie McGlynn & Gorka Marquez Tom Fletcher & Amy Dowden AJ Odudu & Kai Widdrington

For me I thought AJ Odudu & Kai Widdrington definitely gave the best performance of the night. In all three areas of technique, energy and performance I thought she delivered a great standard. Her feet need some work on articulation, pointing in her kicks and flicks, and better use of her feet through her basic jive action. It will be interesting to see if she can deliver the same standard in the Ballroom dances. But at the moment she’s definitely the one to beat.

⭐️Ian AJ Odudu & Kai Widdrington Dan Walker & Nadiya Bychkova Tom Fletcher & Amy Dowden

I thought Dan & Nadiya’s Quickstep was one of the best opening dances of the night, great characterisation and energy with clean movements, the couple look like they have a lot more to offer as the weeks progress.

⭐️Nic AJ Odudu & Kai Widdrington John Whaite and Johannes Radebe Rhys Stephenson and Nancy Xu

I loved Rhys and Nancy's Viennese Waltz! I thought he performed it really well with lovely posture and great movement! His frame needs a bit of work and he needs to use his standing leg but I think these guys have loads of potential considering it was only week one! I'm excited to see them tackle some of the faster dances too!

⭐️Emma Tilly Ramsey and Nikita Kuzmin, Nina Wadia and Neil Jones, John Whaite and Johannes Radebe.

My favorite dance was Nina and Neil’s Samba. The song they danced to is one of my favorite Sambas (Mi Gente), and Nina’s energy, expression and personality were amazing!

#leedslife #danceinleeds #strictlycomedancing #socialdance #dancestudio.

10 Reasons to start partner dance classes.

With our brand new partner dance classes starting this week at our studio in Leeds, we thought we’d give you 10 reasons why taking up an adult partner dance class is a fantastic idea!

1. A hobby to enjoy together! - Dancing is a great hobby to enjoy with a friend or loved one.

A difference in physical size, strength or age does not matter, therefore it is a great sport to be able enjoy together.

2. Posture, balance and strength - When instructed correctly dancing is incredibly beneficial for your posture and improving strength of all muscle groups. Balance is also improved as the body learns and develops new and more challenging ways of moving.

3. Stress relief - Dance lowers stress and raises levels of hormones like serotonin and dopamine to make you feel happier.

4. Brain workout - Absorbing and remembering new movement and step patterns is a workout for the brain too. According to David Gotthelf, Ph.D., NCSP, Licensed Psychologist Provider, “there’s a good deal of research supporting fitness as beneficial not only physically, but also in positively affecting brain functioning. Dance is a powerful example, given the executive functioning demands involving memory and focus.”

5. Dance those cares away - Whilst your brain is busy working away learning and remembering those new moves the worries and troubles of the day fade into the background. Dance is likened to mediation for clearing the mind!

6. Meet new people - It goes without saying that you will meet new people in a dance class, but partner dancing also opens up the door to social dance events within your school or club and beyond. Lots of new friends with a shared interest is a great reason to take up dancing.

7. Range of movement - Unlike some sports which focus on dominant muscle groups or using a dominant side of the body, dance is a full body sport. Both sides of the body are challenged allowing new co-ordination skills to develop.

8. Increased aerobic fitness - Without needing to step on a treadmill, dancing is a great workout for the heart and lungs. It can also be easily tailored to different levels of fitness.

9. A skill for life - Parties, holidays and events are opened up to a whole new level of enjoyment as your confidence to get on the dance floor increases. The step patterns you learn in class are transferable to many different situations. Got a special event coming up, let your teacher know, they might just be able to help out.

10. MUSIC! - We’ve saved one of our favourites until last. Music brings extra enjoyment to any activity, and with dancing it is all about the music. Once you’ve learnt your new steps, there is no feeling quite like getting lost moving in sync with the music.

We hope we’ve given you plenty of reasons to consider dancing as a new hobby!

We’d love to hear from any dancers who already attend classes on your thoughts on the above. Or maybe you have your own reasons? We’d love to hear them!

Our Ballroom & Latin partner dance classes start from this week. For more information email info@risedance.co.uk