Week 7 means we are already halfway through the competition!!
Things are really starting to get serious now and the hard work so far is starting to show as scores go up and we see some really impressive performances!
This week the leaderboard gave us some fantastic performances and the top 3 were all outstanding!
We asked our Pro’s to talk us through what made these performances so great and worthy of high scores.
🤩 AJ & Kai – Charleston
This dance was jam packed and didn’t stop from start to finish. You really got the whole Charleston package from AJ this week! It was loads of fun, lots of Charleston steps, tons of tricks and fantastic performance skills. She really leaned into the character that she was playing and didn’t shy away from the challenge of this dance being one that you really need to perform and commit to. She showed great understanding of this style of dance with wonderful swivel action, excellent timing and great energy. And those lifts, she made them look so easy! Overall I loved this dance and it’s easy to see why she was at the top of the leader board this week! Considering how stressed she said she was about it she really didn’t have anything to worry about! - Nic
🤩 Tom & Amy - Paso Doble
The characterisation and music selection I thought was very good. It is really refreshing to hear some authentic paso music being played. This particular track is well used within the British Dance Festival and I thought it was very appropriate the way it was incorporated with the choreography. The costume design was also great, amazing colours and very fitting style. I could have watched the dancing without sound and be fully immersed in the paso experience. Amy has always excelled at bringing out the best in her male partners and this is superbly reflected in the choice of choreography she used. Having the judges refer to this really shows her knowledge as a professional dancer. Tom seems to be improving every week, embracing every challenge of each new dance with the right amount of determinism and open mindedness which allows him to pull the best from his performances. I really look forward to see what they bring to the floor next week. - Ian
🤩 John & Johannes - Rumba
The Rumba has a reputation for being one of the hardest dances on the show. I feel that actually all the dances are equal in difficulty, with each having its own nuances that technically must be mastered in order to be danced in a convincing and authentic way. The Rumba however is probably the most exposing of all the dances given it’s slow tempo and raw emotional character. This is what trips up most celebrities who attempt it on the show! However not for John, his performance and commitment to the role was truly amazing to watch. I loved the story told by the couple. The tension and emotion was exactly what you’d expect to see in a Rumba and it felt authentic, rather than “over-acted”. Technically John also held his own next to Johannes. I’ve mentioned previously the difficulty in “side by side” work danced next to the pro which can expose weaknesses, a challenge John bravely and successfully takes on. A fantastic example was the Swivel into Aida and Cuban Rocks where they matched identically. One slight technical point for me was that John’s arms were slightly lacking in shape and resistance compared to Johannes, and occasionally looked slightly disconnected from his body. But I would still have given him that 10!! - Rosie