To think that Layton shouldn't be allowed.....

[TyrannasaurusJex]

Layton Williams is not only a trained dancer in the West End but has been the lead in two shows with a huge dance element (Billy Elliot and Everyone's Talking About Jamie). AIBU to think that it's massively unfair for him to compete in Strictly? It's like a chef taking part in Bake Off! I know they'll claim it's a different type of dancing but the techniques/learning methods/muscle memory are SO transferable....

It's all managed for the public vote. It seems that more voters are fooled by these displays than put off by them.

She was talent scouted whilst at dance classes in London.

I don't think dancing with an Irish Dancing troupe is quite the same as west end performances.

Like she said on the launch show, Irish Dancing is all about being completely rigid. I'm not sure that's very helpful for Strictly. I do have high hopes for her leg work in things like the Jive though!

Having watched Layton on the launch show, I wonder whether he'll have trouble reigning in in the OTT camp gestures he seemed to be doing during the group dance.

There's a good reason for that, backed up by the group dance on the launch show! Plus, he's 69.

Had no idea who Layton was so have had a look at the launch show.

He may be the most annoying person who has ever lived.

I suspect they’ve paired him with the much quieter Nikita to try and calm him down somewhat.

but I do think anyone who has played Billy Elliot is a full blown professional already. It’s not comparable to the likes of Les Dennis in terms of west end career who has typically played pantomime dames

and to be honest the blame lies with the strictly producers who are opening a young man up to the flack that he will inevitably get

To be fair, there has been no attempt to hide his experience.

Lol if you think Les Dennis's West End & acting career has only been pantomime dames! It includes Chicago, Hairspray, High School Musical 2, Art, Me and my Girl, The Addams Family, Legally Blonde and a season with the RSC. Doesn't make him a dancer but he's got a lot more experience than you're giving him credit for.

LWs on line bio has him as a dancer who found fame in a nationwide search for a dancer to be the next Billy Elliott? How can he be a contestant?

I've seen Layton in a dress both as Angel & Jamie. I wasn't much for him to be honest. Both John McCrea & Noah Thomas totally outclass him & both come across as really nice people.

I wondered if they made him dance in those ridiculously huge platforms just to even it up a bit 😂

I've seen him in two of those shows and other than a bit of jazz hands and swaying during Mr Cellophane there was no real movement at all - he can sing ok but he's no twinkle toes.

I've just looked up what roles he played in all of those shows and they are all non dancing roles. As Wilbur in Hairspray he would have done some comedy dance as part of Timeless to Me and joined in the finale of You Can't Stop the Beat doing the most basic of moves whilst the proper dancers danced. that's about it.

@hattie43

"He's so camp he's ridiculous , unwatchable ."

Don't recall that being the OP's issue at hand here but glad you've let us all know how you feel with your homophobic dogwhistle x

"West End musicals" covers a huge range, from "non-dancer dancing" like Amos or Mama Morton in Chicago, to stage school trained celeb dancing (aka "sitting on a chair") like Roxy and Velma in Chicago (where you're doing proper dancing but it can be toned down to your level of ability and supported by the ensemble), to full on dancing leads in dance-led musicals like Billy Elliot, Top Hat (which is what Tom Chambers did after Strictly) or Singing in the Rain.

Nigel Harman seems to be somewhere between the first and second level - he's done a lot of musicals, but not, AFAICS, in dance-heavy roles. Loads of celebs over the years are in levels 1 or 2. Level 3 is the bit where I raise an eyebrow, but I'm happy to see what Layton can do.

I can't identify him specifically in this promo video but he danced in this Matthew Bourne production

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=F2a6swTt8Ik

Er... why? We've had a few of the male pros wear dresses, and Craig of course.

Or are you making the daft suggestion that anyone who doesn't like Layton or thinks he's over-qualified to take part must be homophobic? 🙄

I love Layton in bad education but omg he is a professional dancer. He could be one of the pros not a contestant.

I wasn't aware that Angela S was a professional Irish dancer. And Angela R has dance experience too (but she is 78).

Although I think Irish dancing is further away from ballroom/latin than theatre dancing, any sort of dance must give you an advantage. You have experience in learning routines, remembering choreography, putting moves to music, counting beats etc etc etc.

I have no issues with Layton's campness, male partner and if he wants to wear a dress good for him. Widening the bandwith of what it means to be male is a positive thing to be shown on telly - men can like glitter, sequins and dresses too, it doesn't mean that if you are a man who likes sequins that you're really a woman. I do agree with the poster upthread that what really grates is the "little old me" routine that the former professional dance contestants put on, pretending to be all surprised when they smash a tricky jive in week 2 and get 8s and 9s, putting it all down to the week training with their partner rather than their 15 years of experience previously. Layton will not win. He'll regularly be in the dance-off because people do not like a ringer.

Les Dennis's roles in musicals are not dancing ones, the Wilbur role in Hairspray has very little dancing, just the finale.

I don't have a problem with him being in it. He was asked and he said yes, why wouldn't he?

I like to see some good dancing from week 1 along with the terrible dancing and the ok ones that then get better and better.

We all know he doesn't stand a hope in hell of winning and so does he I am sure.

I am looking forward to seeing his dances

Any celeb on Strictly who has any formal training in performance, including actors, will have plenty of dancing experience. As Nigel Harman said on the launch show, most actors have to take musical theatre classes at drama college, and definitely if they went to stage school as a child. Pretty much all the pop band performers have trained in dance as well - eg Faye Tozer, Ashley Roberts, Emma Bunton, Michelle Williams, Aston Merrygold, Jamelia.

If they were only going to use people who had never done any kind of dance before, it would pretty much be all newsreaders, MPs and sportspeople.

I liked Layton in Bad Education, too.

Can someone educate me about camp? To me it feels inauthentic and superficial.

Hands up, I thought the same about Rylan's Essex thing, and am apparently all shades of wrong.

I'm not in Essex so was unfamiliar with the accent, and round here gay men are not camp.

If it's a choice to present in that way, then surely it's ok for me to choose not to like it? If it's intrinsic, then why aren't there camp people round here?

I've no interest in anyone's sexuality, entirely up to them.
I just find camp irritatingly 'Carry on, Matron'.

There was a lot of moaning about Molly last year as she had attended drama school funded by Simon Cowell and had dance lessons there.

Im not bothered by the campness but I just find him irritating. Or as my 9yo DD said 'mummy hes just so annoying'. Im just glad hes not paired up with Johann who is OTT as well. I like Nikita, he was fab with Ellie last year, fingers crossed he get a lovely partner next year.

Frankly its a popularity contest. DD is voting for Angela because she loves Carlos Im voting for Amanda because I love her

@mogtheexcellent

Im not bothered by the campness but I just find him irritating. Or as my 9yo DD said 'mummy hes just so annoying'. Im just glad hes not paired up with Johann who is OTT as well.

Yes you are bothered by the campness, - your second example proves it. You can't rephrase it as "OTT" and still get to feel good about yourself that its "not the campness"