SCD 2015 #9 - Final musings, then the Christmas Special!

[PolkadotsAndMoonbeams]

We still seemed happy chatting and filled up the last thread completely, so I thought we could have one more for the year. It should see us through the Christmas Special (which I'm really looking forward to!) too

I don't think lindy hop ever has been one of the official dances. I thought that Jive and Charleston counted as Latin, but I could well be talking rubbish.

Quickstep is also a ballroom dance. Samba is a latin. I don't think that Jive and Charleston really belong in either category, but they tend to be included in Latin on the basis that they are not Ballroom (I think).

American Smooth is a crowd pleaser, it's based on one of the ballroom dances, they generally say what it is in the VT before the dance, but they can also do stuff outside the rules of that dance like lifts or side-by-side. It's more Fred and Ginger, Hollywood style than the strict ballroom dances. Most American Smooths are based on Foxtrots, but there have been some great ones that were Viennese Waltz based.

I wonder if Aliona will work for Dancing with the Stars in another country. Now that she's won Strictly twice she might be in demand and could get a much higher fee than the Beeb pay.

I like Aliona too but was disappointed with her dances in the final. I'm obsessed with gleb though, he was my winner abs really brought it ask to life for me.

Another one here who hates Bruno. Too much sexual innuendo and always high as a kite ( inside info). I'm really disliking len too recently and his bias towards his godawful godson Kevin.

D'Arcy is nice but dull and can't even walk in time to the opening tune. Ashton needs to go too (really bitchy in rl) but I do like Brandon. And yes Kristina is really lovely in RL.

And most of all I wish they'd get rid of tess. Horrible woman who thinks she is Mrs strictly (inside info). I love Claudia.

Ashton? ? Should read anton.

I miss some of the more willowy, elegant male pros, like Matthew Cutler and Ian Waite.

Aliona has quit strictly

Is Kevin really Len's godson? I believe Kevin was asked this on Twitter and denied it, but he is certainly friendly with the Clifton family and it could be seen as a conflict of interests I suppose. Len is also personal friends with Anton, he was the only pro to attend his wedding and Anton goes to his house for tea every Boxing Day!

From inside info ive heard that the nice pro's are Alijaz and Janette, Brendan, Natalie, Kristina, Joanne and Gleb. I don't know about Aliona, Oti Pasha or Tristan because they weren't mentioned to me. But I'd find it hard to believe that Pasha is anything othe than lovely.

You can now probably work out who isn't very nice for yourselves but I'm not naming them publicly ;)

Clean, Kevin isn't Len's godson.

There are 10 officially recognised dances:

Latin = Rumba, Cha Cha Cha, Jive, Samba and Paso Doble

Ballroom = Waltz, Quickstep, Tango, Foxtrot and Viennese Waltz

The other dances (Charleston, American Smooth and Argentine Tango) are not considered part of the core group and have been added as the years have gone by and more weeks have been added to the competition.

Really Paso should be a Ballroom dance because of all the intricate footwork regarding allignments, but hey ho!

Oops, I missed off the Salsa! In some ways it's the easiest of the Latin-style dances as it has no set footwork, but the fact that it can be so fast throws a lot of people.

Hearts, if you want to see some of the best dances from previous years you need to look at Jil Halfpenny and Darren Bennett (winners season 2). Their Jive was sublime (proper choreography) and also a lovely Rumba.

Alesha Dixon was also very good (dancing with Matthew Cutler), and Mark Ramprakash and Karen Hardy - make sure you watch their AT (IMHO the best there has been, it gave me goosebumps) and their Salsa.

Cave are the dances you listed the ones they do in the 'Ten Dance' Competitions and the only ones performed in proper competitions?

Also, do professionals/competitors in the proper dance world always do both Latin and Ballroom or do they/can they concentrate on one style only?

I'm going to derail the proper chat about dancing BUT has strictly ever done a collaboration with the muppets?

I mean can you imagine the chaos? having kermit & miss piggy as judges, statler & waldorf commentating after every dance (before the judges), animal "conducting" music, rowlf on piano obviously and fozzie bear helping Claudia

no I'm not watching muppets Christmas carol whilst avoiding doing any housework, not me

Most professional couples will specialise in ballroom or Latin, and then you get other couples who do ten dance - they'll usually rank lower in ballroom/Latin than they do in ten dance.

The ten dances Cave has listed are the normal competitive international style ones (Standard and Latin). Americans do it slightly differently, they have Smooth (waltz, tango foxtrot, Viennese waltz) and Rhythm (cha cha, rumba, East coast swing, bolero and mambo).

Thanks for the thread Polkadots. Helps to deal with the empty feeling the ending of Strictly causes every year .

What Polkadots said!

Vincent and Flavia were World Ten Dance champions at one point I think.

It stands to reason that when you specialise you lose a bit of edge in the other styles. Hence Anton being a fabulous Ballroom dancer but not so hot on the Latin!

Anyone that started dancing as a child (most of the Pros started at about 5) will have studied both styles before specialising in their teens/early 20s. My teacher said the main reason Anton and Erin never made World Champions, despite their potential, was because Anton didn't start dancing till he was a teenager.

at the Muppets combo. I don't think Miss Piggy should be a judge, though, she should be Anton's partner and get to wear sparkly dresses and show off a lot. And can you imagine what she'd say to the judges if they didn't adore her, dahling?

IIRC in Ye Olden Days when they had to do the entirety of their ballroom dances in hold or risk the wrath of Len, the American Smooth was special because they could spend up to 50% of the time out of hold, and put in up to three lifts. Nowadays when they faff about endlessly do lots of arty stuff before getting in hold the distinction is a bit more blurred.

Thanks for the info Cave and Polkadots, it's what I thought.

So interesting. Thank you a ton cavemum and mornington and polkadots and turducken

I have two whole weeks off work and a lot of catching up to look forward to.

I'll miss Aliona. She's a talented choreographer and beautiful to watch. OK she knows it but you don't get her job by being bashful.

Oh my goodness mornington I never even thought of that combo. Oh how she would bite Craigs head off . Given how much he sends himself up I bet he would love having the muppets on.

On a more serious note, can anyone explain why Jay and aliona kept doing that love heart symbol with their hands?

I miss Vincent and flavia.

I don't think I will miss aliona. Too competitive, in that she always made herself look good and the gulf between her and her partner was too obvious.

Not surprised Aliona has quit, she knew she was on for a lifetime of duffers. And she never deals with them graciously.

Hope Kristina doesn't go, I really like her, but I can imagine how hard the 'man stealing slapper' headlines are to deal with every year.

Hearts - there's loads of Strictly dances on YouTube. You could spend all day watching. Before Jay came along, Jill Halfpenny' jive was 'the jive'. Zoe Ball was pretty good too and she danced with Ian Waite.

For a pretty memorable show dance, look up Lisa Snowden and Brendan and poor yourself a stiff drink

Lisbeth, I haven't read the press, what did you mean by your post? Is it Jay or Aliona's husband who said they were in love? what?

I find A very irritating with her constant flirty glances to the camera, same little grimaces - tedium! She dances beautifully but so most of the other pro ladies. I like Natalie, Janet and Karen for the grace and beauty of movement, though I think it's Natalie who is the nicest person of all. I think Kristina is OTT dramatic on stage, and I think the husband stealing is not nice whichever way you look at it (and whether she is nice and chatty socially, so what, I bet Janet is even nicer and chattier yet has morals).

but so DO

Janette had gone out with Artem and Pasha before Aljaž - I get the feeling backstage at Burn the Floor was fairly sexually charged...