SCD week two and on!

[ThursdayLastWeek]

As you were ladies...

It'll be the producers choosing the dances for the weeks, not the pros. I think perhaps with movie week they have gone out of the latin-ballroom-latin pattern just to shoehorn in a particular song from a movie. I just know that salsa / samba / chacha aren't going to suit Debbie, as they didn't do with the blonde actress from Call The Midwife, as they don't suit people with ballet training. I think the producers want Debbie to stay in as long as possible to get as broad an audience as possible.

I have heard that Caveman but it is still the hardest dance to do well as far as I can see. Like I said it's been the undoing of so many of them. I admit that I love watching Debbie dance. It's great entertainment!

Oh it's definitely a hard dance cowgirls, it's usually the last Latin dance you teach to a beginner (usually Rumba, Cha Cha, Jive, Samba, then Paso), but as the footwork/positions are so close to Ballroom, if you have an aptitude in that area you'll find it a lot easier..

If you watch a Paso being danced, at a basic level, it really is like walking around the floor - it has straight forward musical timing compared to the other Latin dances too with no bounce or hip action to worry about. The hardest thing to nail in the Paso is the shaping.

Thanks for the explanation Cave. That makes sense. I think I just don't feel like Debbie is cheating.

Checking in for tonight. I hope there's more dance content this week and less posing and faffing with props.

Cee, it's movie week so I'd put money on them going even MORE full-on with the props and the muckin' abaaaahhht!

I miss Len.

I feared as much! The themed night does lend itself to more faffing! Nadiya was very defensive about the judges' comments on ITT last night.

That's interesting CaveMum. I was university-dancesport trained, and we start with cha and jive. I think I was taught samba before rumba too, because they often run a restricted-step samba as a stand-alone class at comps.

Btw, did you carry on with The Secret Life of the Ballroom? I'm quite enjoying it, but one of the couples is so touchy-felt I feel like I'm intruding when I watch them!

I keep watching Alexandra and Gorka's paso back and I'm a bit blown away by how good she is. I think we are due a female winner and after two male winners in a row, if I we're abetting women I'd bet on her to win and I'd also love Gorka to win as well ❤️.

I think it will be an Alexandra, Debbie and Joe final three. Joe is potentially very good, he just has a bad dance last week. Janette will let Aston down. Isn't she the weakest professional dancer by a country mile?

Oh and Brendon really needs to STFU. Embittered twat.

Karen is weaker than Janette, I think. Joe could win it, I agree, as he's not such an obvious ringer.

Janette will let Aston down. Isn't she the weakest professional dancer by a country mile?

Is she? I rather like her (DISCLAIMER am total lay person so don't know what I'm on about ). I think she's a clever choreographer; she finds and uses her partner's strengths very well and knows how to entertain the crowd.

I like Karen too. Wish she had a better partner.

Ah I looked it up, I didn't realise that Janette had as sketchy a professional ballroom career as Karen! They were both on So You Think You Can Dance before strictly.

That is interesting Polkadots, I've been taught that as Samba and Paso are not Social dances (i.e. Hard to dance without a choreographed routine) they tend to be the last to be taught.

As Rumba and Cha Cha have a lot of similar figures they tender follow each other and then Jive follows Cha Cha due to the concept of chassis.

I'm taking the ISTD Latin Associate exam as modules rather than the full exam in one go and it is compulsory to take the Rumba module first. After that you can do them in any order as long as you pass all 5 within 2 years.

A lot of the dancers on Strictly now have iffy backgrounds - very few of them truly Latin or Ballroom champions.

Chloe and AJ have also wrecked their amateur status by doing the show, as once you start teaching you have to compete as a Pro.

As a ballet trained oldie, when younger I had a couple of ballroom and latin classes. My worst dances were theTango and the Jive.
My best were the graceful Waltz and Foxtrot, and Paso, Samba and Rumba.
Dancing in heels was difficult, especially the faster dances.

Hello! Marking my place for a bit later

Evening

Getting comfy. I even have popcorn. Where are you all? Sue Lawley.

Aw. Don't make me go over to Digital Spy. Tis scary there.

I've just to pour a cup of tea , and get my treat - a malteser rocky road thingy I bought today, settling down ready :)

Hi all. I have wine and chocolate and an empty living room. DH is bathing the children.

Yay!

Nice Grouchy - DH is here - he was going out, but changed his mind !

Susan looks so cool as Wonder Woman.

I'm here. No booze as doing sleep over weekend at work.
Strange opening dance.