SCD '20 #12: Two dances per couple means two threads for Mumsnetters! The FINAL approaches...

[PolkadotsAndMoonbeams]

Previous thread

SoupDragon

There was also some negative posting about someone dubbing Maisie "MEaisie"

I stand by everything I said about that although any comments I made were not directed at a single poster.

Same here. Calling Maisie MEasie in the first place is, to my mind, slightly negative, but others may not agree and that’s completely fine. I haven’t noticed any particularly snarky remarks either tbh, but if people want to be snarky on a lighthearted thread about Saturday night entertainment, that’s also completely fine.

@SoupDragon

In terms of liking people, I think most viewers have an idea of how Strictly should be done 'properly'.

I'm in the little group that doesn't really care how it's done and just wants to be entertained 😂 I suspect there is a big crossover here with the group who know nothing about dance.

This is me too. I know very little about dance, I just want to be entertained by likeable people dancing well.

I really don't care about the people getting very angry that the public chose the wrong person - it's a public vote. Anyone can vote, you don't have to be qualified or know anything about dance. Sometimes it will be more of a popularity contest but that is unavoidable.

My favourite is Bill - is he the best dancer? clearly not, but he's the one I look forward to watching the most.
I don't like HRVY because I find him annoying. He dances well though.
I'm ok with Maisie and Jamie has been fun.

EineReiseDurchDieZeit

I too am sick of all the

BEST
GREATEST

Bollocks

Not ONE dance this year NOT ONE can be called Hall Of Fame, compared to former series

That’s true

I was trying to say that "doing it properly" doesn't just involve dance though, and that's why the best dancers aren't always that popular. Doing it properly involves looking like you're enjoying it, throw yourself into the "keeeeep dancing" swaying etc.

You can be the best dancer by a mile, but if you act like you think you're above it, the public won't like you because you're not having the "Strictly experience".

I get you Polka my doing it right will be different to your doing it right because we all have different levels of dance knowledge, willingness to get behind a ringha, preferences for music styles, tolerance for "nanwarz" etc. If it was a straight dance contest then Craig's score would be the only thing that counts but it isn't in fact in the final it doesn't count at all.

Len used to say he hated any non dancing mucking about at the beginning and I agreed, he'd hate it now!

Len is quite happy to suck it up as far as the big bucks go $$$$$$$$$
His judging on DWTS is a world away than when on Strictly.

Thanks so much for those ratios polka - It makes for interesting reading.

As usual I did poorly on predicting the final dances.
I do think Ranvir would have been more balanced, probably doing her AT and foxtrot.
I don't regret voting for Jamie but am saddened that we do not see his samba. I wasn't thrilled with the Charleston, even if it will be deemed his turning point.
I really am unhappy seeing two couple's choices in the final given freestyle is the 3rd dance anyway. Oti might go for something different to balance it but that Queen song is a weird choice. All I ever see is how fragile Freddie looked and it is not very light - I can only assume with lighter numbers she has something more dramatic in mind for it.
HRVY's three dances seem fine.
It's quite sweet that Maisie and Gorka are going festive for their showdance but I hate the song - would rather she was dressed in a mean girl santa dress doing something to Jingle bell rock personally

I hate couple's choice with a vengeance and hate the idea of two of them in the final. I am now officially rooting for Maisie and Harvey.

I really am unhappy seeing two couple's choices in the final given freestyle is the 3rd dance anyway.

Absoltely this. Why oh why? Such a shame.

Just watched the Hrvy/Janette jive posted up thread... thought Hrvy was very good in it, even allowing for the fact that most of J’s choreography seems to be about showcasing her over the celeb. Be great to see him do it again.

It’s funny but I haven’t enjoyed Strictly this year as much as I thought I would when it started. I was really pleased it was on this year and welcomed the normality as we always watch as a family. I have enjoyed some dances and have had the usual supporting/disliking contestants etc. But there’s just been something off. Not sure if it’s the heavy hand of the producers (although that’s been a given for years), too many samey dances, too much shrieking from Motsi, too much blatant favouritism from Shirley or just an increasingly hysterical and desperate attempt to convince us that dance x is ‘the best ever!’ And everyone’s having so much funnity fun!

Having said all that will still watch and vote in the final, my prediction Maisie is the best dancer but NoVowels will win. What does Octo say?

Hi All,

I see I am not alone in feeling hard done by that we have to watch CC and Showdance (neither of which will be an actual "ballroom dance" style dance) in the final for 2 couples. They really should stop calling it Strictly Ballroom. I remember watching Come Dancing with my DM as a child - remember all those pink puffy tulle ballgowns? I can't believe that 2 of the finalists have not done a waltz either - wow.

Looking at this year, I think if I was a celeb who had been very good but knocked out in the semi final a few years ago, I would be kicking myself that I was not in there this year - the standard really was quite poor. I think it is only when we see highlights on ITT or some YouTube clips on here that we remember how fabulous some years were.

I also noted that the former winners on ITT picked the non-ringers as their favourites to win it - I suppose they know what it takes to "gel" with the public.

They really should stop calling it Strictly Ballroom.

They don't call it that though.

@Annasgirl

Hi All,

I see I am not alone in feeling hard done by that we have to watch CC and Showdance (neither of which will be an actual "ballroom dance" style dance) in the final for 2 couples. They really should stop calling it Strictly Ballroom. I remember watching Come Dancing with my DM as a child - remember all those pink puffy tulle ballgowns? I can't believe that 2 of the finalists have not done a waltz either - wow.

Looking at this year, I think if I was a celeb who had been very good but knocked out in the semi final a few years ago, I would be kicking myself that I was not in there this year - the standard really was quite poor. I think it is only when we see highlights on ITT or some YouTube clips on here that we remember how fabulous some years were.

I also noted that the former winners on ITT picked the non-ringers as their favourites to win it - I suppose they know what it takes to "gel" with the public.

It's always been Strictly Come Dancing. Strictly Ballroom was a film.

There is a mixture of Ballroom, Latin and other dances - that's fine by me! It's evolved over the years but it's never pretended to be a ballroom competition.
I like the variety. Yes it's harder to compare them but I'm more interested in being entertained. I quite like the Couple's Choice too.
If I've seen a couple do a VW, QS and Foxtrot, I don't care if I don't see a Waltz.

I don't like the way they film the dances sometimes so you can't see them properly and some of the faffing around at the start is really annoying.

Apologies - yes I meant Strictly Come Dancing - which was based on the "Come Dancing" of old that I alluded to (wasn't it presented by Angela Rippon?).

But my point that it was based on Ballroom dancing, which I believe is still a competitive dance genre, and in which most of the pros have excelled, would lead us to believe that most dances throughout the series would be Ballroom as used in competitions, and not contemporary dance wafting about.

And yes there are differing opinions on this, but I don't think that anyone needs to "learn" couples choice dancing per se, I think they definitely need to learn steps for ballroom dances.

Couple's choice is ok I suppose, but it shouldn't have been allowed in the final — too similar to the showdance.

I do think in a series with only 9 dances the balance should have been watched carefully — none have done waltzes or foxtrots (some foxtrot-based American Smooths). I've missed the pretty dresses for ballroom.

Me too @PolkadotsAndMoonbeams

I agree I think I've missed the costumes as much as the dances themselves.

I want floaty and swishy dresses not sequinned cycling shirts. A lot of the dresses this year looked like they were off the bargain rail of a cheap clothes shop. So disappointing!

anna

Not that my opinion matters but I think I get what you mean.

This series has been a bit of a let down (not just because of Covid restrictions) and I would absolutely have preferred to watch the old stylee Come Dancing rather than what to me is a showreel audition for the west end.

Couples choice would be fine if they’d already had a go at all the other dances that contestants past had to do. I realise this has been an odd and shorter year but still.

No disrespect to the contestants this year - it isn’t their fault. But the powers that be need to look at it. Yes it was a shorter competition but there was no need to dumb it down or choose dances that suited some contestants more.

Couples choice does not belong in the final as the show dance should cater for that. No beef with those doing it but I would have preferred to watch the ‘proper’ dances. And watch them learn proper steps or try to improve on their first go. (Although that would make a mockery of the early doors 10s). I get that the celebs are working really hard and I commend them for it. I’m in awe at what they do. But I’d have been more thrilled to see a lovely waltz or foxtrot.

If I want to see street or waft then I’d watch ‘so you think you can dance’ or whatever it was called.

Granwarz and gurnwarz and the vignettes are unnecessary. It might be nice in the final for a minute or two but not throughout.

I’d rather be told what was expected, a wee lesson or demonstration of the steps the judges expect to see and a little clip of a champ twirling so we have something to compare it to. (And music that matches the dance instead of the vignette and this week’s story.)

More so when the judges are calling something the best dance EVER when even to my untrained eye it isn’t.

And if that means a massive change and a call for it to be Strictly Ballroom then I’m all for it.

I loved Strictly and want to love it again.

a showreel edition for the West End - very true, and I think we know who Lloyd Webber has his eye on.
The vignettes are a bit cringe inducing. Until last year they had demos from the pros which I enjoyed - Graziano and Luba (I think) in a lovely room with a staircase, the dance explained by a choreographer.
Put the brakes on the populist hysteria and get back to dance.

LadyofShallnott I agree with every word in your post above. Well said!

Couple's choice is ok I suppose, but it shouldn't have been allowed in the final — too similar to the showdance.

I couldn't agree more.

There have been only two sambas, and I think only two salsas this series, which IMO is a travesty. Couple's choice has elbowed them out.

Oh for that to happen again maireas

It wouldn’t make any difference really as to how I shamble across the dance floor of course but it would be informative and I would rather see that than someone sat on a Waltzer or feeding a marmoset.

I was one of the masses who enjoyed the likes of X factor when it first came out. Slowly but surely it morphed into some sort of angstfest with its ‘but I’ve got so much more to giiiiive’ or ‘next time I’ll give it me aaaalll’ and such like. Not to mention nans, cats, sob stories and journeys.

I don’t need your stories. You give your best each and every time because you have got a chance that few others get and you grab your chance to shine with all your might. Holding something back for next time is folly. (Please vote for us - next week we will be doing a Charleston dressed as kittens and the like)

Like xfactor, what has nipped me is that the judges will set their stall out early as they do on shows like the X factor. And waving 10s with gay abandon doesn’t convince me.

Yes some are better but it isn’t all about feet and arms and being young and popular. If they don’t make me feel something when they dance then they might as well have been shambling like me to the dance floor before breaking into a squaddie two step.

The clip of the man dancing with Shurl moved me. That is what dancing is about. It grabbed my soul with both hands.

And that is how I would like strictly to be. For the joy of the dance. For the emotion. For the skill. Not the feelz, lolz, cryz and stories.

Also fed up with the plethora of couples choices, especially in a shortened series when there is even less time to dance as many of the 'proper' ballroom and Latin dances as possible. Didn't really want them in the final either but, call me fickle, I am happy to see Bill and Oti's CC again - hopefully it will be balanced out by a proper showdance (I can't see them doing some contempowaft bollocks anyway).
Chuckled at a few of the unseen training room footage posted on the BBC website.