Strictly '21 #6: Saturday Night at the Movies, Who Cares What Dances We See?

[PolkadotsAndMoonbeams]

Last thread here.

Well, we care, because we're picky like that!

The Strictly chatter continues...

@MareofBeasttown

Is it just the pandemic or is Strictly not very good this year? Finding it hard to be invested. The routines all seem very low on dance content and high on faffing about with suspenders, props etc.

I think this is a very good year. No out and out totally duffers. It's going to be on for the usual length of time unlike last year when it was shorter.

Last year I missed there being an audience so think that is better this year.

@Runningupthecurtains

In the wildly unlikely scenario that I a) become famous b) get asked to do Strictly c) go for it and d) wasn't first boot I would absolutely be claiming a deep and life long attachment to a film that stars actual living, breathing people so I didn't get lumbered with padding (I have enough already), body paint and fake fur.

An excellent plan, and now that you mention it, I would do the very same. I have always wanted to be

Note: also very highly unlikely to happen in my case - the fame, the invitation to Strictly - and yes, also have sufficient padding to start with!

[quote CaveMum]I’m here in defence of the Rumba (as I am every year!). I know a lot of viewers consider it the most “uninteresting” dance on Strictly (not singling anyone out, it just crops up every year), but that’s because of the way it is danced with just a series of poses rather than actually travelling across the floor.

If you watch it danced the way it should be then it’s much easier to appreciate what a beautiful dance it is.

[/quote] My word!

That was so sinuous . . .

I think that John and Johannes are not only a good pairing, but they have had dances, music and costumes which have shown them off to advantage.

I couldn't see them as Kermit and Miss Piggy . . .

Also meant to say I am really loving Anton as a judge, so much better than Bruno.

Motsi is much better this year. She drove me mad last year with all her shouting and screeching and absolutely no sensible comments at all. This year she is calmer and is actually making good sensible comments and giving some good advice

@SchadenfreudePersonified the way Joanna moves her body is something else isn't it! She ripples, as well as spinning like a top! They appeared on SCD a few times, many years ago when they were World Champions, to dance a few demos, again she's just hypnotic to watch!

@mydogisthebest

Also meant to say I am really loving Anton as a judge, so much better than Bruno.

Motsi is much better this year. She drove me mad last year with all her shouting and screeching and absolutely no sensible comments at all. This year she is calmer and is actually making good sensible comments and giving some good advice

She does seem to have calmed down, which is good. Perhaps a new judge being on board made her up her game a bit. She seemed to just screech a lot of platitudes previously, and her high praise seldom matched the low marks she often gave afterwards,

I think that John and Johannes are not only a good pairing, but they have had dances, music and costumes which have shown them off to advantage.

I thought that last night. The costumes they had, as pirates, really added overall to the impression they made, imo.

@mydogisthebest

Also meant to say I am really loving Anton as a judge, so much better than Bruno.

Motsi is much better this year. She drove me mad last year with all her shouting and screeching and absolutely no sensible comments at all. This year she is calmer and is actually making good sensible comments and giving some good advice

I totally agree, all the competitive shouting between her and Bruno was really spoiling it.

I do miss Darcy though (yes?), I loved how she always explained about having beautiful lines and finishing arms and stuff

I also love not having the live audience, because they always end up heckling over the judges (and we get enough of that with Tess always talking over them) and then trying to clap along in time to the music which is NEVER IN TIME TO THE MUSIC

Anybody else think the Kai looks like Mr Big in SATC? 😁

I was very tempted by this in TKMaxx earlier.

[quote SanFranBear]Here it is:

[/quote] Aaah!

The Good Old Days when the contestants actually danced, and there was none of this faffin' abaht!

She does seem to have calmed down, which is good. Perhaps a new judge being on board made her up her game a bit. She seemed to just screech a lot of platitudes re Motsi, yes I wonder if she is aware that at some point in the future one of the current panel might be let go to make room for Bruno to return and that if all she contributes is "woo woo go gurlll" and "that was just wow" that she might find herself at the front of that queue.

who decided that slapping your hands together is a sign of approval anyway?

Sea lions, I expect.

[quote CaveMum]@SchadenfreudePersonified the way Joanna moves her body is something else isn't it! She ripples, as well as spinning like a top! They appeared on SCD a few times, many years ago when they were World Champions, to dance a few demos, again she's just hypnotic to watch!

[/quote] I love that. Have we had professional dancers coming on to demo recently? It's been singers/musical pieces for as far as I can remember which admittedly could mean last season.

I also love not having the live audience, because they always end up heckling over the judges

I love that Craig is heckling back about there only being about 4 of them 😂

@2Two

Sorry if this has been mentioned already, but does anyone else get the impression Oti is becoming as generous of bosom as her sister?

The Mabuse ladies have got more than their fair share of pulchritude - in every respect, dan them!

@blobby10

I'm very late to the weekend's Strictly party but is anyone else missing the very early days of the show when for the first few weeks, they had 'simple' dances to learn? First week half would do a waltz and half a cha-cha then it would be reversed in week 2. Then something like a foxtrot and samba added with the more difficult dances AT/Paso/VS/Rhumba not added until week 8? They had rules too ie no lifts and a different 'must be in the dance' item each week.

Whilst there wasn't the variety or chance for the special effects team to strut their stuff, it made it much easier for a non dancer (like me) to follow everything and compare like for like dances!

Me! Me!

I loved the old format of two dances (could compare performance), content over theatricality (is that a word?), AND, the wardrobe people showed the designs for each dance, and why they had chosen a particular style and material etc (Dame Celia Molestrangler, stalwart of the theatre, is a bit of a shortarse and inclined to fall over when twirled, so we . . . . ").

I really enjoyed that bit.

[quote CaveMum]@SchadenfreudePersonified the way Joanna moves her body is something else isn't it! She ripples, as well as spinning like a top! They appeared on SCD a few times, many years ago when they were World Champions, to dance a few demos, again she's just hypnotic to watch!

[/quote] Thank you for this - I've watched a couple of their demos and will watch more - what an incredible couple (are they partners in "real life"?)

The timing is amazing, and that first 3-way costume was a triumph!

Fabulous!

I loved the old format of two dances (could compare performance), content over theatricality

Yep. Bake Off don't go "it would be a bit dull if we made everyone do bread so Pru and Paul are going to compare some shortbread, a brioche loaf, two meat pies, some macaroons, a doughnut and a chicken stir fry (because baking is a bit old fashioned and tricky so we let one contestant do whatever they felt like).

Ha! Don’t give channel 4 ideas…

@SchadenfreudePersonified they were a real life couple until 2018 when they separated.

Joanna used to dance (as an Amateur) with Slavik Kryklyvvy and they were World Amateur Latin Champs. My teacher always cited him as the perfect example of a man who could dance Latin in a soft, fluid way yet still look masculine. He was brilliant when he turned Pro with Karina Smirnoff (who I think turned up as a Pro on DWTS) but he split with her for some reason and never quite achieved the same heights again.

Slavik and Karina dancing a Rumba demo. You’ll have to look past the volume of fake tan and hair gel

[quote CaveMum]@SchadenfreudePersonified they were a real life couple until 2018 when they separated.

Joanna used to dance (as an Amateur) with Slavik Kryklyvvy and they were World Amateur Latin Champs. My teacher always cited him as the perfect example of a man who could dance Latin in a soft, fluid way yet still look masculine. He was brilliant when he turned Pro with Karina Smirnoff (who I think turned up as a Pro on DWTS) but he split with her for some reason and never quite achieved the same heights again.[/quote]
Blimey!

Who broke into eastern Europe and stole all their vowels?

That video is fascinating Cavemum.

@Runningupthecurtains

I loved the old format of two dances (could compare performance), content over theatricality

Yep. Bake Off don't go "it would be a bit dull if we made everyone do bread so Pru and Paul are going to compare some shortbread, a brioche loaf, two meat pies, some macaroons, a doughnut and a chicken stir fry (because baking is a bit old fashioned and tricky so we let one contestant do whatever they felt like).