SCD '21 #18: Twice the dancers, twice the number of posts from MNers?

[PolkadotsAndMoonbeams]

Previius thread

Hopefully not — two new threads in one show would be a bit ridiculous.

Polite reminder that this is a spoiler-free thread

I fell down a rabbit hole and found these really awkward and cringe tutorials on youtube from Karen and Kevin

m.youtube.com/watch?v=jUqRAUxip4U

@OutwiththeOutCrowd

Giovanni’s choreography is always tailored so thoughtfully to fit the personality and background of his partners. I loved the moment in the AT when Rose readjusts Gio’s head position so his gaze is in her direction. A small movement that was just very Rose - capturing her strength and the emotional dynamic between Gio and her beautifully.

I agree about Gio's choreography.

You forgot the pout ringah

👄

Riot - but there have been loads of gay people on strictly before, and it’s completely normal - no one cares, it’s irrelevant to what they are doing. Craig mentions his husband - surely that’s more powerful a message than who dances with who, gay people are fully represented and accepted on this show. That’s why I don’t understand why John can’t just dance with a woman like everything else, sexual orientation is unconnected to who dances with who. It feels regressive to me to say that because someone is gay it’s better if they dance with another gay person. Does that mean that if in the future a gay person is on they’ll be seen as ‘letting the side down’ if they prefer to dance with a woman? As to mixing it up and breaking the stereotypes- great! But that’s a different show. It also means that if John does win it probably won’t be because he’s the best dancer, which seems unfair on everyone, including him.

I do feel sorry for Laura in that video. She's clearly lacking in natural ability but she's working hard and doing her best and she'd have been better served by a solid basic routine. That was just humiliating.

@SoupDragon

I’m tired of people whinging about them talking about their experiences

I agree. For them, the acceptance must be a huge thing. I look back at my school years (I'm in my early 50s) and no one was openly gay. Fast forward to my children and it isn't an issue - DS even admitted in passing, with a laugh, that a couple of his gay friends thought he was "fit". The contrast in acceptance between our generations was stark.

Yep, people choose not to get it with john amd johannes, and come with various reasons as to why they dislike it.

That’s why I don’t understand why John can’t just dance with a woman like everything else, sexual orientation is unconnected to who dances with who. It feels regressive to me to say that because someone is gay it’s better if they dance with another gay person

I don't understand why you think he has to dance with a woman. Surely the point is that people can dance with whoever they want, they don't need to be restricted by sex or sexuality.

I think it's a bit disingenuous to say that sexual orientation is not connected to who dances with who when couples are constantly judged on their chemistry, and scrutinised for whether they're shagging, when the story telling of almost all the dances revolve around sex and romance and when couples routinely do pair up and are normally celebrated for it unless they've actually left their families to do so.

Soup dragon - because that’s the format for ball room dancing in this show and it’s hard to compare one all male couple to all the other m f couples. It would be better to have a 50/50 mix of mixed sex/same sex couples rather than just one. Without the requirement that you have to be gay to be in a smart sex pair.

@Sittinginthesand

Soup dragon - because that’s the format for ball room dancing in this show and it’s hard to compare one all male couple to all the other m f couples. It would be better to have a 50/50 mix of mixed sex/same sex couples rather than just one. Without the requirement that you have to be gay to be in a smart sex pair.

What makes you think there is a requirement to be gay? Katya wasn't.

To continue my train of thought...

Dance is an art form but it is simultaneously a courtship ritual. Strictly viewers, judges and commentators prize the dances which look authentic, like a couple in love/lust dancing for the fun of it, rather than a pair of professionals doing their job.

I was one who did not get jnj last night.

I was totally moved by the VT and left cold by the dances. And I’m not entirely sure why.

For me, it is probably more to do with John being outshone by Johannes a lot of the time.

Johannes is who he is and that is grand but the whipsnappy movements can make John look lumpen and he isn’t that. (Which is why I think Kai might have been a better fit)

Maybe different choreography would have changed things for me - just like Laura above. 🤷‍♀️

I genuinely don't understand why anyone would have a problem with it.

I will hold my hand up and say I was against it before it actually happened but, once I saw it, I realised it actually made no difference whatsoever. It was just that "dance couples must be one male and one female" was firmly fixed in my head. I was wrong.

Johannes is who he is and that is grand but the whipsnappy movements can make John look lumpen and he isn’t that.

I thought it was less noticeable in the couple's choice but was back again in the jive.

I rewatched Rose 's AT and feel her legs were too soft and not staccato enough. But I don't think anyone agrees with me. I only really enjoyed AJ's quickstep last night. I think the standard for the last two years has been low. But as pp say, no ringers! ( I like ringers).

I thought that about Rose's legs too. There didn't seem to be enough resistance in her movements.

I think most viewers don't have enough of a clue to spot things like that though. I certainly don't 😂

I agree about Rose's legs. Great AT in many ways but something missing in the feet. But then I am definitely biased by my stanning of AJ and Kai so I'm not sure I can trust my own eyes. Annoying that Flavia isn't on Choreography Corner next week - I'd love to hear her take.

I think it would be better if they had a same-sex week for everybody, or an entire same sex series.

The social side of dancing (where it absolutely should be normal for anyone to dance with anyone) is being mixed up with the competitive world (where in general men don't want to dance together, for multiple reasons).

Rose's top line is lovely and she moves really well, but her feet are occasionally a bit untidy (the standing spins last night — some were definitely neater than others). You don't notice it though, because the whole 'picture' is nice.

@SoupDragon

I think most viewers don't have enough of a clue to spot things like that though. I certainly don't 😂

I have no dance training and know very little about dance; just a lot of hours watching Strictly:)

DH meanwhile has not been able to stop talking about Rose since yesterday. Which was the first time he watched.

Johannes' facial expressions in that jive were absolutely ridiculous, I find him so bloody irritatingly over the top.

Me too @BlameItOnTheBlackStar and seems so unfair on John that he takes the shine completely off him.

As an aside, I don't remember watching Laura Whitmore being on the show but I thought she looked good in the dances that were linked - looked to me like Gio had done the best job for her with the choreography.

I find Johannes a fantastic dancer, but not a very good pro. He does not allow his celeb to shine. It's a failing of new pros- Gio did it too- but now he has been on the show 3 years. Oti, on the other hand, is such a fantastic dancer with charisma in spades, but she tones it down to match with her celeb.

@PolkadotsAndMoonbeams

Rose's top line is lovely and she moves really well, but her feet are occasionally a bit untidy (the standing spins last night — some were definitely neater than others). You don't notice it though, because the whole 'picture' is nice.

Yes, my dance teacher at drama school told me, when I was struggling with a dance: "maintain your posture and your smile, and no one will notice your feet." 😆