Strictly '22 #17 — Never mind which celebs are there, the Glitterball Gang have made it to the final!

[PolkadotsAndMoonbeams]

Previous thread here

I don't have to do the no spoiler warning, because it's the Final and it's ALL LIVE!

Quick reminder for no YouTube videos please, they embed and slow the thread down horribly for some people. I'll add a link to the multimedia thread in a minute.

Totally agree with the one Latin, one ballroom, one show dance for the final idea. Makes much more sense and easier to spot errors, shoddy footwork etc.

Looking at the dances?

Helen all day long for me.

Just a bit miffed that there isn’t the spread across the dance genres that there should be. 😭

Ugh, Hamza, you've let me down going down the CC route for the final. Having said that, he's chosen a traditional piece for his SD, so I hope he showcases his ability with ballroom in that, and that there's tailcoats and feathers.

I didn’t like Hamza’s or Fleur’s cc dances.

I concede I was probably in the minority.

Here's the link to this week's blog. It really threw me for a loop being on a Sunday / Monday. Hope that never happens again.

Say You, Semi

If Molly had Hamza's showdance music I'd be putting in my votes for her already!

So disappointing to see 3 couples choice in the final and Helen only did hers last week.

I personally think couple's choice should be scrapped completely as it is too similar to a show dance.

Looking forward to seeing Helen's jive again. Was she meant to have a hat originally but forgot about it? Not that it matters, as I guess that makes the dancing easier and less faffy.

Fleur did score the only 40 with her couple's choice so it makes sense to her to repeat it, but in my opinion, it's her Argentine Tango that stood out as a wow dance.

Surprised that Hamza chose couple's choice for his as Jowita outdanced him and didn't Craig comment about his timing in that one?

Sensible choice for Molly although I agree that her CCC outfit was stunning.

Hamza can improve on his original CC performance, and I guess it's his chance to show off his African heritage if he's not doing that in his SD. He scored 38 in the original, so sorting out the small timing issue should achieve him a decent score. He did some spectacular lifts in it; combined with his Salsa, and perhaps the lifts from his Blackpool performance repeated in the SD, it will be a liftastic final for him. Shame though. I'd have loved to see his Week 1 Foxtrot or his Cha-Cha again, which were both utterly charming.

I bloody hated Fleur's CC, load of stompy posing that looked like a school talent show number.

As I said above, I just don't see how Helen can recreate her CC with the same impact - and without major adjustments - when there are no additional dancers.

Anyone else watching ITT? They're talking about Molly's paso being a definite 10. I agree.

I'm shocked Helen being a qualified tap dance teacher has been kept quiet? I've done tap back in the day and that would definitely give her an advantage.

Just checking in I was babbling away on the other thread 😀

Loads of celebs have dance experience the late Caroline Flack had a dance degree and won. I don't think Helen has said she has never danced before.

I'd never heard about it except on here?

I don’t much care who’s had former dance experience, I tend to vote for whoever moves me to tears, which is very few of this year’s lot, good though they all are. Many actors will have had some dance training at stage/drama school, not to mention all those people who did ballet/modern/tap as kids.

There was a bit of hmmming in the press when her name was announced. She won an award for tap dancing (iirc when she was a teenager) but then in an interview said she'd given up when she was 7.
She was on the Strictly Christmas special one year as well. About 6-7 years ago.

I mean, I did ballet up to Associate teaching level, but that would only benefit me in the rumba (which I hate as a dance but think I’d be good at).

I don't think people really bother they vote for who they like previous tap dancer or not.

Former*

I'm glad Hamza is going to do the salsa again and he's chosen a traditional ballroom type of performance for his show dance.

I care. In that Hamza is even more impressive.

Yes I imagine there will be much swaying and flouncing in his Showdance.

EDIT TO MY BLOG: I've just read the pro dance this week was pulled as a mark of respect for the little boys who tragically lost their lives in Solihull this weekend. Thoughts are with their families.

Bet it helps with timing and musicality though

@iklboo · Today 19:27
EDIT TO MY BLOG: I've just read the pro dance this week was pulled as a mark of respect for the little boys who tragically lost their lives in Solihull this weekend. Thoughts are with their families.

Ah, thanks, I wondered why, and assumed it was because Craig can’t dance, as evidenced by his coming down the stairs entrance at the beginning of each live show.

In fairness, looking at them on the stairs (though it could be the frocks) you'd think Shirl and Motsi couldn't either till you see the both of them move over on Insta. Shirley is (somewhat annoyingly) phenomenal still.

Was the pro-dance ice based then? I suppose it must have been.