SCD '23 #14: We're in Blackpool! So many tailsuits <does happy dance> NO SPOILERS

[PolkadotsAndMoonbeams]

Let's not mention the corsets.

SPOILER-FREE THREAD PLEASE

Previous thread here.

Video thread. Please post videos on that thread, then link across to here to avoid buffering issues with this thread.

Spoiler thread.

Kai must absolutely get a ringer next year. He has done his time.

My DD kept mentioning Bobby’s hands. She is the perfect age for Bobby. But he leaves her cold.
She has done dance, and says even though it’s a different style a lot is the same. She says she would find the frame for ballroom hardest to learn.
She is pretty confident. 💃🏻

I did a run down of who had what dances left to do on the last thread. I’ll dig it back out and post it here.

I love Kai, but honestly? He's had one finalist, one first boot and one Blackpool boot. Many pros would kill for that. Poor Luba was out two weeks ago, and that's by far her best result in six years on the show.

Here we go, this is a cut and paste of my post on the last thread.

Dances left:

Angela S
Cha Cha Cha
Rumba
Salsa
Couples Choice
Quickstep
Foxtrot

Annabel
Rumba
Paso Doble
Salsa
Foxtrot
Argentine Tango
Viennese Waltz

Bobby
Rumba
Paso Doble
Salsa
Couples Choice
Quickstep
Waltz

Ellie
Cha Cha Cha
Couples Choice
Quickstep
Argentine Tango
Waltz
Tango

Layton
Rumba
Charleston
Paso Doble
American Smooth
Foxtrot
Waltz

Nigel
Rumba
Charleston
Samba
American Smooth
Argentine Tango
Waltz

If you make it to the Final you get to avoid 2 dances completely, so some people will have some tricky choices to make.

Ellie looks to me like she has the “easiest” group remaining in terms of her strengths.

Layton has a lot of slow dances left, which may not play to his advantage - no room for flamboyance and his footwork will be under a lot of scrutiny.

I’m guessing Layton must be doing an American Smooth to “Oh So Quiet”.

Unpopular opinion but I'd rather see Neil get the ringer next year

Thanks @CaveMum

I would hazard a guess that Layton will avoid foxtrot and waltz. I'm looking forward to their Paso and Charleston so hope they aren't the missed ones.

I'd love Kai and Neil to both get amazing dancers! My 2 faves definitely! I just love Neil's style of dancing.. I watch his and Diane's dance to Craig David over and over, so good!

They may have had some training and experience but it’s not their profession.

And how long ago was Nigel’s training and qualification? I’m pretty sure it was probably a very long time ago, so hardly comparable to Layton’s situation.

I imagine that the same came be said for all the other professionals who’ve had some past training too.

Very unpopular opinion @covetingthepreciousthings😁

Kai's lederhosen and Neil's street dance/contempowaft must never be seen again on Strictly

@Lentilweaver @covetingthepreciousthings
Not that unpopular, plenty of people like Neil and I'd also be pleased to see him get a ringer next year (although I can't see it happening).

I also thought AS for Layton to So Quiet... ballroom with a couple of lifts; it's perfect.

Past training in any sort of dance confers an advantage, of course, but the clear difference is that Layton is a current top-of-his-game West End musical professional.
Many actors will have been to stage school, sure, but it's not the same as full-on working in dance.
Nigel's cruise ship phase was for a few months, when he was straight out of college, and (not to be too disrespectful to either him or his audiences but) it's not top-tier work. His West End musicals experience is at least a decade ago and largely involved 'dancing' on his knees in Shrek and playing Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls, which is not a dancing role.
And, again, not to be ungallant to Annabel, Claire S etc, but their dance training and/or work was a while before they did Strictly.

I think my "problem" with Layton is he's presented himself as a dancer who sings and acts, rather than an actor who sings and dances. Teaching dance workshops etc. He needs to be on the dance equivalent of "Popstars to Opera Stars"!

I like watching him (dance dependent!), I just don't think he's really learning to ballroom dance properly. He's adding some ballroom steps to dancing he can already do.

As for the dance this week:

Ellie excellent, but I really disliked her hair. Spent the whole dance and pre-scores interview trying to get over it, failed. Irrational, I know.
Angela S very good. Not as thrilling as a top-notch AT but not far off. Carlos is sweet.
Nigel: I'm tired of him making mistakes. I'm clueless about footwork but even I could see he missed/messed up/stumbled several times. Think he kneed Katya at least once too. He was great in Week One but seems to have gone downhill.
Annabel GORGEOUS. I'm with Anton; it properly touched and moved me. I love her and Johannes together.
Layton: dreadful costumes. And the dance was too aggressive, hitting everything too hard, and downright sleazy. Looked like a routine at a J-Lo gig or something. No emotional impact at all. I agreed with Craig they weren't 100% in synch and that stuff only looks good if you are.
Bobby's routine was forgettable. Not surprised they were in the DO (I assume people voted in droves for Nigel and neglected Bobby, who was vulnerable in the middle of the board).
Angela R: disappointed they didn't give her more razzle-dazzle. I wanted a sequinned Norma Desmond frock and enormous marabou fans/boas, many more jazzy interludes, a touch of Anton-and-his-duffers campery...

Those saying Carlos doesn't do sexy, he is quit hot in his AT/rumba with Nikita.

I think Layton is more talented as a dancer, no doubt about that! But I was pointing out that lots of people have had dance/mt training and it's his ability that make the main difference.

I know lots of talented and intensively dance-trained northern boys who went up for Billy Elliot who weren't cast- but Layton was cast with no ballet and tap experience- he's a naturally gifted dancer. He won't win, but he's fabulous to watch every week.

hasn't Neil become anton now. he often seems to do the joke stuff that anton used to do.

Ellie has an actor mum and has done dance training since childhood. Like so many before her on this show. She is just less distinctive than Layton so hasn’t made it in musicals yet - I would bet that she’s tried

I don't agree. I think it's his extensive and recent professional experience that makes the difference – or, more to the point for me, makes it unfair. Ellie has had training, clearly, but seems naturally talented at dancing too. She may well get offers of professional West End work after Strictly; I think she's good enough. But because she's spent her career largely in acting, she just doesn't have the edge Layton does.

Neil/Anton – I think Kai is the new Anton in that they are giving him the ladies of a certain age to squire around.

The group dance on the results show had me like the old people at the end of Dirty Dancing when the kids dance the way they want to.

Bit baffled at first but shedding my fur stole by the finish.

Love Ellie with a fringe. It's sexes her up somehow. But in a wholesome way,

I also do not want stripper pole sleaze at teatime on a Saturday night.

Neil is just Neil. I'd like to see him with a really talented partner next year (as long as he promises not to do street dancing for CC!)

All the discussion about whether or not Layton should be there is a bit moot. He is there whether we like it or not. It seems Ellie is set to win anyway. I've never really found myself enamoured with any of her dances, I can see she's brilliant but I don't really care. I find Angela S much more engaging and love her partnership with Carlos.

Yes, it's weird, although Ellie is really good and I don't dislike her, and am very fond of Vito, I just can't get enthused about them.
I think she will win; Layton certainly won't, once the vote is 100% public in the final.
My current favourite is Annabel, which is a real surprise to me as I had her down as a bit of a no-hoper.

BTW, this may be a really silly question, but have they had/are they having Musicals Week this year?

I like Ellie and hope she wins, but I think this year started so well, and then fizzled out, thanks to Amanda leaving, Nigel not living up to his initial promise and the producers determined to keep Angela till Blackpool.

Musicals is the week after next I think

Interesting that Layton went up for the Billy Elliot audition with no formal ballet/tap training; didn't know that before. Blimey, that was a kid who had a lot of confidence in his natural ability.

It's obvious his talent lies with modern dance and all the free styling, tricks, acro etc, whereas Annabel and Ellie both exhibit signs of formal dance training, however little or long ago they had that training. Layton still has things to learn in that department.

We could debate it all day, but the more I see of Layton - despite his current position and professional status - the more I'm beginning to think he's at no more of an advantage than most other ringers. He's great to watch anyway, and won't win.

Bobby on the other hand, has no dance experience at all, unless I've got that wrong.