SCD '23 #17: Semi finals — double the dances, triple the scores, quadruple the 10 paddles? (NO SPOILERS)

[PolkadotsAndMoonbeams]

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Wasn't keen on Layton's Charleston either, the props felt unnecessary and awkward and like they were going from one thing to another rather than settling into the dance. Preferred the Rhumba but the wafty shirts pj bottoms were too distracting and made it difficult to see the hip action etc. What annoyed me in their paso last week were the amount of other dancers and no close up camera shots.

Watched on catchup.

Really loved Layton's Charleston tho it was a bit bitty. I love him when he isn't in hold. Helps that Singing in the Rain is one of my favourite movies.
Bobby has always been my least fave but even I have to acknowledge he stepped up in the QS, helped by a proper costume.
Liked Ellie's cha cha but did not like her CC ( still better than contempowafting)
Did not like either of Annabel's. I think she has reached her limit.

I expect Ellie will win, but Layton will get all the West End roles, and I might even go see him.

Same I’ll be really pissed off if Layton in that final!

Bobby has been great all along, but maybe he wasn’t challenged enough in the earlier dances. This week they knew he had to be spectacular.

He seems a very solid dancer to me- he does what he’s given very nicely but in an understated way. No showiness.

Layton the opposite- all fur coat and diamonds. He has a fabulous presence but the style he reverts to under pressure is ‘centre stage’. You really see Nikita’s detail and precision highlighted by Leyton’s slight over egging of the pudding- the drama and emotion is at the expense of perfect detail, whereas Nikita emotes while being spot on tune.
<Sorry about the wildly mixed metaphors- I can see exactly what I’m trying to describe, but don’t have any technical language available!> It’s the equivalent of a trained singer delivering a perfect performance while in role, where a good amateur would lose some of the diction or pitch while expressing emotion >.

We don’t get to know the results of the public vote though I don’t think? But I think we should! What do judges scores count for? 25% of the vote or more?

He seems a very solid dancer to me- he does what he’s given very nicely but in an understated way. No showiness

Yes I heard Dianne say that Bobby picks up on instructions quickly. Only has to tell him once. I think he's a natural dancer and dances with feeling. Not a performance as such - feeling the music, expressing himself and in the moment carefree.

Did the public get double the amount of votes last night seeing as the judges were able to offer two lots of scoring to determine their positions (last week and this week)?

It seems a bit unfair if the judges get two opportunities to influence the board but the public only get one.

My impression is that the vote is still effectively 50/50 because the only judges vote score that counts is the total of the three dances

And it actually work out being the same order. Based on just last night it would have been (with three week total in brackets):

Layton — 76 (116)
Ellie — 75 (111)
Bobby — 73 (107)
Annabel — 65 (98)

Austinwozrobbed! We know it, they know it!

I wasn’t sold on laytons Charleston being the best evahhhh! I thought it was a bit out of sync & untidy

Annabelle’s VW comments didn’t match the scores

I liked bobbys QS though thought it a bit frantic at the end

don’t quite know what to say about Ellie’s CC other than to say CC just needs to be killed with fire

I watched all those Charlestons someone kindly put on the videos thread. They were great and all had so much content (although I feel Faye's was a bit thin and relied on the concept a bit).

Layton's could possibly have been a bit more finessed (from my memory as I have only seen it once) but I expect most of the others were from a week where they only had one dance to perfect and were not semis Charlestons like Layton's was? It was a great dance with inventive tricks and lifts.

I’m annoyed with myself as I got distracted with DC waking and forgot to vote before the lines closed. I really wanted to give Annabel all my votes and sadly think she’ll go. She had a tough week with that first dance and although I admit she was the weakest on the night I still feel like she deserves to be in the final. She’s come on so much and learned so much.

Ellie was good although neither of her dances drew me in. Her CC was bit odd for me. I think it should be remembered in all the chatter about how young Bobby is (Dianne mentioned again!) that she’s only 2 years older than him. Young too!!

Bobby I’ll admit he really pulled it out the bag especially his first dance. Paso wasn’t as great (although still very good!) and I really really didn’t like him dragging her over the floor to
judges after music ended. That just struck me as a massive Dianne “let’s get some attention for this” ploy. I honestly cannot stand Dianne. She use to be okay bit loud but nice and good dance. Now she’s shouty and excessive in everything. The way she was bawling her eyes out watching HIS friends and family video was odd as well (he wasn’t crying!). I know her emotions might be heightened due to her dad but even so. She’s just irritating and CJ a he yiur red hair please it’s so “look at me look at me” and actually ruins a lot of the pro dances as so out of place. sorry rant over. Anyway Bobby was good and he’ll prob end up through.

I’m not sure the judges have done Layton any favours by saying how he is the best dancer in strictly ever ever ever ever. I mean it’s not really what the audience are looking for is it or we’d just want a professional dance competition. He is an amazing dancer but I don’t think he’s the BEST ballroom/latin dancer ever ever ever. He’s. It picked up a lot of technique. He’s a greta showman and performer and I’d be thoroughly entertained watching him but he isn’t winning any professional ballroom/latin competition is he.

One final Sunday morning rant from me - I’m getting fed up of all the comments avout “as good as a professional”, “it was like dancing with a pro”, “better than the pro”, “some of the pros can’t do that”. Not just comments about Layton but Dianne said about a Bobby and in general these comments seem to be made a lot. I find it so off. It’s so disrespectful for all these professionals dancers esp when said in Claudatorium and they are all standing behind. These pros have trained for years and year. They aren’t all top dancers across all areas but they all have insane dance talent and to have these comments made so often seems disrespectful to me.

Roll on tonight. I wish Annabel gets though but know I’m heart she’ll be the one leaving. Just a question of who she’ll be up against in DO. I am rooting for Ellie to win now really. I’ll need to remember to give her all my votes next week!

I agree about CC. What is Ellie going to do differently for her freestyle for the final? I wish they would replace it with a 'couples choice' of actual ballroom or Latin if they have to do Couples choice, so they have to choose a recognisable dance style for their choice.

I love watching Layton dance but I do think he'd have been showcased better with a female partner with less side by side routines which have seen him criticised for outperforming. He is a ringer but he's hardly going to turn down a gig like Strictly. I suppose it's an ongoing audition showreel for him to take anywhere. He's a brilliant dancer and performer, show employed him so he should be in the final if he's the best, which he is. It's interesting that Annabel is the only one that isn't a potential massive BBC star in the making. Bobby strikes me as just a lovely, genuine, respectful young guy trying really hard. He is absolutely beautiful too and reminds me of an old fashioned movie star. Ella I find it hard to connect with but she's improved and is fantastic. Roll on tonight!

I love Ellie and Vito but hated their CC. Hopefully they will win but I'd like their showdance to have a bit of humour/be more theatre jazz/or ballroom. I wouldn't want a showdance too much like that CC which had no charm.

whydidnt faye win?
was it the personality of stacey? the journey?
or was faye a ringer

Yes, Faye was a ringer. However, her dances were really enjoyable to watch, partly because of Giovanni's choreography, and if Stacey hadn't been in the mix she might just have won.

I do think CCs need to be banned from the final. For too many it's just another version of the showdance, and I would rather see them do something with a more technical basis.

One final Sunday morning rant from me - I’m getting fed up of all the comments avout “as good as a professional”, “it was like dancing with a pro”, “better than the pro”, “some of the pros can’t do that”. Not just comments about Layton but Dianne said about a Bobby and in general these comments seem to be made a lot. I find it so off. It’s so disrespectful for all these professionals dancers esp when said in Claudatorium and they are all standing behind. These pros have trained for years and year. They aren’t all top dancers across all areas but they all have insane dance talent and to have these comments made so often seems disrespectful to me.

I do agree. It was particularly ridiculous when Dianne claimed that she trusted Bobby to do that big Strictly Dancing lift more than she would trust other pros, when we had just been watching him fumble it and we have seen the pros do similar lifts faultlessly time after time.

I agree about the comments about how the celeb is as good as if not better than a pro dancer although it mainly seems to be Dianne making such comments.

Last night though Shirley said Bobby had taken over as King of Ballroom! Bloody stupid comment. I liked his dances but he wasn't that good.

I was so annoyed by King of Ballroom comment. How disrespectful (not to mention untrue). Anton gently and humorously picked her up on it though.

I thought last night was a bit disappointing. And the judges were infuriating.
Layton's rumba: there was NO connection between him and Nikita. Craig was quite right to pick up on the lack of hip action, but he's normally keen on connection and mood, so why didn't he mention that?
The Charleston: well, it wasn't Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor by a long chalk. Out of synch (again, why didn't Craig say so?) and messy.
Bobby's QS was quite good, quite stylish, but I just don't enjoy watching him. And I still find him arrogant. His paso was rubbish. Terrible song, smell the fart 'acting', bolt upright with no artistry and shaping.
Annabel's salsa wasn't her best, but I admired her for how she recovered after the mistake. Loved her VW; what an ask to come on after the hysteria of the Charleston and the 40 and create a totally different mood. WTF were the judges doing – three of them giving it the same score as the salsa when it was plainly better
I've said this before, but Johannes is a beautiful soul. Loved Carlos just blubbing openly and Neil desperately trying not to
Ellie's cha cha was PACKED with content. I loved it. Wish they'd done the Rosemary Clooney version though. Didn't like her CC, although she did dance it well; I didn't get the style or the concept. It was like a middling music video.
Vito is nuts, and a delight.

I think it's either Annabel and Layton or Bobby and Layton in the DO. I really hope it's not Annabel; Strictly is about partnerships and stories as well as dancing, and she and Johannes have the best of those IMO.

Vito is nuts, and a delight
In a nutshell.

Some sodding spoilsport has commented on a news story. So I know, which is infuriating and possibly the first time I’ve been spoilered.

hey ho.

Vito is a darling, possibly because he sees no need to let language difficulties limit how much he wants to say. Claudia’s face as she listens, nods and smiles!

Shirley was on Desert Island discs saying she has to justify her scoring to her mum, and that they see a different view. I wonder whether it masks some of the flaws we see, as well as exposing some we miss?

I get the impression that Vito has been told to talk so fast and incoherently because it’s seen as endearing and the Producers know the public enjoy it.

His excitable character, in this sense, seemed genuine at first but lately it’s coming across as very purposeful and scripted.

He never comes across that like in the VT’s but as soon as he’s chatting to Claudia he becomes a bumbling and excitable mess

Maybe I’m being cynical but I’m not buying it.

I'm the same about Vito.

The talking really fast in the Clauditorium and over exaggerating how bad his English is 8s getting quite tedious and no longer funny. It should have stopped at TENTACULOUS.

That said, I do like Vito, and he seems like a very good teacher, who has got the most out of his contestant. He is due a duffer next year, I think!