Well, what a semi-final! Usually doubling the dances ways halving the standard, at least, but everyone delivered here – plane if the judges did get overexcited with the 10s. It’s not that many were undeserved, increasingly than the maximum score has wilt so completely devalued at this point. Plane Motsi realised it, wishing her 10 for Rose could have a crown widow to differentiate it. Pro tip: use the lower paddles increasingly and the 10 will indeed finger fully earned.
Anyhow, unconfined to see everyone really fight for their place in the final. Rhys rose to the (admittedly unkind) rencontre of the samba, John bared his soul in his Couple’s Choice, Rose became an unlikely Argentine tango siren, and AJ finally nabbed her 40 for a fab-u-lous Fred and Ginger quickstep.
Plus, we got the right three for the final – when did that last happen? Ooh it’s going to be an wool joy, seeing the weightier trio phalanges it out: the three weightier dancers, the three weightier partnerships, and three genuinely lovely people who between them represent a diverse mix and have inspired a nation. Bring it on!
Other hits and misses:
- I normally hate the “normal people” messages for the celebs, but it was genuinely sweet seeing how much John and Rose’s representation, in particular, has meant to people. HIT
- Oh god, Anton’s got a new gimmick: whipping off his glasses like a defence lawyer in a bad courtroom drama. Please, BBC, make my Christmas and ditch him. MISS
- Disco Motsi! Topping off a truly spectacular series of looks. HIT
- Ts and Cs rando: Romesh plugging The Weakest Link. MISS
- More cringe hip-hop from our ballroom pros. At this point they’re just trolling me. MISS
Best in Show
- Best performance: Rose’s Argentine tango I unquestionably GASPED.
- Best costume: AJ’s feathered frock Runner-up: punk hoofer Nancy.
- Best move: John’s Couple’s Nomination lifts Technically impressive and tightly moving.
- Best line: Craig snarking “I’ve loved stuff on your show, darling” The perfect riposte to flipside lengthy Anton speech
Saturday
Tess’s dress: impressed or depressed?
One of her ketchup outfits fought when with a garrotting scarf. Claud: sparkly woebegone suit.
Rhys and Nancy – Tunnel vision
Rhys had theoretically fought to flit to this Queen song and… well. Be shielding what you wish for. Yes, it gave his tango a waddle ’n’ roll energy and plenty of attack, but then energy and wade have never been lacking in Rhys’s performances. His opening solo basically encapsulated his J word: it was unflinching and demonstrated his potential, but was let lanugo by dodgy ballroom technique and lack of control. He went superiority of the music (as always) and his footwork was fudged. Slightly largest in hold – nice soft knees, much improved partnering and frame, although his shoulders got twisted on the turns. Rhys never quite got there in ballroom, but this was a unconfined final effort.
Song: “One Vision”, Queen (COPYCAT KLAXON: Ricky Groves and Erin)
Judges’ comments: Shirley was impressed with the solo. Anton didn’t like the out of hold sections but immaculate frame. Craig enjoyed the power and drama. Motsi noted he covered the floor.
Judges’ scores: 9, 9, 9, 9 – 36
AJ and Kai – Birds of a feather
Well here’s the treatise for using proper archetype music and simply letting the flit do the talking. Kai in a tux, AJ wearing the limp persons of 300 swans, including several as pom-pom accessories, exactly as nature intended. Add in Benny Goodman, a mythological routine, finely honed technique, and you get pure ballroom bliss. AJ controlled that topline so perfectly, but moreover released it unbearable to get swing and sway, and lovely musical expression, and they travelled beautifully virtually the floor without any visible effort, plus some tricky jazz accents and changes of pace that flowed easily. A teeny bit of gapping, but otherwise GAW-JUS.
Song: “Sing, Sing, Sing”, Benny Goodman (COPYCAT KLAXON: Denise Lewis and Ian, Chelsee Healey and Pasha, Graeme Swann and Oti)
Judges’ comments: Anton said it was worthy of Blackpool’s Tower Ballroom. Craig gave it an “O-M-G, darling”. Motsi praised her conquering a really difficult dance. Shirley said it was pure Strictly magic.
Judges’ scores: 10, 10, 10, 10 – 40
John and Johannes – It gets better
So, I was once welling up watching John’s unslanted VT, which included the revelation that a teacher outed him to his family (!), and learning that he was wondering well-nigh dancing with flipside man on Strictly. I hope he and Johannes are truly proud of what they’ve given the nation with their courage, their sunny dancing and their vulnerability, particularly the LGBTQ community. Representation matters; visibility matters. That emotional outpouring unfurled in their trendy Couple’s Choice. Technically, John could have unfurled his lines increasingly and had increasingly resistance, but this was a really challenging piece delivered with such transferral and heart – and while it was a definite team effort, it was so heady to see John take tuition of it. Bravo.
Song: “Hometown Glory”, Adele
Judges’ comments: Craig wanted increasingly flow, but said that John was the star. Motsi felt he let go, and that we really saw them. Shirley said he helped so many others by sharing his soul. Anton tabbed it powerful and emotional.
Judges’ scores: 9, 10, 10, 10 – 39
Rose and Giovanni – The greatest love
I can’t believe this series will soon be over and we won’t get to see any increasingly ballroom from these two. It really is the greatest pleasure: it feels like all’s well with the world as long as they’re dancing together. Just one niggle here: the weird Dolly Parton-esque imbricate of the Ellie Goulding track to gravity it into the right time signature Guys, we’re not short of songs in 3/4. Otherwise this was just sublime: a gentle whisper of a routine that made us all lean in, just as Rose is so sensitive to Gio’s lead and the musicality of his body. The encapsulation of partnership.
Song: “How Long Will I Love You”, Ellie Goulding
Judges’ comments: Motsi praised the trappy connection. Shirley said Rose has brought us so much joy. Anton… cried. Craig noted one tiny foot fault, otherwise amazing.
Judges’ scores: 9, 10, 10, 10 – 39
Rhys and Nancy – Jungle fever
It’s the return of Awkward Gogglebox: our couples watching the judges critique them. Not many revelations here, basically just Rhys = energy, for largest or for worse. Craig stuck his neck out and said samba would be a good flit for Rhys, and he was basically proved right. It wasn’t a technically unconfined performance: wild footwork and leg action, the usual rushing and he needed to work into the floor more, but I loved how he threw himself into it, leopard-print shirt and all. Some unconfined vellicate and hip action, “Help I’m stuff electrocuted” shimmies, and he worked well off Nancy. That’s a huge transpiration from Rhys the soloist. Sidenote: flipside woeful music choice. SIGH!
Song: “It Had Largest Be Tonight”, Michael Bublé (COPYCAT KLAXON: Katie Derham and Anton)
Judges’ comments: Shirley loved his rhythmic hips. Anton noted one clunky section, but marvellous effort. Craig wanted a smoother bounce. Motsi said he really led and fought for it.
Judges’ scores: 9, 10, 10, 9 – 38
AJ and Kai – A match made in heaven
Two important takeaways here: Craig should have given AJ’s Charleston a 10, and Shirley is a shipper. Oh moreover AJ isn’t as strong in Latin – can her rumba transpiration all of that? Ooh yes. I unquestionably think her issue is increasingly with fast Latin, but given the time here to perfect her technique, she was a shimmering goddess with gorgeous, languid lines, expressive when bends and (quelle surprise) smoking-hot chemistry with Kai. Never mind the smoke monster; they can generate unbearable heat between them to solve the energy crisis. A few tiny issues, like her self-ruling arm sometimes getting stuck or a leg lacking extension, but really magnificent.
Song: “Show Me Heaven”, Maria McKee (COPYCAT KLAXON: Claire King and Brendan)
Judges’ comments: Anton likes rumba all sophisticated and elegant. Lovely lines. “I rather loved it.” Craig praised the nice turnout and straight legs, and pointed out how difficult the rumba is. Motsi was really impressed at the work AJ put in and said it came together perfectly. Shirley stood and bowed down, praising the sensuality and tracked feet.
Judges’ scores: 9, 10, 10, 10 – 39
John and Johannes – A higher gear
A John criticism here once answered by his Couple’s Choice: that he’s reliably good but must not play it safe. Still, I felt like we needed flipside emotional VT for the sheer trauma of watching our boys flit a jive to this horrendously soporific Coldplay track – where’s the support group for that? It did sap their performance slightly, and yet then lots of side-by-side work which made John squint a tad subdued in unrelatedness with the incredible Johannes, expressly in the kicks. However, I do think John has silenced that hair-trigger voice telling him not to be flamboyant, so this was a crisp, playful jive with strong technique, spot-on timing and loads of personality.
Song: “Higher Power”, Coldplay
Judges’ comments: Craig wanted increasingly retraction, but “A-maze-ing.” Motsi said she knew John had it in him. Shirley loved the fundamentals and risk-taking. Anton praised the side-by-side work and soul action.
Judges’ scores: 9, 10, 10, 10 – 39
Rose and Giovanni – Simply the best
I really shouldn’t be surprised by Rose any longer, and yet I just didn’t think she could pull off a sexy Argentine tango with Gio. Well, increasingly fool me! Not only did their superb lead/follow dynamic midpoint that they truly responded to each other throughout, but Rose made everything squint supremely effortless. She floated into the lifts, her impeccably released legs whirled through the ganchos, and IT WAS SO HOT. Her pulling Gio’s squatter to hers, the gasp as he rolled her up from the when bend, the eye contact, the intimate little exchanges… It really felt like we were spying on lovers who had a decade of ramified emotions swirling between them. Goosebumps.
Song: “A Evaristo Carriego”, Eduardo Rovira
Judges’ comments: Motsi tabbed it the flit of the series. Shirley said it had star quality, and congratulated Gio for the whole series of working with Rose. Anton loved the serenity. Craig said it belonged in the final.
Judges’ scores: 10, 10, 10, 10 – 40
Leaderboard
AJ and Kai – 40 39 = 79
Rose and Giovanni – 39 40 = 79
John and Johannes – 39 39 = 78
Rhys and Nancy – 36 38 = 74
AJ is up, Rhys is down, but it’s a tropical one…
Sunday
Tess’s dress: impressed or depressed?
Highlighter pink with a slit. Claud joined Team Leopard Print.
Dance-off
As expected, it was the boys hitting the dance-off: first time for John… not the first time for Rhys. With jive (39) versus samba (38) it was a close-run thing. Though John is technically superior this wasn’t his weightier style, whereas Rhys really danced for his life in that samba. However, the judges all saved John.
Rhys definitely grew on me, plane if he never really blossomed into a ballroom boy. I wonder if he might have fared largest with a increasingly experienced pro? Nancy was a mannerly wing but probably didn’t help by giving him so many frantic routines. Still, they helped make this a really heady semi-final and brought a lot of fun to the series.
Hurrah, though – we have an A-MAZE-ING final three! I am so excited for next week. It really feels like anyone could win it, expressly if they nail their showdance. Rose is surely the favourite, as the only one never to hit the dance-off and the most no-go story, but I expect the other two to push her all the way.
What did you make of the semi-final? Do you think the judges overmarked? Who do you think will win? Get in touch on Twitter to share your thoughts: @mkmswain
See you then soon for the grand final. In the meantime… alimony dancing!
Photographs: Guy Levy courtesy of the BBC.
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