Strictly Review: Catherine Tyldesley and Johannes Radebe
Catherine Tyldesley, actress, with her professional dance partner Johannes Radebe danced their Charleston to Beyonce’s hit single Single Ladies. Both wearing fuchsia pink outfits their performance was set in a nail bar with plenty of energy and sass, but did it deserve 30 points?
Having done some research into the routine, this week’s choreographer was Jenny Thomas who specialises in Charleston & Lindy Hop. Coincidentally, she also choreographed Michelle Visage’s Salsa, so I was excited to see what she had put together for the couple.
The routine starts with Catherine having her nails done by Johannes with some arm movement. They both then take to the floor and bust out Flapper Walks, Charleston and a Lock Turn. From there, they quickly move into Cake Walk style steps and a lift.
The next section is a bit random, and looks more like a ‘disco dance’ sequence until they break back into the Tick Tock and the Spank the Baby variation at 0:48.
After another Charleston, they dance a few sassy walks. At this point, Johannes is stealing the show with all his energy. He looks like he is about to break out into a fierce Vogueing (I wish he did!). They manage a Scarecrow at 1:08 mixed between disco moves and little Beyonce homage. Towards the end of the routine, we see Heel Flicks before it breaks into a Lindy hop style move with a lift and final pose.
I’m not really sure what to make of this routine. The theme and the Beyonce tribute were very clear. I loved all the attitude Johannes brought to the dance and it was very enjoyable to watch. However, in terms of content, it lacked a lot of Charleston basics and it barely had a single thing in hold. The Charlestons so far this series have very much been duets rather than partner dances and I would like to have seen more partner moves. I also felt they could have made the ‘disco dancing’ sections more stylised and included a few more classic steps.
The response from the judges was quite mixed. Motsi Mabuse was positive, commenting “You kept it up girl! Honestly, I was a bit worried, fast music, fast steps, really really energetic”.
Meanwhile Craig Revel Horwood commented: “I thought the footwork was quite random and quite messy in places. The swivel was also haphazard. “When you’re dancing next to Johannes is a nightmare because he is so sharp and on it. You can see the difference, you either need to tone it down or pick it up.
“I know if you had a second attempt at that dance, it would be amazing,” he concluded.
Catherine total score was 30. A six from Craig, and three eights from Motisi, Shirley and Bruno.
Our Score: 6