Last Saturday, Strictly Come Dancing aired their annual spook-tacular Halloween Special, and it was Eastender’s Actor James Bye and Professional partner Amy Dowden’s turn to take on the Charleston. Dancing to, “Bumble Bee” by LaVern Baker, their routine caused a stir amongst the Strictly fandom, with many left feeling, ‘pleased with the outcome’ whilst others were disappointed to see them leave the show.

Do you think the couple deserved to remain in the competition or are you more in agreement with Critics? Let’s take a closer look as to why many felt this was the right decision.

The routine opens with James setting the scene, dressed as a beekeeper, and tending to multiple beehives, whilst Amy (suspended in mid-air, dressed as a bumblebee) gracefully floats down onto the dance floor.

After a few bars of music with James running laps in between the beehives, the pair then break into a series of basic 1920s Charleston steps, which are then shortly followed by a couple of Scarecrows. During the previous week on It Takes Two, James mentions the lifts due to take place in their routine have, “Never been done before,” and at 0:38, we see the first of these.

Later on in the routine, the couple complete a series of Grapevine Steps, Charlie Chaplins’, Kicks, and further Scarecrow variations before coming together for a short section in hold.

At 1:09, the audience are greeted with another complex sequence of lifts which left one critic stating, “[They] felt scared for Amy, as James [threw her] about the Ballroom.”

Nearing the end of the routine, further 1920s Swivel Steps are completed alongside a sequence back in hold. The pair then have just enough time for one final spin before James lifts Amy upside-down and into their final position.

Overall, I did not know what to think of this dance in its entirety. Whilst the choreography was good and well-suited to James’ dancing abilities, I felt it lacked the energy and excitement that makes an iconic Charleston.  Although he upheld good musicality and partnership with Amy throughout, technically, it wasn’t his best as multiple mistakes were made both on Saturday night and in the Dance-Off. As a result, many audience members were left feeling, “deflated” and, “Expected more from a Halloween-themed Charleston.” One even went as far to say it was the “Epitome of meh.” Despite this, there were some positive words of encouragement with one stating that, “James’ personality really [shone through] as he took on the role of his character.”

As a result, it appears the Judges were also feeling mixed opinions about their Charleston. On one hand, Head Judge Shirley was full of excitement as she exclaimed, “[She] felt like a kid in a Halloween shop […], the technique, and flow are all getting better!” and Craig felt, “The Charleston steps that [James] did were very very good.” Whereas Anton on the other hand, felt it was a “Little bit throwaway.”

Despite the positive comments, James and Amy found themselves in the bottom two facing Fleur East and Vito Coppola in the dreaded Dance-Off and unfortunately missed out on their spot in Week 7, making them the fifth couple to leave the competition.

Scores:

Craig Revel Horwood – 6

Motsi Mabuse – 7

Shirley Ballas – 7

Anton Du Beke – 7

MyCharleston – 6

By: Eleanor O’Donnell