After a year long wait, Strictly Come Dancing is finally back for the 2021 series. Last Saturday we were treated to our first Charleston of the competition. In Week 2, TV personality Tilly Ramsey and her dance partner, Nikita Kuzmin, were the highest scoring pair of the night after performing a Charleston to ‘Yes Sir! That’s my Baby’ by Firehouse Five.

The judges’ comments were extremely positive about their performance. Craig Revel Horwood said: "I really and truly loved that, the energy was fantastic, I think you're fantastic! Brilliant!”. Head judge Shirley Ballas described her as a "powerhouse" and congratulated Tilly saying she was "not expecting that”.

The routine scored a total of 34. Do you agree?

If we pick apart the dance, which was based around a day out having a picnic, it included: Classic Charleston 20s Step (0:27), Pushes (0:30), Around the Worlds in hold (0:35) and Travelling Charleston (0:47). Tilly then went straight into Flicks, Flapper Walks and Heel Slaps.

After the tennis section, the couple performed a 30s Charleston variation, Helicopters (1:15) followed by floor work and lifts.

The routine ended with another classic Classic Charleston 20s Step (1:27), Kick Charlestons, Hitchhikes and a final position.

The choreographer of the routine was Jenny Thomas who also choreographed Giovanni and Rose’s Salsa number.

Tilly said she's had a great time. She told Claudia: "It's been the best week and I never thought I would be able to have done that a couple of weeks ago."

Overall, this Charleston number was full of classic 1920s moves, loads of energy and the pair used their faces in a dynamic way to capture the quirkiness of the genre. The song was the perfect choice for this classic routine and the couple have set a high standard for upcoming Charleston routines on the show.

Scores:

Craig - 8

Motisi - 9

Shirley - 9

Anton - 8

MyCharleston - 8

Author: Eleanor O’Donnell

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