Strictly Review: Alex Scott and Neil Jones

Strictly Come Dancing contestant Alex Scott with her professional partner Neil Jones leaped back up the leader board this week with their Charleston where head judge Shirley Ballas commented  “That was your best dance to date’’.

On Saturday night, the ex-professional footballer danced a Charleston to ‘Pump Up the Jam’, an Electro Swing cover by the Sicilian band Swingrowers. Choreographed by Jenny Thomas, the theme was a modern twist on the Charleston and included some great content.

Dressed in black and white the couple quickly got into their routine with Flapper Walks, Butterfly Twists and Heel Flicks followed by Charlestons facing each other with kicks. Before the lift there was a body isolation sequence where Neil made a mistake and momentarily forgets the routine at 0:39. However, they get straight back into with a lovely travelling Lindy Hop section at 0:47 followed by a Charleston, three Fall on the Logs, two Jumping Heel Clicks, Pushes and a Lock Turn. Compared to the other Charleston routines on the show we have already seen heaps of classic steps.

After the second lift at 1min they run onto the raised level where there is a mix of Charleston steps with a lift and some Hip Hop stylised moves which works really well with the music.

Once back on the floor, they carry on with a some Flapper Walks, a Forward/Backward Roll then back to their final position which mirrors the opening pose.

For me, this is the best Charleston of the series so far. Firstly, the costume, music, set design and lighting really capture a contemporary Charleston feel and sets the scene perfectly. Secondly, Alex obviously likes the song they have been given which gets her out of her shell and into character. She uses her faces, looking like she is having fun.  I often have used this song in class and is always a real crowd pleaser.

I also liked that they had some sections in hold when Neil moved Alex across the floor at 0:45 and it was jam packed full of great Charleston steps from start to finish. If they were to dance this again, I think Alex could exaggerate her movements more to match Neil and extend her arms so the lines are crisp and clear.  I think choreographer Jenny Thomas and her assistant Sean Moon did a fantastic job with his one. 

Shirly Ballas commented “Control from the beginning when you walked on stage to when you left it’’ and “ I have to say you have a lovely dynamic between you’’ Shirley went on to offer Alex and Neil a eight for their performance. 

Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse gave them the same and stand-in judge Alfonso Ribeiro scored them a nine.

Our Score: 8 

Elena

Strictly Review: Charles and Karen

It has been yet another rollercoaster of drama this week on Strictly Come dancing as Danny John-Jules was voted off. This has caused a lot of speculation on social media to whether the voting was fixed and I couldn’t help feel that Charles and Karen had somehow got swept up in this as the judges scored them highly for their Charleston. Were they trying to save them from the dance-off? Did it really deserve a 9 from 3 judges?

Firstly, let’s discuss the music. This week’s choice was 'No Diggity' remixedby Minimatic. For once I did like the music, as this a great tune for an Electro Swing Charleston and I was happy to see Charles reunited with his hanky, so a promising sign that things were going to go well!

The theme however was a bit weird,  two cheeky windows cleaners without much purpose. It wasn’t really clear why they picked that for their theme. 

After a bit of cleaning and getting in to character thy broke into a basic Charleston at 26 seconds followed by some flapper walks and a lock turn. After throwing the hankies away we see a Tick Tock which leads to Charleston side to side in hold, a classic Lindy Hop move. This step had a nice variation with a turn which broke into a Truckin’ step at 45 seconds.

This was proceeded with a series of ‘wow’ moves. A one handed cartwheel and some complicated lifts which then went back into hold, followed by a Fall on the Log variation.

What I do like about Charles is that he brings a bit of a hip hop style to his Charleston and has a lot of control which worked well with the song. However, he did look quite nervous during this performance which is a shame as he is a great dancer and has been underrated in the show.

The next most dynamic part is at 1:25 mins with the scarecrow sequence, followed by Knocky Knee variations and a series of lifts to finish.

For the most part I did enjoy this routine, however I would have liked more steps in hold. It felt a bit more like a duet rather than 1920s partner dance. On the other hand, I really liked the song choice, I like the hip hop/Charleston fusion that Charles brought to the dance and as a pair I think they have great charisma on stage. If he were dance it again, I would like him to loose some of the tension in the upper body as it was quite stiff.

Judges Scores:

Shirley: "What an absolutely superb show, a superb ending to a superb night. You are phenomenal." (Score: 9)

Bruno: "Sparkling, squeaky clean. I like that you managed to introduce some hip-hop elements. Your best dance yet." (Score: 9)

Craig: "It was a bit too controlled and lacked eccentricity. [To boos] It's only my opinion." (Score: 8)

Darcey: "Strong characterisation between you two. Keep pushing that crazy fun side of the Charles I love." (Score: 9)

Our Score: 8

Strictly Review: Ashley Roberts and Pasha Kovalev

Ashley Roberts scored a hat trick after she received three 10s with her dance partner Pasha Kovalev for their Halloween themed Charleston. At the end of the night, they were joint top of the leaderboard with Faye Tozer and Giovanni Pernice.

Ashley and Pasha received a standing ovation from not only the audience but also from Bruno Tonioli and head judge Shirley Ballas after their “swivellious” Trolls-inspired routine. Bruno even exclaimed it was the highlight of the season so far. But what made it so good and stand out against the other Charleston routines we have seen so far?

First of all, I know what you are all going to say ‘She trained professionally!’ which is true, but let’s put that aside and take a look at the choreography and content on this dance which is what made it shine.

First of all, the pair are great at setting the scene. Pasha, the troll, puts a spell on Ashley, a bergen, to get her to fall in love with him. She executes the flapper walks and isolation steps of being under a spell perfectly. (If you are unclear of the reference, the characters are based on the Disney film Trolls).

Once the spell has been cast they break into Helicopters, Rock Steps and Charlestons in perfect sync. We see some other nice classic steps at 0:51 seconds where Ashley performs Camel Walks, Birdie Flaps, Lock Turns and Swivels on one leg which then goes straight into Charleston kicks across the body with two Bunny Hops. This is followed by Charleston in hold and a nice turning section. The whole section is jam packed and they keep going with great content as this is followed by Flapper Walks, a Basic Charleston with a kick and some lifts. 

As soon as they break out of the lifts, they perform two Smack the Babies and some classic Pushes and another seamless lift. Towards the end of the routine, they bring it back to the storyline where Ashley then tries to cast a spell on Pasha this time which leads to them throwing the spell book away and them being happy little trolls in love which each other.

What we love about this routine is the story and the choreography are perfectly put together. Sometimes the storylines are quite loose and don’t make sense but this one was clear and beautifully presented. It was also very fast, full of content and the pair of them were perfectly synchronised. Ashley is also the first celeb this series who has mastered the art of the swivel.

The only drawback to this routine is the music. The tune is so annoying that it distracts from the routine and If they had used something with a bit more swing, we could have seen some even more complicated steps with the use of cross phasing and syncopation which would have made it stand out even more. However, we are being picky and as this is a family show, I’m sure lots of kids loved the Disney reference and the music.

Judges Scores:

Bruno: "Astonishing! A magical spellbinding, exuberant, action packed, musical comedy Charleston. One of the best Strictly moments of the season." (Score: 10)

Craig: "Swi-vel-licious, darling." (Score: 9)

Darcey: "A terrific contrast from last week. How the choreography is led by the story, and that face was working as hard as the body." (Score: 10)

Shirley: "One of the best choreographic routines I've ever seen. Fantastic." (Score: 10) 

Our Score: 9