We’re still in!… And it was another rip-roarer of a Strictly weekend!
I am so thrilled to have reached week 4 and been given the opportunity to dance the Tango with my delightful partner, Judy. We’d practised so hard all week, I very much hoped it would be a dance she’d enjoy. There’s so much to concentrate on in order to really deliver a performance – no mean feat for a novice, the storytelling in particular… let alone the steps! I couldn’t be happier with how it went, and Judy said she felt she’d done better – and enjoyed it – which is what it’s all about!
Judy really was my Lady In Red on Saturday night – the perfect outfit, plenty of oomph, attitude, aggression… and topped off with a leap-of-faith lift at the end bringing the audience to its feet. Marvellous!
Craig said “amazing isn’t the word…” hear, hear! He remarked upon Judy’s natural stiffness which we took as a compliment, though said he wanted more aggression (which I shan’t be encouraging!). I quipped that Craig didn’t understand the real nuance of the dance when he likened some of our moves to throwing a bowling ball around the floor… but the sporting reference wasn’t lost on us! Darcey thought it had a wonderful beginning and a wonderful end, and liked the amount of attack; posture needs work but in all “a lovely surprise”. Bruno said Judy threw herself into the performance, literally, and Len had the perfect one-liner: “Plenty of punch, Judy!”… Strong, with aggression, saying he knew she’d be good at the tango with its head action going like a Wimbledon spectator. We roared!
I’m incredibly proud of how well Judy danced this weekend – such commitment, and it really shone through in her performance – what more could I ask for! As for the scores, a magnificent 22 – we scored the same this week with four judges as we did last week with five, so we’re on the up! That said, it still placed us 3rd from bottom on the leaderboard…
But again, thanks to our wonderful fans, we were saved from the Dance-off, and with a cheer of triumph, made it through to next week where we’re sure to entertain with our Charleston. You can imagine 😉 And Judy’s boys may be in the audience too so we’d best make it a good one!
Special mention must go to Strictly’s musical guests this week: the inimitable Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga – good heavens weren’t they spectacular? What a fabulous duet… and wonderful interpretation by Natalie and Trent on the dancefloor too. Such a thrill!
This week we all had to say farewell to the very fine Tim Wonnacott and his partner Natalie. Such a valiant effort with their Paso – and yet another surprise in seeing Mark and Karen go head-to-head with them in the Dance-off – you can see just how important the public vote can be in reshaping the leaderboard. I must mention Tim’s farewell speech – the epitome of eloquence – such an emotive tribute to the power of dance, the joy it can bring, and how fabulous this TV show is. Couldn’t have said it better myself… Keep dancing, Tim!
And so, once again, best foot forward and a cheeky Charleston ciao!
