PASO DOBLE
History
The Paso doble is a dramatic interpretation in dance of the matador facing a bull in the traditional bullring, and originated in southern Spain. Paso doble translates as 'two step', and developed from the march at the start of a bullfight. The Paso doble is the dance in which the story telling element is crucial to its success.
The dance
The man plays the role of the matador, while the woman will need to play not only the cape, but also the bull, and sometimes a flamenco dancer. Above all, the Paso doble should be dramatic and intense - the dancers must commit to the attitude of the dance.
The dance should include strong, dramatic walks, with apels (a strong stamp of the foot), with elements of flamenco in the footwork. Because of the dramatic nature of the Paso doble, postures and lines are extremely important, so expect to see strong arms and hands, as well as very masculine toreodors.
Both the men and woman will have bold costumes, with men often wearing a bolero jacket like the matadors in the bullring. Unusually for latin dances, the woman's dress will sometimes be a full length dress, but with a wide flowing skirt to allow them to mimic the look of the cape, and will almost always be a strong, bold colour such as deep blood red, black, electric purple or a striking plain white.
The judges in Strictly Come Dancing will be looking for attitude - intense, strong, aggressive, whilst always maintaining the story of the bullfight.
Strictly statistics
As at the end of Series 10 excluding Christmas Specials.
| Overall | Female | Couple | Male | Couple | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of dances | 73 | 38 | 35 | ||||
| Average score | 28.5 | 29.8 | 27.1 | ||||
| Highest score | 40 | 40 | Chelsee & Pasha (Series 9) | 38 | Austin & Erin (Series 6) | ||
| Lowest score | 16 | 16 | Ann & Anton (Series 8) | 15 | Chris & Hanna (Series 1) Dennis & Izabela (Series 3) |
||
| Number of 10s | 13 | 9 | 4 |
*For the calculation of averages, the score for any dances marked by five judges have been adjusted down to allow for fair comparison.
The best of Strictly
The first perfect score of series nine was awarded to a fantastic paso doble from Chelsee Healey. In a striking contemporary dress, Chelsee and her partner Pasha gave a very traditional but beautifully executed routine, danced to the song "Malaguena" with beautiful characterisation and a fantastic flamenco section, the judges couldn't fault her and gave her four perfect 10s. It was Craig's first 10 of the series, calling it "Paso personified".
Not far behined, were Austin & Erin in series six scored three 10's and a total of 38 points for their routine to 'Espana Cani'. Holly danced in series 9 with Artem, and it was during Movie Week that they danced to the theme from the film, The Mask of Zorro and Holly received her first two 10s and her highest score of the series with 38 points, Alesha praising her perfect hands and arms and Bruno dubbing Holly a Spanish sorceress.
Jill & Darren also danced to 'Espana Cani' in their semi-final dance in series 2, earning her first 10 of the series from Arlene, who for many years after cited it as the best paso doble she'd seen on Strictly. They scored a total of 37 points for the routine.
The worst of Strictly
There have been some terrible Paso doble routines in Strictly history, probably the most often mentioned, is Chris & Hanna from series one, where at one point Chris runs around the ballroom with arms aloft hold the cape over his head. Unsurprisingly, they received only 15 points.
Probably the most disappointing dance also came in series 1 from Verona & Paul. Due to work and personal commitments, Verona's training hours were limited during the week they danced the paso, and Paul made up for it by taking control of the dance himself, with a bare upper torso and the cape wound around his waist to start, he gave a fantastic demonstration of paso cape work while leaving Verona stood on the side of the dancefloor clapping in time to the music. The judges commented and awared them only 24 points, while the audience noticed and voted them out of the competition that week.
Scores for all Paso Doble performances:
Series 1| Judges scores | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Couple | Song | Date | Craig | Arlene | Len | Bruno | Total |
| Claire & John | Espana Cani | Week 4 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 31 |
| Verona & Paul | Bolero | Week 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 24 |
| Lesley & Anton | Scott & Fran's Paso Doble | Week 4 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 30 |
| Chris & Hanna | Bamboleo | Week 6 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 15 |
| Natasha & Brendan | Carmina Burana | Week 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 35 |
Series 2
| Judges scores | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Couple | Song | Date | Craig | Arlene | Len | Bruno | Total |
| Sarah & Brendan | Bring Me To Life | Week 4 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 29 |
| Julian & Erin | Entry Of The Toreodors | Week 4 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 20 |
| Diarmuid & Nicole | L'Amour Est Un Oiseau Rouge | Week 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 17 |
| Aled & Lilia | Malaguena | Week 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 30 |
| Jill & Darren | Espana Cani | Week 7 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 37 |
| Denise & Ian | Don't Cry For Me Argentina | Week 7 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 36 |
Series 3
| Judges scores | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Couple | Song | Date | Craig | Arlene | Len | Bruno | Total |
| Colin & Erin | Thriller | Week 4 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 31 |
| Dennis & Izabella | Eye Of The Tiger | Week 4 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 15 |
| James & Camilla | Romeo And Juliet | Week 4 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 29 |
| Bill & Karen | Carnival De Paris | Week 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 25 |
| Darren & Lilia | Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood | Week 4 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 34 |
| Zoe & Ian | Manolita | Week 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 33 |
| Darren & Lilia | Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood | Week 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 36 |
Series 4
| Judges scores | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Couple | Song | Date | Craig | Arlene | Len | Bruno | Total |
| Matt & Lilia | I Would Do Anything For Love | Week 4 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
| Mark & Karen | Scott & Fran's Paso Doble | Week 4 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 35 |
| Peter & Erin | Theme From Mission Impossible | Week 4 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 19 |
| Ray & Camilla | It's My Life | Week 4 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 30 |
| Louisa & Vincent | Left Outside Alone | Week 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 34 |
| Emma & Darren | Explosive | Week 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 37 |
Series 5
| Judges scores | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Couple | Song | Date | Craig | Arlene | Len | Bruno | Total |
| Kelly & Brendan | You Give Love A Bad Name | Week 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
| Letitia & Darren | Live And Let Die | Week 5 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 31 |
| Kenny & Ola | Take Me Out | Week 5 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 21 |
| Dominic & Lilia | El Gato Montes | Week 5 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 25 |
| Matt & Flavia | Smooth Criminal | Week 5 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 31 |
| Kate & Anton | Somebody Told Me | Week 7 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 21 |
| Alesha & Matthew | Toccata | Week 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 36 |
| Gethin & Camilla | Standing In The Way Of Control | Week 11 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 34 |
Series 6
| Judges scores | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Couple | Song | Date | Craig | Arlene | Len | Bruno | Total |
| Lisa & Brendan | Eye Of The Tiger | Week 6 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 29 |
| Christine & Matthew | Fighter | Week 6 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 22 |
| Cherie & James | Amparito | Week 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 31 |
| Mark & Hayley | Since You’ve Been Gone | Week 6 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 16 |
| John & Kristina | Rodrigo's Guitar Concerto | Week 6 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 21 |
| Jodie & Ian | Song 2 | Week 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 26 |
| Tom & Camilla | (I Just) Died In Your Arms Tonight | Week 7 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 34 |
| Rachel & Vincent | The Final Countdown | Week 11 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 32 |
| Austin & Erin | Espana Cani | Week 11 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 38 |
Series 7
| Judges scores | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Couple | Song | Date | Craig | Darcey | Len | Alesha | Bruno | Total |
| Lynda & Darren | Devil Woman | Week 3 | 5 | - | 7 | 7 | 6 | 25 |
| Zoe & James | You've Got The Love | Week 3 | 7 | - | 8 | 8 | 8 | 31 |
| Natalie & Vincent | Malaguena | Week 3 | 6 | - | 7 | 8 | 7 | 28 |
| Ricky & Natalie | Spanish Gypsy Dance | Week 4 | 8 | - | 9 | 9 | 9 | 35 |
| Joe & Kristina | Livin' On A Prayer | Week 4 | 3 | - | 5 | 6 | 5 | 19 |
| Jo & Brendan | Because The Night | Week 4 | 3 | - | 6 | 6 | 5 | 20 |
| Ricky & Erin | One Vision | Week 4 | 7 | - | 7 | 8 | 7 | 29 |
| Ali & Brian | El Gato Montes | Week 7 | 8 | - | 9 | 8 | 8 | 33 |
| Laila & Anton | Layla | Week 8 | 7 | - | 7 | 8 | 8 | 30 |
| Chris & Ola | I Believe In A Thing Called Love | Week 9 | 6 | - | 8 | 9 | 7 | 30 |
| Austin & Erin | Bohemian Rhapsody | Christmas | 9 | - | 9 | 9 | 9 | 36 |
Series 8
| Judges scores | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Couple | Song | Date | Craig | Len | Alesha | Bruno | Total |
| Kara & Artem | The Phantom Of The Opera | Week 5 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 37 |
| Jimi & Flavia | Thriller | Week 5 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 30 |
| Gavin & Katya | Uprising | Week 5 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 26 |
| Ann & Anton | Wild Thing | Week 5 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 16 |
| Felicity & Vincent | Habanera | Week 6 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 29 |
| Michelle & Brendan | American Woman | Week 7 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 24 |
| Scott & Natalie | James Bond Theme | Week 10 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 35 |
| Pamela & James | Bad Romance | Week 11 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 35 |
| Matt & Aliona | Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood | Week 12 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 35 |
Series 9
| Judges scores | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Couple | Song | Date | Craig | Jennifer | Len | Alesha | Bruno | Total |
| Jason & Kristina | I Want It All | Week 4 | 6 | - | 7 | 7 | 7 | 27 |
| Nancy & Anton | Rodrigo's Guitar Concerto | Week 4 | 3 | - | 5 | 5 | 5 | 18 |
| Alex & James | Bring Me To Life | Week 5 | 7 | - | 8 | 8 | 8 | 31 |
| Robbie & Ola | Bad | Week 5 | 4 | - | 7 | 8 | 7 | 26 |
| Lulu & Brendan | Highway To Hell | Week 5 | 6 | - | 7 | 8 | 8 | 29 |
| Russell & Flavia | Carmen | Week 6 | 4 | 7 | - | 6 | 7 | 24 |
| Holly & Artem | The Train | Week 10 | 9 | - | 9 | 10 | 10 | 38 |
| Chelsee & Pasha | Malaguena | Week 11 | 10 | - | 10 | 10 | 10 | 40 |
Series 10
| Judges scores | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Couple | Song | Date | Craig | Darcey | Len | Bruno | Total |
| Richard & Erin | O Fortuna | Week 4 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 22 |
| Kimberley & Pasha | Hungry Like The Wolf | Week 4 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 31 |
| Fern & Artem | Espana Cani | Week 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 24 |
| Denise & James | Seven Nation Army | Week 6 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 36 |
| Victoria & Brendan | Bicycle Race | Week 7 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 24 |
| Louis & Flavia | Dirty Diana | Week 8 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 27 |
All dances from highest scoring to lowest scoring
| Couple | Song | Date | Score* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chelsee & Pasha | Malaguena | Series 9, Week 11 | 40 |
| Austin & Erin | Espana Cani | Series 6, Week 11 | 38 |
| Holly & Artem | The Train | Series 9, Week 10 | 38 |
| Jill & Darren | Espana Cani | Series 2, Week 7 | 37 |
| Emma & Darren | Explosive | Series 4, Week 9 | 37 |
| Kara & Artem | The Phantom Of The Opera | Series 8, Week 5 | 37 |
| Denise & Ian | Don't Cry For Me Argentina | Series 2, Week 7 | 36 |
| Darren & Lilia | Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood | Series 3, Week 10 | 36 |
| Alesha & Matthew | Toccata | Series 5, Week 10 | 36 |
| Austin & Erin | Bohemian Rhapsody | Series 7, Week Christmas | 36 |
| Denise & James | Seven Nation Army | Series 10, Week 6 | 36 |
| Natasha & Brendan | Carmina Burana | Series 1, Week 7 | 35 |
| Mark & Karen | Scott & Fran's Paso Doble | Series 4, Week 4 | 35 |
| Ricky & Natalie | Spanish Gypsy Dance | Series 7, Week 4 | 35 |
| Scott & Natalie | James Bond Theme | Series 8, Week 10 | 35 |
| Pamela & James | Bad Romance | Series 8, Week 11 | 35 |
| Matt & Aliona | Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood | Series 8, Week 12 | 35 |
| Darren & Lilia | Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood | Series 3, Week 4 | 34 |
| Louisa & Vincent | Left Outside Alone | Series 4, Week 8 | 34 |
| Gethin & Camilla | Standing In The Way Of Control | Series 5, Week 11 | 34 |
| Tom & Camilla | (I Just) Died In Your Arms Tonight | Series 6, Week 7 | 34 |
| Zoe & Ian | Manolita | Series 3, Week 9 | 33 |
| Ali & Brian | El Gato Montes | Series 7, Week 7 | 33 |
| Rachel & Vincent | The Final Countdown | Series 6, Week 11 | 32 |
| Claire & John | Espana Cani | Series 1, Week 4 | 31 |
| Colin & Erin | Thriller | Series 3, Week 4 | 31 |
| Letitia & Darren | Live And Let Die | Series 5, Week 5 | 31 |
| Matt & Flavia | Smooth Criminal | Series 5, Week 5 | 31 |
| Cherie & James | Amparito | Series 6, Week 6 | 31 |
| Zoe & James | You've Got The Love | Series 7, Week 3 | 31 |
| Alex & James | Bring Me To Life | Series 9, Week 5 | 31 |
| Kimberley & Pasha | Hungry Like The Wolf | Series 10, Week 4 | 31 |
| Lesley & Anton | Scott & Fran's Paso Doble | Series 1, Week 4 | 30 |
| Aled & Lilia | Malaguena | Series 2, Week 7 | 30 |
| Ray & Camilla | It's My Life | Series 4, Week 4 | 30 |
| Laila & Anton | Layla | Series 7, Week 8 | 30 |
| Chris & Ola | I Believe In A Thing Called Love | Series 7, Week 9 | 30 |
| Jimi & Flavia | Thriller | Series 8, Week 5 | 30 |
| Sarah & Brendan | Bring Me To Life | Series 2, Week 4 | 29 |
| James & Camilla | Romeo And Juliet | Series 3, Week 4 | 29 |
| Lisa & Brendan | Eye Of The Tiger | Series 6, Week 6 | 29 |
| Ricky & Erin | One Vision | Series 7, Week 4 | 29 |
| Felicity & Vincent | Habanera | Series 8, Week 6 | 29 |
| Lulu & Brendan | Highway To Hell | Series 9, Week 5 | 29 |
| Matt & Lilia | I Would Do Anything For Love | Series 4, Week 4 | 28 |
| Kelly & Brendan | You Give Love A Bad Name | Series 5, Week 5 | 28 |
| Natalie & Vincent | Malaguena | Series 7, Week 3 | 28 |
| Jason & Kristina | I Want It All | Series 9, Week 4 | 27 |
| Louis & Flavia | Dirty Diana | Series 10, Week 8 | 27 |
| Jodie & Ian | Song 2 | Series 6, Week 6 | 26 |
| Gavin & Katya | Uprising | Series 8, Week 5 | 26 |
| Robbie & Ola | Bad | Series 9, Week 5 | 26 |
| Bill & Karen | Carnival De Paris | Series 3, Week 4 | 25 |
| Dominic & Lilia | El Gato Montes | Series 5, Week 5 | 25 |
| Lynda & Darren | Devil Woman | Series 7, Week 3 | 25 |
| Verona & Paul | Bolero | Series 1, Week 4 | 24 |
| Michelle & Brendan | American Woman | Series 8, Week 7 | 24 |
| Russell & Flavia | Carmen | Series 9, Week 6 | 24 |
| Fern & Artem | Espana Cani | Series 10, Week 5 | 24 |
| Victoria & Brendan | Bicycle Race | Series 10, Week 7 | 24 |
| Christine & Matthew | Fighter | Series 6, Week 6 | 22 |
| Richard & Erin | O Fortuna | Series 10, Week 4 | 22 |
| Kenny & Ola | Take Me Out | Series 5, Week 5 | 21 |
| Kate & Anton | Somebody Told Me | Series 5, Week 7 | 21 |
| John & Kristina | Rodrigo's Guitar Concerto | Series 6, Week 6 | 21 |
| Julian & Erin | Entry Of The Toreodors | Series 2, Week 4 | 20 |
| Jo & Brendan | Because The Night | Series 7, Week 4 | 20 |
| Peter & Erin | Theme From Mission Impossible | Series 4, Week 4 | 19 |
| Joe & Kristina | Livin' On A Prayer | Series 7, Week 4 | 19 |
| Nancy & Anton | Rodrigo's Guitar Concerto | Series 9, Week 4 | 18 |
| Diarmuid & Nicole | L'Amour Est Un Oiseau Rouge | Series 2, Week 4 | 17 |
| Mark & Hayley | Since You’ve Been Gone | Series 6, Week 6 | 16 |
| Ann & Anton | Wild Thing | Series 8, Week 5 | 16 |
| Chris & Hanna | Bamboleo | Series 1, Week 6 | 15 |
| Dennis & Izabella | Eye Of The Tiger | Series 3, Week 4 | 15 |
*The score for any dances marked by five judges have been adjusted down to allow for fair comparison, so the score in this column is the adjusted score followed by the actual score in brackets.
Austin & Erin's traditional paso from series 6:
Another traditional song choice from Ricky & Natalie in series 7:
Not the highest scoring, but one of my favourites from series 5 - Letitia & Darren: