Series 7, Week 13 - Semi Final
Sunday, December 13, 2009 at 5:17PM Tonights show kicked off with a latin routine from ten of the professional dancers including Darren & Lilia, James & Kristina, Brendan & Katya, Matthew & Aliona and Vincent & Flavia who danced a mixture of jive, samba and cha cha cha to the Billy Ocean song, "Red Light Spells Danger".
| Chris & Ola started the competition with a rumba tonight, dancing to "Total Eclipse of the Heart". Craig said there was no real improvement from week one, with really bad hands, but he loved the contemporary opening to the dance and the emotion, but it was ruined by the hands. Darcey told Chris he was being a very good partner, but she was missing the moves and she really wanted to see his rumba, but it was missing. Len said "Total Eclipse of the Heart" was very apt, because Chris puts his heart into every dance he does, and if was down to entertainment, hard work and dedication, he'd top the leaderboard every week. Alesha started with a positive, saying the rumba was a clever choice because it showed the sincerity between them, it was really strong and kept the intent, but it exposed the lack of hip action, but every week he gives it 110%. Bruno thought Chris went for it like a sex starved fiend, but technically he's not the best dancer, but he covers it up with so much work and commitment I think Ola choreographed a really interesting routine to play to Chris's strengths and give a crowd pleasing routine whilst trying to hide his technical weaknesses, and as the only celebrity left in the competition who isn't an actor, I think Chris tries really hard to portray the emotion and character of the dance - 7. |
Scores: Craig Darcey Len Alesha Bruno Total |
7 7 8 8 8 38 |
| The first argentine tango of the night was from Ali & Brian who danced to "Pa Bailar". Darcey told Ali she put every technical move in there, but she went a little wrong, and it could have been sharper and cleaner but she liked it. Len said that Ali needs to kiss goodbye to her nerves if she wants to be kissing the mirrorball trophy next week, as they're inhibiting her performance. Alesha could see she was trying to create the passion and she could see her trying to play the temptress, and she liked the intricate moments between them. Bruno liked that she tried to go for the character, but sometimes the nerves just stop her and it stopes the flow, but nevertheless she is a great dancer. This was a very technical routine with bags of content, and by the end I could really feel the chemistry between the two of them oozing of the screen, but I didn't feel Ali's footwork was as sharp as it should have been for the most part. We have seen reports of Ali being injured and the producers having Laila & Anton on standby in case Ali wasn't fit to dance, and I noticed that for both dances tonight she wore quite low heels, so I don't think she was 100% fit and this may have affected her performance, but a very good routine - 8. |
Scores: Craig Darcey Len Alesha Bruno Total |
8 8 9 8 9 42 |
| Ricky & Natalie chose to rechoreograph their very first dance of the series, the waltz, which this time they danced to "Kissing You". Alesha said finally the semi finals were underway and it was beautifully executed and for her, Ricky's been the strongest contender since week one, and she thought it was incredible. Bruno told him it was smooth, refined, romantic, a waltz of timeless elegance, and used the music beautifully - fabulous. Craig said the phrasing was exceptional, and it was simple, elegant, gorgeous. Darcey told Natalie it was beautiful choreography and Ricky was true quality and class, the posture and his upper body was stunning. I'm still going to be really picky here, and again have to mention Ricky's pigeon toes, which were in evidence again tonight, despite Natalie's long dress and the camera work being favourable to them. I also think there was a mistake as they went into the closing of the dance, because as Ricky spun Natalie underarm, she had a look of almost horror on her face as if to say "aargh, we're going wrong, just get it back together" and then the whispering and hugging after they'd finished made me suspicious as well. I did like it, although I'm not a huge fan of the song choice, which didn't endear me to the dance - 8. |
Scores: Craig Darcey Len Alesha Bruno Total |
9 9 10 9 10 47 |
| Chris & Ola started round two with their argentine tango, performing to "Bust Your Windows". Bruno started by saying it was an heroic effort, with plenty of steps in it, but Chris's face needs to relax and get into the mood without forcing it, and it needs to be truthful. Craig said the trout mouth was back but he's starting to find it endearing, and he loved the choreography and Chris danced it really well. Darcey said it was so much better than the rumba, and he was dancing, and they molding into one person during the dance. Len told Chris he epitomises what he loves about Strictly Come Dancing, with no dance experience and comes out and gives it a go, and it had emotion, lovely lifts, showed a bit of fire and passion, and he was mesmerised by the chemistry. I thought this was a great routine, with plenty of content and musicality, and I thought Chris really sold the dance, and very entertaining. And, I loved Ola's dress! - 8. |
Scores: Craig Darcey Len Alesha Bruno Total |
8 8 9 9 8 42 |
| Onto Ali & Brian's American Smooth which they danced to "Come Dance With Me". Len said he loved Ali's American Smooth the first time he saw it, and this was even better. Alesha told Ali as the last girl standing she was doing the girls proud, and it was her favourite dance from her as it suits her style, simple, elegant, classy, classic. Bruno said the ballroom dazzler is back on top form, and it showcased the best of her ability, it was fluid and radiant and he loved it. Craig had just one word, FAB-U-LOUS! Again, I'm going to be picky. I did love it, but I think there was a very slight error coming out of one of the turns and Ali looked slightly out of time. Apart from that it was absolutely gorgeous (and I loved the kiss at the end!) - 9. |
Scores: Craig Darcey Len Alesha Bruno Total |
10 10 10 10 10 50 |
| Finally, Ricky & Natalie danced their argentine tango to "Verano Porteno". After a standing ovation, Craig started by saying that he came down the stairs at the wrong time, but he loved it, it was absolutely amazing. Darcey told Ricky the intensity was wonderful, the musicality was perfect, and she couldn't tell he wasn't a professional dancer. Alesha said it was sexy, hot, passionate and intense - fantastic. Len said the British love an underdog, but more than that they love justice, and if Ricky is not in the final, there is no justice. Very strong, very dramatic, but there was one section of steps I felt looked a tiny bit clumsy, and occasionally Ricky lost the character when he was concentrating on the steps or lifts, but it was the best argentine tango of the night, and if I could give a 9.9 I would, but it wasn't quite perfect - 9. |
Scores: Craig Darcey Len Alesha Bruno Total |
9 10 10 10 10 49 |
To finish off the main show, Darcey performed a jive with Ian, and I almost thought they were going to be judged as they walked over to talk to Bruce after the dance finished!
Back with the results show later on the evening, and with no dance off this week, there was awful lot of time to fill before we found out which couples would be back for next weeks grand final, and that filler started with an absolutely beautiful foxtrot from Ian & Natalie that they danced to "You Don't Bring Me Flowers". This was followed by a demonstration from the World Exhibition Champions, Craig Smith and Natalie Woolf, and I have to admit, I'm not a fan of these style of exhibition dances which feel more like a combination of weightlifting and acrobatics set to music and not like a dance, and just leave me cold. More time filling next with a performance of "You Can't Stop The Beat" by the cast of the musical Hairspray, accompanied by some of the Strictly professional dancers and a guest performance by one of last years Strictly couples, Austin & Erin, which was fantastically entertaining.
Next up was this weeks musical guest (and finally someone I actually like!) with Lily Allen performing "Not Fair" with a dance accompaniment from Matthew & Aliona. Lily is said to be a big fan of Strictly, and she's taking a year off music to concentrate on other projects, so I'd love to see her take part in the show next year.
It was then time for Bruce and Tess to announce the results. With no dance off this week, the couple with the lowest combined score from the judges marks and the public votes were to leave the competition. The first couple whose names were called out were Ricky & Natalie leaving Chris & Ola and Ali & Brian in the bottom two. After the usual spotlight and drum rolls, it was finally revealed that Ali & Brian would be leaving the competition, meaning Ricky & Natalie and Chris & Ola will be our series seven finalists next week.
I'd been convinced the producers would pull something out of the bag to give us a three couple final, but it was not to be, and as delighted as I was to see Chris & Ola go through, I was in tears along with Ali and Brian by the end of the show, as I would have loved to see them dancing again next week. At least they'll be in the Christmas special, so perhaps we'll get a showstopping performance from them to earn a trophy then.
Series 7, Series 7 - Reviews in Strictly Come Dancing
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