Tag Archives: quickstep

Strictly Speaking: Week 6

A rather mediocre performance week, with some improvement in scoring, and alas still some glaring biases. However, poor Clara Amfo really doomed herself with an error-strewn jive that was actually marked quite kindly, yet cemented her place in the dance-off. … Continue reading

Posted in Dance, Journalism, TV | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Maisie Smith’s footwork was this week’s real Strictly triumph

This week saw Clara Amfo try to shake her tail feather in a redemptive Tina Turner jive. But she hit the (Nutbush City) limits of her recovery skills when an early mistake tripped her up – and a deluge of errors … Continue reading

Posted in Dance, Journalism, TV | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Strictly Come Dancing 2020: week 2 recap – Jacqui Smith trotted round the ballroom like a drunk pony

As England is plunged back into lockdown, Jacqui Smith is locked out of the ballroom – and rightly so. Read my full Telegraph article here

Posted in Dance, Journalism, TV | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Strictly Speaking: Week 1

This first proper competitive show gave us a chance to assess the ‘new normal’ on Strictly – and, for the most part, it worked absolutely fine. Yes, the performances felt a little muted without a raucous studio audience, but that … Continue reading

Posted in Dance, Journalism, TV | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Strictly Come Dancing: From a firecracker samba to a belly-dancing Santa

Just like last year, Strictly Come Dancing began with a firecracker of a samba. In 2019, super sub Kelvin Fletcher got viewers hot and bothered; last night, Maisie Smith proved she’s no slouch in the shimmy department. Read my full Telegraph article here

Posted in Dance, Journalism, TV | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Strictly Speaking: The Final

We came to the end! The week’s second nationwide ballot (and, let’s face it, by far the more important) yielded – in my humble opinion – exactly the right result, with the consistently brilliant Kelvin and Oti lifting the glitterball … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Strictly Come Dancing, Grand Final: Brilliant Fletcher and Mabuse show power in simplicity

Kelvin Fletcher and partner Oti Mabuse were the incredibly worthy winners of Strictly 2019. The super sub, drafted at the last minute to replace an injured Jamie Laing, turned out to the secret weapon of this series – the modest, … Continue reading

Posted in Dance, Journalism, TV | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Strictly Speaking: Week 12

The semi-final offered up the two-dance challenge, which usually gives a strong indication of who’s ready for the final itself. But, in case you were in any doubt, the judges made their views very clear – i.e. no Chris under … Continue reading

Posted in Dance, Journalism, TV | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Strictly Come Dancing 2019 semi-final: who danced it best? Kelvin Fletcher is the technical master across two dances

By this stage, our celebrities can handle one dance – but two? That separates the contenders from the pretenders, as Len Goodman used to say. Leading contender, and surely hot favourite for the trophy, is Kelvin Fletcher, who impressed in … Continue reading

Posted in Dance, Journalism, TV | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Strictly Speaking: Week 9

For once, Blackpool Week just about lived up to the hype, with some fun, exciting and truly outstanding performances. But, as so often in this changeable series, erratic scoring led to another shock elimination. Michelle and Giovanni, one of this … Continue reading

Posted in Dance, Journalism, TV | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment