Welcome one and all to another weekend of #StrictlyLiveBlogging, our weekly live blog of the hit BBC celebrity ballroom contest Strictly Come Dancing. With Blackpool been and gone, and just four weeks left of this series (has it gone that quickly already?) it’s now about to raise in the stakes department yet again. And that’s before Ballas and Horwood have overmarked the duopoly again (oops. I said that out loud. Ah well)…
We’ll get going at 6:20pm with our warm up looking ahead to tonight’s dances, before we go live with the BBC One show at 6:50pm. Don’t forget to swipe down or press F5 to refresh for all the dance floor action as it happens, and to leave your comments below or Tweet us using the hashtag #StrictlyLiveBlogging. Hope you can join us!
Alex 💃📺😄📝🎉👍
6:20pm
And so it was final weekend minus 4. Tonight, the seven remaining couples are dancing again to try and move another step closer to the final. Here as always, from the BBC Strictly Twitter, are their dances and what they’ll be dancing to:
And here’s everyone after finishing dress rehearsals earlier today:
6:30pm
20 minutes to go! Ah yes. We knew we were almost forgetting something. Tonight, the seven remaining couples aren’t just dancing their own dances, ah no no no. No, they will also in fact be doing what’s called the Paso Doblathon. A small video will explain what that is…
6:35pm
15 minutes to go! What happens when Mollie doesn’t get the shades memo? Well, this…
Alexandra and Gorka are a tad excited, yes…
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bb61KL-j5hP/
But not as much as Susan we’d say…
6:45pm
5 minutes to go! Tess just getting glammed and ready to go…
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bb7QUWig8xd/
As is Darcey…
6:50pm
Let’s get dancing and live blogging people…
6:57pm
Kicking off the lucky seven tonight is Joe and Katya. Their Quickstep is set on a New York building site for a skyscraper – so will they hit the heights again?
6:59pm
Well Joe and Katya definitely look the part this week! This really suits him this dance – it’s light, athletic and fast and he really captures the musicality of this so well – I feel like I’m watching a West End show!
Our score: 10. The quarter final – Joe’s gonna be a part of it!
7:01pm
Shirley said he’s on his way to next week and was unbelievable, and that there was a great mix of choreography as was his posture. Bruno said there was excellent workmanship, solid technique and beautiful detail that was accurate throughout! Craig said he felt his topline had tension but that it was clean, light and bright. Darcey said it was a gorgeous routine and that it was well timed to the music throughout.
7:05pm
The scores for Joe and Katya are in:
Craig: 9
Darcey: 9
Shirley: 10
Bruno: 10
Total: 38
7:07pm
Wow Janette was giving it some in the Paso warm up! First of the duopoly tonight now with Alexandra and Gorka – and it’s Rumba time…
7:10pm
Hmmm. It’s pretty but there’s no smoulder or sensuality to this Rumba. If we’re comparing this with the Gold Standard (Rachel Stevens, 2008), this burns out long before it starts.
Our score: 6. Competent but unexciting Rumba!
7:11pm
Bruno said the torment and conflicted emotions made it like a drama set to music and that she could have extended the lines more. Craig said it needed straighter legs in the Rumba walks, and that it was more of a technical display and that it lacked chemistry and connection. Darcey said she can see how hard she worked but that she didn’t express the musicality like she usually does. Shirley said she felt it had nice emotion and that she stepped on every beat of the music – albeit at the expense of the emotion.
7:14pm
Alexandra and Gorka’s scores are in:
Craig: 7
Darcey: 8
Shirley: 8
Bruno: 9
Total: 32
7:15pm
Up next tonight it’s Gemma and Aljâz – they’re back in the Latin this week with a Samba so let’s see how they get on…
7:17pm
Nice pyjamas guys! Do love this Billy Joel song they’re dancing to as well! Gemma is bringing the character to the theme of this dance but maintaining the key samba techniques throughout.
Our score: 8. The dream Samba? Quite possibly!
7:19pm
Craig said her arms were a bit haphazard and that her hands looked like soup ladles and that it was awkward and lumpish at times. Darcey said the narrative was strange and that the dance never woke up and that it wasn’t for her. Shirley said she liked the bedroom scene and that when she got started she did a nice volta. Bruno said it was a perfect Samba with a hangover – and he’s been there himself – but that the theme lost the rhythm and flow of the Samba.
7:22pm
Time to get Gemma and Aljâz’s scores:
Craig: 6
Darcey: 6
Shirley: 6
Bruno: 7
Total: 25
7:26pm
Mollie and AJ are coming up next – they’ve got a quickstep to Rihanna – but will she be the only girl in the world at the top of the leaderboard tonight?
7:27pm
Oooh. I’m getting Ore and Joanne American Smooth vibes off this! Light, sprightly and making a splash with this Quickstep – like something out of a musical!
Our score: 9. Mollie and AJ can have our umbrellas any day of the week!
7:29pm
Darcey said she was very good and assured and confident and that it was nice, clean and crisp. Shirley said she made massive improvements on her frame and that her arms were like wings that flew and that it improved everything else as well. Bruno said the rain has gone and the fog has lifted to unveil a bright, clear quickstep! Craig said she can see the effort in her footwork reproduced in her topline and that she has made so much progress!
7:32pm
Here come Mollie and AJ’s scores:
Craig: 7
Darcey: 7
Shirley: 8
Bruno: 9
Total: 31
7:34pm
Time for Davood and Nadiya now – let’s see how they get on with their Waltz tonight…
7:36pm
Shout out to the costume team – Nadiya looks stunning tonight and Davood very dapper in his tails! I am definitely feeling the connection and romantic quality Davood and Nadiya are bringing to this dance – it’s like a dream to watch!
Our score: 10. Graceful like they were waltzing on clouds!
7:38pm
Shirley said he’s delivered again this week and that he’s taken her back in time with a classic Waltz. Bruno said they looked like movie stars and that it was a stylish, simple but gorgeous Waltz that charmed him. Craig said it needed a bit more swing and sway but that it had grace and elegance. Darcey said it was effortless with good travel, control and the right amount of romance – her kind of Waltz!
7:40pm
Davood and Nadiya’s scores are in:
Craig: 8
Darcey: 9
Shirley: 9
Bruno: 9
Total: 35
7:41pm
Duopoly number two time now and hoping to avoid the dance off again are Debbie and Giovanni with an Argentine Tango…
7:43pm
I legitimately thought they were dancing to the theme from Fawlty Towers for one second. The Argentine Tango is one of my dances when it’s done properly – this just wasn’t for me – not enough attack and passion until the end.
Our score: 7. A comeback from the dance off, albeit not as sharp as needed.
7:45pm
Bruno said she was the Queen of Buenos Aires and that she used the dancefloor tonight like an artist with a canvas. Craig said she was totally unbelievable and that he wishes he could dance like her (NO. REALLY?). Darcey said the articulation and line in her legs is outstanding with extraordinary technical detail. Shirley said she found it emotional throughout and outstanding. Really?
7:48pm
Debbie and Giovanni’s scores are in:
Craig: 9
Darcey: 9
Shirley: 10
Bruno: 10
Total: 38
7:49pm
Dancing last tonight before the Paso Doblathon is Susan and Kevin – they’ve got an American Smooth this week so will they cruise through in style?
7:51pm
Nice traditional music they have this week with Bobby Darin! Have to say it’s nice to see Susan and Kevin back doing a smiley, uplifting dance again this week. Maybe not their best (ooops that fall) but they make up for it in feel good factor!
Our score: 7. Oh how happy Susan and Kevin make me beyond the sea!
7:53pm
Craig said there was too much gapping and timing issues getting off the bench but as an entertainment piece it was a sweet. Darcey said it had a glimmer of Hollywood glamour to it with a touch of Fred Astaire. Shirley said she thought Susan looked beautiful and that the music, setting and entertainment factor was good but that she needed more technique from her. Bruno said she was saved by the bench from the amount of times she went up and down throughout but that he loves watching her.
7:55pm
Time to get Susan and Kevin’s scores:
Craig: 4
Darcey: 6
Shirley: 5
Bruno: 6
Total: 21
7:58pm
Is anyone following these rules? No? Well we’d be screwed then…we’re loving Neil’s ungracious loser acting by the way 😂
8pm
Here we go then. Oooh Mollie has got some serious Paso face on! Have to say based on what we’re seeing Joe and Katya get our 7 so far…what do you think?
8:03pm
Well at least no one bumped into each other throughout! Who’s getting which scores then…let’s find out:
- Scoring one point: Susan and Kevin…
- Scoring two points: Mollie and AJ…
- Scoring three points: Gemma and Aljâz…
- Scoring four points: Davood and Nadiya…
- Scoring five points: Debbie and Giovanni…
- Scoring six points: Joe and Katya…
- Scoring seven points: Alexandra and Gorka…
8:06pm
So that’s it – the Pasodoblathon and dances all over. Who are you voting for tonight? Join us again tomorrow for the results show to find out who’s heading for the dance off – we’ll see you then!
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