Strictly Come Dancing 2018 - Week 11 Musicals Week

We're at Week 11, only two more weeks to go until the Glitterball winner is chosen.  Not only is it the Quarter Finals tonight, but it's also Musicals Week and another chance for the costume department, the makeup department, the props and the extra dancers to show what they can do.  Yes, almost as fun as Movie Week, it's always a spectacle and always a fun week.  Unlike Movie Week, at this stage in the competition, we're down to mostly the best dancers so the routines are likely to be second to none.

First of all, we start with a pro dance based on Mamma Mia and what a routine!  The casting was delightful with AJ and Dianne taking on the roles of Sky and Sophie, Anton du Beke was Sam and Karen Clifton was Donna, which may seem out of character but as she is the eldest of the female pro dancers at 36, it was the logical choice.  But it was the roles of Harry, Bill, Tanya and Rosie that were inspired.  These roles went to none other than our own four judges, Bruno, Craig, Shirley and Darcey.  Whilst Bruno and Craig looked like someone had booked their dads on a Club 18-30 holiday to Greece, Darcey and Shirley showed why they were award-winning professional dancers.  Even the celebs got in on the act and showed up at the end, but all in all, a truly stunning routine and a whole heap of fun.

But then it was on to the celebs to take to the floor and show what they have been learning in this past week.

First up were Lauren and AJ.  They were dancing the American Smooth to 'I'm In Love With A Wonderful Guy' from the musical South Pacific.  The last couple of weeks have been a bit dodgy for Lauren, she's been bottom of the leaderboard and lucky to stay out of the dance-off.  But what a way to come back and up your A-game! This routine was gorgeous, Lauren really brought out her personality and got into character, the connection with AJ was there, the routine was technically good and she scored her highest mark yet.  What a comeback.

Next up, however, we had Faye and Giovanni.  They were dancing a Charleston to 'The Lonely Goatherd' from The Sound of Music.  Whilst Giovanni's outfit seriously creeped me out, there was nothing scary about the routine, apart from perhaps how scarily FANTASTIC it was.  They were so completely in sync with each other, not a step wrong or an arm out of place.  It really showed off Faye's fun side, much like Ashley's Charleston did.  The Charleston has always been one of my favourite dances because it is a very fun dance to watch and Faye did not disappoint.  Craig's 10 paddle saw the light of day once more and earned them a perfect score of 40 and top of the leaderboard.

Our third couple to dance was Charles and Karen.  They were doing the notoriously difficult Rumba to the song 'Maria' from West Side Story.  It was beautifully acted and more importantly beautifully danced.  Karen highlighted the best of Charles and he stepped up to the mark, producing a beautifully tender yet passionate dance.  He earnt high praise from the judges and even Craig said it was the best male Rumba he's ever seen on Strictly.  That is high praise indeed.

Next up was the technically brilliant but utterly boring Ashley with her partner Pasha.  They were dancing the Quickstep to 'Don't Rain On My Parade' from Funny Girl.  It was a very quick Quickstep, there was hardly time to stop and breathe as they moved from step to step.  As I said, Ashley is a brilliant technical dancer, obviously having the training and I don't care if it's not ballroom training, Craig Revel-Horwood, it's still dance training so she knows how to listen to the music, how to move with a beat etc so yes she has an advantage.  However, despite her dances being technically good, her performances don't move me to emotion mostly.  I say mostly as there are a couple of notable exceptions such as her Tango, and her Charleston.  But on the whole, she's boring.

Next, we have Stacey and Kevin and they are dancing an American Smooth to 'I Dreamed A Dream' from Les Miserables.  Now, previously I have been supportive of Stacey.  I think for a non-dancer she has performed exceptionally well and has produced some totally stunning dances and having Kevin for a partner has helped as he is an amazing choreographer.  However, she is beginning to irritate me a little bit.  She's very over the top and has a very annoying habit of interrupting the judges when they are commenting on her dances and also host Claudia Winkelman when she's interviewing her.  Anyway, back to her dance and although she had the iconic musical of Les Mis, I felt this was very little dancing and mainly Stacey being lifted and passed around.  Also an American Smooth only allows a maximum of three lifts and there were more than that, at least six.  Yet there was no penalty in the marks which seems to show a little favouritism from the judges.  Still, the bits where she did dance were quite lovely and I really do love Kevin.

The final couple to dance was Joe and Dianne.  Joe is definitely coming out as my favourite as the series progresses.  They were dancing a Salsa to the Joseph Megamix from 'Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat (glad I only have to type that out once).  Joe has gone from quite a shy, nervous dancer to such a confident and relaxed dancer.  He throws everything he has at the dances he's given and really sells a performance.  And those lifts, never has the man been lifted like that before and that final lift into the air was incredible, he kept his frame so strong and straight and not even a hint of a wobble.  What a way to end the show!

So by the end of the show, the leaderboard is looking very very close

Faye & Giovanni	40
Stacey & Kevin	38
Ashley & Pasha	38
Joe & Dianne	36
Charles & Karen	35
Lauren & AJ	35

With only five points separating the top from the bottom, it's going to be an interesting results show.


So Sunday night's show opened with a Sweet Charity dance to Rhythm of Life.  It was good, except for the annoying clapping from the audience.  The show also saw a performance from Adam Lambert, showing just why he was chosen to sing with the remaining Queen members. I almost said to replace Freddie Mercury but no-one alive can do that, he was the greatest.  Still, Mr Lambert is extremely good and sang an excellent version of We Are The Champions.

However, you're here for the dance-off and it's sad to see Charles in there first of all.  Even sadder, when he's joined by Ashley because before they even dance again, it's pretty obvious how the result will go.  Predictably it's a clean sweep and all four judges vote Ashley through, however, I felt sorry for Charles as his routine and performance was the more heartfelt and had more depth.  I am sorry to see him go as he's grown so much as a dancer.

So it's on to next week and the Semi-Finals, where the couple will perform two dances instead of just the one.  The obvious weakest performer is Lauren but she is clearly getting a lot of public support whereas Ashley clearly isn't so anything could happen next week when it really all counts.

Until then my Strictly Stunners

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