BBC Strictly Come Dancing's Sarah and Vito 'mesmerise' with couple's choice in Blackpool

Blackpool week for me will always be a highlight in the Strictly calendar. Dancing in Blackpool is every dancer’s dream; it truly captures what it means to be a Ballroom and Latin dancer, writes Nikki Woodfine, Principle of local Ballroom and Latin dance school, Finesteps.

The Tower Ballroom is no joke, the best dancers in the world have danced there. Despite that pressure, the celebrities took to the floor with confidence and style, making for another spectacular weekend in Blackpool.

Chris and Dianne kicked off the show with an American Smooth that was classy in every way. Chris danced some lovely basic Foxtrot with clean footwork and great timing, not to mention the lifts were fabulous too. He perhaps needed a bit more drive forward through the heel leads, but this might be my favourite dance of his yet!

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The Quickstep was the perfect dance for Ballroom boy JB this week. The routine was full of content, with runs and hops at the right level to help JB glide across the floor. I felt it got a bit frantic towards the end, but I’d put that down to tiredness. Dancing the Quickstep at full speed is exhausting!

Top of the leaderboard this week were Sarah and Tasha, with performances completely opposite to one another. Sarah and Vito’s Couples Choice was almost mesmerising to watch, there’s no doubting Sarah’s a natural performer. I have to agree with Craig on this one though, I would have liked to see a bit more movement throughout the routine. Tasha’s Paso Doble was like nothing I’ve ever seen before.

What is traditionally quite an aggressive dance really benefited from the softer approach, creating a clear and emotive storyline. I was particularly impressed with Tasha’s powerful but lyrical curves that helped capture the Paso Doble in a different light. It’s definitely a dance to remember.

It wouldn’t be Blackpool week without someone floating in from the ceiling on a giant object and this year Jamie took that pleasure. His Jive was fun and energic with some positive signs of technique. As the judges said, Jamie’s body weight was too far back, meaning he was unable to create a defined retraction in his kicks. Even still, it was one of the better Jives of the series so far.

Pete has finally taken the pressure off himself so he can enjoy dancing for what it is. The Cha Cha Cha itself wasn’t great, with technique and timing issues throughout, but the other elements of the dance were fantastic. Was it the entertainment factor that saved him from the dreaded dance off? Most definitely.

The Dance Off

I was quite shocked at this week’s bottom two, Montell definitely didn’t deserve to be there. Although her Salsa was a bit untidy in places, she had lots of energy, a good hip rotation and fantastic lifts. Unfortunately for Wynne, his Charleston wasn’t up to scratch, with lots of mistakes and a broken swivel. The judges made the right choice, it was time for Wynne to go home.