'Toyah Wilcox put it all out there for Strictly, but her time could soon be up'
Strictly is in full swing! Now all the celebrities know what to expect, they’ve taken to the floor for week 2 and on the whole, they are talented bunch. The competition is getting fierce already!
Compared to last week there were some great improvers, one of those being Pete. The Paso didn’t quite hit the mark last week, but his American Smooth showed that all the fundamentals are there. I saw some good footwork, some great musicality and Pete supported Jowita fully in all the lifts. Pete now needs to relax and lose his concentration face so he can perform with full confidence.
I also thought that Sam and Nikita’s Charleston was a step up from last week. Although there were a few timing issues, Sam recovered well and got herself back on track. That’s an important skill for all dancers to have. Not to mention her swivels were excellent! Wynne has also improved, with a regal Viennese Waltz that had a flowing movement and no step faults. He’s definitely stronger in the Ballroom dances.
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Another beautiful Viennese Waltz came from Tasha and Aljaž. Tasha is a natural performer, and her frame was perfect from start to finish. A very high score for week 2, but with a fleckerl in the routine, she deserved it. Sarah took second place on the leaderboard with a showstopping Paso Doble that was jampacked with steps and power. What really impressed me were the eight spins Sarah danced with perfect spotting, allowing her to spin quickly whilst keeping balanced.
Nick and Luba’s American Smooth was fantastic given Nick’s arm injury meant he only had 16 hours to perfect the routine. There’s potential for Nick to turn into a lovey dancer. I felt Jamie and Michelle’s Rumba wasn’t as good as it could have been. There were lots of moments when Jamie was stood still supporting Michelle whilst she was dancing swivels and turns, which made the dance look stilted. This is where Jamie needed to accentuate his hip movements, allowing the hip to settle through beats four and one.
One of the weakest dances of the night for me was Paul and Karen’s Salsa. Yes, the routine was fun and entertaining with lots of lifts. The problem is there wasn’t much else. Paul managed to escape the dance off, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s in the bottom two next week.
The Dreaded Dance Off unfortunately for Tom and Toyah the lights turned red, and they had to perform their dances again. Was it justified for them to be in the dance off? Yes. Tom’s Cha Cha was simply too stiff with weight transfers not happening on step and Toyah’s Jive had very little Jive content.
In the end the judges chose to save Toyah, which came as a shock to most. I think Tom was the better dancer out of the two, but his dance off performance lacked conviction and had lots of timing issues. Toyah put her all out there which ultimately saved her, but I think it’s likely she’ll back in the dance off next week.