Strictly 2024

Allira

Probably.

Do you watch Eastenders by any chance?

No, or Gladiators. I’m not invested in either of them, and I think Montell will go soon too.
I can’t help but feel a bit disappointed this year if two of the finalists are Tasha and Sarah though, with all that experience behind them.

Calendargirl

I think Chris should have gone.

His performance was worse than Pete’s.

Probably.

I love Chris and really admire him and what he has managed to do, but I don't want to see excellent dancers going home instead. Chris has had 2 weeks when he has not been very good .... and for obvious reasons, as we all know , but ....

Now that Dianne's parents have seen her dancing with him, they have reached that particular milestone, and maybe next week he will go.

I think Chris should have gone.

His performance was worse than Pete’s.

Probably.

Do you watch Eastenders by any chance?

Is it just me who thinks Montell is stiff in the middle? She dances well otherwise, but somehow it doesn’t jell, and I think that’s why.

That was a tough call but I think that was the right decision. Both couples danced really well but I think Montell and Johannes just had the edge. In fairness Pete should have been on his way home and he knew it himself. He has a huge social media following and could be there till the final.

RosiesMaw2

Why do the voting public not like Montell?
I think she looks lovely, dances beautifully and I love seeing her and Johannes, but she keeps coming back for the dance off.

It's strange.

I think it's because she's not as well-known as Jamie and others. More people probably watch Eastenders than watch the Olympics, sadly.
It's a popularity contest, not a dance contest.

The right decision at last. Jamie danced competently but without the flair of Montell.

Maybe Montell is just not very well known RosieMaw2 so doesn't have such a big fan base as other contestants.

So Jamie goes home.

Why do the voting public not like Montell?
I think she looks lovely, dances beautifully and I love seeing her and Johannes, but she keeps coming back for the dance off.

Pete was shocked not to be in the dance off!

Jamie attended the Sylvia Young school so he too would have had at least some basic dance training. Any actor/actress who attended stage school would have had dance in one form or another as part of the curriculum.

Yes, Casdon, I'm not sure about all stage schools, but at most places pupils will study dance, singing, and acting.

Sorry - training, not trading.

Sarah’s previous trading was pretty extensive Calendargirl according to the Independent:

‘After leaving home at 16, she trained at Laine Theatre Arts College in Epsom, Surrey and made her on-screen debut with a minor role in the second series of the political sitcom The Thick of It, alongside Peter Capaldi and Chris Addison.

Like her fellow Strictly 2024 contestant Tasha Ghouri, Hadland already has some dance experience, having trained in ballet from the age of three. Ahead of landing an acting role, she started her career dancing in West End musicals, including Cats and Grease when she was 19.’

Any attendance at tap, ballet, and jazz classes will count because you instinctively know how to position yourself and how to execute the movements.
I think it's only if you've been on stage that you really know how to present your routines, usually in front of an audience, if you get what I mean. It's those who have been trained in the art of "performing" who will have the edge.

Casdon

GrannyGravy13

Tasha went to CAPA in Slough as well as doing ballet as a child.

She has also worked as a professional bar dancer as well as a model.

Whilst I agree she is a good dancer, she is a trained dancer, as was the boy who Nikita danced with the other year.

Comparing Tasha with Chris and other untrained dancers is unfair in my opinion.

You’re right, as is comparing Sarah with them. Sarah did dance training from the age of three, and went to musical theatre college, before appearing in various musicals and other shows. I’d prefer somebody with no previous training to win.

It’s a difficult one, as many celebrities, soap stars etc have been to stage school where there is an element of dance involved.

But doing a dance course for two/three years should be enough to exclude anyone from Strictly as they have a definite advantage.

What constitutes ‘previous training’ though?

Does attending tap and ballet classes as a child count?

Same as ‘Dancing On Ice’. There must be people who have never stepped on a skating rink, and others who have been whizzing about on skates from early childhood.

None of which can be fair really.

I like Pete and Chris, they are not trained dancers and at this stage it is beginning to show.
I think I would still like to see Chris get to the final though.
My final three would be JB, Chris and I don't care who the other one is.

GrannyGravy13

Tasha went to CAPA in Slough as well as doing ballet as a child.

She has also worked as a professional bar dancer as well as a model.

Whilst I agree she is a good dancer, she is a trained dancer, as was the boy who Nikita danced with the other year.

Comparing Tasha with Chris and other untrained dancers is unfair in my opinion.

You’re right, as is comparing Sarah with them. Sarah did dance training from the age of three, and went to musical theatre college, before appearing in various musicals and other shows. I’d prefer somebody with no previous training to win.

All those three -Tasha, JB and Sarah should be in the final. I'll eat my socks, (well my ballet tights anyway!), if Pete is there with them. And I agree with others that Chris has had his day now.

I like Anton too, especially as he is not loud. I’d love to get a high mark from Craig, because he hands them out so rarely, but that’s his trademark.
Crotchety Craig, Mouthy Motsi, Shouty Shirley, all silly in their own way, so Anton fits in well.

Tasha went to CAPA in Slough as well as doing ballet as a child.

She has also worked as a professional bar dancer as well as a model.

Whilst I agree she is a good dancer, she is a trained dancer, as was the boy who Nikita danced with the other year.

Comparing Tasha with Chris and other untrained dancers is unfair in my opinion.

Would love to see JB in the final. Tasha is a lovely dancer, but also a trained one, and that always seems wrong.