Strictly The Final: 6pm tonight (new thread)

escaped Back in the 70s I went to an all nighter Fred and Ginger show at the NFT. I managed not to fall asleep. They are still my favourite dance films to watch.

Louella12

I don't know if this has been mentioned but Chris will not be participating in the Strictly tour next year

The Strictly Tour clashes with some of his own Comedy Tour dates, he had already rescheduled many dates to fit Strictly in.

I don't know if this has been mentioned but Chris will not be participating in the Strictly tour next year

mabon1

It was a total waste of time for the other three dancer to perform as it was known from day 1 that McCausland would win.

It wasn't a waste of time for Tasha. Financially she will be the winner. 💰

I recently saw a clip of Fred and Ginger and wondered why more of the Strictly choreographers don't use their pieces for ideas. Then we had Tasha and Aljaz - a brilliant performance.
That's a good point, and I agree. The trouble is that in the modern dance world, such numbers are considered "old-fashioned" and even sometimes "boring". If they are performed well they are excellent, but otherwise, in my experience, they can appear hackneyed.

It was a total waste of time for the other three dancer to perform as it was known from day 1 that McCausland would win.

* we have to be realistic

I would love for there to be more dance programmes, of all types on tv, but we have to very realistic here. Strictly is successful and popular for many reasons:

- the dynamic of professional dancers teaching
inexperienced celebrities
- the different dance types attempted
- the special effects and costumes
- the back stories and practice videos
- the judges, the presenters
- the studio audience
- etc.

The list is endless, and in this way Strictly has artificially inflated the public's perceived fondness for dance shows. But this isn't always sustainable. Other dance programmes have struggled to gain such longevity and popularity, mainly because dance is underrated in general.

I think that is why the GN Strictly thread is always successful. It draws in posters who are passionate about dance, whether experienced or not, but it also draws in posters who want to discuss it for the entertainment value and the pleasure it brings.

What interests me the most is the progress that some of the dancers make during the curse of the series and Chris definitely made the most.

I recently saw a clip of Fred and Ginger and wondered why more of the Strictly choreographers don't use their pieces for ideas. Then we had Tasha and Aljaz - a brilliant performance.

It's good to see some excellent dancing on tv. For those who may be interested BBC or 4 sometimes show films of the Royal Ballet such as Alice in wonderland. If you haven't that, it's a must. Also other companies. Worth looking out for.

Strictly not Strict

I came across these Strict results figures online. What a huge majority Chris and Dianne had.

Chris and Dianne 63.81% (2396 votes)
JB and Lauren 17.15% (644 votes)
Sarah and Vito 11.74% (441 votes)
Tasha and Aljaz 7.30% (274 votes)

I think Dianne should have some official recognition for all her hard work.
I don't think "Dame Dianne Buswell" would go amiss, especially as Queen Camilla enjoys Strictly.

As has been said before, a whole program of novice dancers would be too boring, we do need to see some amazing dancing.
Tasha was good. better than good, but for me she lacked something the other three finalists had, she just always seemed to go through the motions without any passion or emotion.
I think JB was the best, but Chis and Diane, definitely worthy winners.

Tasha has been dancing since she was 3 years old. She has had plenty of training over the years so she ought to have been good (like Layton last year).

Chris had never danced at all, and couldn't see - no comparison.

I think the winner should rightly be the celebrity who has made the most progress, which this year is Chris.

Totally unexpected, as he said himself he expected to go out very early on.
No-one could possibly have foreseen this amazing outcome, and all credit to Dianne🕺💃

I wanted Chris and Diane to win because it’s amazing what he did (including always perfect heel leads) and how Diane managed to teach him, but I really enjoyed many of the other performances and the programme wouldn’t be the same without the brilliance of Tasha and Aljaž.

I believed, all along, that Chris and Diane would win on the popular vote and always gave them my vote. I know that Anton said that Tasha was probably the best dancer they'd ever had on Strictly, and Craig was lavish in his support of her. but this, as we all know, is not what it's all about. Shirley referred to Pete as 'Mr Strictly' because of the progress he made, but might have said the same of Chris whose progress was stunning and whose personality captivated the audience - well, me, for one -not to mention Diane. I can't think of another pro dancer who could have related to Chris the way she did.

Yes, maybe it is a bit fundamentally flawed, but I still love it.
It would be quite difficult to find contestants who are completely the same, I think.

Tasha is like many others before her who were excellent dancers but didn't win. Ashley Roberts and Denise Van Outen are at least two.

It's not what people want as they like to see improvement each week.

It was an amazing final.

Grannynannywanny said exactly what I wanted to say. Chris definitely the most progressive and with Diane for me definitely the winners this year.

I enjoyed Tasha’s dance routines every week but would have been disappointed if she and Aljaz won. For me the show is all about seeing the celebrity learning to dance and displaying their progress every week. The progress made by Chris was astonishing. I can’t fathom how Diane taught him those dances and they were deserving winners.

Tasha clearly had a wealth of dance experience but she made the show very entertaining without lifting the trophy. I don’t think any of the other finalists expected to win.

It would be difficult to exclude all celebrities who have previous dance experience. So many of them have passed through stage school and drama classes and are likely to have had some dance experience. Where would they draw the line?

I do not think trained dancers like Tasha should be invited to the show.

I also think that we should have been shown the public voting figures for transparency.

Next year, like the originals it should be on one night only.

Sparklefizz
Absolutely I agree. This is what’s wrong with Strictly, it’s not a level playing field from the start. 50 year old footballers up against 22 year olds with plenty of dance experience.
It’s not a fair contest.
They should really only have celebrities on there that have had no ( professional ) dance experience at all!
The whole show is fundamentally flawed because the best dancer quite often doesn’t win.

Kandinsky

I’m glad he won but he wasn’t the best dancer - Tasha was by far the best and the Anton even said to her, ‘you’re probably the best dancer we’ve ever had on the entire series of strictly’ - but the public vote the winner so it’s always down to which personality they like the best.

Tasha has been dancing since she was 3 years old. She has had plenty of training over the years so she ought to have been good (like Layton last year).

Chris had never danced at all, and couldn't see - no comparison.

I have really enjoyed this year and the high standard. Very pleased Chris and Dianne won

I’m glad he won but he wasn’t the best dancer - Tasha was by far the best and the Anton even said to her, ‘you’re probably the best dancer we’ve ever had on the entire series of strictly’ - but the public vote the winner so it’s always down to which personality they like the best.